Hello There!

Anyone out there??

I have been absent for a little while and I am finally back up and running. Our family was sparred from Hurricane Irma. A lot of people were not as fortunate as we were. From what I have seen and heard Walt Disney World fared pretty well. Walt Disney World Fort Wilderness didn’t fare as well. From what is being reported, it will not be opening back up for the foreseeable future. That makes me so sad to hear. As someone who has seen what Irma has done to the area I can only imagine what it did to Fort Wilderness. Sending lots of hugs and well wishes to all the cast members at Fort Wilderness. As a former cast member we always take pride in our home resort. I know I did. So I can only imagine how it hurts those cast members that called Fort Wilderness “Home”.

Thank you for being here and I will have a lot of fun stuff coming up this week. We are heading out tomorrow for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I will find all the yummy allergy friendly goodies they have. So stay tuned. If you haven’t already follow me on Instagram @disneyfoodmom.

 

Stay tuned!

Cami

If you have ever been to Walt Disney World chances are you have witnessed an epic toddler meltdown. I call them the Disney overload EPIC meltdowns. Here are a few tips to try and avoid these meltdowns and the embarrassment they bring with them.

1. Don’t over plan your day. Ok, I know many families out there want to see and do literally EVERYTHING Walt Disney World has to offer. But this strategy is setting you up for meltdown. Guaranteed. With a toddler structure is key. If your child takes a nap at 12:00pm on the nose every single day. Plan on heading back to your hotel at that time of day, everyday. Give them a rest. They are going to need it.
2. Pick one park per day. When traveling with a toddler, I find paying more for the park hopper a complete waste of money. I know you spend so much time and money to come to Walt Disney World, make the most of that one park, that day. Plan on making it to rope drop at that one park, and head out at lunch time for a nap. Then come back and finish out your day. Now, if you are adamant about spending the entire day at the park, make sure you find a quiet spot to relax. Let your child nap in the stroller. But, nothing will recharge them like a good solid nap.
3. Add in an extra day for down time. This is key for keeping everyone happy, and lets face it, SANE. Summers in Florida are brutal. Schedule that extra day to lounge by the pool, and enjoy your resort hotel. These days are great after staying up extra late for those awesome Disney Fireworks.
4. Plan everything. Remember when I said the key to a happy toddler is structure? Well, this is where your planning comes in handy. Make sure you plan when your meals will be and at what time. I cannot stress this enough. I have a toddler that is the epitome of the term HANGRY. Lets face it, we all can get that way when we are hungry. Make sure to budget plenty of time for each meal. Consider eating lunch at your resort hotel and then head back to the room to nap. The key is to keep your meals scheduled. A fed toddler, is a happier toddler.
5. Don’t sweat the meltdown. Let’s face it, no matter what you do, the inevitable meltdown will happen at some point. Parks are full of other families, so many of them will understand. Just try to lessen them by planning ahead. Overly hungry, tired, hot, and cranky kids will equal meltdowns of epic proportion. Snacks, water and sleep are key to successful Disney days.

The key to successfully navigating your Walt Disney World vacation with toddlers in tow is to keep the spontaneity to a minimum. Make sure each meal is planned and keep them rested. Budget your time and your finances. If you can only afford 4 days at Walt Disney World don’t plan on seeing all 4 parks. Instead, choose 2 you really want to see. Trying to do 4 parks in 4 days is not realistic for a toddler. By day 4, they are MAXED OUT! Trust me when I say the meltdown on day 4, will be the most epic Disney meltdown EVER.

 

 

 

Dining at Walt Disney World with a Food Allergy can seem daunting, but have no fear, it is much easier than it appears. It all starts with a reservation.

I will walk you through what you need to do to reserve dining through the My Disney Experience App. Start by searching by date, party size, and choose the restaurant that looks good to you and your party. Once you are in the final area to check out and make your reservation you will see a spot that says “Add a Special Request”.

Click on the “Add a Special Request” and it will take you here:

Now, once you are in this area you can check off every single item that you need to. This will carry these requests with your reservation. Once you have checked every item you need to, you save and complete the dining reservation.

Now we wait, until the glorious day of your reservation. However long, or short, that may be.

Once you arrive your reservation will illuminate with,

ALLERGY!! AAAHHHHH!—>Just kidding.  It will say ALLERGY.

It really will be bright red and all caps.

The hostess will ask you if there is an allergy dining with us today and this is where you make sure they know there is a food allergy in the party.

Once seated in the restaurant, your server will once again ask about the food allergy. This is where they will inform you that you will be getting a personal visit from a Disney Chef.

Oh, yea. You are special!!

Once the chef arrives, you will get either a personal tour of the buffet, or they will politely ask what you would like for dinner. They will take your order personally and will take care of your order personally. This keeps down the risk of cross contamination. Now, if you are at a buffet location and you have severe allergies they will sometimes recommend that your food comes directly from the kitchen. Just depends on the severity of the allergy.

Now, let’s eat!

Welcome to Disney Food Mom.

My name is Cami and I will be showing you a different side to dining at Walt Disney World. I will show you what it is like to dine at the “World’s” most famous places with food allergies.  I will also show you some tricks, and some helpful tips, on how to make the most out of your Disney vacation.

Occasionally, I will show you my Mom side. Some helpful general working Mom tips. We all have good days and BAD. If you are a Mom you know what days I am referring to. Any of you with a toddler at home can understand.

I hope you stick around and let me show you all that I can offer.

Thank you for stopping by Disney Food Mom!