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We went to Disney World in October 2010 and March 2011.
Our trips were made very special due to the chefs providing our son with low protein
meals and even a low protein birthday cake for our 6 year-old son made with
Cambrooke Foods products.
A few months before each trip, I made advanced dining reservations ("ADRs") on-line on
the Disney site for some character breakfasts and table-service dinners. (Go to www.disneyworld.com,
click on the tab "Where to Eat," and fill out the form to make an ADR.
You can also make ADRs by telephone.) I was able to check off a box indicating that a member of our party
had "special requests or a food allergy." There is a page on the Disney World site under Guest Services
regarding Special Dietary Requests
(http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/).
Right now it mentions that guests with PKU and other metabolic disorders or multiple allergies should contact
the resort at SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com at least 14 days prior to arrival and after booking all dining
arrangements for the entire visit. I did so and was sent the Guest Allergy/Dietary Request Form mentioned
below and a list of the available low protein foods (and other special diet foods available).
Note that you do have to make advance arrangements to have Cambrooke cheese pizzas at the
"Quick-Service" places, just like you have to make advance arrangements to have meals at the
table-service restaurants. I did so by completing the Guest Allergy/Dietary Request Form, which
I e-mailed back to Disney at the address listed above. On that form I listed the dates and times
of the ADRs and in the comment section indicated what Cambrooke Foods items we were requesting for
each particular meal. In addition, I noted the dates and times that we were requesting a Cambrooke
cheese pizza at the two pizza restaurants we had selected (Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom and Pizza
Planet at Hollywood Studios). After doing so, before our first trip, I received confirming e-mails
regarding the pizzas and another from the chef at Cape May Cafe saying she could make Mix Quick pancakes/waffles.
When we arrived at the each of the two pizza restaurants, I immediately asked one of the cashiers
if I could speak with a manager. On each occasion, the manager quickly came out from the back, was already
aware of the special diet request, and after a brief discussion with me, went to have the Cambrooke pizza prepared.
Amazingly, at both places, I was charged only the kid's meal price, and they included the sides (we chose grapes)
and a drink. On our very first visit, the Pizza Planet manager at first charged me a higher price for a
gluten-free pizza, but when she saw the size of the pizza, she came back and gave me a credit on my card
because she said it was the size of a kid's meal pizza. Consequently, when we were paying at Pizzafari,
I told them I had been charged only the kid's meal price at Pizza Planet, and they did the same. The same happened
on our repeat visits to both restaurants in March.
During our first visit to Pizzafari, I happened to overhear the manager say to an employee
that she should cook the pizza longer because the cheese did not melt. I am glad I heard her
comment because I think they would have overcooked it. So, when you first speak to the manager,
you might want to mention that the cheese doesn't melt like traditional cheese.
At Pizza Planet during our first visit, they made a big deal about the pizza, claiming the chef at
one of their Italian restaurants made it special for our son and then had it delivered to Pizza Planet.
I was a bit nervous about it because I expected a Cambrooke pizza, but I immediately recognized it as a
Cambrooke pizza. Whew! The manager also said that it was being baked in their gluten-free oven. During
our second visit to Pizza Planet, the cashier gave our son a special souvenir cup for his soda.
During our October trip, we had character breakfasts at Cape May Café and Chef Mickey's. During our second
trip, we went to one at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. Upon our arrival for each, I mentioned that we had
a special diet request, which was already noted on the reservation. At each, the chef very quickly came out
to speak with us about what our son wanted to have made for him. For each of these visits, I had requested
on our Guest Allergy/Dietary Request Form that he have Mickey Mouse waffles using Cambrooke Mix Quick. The
chef at Cape May Café was wonderful; the one at Chef Mickey's was great too, but he appeared to be very rushed
and stressed. Both made as many Mickey waffles as my son could eat. My son held up the waffles for all to see;
he was so excited! Unfortunately, despite all of my advance arrangements, he was not able to get low protein waffles
at the Tusker House. The chef immediately came out to speak with us and then came back out with a package of the mix
he had in stock to ensure it was the right product he should be using, but it was a gluten-free mix with pretty high
protein content. He said he did not have any Mix Quick in the back, despite my having confirmed our special request
right before our trip. (I had e-mailed the Disney at the address given above about a week before our trip, and a woman
called me to advise that she had called each restaurant and confirmed that they had the requested Cambrooke items in stock.
Apparently that Tusker House chef was not at work when that call was made, and a co-worker must have mistakenly thought
the gluten-free product was what was being requested.) The chef seemed very upset and concerned that he could not make any
low protein waffles as requested. He listed the various Cambrooke products he had available, and although it
was breakfast, our son was thrilled to be able to order a low protein grilled cheese sandwich using Cambrooke white
bread and cheese slices. Unfortunately, the chef put more than one slice of cheese on the first sandwich, which
would have been too much phe, but he quickly made another with just one slice. We were able wrap the first sandwich
to use another time. The chef was very apologetic about the situation and surprised us by giving us Fast Passes
for every ride in the park and telling our waiter to comp us on the character photo that had been taken of us on
our way into the restaurant. Our son was very happy with everything at "breakfast," so it did not turn into a disaster.
All three of the character breakfast locations had buffets, which included a nice variety of
fresh fruit that our son was able to choose from to supplement his waffles and sandwich. He did not
eat as much as he usually does, however, because he was so excited to see all of the Disney characters.
It all seemed a bit chaotic to me, and my husband and I did not eat very much, but we all had a really fun time.
For both of our trips, I had an ADR for dinner at the 50s Prime Time Café in Hollywood Studios. The two chefs
there were awesome! Once again, when we checked in, I mentioned our special dietary request, which was already
in the reservation. During our first visit in October, the chef kindly called me two nights before our dinner to
tell me he could not get the Cambrooke ravioli I requested, so we worked out a new menu which included a Camburger.
Once we arrived, he was right at our table, reviewed the menu for my son, and took my mini scale back to the kitchen
to weigh out the fresh veggies (green beans and carrots) so that I wouldn't have to do that at the table. The
waitresses had a birthday pin made up for my son, and after dinner, they all came out singing with his cake
(which I’ll describe more below). I thought I would cry! Not only was it his birthday, but it was the first day he
had ever eaten a meal out that we hadn’t brought with us.
On our second visit, a different chef immediately came to our table to find out what our son wanted to order.
I believe he was from Austria, and he was so eager to please. He was very curious about the Cambrooke food products.
He knew they carried them but had never prepared any and did not know who needed them. He seemed very interested in
hearing about PKU. He couldn’t believe that one Camburger (without a bun, which our son didn’t want) was sufficient,
so he cooked two. He also made up a nice plate of fresh green beans and carrots, which this time I weighed out at the
table. We had so much left over that our son had another dinner at our hotel the next evening. The chef came to our
table repeatedly to make sure everything was fine. Once again, for both of these dinners, we were charged only the
kid’s meal price.
Before our first trip, we were very excited to discover that if you are having a special occasion, the Disney pastry
chefs will make a low protein cake using Cambrooke Mix Quick. There is a phone number on the
Disney World site - (407)-827-2253 - for ordering birthday or special occasion cakes. (The site currently states
that they need 48 hours of advance notice and that the cakes are available at most table-service restaurants.)
We put in a request for a low protein birthday cake, never expecting to get one. At first, the response was that
they could make a gluten-free cake, but after we responded saying that would not work, the pastry chef surprised me
by calling to review the yellow cake recipe which is on the Cambrooke Foods site, the ingredients for the icing,
and how we wanted the cake to be decorated. The cake was waiting for us at the restaurant we specified (50s Prime Time Cafe).
It was the first time our son ever had a "store bought" cake. He was just beside himself - all of his birthday
wishes came true - he went to Pizza Planet (and was so surprised that he could actually eat a pizza from there -
not just look around and eat a lunch I packed), fought Darth Vader at the Jedi Training Academy, and had a
restaurant-prepared birthday dinner AND cake. Life is good!
We truly had a magical time!
Alison, mom of Sean - 6 cpku, Colorado