Disney World Reservation Dining

They say dreams come true at Disney, and that's especially true for food allergy families visiting Disney World! 

As a mom of two boys, I never thought Disney could be that "magical" for my family.

After all, my boys aren't really into princesses and castles and all that stuff.

But after taking our first trip in 2016, we are now completely hooked. 

When my son was 10-years-old with anaphylactic milk and nut allergies, he had never eaten in a restaurant until we went to Disney World. 

And he ate many safe meals and snacks there for a full week...thanks to the amazing chefs and food managers.

It indeed was magical and quite the adventure for this food allergy family!

Here's a glimpse into our very first Disney World trip when my son was ten. 

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 while eating out. 

DISNEY WORLD WITH FOOD ALLERGIES

We did one day at each of these parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. 

Booking a reservation meal at each park, we tried to give my son (who had never eaten in a restaurant) a good variety of experience and foods.

The plan was to stick with reservation places and official chefs who would carefully make my son's food safe for him.

But as it turns out, things were going so well that we did do a quick service meal, too! 

When we made reservations online for meals, we noted our allergens.

Then when we arrived at the restaurant, the staff knew of our allergies per their computer system and put a special ticket on our table.

At that point, staff told us a little about the allergy menu, and we asked to meet with the chef personally.

They always obliged, and the chefs accommodated us well. 

Incredibly, food staff and chefs weren't even phased by our "simple" list of 2-3 allergens.

Once they knew our situation after speaking to us, the chefs were ready roll.

To us, it was a huge deal being in restaurants for the first time, knowing our son's response is life-threatening at even trace amounts of his allergens.

So it took a little adjusting to have such knowledgeable and careful people serving of us.

The experience ended up being a huge blessing.

Here are some places we ate at on that first trip.

LIBERTY TREE AT MAGIC KINGDOM

At Magic Kingdom, we reserved Liberty Tree for 2:00 late lunch to avoid crowds.

It was very quiet and calm there, as we had hoped.

Chef Brian, from our home state, ended up being our son's favorite meal chef. 

Kiddo devoured a huge hamburger with a side of fries made specially by Chef Brian.

His first restaurant meal ever.

Then chef surprised Miles with Enjoy Life cookies and a chocolate soy milk shake for dessert using Tofutti ice cream and Silk soy milk.

I cried. The trip was off to a magical start!!!

PLAZA RESTAURANT AT MAGIC KINGDOM

To end our first day of Disney, we met with Chef Ken at the walk-in Plaza Restaurant for dessert. 

Chef Ken enthusiastically made our whole family soy chocolate milk shakes with Tofutti ice cream and Enjoy Life cookies mixed in.

So much milk shake that we left with literally all our stomachs bursting.

No dinner was needed that night!

Chef Ken is a complete gem, and we will never forget the night we had milkshakes for dinner at Disney.

GARDEN GRILL AT EPCOT

At Epcot, we reserved Garden Grill for 2:00 pm.

This was a little more chaotic because it was a character meal with Mickey, Pluto, Chip, & Dale.

We didn't book it for the characters, but wanted to experience the family style meal with our son.

It's also a revolving restaurant, which is very cool!

The food was amazing, but Miles said later it was his least favorite place because he wanted to order his own dish.

I can't blame him for that. First time in restaurants, why wouldn't he want to order his own thing? We didn't think of that. 

I really wanted kiddo to experience a restaurant breakfast, because breakfast is my favorite meal!

So we ate at Tusker House for their extensive breakfast buffet.

As with all the restaurants, we met with the chef, and she personally made my son his own two plates fresh in the kitchen. Not from the buffet.

This again was a character meal, and Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy paraded into our dining room for photos and autographs.

Staying mindful of characters and allergen contamination from all the kids, my son sort of kept his distance and wet wipes were used liberally. But it was still a fun moment and photo opp. 

Chef Renee made kiddo two plates full of Kinnickkinnick donuts, Udi's muffins, probably a pound of bacon, loads of eggs, delicious fruit, and the infamous mickey waffles made dairy-free!

We were so excited for those waffles!

FOOD ALLERGY RESOURCES FOR DISNEY

There's much to learn about navigating food allergies and eating out at Disney. 

But for this trip, we only started planning it 30 days in advance.

The key for me was to dive into Facebook groups and websites that share Disney food allergy tips.

And there are also Disney planners who specialize in food allergy, they can plan your trip with you for free!

If you've been on the fence about going to Disney with food allergies, I hope this post encourages you.

It may just change your life like it did ours.

If you do book Disney, be sure to print off our free thank-you cards for the chefs!

Plus, you can save this Disney post on Pinterest for later.

See more Disney posts here.

MORE DAIRY-FREE DISNEY INFO

Here are more of our posts about eating dairy-free 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