Sunday, October 02, 2011

Disney Dining Plan

Several months ago, the wife of one of NAH's friends (someone whom I would consider a friend), started beating me over the head with the idea suggesting that we should take a girls' trip to Disney. I buckled under the pressure, said yes, and we scheduled a last-minute trip to Disney World last month. To her credit, she found a GREAT deal, and we got a free dining plan. I was impressed, but equally nervous. In visits past, I've avoided the dining plan because I didn't want to order off of a set menu or have limitations placed on my already-narrow list of foods that are safe when travelling.
Well, I am here to report that I could not have been more wrong (feel like I'm saying this a lot on here recently). For one thing, you can eat anything on the menu when you're on the dining plan. She sent a list of my allergies to WDW, and they blasted it to all of the restaurants at which she had made reservations for us (I had perused Allears.net to read menus and give her a list of Allergic-Diner safe places to eat). I was impressed. More so, every restaurant in which we ate acknowledged my allergies upon our arrival at the hostess stand, and every one sent the chef - that's right, the chef - out to talk to me to make sure I could eat...and I could!

I had three of the best meals I'd had in my life at the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club Resort, Raglan Road in Downtown Disney, and the La Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. Their chefs were knowledgeable, and extremely friendly, and I am terribly grateful. I had a vacation where I was eating seafood, and steamed vegetables, not turkey sandwiches and hot dogs. In fact, I didn't eat one turkey sandwich THE ENTIRE TIME we were there! I also had good meals at the Sci-Fi Dine-In theater in Hollywood Studios (after having to repeat my allergies multiple times, but to the chef's credit, he introduced me to a salad dressing I'd never considered: lemon juice), and the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. I even got to hug Eeyore at the Crystal Palace. Crossing that off my bucket list!

Having said all of that, I have no idea how anyone eats in these restaurants without the dining plan. Our meals easily averaged $30-40/pp. Nuts! I realize I'm not a foodie, but that's just egregious by me. However, I ate healthy, and I was well taken care of, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

Thank you Disney,
Allergic Diner

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