Many traditions, pastimes, and memories revolve around food. Because of this, it is sometimes hard to change your diet, no matter how motivated you are. Not only can eating food give you a good feeling, but special experiences you’ve had at certain places and warm interactions with loved ones can be associated with a memory of the food that was there. Most Americans can’t attend a ball game without getting a hot dog, Thanksgiving just isn’t right without Grandma’s special mashed potatoes, and a day in Magic Kingdom wouldn’t be complete without an ice cream from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor!

Disney understands that even vegans (and those who are lactose intolerant) want to enjoy ice cream just as much as someone who eats dairy; that’s why they offer Tofutti and Rice Dream. If you’ve never heard of Tofutti or Rice Dream, they are pretty popular companies that make dairy-free ice cream!  The brands also offer a ton of delicious vegan products that you can find in most larger chain grocery stores and health food stores. They aren’t my favorite brands of vegan ice cream out there, but get the job done! When choosing between the two types in the park, I always go for Tofutti, it is creamier and much closer to the taste and consistency of dairy ice cream. It also has more fat than Rice Dream, which tastes less heavy, and less authentic.

(Keep in mind, even though your philosophy might be similar to Lou’s in leading you to believe “vegan” is usually associated with “healthy,” vegan ice creams still contain fat, sugar, and are high in calories, BUT the fat they contain are plant-based, not from animals, so they are cholesterol free- since cholesterol is only found in animal products! Yay!)

Oh! And the cones they use for the ice cream are vegan, too! (Though, I usually get a cup since the cones aren’t gluten free)

So where can you find Tofutti and Rice Dream in the parks? Keep reading and see!

(Important Note: When asking for the vegan ice creams you MUST say you have a “food allergy” because they won’t just give the special ice cream to just anyone who has a taste for it. You aren’t technically lying if you do this, sometimes people just don’t understand what “vegan” means, so it just makes it easier for everyone if the word “allergy” is used. Also, they charge you the same price that the other ice cream on the menu costs!)

First, let’s outline the quick service locations where you can pick up vegan ice cream in each of the 4 parks, then we’ll talk about table service locations last!

Magic Kingdom

Main Street- Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Located right on the corner at the end of Main Street on the right (when walking towards the castle), The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is known for having hand scooped ice cream, but you might not have known it has dairy-free ice cream in the back (it’s even listed on the menu in fine print)! My favorite part about the menu is that they also serve floats of the root beer and coke variety and you can get the Tofutti/Rice Dream this way as well!

Epcot

Future World- Fountainview Ice Cream. Right near Fountain of Nations, head over to this hand-scooped ice cream place and grab a scoop (or 2) or a float! Keep in mind, things are constantly changing, and supplies in stock might not always be the same!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Sunset Boulevard- Hollywood Scoops. If you are making your way over to Hollywood Tower of Terror or Rock ‘n Roller Coaster: Starring Aerosmith, chances are you’ll spot this ice cream hot spot! It will be on the left, right before you have to either turn left to the Coaster, or straight to the haunted hotel! Just ask for your special scoop and you can enjoy your ice cream (preferably AFTER the loop-ti-loops and falling elevator)

I’d also like to bring up 50s Prime Time. Though it is a table service restaurant, once you walk into the restaurant, if you take a left, there is a counter service area! My boyfriend, Kevin, and I really wanted a milkshake, so asked the cast member behind the counter if they would do it for us. They went and got a chef from the back who came out and confirmed that Tofutti and soymilk would be ok with us! I got vanilla and Kevin got chocolate! (Tip: Get your milkshake To-Go with a side of fries, 50s Prime Time has amazing fries, and go sit at the tables across the walkway from the restaurant, by the lake!)

Animal Kingdom

Dino-Land- Dino-Bite Snacks. Don’t be afraid to ask a cast member if they have Tofutti or Rice Dream available! Supplies in stock are always changing, but chances are, they’ll be very accommodating!

All 4 Theme Parks/ Resort Hotels

Keep in mind that most table service restaurants in all 4 parks and WDW resort hotels will provide Tofutti/Rice Dream upon request. If you have a reservation, or know you are going to be dining at a table service location before hand, it would be best to call ahead to ensure they will have it for you! We also had a great experience with our resort, All-Star Music Resort! They happened to have it in stock, in the back, ready-to-order! Also, don’t be shy to ask if you don’t see it on the menu! We went to Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is a buffet. The buffet didn’t have any vegan desserts- aside from fruit- so the chef made us each a bowl of Tofutti ice cream with berries!

So, if you’re interested in trying a vegan diet, please pick up some Tofutti/Rice Dream ice cream in the parks! The more Disney sees a demand for it, the more it will be available!

Angie has been a WDW addict since her first visit at age 8, and since then her life has never been the same! She lives in upstate NY with her boyfriend, Kevin (fellow Disney lover), and their 3 dogs, Flip, Josie, and Hildy, where she works at Farm Sanctuary as an animal caregiver. Please join Angie every week in “Fish Are Friends, Not Food: Eating Vegan in WDW!” Angie believes that WDW is the most magical place for people with special diets, so, should you have any special diet questions (especially about vegan and gluten-free dining) she’d be happy to help!

The post Fish Are Friends, Not Food: WDW Ice Cream appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

I’m a planner, always have been, always will be. When my boyfriend, Kevin, and I knew we were going to WDW in the fall of 2011, we knew we’d better figure out a plan for our special diets. We’d never gone to WDW as vegans before and I had just recently realized my intolerance towards gluten, so the research began!

A majority of our dining journeys at WDW involved asking about certain food items, which was a necessity for us since we didn’t want to accidentally eat chicken broth hidden in our soup, or eggs in our bread. Luckily, if you’re following this blog, you won’ necessarily have to ask ahead of time, because I’ll tell you which of the food items are safe (that I know of) and which aren’t! You still may feel the need to ask, though, so let me walk you through the process.

Planning Ahead

If you’re a planner like me, your special diet journey at WDW will most likely begin 180 days before your vacation. For anyone who is familiar with booking a vacation at WDW, you know why I mention this date; dining reservations! I will only touch lightly on this topic because, in my opinion, WDW doesn’t require this for diners with food allergies as much as it may seem. When making dining reservations on the WDW website (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/), there is a special section to list your allergies as you make the reservation. I always check off the boxes according to whatever choices fit a vegan and gluten-free diet. Basically Disney uses this information to put a note on your reservation. The reason I feel this isn’t required is because you can simply mention your allergy or special diet request at the time of check-in or wait to tell your server.

Another piece of added security for me was contacting WDW Special Diets via email (WDW.Special.Diets@disney.com). Again, this isn’t required, but helped me feel a little better about having options at my resort. They sent me a form I could fill out about our special diets and allergies, which I later mailed in. I’m not sure what they do with this information, but I probably wouldn’t go through the trouble of filling it out again, as I never had problems finding food to eat in WDW at places where I never filled out any type of form!

A great feature when planning ahead are the menus for each different restaurant on the dining portion of the DisneyWorld website. They give you an idea of what might be customizable for you. For example, if you see that there is a pasta dish on the menu,  you then know that the chef will be able to make some sort of pasta dish for you even if it isn’t exactly what is listed on the menu (this actually happened for me, and they even had gluten-free pasta already in the kitchen without me calling ahead)!

There is a special-diets section on the WDW website, but it lacks usable information and basically only tells you that they can accommodate you. However, if you’d like to check it out, here’s the link: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/.

At WDW

Now this is where I feel your special-dietary requests matter; right then and there at the restaurant. Let me walk you through the process of special-diets ordering at a counter service restaurant, so you can know what to expect.

1. Wait in line with everyone else.

1. When it’s your turn, tell the cast member at the podium that you have a food allergy (saying the phrase “food allergy” is key, because although Disney clearly states that they do accommodate “lifestyle diets,” not everyone knows what the word “vegan” means)
2. The cast member will call out a chef or manager who will bring out a binder of all food products they use and their ingredients.
3. The chef or manager will go through the items you might want. For example, say you want a sandwich on the menu that isn’t vegan or gluten free, they will go through the food items they have to make it the right way for you, if they can, maybe by omitting the cheese and making it on gluten free bread. This doesn’t take long at all.
4. Place your order. You are still at the podium at this point, so you tell the chef or manager what you want, but the podium cast member rings you up.
5. The chef or manager goes into the kitchen, clears an allergy-free area, and personally prepares your food for you.

I know it might sound like a lot, but it’s actually really easy, and that’s coming from someone who is too shy for most things! I like this approach because once you’ve done it one time, then in the future, you always know what you can get at that particular restaurant. You can basically say, “Last time we came, we got this. Can you do that again?”

Keep in mind that a good amount of restaurants have options already available, ready to order, where you don’t need to request to speak with a chef or manager, so the process is just like ordering anything else off the menu!

Now, for table service restaurants, it’s almost the same process with small changes. Always inform your server immediately that there is a special dietary need. The server gets a chef to come out, but unlike the counter service restaurants, the chef can usually prepare you a very special meal that you might not find on the menu! They may walk you through the buffet or menu and point out the items you can have, or they may ask you what food you like and dislike and prepare something special just for you!

At the risk of sounding redundant; it’s easier than it sounds. It’s almost as easy as someone who doesn’t like mushrooms requesting they be omitted that from their meal, except, in the special-diet world, the manager or chef wants to be the one to hear it!

The post Fish Are Friends, Not Food: How to Order Special-Diet Food at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.