Family Vacation
My in-laws took our extended family, all 34 of us, on a Disney Cruise departing San Diego and traveling along the coast to Mexico! This vacation wasn’t my first time on a Cruise, but definitely was the ONE that stole my heart and has me wanting to go back for more!
Communication is Key, Do It From the Very Beginning, Very Often & Be on Repeat
Planning ahead of time there’s an option to let your cruise agent know of your allergies so that those on the cruise ship are prepared to help make your Cruise a traveling moving extension of the happiest place on earth! It was so refreshing to have them make everything friendly and stress free for us! Like a dream come true, and that is what they are in the business of doing so well – making your dreams come true!
Take Extra Precautions with Medicine and Snacks
Packing is no different than any other food allergy vacation. We packed his Benadryl, a couple sets of Auvi-Q, WetOne wipes and some snacks in the event of no available allergy friendly food, he has something to sustain himself.
One extra step of precaution that we like to take when traveling is to have a carry-on backpack separate from my sons luggage. In the carry-on backpack we will have a set of Epinephrine auto-injectors, several allergy friendly snacks, WetOnes wipes and some Benadryl.
Then in his suitcase along with all of his clothes and shoes we will have another set of Epinephrine auto injectors, safe allergy friendly food for him, WetOnes wipes and Benadryl.
The reason that we do this is in the event his luggage is lost or something happens he still has what is on his person being carried on in his backpack.
Taking the snacks from the backpack and the snacks in the luggage, we usually have enough “in-room” snacks to help us when hunger strikes late night and we are in need of something reliable and safe for our kiddo with food allergies.
Don’t Assume Everyone Knows, Tell Them and Then Tell Them Again
Upon check-in for our room we reminded the front desk of our allergies. We did this each time we entered a new kids club, sat down for a meal, or came across new Cruise staff for activities.
Allergy Friendly Kids & Teens Activities and Clubs
They do have a children’s nursery, Oceaneer Club, Teen Center as well as The Edge and The Vibe youth clubs. We reiterated each time we left any children in these clubs or centers, of our child’s allergies.
Communication and repetition is key. Be as cordial and friendly about it as possible, but also don’t hesitate to give a brief friendly reminder.
All of the staff we encountered were grateful for the extra reminder even though his kids wristband was noted, it was an extra layer of protection, education and communication for awareness.
Dining with Disney Cruise & Food Allergies Was a Piece of Cake!
When booking your journey on a Disney Cruise, you’ll select where you’ll be dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When you select a sit down and order location, such as the Animators Palate (which we highly recommend – yum!), you’ll have the same wait staff for each meal!
This is great for a couple reasons, they come to know you and your family, in particular your allergy situation, very well! You can even order your next days meal with them to ensure allergen precautions and safety!
Plus, at the end of your journey you tip the staff and you have an easy way to tip the same people all at once, which is convenient.
In addition to my sons peanut and shellfish allergies, we have in-laws anaphylactic to pepper, tree nuts, dairy and more! They gave each of us impeccable service and knock-on-wood not one of us had a reaction, only the best time ever!
When enjoying different decks, activities, and roaming the ship, there are lots of “fast food” options. Just let the cashier know your allergy situation and they’ll advise as to what is safe on their menu.
My food allergy teen loves pizza and French fries, and once he found the spot he could order that safely, it became his go to spot for food.
All You Can Eat Cruise Food & Drinks
They also have all-you-can-drink fountain drinks as well as all-you-can-eat soft serve ice cream.
On the soft serve, just beware of changing flavors. We never came across a peanut or peanut butter flavor and/or ingredients with the soft serve, but you never know when ingredients or flavors will change.
It was usually vanilla and chocolate, but there were a couple times it changed to something fruity like mango, for example.
We brought our own cups from home for the all-you-can-drink fountain drinks, but you can also purchase souvenir cups.
We Will Cruise With Disney Again!
It was such a wonderful experience that we said at the end, if we ever Cruise again it will only be on Disney because we trust the way they handled our family and most importantly our sons anaphylactic food allergies!
