Shellfish food allergy question.

[mandaep]

so this is the first time I have had to wonder or worry about food allergies. My daughter, 3 yo, was recently diagnosed with shellfish allergies, ruling out other fish allergies such as salmon and cod (we have to go back for further testing). I know that Disney is very attentive and accommodating to these needs from what I have heard in the past. But I was just wondering if anyone had any tips when it comes to food allergies in the parks? For example, one of our favorite place is Columbia Harbor House but I know that a lot of food there contains shellfish. We don't necessarily need to eat any of those items but what if we went and we got the chicken for my daughter or she ended up eating some of the fries? We honestly don't feed her a lot of stuff like that anyways but do they treat food with allergies in mind? Like do they fry the chicken and fries separate from the fish? Do they even fry shellfish? also- we love Teppan Edo and I remember them asking every single person about allergies when we had ate there in the past. I wonder if we did eat there and we had our own sort of table area would they limit the use of shrimp on that grill if we were at a table and someone else in another party wanted it? Just curious.

I guess I am just looking for some insight on food allergies in the parks! :mickey: Thanks!

[TheDuckRocks]

Here is the official Disney website page about food allergies:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/

There is also phone numbers so you can get more info if needed.

We travel to Disney frequently. A couple of years ago I developed a peanut allergy. They have been wonderful in helping me find out what I can not eat.

[disneymom15]

I'm in the same boat as your daughter. shrimp allergy. Just got back a few weeks ago and we ate at Teppan Edo, the chef made my meal first then made everyone elses. Also have never had any problems at CHH.

[buzznwoodysmom]

My son has poultry and seafood allergies. He has been having these allergies since around age 5, and is now 15. We have been to WDW at least 18 times and he has NEVER had any issues with his allergies while there. They take great care to insure that food allergies are accommodated.

Of course TS locations tend to have more options than QS when it comes to food allergies. However, we have never had too much trouble finding something DS could eat. Even if that meant more work on our part. Since DS is allergic to both seafood and poultry there are some QS places that just don't really have anything for him. Columbia Harbour House is one that doesn't have much that he can/will eat. When we have eaten there we have grabbed him lunch someplace else, or taken in snacks for him and got his meal someplace later. Because of this we don't tend to eat there very often.

At Teppan Edo it has been our experience that DS's food is prepared in the kitchen, not at the table with the rest of the food. I do not think they would give you a table of your own, or not use the grill for shrimp because of a food allergy. The best, and safest alternative is for the food to be prepared in the kitchen as to be sure there is no cross contamination. We have eaten here several times and this is how it's always been handled for us. I am not saying that you feel this way, OP, but I recently read that someone was angry that because of their child's allergy they couldn't see their food prepared in front of them and that took away from the "experience/magic" for their child. At the end of the day your child's well being is more important than seeing their food prepared in front of them. DS still enjoys watching our food being prepared. He has never felt like he was missing out on anything by his food being prepared in the back. It's just a part of life when you have these kinds of allergies.

Some locations (Ohana and Boma specifically come to mind) have the chef come out to the table to talk about specific food allergies. They go into great detail about what you can and can't have. At Boma the chef walked with myself and my son through the entire buffet to show us what he could and couldn't have. He also listed ingredients for any dish we had questions about. Just make sure it is noted when you make your ADR's and notify your server at the very beginning of each meal. If you feel more comfortable speaking with the chef ask your server. They have always seemed more than willing and happy to speak with us when we have had questions. Like I said, in 18 trips we have had zero issues with his food allergies. There have been times we had to get a little creative, or it took a little more work on our part to find him something, especially since a lot of meat products are going to a turkey mix instead of all beef, but WDW is a pretty easy place to eat well even with a food allergy.