The Challenges of Travel with Food Allergies

People with food allergies/sensitivities know -- eating out is ALWAYS a challenge. Sometimes it makes it hard to even think about traveling and being at the mercy of food providers. My daughter is extremely careful about where and how her family travels, for fear of exposing family members to potentially life-threatening allergens.

There are, however, some options that can minimize travel anxiety and allow those with food allergies to enjoy the joys of travel. My daughter has found that, hands-down, the best solution is to ensure that there is a kitchen available, free from allergens, that can they can use for their own meal prep while on vacation. This comes with the added benefit visiting local grocery stores and markets wherever they go. They truly get a feel for eating like the locals do! Having control over their meals and limiting exposure to allergens provides them with the peace of mind to be able to enjoy their travels without fear of negative consequences.  

Happily, there are an increasing number of restaurants in the US and abroad where attention to allergens is part of the norm. Historically, one of the easiest places to navigate eating away from home with food allergies is Walt Disney World. And other theme parks are now following their lead.

Navigating Food Allergies at Walt Disney World:
You can eat well and stay safe at many Walt Disney World restaurants. Of course, the same cautions that you use at home apply here, but at most Disney World restaurants the culinary and wait staff really have your back. Disney World chefs take food allergies seriously. Most of the time, wait staff has been trained to note your food allergies and pass the information along to the chef and food prep team. If you request it, most Disney World Table Service restaurants will send a chef to your table to ensure that they completely understand your family's food allergies and customize a tasty meal to fit your needs.

On a recent visit to Satu'li Canteen, a Quick Service restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park, a specially trained staff member brought out a notebook with the ingredients list for every item in an allergy-friendly order. 

Here are some other ways that Disney World cast members routinely address food allergies for guests:

• Most online menus for table-service restaurants (and even for quick-service locations) contain a section for Allergy Friendly offerings. And those offerings are broken down by the most common food allergens: gluten/wheat, egg, fish/shellfish, milk, peanuts/tree nuts, sesame and soy.
• For quick-service restaurants, there is usually a staff member that is trained in special dietary requirements available. Ask for them and they will help you order items that are appropriate for your needs.
• Most quick-service restaurants (and food carts) maintain a notebook that contains the ingredients for each menu item that they will share that with you upon request.
• Many food carts have pre-packaged 9-allergen-friendly items available. You can find food carts with pre-packaged fresh fruit and even pickles!
• If you have 4+ food allergies, you can contact the Disney Special Diets staff before you arrive, to discuss your best options for dining safely at Disney World.
• Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverages into the park for self-consumption. Glass containers are not allowed, and make sure that the foods you are bringing do not require heating, refrigeration or other temperature controls. Also, foods with pungent odors are discouraged. Inform a member of the Security Team of any food items that you are bringing to the parks at the bag screening areas.

Navigating Food Allergies at Universal Orlando Resort:
Universal Orlando Resort restaurants have come a long way in addressing food allergies. Before you arrive, you can browse online menus for many of the theme park restaurants.  While this is not fool-proof, you can also email the Food Allergy team at [email protected].

Once you arrive at a restaurant, you can ask to speak to a chef or manager at any restaurant within Universal Orlando Resort, or at any of our hotel restaurants. Let them know which guest in your party has a food allergy or intolerance, and what the allergy/intolerance is. The culinary staff will make every effort to prevent that allergen from coming in contact with any part of that guest’s meal. Universal Orlando does not have separate allergen-free food preparation facilities, however, so cross-contamination can be a concern. 

As always, be diligent, and carry "safe" snacks with you to the parks. Simply notify a Security Team Member that you or a member of your party has a food allergy/intolerance, during the security bag check as you enter the parks . Soft-sided coolers are welcome but glass is not allowed.

Navigating Food Allergies at Disneyland Resort
First off, Disneyland is in California -- a place where accommodating food allergies and sensitivities is more common than in many parts of the country. Much like at Disney World, the culinary staff at Disneyland is very familiar with navigating food allergies. The online menus at Disney World are easier to comprehend with respect to food allergens. But most of the same food-allergy precautions apply at both Disney resorts.

For many Disneyland Table Service restaurants, there is a section of the menu that indicates menu items that are safe for the 9 common allergens. It is a bit harder to work through the details for Disneyland Quick Service restaurants. A section of the menu identifies items safe from each allergen, but for multiple food allergies it is a slog to find the safe items.

For example, at the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta Restaurant, the Gluten/Wheat Allergy-Friendly section lists 6 menu items. The Milk Allergy-Friendly section lists 4 menu items. If you want to know which item is safe from both gluten and milk, you have to toggle back and forth to compare the menus. Your best bet is to talk to a Cast Member at each dining location and request their guidance for allergy-friendly items.

The Disneyland website recommends the following strategy:

• Always talk to a Cast Member about your special diet requests. At Table Service restaurants, talk to your server and they will work with the food prep team and a special-diets-trained member of the food prep staff.
• Ask for a menu with allergy-friendly offerings. These are available at most Table Service and some Quick Service restaurants. 
• For allergy-friendly requests, food will arrive with a visual marker (usual a fancy toothpick) to indicate that items were prepared according to the requested allergy-friendly protocols.
• Verify your order with your server when the food is delivered to make sure that the appropriate allergy-friendly protocols were followed.
• Guests are allowed to bring outside food and beverages for their own consumption at the Disneyland Theme Parks. The same rules apply for bringing your own food into the Disneyland Resort parks as for Disney World theme parks.

​Navigating Food Allergies on Disney Cruises:
While not technically under the "theme park" heading, Disney Cruise Lines are also very attentive to their guests' food allergies and sensitivities. Here are some of the ways that Disney Cruise Lines customize your experiences once you inform them of your food-allergy concerns:

• A member of the culinary team will typically contact you before you leave port to discuss food-allergy concerns and develop a plan and specially-tailored menus to meet your needs.
• You will have the same staff member(s) serving you at each of the table service restaurants as you rotate through those experiences during your cruise. Be sure to notify the dining team while ordering at any of the dining venues.They will be attentive to and address your food-allergy concerns as a matter of course at each meal.
• On Bahamian cruises, a member of the culinary team may provide you with a menu the day before your visit to Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay, so that your customized foods will be ready for you when you want them while you are on the island.
• Once on board the ship, you can ask about an Onboard Dining Session offered on Embarkation Day. 
• Specially approved meals and snacks are automatically provided for your food-allergic child at all of the Kids Clubs whenever meals and snacks are served.
• Disney Cruise Lines strives to take steps to prevent cross-contact, however they do not have separate allergy-friendly kitchens. Allergy-friendly offerings are reliant on supplier ingredient labels. As always, ask questions and be diligent!

Want help locating safe snacking options in the theme parks? Want to know which restaurants will likely have the most menu items that will meet your needs? Need help figuring out how to have groceries delivered to your resort hotel?

Leave a comment and maybe I (or some other reader) can help take some of the stress out of your vacation planning.

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