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Since so many of us seem to go to Disney, I thought I'd add my
experiences. This was my first trip there since being diagnosed with
CD.

The dining experience was about as good as I think I can expect short
of going to an all-GF place. Let me say that it does help to warn
them ahead, but but it's not absolutely necessary. Everywhere I went
I found people who knew what they were doing. When you call
407-WDW-DINE and mention gluten they will direct you to the phones
for chefs or park food directors for more info.

We ate all breakfasts except one in our room and a fair number of
lunches or dinners. We rented a refrigerator for $10 a day.

The first experience at Disney started a little shakily. I had heard
(a fact that was confirmed by the Epcot food director) that you could
walk up at Liberty Tree in the USA section of Epcot and get a
hamburger or chicken sandwich on a GF bun. Normally this is true but
we were there at a very busy time. When I arrived they had just used
their last GF bun. Not to worry said the manager, we can get more in
5 minutes and have your meal in 20-25 minutes. I knew I'd have to
wait extra so this was fine. 35 minutes later my wife went up to make
sure I hadn't been forgotten. My order was just coming out as she
walked up. We had needed the rest anyway, but the manager came up,
apologized profusely for the delay, and insisted that our whole $27
lunch was free (yes folks, this is what a fast-food lunch for three
in Disney costs). The GF bun wasn't worth the effort, IMO. The
chicken, however, was delicious, and the fries are in a dedicated
cooker.

For the second meal we ate dinner at Restaurant Akershus in the
Norway section of Epcot. The chef came out and explained everything
in great detail, including the fact that I couldn't have one sauce
because they couldn't get a guarantee that one of the six mustards
used was GF. Part of the meal here is a cold buffet and as we went
through it he told me I was welcome to order anything from the back
so as to avoid contamination. They even had three desserts I could
eat, although he warned me that the flourless chocolate cake was
baked in the oven the same time as a pie with gluten (personally,
this would not concern me). This meal was delicious and the
restaurant is normally not terribly crowded, probably because many of
us Americans are loathe to try different foods. The chef also had GF
rolls on hand, which weren't bad heated with butter.

We also ate at Hollywood and Vine in Disney-MGM. This is another
buffet, but once again they'll bring it to you from the back if you
want. Despite being extremely busy, the chef came out and walked me
through the line describing ingredients in excruciating detail. Most
things were GF but a few weren't. Most that weren't he offered to
make GF. I declined because there was so much good food (steak,
shrimp, salads, roasted veggies, garlic mashed potatoes and more)
that was already GF. He then came back out to tell me that he had one
GF brownie left. I accepted. Not as good as a Gluten Free Pantry
brownie, but more than acceptable with GF soft serve ice cream on top.

The next one was the Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge. We
had the buffet (actually, family style portions brought to your table
so there's no line with those pesky contamination possibilities). The
chef came out and explained everything. Only the cole slaw was
suspect and only minimally so but he warned me. Whispering Canyon
waiters also do fun things like insult you for being late, accuse you
of trying to skip out on he bill if you leave for a cell phone call,
and abuse you for asking for ketchup. They also made all the men get
up and do "I'm a Little Teapot."

Last was a character breakfast at Restaurantasuarus in Animal
Kingdom. Here, the head chef AND an assistant came out and explained
everything. They also insisted on making everything fresh in the back
because "this place has a lot of kids and things can get
contaminated." Actually, everything is on very separate platters far
apart (not crowded next to each other like in a normal buffet) and in
general the gluten is far from the non-gluten, but I was happy to
have them make it in the back.

At all places the chefs reminded and reminded me that I should call
for them if I had any further questions or problems. I had to do this
only once. The only thing I would mention is that all the chefs
talked about a gluten allergy, although they were also aware I
couldn't have barley or rye. This didn't bother me personally because
it was also obvious they completely understood cross contamination.
They get many people with VERY severe allergies.

I felt very comfortable eating at Disney.

richard

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