Disney just does gluten free right, as I found out when I visited Disneyland last year. So, when the hubbie and I decided to visit Disney
world for the first time for our 3rd anniversary, I was excited to spend a week feeling like a normal, non-diet-challenged person!
A month or so before we left, I got on Disneyworld's official website, and found the email address for the special dietary people. I sent them a quick email, and within a day or two had an email waiting in my inbox with all kinds of gluten-free lists for food and snacks throughout the resort. A special reservations form was also attached, with instructions to make any reservations I wanted to at sit-down restaraunts online, and then fill out the form and return it so they could put the dietary information in their computer system. Making reservations online on the Disneyworld website was a breeze, and each reservation form I filled out had a place to check a box for special dietary needs. Between that, and the form I filled out and returned to the Disney dietary department, I didn't enter a single sit-down restaraunt that didn't already have my information in their system. It was awesome, and easy.
Did Disneyworld food live up to my expectations? Yep. Their sit-down restaurants blew my socks off. MOUTH WATERING. Although, I have to admit, the quick-service meals I ate in the park were just so-so. So my summary advice: book sit-down meals for dinner every night
(maybe an early dinner), and just use quick service to supplement here and there. The first four days of our trip were by far the yummiest because we did that.
Here's some reviews and photos of the gluten free meals I ate during our May 10th-May 18th, 2011 trip. Enjoy!
Breakfasts: We stayed at the Radisson Lake Buena Vista, and had a good sized mini-fridge, so we did cereal and milk every morning before we went to the park. That means no breakfast food reviews. Sorry! When we vacation, we like to get going early and quickly. Plus...saves a few bucks and is easy to do gluten-free. Triple bonus! :)
TUESDAY-MAGIC KINGDOM
Casey's Corner on Main Street: If you read my Disneyland review, you know that the main street hotdogs were my favorite dining experience of my last Disneyland trip. So I was excited to swing in Casey's for a quick lunch when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom. When we got to the register, I told the cashier I had a food allergy
(which I found gets better response than saying Celiac), and she said a manager would be out to take my order. I asked her if the fries were gluten-free, cooked in their own oil. She replied, "Oh yes. We can do them gluten-free. That's why a manager comes out. So he can make sure everything is gluten-free." The manager came out, took my order for a gluten-free hotdog, and when I asked if the fries were gluten-free, he told me yes
(before you order them...read my whole review). A few minutes later
(allow about 10-15 minutes) I was eating a gluten free hotdog and fries. The bun wasn't warm
(a bit disappointing), so the hot dog was just mediocre. The fries were fine...tasted like fries. Now...random
(or maybe not-so-random)note:throughout the rest of our trip, I felt weird headaches off and on
(thought it was lack of sleep, because I didn't know where I could've gotten gluten), and then stomach issues started creeping in. WELL...the second to last day of our trip, we returned to Casey's, and I went through the song and dance of talking to a manager again, and telling him I would have the hot dog meal. He then said, "As for fries, the fries are gluten-free, but depending on how sensitive you are...we don't have a dedicated fryer, so they get fried with the chicken nuggets." I was so...mad? Upset? Something? So THAT explains why I was feeling a little off and under the weather for the majority of our trip. Moral of the story: beware of Casey's fries. Even if they tell you they are gluten-free. Also, even if you use the word "allergy" to get a manager out there, make sure and use the words "Celiac who can't have ANY gluten at all" with the actual manager. And don't be shy about asking them to heat up the bun. The second go-round my cute hubbie thought to ask, and while they don't have a microwave, the second manager we dealt with put my bun in the oven for a bit
(in a little container of course). Made the hotdog much more enjoyable.
Aloha Isle: My husband and I were both addicted to the naturally gluten-free Pineapple Floats
(fresh Dole pineapple juice with vanilla ice cream). Yum. Couldn't go a day in the Magic Kingdom without getting one!
Tony's: Such a cute little themed restaurant! It's made to look like the place where Tramp took Lady
(random note...look at the sidewalk to the left of the main entrance...you'll see a little love note he left her. Also, look out the right window at the back of the restaurant. You might just see two little love dogs having dinner). It was a fun way to kick off the trip, and the chef
(I've unfortunately forgotten him name) was wonderful. He came out immediately, and talked me through everything I could have. I chose Chicken Parmesan over gluten free pasta. He brought me out warmed up gluten-free rolls with butter when they brought my hubbie out bread
(pretty yummy), and the food was good. Not amazing...but good. And I felt completely safe. He returned to check on us, and offered gluten-free desserts, but I was feeling full.
WEDNESDAY-EPCOT
Turkey Leg in the America section of the World Showcase:
Epcot was the hardest park for me as far as quick service type meals go. But it worked out, because for some reason a turkey leg sounded soooooooooo good. Weird, since I've never tried one, and am usually not into dark meat. But I'm glad I gave in. Delish. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was more than enough for a lunch when we had a pretty early dinner scheduled.
Coral Reef: Very cool experience. My husband loves fish, so it was worth it just to sit right by the wall of a giant aquarium for the whole meal
(although, there were actually quite a few tables that weren't right by the aquarium, so I guess we just got lucky!). And my food was delicious. Again, the chef came out and asked what I thought sounded good, saying that the majority of the items on their menu are naturally gluten-free. I ordered the Apricot Pork, and it was very tasty. For dessert, we did a flourless chocolate cake drizzled with raspberry, and it was yummy. Great experience.
THURSDAY-HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
The Brown Derby: AWESOME...awesome...awesome. By far the best food experience of the trip. We were both blown away. It was also our priciest meal, but we don't regret it for a second. We did an early Fantasmic package, and it was soooo worth the delicious food, and the reserved seats to the show. Highly recommend it. Our waiter was actually very knowledgeable about gluten (he probably could've taken care of our order himself), but he still sent the chef out, who was amazing. He walked me through the menu, brought me out warm rolls and butter, and came back later to make sure everything was going well. Our package came with an appetizer, entree and dessert. For the entree, you don't want to miss the Cobb Salad (the chef knew about blue cheese causing a reaction in 9/10 people without me having to say anything). They sub tomatoes for the blue cheese, and it is TO DIE FOR. Apparently the owner of the original Brown Derby in L.A. was Mr. Cobb, and invented the concept of a Cobb Salad (true story). YUM YUM YUM. So good we had to do take-out versions for lunch the next time we were in the park. I had the Beef Fillet over White Truffle potatoes as my main dish. The meat melted in my mouth, and the potatoes...oh-my-yum. As for dessert, more flourless chocolate cake (although a different variety than the Coral Reef). Delicious. Yes, I think the theme of the Brown Derby is delicious. If you're going to Hollywood Studios, don't miss this fun, tasty restaurant!!! (And if you're seeing Fantasmic, you might want to look into the package deal. We loved not having to wait in line 2 hours before the show to have a seat.)
FIRDAY-ANIMAL KINGDOM
Flame Tree BBQ: I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with the Flame Tree BBQ, but I think it was my fault. I'd seen online before we went that they had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and could do them gluten-free, so I was excited to try one. The manager was great, and made my order himself. He also gave me my choice of some gluten free sides, and I chose a bag of grapes. The pork was good, and the gluten-free bun was too...but when he brought it out there was no sauce. He said that the sauce had caramel color and modified food starch, and that most people were fine but if I had any doubts, I shouldn't eat it. Now, if you know me, you know that I do NOT take any risks. I am one strict, strict, strict Celiac. Still, for some reason, I went with the sauce. Dumb? Probably. My tummy wasn't quite right after... although I'm beginning to wonder now if it was all just related to the Casey's fries the first day. Anyway, if you're going to the Flame Tree BBQ, be prepared to go without the sauce. If you're ok with that, go. The manager was knowledgeable and I felt safe (just not safe from myself apparently).
Rainforest Cafe: We requested to talk to the manager, and he came out, assuring me that there were lots of gluten-free options. I was in the mood for a Cobb Salad, so I verified that the dressing was gluten free, and made sure they didn't put blue cheese on it. It was good... nothing to rave about after the Brown Derby Cobb, but good just the same. And of course, a really fun environment. We went early-ish, and it was virtually deserted, which was also nice.
SATURDAY-HOTEL POOL DAY, AND EATING OUTSIDE THE PARK
Outback: As usual, Outback was a tasty, low stress gluten-free experience. Our waiter knew all about gluten-free, and even made sure he made a point of putting the bread on the opposite side of the table. He was almost hilarious in his thoroughness. I always go with the Alice Spring Chicken and Half-Ribs with garlic mashed potatoes on the side, and it never disappoints. I usually go with a Thunder from Down Under too...but wasn't feeling up to it. (Dumb Casey fries!)
SUNDAY-CHURCH, POOL & EATIN-THIS-N-THAT
Because of religious beliefs, we like to try to observe the Sabbath as much as possible while on vacation, which meant a bit of prep work. We headed to the Walmart just down the street from our hotel Saturday night (BEST souvenirs EVER by the way...aisles and aisles), and got salads, dressing, string cheese, gluten-free soup and other gluten-free snacks for our Sunday meals. With the fridge and microwave in our room, and the rain coming down outside, it turned out pretty well (I liked Progresso's Corn Chowder for a canned soup...hadn't tried it before).
MONDAY-MAGIC KINGDOM
Cosmic Ray's: The manager was great, and handled my gluten-free hamburger order from start to finish. She even told me that there was no dedicated fryer, but if I wanted fries she would oven bake them for me. I thought that sounded lovely. The only bad things I can say are that 1-I hit a couple spots of gristle in my burger(which is something that grosses me out) and 2-the toppings are all at a salad bar, and seemed to have contamination potential, so ketchup and some tomatoes from a safe bowl was as far as I could go. That being said, I have a feeling if I was more persistent, they probably would've given me whatever I wanted from the back. They were very helpful and accommodating, and I felt safe. The pre-packaged gluten-free brownie I had for dessert was surprisingly tasty. My husband even had a few bites. :)
Pinocchio Village Haus: We decided on pizza for dinner, so ended up here. Eh. Disappointing. It was an Amy's cheese pizza, which can taste Ok-ish, but not the way they heated it up. The cheese was browned, but not melted...I think they were trying to hurry. They also charge you differently for gluten-free than normal here, which is different than most places we've eaten in Disney parks. While a normal pizza meal, which includes a personal pizza and a salad is $8.50ish, they charged me $9 something for my pizza and another $3 for a "side salad", which given the gluten-free-ness of it was really romaine lettuce in a little bowl with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Funny thing is, I didn't even want the salad, but my husband said, "Your meal comes with it doesn't it?" and the cashier didn't disagree. Not my most fulfilling meal, but it did feel safe...and we were in there shortly before closing, so maybe they were just in a rush.
TUESDAY-PARK HOPPING
*Most delicious orange I've ever eaten from a fruit cart in Hollywood Studios (seriously).
*Take-out Cobb Salads from the Brown Derby (yum and oh-so-filling).
*Popcorn & Mickey Ears Ice Cream from the carts around the parks.
WEDNESDAY-MAGIC KINGDOM BEFORE FLYING OUT
Casey's for lunch, where I found out I'd been contaminated.
