Nut allergy

[harlowandthemermaid]

My daughter has recently developed a nut allergy, so recently that we don't even know yet if it is all nuts(she had a reaction to cashew butter) so to be safe we are avoiding all nuts.
I just sent an email to the special diets email but am curious about a few things.
I would be interested in any counter service for nuts allergies feedback that anyone has so I can better plan. We usually wing it for Counter Service but I feel like it would be nice to know ahead of time what is usually safe to give us some ideas.
Also, we are doing a lot of other travelling in the coming month so if anyone with a nut allergy knows of any good resources for dining out with a nut allergy i'd definitely be interested. We will be doing almost all of our meals at restaurants while travelling and her allergy is so new that I have no idea how best to deal with this. Any suggestions ,good links, etc would be appreciated. I feel confident that disney will do a good job accomodating us, it's everywhere else I'm really worried about.
Thanks everyone!

[Tinkermom]

Hey Mel - sent you some info via Facebook.

[kcrc]

My son has a peanut allergy, and we've had no problems with the dining. Just let them know when you go to order that your child has nut allergies. Some places will show you a book with all of the ingredients. Some places will have the manager come over to talk to you, and in many cases, will supervise the preparation of your food just to double check there is no contamination. The biggest issue you will most likely have will be with the baked goods anywhere on property. The cookies, etc. that come as desserts will most likely be a no-no. But, there will certainly be fruit, pudding, jell-o as other alternatives. Some counter services do have the nut-free cookies. It will just depend upon where you are. We actually found ourselves eating at places that we never would at home. For example, on our last trip a couple weeks ago, we ate at the counter service in China. Everything was safe for my DS. We NEVER get Chinese food out at home! In addition to the food we purchase at Disney, we also send a box down to our resort with breakfast food and snacks. That's just one less thing we have to worry about when we're there! Good luck! I can't think of a better place to dine with allergies!!!

[csdavis]

I forgot to tell them when we made the reservations and we went to Boma and the people about had a heart attack when I finally mentioned it to the waiter. They will walk you through and let you know what to avoid. They take it very seriously- I felt really bad about not telling them before hand. The guy was actually sweating!

[Mickey'sGirl]

I am allergic to tree nuts, and have never had an issue at Disney. I am sure this is made easier by my age and years of "knowing" what to avoid etc., but I honestly feel Disney goes out of its way to work with people who have dietary restrictions.

Table Service dining is absolutely painless. Simply state the allergy when you make an ADR, then restate it when you check in. A chef will come to discuss the allergy with you, and make suggestions. These same chefs often come back and see how things went after the fact.

At the Counter Service locations, I tend to avoid baked goods and ask about everything else when in doubt. If the server can not tell me whether the food in question contains nuts, I will not order it.

It is a scarier prospect with your child, who does not have experience dealing with her allergy. My honest to goodness advice is to avoid it if you aren't sure (it being anything she is considering consuming).... Best thing to know, however, is that Mickey Bars are SAFE!

[harlowandthemermaid]

Thanks for your advice everyone! I am calling this weekend to have dining add the allergy to the ressies I've already made, and I got my packet from the Special Diets email.

I am curious if anyone has tried Ghirardelli's? I am hearing that ice cream parlors are bad with a nut allergy, and I can see why, but this is usually a must do for us. I feel so guilty eating an ice cream in front of her if she can't have one. Obviously wouldn't eat something with actual nuts in it, but if cross contam is a problem, I'm assuming she herself can't have anything they serve. Has anyone tried this? I know they aren't owned by Disney. WE love going to ice cream shops so I'm trying to figure out how to do it safely, or is that just not possible?

[Bubbie Girl]

I too have a child with severe peanut, tree nut and egg allergies and eating out can be worrisome but with some planning it can be made easier. I often pack food in the back pack that can be eaten if I am unsure of the contents, like pudding cups, jello, fruit, bread etc. He is only 2 so it is up to us to keep him safe. We found out about his allergies in May with a bite of a peanut butter cookie.
We do get ice cream from a parlor what I do is ask about egg first, yes some ice cream can contain egg! I was surprised by this. Next I will explain about his allergy and cross contamination and ask if they will get a clean scoop and if they would be willing to open a new ice cream or dig way down to get untouched ice cream. Most all places have been willing to do this for us. If you have any other questions ask. I am always looking for help and suggestions and happy to share any info I get. We are planning our first trip to WDW since his allergies and I must admit I am a bit nervous about it but everyone has said it is quite safe. I am planning on taking quite a few of his epi-pens along!! Hopefully I won't need them but best to plan ahead. I hope you have a very fun and safe trip.

[waymickey]

Ghirardelli's would be not be a cgood choice in my experieince. My Daughter has tree nut allergy along with fish, apples and more. Disney has always been excellent. They go out of their way to make sure she can eat something she wants. Most times the chef speaks with her and will deleiver the food to our table personally to avoid any cross contamination.
My daughter can not eat anything from Ghirardelli's.

On another note The Disney Cruise is excellent too. We went on a 5 day cruise and she was able to eat no problem!

[waymickey]

Oh I forgot bring the epi-pen with you and place it on the table that gets their attention and exhibits how serious the allergy is.