After weeks of tossing back and forth the idea of doing a 5k in Disney, I got a text saying "I signed up for the race and you should too". Having run 5Ks before and looking toward the 10k or even 10 mile goal, paying airfare to go to a 5k seemed silly, but sometimes you need that girls vacation and this was that time.
Between planning and going, the government furlough happened almost ending this trip before it began. Luckily, the promise of back pay came with enough time to commit to going.
As we arrived at Disney at the Shades of Green resort, anticipation built about how awesome of a trip this was going to be. The group decided this was the night to get dolled up and have a night on the Boardwalk. This is where the trip got interesting, and would stay hilarious.
Traveling all day none of us even thought to eat much beyond a salad between flights. We started to think about getting out when the thought occurred "Can we check the menu?" The Disney parks app made this easy but we couldn't clearly see if a restaurant would cater to our dietary needs, with a vegan and a gluten free. We left without a plan for shuttle purposes.
Three walks up and down the Boardwalk reading the menus we didn't know what to do. As a gluten free member of society I am cool with excluding parts of a meal and living like that, but the vegan was more difficult (in her defense sometimes my needs were difficult to satisfy). We finally decided the least evil place was Cat Cora's place. As we checked in with the hostess, we were asked about food issues and those issues were relayed to the waitress. As the waitress was getting our drink order, the vegan and myself were analyzing the menu with replacements and "Gee I hope they will do that". The waitress returned and told us the chef would be to the table shortly. The chef came out and gave us so many options. It was unbelievable, I've never felt so cared for in a business for my allergy.
But that was only the beginning. Every place we ate at addressed our specified needs to the letter, and would make custom meals for us. It got to the point that the one person without any dietary concerns was feeling left out!
One meal gave me some grief and ironically it was the meal in Animal Kingdom where there was an "allergy cart" nearby.
Disney was a great time and to not be left out for once felt great. The one bad reaction could have been left out, but it's (sadly) become commonplace and one bad time over a week was not bad odds.
The moral of the story is that if there are needs, make them known and Disney will make your visit most magical. I never thought of my allergy as a "make or break" of a good time, but as I succumbed and was unable to enjoy my final afternoon in the park, I realized how important it is to make your needs known.
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