Disney Cruise And Disney World

[celiacgirls]

We just got back from our Disney Land/Sea vacation. After reading all the good things about Disney World, I very bravely (and possibly foolishly) relied on them for all of our meals. They did a wonderful job. I don't think there were any mistakes made and I am very sensitive to gluten. My 2 daughters and I also avoid soy and casein.

When we got onboard the ship, the only food option was the buffet. The chef came out to show us what was ok to eat and what to avoid. There wasn't too much that was ok but I am too worried about cc to eat from a buffet anyway. He ended up making us our own french fries, fried in canola oil, since they typically use soybean oil. He also brought hamburgers and a veggie stir fry for my vegetarian daughter. She then asked for some salad dressing and he had to go search for something that would work. He spent a lot of time on us to make sure we had something good to eat.

After that, we ate only in the table service restaurants. On Disney cruises, you rotate through the 3 onboard restaurants, each with their own theme. The wait staff rotates with you so they are aware of any food issues and you don't have to keep explaining it. After the first night, they had gluten-free rolls warmed and ready for us when we got there. The first night was the most limited in choices. They hadn't prepared anything especially for us but they did have steak and chicken on the menu that was ok for us. After that night, we ordered the night before for our dinner. They were willing to make special things as well as modify what was on their menu. They also had gluten-free pasta available.

For dessert, the chef at one of the restaurants brought us chocolate-covered strawberries as a surprise. He also made meringues with fruit and/or chocolate sauce. One night we had apple crisp with Rice Dream ice cream. Someone at the table next to us celebrated a birthday and they brought them a gluten-free/CF cake.

For breakfast, they had gluten-free/CF soy-free waffles and pancakes. At least the waffles appeared to be frozen. I stayed away from those and just had eggs, potatoes, and bacon or sausage.

At Disney World, I made reservations for every meal at a table service restaurant. Our plane was late the first night and all of the restaurants were closed except the counter service ones. We went to Captain Cook's in the Polynesian and of course there was nothing on the menu that was gluten-free/CF/SF. The chef came down from the kitchen upstairs and made hamburgers with gluten-free rolls and french fries. We have not had restaurant fries in over a year and we were very hungry after traveling all day so those french fries were the best food we had on the whole trip! The chef made them just for us in canola oil and brought them down himself when they were done. He was apologetic because they took so long and because he had to use hot dog buns cut in half for our hamburgers but we were just happy to have restaurant food that was safe to eat. He actually comped our meal since it took him so long!

Once we saw that Captain Cook's was able to manage our diet, we ended up eating there most days for breakfast. Every day, we placed our order directly with the chef, who then made it in a separate kitchen to avoid cc. They were able to make pancakes and waffles for us. We also ate at the Ohanu for breakfast.

My husband and I ate at Victoria and Albert's one night. They modified my food to go along with their regular menu. I didn't feel like it was compromised. They said they frequently have to make changes for allergies there. I used to love to go out to nice restaurants for dinner but haven't felt comfortable since finding out about my gluten intolerance so I really enjoyed eating there.

If anyone wants to know exactly what other restaurants we ate at, I will post those. It seems to me that you could eat at any table service restaurant and be treated really well. They seemed more than willing to modify or create dishes that you would want to eat.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

That sounds great!