While Disney World is world renowned for their Food Allergy procedures, the Disney Cruise Line is a bit more mysterious. There are some wonderful folks who’ve shared their experiences online (I’ll link them below!) but there are still a lot of questions out there.
This FAQ is meant to help clear up some information and give you a better understanding of what to expect so you can judge your comfort level. I just went on The Disney Wish by myself (I have Food allergies and so do three other of my family members). I’m torn on fully endorsing Disney Cruise Line as “easy” allergy friendly, because while I survived with zero reactions, it was also anxiety inducing at times and very inconsistent.
I will absolutely be back though, because the more you know to expect and prepare, the more fun it is to travel with food restrictions! More on the newest Disney Cruise Ship, The Disney Wish, in this cruise guide.
***As Always, please speak to a qualified restaurant employee when ordering food. In order to see the most accurate ingredients and risk assessment, you will need to confirm allergy safety in real-time. This is my personal experience, I am not employed or endorsed by companies or brands mentioned.***
Disney Cruise FAQ with Food Allergies and Restricted Diets
Can Disney Cruise line accommodate food allergies?
Much like Disney World, they can accommodate most food allergies, but they do not take into account ‘may contain’ or shared equipment when making the allergy menus. There were several items I ordered that the Chef rejected from the allergy menu because I told my server that I don’t do ‘may contain’ for my allergens. See Disney Cruise Lines official stance on allergies here.
Can you bring food on the ship?
Yes! You can bring in lots of prepackaged items, and you can also bring in a small cooler with homemade items. If they ask, be sure to let them know it’s an allergy, you are bringing it for the first day as you aren’t sure what to expect, and it’s covered under the ADA. Note: you cannot bring homemade items off the ship. So no taking it onto the islands or taking it home.
I talk about this more in my guide about what to pack for your Embarkation Day (Day 1) Bag while your checked luggage is getting moved to your room. I always bring some prepackaged snacks that are sealed, and are not items like fruit, meat etc.
I’d recommend contact Disney Cruise line directly if you need to bring (or feel like you need to bring) lots of items on the Ship with you.
Can you talk to a chef?
No. I was not able to talk to a Chef, and that is also what other people experienced. A few unicorns have spoken to Chefs, but on DCL there is a ‘procedure’ where Servers talk to Head Servers and then Head Servers talk to the Chefs.
So everytime I needed something at the restaurants I had to ask my server, or in the breakfasts and lunches, the head servers. My head servers who helped on the Wish (And were Fantastic!) were Andrea, Linval and Simone. Simone was my personal head server who went above and beyond. Read more about my Cruise Trip with allergies here.
How do you communicate your allergy needs to the Chef, since you can’t talk to them or read ingredients?
I created a note on my iphone, and airdropped it to a Head Server. The Head Server printed it out and attached it to my ‘pink’ allergy slip (picture below). That printout followed me to every meal! (So you could bring a printout to give to your head server).
I included things that I look for on ingredient labels. For Example, with my Soy allergy, I listed: Soy, Miso, Edamame, Natto and I also included that I want to avoid all legumes.
I also included things I like to avoid, like natural flavors and spices that aren’t labeled gluten free.
Then I put at the end, Items that I am safe with. I can eat: Dairy, Eggs, Treenuts, Fish, Shellfish. (no peanuts this trip as it’s a legume and didn’t want to risk cross contact).
Does Disney Cruise Line carry allergy brands?
They do carry several allergy brands, and this will vary based on the Ship and the Supply Chain. For example, my trip on the Wish, was out of Enjoy Life Cookies. They had HomeFree, another allergy brand that I trust.
Does Disney Cruise Line have allergy friendly or gluten free desserts?
Yes and Yes! I had several of the offered dessert options, and twice had chefs choice as my allergens conflicted with the offerings that night. Both of the Chef’s Choice desserts were Namaste Chocolate Cake Cupcakes with fruit.
Can you contact someone ahead of time?
Yes! If you are more than 30 days out, email the special diets team for Disney Cruise Line. Once you’ve made a reservation, when you go to do your ‘prechecks’ the will prompt ” does anyone have dietary needs”. There you can add a request or contact them for more. See this Disney Cruise line page if you need the special request form.
Do you have to contact someone ahead of time?
No. On Embarkation Day (opening day), several of us had not contact special diets, many of us with more than one restriction. I was the only one with items outside of the top 8 though, but I still had delicious and safe meal (although rather plain when compared to my travel mates).
Are there allergy menus?
Yes, some locations have an allergy menu, and some regular menus list Gluten Free and Dairy Free options. But not all locations have a menu.
Do they have allergy snacks?
They do have allergy snacks, but these can sometimes be hard to find. If you have specific snacks you like that are prepackaged and travel well, I encourage you to bring those! There was no, ‘snacks with character’ aboard the ship (Disney’s allergy snack line)
Can disney handle allergies outside of the top 8 most common?
Yes! Most of my allergies are outside of the top 8 most common allergies for the United States and the Chefs on the Disney Cruise Line are prepared and able to make meals custom.
Does Disney Cruise Line put Allergy Skewers in your Food?
No. Disney Cruise line does not use the allergy sticks like Disney World and Disneyland do!