Disney Vacation And Celiacs

[PKay]

Has anyone traveled to Disney on the Meal plan and utilized the "Gluten Free" assistance at on site restaurants? I completed their questionnaire, but am skeptical. Any advice from EXPERIENCED travelers welcome!

[kareng]

There have been several threads on here about Disney World & Land. I didn't do a meal plan so I'm not sure how that works. They are extremely good about gluten-free and allergy food. They have a list of what you can get at various food places in the Town Hall as you come in to the park.

[Darissa]

We had season passes to Disneyland for a year after finding out about Celiac. We never did the meal plan, but we purchased our food at the park and hotels. Disney did a great job. They have a list you pick up when you first walk into the park at Disneyland that has all the resturants and what they have that is gluten free. Every dining experience we had was great. We even had the Character breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen and had waffles and bacon and fruit. It was wonderful. The motels also have gluten free food at their resturants. Have fun and enjoy Disney!

[mamaw]

We always use the meal plan .. It is the best buy & also for gluten-free.We were never charged more for gluten-free like most places... I think now the tip is not included ... We did plan out what restaurants & lunches we would eat each day... We also called the restaurant a month before going for reservations & each morning we called to tell them we were still coming that evening & needed four gluten-free meals...we would eat at each day....

We had a bunch of quick lunches left over & snacks soon our last day we went & used them up by buying gluten-free goodies to take home with us. So no money for the meal plan was wasted...

If I were to recommend a gluten-free vacation I would say Disney for sure. They are very knowledgeable about gluten-free. some places even gave us the leftover gluten-free dessert to take with us.

I would call ahead & make reservations because they need to have timeto prepare.. Since there were two gluten-free kids & two gluten-free adults & 2 regular eaters ...

Another tip is when you go for quick lunches do not wait in the long lines , go directly to an open space at the counter & ask to speak to the manager. Tell the manager you are gluten-free & what do they suggest . The manager prepares the gluten-free food in a different area . So our gluten eaters got in the food line & we placed our gluten-free through the manager & told them our gluten eaters were in line to place their orders. So when all was said & done our gluten-free food came at the same time the gluten eaters food so we wasn't wasting time waiting on gluten-free that always takes a bit longer to cook... It was a wonderful experience at Disney.We were there for seven full days & never got ill or had any problems...

The evening meals were always very large &several times people at other tables would ask how we got that meal, the waiter would say oh that's a special food order. Many wanted our meals...&the two gluten eaters often said ours was better because they take extra care making gluten-free special.

I felt like a celebrity at meal time......

If you do your homework first & plan ahead it is a wonderful experience. some wait till they get there & have to find out where they can safely dine & it becomes a hassle esp. when your tired & hungry. And you also lose precious time when you could be enjoying Disney. Many of the shows also has gluten-free.

Sorry if some of my words are running together , my space bar is not working.

blessings

mamaw

[cassP]

There have been several threads on here about Disney World & Land. I didn't do a meal plan so I'm not sure how that works. They are extremely good about gluten-free and allergy food. They have a list of what you can get at various food places in the Town Hall as you come in to the park.

what if you're going to Epcot, MGM, or Animal Kingdom?? or do u need to go to the town hall at magic kingdom first- and get lists for all the parks???

[smc]

what if you're going to Epcot, MGM, or Animal Kingdom?? or do u need to go to the town hall at magic kingdom first- and get lists for all the parks???

Disney is one of the best places a celiac can travel to. We have done it twice since I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago. We get the dining plan . If you plan to eat at the sit down places -When you contact Disney dining to make your reservations you just tell them you are celiac-I think they even ask if anyone has dietary restrictions. They will e mail you a list of snack foods you can eat in each park along with a special diet form to fill out and return to them before your arrival. All the restuarants you choose will be notified ahead a time of your arrival and disney will either call or e mail to tell you this. When you arrive to eat the server will tell you that a chef will come to your table and you will be taken care of . They are WONDERFUL! I have even had special deserts made for me . They act like it is no big deal because they do it all the time. You will be treated like a Disney princess. Every one of the quick service restuarants that we have gone to have been great as well. When you order the manager will come out and show you a book of gluten-free options and the ingredient list-the manager then prepares your food in a seperate area , fyrer, they change gloves etc. If you eat at a buffet the chef will walk it with you and give you your safe options and i have had chefs ask me if i feel safe eating from a buffet because if not they can prepare something in the kitchen . I know the hotels we have stayed at can prepare a gluten-free breakfeast but I did not take advantage of this . They do have gluten-free yogurt and a few fruit options but I usually bring my own breakfeast. I think I did however get a small amount of gluten at a buffet once but that is not their fault . Something i picked must have been cross contaminated. Every Celiac has to watch out for themselves but as far as Disney taking care of you when you are there. You can go with no worries! Cant wait to go again!

[Kelleybean]

We live in Orlando so we go to Disney fairly often. We mostly go to Magic Kingdom b/c my son is 3 and that's his favorite. They have a lot of gluten free options. They sell gluten-free cookies in the bakery on Main Street (can't remember the name!) and several of the counter service places had things like Amy's mac and cheese and gluten-free pizza options. We don't usually do the restaurants so I can't comment there but I've heard they are really accommodating. There is also a Babycakes bakery in Downtown Disney that is absolutely wonderful, albeit a little expensive. Everything there is gluten free and casein free. Their toasties (kind of like cranberry bread) is amazing. We talked to the manager at the cafeteria type place in the same space as Babycakes and even though we haven't eaten there yet, I was really impressed with how helpful they were. They have a printout of everything gluten free. It was nice to go somewhere and have the staff already knowledgeable about gluten.

[lovegrov]

No need to be skeptical. They are great.

richard