Walt Disney World is one of the best places to visit if you suffer from food allergies or intolerances. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the recipient of a FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) Award. The award was given for Disney providing a safe and enjoyable dining experience. Our guide provides essential information if you have food allergies and visiting Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World with Food Allergies & Intolerances The Basics
The majority of Walt Disney World restaurants and quick-service locations can accommodate the following common food allergies & intolerances:
- Gluten or wheat
- Eggs
- Fish
- Milk or lactose
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Corn
Most table-service and quick-service restaurant locations have printed allergy-friendly menus or allergy guides available. Special kid options will also be available. Also, you have the opportunity to consult with a chef, or special diets trained Cast Member before making your selection.
Is dining at Walt Disney World with food allergies easy?
Yes, at most locations, it is easy. The majority of cast-members are well informed and will accommodate your needs.
However, not all non-Disney operated restaurants have a dedicated allergy-friendly menu. This is especially true in Epcot and Disney Springs. Despite this, the majority of restaurants are happy to later dishes to meet your needs.
Unfortunately, we have witnessed, on occasions, poor service. This seems to be most common in quick-service locations. An example of this was at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, in the France Pavilion at Epcot. On requesting a meal without dairy, they proceeded to remove the cheese from an already made plate. Not disastrous in our case, but it could be.
Are allergy-friendly meals good quality at Walt Disney World
If you have ever visited Disneyland Paris, meals at Walt Disney World are of significantly better quality!
Who would have expected that the fried chicken served to all guests at Jungle Skipper Canteen is gluten-free? Or the gluten-free onion rings at Raglan Road taste better than the regular onion rings.
As is often the case, guests with food allergies will find dessert selections more limited.
Also, at specific locations, allergy-friendly plates will be served. At Artist Point, special appetizers and desserts are served, but they appeared to be an allergy plate that covered all possible allergies. One of the desserts we all thought was disgusting, and the rest tasteless.
Table-Service Restaurants
When booking Advanced Dining Reservations Disney will ask about allergies, but they can accommodate the most common allergies on the day without prior notice.
Your server will ask about allergies before taking your order, but in the rare event, they forget to ask, make them aware. You also have the opportunity to consult with a chef or special diets trained Cast Member if required.
Buffets
At buffet locations, a chef or specially trained cast-member is available to walk through the buffet with you. If there are no suitable dishes, a special meal will usually be prepared dependent on available ingredients.
Quick-Service locations
At Quick-Service locations, you should discuss with a server your needs. If you are uncertain if the cast-member can follow your requirements ask to speak to a chef or manager.
If using Mobile Ordering to arrange your quick-service meal, the majority of allergy-friendly meals can be arranged through the app.
Snack locations
At snack locations, cast members will usually have a book with information about allergens on the products they sell. Cast members will not be experts in these locations but will have access to the most common information.
Lifestyle requests
Increasingly many of us make lifestyle choices on what we choose to eat. Disney is happy to accommodate the following requests with no advance notice:
- diabetes
- gastric bypass
- lap band
- low-carbohydrate
- low-fat
- low-sodium
- no-sugar-added
- plant-based options
All major quick-service and table-service locations at Walt Disney World now serve plant-based options. In total over 400 dishes are available, and are made without animal meat, dairy, eggs or honey.
Metabolic & Multiple Food Allergies
Guests with metabolic disorders, less common allergies and multiple food allergies are encouraged to contact Special.Diets@disneyworld.com at least 14 days before arrival.
Disney recommends that they will do all they can to accommodate requests but can not guarantee they will meet all of them.
Bringing your own food into the parks
Guests with food allergies and intolerance are allowed to bring food items into the park. At security points, you should highlight this to cast members.
Medication for allergies
Hopefully, you will not need them, but you are allowed to bring EpiPens, antihistamines and asthma medications into the theme parks and water parks.
In addition, EpiPens are available at first aid stations and are indicated on park maps.
Religious Meals
In addition to food allergies, Kosher and Halal meals are available at most locations with 24 hours notice by calling (407) WDW-DINE.
Important Information
Guests with food allergies should note the following advice from the WDW website
We use reasonable efforts in our food sourcing, preparation and handling procedures to avoid the introduction of the named allergens into your menu choices. While we take steps to prevent cross-contact, we do not have separate allergy-friendly kitchens and are unable to guarantee that a menu item is completely free of allergens.
Please also note that our allergy-friendly offerings are reliant on supplier ingredient labels, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the contents of each food item. Allergen advisory statements (e.g., “may contain”) are not regulated and therefore not taken into consideration when developing allergy-friendly meals. It is ultimately up to your discretion to make an informed choice based upon your individual dietary needs.
Read More
Our Beginners Guide to Walt Disney World is a great place to start planning your trip.
Visit our guide to learn more about Dining at Walt Disney World
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