A Gluten-Free and Worry-Free Disney Vacation

Celiac.com 02/05/2022 - Since my diagnosis of celiac disease a year ago, I have found it very difficult to dine out or travel without significant anxiety. All things considered, going anywhere had become an ordeal involving planning all meals in advance. Whether calling restaurants ahead of time to talk with a manager about a diet restriction that he hasn’t even heard of, or bringing any and all food that I plan to eat in a day—it is time consuming and demanding. As you can imagine, when it came time to plan a vacation there was some debate over a safe location. Where would I possibly eat for five days? Without question, I am glad that I chose Walt Disney World.

The first step was booking the hotel and flight reservations, and purchasing Disney theme park tickets. Then, I sat down and planned out the order we would visit parks to narrow the list of restaurants for each day. By signing up for the Disney dining plan ($35 per day for a counter service lunch with a dessert and a 3 course sit down dinner), I had a pre-selected restaurant list and was on my way to doing some research. The Unofficial Disney Guide had ratings for each restaurant on the list and some examples of meals on the menu which proved to be very helpful.

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Next, I planned out what restaurant I was going to eat at each day for lunch and dinner. I called 407-WDW DINE about a month before I was scheduled to leave. Through Disney’s central dining hub, I was able to make reservations with my gluten intolerance noted in their database for each restaurant that I chose. The person whom I spoke with gave me the phone numbers for the head chefs of each restaurant. It was also suggested that I call each restaurant about a week ahead of time to ensure that they could accommodate my dietary restrictions. I assumed that the sit-down restaurants would be able to assist me, but I was a little more concerned with the counter service restaurants. I anticipated lunch being a busy time and wondered if it would be possible for everything to be prepared without any contamination. In addition to calling the establishments ahead of time, I made sure to bring some cereal, bread, my own toaster (I was told that the hotel would be unable to provide an unopened one), and lots of gluten-free rice bars.

Once I arrived at Disney World and set out to eat my first meal, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only were the chefs able to assure me that there would be no risk of contamination, but the counter service managers were also able to promise the same. They only asked that I tried to arrive either before noon or after 2 PM to avoid their busiest times. For counter service restaurants, I would recommend the Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom, although every establishment that I went to for lunch was exceptional. The managers made my food themselves to ensure there would be no contamination and even baked the French fries in the oven rather than deep frying them.

At each restaurant that I went to for dinner, the head chef came out to speak with me prior to my ordering. I could ask them directly any questions about the food and they were able to alleviate any of my concerns. In the Magic Kingdom I was able to have a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace with gluten-free pancakes, and dinner at Tony’s Town Square with gluten-free rolls. Spoodles in Disney’s Boardwalk was also delicious with a Mediterranean twist to a great chicken dish. The only location that I was disappointed with was Les Chefs du France in Epcot. Despite calling ahead of time, the chef did not return my call. Once I was there and spoke with the waiter about my dietary restrictions, he informed me that there were no gluten-free starches for me to pick from. Needless to say, I left Epcot fairly hungry.

I set out planning for this vacation with a lot of reservations and apprehension. This was the first time I was going to put myself into a situation where I had to dine out for every meal since my diagnosis with celiac disease. I am proud to say that I not only left Disney World with mouse ears on my head, but a huge smile of my face. Actually, this was one of the best vacations that I have ever taken. The employees at Disney World are truly there to make your stay unforgettable. To them, it may have been any other week of their lives. To me, it was a milestone. This trip proved that I can continue to live a normal and happy life without always worrying about food. Disney World truly is the happiest place on Earth!