Walt Disney World- the Disney gluten free dining plan

On the morning of our first full day in Disney I had this for breakfast... a banana, a cup of strawberries, an apple juice and a protein bar from my stash... notice Dave's plate of a great filling breakfast in the background. I was feel very unfulfilled and when I'm hungry- I get grumpy. 

 

The dining hall at Port Orleans was hard to navigate that morning so I pieced together a small breakfast to carry me through miles of walking in the Magic Kingdom. I wasn't feeling like I was on the happiest place on earth... I was worried that my snacks were going to last through the vacation.

So I sent an email to Disney Dining and complained.... then I went to the concierge. You might remember that I had tried to be proactive and asked a few questions before we hit Florida via email.

The concierge was hesitant... she was a cast member from another country and she stumbled through my conundrum but then did the best thing for both of us... she asked for help. Ray, her fellow concierge stepped in and quickly gave me a game plan. The best thing I could do was to ask for a chef at each dining place... this didn't make me needy but would ensure my needs were met. Dave and I walked back to the dining hall and met Chef Laura. It was mid afternoon and she gave us the rundown of options I had... they weren't limited at all!  She had so much information and the Disney Chef's are very well trained in food allergies... I love them. They had a dedicated fryer and this camper could enjoy gluten free french fries and chicken fingers... so many options and this is what I wanted most.

 In fact I had those a few more times. Except at breakfast... then I enjoyed gluten free waffles with Mickey's smiling face...

I couldn't help it. It was the best kind of comfort food and that brownie? OMG it's gluten free...  it isn't good for me but I figured it wasn't going to kill me with all the miles I walked through the park and it was a really yummy goodbad treat. Obviously as food blogger I love food and it's a huge part of memory for me. I can still remember all the fresh fruit I ate when I went to Disney back in 1989 and now 23 years later I'm in love with gluten free waffles and gluten free comfort food. If I could have found the Mickey Mouse waffle iron I most likely would have bought it so I could enjoy my own gluten free Mickey waffles at home...

Gluten Free Travels to the Happiest Place on Earth...

For my travels to Disney I loaded up my bag with my arsenal of snacks ready to take on the week. I had heard that Disney was going to be gluten free friendly but there's always a level of uncertainty that goes into traveling. Plus I hit a small snafu along the way- Whole Foods was closed on Easter Sunday. I've been living in a place where stores are open 365 days a year to serve a tourist population and didn't expect this. I wasn't able to round out my snacks but had enough to get along with.
As I waited for the plane in Boston I tried a new (to me) gluten free bar and I settled in for some airport knitting.

The Pure bar reminds me of a Lara bar and has a similar composition but with more nuts. I like Lara bars but only in small doses and felt the same way about this Pure Bar.
 Our first big meal in Disney was in Epcot at a Canadian Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse. I felt good about this, it was a planned meal and I had called the week before to let them know that there was one gluten free person in this party of 11.

They brought me gluten free rolls and my own plate of butter to prevent cross contamination. I then enjoyed a perfect Fillet Mignon on a bed of risotto. Between this and my trip to Quebec City I may forever associate risotto with Canada.

I finished my experience that evening with a Champagne Sorbet that was a nice light finish to a wonderful meal. 

We finished the meal and strolled out into the streets of Epcot in time to catch the evening's firework display.

How did the rest of my trip go? Was it as magical as the first dinner? It's a bit too much information to squeeze into one post so stay tuned for the rest of the details.