Can't accomodate food allergies....my experience....

[seven dwarfs]

I wonder if in the long run, Disney is going to just say hell with it, allergies are way too much of a liability for us to claim we can work with especially with how busy they are and deadly mistakes can happen without notice. I can totally picture an overwhelmed chief using peanut oil on someones food that has anaphylactic allergies, the person possibly dying, disney getting sued for negligence... bye, bye forms and pre-calling chefs.

Luckily our family does not deal with allergies, but this post intrigued me. Reading all your guys struggles is heartbreaking.

To be honest, I would not blame them if they do stop. I do think that it is a matter of time before something bad happens with what we experienced. I can't imagine how much work it is for those chefs. I watched several (same chef) go from table to table, take notes for each table, and the chef always said he was also cooking the food. It must be stressful and exhausting.

I have stated this before that I think it is great for anyone with an allergy that has had a great time at Disney. I hope they continue to work on it instead of giving up all together.

 

[disfan07]

To be honest, I would not blame them if they do stop. I do think that it is a matter of time before something bad happens with what we experienced. I can't imagine how much work it is for those chefs. I watched several (same chef) go from table to table, take notes for each table, and the chef always said he was also cooking the food. It must be stressful and exhausting.

I have stated this before that I think it is great for anyone with an allergy that has had a great time at Disney. I hope they continue to work on it instead of giving up all together.

Same here. I'm just waiting for the day where they cant accomodate us anymore with my allergies. It's an amazing service that I think a lot of people abuse. I mean, how many times have you read on these boards people telling those who are vegetarian or vegan to lie and say its an allergy. Disney takes allergies very very seriously and its not fair to those of us who could die from a food product to have this accomodation so overloaded with people who use it for convenience.

I am pretty go with the flow. I go into restaurants with the hope that they can make something special for me but I don't expect it. I usually look at the menus and make sure there is at least 1 thing on there that could be modified to the specifications I need without them having to be too "creative" about something completely new.

For me that means grilled steaks, chicken, fish, burgers, fries, cooked veggies.

But I always bring food with me just in case. If the chefs TRY their best and they still cant create something I would like (meaning something wihtin my allergen requirements and something that I would actually enjoy...I dont want them to make something special if I knwo I wont like it) I understand. I don''t expect most people to be able to cater to my list of allergies even if they say they can. And if for some reason I am uncomfortable with what they provide, I sit there with the rest of my family and I eat later.

I can still top all of this probably...I was in the hospital in august and even THEY couldnt always get my food right. I am allergic to wheat and they kept putting dinner rolls on my tray. I am also allergic to eggs and one day I got a tray of scrambled eggs for breakfast. Something was worng with at least one meal all 7 days....lets just say I never really ate the food there....and the food is actually pretty good but I mean seriously...this is a HOSPITAL...they should be able to do this. Luckily, my mom had gone to pick up a lot of snacks and cold cuts for me but still....I should be able to expect safe food while in the hospital...

Heck, my family has been having a heck of a time adjusting to my allergies. Its a challenge everyday. I just make sure I always have something I am sure I can eat and usually my gut feeling is enough to tell me I shouldnt eat something. If I get that feeling, I dont go near it.

 

[pampam]

I am just back from a trip with my son who is nut free and can't have any gluten. This is including it in the form of brown rice, corn...he eats no grains basicly. He also can't have seeds. It was a complete nightmare at most restaurants. The chef's were so rude and many brought out things he could not have. He was so sick after three of his meals. It does not cause him to have any issues with breathing yet, thank God, but after reading your situation, I would not eat in Disney. The only places that we had good luck were Boma, CRT and 'Ohana. We had an awful time at Le Celliar, Tusker House, Germany, CP and Hoop Dee Doo. (I forget where else we had reservations right now) If you have a basic allergy like dairy or nuts or even just wheat, I think you are fine but when you start adding more and more, it is just to much for them to handle.

I know it stinks. We were so excited because we never get to eat out and my other children miss out sometimes. When we go back in December we will pack our food.

I remember once at the Hoop de Doo. I mentioned our food sensitivities when I made the reservation. I spoke with the Chef's office before I picked up our reservation card. I showed our server a card I carry listing briefly what I can and what I cannot eat. The server was dyslexic, couldn't read the card and to the best of my knowledge never gave it to the chef. His soloution was to not bring me any food. I was patient, and courteous, but finally I insisted I get a salad with no dressing, and I wanted to speak to the chef. The chef never came out. The evening is wearing on, and still no food. Finally, I insisted that they give me something, a dish of strawberries, anything. They gave me a dish of strawberries but told me I had to take them to go, because the show was over. I was steamed, but didn't say anything. As I left, the manager came running out after us. He asked what was wrong and how could it have been handled better. I explained that I had let them know weeks in advance of the dietary issues. I explained it twice, before I even picked up the reservation card, and how I carry a card with me listing briefly what is allowed and not allowed. No one tried to work with me at all, and all I had was some plain salad and hastily given a container of strawberries but I wasn't even allowed to eat them there, because they arrived so late. He refunded my meal, but that wasn't the issue. They should have given me some food. They dropped the ball.

On a brighter note, we have been back to the Hoop de Doo since, and it has been a better experience.

 

[melancholywings]

To the OP. Is it possible to carry a cold meal around with you? So that if you get stuck in a situation where they are unable to accommodate your child correctly during the meal you'll have a 'fall back' plan? We have done this when DD was first diagnosed with T1D and we were traveling on a cruise ship. It was easy to carb count on the ship, but once we got on shore we didn't know if we'd always have access to food that she'd like and some of our excursions were off the beaten path. It was all very new to us then.

So I'd cobble together a 'lunch' from the buffet. Hard boiled eggs, cheese, banana, and brought organic milk that didn't need refrigeration. We ended up using the lunches several times. And it made for a less stressful vacation knowing that she could eat something even if it wasn't off the menu.

 

[valree]

Wow, you are so harsh. Of course I checked my sons plate. He didn't eat the roll or the squash mix. He did eat the potato because we were told it was safe and it wasn't. Flour can be hidden in so many things, it's not like you can see it. You depend on the chef assisting you. And as far as the egg goes, who in the world would have thought after stating I needed a real cracked egg that the chef would use the bag eggs. It is hard to tell at first until you taste it and cut into it. There is not one person on this board who would have gone through what my family did and not be upset/disappointed. I never asked for anything to be perfect but when someone says "I can't have flour" and then is served something with flour this is a huge issue. Disney states it can handle allergies or else we would never had attempted it.

I completely get what you’re saying. You’re not leaving it all in Disney’s hands, and you’re not trying to absolve yourself of any responsibility. We know Disney is not going to get it right 100% of the time, but they need to fix the problem when they do mess up. The servers and/or manager don’t need to get defensive. Just correct the meal.

 

[SueM in MN]

To the OP. Is it possible to carry a cold meal around with you? So that if you get stuck in a situation where they are unable to accommodate your child correctly during the meal you'll have a 'fall back' plan? We have done this when DD was first diagnosed with T1D and we were traveling on a cruise ship. It was easy to carb count on the ship, but once we got on shore we didn't know if we'd always have access to food that she'd like and some of our excursions were off the beaten path. It was all very new to us then.

So I'd cobble together a 'lunch' from the buffet. Hard boiled eggs, cheese, banana, and brought organic milk that didn't need refrigeration. We ended up using the lunches several times. And it made for a less stressful vacation knowing that she could eat something even if it wasn't off the menu.

This is a good point to end this thread on, but I will leave it open at least a little bit longer.

I had to delete or edit a number of posts/comments. If I need to delete any more, it will close and points will be assigned.

My own final thoughts are that special dietary needs can be like a balance scale, with what the restaurant can provide on one side balanced against what the person needs on the other side.

Simple situations or uncommon ingredients may not cause the scale to move at all. For example, one of my nieces is allergic to mushrooms. My son-in-law is anaphylactic to almonds. Even though my SIL's is severe, it's not a common ingredient.

More common single allergens might not tip the scale much just because they are so common that the restaurants are used to dealing with them ( although some are easier to than others). Another niece of mine is allergic to gluten, and had to wLk to the chef at most places, but was pretty easily accommodated..

The scale gets tipped more if there is more than one allergy or allergies to common ingredients where there are no easy substitutes.

With as many issues as the OP mentioned, the scale could be tipped so far that the restaurant really can't meet the needs or there is no much chance for error that the safest thing to do might be to bring food for the person with the food allergies.
Another suggestion I don't think was made yet would be to look at the menu and choose one or 2 things that you think might work with just a few changes. Then bring food items along to make a full meal.