Even Disney doesn't always get it right - food allergies About This Page:

[Starwind]

I am a big proponent of how Disney handles food allergies, and happily sing its praises to others.

However, our recent trip to WDW and on the Disney Dream demonstrated that even Disney can make mistakes and it is still important to be vigilant and always "inspect" the food you are given to make sure it "looks" safe.

Two incidents drove this home to us.

I have anaphylaxis allergies to milk (dairy), tree nuts, peanuts, and seafood (shellfish and fish). We have traveled to WDW and on DCL multiple times and are familiar with how both handle allergies.

While on the Dream this trip, one of the nights I ordered a salad that normally comes with Parmesan cheese and a dressing that is not safe for me. I ordered a modified version that would be safe. Unfortunately, the assistant server grabbed a non-safe version plate and brought it. When it was put in front of me, I and the server both looked at it. It appeared to have parmesan cheese on it. I asked "Is that cheese?" at the same time the server realized an error had been made. He took the plate and politely admonished the assistant server for grabbing the wrong plate, told him where to get the proper one, and then apologized to me while the assistant server went to get the safe plate. In this case, the server would have caught the issue even if I had not. But it reminded me to always look and check if the food you are given looks ok (e.g. no cheese present).

The second incident happened at a resort quick service restaurant (AoA's Landscape of Flavors). I spoke to the chef and ordered the breakfast platter, noting it would have to be modified for my allergies. The chef brought me a plate with scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon, a sausage, and a chunk of a potatoe bake.

I looked at the potatoes and broken them apart a bit with my fork and decided it didn't look right -- clearly the potatoes were baked with some kind of milk or milk-like substance. It looked just like the ones my sister got. it smelt not like pure potatoes. So I decided to play it safe and not eat the potatoes. While I cannot confirm that they did in fact contain milk, I highly suspect they did (the normal ones at AoA *do*).

Once again: look, inspect, and if it seems wrong do not eat it.

While I am more used to McDonalds screwing up my orders (e.g. putting cheese on the "no cheese, I have a dairy allergy" hamburger) this experience shows even disney, who sets the Gold Standard for handling food allergies, can make mistakes too. Just not so often :-)

We still love Disney, and are planning our next cruise(s), but I will be more vigilant in the future both there and elsewhere.

SW

[Starwind]

I will note that on the Dream our serving staff was excellent:

- they already knew what my allergies are the very first time we saw them;

- they were knowledgeable about ingredients and could make recommendations on foods that were already safe or that could be made safe;

- after the first night, the server was prepared each night with pre-written pre-order forms for my meals for the next day -- all that needed to be added was the specific food order;

- the head server was excellent as well, though not as involved as on our previous cruises -- these cruises our server took my meal pre-orders (which evidently were then approved by the head server) instead of the head server, but the head server still delivered some foods to my table and at breakfasts and lunches the head server (who was not always "ours") was more directly involved in actually getting me my pre-ordered food;

- the restaurant manager also engaged with us -- both to see how things were going and also because we were on b2b cruises


One other thing that was different from our previous cruises was that they did not have me pre-order dinner the first day when we checked in with the "change your dining" team in the afternoon of departure day -- they had done that our first two cruises, so I was kind of surprised and checked that we didn;t need to.



SW

[Her Dotness]

Excellent advice, Starwind.

I'm gluten intolerant but can cheat occasionally without adverse effects if I'm then very good for 2-3 days, longer if my digestion objects to the cheat.

Two years ago, I wanted the roast beef sandwich at BOG lunch and pre-ordered my meal gluten-free. I had avoided sandwiches on the trip prior by choice and convenience so was unaware that my sandwich ought to have had the "allergy free" marker stick in the roll. This one didn't.

Feeling a bit queasy from excitement and having cheated too much on dairy, I didn't eat much of the sandwich. Nevertheless, I noticed my typical digestive woes post-gluten, thinking "Hmmmm, that's odd."

Last year, I DID get the g-f bread on that same sandwich which this time had the allergy marker stuck in it. DH had the roast beef sandwich, too, and funniest thing, his roll looked just like the one I was served the year before.

Yes, indeed. If you have even a slight doubt, ASK if they're absolutely certain that your meal is allergy-free.

If I'd had my wits about me, I'd have asked why my supposedly g-f roll looked just like DH's regular one and wouldn't have felt worse after eating some of mine.

[Starwind]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

Excellent advice, Starwind.

Two years ago, I wanted the roast beef sandwich at BOG lunch and pre-ordered my meal gluten-free. I had avoided sandwiches on the trip prior by choice and convenience so was unaware that my sandwich ought to have had the "allergy free" marker stick in the roll. This one didn't.

...

Yes, indeed. If you have even a slight doubt, ASK if they're absolutely certain that your meal is allergy-free.

Her Dotness:

Sorry to hear you had problems getting GF items as requested and ended up paying the price for it.

Sometimes I think mistakes are a matter of grabbing the wrong item (as with my salad), but other times it really is the preparer making an error -- either not thinking something through (e.g. there be milk in those potatoes) or outright not making the right item.

Also, as I discovered in our 2014 trip, sometimes what is listed in the ingredients book is not exactly correct -- at Roaring Forks that trip I checked the ingredient book with the manager and discovered the breakfast platter was safe except for the "bread" item (biscuit ? pancakes ? I don't remember what the item was). The next morning I was going to just order it when I stopped and decided I would let the CM know about my allergies. I am glad I did -- turns out that when they actually prepare the scrambled eggs and the shredded hash browns, they add some BUTTER to each to make them more moist. (!!!!!) This butter is NOT listed in the ingredients and really should not be there, but in practice it is. Glad I spoke up !! They made me safe foods with no butter.

Now, I have no idea if they still add the butter, but it drew home the lesson to always let the CMs know about your allergies/sensitivities and not just rely on the menu or ingredient list saying something is ok.

This last trip then drove home the point that you still have to inspect what they actually give you.

SW

[Sandra Bostwick]

This makes some important points. Pay attention and don't be afraid to ask questions! Thanks for an interesting discussion.

[Her Dotness]

I would guess that butter is typically added to scrambled eggs since it's standard in French scrambled eggs along with heavy cream to make them pleasantly soft and creamy.

I certainly agree that as common as dairy allergy is, the QS ingredients list definitely should include butter when used even though I find that just as delicious scrambled eggs can be made with So Delicious brand coconut milk and Earth Balance vegan margarine.

If you're sensitive to soy, though, be sure to request soy-free Earth Balance if available as the original blend most often used in restaurants contains soy oil.