Food Allergy Disney by Chris Popek from Clean Out the Pantry

No matter what your Disney and dining pleasure, the Magical world of Disney can accommodate it. Your magical journey begins with your Disney Reservation. Be sure to mention your food allergy, request a microwave and a special cleaning of your room. Most rooms come with a refrigerator. Remember, special requests are their specialty.

The next step in your magical journey is with dining reservations, 407-WDW-DINE, and notifying the agent of your special dietary restrictions. The agent will direct you to contact Special Diets at 407-939-3463 or SpecialDiets@DinseyWorld.com to coordinate your dietary needs with your hotel chef and with the chefs at your specific reserved locations. The Special Diets department is fantastic!

Special Diets will send forms to your email address requesting a list of each of your reservations, the number in your party and the specific special dietary requirements. They will also provide you with a list of quick service restaurants available to accommodate special dietary requirements. Within a short period of time, the majority of the chefs will contact you by telephone to discuss your needs and accommodations. They will also leave their direct phone number in the event of further questions or needs up to and during your Magical stay.

It may also be reassuring to contact the chefs a couple days before each reservation to confirm your reservations and ensure there are no surprises, such as changes to menu items available on a buffet line. An insider tip: try to make reservations early in the meal service. Restaurants can more easily accommodate during off meal times.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, notify the host/hostess of your allergies and request to speak to the chef. Typically as with any restaurant, the busier the restaurant, the longer the wait to speak to a chef. In our experience, the buffets had the longest wait for a chef and the greatest opportunity for cross contamination. Whereas the restaurants preparing all their meals from scratch were the most accommodating and the most knowledgeable. For example, our food allergy is peanuts; some restaurants thought the Mickey Macaroni and the child’s pizza dough were unsafe, while others considered them safe. We found this disconcerting considering the typical children’s menu offerings at the majority of restaurants was Mickey Mac n’ Cheese, Personal Pizza, or Chicken Nuggets for both lunch and dinner. Over the length of your stay, you may want to present your children with some variety, which can be better accommodated at scratch restaurants. The restaurants specializing in items from scratch have the ability to prepare exciting dishes that were not on the menu, in a safe, healthy and delicious manner! No matter where a food allergy family goes, they need to be within their own comfort level.

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The following is my interview with Joel Schaefer, Disney's special dietary needs manager. Joel estimates that WDW serves over 7,000 special meals each month. Most of these requests are for children. The most common food allergies mentioned are peanut, tree nuts, milk, wheat and gluten but they have accommodated many others. Here is what Joel had to say about planning your visit to Walt Disney World.

Gina Clowes: Where do we start when visiting Walt Disney World with a food allergic child? Where can a parent get up-to-date information on meals and snacks at the parks?

Joel Schaefer: We appreciate you checking with us because some of the information that you had from earlier this year was already outdated. To get accurate, up-to-date information, please contact any of the following: · The MAGIC KINGDOM® Park Special Dietary Request Line is 407-824-5967 or by e-mail at wdwmkspecialdiets@email.disney.com

The Epcot® Special Dietary Request Line is 407-560-6395 or by e-mail at wdwecspecialdiets@email.disney.com

· The Disney-MGM Studios Special Dietary Request Line is 407-560-3551 or by e-mail at wdwstspecialdiets@email.disney.com

THE DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM® THEME PARK SPECIAL DIETARY REQUEST LINE IS 407-938-3288 OR BY E-MAIL AT WDWAKSPECIALDIETS@EMAIL.DISNEY.COM

· The DISNEY CRUISE LINE special dietary request information is located at www.disneycruise.com or phone Disney Cruise Vacations at 1-800-951-7735

GC: How can we go about getting safely prepared foods during out stay? JS: Any Guest with food allergies traveling to WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort should call the Disney Reservation Center at 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463) to make their dining reservations. They should tell the dining reservation Cast Member that they have someone in their party with a food allergy. The Cast Member will indicate the allergy on their reservation and give the Guest a phone number to call so they can talk to a Food & Beverage representative. The Food & Beverage representative will further assist them with documenting their dietary request.

GCI have heard you have a form for allergic Guests. What does this form do?

JS: We can send the form to the Guest by email so the Guest can fill it out and return to us. ª This form contains information on the Guest name, contact information, allergies, food that can be eaten or not eaten, and reservations. ª The form is then sent to the chefs in the indicated dinning locations.

GC: Is there a specific procedure when ordering at a Disney restaurant?

JS: When you are seated at your table in any table service restaurant, indicate to the server that you have a child with an allergy, and the chef will come out to your table to discuss your allergy request.

GC: The character meals seem to be mostly buffets. Can we still do a character meal with a food allergic child?

JS: Yes. The chef will walk you through the buffet to tell you what can be eaten based on the allergy request. If it is a severe allergy, the chef will prepare the food from the kitchen.

GC: What do we do if we don't have a reservation?

JS: When you are seated at your table in any table service restaurant, indicate to the server that you have a child with an allergy, and the chef will come out to your table to discuss your allergy request.

GC: Can we eat with my allergic child even at some of the fast food stands?

JS: We suggest that you take your child to a Quick Service Restaurant in the Parks. There you can talk to a manager about the available options.

GC: Are there certain WDW restaurants that you would recommend? Are there places that might be better to avoid with food allergies?

JS: At WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, all table service locations can handle most dietary requests. ª At our quick service and counter service locations there are limited selections of foods that will meet most dietary requests. ª At outdoor food locations, each location had an ingredient book for a Guest to review. We also recommend that the Guest reads the ingredient list on the label before purchasing any product. ª Always ask to speak to a chef or manager. Vendors and ingredients change. Chefs in most locations can modify their menu items to meet most food allergy requests. We recommend that the Guest asks to look at the food label of any product that is in question. Ingredient labels available upon request.

GC: How many special dietary meals does WDW prepare?

JS: We serve an estimate over 7,000 meals a month!

GC: Can you name some popular allergy friendly snacks?

JS: We have chocolate chip cookies, caramel popcorn, and jelly beans that are free of milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. We have a brownie that is free of gluten, milk, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. When you talk to a Food & Beverage representative, chef, or manager, they will be glad to let you know what products are available to meet the Guest need.

GC: Do your food safety precautions apply to all of the WDW hotel restaurants as well as the theme and water parks?

JS: Yes. All Food & Beverage locations follow all state and WALT DISNEY WORLD® Food Health and Safety regulations.

Thank you Joel!

©2007 Reprinted with permission of Gina Clowes, founder of AllergyMoms. Free online support and newsletter available at www.allergymoms.com