A gluten and dairy free Disney Cruise!

I’m a Disney Cruise veteran and I love everything about it. This time, after 20+ sailings, something was different, though - I was traveling with somebody who is gluten and dairy free. I was excited to see what the experience would be like not just for her, but for me and I'm excited to share our experience and some tips for anyone traveling with an allergy or intolerance.

We began Day One at Cabanas. Since it’s an intolerance and not an allergy she doesn’t have huge concerns about cross-contamination. She’s frequently OK ordering from a regular menu or selecting items from a buffet that she knows are safe and she prefers to fly under the radar as much as possible. She did ask to speak to a chef to confirm some of the food she thought might have traces of dairy. They were great at walking her down the line, offering her portions from the back to not worry about cross-contamination, and offering to make some extra things for her. She reluctantly agreed to a gluten free, dairy free pizza, saying she could just make the buffet work. It showed up in less than 10 minutes and because of the food allergies the whole pie was just for us. She was thrilled to have this option but a little reluctant as she dove in to give it a bite. The smile and the two thumbs up let me know that they used quality products in their dairy free cheese and their gluten free crust. At her continued urging I even got brave and tried a bite. Not only did I live to tell about it, but I have to say it was pretty good and I believe there would have been less than a 50% chance that I would have guessed it was allergen friendly if placed on the regular buffet. I haven’t found that to be true of most of the products I’ve bought her at home. 

Our first evening dinner was at Animator’s Palate and it was heaven when they delivered a bread plate containing gluten free rolls and dairy free butter. She was content to pick items off the menu which were marked as gluten free or ask for items with modifications, but they were also quick to come and offer her other alternatives or ways to prepare certain dishes with slight deviations to meet her needs. As our cruise went on, she got a little braver in requesting things and said that one of her best meals was a gluten free, dairy free macaroni and "cheese." 

For breakfast and lunch we rotated between buffet and table service. At the sit down restaurants, they normally bring a tray of pastries around at breakfast for each guest to select from. For allergies, they bring you your own “mini tray” just for you! Two muffins and a donut were a lot for one person but she was happy to sample it all.

We enjoyed a dinner at Palo which included a basket of gluten free pizza bread. There were many choices on the menu that with just small tweaks worked great - sometimes it was as simple as changing a sauce!  We even had the opportunity to celebrate her birthday. For dessert they brought her a sorbet and a deconstructed apple crisp.  It appeared to be a Life’s Good cookie (which we had in Cabanas several times) with chopped apples on top.  Dinner was a hit.  A few days later, however, we did brunch - which is always my favorite - and I found they were not prepared with many allergen-friendly options. My daughter really wanted chicken parm, but they said they didn’t have access to the dairy free cheese. They offered her eggs benedict which came on what looked like a half of a Gluten free hamburger roll... I thought they could have done better. They told her everything but the fruit cup and mini JELLO cup were off-limits on the dessert table, as was the whole table of breads, muffins, cinnamon buns, and cheese. ☹

What would I do differently? I think I have three main takeaways:

1. Don’t be bashful. We all know there is a big difference in asking for things and demanding. Ask for what you want and what they might be able to do for you. Plus, keep a copy of our available foods list on hand so you know some choices.  
2. Snacking would have been easier if we brought some small Tupperware. Pastry in a napkin in my purse was literally crummy! They were always willing to give us extras as obviously there are more limited places to get gluten free items.
3. I’d give up the Palo brunch. Don’t miss the dinner but the brunch just didn’t have enough GF options.  

If you're gluten or dairy free (or both!), here’s a list of things we learned are available by asking. You will need to ask your server or the dining room manager at Cabanas or room service for any of these:

Have you sailed with a food allergy and found other favorite foods or tips to share?  We’d love to hear about it!

If you're interested in learning more about allergy friendly vacationing, schedule a consultation with EZ Dis by Instant Impressions Travel Services here.