My wife and I recently got back from a week-long vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. Although SafeCeliac usually reviews restaurants around the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas, I wanted to share the experiences of eating gluten-free at Disney since it was truly an awesome experience.
First, before we left I filled out a form dedicated to food allergies, and I was happy to see a gluten-free check box (not just wheat) and also “Celiac” in brackets. We indicated all our breakfast and dinner reservation confirmation numbers (make your reservations early as the restaurants fill up quickly), and emailed this back to a special email account for dietary needs at Disney. They reassured us that all restaurants would be able to accommodate eating gluten free.
We also received a whole package indicating what foods were gluten free at the parks – this was really handy for all our quick service meals and snacks. Overall I was really impressed how much of the quick service type foods were gluten free, including hamburgers (served on a gluten free bun), fries at many locations, turkey legs, ribs, etc. You could also get pizzas, gluten free brownies and cookies, though I had so many snack food options that I didn’t even try these.
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where many of our quick service meals were at The Maya, a cafeteria like restaurant. As soon as you even mention you have an allergy (at The Maya, or at any restaurant), the chef is required to come out to talk to you and tell you the options that are available for you. Every chef I met was extremely nice and more than happy to assist. Many mornings I had gluten free waffles or pancakes (awesome!) and the chefs knew exactly what was or wasn’t gluten free, such as the breakfast sausage (which was gluten-free).
One morning we went to the Kona Cafe at The Polynesian, in which the treatment was the same: Note to coffee drinkers – the coffee was the best here out of anywhere a Disney! But in terms of eating, again I had waffles, and a plethora of other items (bacon, ham, sausage, potatoes)…we ate well! Another morning we went to Boma for breakfast, which is an incredible buffet with many options for Celiacs, including a quinoa porridge, African fruit salad, omletes, and the regular breakfast fare. The chef walked me through the buffet and also made me gluten-free pancakes. It was awesome.
Our dinner meals were also very consistent, and I had no problems finding gluten free options. Most restaurants had my allergy information on file and as soon as we sat down a chef came by to explain the menu. Almost all meals came with gluten free buns (instead of bread) which were a little tough but very appreciated nonetheless.
Our first meal was at San Angel at Epcot. This was a good Mexican restaurant, and I had the steak dinner which was very good. The next night we ate at Sanaa at The Animal Kingdom Lodge and I had the curries (I had the red chicken curry and the slow cooker beef ribs) and it was a great meal. The rice pudding dessert was gluten-free, but had a very subtle taste. Nice and light though!
The next night we ate at The Flying Fish Cafe, which is an upscale restaurant on The Boardwalk. I started my meal with a gluten free beer (needless to say I was very impressed!) and gluten-free rolls. I chose the snapper, which was excellent. Dessert was creme brûlée, and a lot of it! What I learned about Disney is that they don’t skimp on portions, and you will never leave a restauran hungry.
Dinner the next night was at Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios. This Italian restaurant was recommended by allears.net (which has some good reviews of restaurants for eating gluten free), and was certainly accomodating to Celiacs (I had gluten-free pasta) but I probably wouldn’t go back. The food was ok, but the only reason we went was to try the gluten-free pasta and otherwise wasn’t anything special.
The next night we ate at a quick service restaurant in Downtown Disney called The Earl of Sandwich. Their specialties of course were sandwiches, but they had a wonderful selection of made to order salads. I had the Medeterranean chicken salad (but not with the regular dressing as it contained gluten, but with balsamic dressing). It was a great dinner, and after eating my share of hamburgers, popcorn, chips, turkey legs and soda, it felt really good to find a quick service meal that was healthy and fresh. Highly recommended.
And the last night we splurged and went to Fultons Crab House in Downtown Disney. If you like crab or lobster, this restaurant is a must visit. My wife and I shared Alaskan Crab claws (served warm, with melted butter) and Florida Crab claws (served cold, with two dipping sauces, both gluten-free). Overall it was a wonderful meal, great environment, and easy for Celiacs.
The only negative experience during our trip was at the Morrocan quick service restaurant at Epcot. The chef explained what was gluten free, but the food was just ‘ok’. I had the chicken kabob meal.
Overall, my experience as a Celiac at Disney was fantastic. The food service employees were always willing to help, the chefs were extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and even much of the fast food was gluten-free. I was so surprised how many gluten-free products were available, and there was never a shortage of options of where or what to eat.
Thanks to the reviews at allears.net for the pre-trip planning!
