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Fish Are Friends, Not Food: Eating Vegan at Walt Disney World

by Angie Carreiro

No matter how many inconsistencies I’ve faced in my life, one thing has always remained the same; my love for Disney. Although Walt Disney World constantly changes and evolves, it always feels like home. In fact, with all of those changes, I have changed as well!

So, let me introduce myself…. Hi, I’m Angie!

As a child, meeting Mickey Mouse and Aladdin was a dream come true. I believed I was truly flying in a pirate ship on Peter Pan’s Flight. Twirly glow-sticks at night time parades were my only true desire.

As a teenager, it was always a race to the next attraction to see how many times we could ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster, or how fast we could get from Big Thunder Mountain to Space Mountain. Wearing a cute shirt and riding as many rides as possible were all that mattered, but we could still feel like kids at heart when we were there.

Now, as a young adult, and one half of a couple, I tend to enjoy a more relaxed pace in the parks, sitting on benches, people watching, and catching all of the fireworks, shows, and parades. And I still believe I’m truly flying on Peter Pan’s Flight.

When I turned 22, a few other major changes happened. I moved out of my parents’ house, in with my boyfriend, and we both switched from a vegetarian diet to a vegan one! Living on my own brought on another first with Disney; I had to plan my own vacation, so I learned a lot about vegetarian/vegan dining in the parks, and now I’d like to help you with it, too!

Travelers with any type of special diet can experience many challenges. Planning every meal in advance, making sure to pack your own snacks, and the added stress of thinking about where to find the next place to eat, can take away from the enjoyment you should be experiencing on vacation!

As a vegan for 2 years, and vegetarian for the 10 years prior, I should know!

If you’re reading this blog, you must be interested in how to find vegan and vegetarian eateries in Walt Disney World, right? Well, you’re in luck! As you’ve heard, WDW is the most magical place on Earth, but did you know it is also the most magical place to travel if you have a special diet!?

For those who are not quite sure about what it means to be “Vegetarian” or “Vegan”, let me briefly explain.   Vegetarianism and Veganism are not religions. You do the best you can with what is available, no situation is perfect, and everyone makes the choice to “go veg” for different reasons. Being vegetarian basically means not consuming any type of meat product; no beef, pork, fish (who are friends, not food), chicken, turkey, etc., etc., so on, and so forth. Someone who follows a vegan diet does the same with the whole no-meat-thing, but on top of that a vegan does not consume dairy products (no cheese, milk, butter) or eggs. Sounds simple enough, right? Eh, well, not so much when traveling to, or visiting most destinations.. That is of course, unless you’re traveling to WDW!

In the upcoming posts of this blog I will discuss different restaurants, eating options specific to those restaurants, and foods you can get at most counter service and table service restaurants that cater to the veg population visiting WDW. Trust me, you wont be stuck eating salads for every meal  (unless you want to, of course)! You can have everything from sandwiches, to plates filled with more food than you can eat. Oh! And ice-cream too!

So, whatever reason you chose to eat veg in WDW, stay tuned, because I love food and I love to share!

(Keep in mind, things are constantly changing in WDW, so always make sure with a restaurant cast member, manager, or chef before ordering!)

 

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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