Disney World Dining Plan

Since our first trip to Disney World was a huge success for our son with milk and nut allergies, we had to go back. 

It was a couple years later, and this time we decided to fully indulge with the dining plan! 

After experiencing all our kiddo could eat safely, we just had to splurge and give this a try. 

Not only were we new the Disney Dining Plan, but we also stayed on property at a Disney resort for the first time. 

AND we were surprised with a Disney Dessert Party to Magic Kingdom after-hours, too!

Here's how it all worked out...

NEW DISNEY EXPERIENCES

For this trip, we were excited about so many firsts.

• first Disney dining plan
• first birthday cake from Erin McKenna's
• first time staying on Disney property
• first time eating in Disney resorts
• first time buying the photo package
• first time utilizing Disney transportation!

DISNEY TRANSPORATION

Staying on Disney property meant we could utilize the park buses.

No need for a rental car, and the buses were so handy! 

Before this, we hesitated to use Disney transportation with food allergies. 

But now we know if there is an emergency, Disney staff would take good care of us. 

We had no problems using the free, handy buses to get around to parks and resorts.

And buses were wonderful for late nights when we were so tired and just wanted dropped off to our beds. 

DISNEY RESORTS

All-Star Music is the budget resort where we stayed the most nights. 

Port Orleans Riverside is the moderate resort where we stayed a couple nights. 

Trying two different resorts was really fun. 

And Disney took care of moving our luggage from one place to the other while we enjoyed the parks! 

IMPORTANT NOTE

Even at Disney with chefs and staff trained in food allergies, those with severe allergies must still utilize due diligence. Always talk to staff, inquire about ingredients, double-check the food, use your best judgement, and take any other precautions necessary to make sure you stay safe when eating out. 

Now onto the Disney Dining Plan! 

DISNEY DINING PLAN

Here's what was included in our dining plan each day, for each person:

• one quick service meal (fast food)
• one table service meal (sit-down reservation)
• two snacks

Even with growing boys and a hubby who loves food, this was a lot of food for us to eat!

Two meals a day with snacks was plenty to keep us fueled. 

Stopping each day for one sit-down meal was also a nice break since we go so hard from open to close. 

Here's the food kiddo with milk and nut allergies was able to enjoy. 

TABLE SERVICE MEALS

Here were our sit-down, reservation restaurants and meals using the dining plan. 

Of course, these needed reserved in advance before we arrived. 

GARDEN GRILL AT EPCOT

We planned for a good mix of meals with our reservations. 

Including some yummy brunches, like this one!

My son's favorite brunch at Garden Grill in Epcot.

We tried Garden Grill for lunch before, but he liked brunch much better there. 

There, we even get to meet classic characters like Chip & Dale, Mickey, And Pluto. 

And the restaurant slowly rotates around! 

It's especially nice to have sit-down meals in the 10 am hour because restaurants are less busy. 

That means you can more easily talk to a chef and avoid the hustle bustle of big crowds. 

We like things calm and collected when trying to eat out with severe food allergies. 

OHANA AT POLYNESIAN RESORT

If you make food reservations at Disney, know you can eat in the resorts, too! Not just the parks. 

Thanks to my husband's executive decision, we tried Ohana at the Polynesian Resort and loved it.

Ohana serves these huge skillet meals family style.

We were shocked to learn from the chef that all the food except the dinner bread was safe for our milk and nut allergy kiddo. 

Thankfully, they brought a substitute bread for my son, instead of just leaving him out. 

This is the dream of inclusion, and it happens so often at Disney.

The chef even made our kiddo a dessert similar to ours, with safe cake and ice cream!

BE OUR GUEST AT MAGIC KINGDOM - CLOSE CALL!

Another restaurant we tried for the first time was Be Our Guest. 

Now this is where I need your full attention if you are considering Disney for allergy-friendly eating. 

Even though Disney is amazing with allergies, we must ALWAYS remain diligent. 

We had our scariest close call when a server brought out a pastry plate especially for our kiddo. 

It was the first food brought out, and my family was amazed this plate had an allergy pick marking it as allergy safe for my son. 

I asked the server if she was SURE this was milk and tree nut free because from my Disney experience, it looked way too good to be true. 

My husband and son were dazzled, but I wasn't convinced. 

The server said there wouldn't be a pick if it wasn't safe, but she would bring out a chef to make sure. 

In the meantime, the normal plate of pastries came out and shockingly, it looked the exact same as my son's!

I knew then we had dodged a disaster. 

Then the chef came with a very different plate in his hand. THIS was the actual allergy-free plate. 

The first pastry plate they brought was NOT allergy-safe event though it had an allergy pick. 

And he apologized for the mix-up. 

Had we trusted the server and not my gut, we could have had a big emergency on our hands.

Honestly, I was pretty shaken and anxious the rest of the day after that close-call. 

Three Lessons Learned When Dining at Disney

1. Don't pre-order allergy orders.
2. Always ask for a chef if you have severe allergies.
3. Be diligent and follow your gut.

This experience mostly bothered me because not all allergy moms have 14 years of gut-check experience like I do. 

Disney chefs, managers, and servers are wonderful, but they are also human.

Mistakes still happen. 

Below is our NOT SAFE pastry plate, so you can take note of how this looked too good to be true.

Below is the CORRECT allergy-friendly pastry plate the chef brought to us at Be Our Guest. 

Slices of chocolate, lemon, and cinnamon bread. 

The lemon was so moist and yummy. 

And I appreciated they had an allergy alternative to the pastry plate. 

But dang that was a very close call...and a good learning experience for my teen with allergies. 

SCI-FI DRIVE-IN AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

One Disney restaurant that always makes me a little nervous, but always turns out great, is Sci Fi Drive-In at Hollywood Studios. 

We have gone every trip, and it's my son's very favorite. 

He always orders ribs!

But this time the chef said barbecue chicken and shredded pork must also be served with it. Ok, then.  

What makes me nervous is how dark the restaurant is. 

And sitting in cars, not all sitting around a table, gets me antsy. 

I prefer having all eyes on kiddo while he's eating, not eating behind him in a car...only seeing the back of his head. 

But the chefs and servers have always been some of the friendliest and most helpful. 

I'd request a table and not a car if you want to be able to watch your kiddo carefully. 

Gladly, we took the real table this time around instead of a car. 

A big draw, besides the ribs, is a huge chocolate dairy-free milkshake. 

Since my other son ordered a dairy milkshake, mom gave them the old taste test first to make sure they weren't mixed up. 

You can never be too sure!

Thankfully, the chef and waitress got it right. 

TRATTORIA AL FORNO AT BOARDWALK

A new place we tried this time around was Trattoria Al Forno. 

You have to walk outside of Epcot and to the Boardwalk to get there. 

But it wasn't too far. And it was worth it!

Although it's Italian (so much cheese), the chef came out and told us he could make anything tasty without cheese. 

Then my silly children proceeded to order pizza.

Chef was so accommodating, making delicious pizza with Daiya cheese. 

I loved that the kitchen was open, and we could watch the chef at work!

Not only did he make our son an authentic Italian pizza, but he also surprised him with a special birthday dessert. 

On the meal plan, these reservation dinners also come with a drink and dessert. 

Enjoy life cookies, safe ice cream, stacked and decked out with a birthday candle for the birthday boys!

CRYSTAL PALACE AT MAGIC KINGDOM

The last table service restaurant we dined at was Crystal Palace. 

This was a new choice made by me and my friend because we like Winnie the Poo. 

And you can meet Poo, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet there! 

I never knew I could be so into meeting characters, but once again Disney proved me wrong. 

We loved it!

We did brunch again, and it was a lot of the same breakfast choices for my allergy kiddo.

Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes. 

But they mixed it up with allergy-friendly donuts and brownies. 

The brownies were the biggest treat for my son. Brownies for breakfast, ha ha! 

And my kiddo will always go crazy with a fruit bowl. 

The rest of us ate off an amazing buffet. 

I just wish my kiddo could have tried the French toast pastries, they were my favorite the whole trip!

DISNEY RESORTS

Free table service and quick service meals each day also count at the resorts. 

We stayed at two resorts this time, switching from a lower budget to a moderate budget for two days. 

And I cannot stress how amazing it can be to connect with food managers and chefs at your resort!

Even though we were at the lowest end resort most of our days there, these incredible cast members can make it feel like a 5-star hotel. 

My kids not only loved the free fountain drinks in their meal plan mugs...

but they also loved ALL the new creations these chefs and managers made especially for them. 

They become like family!

ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

At our budget resort, my son had this sweet creation of pancakes, bacon, and fruit. 

How cute is this?! 

They also used a new vegan brownie batter to give us the whole "nutella" experience. 

This was my son's favorite breakfast as he was kinda over the Mickey waffles. 

Pancakes were a great idea, we just loved that chef! 

The manager and chef at All-Star Music resort also collaborated and came up with a safe breakfast smoothie for my kiddo! 

Then they made him a classic chicken fingers, fries, and fruit for lunch one day.

And for another special meal at the resort, kiddo had chicken and waffles for the first time ever! 

He loved it so much. 

And not just because it was served with a dairy-free root beer float! 

Oh my goodness, these resort cast members get to know you and make your stay pure magic.

PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT

During our two nights at the moderate resort Riverside, in Port Orleans...

we also had some new special foods to try compliments of more amazing chefs. 

One chef made my son his first restaurant BLT and lunch meat sandwich on a hoagie roll. 

Not one but TWO sandwiches! Kiddo liked the BLT best. 

I couldn't believe both sandwiches came on dairy-free, nut-free bread.

What I most love about these Disney chefs is that they are all so creative and have their own specialty treats for food allergy kids. 

In this case, the Port Orleans Riverside chef used prepacked giant cookies and dairy-free ice cream to make my kiddo his first cookie ice cream sandwich. 

And it was MASSIVE!

Like three-huge-scoops-of-ice-cream massive and two giant cookies the size of my hand!

My son was in heaven. 

Plus, they told him the treat was "on Mickey" because of his Disney birthday button. 

Lest my kid ever felt left out because of food allergies, this was NOT one of those days. 

A total dream come true.  

DAIRY-FREE & NUT-FREE SNACKS

So let's move onto those snack credits we had with the dining plan. 

Two a day per person! 

Not surprisingly, I was really concerned about if we could really use those up with milk and nut allergies. 

But of course we did. 

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

I tried this smoothie in Future World at Magic Kingdom. 

Supposedly, they can have some pretty amazing seasonal flavors, but mine was just strawberry. 

It was really sweet, kids would like it. 

Since my son didn't test it for you, I took a pic of the ingredients. 

Always ask for the allergy binder when you are looking for safe snacks at Disney!

DOLE WHIP

Also at Magic Kingdom, my son tore it up on these Dole Whips by the Tiki Room!

We had a lucky day where dairy-free pineapple and raspberry were running from a same machine, without vanilla dairy ice cream. 

So my kiddo thoroughly enjoyed this swirled Dole Whip in a cup. 

I asked for the wafer on the side and ate it myself. The wafer contains milk. 

DOLE WHIP SUNDAE

Things got a little more wild when my son dived into this Dole Whip in Animal Kingdom, complete with a watermelon, strawberry, coconut syrup. 

It's called a Simba. 

We are currently in milk allergy therapy (OIT) so a Dole Whip served from the same machine as vanilla ice cream is now ok for us. 

Be sure you know that cross contamination is a possibility with these Dole Whips if you are extremely allergic. 

I still like to scope out the machines to know what our risks may be. 

MINUTE MAID FROZEN TREATS

Here's something cold and pre-packaged with a clear label.

Minute Maid frozen treats are easily found at carts around Disney. 

We found three different flavors, so kiddos can mix it up. 

My son enjoyed this lemon one and another orange one later. 

MICKEY PRETZELS

Also with snack credits, my kids ate their weight in big, soft Mickey Pretzels. 

I was glad to see the optional cheese cups were sealed and attendants weren't dripping cheese everywhere. 

We always consult the allergy binder, see what else is being served that may cause contamination issues, and talk to the attendant about our allergies. 

With our milk allergy treatment, we could be a little more lax about getting these pretzels at various stands. 

VEGAN BEIGNETS

Another snack we heard we had to try was the vegan, gluten-free beignets at the Port Orleans, French Quarters Resort. 

And we were staying there for two nights, mostly for these. 

The chef made them fresh for my kiddo, including a seasonal pumpkin flavor!

DISNEY SPRINGS

Back to Disney Springs late one night, we did another first.

We marched to the top of the Coke Store and enjoyed Coke and Lemonade slushies.

I don't think these counted in the meal plan's free snacks.

But what a magnificent overhead view of the the Springs!

We closed the place down at midnight. 

My child may be falling asleep in this picture.

QUICK SERVICE

Now onto our daily fast food credits, or quick service as it's called at Disney. 

We tried a couple new quick service places, and enjoyed them all. 

SUNSHINE CAFE AT EPCOT 

At Sunshine Cafe, we spoke to a chef and he looked to make sure the BBQ pork my kiddo wanted was ok for us. 

It was, bun included!

And my kids shared it because it was huge. 

We skipped the sides of unsafe salads and instead got a bag of chips per chef's suggestion. 

They have some great packaged snacks like Surf Sweets there along with fresh fruit.

Great snacks to grab and enjoy while perusing the park, too. 

And don't forget the free water from the soda fountain here!

We ate at a couple other quick service places, too, after consulting their allergy binders:

FLAME TREE AT ANIMAL KINGDOM 

Kiddo ordered barbecue. 

RESTAURANTASAURUS AT ANIMAL KINGDOM

Kiddo enjoyed chicken fingers and fries. 

 

MAGIC KINGDOM DESSERT PARTY

Lastly, here's a little bonus info about Disney's dessert party even though it's not part of the dining plan.

We didn't plan to attend this, but it was gifted to us as a total surprise! 

It was definitely a cherry on top of our day at Magic Kingdom. 

Since it was an after-party, it started after the fireworks and after the park closed. 

It was about 9pm, and we were zapped. But not too tired for dessert!

I just had to make sure I kept my wits about me so we could stay food allergy safe. 

The party was set up as a dessert buffet, but kiddo received his own special allergy-friendly dessert plate. 

Plus, there were many fun drinks like juices and flavored water. 

I personally enjoyed the Joffrey's iced coffee.

However, like with the Be Our Guest incident, my allergy mom radar went off when I saw the allergy plate. 

It included chocolate covered strawberries, and I HAD to know what chocolate was used. 

I asked a chef, and she said the chef who created the plates was not at the event. 

He only prepared the plates ahead of time. 

So she had a server investigate, and I'm so grateful the server came back with a photo of the chocolate ingredients. 

The brand was unknown to me with a "may contain milk and nut statement". 

Definitely a no-go for us, as many allergy moms know how unsafe any old dark chocolate can be for milk allergy.

We really needed that to be an allergy-friendly brand. 

So even though kiddo couldn't enjoy the strawberries, he had a wonderful plate of cookies, sweet breads, mini cupcakes, and Surf Sweets gummies. 

And the server said she'd refill anything on kiddo's plate, but at 10pm that wasn't necessary. 

Because of our milk allergy treatment (OIT), I was able to grab some fresh fruit on the bar for our kiddo, too.

Overall it was a good experience.

But always be diligent, mamas! When in doubt, always ask. And don't be afraid to pass.

I know these parties are pretty expensive.

I'm not sure we would have paid for it since the allergy selection was much smaller than what the rest of us could have off the buffet. 

Saving that money to splurge at Erin McKenna's may be a better option. 

Although, I'm so thankful we were able to try this for free so we could let you know about it! 

THANKING DISNEY CHEFS

With each Disney dining experience, we make sure to thank the chefs and managers for all their attention and care. 

They most always do a wonderful job catering to our food allergies, keeping us safe while creating delicious food. 

So this time I went prepared with premade little thank-you cards to fill out for each chef, much better than leaving notes on a napkin like I did the first trip. 

I simply pack them in our day bag with a pen.   

We had so much fun leaving nice notes for the chefs and managers!

And you can get our free printable chef thank-you cards here. 

DISNEY RESTAURANT RANKINGS

If you're in our membership, you can see all my son's Disney food rankings inside the private support group. 

I love hearing his thoughts and feedback on the food he gets to eat there!

If you're not yet in our membership, we would love to add you in. We have a ton of fun together!

FINAL THOUGHTS

We hope you got some great ideas for planning a trip to Disney with milk and nut allergies. 

Remember to always talk to chefs, check ingredients, and take any other precautions you need to be safe. 

Disney food is not fool-proof, but it can be amazing when you plan well and are as diligent as you can be.

It truly can be one of the most magical places on Earth.  

You can save this Disney post on Pinterest for later.

And see more Disney posts here!

MORE DAIRY-FREE DISNEY INFO

Here are more of our posts about eating dairy and nut free at Disney World:

• Reservation Dining
• Dining Plan
• Free Chef Thank-You Cards
• Quick Service
• Packaged Snacks
• Favorite Treats
• Erin McKenna’s Bakery
• Disney World Coffee
• Our Disney Magazine Feature
• Food Allergy & Disney Travel Agent
• Disney Round-Up