We arrived in Orlando and Disney World on Wednesday evening, which is a stop “on our way” back home to Massachusetts after a wonderful three-month sabbatical there. And we’ve had so much fun here in this sunny, magical place, but I think we may need another three-month sabbatical to recover from the grueling task it is to visit the Disney World parks. Oh my! I am totally exhausted, and planning an early bedtime ~ which means we were too tired to stay for fireworks and the parade in Magic Kingdom tonight. (It was raining, too.)
I’m even too tired to even post the follow-up to the 7 day meal plans with the dinners and snacks, (will resume ASAP, though!) but I thought I would just post a few photos from our trip, especially the ones that include some of the wonderful food we’ve been able to enjoy!
Just an hour after we checked in to our hotel room, we got to have dinner with our dear friend from Switzerland, Romy! (It’s a small world after all…) She was in town for a conference, and so we met her for dinner at an Irish Pub in Downtown Disney called Raglan Road. It was quite loud (true to form, I suppose), and had a very lively atmosphere ~ music, dancing, the works.
It was the gluten free fish and chips that sold me, though, and they did not disappoint! Raglan Road makes their GF batter out of garbanzo bean flour and club soda. It was very crispy and had a great taste. Can’t remember the last time I had fish and chips at a restaurant, so this was a fun treat.
After dinner, we all walked through some of the shops, but were really on the lookout for the NYC bakery called Babycakes, which now has a location in Downtown Disney. It’s a bit difficult to find if you don’t know your way around, and it isn’t on the Downtown Directory, but one trip to the info desk solved the mystery, and soon we were all sitting at an outdoor table eating GF cupcakes and drinking coffee and tea.
We even decided to take these back to our hotel for breakfast…
I wish I could share another picture with you of Cooper and Kory enjoying a hamburger WITH the BUN at Epcot Center, but I had left my camera memory card at the hotel that day, and so all of the Epcot pictures are stored in the camera’s limited memory storage and I don’t have the cord that would transfer them to my computer! Anyway, picture two very happy teenage boys holding up their cheeseburgers and smiling. It was in “America” at a restaurant called Liberty Inn which offers gluten free buns for hamburgers and cheeseburgers. They, along with all of the other restaurants/food stands that offer GF buns, will also cook the french fries in a dedicated fryer, avoiding any cross-contamination. Happy Mouseketeers all around, I tell ya!
Oh! And did you know that Disney World will allow you to bring outside food into their parks? I assumed they would be strict about this as are other parks like Sea World and Six Flags, but they aren’t. So, that means I didn’t have to try and smuggle in my trail mix today (I get panicky when I’m hungry, fearing there will be no GF options), or go into a long explanation about gluten intolerances and ask for an exception to the rule.
OK ~ my eyes are getting droopy and my feet and legs are crying out to be propped UP. This theme park stuff is a quite a test of strength and stamina, which I thought I had, but evidently not. Even running two half-marathons in two weeks is not sufficient training for this kind of a work out!
So, if I haven’t scared you off from visiting the World of Disney with my complaints of fatigue, then please rest assured that if you have Celiac Disease, or any other food allergy for that matter, this will be a very food-friendly place for you! We are basking in a magical world of those who know exactly what we’re talking about when we say “gluten free, please!”
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Jack knew all about being exhausted there at Disney World. He was around 40 years old when he went there…and could only handle 2 days.
5 children with him:)
Sounds like a perfectly delightful trip, fatigue and all 🙂 What a blessing to EAT "normal" food while at the magic kingdom. So happy for you all!
Hope you're resting, snoozing and propping those feet up, up, up 🙂
~Cinnamon
YES! Disney is awesome for us Celiacs and those with food allergies. You can even get dairy free ice cream there! (PS- I get panicky when I get hungry too!)