Disney: You Can Eat Safely, Just Not Healthy

I know, everyone loooooves Disney. They won an award from FAAN the year I went to the conference. Gina at Allergy Moms just published her interview with Joel Schaefer, Disney's Manager of Special Dietary Needs. I had heard both from friends in the real world and online how amazing they are about accommodating food allergies... so I was excited for our first trip to Disney World. We planned to celebrate both my daughter and my son's birthdays there (both in November). We made all the arrangements by the book... waking up at some ungodly hour 90 days prior to each reservation we wanted, and then notifying them of our special needs. Great. And yes, at the Crystal Palace buffet for T's birthday, the chef came out to tell us which dishes to avoid.

But making special arrangements for a birthday cake was disappointing. I had just assumed since everyone had been raving about Disney and Food Allergies, that this was a no brainer. It was one of the reasons we decided to go. We were informed that we had to call a special number 24 hours beforehand to order a peanut-free cake. I started calling the day we got there (Sunday) to make arrangements for both birthday days on Thursday and Friday. We could special order cakes but since they had to be nut-free, someone would have to call us back. Every day, I had the same conversation with someone else. No one ever called. We never got cakes.

Don't get me wrong, we will go again. Probablty for another birthday extravaganza. But next time, I'll be prepared. I'm going to order that cake kit online that you decorate with Disney stuff when you get there. If I can find that website again. Does anyone know what it is?!

My other pet peeve was that outside of the Character Meals at the fancy restaurants that you have to have reservations for (90 days in advance), the only things available are hot dogs and candy! Regular readers of this blog know I'm a bit of a nut about healthy food. :) After a week of this regimen, I think I might have developed an allergy to... hot dogs. I know, I know it's the Magic Kingdom after all... a spoonful of sugar and all that... surely kids can't be forced to eat their vegetables. It would just ruin the fantasy!

Planes, Trains... and Food Allergies!

This topic comes up every year: traveling with food allergies. Travel season is approaching in the U.S. and I have received a few inquiries on how we've managed transcontinental travel with food allergies. So perhaps my broader audience will benefit from a recap.

Planes
If you or your child has a serious food allergy and you are traveling by plane, call the airline! Different airlines have different policies regarding the food they serve and how they will accommodate food allergies. As recently as last week, I know that Continental served nuts on their domestic flights but do offer gluten free meals.

Obviously, peanut-allergic travelers must avoid Southwest. I've heard announcements on American flights asking passengers to refrain from opening packaged nuts because of a food-allergic passenger. But, I have also been on an American flight when the packaged snack pack they offered contained nuts. Their published policy is that they don't serve peanuts but do serve other nut products.

Depending on the severity of the allergy, in addition to calling in advance, you may also want to remind them at the gate and when you board the plane. A friend of mine reports that she has had good experiences with Northwest, KLM, American and Alitalia in terms of accommodating their allergy.

Get a note from your allergist that states that you are required to carry an auto-injector. In both domestic and international airports, we have not had any issues with security and the 4 to 6 auto-injectors we have in our carry-on luggage (Hey, it's a 14-hour flight!) In fact, I've never had anyone ask about them at all.

Bring your own food. As long as you stay away from liquids or gooey stuff, this should not be an issue with security.

Our biggest concern was trace nuts in the cabin. I read an article last summer quoting Dr. Hugh Sampson of Mt. Sinai, who recommends flying in the morning when airplanes are cleanest. My experience has been that international flights, which are thoroughly prepped before the journey are great. The domestic ones have a little more of the Ick factor. Having a little guy, it is not uncommon for him to spot something that looks like it could be pretty yummy, pick it up, and eat it. Horrifying, I know! So my husband and I had these nightmares... we're flying 30,000 feet over the Pacific. After a full day of connecting flights and layovers, we are fast asleep. Tanner finds some random who knows what stuck between the seats. And before you know it... anaphylaxis! I actually bought a hand-held power vacuum for the first time we flew across the ocean! Now, I recommend plane sheets.

Foreign Countries
"El no puede comer cacajuetes o otros nueces." I learned that from my cab driver in Mexico.

When we were flying through South Korea, a friend of ours wrote up a note to bring on Korean Airlines. (I don't recommend them since they themselves told us they were not equip to handle a medical emergency. We ended up switching to Philippine Airlines.) But translation cards are handy in countries where you don't speak the language. There are several companies that offer this product: Select Wisely, Dietary Card, Allergy Translation, Medu Data (free).

Hotels
A nod to Ruth at Allergizer, who covers travel planning tips for people who suffer from hay fever and pollen allergies as well as food allergies. She's got a great resource for allergen-free hotel rooms.

Restaurants
Nicole Smith at Allergic Child has a great list of restaurants around the U.S. that cater to food allergy families. She also has some helpful travel tips

That pretty much exhausts personal database of information. Bottom line is, food allergies don't have to slow you down! If anyone has any more tips and tricks, feel free to share.