I know on the old board there were threads about Disney and I know one of our members recently went and posted about her wonderful trip! DH & I have decided that the big jolly elf will be bringing a family vacation to Disney this year. We are gathering opinions and I value yours greatly, so any advice from where to stay (or not), where to eat, etc would be appreciated! I know we will be doing a Princess Breakfast at Norway in Epcot and the Hoop de do Review. Not sure where to stay - thinking about Animal Kingdom but concerned about distance to the parks. We also plan to hit Legoland on our last day in Florida. I think that the best part of this trip for my kids will be eating at restaurants - I may just cry when we sit down for our first meal there! I am so excited!!
One of the best things I did to prepare for our Disneyworld days was to use the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld book. I checked the current issue out from the library and brought it with! :hiding: It was SO, so useful for understanding the details and making plans. Way better than Birnbaums and others.
Disney is great ahead of time and at the restaurants for figuring out food allergy concerns. Disney made me love them with that. :heart: :heart: :heart:
We went on our Honeymoon! I will dig up that thread.
They are just wonderful! Also, make sure to email special diets close to your trip. They send a form, you fill it out, then they make sure the places you have reservations for get a copy. Tickets for meals are stamped, there are allergy books everywhere. It was wonderful!
Here is the link: http://allergy.hyperboards.com/action/view_topic/topic_id/19431 (http://allergy.hyperboards.com/action/view_topic/topic_id/19431)
Thanks for the info & the thread! I booked our vacation this morning!
Did anyone else see that AllergyEats just launched an entirely new microsite dedicated to Disney World? (I don't exactly know what a microsite is, but it seems to be a regular web site.) I wasn't sure how much this was needed since Disney seems to do a great job everywhere, but I was surprised that not all the restaurants have positive ratings. Must have something to do with some not being operated by Disney itself. Oh, the site is link removed please post links in the commercial section.
I think it's all about the planning, you know? Check the box when you make a reservation , and fill out the special diets form.
Also, I didn't make plans to go anywhere that seemed like they were nutty.
Within reason of allergies, you could eat pretty much anywhere.
We are going to the Hoop De Do Review, Breakfast at Cinderella's castle, Le Cellier in Epcot & Sci Fi in Hollywood Studios. Just checked the box, sent the email and asked about qucik service. I think we are all set. Was hoping to do Chef Mickey but I think 7:00am may be a tad too early for my kids and that the only time I could find. Have to check with DH and see what he thinks. So very excited.
I loved the palace for breakfast! So yummy, and amazing chance to meet the princesses.
If you want to see Micky and everyone, I would do Chef Mickey's. They all go to every table, and meet and greet.
I would do the Crystal palace if Chef Mickey's it too early. It's Pooh and friends, and they had a huge breakfast bar.
Disney is just amazing! My kids are having a blast and just love eating at the restaurants! They have never eaten food from any restaurant except BK fries. The wait staff at the restaurants are so knowledgeable and the chef's are wonderful. I was able to get a reservation at Chef Mickey - we go tomorrow before heading home. I sure hope they can make dairy free, egg free Mickey waffles. I know we will be coming here for vacation again. DS got a bit tearey eyed when we left Magic Kingdom yesterday.
:thumbsup: That's truly the best part of Disney, isnt' it! For those of us with FAs, anyway.
It really is. We will definitely be returning to Disney. DS said during his first meal that Disney makes him feel like he doesn't have allergies. It has been a wonderful experience. May be hard to go back to reality..,
So glad you are having fun! Reality is tough to return to!
Quote from: MaryM on January 26, 2012, 10:08:10 PM
It really is. We will definitely be returning to Disney. DS said during his first meal that Disney makes him feel like he doesn't have allergies. It has been a wonderful experience. May be hard to go back to reality..,
Awwww, what a wonderful experience.
Love that the chef comes out and talks to you before you order food!
We ate at: Chef Mickey's for character breakfast, Flying Fish (Boardwalk), Coral Reef (Epcot), Le Cellier (Epcot), Portobellos (Downtown), Yachtsman (Yacht Club).
Quick Service was: Flame Tree BBQ (Animal), Pecos Bill's Cafe (Magic), Sunshine Season (Epcot)*, they would sub out the unsafe cookie for a 2 pack of enjoy life cookies. Also the good news is the PB&J sandwich they served was an Uncrustable so it was pre-packaged and not made fresh around other foods.
*was a little disappointed in kid friendly main dishes since all bread is considered cross contaminated. They did have lots of a la carte items such as chips, whole fruit, grapes, carrots, enjoy life chocolate bars.
For breakfast we grabbed quick things to eat like cereal and yogurt at the market in our hotel complex. I did see a few allergy safe items for sale...divvies popcorn (this was the only place I saw any divvies), surf sweets jelly beans, and there was some sort of gluten free brownie (didn't read ingredients on this one).
The Orlando airport has a Qdoba on the gate level in B and in the food court level in A we saw: Krispy Kreme (ate some), Quiznos (ate there--I with a sesame allergy had a yummy salad), McDs.
We went overnight since it's close to us now. We got our annual passes while we were at it. But we ate at Raglan Road (downtown), Crystal Palace for breakfast, and Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner(both mk ) Wonderful allergy management on such short notice
At MCO if you are flying US Air, there is a Fiod court that has a Qdoba and a Wendy's at the end if the train that takes you to/from the main terminal for gates 50+.
We're going in 6 weeks! The most exciting part for me is that we are going out for dinner Every Night. I don't have to cook. This will be my daughter's first time on a plane too. She says she's nervous. This is the same kid who rides every roller coaster at Six Flags.
We just booked for the food and wine festival!!! So excited!
Fantastic trip! I want to go back. As far as restaurants, the chefs came out and spoke to us at almost every restaurant. They had the allergy noted in the computer when we checked in. Basically, we had to avoid anything from the bakery, which includes bread and most desserts. In a few restaurants, their desserts were made on premises, and the chef told us which ones were safe.
At the counter service places, they had the "book" of ingredients right at the cash registers. Often a manager would come up and place the order for us. Nobody had an attitude about it at all.
We only at at Disney-owned restaurants. Some of the places in Downtown Disney are not owned by Disney, so I didn't want to take a chance.
I forgot to add in our experience at food and wine...it was amazing. We ate at alkost every spot. We had chefs and managers that gave us a rundown on what was safe or not. Fantastic as usual.
Overall it sounds like a great move for you guys! That's terrific to hear. :)
Quote from: twinturbo on December 11, 2013, 02:12:58 PM
Overall it sounds like a great move for you guys! That's terrific to hear. :)
Thank you! It has been fantastic! We love the area we are in, and we are having a blast being "tourists".
bumping for myself.
Any more Legoland experiences in Florida? I think I'm taking DS1 for his birthday a combo LL/Disney trip we'll meet with a grandpa and a family friend.
If you go to LL website you can look at allergy info for the restaurants.
Have never been to Legoland in FL, but went many times to te one in SAn Diego. They are excellent with allergen info.
FYI - Babycakes USA, in Downtown Disney (Walt Disney World) will be closing as of 19 March 2014 due to construction in the area. No word yet on when or whether they will be reopening. They will continue to supply their bakery items to select WDW food courts and restaurants.
http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/03/05/pollo-camperobabycakes-nyc-close-walt-disney-worlds-downtown-disney/ (http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/03/05/pollo-camperobabycakes-nyc-close-walt-disney-worlds-downtown-disney/)
Has anyone stayed in at a hilton hotel near Disney World? We are thinking about using Hilton points to make it more affordable. Thoughts? Some look like they have a transportation to the parks. Need to do some research.
Hmmm, trying to think whether it was a Hilton we stayed at last year. I know it was that or Marriott. And whichever it was, I am pretty sure the other was right by where we stayed. About five hotels in the same area. It was right across the street from Downtown. After maneuvering sidewalks and crossing the street, it as about five minutes walk to get into Downtown, but from there it could be ten to fifteen to get to the particular part of Downtown we were heading for.
The busses to the parks were good. They came every half hour. All the hotels in that little area shared a bus. We were at the last one the bus stopped at. Often the bus was full before it got to us. When that happened they sent a backup bus. It took a few minutes longer, but only a few, and we had the bus pretty much to ourselves. Last time we stayed off property (years ago)that was not the case. If you could not get on the bus, you were SOL, and had to wait for the next one, which was also likely to be full.
Walking in the opposite direction from DT, there were shops and restaurants, not Disney affiliated, about a mile away.
It actually was almost as convenient as staying on property. The biggest difference was brand new our last visit. The FastPass plus system allows you to pick times 60 days before if you are on property, only 30 days before if you are off property. And when I went on the first day I could, I found some attractions had no fastpasses left.
Not related to Hilton, but Erin McKenna's Bakery (formerly Babycakes) is now open in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) and has been for a while. They use Bob's Red Mill flour in all their baked goods and coconut in some; it's a personal call on tree nut cross contamination on both accounts there. I've been told they have some top-8-free ice creams made on site, though I didn't see it on the menu when we were there in October.
Thanks HH, that's very helpful.
Ok, flights are booked, hotel is booked, need to call the naval ship yard to get tickets. I have a couple restaurants booked but not necessarily what I wanted.
Does anyone have any allergy info on the mickey bars? the ice cream shaped like mickey's head covered in chocolate?
Have a great time! We went to Disney World and found the restaurants very allergy aware :)
Current Mickey Bar information:
From AllergyFreeMouse.com
(https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/12729092_1169217053098311_89542815029815533_n.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoibyJ9&oh=f5292116e028a26fc9166678ecf2af60&oe=5768EC43)
Be sure you ask to see the package, though a Disney chef won't even bring it out if your allergens are on the label, even as a may contain.
Keep checking on the restaurants you want on the MyDisneyExperience app. You may find a cancellation before you leave or whilst you are there. We were able to get some better dining options that way. Though we have only ever had one bad dining experience at Disney out of well over a hundred meals.
Have a magical vacation!
SC-thanks for the info.
We are back, had a great trip.
We stayed at the Double Tree Lake Buena Vista near Disney Springs. There are bunch of hotels (Best Western, B Resort, Hilton, and a few more on Hotel Plaza Blvd) in this area that are not owned by Disney but still have Disney transportation. So there were 2 buses starting at 8 am every morning...one went to MK and HS, the other to AK and Epcot...so it took about 30 mins to get to the first park, add 15 min to get to the second park. They picked up to return to the hotels about every 30 mins. Most of the hotels have a contract with one of the taxi company so if you stay in one be sure to check with them for transportation to and from the airport...we used Mears which was fine.
There is a grocery store called Goodings about 1/2 mile from our hotel...they had almost everything we would have needed...Udi's muffins, pepperidge farm bread, king's hawaiian bread, sunbutter, snacks, etc. I actually packed sunbutter, bread, snacks, paper towels, plastic bags, disposable knives, etc. so that we could bring lunch into the park for the kids. In the Gooding's Plaza, there were multiple restaurants including Moe's Southwestern Grill so we ate there there first night and walked back with a couple things from the grocery store.
Our hotel had continental breakfast...yogurts, whole fruit and cereals were available if the buffet was not safe for certain allergies. There was probably one muffin or pastry with nuts, but it didn't look like those were baked in house, but I did not ask. They made Mickey waffles from a mix at the buffet, the omelet chef brought out the package for me to read...no warnings, it read safe so we went with it. DS had a banana, Mickey waffles and yogurt every morning. The rest of us at from the buffet. Since DH is a gold member it was only $5 to upgrade to full breakfast for adults, DS was free, and they should have charged us for DD, but just ignored the fact that she was older than 12.
Because we booked kind of late, our favorite restaurants were not available. We ate at House of Blues, The Boathouse and Paradiso 37...all located in Disney Springs. The Disney Springs bus started each night at 6 pm from our hotel and since it picked up at other hotels, the ride was probably 20 minutes. I think you could walk it in 10-20 mins, but our feet were so tired at the end of the day that if our reservations were too close to the bus time, we hopped in a cab for $6-8 depending on which end of Disney Springs that you got dropped of at.
Disney Springs is under construction, a few places are closed...Fulton's crab house and planet hollywood (probably more, but I can't think of them). They are apparently increasing the size of it and adding a ton of shops and restaurants...they are trying to make it a destination spot.
House of Blues...DS had a burger without the bun and fries. For dessert, he had a huge homemade cookie ice cream sandwich that really could have served 4 easily. Chef did not come to the table.
The Boathouse...DS again had a burger and could have the bun, but not the fries since it's a shared fryer and they use some sesame oil, he decided on a salad, but could have had roasted potatoes or a baked potato. A couple of the desserts were made in house (but not all), so we ordered chocolate bundt cake and key lime pie (this was the winner). The bread was made in house also. The chef came to the table.
Paradiso 37...DS again had a burger and was able to have the gluten free bun (but decided he would have preferred no bun...it fell apart too fast for him) and fries were safe. Tortilla chips are made in house on a dedicated fryer. Again, some desserts are made in house and some are purchased. We ordered the guava cheese cake and the mexican chocolate brownie (this was amazing). The chef came to the table.
Yes, DS had a burger every night...I didn't care as long as it was safe food.
In the parks, we did not eat any meals. Based on the letter in this thread, we checked the allergy information on the Mickey bars in the notebook and on the label and they read safe for peanuts and tree nuts so we ate them daily...with no issues.
We sought out the Dole pineapple whip one day...it was not easy to find, we had to google it. I thought it would be more readily available so if you are interested be sure to search on the disney app where it's located in each park. We loved it, thought it was very refreshing on a hot day.
I was thinking of you Hezz and dreaming of Disney... I am happy that you had such a great time in the parks! We've never dined in the Disney Springs restaurants or any of the ones in EPCOT not operated by Disney. I'd be interested to hear how they handled allergies and if it was the same protocols as they have at the Disney-operated restaurants. Care to share? (i.e. was the allergy noted on your reservation, confirmed by the greeter and server, chef came to table, etc.?)
I booked all the reservations on the Disney dining website and added the allergy info. None of the places we ate acknowledged the allergy so I have no idea if they could see it on the reservation.
We informed the server when they came to the table. At the House of Blues, the server kept having to check on items with the chef. Although, I do believe he came out to the table next to us.
At The Boathouse and Paradiso 37, the chef came to the table and we talked about what DS was interested in...we always had first and second choices ready to go. We usually looked at the menu online during the day to prep him in advance. Also talked desserts with the chef so we could make a choice without disrupting him again.
It worked, but I'd say the Disney owned restaurants are more responsive/proactive to the allergy customer.