A Disney dining reservation: from booking to first bite 💙

If you’re planning your first Disney trip with food allergies, figuring out how dining works can feel like a lot. Never mind that, it IS a lot. What should you do before you go? Who should you talk to at the restaurant, and what should you ask?

We recently shared a post walking through a dining reservation from booking to first bite, and I wanted to bring that overview here too. For families who are new to this, it’s a good place to start. And if you’ve done it plenty of times already, a little refresher never hurts! Here is our exact formula 👇

Start with a look at the menu

Before booking, take a look at the restaurant’s online allergy-friendly menu. This can help you get a feel for the food they serve, think about what you might be interested in, and put together questions for your visit.

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ve probably heard us say this before: don’t rely on the allergy menu alone to decide what you can and cannot eat. Menus and ingredients can change, so what you see online may be different from what’s available when you arrive. Use it to help you prepare, then discuss your options at the restaurant.

It is also worth noting that the food allergy menus have known mistakes. For example, the milkshakes at Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre are not listed as dairy free, but they can absolutely be made free from dairy if you speak with a chef. If you rely solely on the food allergy menus for ordering, you could miss out on some opportunities like this one.

Do you need to contact Disney before your trip?

Most guests can discuss their food allergies when they get to the restaurant. But there are some requests that Disney asks families to bring to its Special Diets team ahead of time.

If someone in your party has a unique allergy request, needs a puréed meal, or follows a medically restrictive diet, Disney asks you to contact that team after making your dining arrangements. Disney also asks that you reach out no earlier than 14 days before your arrival.

Let the restaurant know when you arrive

When you check in, tell the host that you or someone in your party has food allergies. Once you’re seated, your server will most likely bring them up because you’ve already let the host know. This is when we recommend asking to speak with a chef.

The chef knows the kitchen, the current ingredients, how dishes are prepared, and what substitutions may be possible. That firsthand knowledge makes them the best person to walk through your specific questions before you place your order.

Take your time with the chef

You might already have a few dishes in mind from looking at the allergy-friendly menu. Bring those up for sure and use this conversation to find out how the food can be prepared for your particular needs. As you know, there are a lot of small details that come into play when ordering with food allergies, so this is where you get the current information that a menu alone can’t give you.

Go through every one of your allergens, and don’t be afraid to ask whatever comes to mind. Ingredients, preparation, substitutions, cross-contact… those are all things you can talk through. You don’t need to feel bad about asking questions; helping with these requests is exactly what the Disney chefs are there for! We have been told by many Disney chefs that coming out to the table and helping food allergy families dine successfully is one of their favorite parts of the job.

When your meal comes out, pause and confirm

Before taking that first bite, check the meal that’s been brought to you. Disney says food prepared through its allergy-request process comes with a visual marker, such as a pick or a designated tray. If you don’t see one, ask a Cast Member.

Even if the marker is there, we still think it’s a good idea to confirm that the meal matches the allergy request you discussed. That quick check when they drop it off at the table is another chance to make sure you’ve received the correct order. Even at Disney, mistakes can happen.

Once your questions have been answered and your meal has been confirmed, you can get to the part you came for: enjoying a meal together at Disney. For us food allergy families, that’s where so much of the Disney magic happens. 💙

We also have a dining update from Magic Kingdom! The limited-time Diamond Horseshoe pop-up has allergy-friendly listings for all six of its small plates. But before you start picking out what you want to try, each dish is listed for a different combination of allergies.

This is a good example of what we were just talking about above. Seeing a dish on the allergy-friendly menu doesn’t mean it works for you. You still need to look at the specific allergens listed and talk through your needs with the a chef or specially trained cast member.

What’s listed on the allergy-friendly menu?

The Glazed Sticky Ribs are currently the only small plate listed for milk allergies, while the Queso Fundido with Barbecue Burnt Ends is the only one listed for gluten/wheat allergies. Several of the other dishes have listings for peanut/tree-nut and sesame allergies, so there are a few different options to ask about depending on your needs.

Here’s the breakdown from the menu information shared with us:

Use these listings to start the conversation

If something catches your eye, let a Cast Member know about every one of your allergies and ask to speak with a chef or a Special Diets-trained Cast Member. Talk through the ingredients, preparation and any modifications you might need before ordering. Disney notes that menus, recipes and ingredients can change, so it is important to confirm the details on site.

It’s also important to remember that an allergy-friendly listing doesn’t guarantee a meal is completely free of allergens or cross-contact. The ingredients and preparation still need to work for your individual needs, even when your allergens appear in the menu description.

If you get a chance to visit this pop-up, we would love to hear how it goes! Let us know what allergy information you were given, what modifications were offered, and what you ended up ordering. Those firsthand experiences are so helpful for other families planning their next visit. 💙

View Disney’s Diamond Horseshoe special menu

Here are some of the most talked about topics from our Facebook Group this week. Join our Facebook Group below to check out all of these posts and more!

Until next time,

The Disney Food Allergy Group