How does a foodie survive Disneyland when you’ve got special dietary needs?!

You step through the turnstile, hear that whistle, and BAM the scents are all around you.

…Sweet ice cream

…Roasted turkey legs

…Fresh hot corn dogs

It can be absolutely maddening to any Disneyland guest.  But, especially, if you’ve got special dietary restrictions or allergies.  So what’s a person to do?  Can you survive Disneyland on a special diet?

As we picked the brains of Disneyland passholders and fans, we were told dismally: “you can’t eat anywhere” or “there’s nothing that’ll be good” or “just bring all your food”.

We have been annual passholders for years.  But we had other members of our family plan a trip to Disneyland while we were on one of the strictest diets out there: 

Due to health conditions, we’ve been on one of the strictest (but honestly wonderful) diets out there: The Whole30

It’s Paleo on steroids.  A 30 day commitment.  No excuses, cheats or slips.  No eating any:

• Added sugar (real/artificial (i.e. honey, agave, stevia etc) even in any sauce (fruit juice is the only exception)

• Added alcohol, even for cooking or in any sauce

• Grains (includes corn)

• Legumes (except green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas)

• Dairy (except for clarified butter/ghee)

• Potatoes (except for sweet potatoes)

• MSG

• Carrageenan

• Sulfites

So when our family decided to schedule a Disneyland trip during our 30 day commitment, we wanted to curl up in bed and cry.  After years of being Disney passholders, we know all the delicious, scrumptious goodies available – and we thought we’d be crawling our way around the park in agony over smelling the delicious foods that we could not partake.

But we found out something amazing, whether you have to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, MSG-free, corn-free, you name it, you can not only survive Disneyland when you’ve got a serious allergy or diet, you can have DELICIOUS meals to satisfy any foodie.

So if you or your loved ones have ANY kind of special diet or food allergy – Disney can work their magic for you!

Now here’s how we tackled dietary dining at Disneyland.  How we went…

Paleo at the Parks

(Knightly’s dinosaur hoodie sweater designed by Busy Belle)

the numbers

There are over 625,000 guests who visit Disney World and Disneyland with food allergies (courtesy of Allergy Free Mouse’s interview with Gary Jones of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts). Often, they get 3 or more food allergies per guest.

That made us feel better.

So we got to work and contacted Disney straight away.

interview with Chef Bill Orton 

We had the pleasure of getting to hang out with Chef de Cuisine Bill Orton who oversees culinary training, chef recruiting and special dietary programs at the Disneyland Resort.  He was a sweet gentleman who helped us through all our dining worries and took great care of us during our two-day visit.

So, naturally, we picked his brain.

We get over 100,000 special dietary meal requests per year at the Disneyland Resort.  Daily, there are hundreds of guests who walk into our restaurants with allergies.  I personally get about 20-25 emails per day.

Carthay Circle Restaurant may have some organic produce.  The only other place that would have organic or sustainably raised meat options would be at Napa Rose.  I spoke with our meat buyer about those options but currently we don’t have any grass-fed beef options in the park.  I don’t know if everyday guests would want to take on the added cost of offering those options in the parks.

Stick to table-service restaurants for sure.  They have a lot of ingredients available to them.  My personal recommendation would be: Carnation Cafe, Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle Restaurant and Napa Rose.

We were given easy-to-follow directions for how to plan for delicious dining at Disneyland with special dietary needs.  You can skip to the end to see how!

This was our adventure.

Mommy Mouse + baby Knightly’s dietary 2-day dining experience

Honestly skeptical as to what the food would taste like (and how weak we may end up feeling when smelling all the wafting delicious fragrances around the park), we packed for the worst:

our Disneyland-on-a-diet packing list

• SeaSnax

• Gourmet Grassfed beef jerky (David’s favorite) – They’re offering our DE readers a special promotion!!!  Order these yummy beef jerky here and use coupon code “fitmickey” for 10% off and free shipping!

• Primal Pacs (Knightly loves the little pieces we’ll give him from this great snack pack- and Daddy gets to eat the beef jerky)

• RxBars (my personal favorite)

• 2 Pre-Made Paleo meals in Knightly’s milk cooler (fits with his bottle!) with ice pack

• List of allergy restrictions (to show as needed)

Now onto the main event, dining at Disneyland:

Day 1 | Disneyland Park + Napa Rose

– – –

breakfast at Carnation Cafe

Our first visit was to Carnation Cafe.  Admittedly, I was nervous how this whole experience would be and how “annoyed” the cast members/chefs may end up acting towards us because of how restrictive our diet was.

But, as soon as we checked in, we saw a carnation attached to our names and knew we were in for some special Disney treatment.

We were greeted at our tables by Chef Oscar Martinez, with over 58 years of Disney history (making him the longest Disney cast member).  He was so warm and darling to us and gave baby Knightly a “1st Visit” Mickey Mouse button.  Our server, Pamela, told us that so many families will just come and be greeted by Oscar by name since he’s come to know so many of the guests over the years.  He even has his own entree “Oscar’s Choice” on the menu!

Guiding us through the menu, his assistant discussed what they could do to help customize our meal for our diet.  And VOILA:

Sirloin Steak and Eggs cooked in Clarified Butter and Served with Fruit

Spinach and Tomato Egg White Frittata

A recommendation from Chef Bill Orton and our FAVORITE meal we’ve had at Carnation Cafe ever

lunch at Blue Bayou

Just 4 months into working at Blue Bayou, Chef Jesse greeted us when we arrived.  Chef Jesse has worked for Disney for over 20 years and served as a Chef at the famous Club 33 for 10 of those years.

It’s not about having 36 ingredients. It’s using what you have with good care to make great food. – Assistant Chef Edek of Blue Bayou

For the appetizer, Chef Jesse and his assistant Edek served us a special off-the-menu SURPRISE!

Poached Jumbo Shrimp Pureed and Wrapped in a Melon Blanket with Melon Caviar

Disney, you MUST add this to the menu.  One of the most delicious entrees we’ve ever had at Disney (Paris and Disney World included).

Drool.

Now the main entrees:

Filet Mignon with Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

Grilled Salmon with Tomato Juice and Olive Oil with a Salsa Relish

dinner at Napa Rose

We had our highest hopes and expectations with Napa Rose especially because of its emphasis for seasonal flavors and farm-to-table fare emphasis.  Unfortunately, this restaurant was where we had our hardest experience.

Greeted by a kindly server with a wonderful demeanor, appropriately enough named Mickey, he let us know in his own charming way that the chef and team would do all they can to create a wonderful meal with our specifications:

Sadly, as wonderful a service as he and the team gave, we did have to worry.  This is where we had several lessons learned.

We did enjoy:

Roasted Winter Beet Salad 

Non-dairy Apple Salad Medley

Sautéed Scallops with Lobster Mango Sauce Appetizer

Sautéed John Dory with Brown Rice Pilaf

The MOST delicious fish served at the restaurant.  But what’s that – Rice Pilaf?  You can’t have that, right?  Right.  An assistant server placed it on our table and David caught it just in time and requested it be removed.  The server apologized.

A few minutes later, the server returned and placed the plate on the table.  It looked like the rice pilaf was replaced by beets so David took a bite.  Not beets.  They were potatoes. He asked me to take a bite to be sure.

Yes, potatoes.

And with one bite, we both had to restart our 30 days of Whole30.  *teardrop*

We asked a nearby server if those were potatoes…just to be sure.

The server returned with a second server as well as what looked like a manager in a suit who looked over the item.  The manager told us, “No, these are beets.  They’re roasted in a way that gives them that potato texture and feel.”

Ah, beets – we should be okay.  We thought.  Really, we should’ve trusted our gut and asked the chef to clarify.  After clearing the plate, David’s stomach started feeling weird.  So we decided to ask our original server, Mickey, to ask the chef what those were.

He came back..and yes they were potatoes – Amorosa potatoes.

Tip: Ask the chef to be sure of what ingredients were used – before and after the meal is served.  Just. In. Case.

Sadness.

But it was one negative experience from an overwhelming positive experience with all the other restaurants, and, albeit the rest of the night even at Napa Rose (granted looking back, we’ll never bring a baby to Napa Rose again – wait ’til they can sit still…because that’s just another nightmare)

But what about the rest of our meals?  Well, they were actually quite delicious.

Grilled St. Pierre Fish with Cauliflower Fresco and Roasted Asparagus Filet

Petrale Sole with Winter Kale and Mushroom with Lemon Juice

Now on the Whole30, you steer clear from dessert but we wanted to see what Disney could make based on our dietary restrictions (and because it hurt inside to see the rest of our family eating the ridiculously delicious looking desserts).  Here’s what the amazing pastry chef came up with:

Poached Pear with Roasted Walnuts, Candied Blueberries and a Sangria Shooter (with no alcohol or added sugar)

Even if we weren’t on a diet, this dish was amazing.  And special thank you to Executive Chef Andrew Sutton and Chef Gloria for all their culinary efforts to make it a special meal for us!

That concludes Part 1 of our Paleo at the Parks story…which means there is a part 2! Be sure to check back on DisneyExaminer soon as we continue our Paleo journey at Disney California Adventure Park with more restaurants, more delicious food shots, and Disney fun.

– – –

Have you been on a diet on vacation before? What was the hardest thing you had to stay away from? Did you know that Disney could specialize all your foods to meet your diet needs and restrictions? Comment and share your thoughts below!