Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Disneyland Revisited

We went back to Disneyland on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.  We used the complementary tickets that Disneyland Resorts Guest Communications offered us after the less than stellar experience we had last year.  I must say that this visit went much smoother and I was treated wonderfully this time around.

Prior to leaving for our trip I contacted Chef Chris at Disneyland concerning my food issues.  He was very helpful and gave me some wonderful advise.  First, he said that I should visit City Hall as we entered Disneyland to get the current gluten free list.  Second, he urged me to ask for a chef, manager, or lead as soon as I entered any of the many food establishments at Disneyland and California Adventure.  Chef Chris is in charge of the Tomorrowland Terrace and Redd Rockett's Pizza Port as well as being the main contact concerning food allergies at the parks.  He can be reached at (714) 781- 3569.  While we were on the phone I also mentioned that my sister in law really would like to have lunch at the River Belle Terrace to enjoy one of the signature fresh roasted turkey sandwiches.  He let me know that the River Belle Terrace is under the supervision of Chef Tim and put me in contact with him to discuss my options there.  Chef Tim contacted me and after talking about my options he offered to bake off a special turkey breast on the day we would be visiting the park that would be safe for me to eat on one of the parks gluten free buns. 

On the day of our Disneyland adventure the first stop we made was to the Market House to get a cup of the special coffee blend roasted just for Disneyland.  Also, if you save your receipt you can go back and get free refills throughout the day.  We then enjoyed some of the rides and activities at the park before arriving at the River Belle Terrace for lunch.  I asked to speak to the chef or a manager and Chef Tim came out to greet me and took care of ensuring that the special turkey breast was prepared on the gluten free buns.  This roasted turkey breast sandwich was delicious and I garnished it with fresh lettuce and tomato!  I enjoyed the pickle spears and fresh fruit salad as my sides.

For dinner we found ourselves in the California Adventure park and decided to try the Taste Pilots' Grill.  Again I asked to speak to the chef or manager and was greeted by the chef (sadly I can not remember this wonderful chefs name as she went out of her way to help make sure that I had a wonderful dining experience).  I enjoyed a plain grilled chicken sandwich which I garnished with fresh lettuce, tomato, and dill pickle slices.  I also had french fries which were cooked in their dedicated french fry fryer.  As the evening grew cooler, I was able to enjoy a wonderful dairy free espresso drink from the Gourmet Coffee Cart at the entrance to Paradise Pier.  They were able to give me a double shot with vanilla syrup topped off with hot water Caffe Americano style which I enjoyed while we waited for the World of Color Show to start. 

I have to say that Disneyland has greatly improved since my last visit as far as being able to handle people with food allergies.  I was treated with kindness and genuine concern and compassion at each place I ate on this trip which is a great improvement from my last visit.

8 comments:

  1. I have had a couple of great experiences in restaurants while attending baptisms and confirmations this spring. I have heard great things about Disney's handling of food allergies. I still am not comfortable enough to travel with my little one but I do appreciate the good experiences I have had.

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  2. Wow! I would say that they went far and beyond being nice about your food allergies. I think they pretty much catered to you!! How nice that you had a good experience this time!

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  3. Dang I didn't know Disneyland was so great about food allergies. I wonder if they have anything for gluten free, grain free people. I could probably have everything except the sandwiches because usually gluten free bread is made with rice and corn.

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  4. So I should contact Chef Chris before I go to Disneyland? I wouldn't know how to do that. Is there a customer service line or something you can call to get information about what foods you can eat with allergies?

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  5. Wow, you were pretty much able to enjoy everything that a person without allergies would be able to. I had no idea Disneyland was so accommodating, that's great!

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  6. Makes me want to visit Disneyland even more. Good for them for making an effort to accommodate food allergies. Gluten intolerance is being recognized more and more all over the place, I love it.

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  7. Hey you! I mentioned you on my blog today - come visit! :)

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  8. I do recommend contacting Disney before visiting if you have food allergies. I have the contact information for Chef Chris in the post :)

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