Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!
Ok, so I didn't love Animator's Palate. While I would love to tell you that the rest of my dining experience was to die for, it wouldn't be true. I have food allergies and made sure to note them on my reservation. Let me say this – WOW! Did they pay attention! I would feel completely comfortable sending someone with severe nut allergies on the cruise. Unfortunately, in my case, I am allergic to tree nuts but it is not an anaphlactic allergy and I am NOT allergic to peanuts. I am also allergic to wine and beer. (I know, so sad.)
The Chef was wildly cautious about what I was served. If he did not prepare it or could not 100% ensure that the ingredient had never so much as been near any kind of nut, he would not serve it to me. Which meant that my menu was severely limited. There was also a breakdown in communication between the kitchen and the serves. More than once I was politely denied a menu item but when I asked why, the only response was "Chef says no." Pressing further in order to try to decide for myself the risk simply insured that my meals would be further delayed often by 15 minutes or more. Only once did I decide that it was worth it when I had pre-ordered the wedge salad with Creamy Romano Dressing. Yum! Imagine my sorrow when the salad arrived with a vinaigrette. 🙁 I pushed and was eventually served the dressing and it was delicious! But because the dressing was bottled, the chef worried about nut exposure. Understandable but again, explaining this to me up front would have saved time.
I think this is an issue that will resolve itself somewhat as the servers and kitchen get more experience under their belts. In the meantime, if you have severe allergies, trust me. They are on it! That said, the same cannot be said at the counter service locations. Disney Cruise Line only guarantees the safety of the food prepared in the sit down restaurants. Counter service locations seemed to have little to no understanding of food allergies, and have extremely limited ability to customize your order.
Be well and make magic wherever you go!
Sara Varney
Travel Planner
