Food allergies are increasingly widespread and just because you are on vacation, doesn’t mean that your food allergies are. Leaving the fate of your dinner in someone else’s hands can be fatal to those with severe food allergies. This doesn’t mean you’re out of luck in the dining department, after all it’s Disney we’re talking about!
The first day of college Speech 101 my professor came into the classroom, sat on the desk and said “what do you need to know about giving a speech?” It turned out she wasn’t interested in our ideas of essential elements of speech and instead broke it down to three simple things that I have never forgotten:
#1: “Tell Em’ what you’re gonna tell em’ ”
#2: “Tell Em’ what you want to tell em’”
#3: “Tell Em’ again”
These three tips have come in handy for more than giving speeches and I’ve found it’s a really easy way to remember how to approach Disney dining if you have food allergies.
#1: “Tell Em’ what your’e gonna tell em’ “– If you are worried about getting caught up in the ADR hustle, tell the cast member about your allergies first, so you don’t forget. “Hi, i’d like to make dining reservations and I need to make a note of food allergies on my reservations as well…” If you are booking dining online, there is a section of the screen that will ask about food allergies before you confirm your reservation, so be sure to scroll all the way down and read carefully. If you have a severe or very specific allergy, it’s better to call. Restaurants request a 72 hour advance notice to best prepare for your specific needs, so if you have last minute dining changes, give the restaurant as much notice as possible.
#2: “Tell Em’ what you want to tell em’ “-Just because you made a note on your original ADR’s doesn’t mean your work is done. Don’t forget if you change a reservation to put your allergy notes on the new reservation. Do some research on the menus before you make your dining reservations, this will eliminate unnecessary frustration, cancellations and changes if you find a particular restaurant isn’t suited for your specific food needs. I’m going to add to this and say, “ask em’ what you want to ask em’ “. If you have a severe allergy and aren’t comfortable with your dining options, ask the cast member for a dietary request form or where you can find more information about your food choices.
#3: “Tell Em’ Again”-Tell your server about your food allergies when you arrive at the restaurant. If you are hesitant about ordering a particular dish, generally the chef will come out and speak with you about your specific needs and advise you accordingly. Yes, you’ve already told everyone twice already, but now you are in the home stretch and these are the people who are going to be handling and preparing your food, so don’t rely on a computer system to do it for you, better safe than sorry!
Taking these simple precautions can help guarantee that your Disney dining experience is delightful and delicious and not disastrous or dangerous.
If you are using a Disney Travel Agent, be sure to inform them about your special needs or food allergies as soon as possible. Knowledge is power!
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
This is a great tip. I never thought about noting the allergy on the reservation before. i have noticed that I am more selective on restaurants beacuse of my daughter shellfish allergy.
My son has peanut and tree nut allergies and we have gone to Disney twice now with much success. I strongly encouage people to plan ahead and make use of Disney’s special diets department. They can email you information in advance which will help with planning counter service and snacks as well as table service meals. They also will send you a form that you fill in all of your ADRs and Disney hotel info. When you returned the form to them, they will forward it to all the restaurants at which you have ADRs.
I love being able to eat at Disney and not worry about my allergies…..they really do take extra caution…..I had the managers and chefs come talk to me before and during my meals to make sure I was okay and everything was good…..at Casey’s they cooked the special hot dog bun for me and it took quite a while because they use a different oven for the GF buns and they felt so bad that they threw in free fruit and a free GF brownie for making me wait! Disney rocks! :0)
Yep, I have food allergies. I have met many a chef at WDW table service restaurants and only one cranky one! The cranky one did make sure I had a wonderful meal so his crankiness was forgiven. I have only had one server who was clueless, thankfully the chef wasn’t.
I had a problem with language barriers at the counter service in the Japan pavilion at Epcot and ended up having to go to another CS restaurant to get a safe meal. Considering how many meals I have eaten at WDW, this was not a huge disaster.