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Vegan Disney World guide: What to eat in the Magic Kingdom and everything you need to know to plan the best vegan Disney trip ever.
A short list of the things I love most in this world would include Christmas, birthdays, good mail, sunny days, amazing vegan restaurants, and Disneyland. So when we were heading to Florida earlier this month to enjoy a few of those things, my husband and I knew that Disney World would definitely be on the itinerary.
I’ve been to Disneyland many, many times. (More than I could count really since I also worked there for a while.) And I know that park with my eyes closed.
However, I’d only been to Disney World one other time, and that was about fifteen years ago. So I was excited to see what was different than the park I know so well.
(If you’d like to see my tips for the Southern California parks, check out this post on being vegan at Disneyland & Downtown Disney.)
When getting ready for our Disney World trip, I pored over blogs and forums to see what I could find about vegan food on offer. (More about that at the end of this post!)
I’d heard that the vegan options at Disney World were better than Disneyland. And after the trip, I tend to agree. We only visited one of the parks, Magic Kingdom. So this post will only be about that.
Vegan Disney World
Making Reservations
If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant, Disney advises noting your needs when you make a reservation online or calling ahead. (The phone number and information on specific dietary requests is available here.) They’ll make a note that you’re vegan and tell the chef.
Then once you get to the restaurant, the chef will come out to talk to you. She/he will walk you through the buffet (if there is one) and point out which items are vegan. Then they will make you something either on or off menu that’s vegan, depending on their particular offerings.
I didn’t call ahead and make a reservation, because I don’t think the sit-down restaurant prices are worth it.
At Crystal Palace Buffet, for example, lots of people online have had good experiences with getting vegan fare. But the cost of Disney buffets are between $40-50. For two people dining, that same hundred bucks could be spent on a really stellar dinner outside of the park.
While my husband and I haven’t eaten at the Disney World sit-down restaurants, we have eaten at Blue Bayou in Disneyland and Blue Lagoon in Disneyland Paris. Both times I felt like the ambience was much, much better than the food, which was still quite bland and ordinary.
I don’t regret doing it once, because in the case of Disneyland, for example, it’s fun to eat outdoors indoors. However, it wouldn’t be something I’d need to do again.
Bringing Food into the Park
If you’re going to one of the Disney parks for the day and don’t feel like bringing in your own food, you certainly won’t starve. There are plenty of places to eat. However, it is theme park fare.
Personally, my favorite way to enjoy the Disney experience is by packing my own morsels from home that I can supplement with anything from the park that I might enjoy.
There’s a Whole Foods location about 8 miles from Magic Kingdom. We went there before our day at the park and picked up healthy snacks.
We also had an early lunch of a bean burrito before going into the park, so that we wouldn’t immediately need to eat when we got inside.
Some people worry about bringing food into the park and they fear that after parking and hauling a cooler from tram to tram that they’ll be turned away at the gate and have to return it to their car. Not to worry. I’ve brought in my own food many, many times, and no one has ever said a word about it.
Yes, they will check your bag at security, but they’re not looking for Lara Bars…
On the Disney World website, they have this to say about bringing in your own food:
Guests with food allergies or intolerances are allowed to bring food into Walt Disney World theme parks and dining locations. When entering a park, simply inform the Security at bag check that someone in the party has a food allergy or intolerance.
This time around there was a family going in right before us. They’d brought enough food to feed a family of four for an entire day. Inside of their ice-filled cooler, there were juice boxes, bottles of water, croissant sandwiches…
They didn’t mention anything about having special dietary needs. The guard looked through the cooler but didn’t say a word and let them through.
There is one thing you need to remember, though. The cooler must be soft-sided. A hard Playmate-style cooler can’t go through.
My other advice is to bring in a water bottle to refill throughout the day. There are plenty of water faucets, and in the hot Florida sun, you’ll need it.
Locker Rentals
Once you’re inside the gate and before you go under the train into the Magic Kingdom, you’ll see lockers on your right. They’re next to the area where wheelchairs are rented.
Currently lockers are $15/day for jumbo lockers, $12/day for large lockers and $10/day for small lockers. You can go in and out of your locker throughout the day.
We rented a small locker. We were easily able to fit a lunch bag, a sweatshirt, and a water bottle (when it cooled off and we didn’t need it).
List of Vegan Items in the Park
Once you get inside of the park, there’s a rumor that if you go to Guest Services they have a sheet of all of the places that you can eat that have vegetarian/vegan items. I don’t know how this rumor got started, but it’s not true.
I went to the Guest Services and requested one a couple of years ago at Disneyland. They had no idea what I was talking about.
I also sent an email to Disney World recently and asked if they had that kind of information. I was told that they don’t. Since their suppliers frequently change, what is available at various locations also changes.
I found that my best bet was looking at blogs of people who had visited the park recently and seeing what they’d discovered. (I’ve linked to those particular blog posts at the bottom of this page.)
Our Mickey-rific Meals
At the end of Main Street USA, there’s an ice cream shop called Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor.
On the bottom of the menu, they have listed that they have two kinds of non-dairy ice cream – Tofutti and Rice Dream. We were told by the clerk that Tofutti is available in chocolate or vanilla and Rice Dream is available in vanilla.
David ordered a root beer float with Rice Dream.
I had a kid’s scoop of vanilla Tofutti.
They typically put chocolate ears onto the scoop, and I assumed that the ears weren’t vegan. So I requested not to have them.
When I got the scoop, in addition to not giving me chocolate ears, they also didn’t give me a cone. I was going to ask about it, but it was busy so I just had it without. (Rachael let me know in the comments that the cone is not vegan, as it contains honey.)
At Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland, it’s divided into three separate stations. There’s a vegan sandwich in the sandwich area and a vegan burger in the burger area.
Go to the particular area that you want, and when you get to the person working the cash register, tell that person that you are vegan and/or have special dietary needs. They’ll call the manager over.
When we were there, the manager working was Samantha. She had a binder with all of the allergens in all of the food.
(They have these binders at every food location in Disney World.)
She said that the veggie burger was vegan, and that now all of the buns at Starlight Café are vegan.
(She told us that the buns used to have animal products in them, and that it had been a frustration that they had a vegan burger but not a vegan bun.)
On the side, we could get fries or apple slices.
She said that there is one fryer in the back that is used only for fries. The rest are used for a combination of fries and chicken parts. So if we wanted fries, she could call to the kitchen on her headset and let them know to cook our fries in the fryer that’s solely used for french fries.
She also said if we’d like to get green beans, they are just cooked in oil, not dairy butter. We both got a veggie burger & fries, and I got a side of green beans as well.
We weren’t interested in dessert, but she said that they have mango gelato, which is vegan, and a chocolate chip cookie, which is both gluten free and vegan.
As you might guess, all of the food was very oily and salty, and I felt like the inside of my mouth was covered with a layer of grease afterwards. I wouldn’t seek out this kind of food in my day-to-day life, but I was very impressed with the service.
I appreciated how thorough and knowledgeable Samantha was and that it’s the kind of thing they’re clearly used to handling.
Vegan Fare in the Magic Kingdom
Obviously we just sampled a few things that are vegan and on offer at the Magic Kingdom. Here’s a list of some of the other items that I saw while I was there or that other vegan bloggers have found on their trips to the Happiest Place on Earth.
(I included a link to other bloggers’ posts and pictures when available.)
Keep in mind that availability changes, and it’s always a good idea to check in with the manager or chef to insure that what’s being sold is still free of animal products.
(To see all of the menus in the park, visit Disney’s dining website here.)
Snacks:
- Hummus & chips, vegetables (without the dip which has dairy), apples (without the caramel which has dairy), fruit cup, and chocolate & regular soy milk at Gaston’s Pub & The Lunching Pad
- Popcorn (including caramel popcorn) & Pretzels throughout the park
- Cinnamon glazed almonds & pecans and frozen pineapple bars
- Tofutti & Rice Dream at Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (without the cone)
- Dole Whip in Adventureland (Fruit flavors only)
- Divvies Snacks at Main Street Bakery
Meals:
- Mickey waffles throughout the park
- Pasta at Tony’s Town Square
- Crystal Palace buffet
- Veggie Burger at Peco’s Bills in Frontierland and at Liberty Tree Tavern
- Vegetarian Burrito and nachos at Tortuga Tavern (According to a commenter, the cilantro rice in the burrito has romano cheese in it. Ask for plain white rice instead.)
- Veggie burger and sandwich, fries in the dedicated fryer, green beans, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie, and mango gelato at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
- Tofu & rice at Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station
- Veggie sandwich (the Lighthouse sandwich) with no slaw, vegan chili, fries, and apple pie at Columbia Harbor House
- Layered Ratatouille at Be Our Guest
If you have any vegan Disney World favorites, let me know, and I’ll add them to the list!
P.S. I know it’s sacrilege, but we actually didn’t eat at Erin McKenna’s Bakery, the all-vegan & gluten-free bakery at Downtown Disney! I think it’s so great it’s there, and we passed by a couple of times. However, it was never when we were in the mood for sweets.
Jennifer says
Awesome Post! I remember in 2009 when I went I looked before, during, and after my visit for options. Walt Disney is constantly changing so it’s always nice to see more and more posts about the options!
I remember having Couscous at Morocco in Epcot and THOUGHT it was vegan back then but from what I have heard it WAS veg but not vegan (more recently)
At Rain Forest I remember a great Portabello Burger – it’s vegan if you ask for it without the cheese! It’s been a while but I do remember looking and finding stuff but the Salad Options are always a plus, too!
Cadry says
It’s great that their options are expanding! It would be nice if all of the vegan options were available on their website to easily find out what’s possible, but I imagine that would take a lot of updating. I’d also love to see more ethnic options at the Magic Kingdom. With so many international guests, it seems like some Indian curries, for example, would be an easy option to keep on hand and would suit a lot of dietary needs. Plus, chana masala is just tasty! 🙂
Thanks for letting me know about your other Disney discoveries! I still haven’t been to a Rain Forest Cafe, but if I’m ever in one, I’ll keep the portobello burger in mind.
valeriepassonno says
What?!? Babycakes is a big reason I drive to Orlando 🙂
I had an Annual Pass to Disney World last year and I was happily surprised to learn how knowledgeable every eating establishment was for various diets, and there are so many forums and resources to check out beforehand. I even had a great vegan meal at the Canadian steakhouse in Epcot.
Great post, I’ll have to refer back to this when I make it back to Disney World.
Cadry says
I know! With the vegan Twinkies, garlic knots, french fries, calzones, and other indulgences by the time we got to Babycakes, I was ready for salad! 🙂
It is so helpful that they have those binders at every location and that they offer options like a separate fryer. It’s that attention to detail that makes for a more pleasant and relaxed day.
Becky says
Thank you so much for this! We go to Disney every year with my nephews at Christmas (and soon our baby boy!), and this will make it so much easier to eat!
Cadry says
Excellent! I’m glad it will be a help! It’s going to be so much fun to go with your baby boy to Disney World, especially in the coming years. That’s going to make the experience that much more special.
Andrea says
Excellent, comprehensive review. Things have sure changed since the last time I visited Disney World. I love your photos — they really capture the spirit of Disney and are just wonderful.
Cadry says
Thanks, Andrea! Yes, they’ve really made improvements. I hope Disneyland will start getting more options as well. In the same way that they brought in Babycakes to Downtown Disney, a restaurant like Veggie Grill or Native Foods could really do well there. Plus, it’s the kind of All-American food that non-vegans would eat without even realizing it’s vegan.
Thanks for the compliment on the photos! We had such a delightful day.
Bianca-Vegan Crunk says
This is an awesome post!! I went to Disney World in 2001 and I wasn’t vegan yet (I was vegetarian though). We mostly brought our own food in because we were poor college kids. But if and when I go back, I’ll definitely use this post!
Cadry says
Great! I hope it helps!
Stephanie says
The last theme park I went to had hardly any vegan options. At least Disney World looks a bit better! That ice cream looks yummy!!
Cadry says
Yes, some parks are terrible for vegan food options! Even worse, lots of parks won’t let you bring in outside food, which makes it extra tricky. When we went to Universal Studios in Los Angeles a few years ago, they were very strict about not letting in outside food. So we left our cooler in the trunk of the car and had a picnic at Universal CityWalk instead.
Richa says
wow… this post has a lot of information i will need if i plant to go the disney! pinning for future purposes:)) Thanks Cadry:)
Cadry says
Great! I hope you’re able to visit!
Laloofah says
You worked at Disneyland? As Sleeping Beauty or were you Cinderella? 🙂 When I was a tot (age 2) we lived in San Clemente and my mom took me to Disneyland all the time. My only memory of it, however, is loving the Mickey Mouse hat, the Dumbo ride, and never wanting to leave Pluto’s side. 🙂 I’ve never been to Disney World and, detesting crowds, have no plans to go there, but I enjoyed this post! My eyes bugged out at those buffet prices (that’s insane!), and I wish every non-vegan restaurant had a Samantha (and allergen binders!) It’s great that they let folks bring their own food into the park – I think they should, but am surprised they do. I love your Mickey and Minnie topiaries and the fireworks photos!
So I have to tell you this story. Back in the olden days, my boss (“M”), who’d grown up very poor and was raised by her grandmother in San Diego, married a millionaire (“S”). (It sounds like a realty television show, I know). The whole story of their wedding is quite something. M had a 9-carat marquis-cut diamond engagement ring; hundreds were invited to the wedding, including then-Vice President George H.W. Bush who had been roommates at Yale with the S’s father. For reasons that are the fodder for a whole ‘nother story, mostly involving a “last straw” act by S’s control-freak mother, M broke off the engagement and cancelled the wedding less than two weeks before it was to have taken place. About two weeks after that – after the “we regret to inform you” notices had been sent out to all the invited guests and S’s parents left for an extended vacation in Europe – M and S quietly got married by the local Justice of the Peace. (I loved that the only people in attendance were us hoi polloi friends and co-workers of M. 🙂 But that’s just part of the backstory to the story that is germane to this post!
S told M that he would take her anywhere she wanted to go on their honeymoon. Anywhere. He suggested they take the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. Can you guess what M chose instead? Yep. Disney World! She told S she’d always wanted to go to Disney World (apparently not fully realizing that as Mrs. S, he’d be able to go to Disney World any old time she got the hankering, especially since S had his own plane and we all lived not that far away in Texas!) I thought she was insane, especially when she brought me back a Minnie Mouse keychain. I could only wonder what I might have gotten from Paris or Istanbul instead! 🙂
Cadry says
I worked in Tomorrowland at Innoventions when it first opened. Innoventions has kind of a tradeshow feeling, and there are many separate areas devoted to inventions of the future. Basically there’s an area for inventions from companies like GM, AT&T, Microsoft… I worked at a couple of game shows as a host… Or at least that’s what I was supposed to be doing. In practice, the games broke down a lot in those first few months, and by the time guests reached our area, they wanted one of two things – to find the exit or a bathroom. My co-workers and I made up answers in song (with dance moves) for both. The bathroom one went like this: “There are no bathrooms in here. There’s some behind the Hatmosphere.” The answers in song brought either laughs or snarls, but rarely anything in between. 🙂
I liked working at Disneyland, though. And the nice thing about being inside of Innoventions all day was that in a way it didn’t feel like I worked at Disneyland. So when I’d go as a guest to the park, it still felt special and not like I was just back at work. Also, my bosses and co-workers were really fun people. And they offer a good benefits package which includes same sex domestic partners. I’m straight, but that kind of progressiveness still matters to me, of course.
Yeah, the buffet prices are just crazy to me. I know prices across the board are inflated in theme parks, but I still can’t get over the thought of the kind of meal I could get for the same price outside of the park. I’d much prefer a hundred dollar meal at Millennium in San Francisco!
What a great story about your friend S! I like it that she did exactly what she wanted for her wedding and honeymoon instead of feeling influenced by what she should do. If only Disneyland Paris had been around at the time, they could have done both! 🙂
Laloofah says
I loved reading about your Disneyland job – and your song and dance routine. 🙂 You got snarls? Those people weren’t in a very Disney frame of mind! (And I still think you could have easily played the role of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty!) 🙂
Nice that Disney offers good – and progressive – benefit packages to its employees! I’m not a fan of cruises, but I’ve read that Disney has the most vegan-friendly ones out there.
Good grief, I’d heard Millennium was expensive, but yikes! Can you really drop $100 on a meal there? I’d expect to leave feeling so full that I wouldn’t need to eat again for a week!
Great point about Disneyland Paris filling all the squares! (By the way, after all their wedding hullaballoo and two subsequent kids, their marriage didn’t last. Not a huge surprise).
Cadry says
Yes, it’s terrible of me, but the snarls really made me laugh! When people get disproportionately angry about inconsequential things, it completely amuses me. I remember one guy in particular who grumbled loudly, “I asked for the bathroom, and they sang a *&%$# song!”
Thank you for the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella comments! You’re sweet! If I’m ever looking for a new job, maybe I’ll put “sleeping,” “losing shoes” and “getting kissed” under my special skills! 😉
It’s easy to spend a hundred bucks at Millennium! Entrees are about $24/a piece. So if you want an appetizer or drink, for two people it’s not hard to get out of there for that price. (Although, if you don’t care about those things, it could be done for less! Whenever I’m there, I’m on vacation, and so it’s easy to splurge.)
Too bad the marriage didn’t have a Disney-style fairytale ending!
Cadry says
You certainly ate well! I wish I would have realized before I went that vegan Mickey-shaped waffles were an option. I would have sought them out for sure.
Yes, when I saw the regular sized ice cream that people were walking away with, I knew that it would be much more than I’d enjoy! Just a small kid size was the perfect amount for me.
Joey says
Great idea for a post. It’s good to hear that there’s so much vegan stuff available, even if it’s not the sort of thing that would normally rock your world, and I’m impressed that they are so well equipped with the allergen lists, and staff who take it all on board.
Cadry says
Agreed! It’s great that there are so many choices, that they’re so accommodating, and that they make it a priority to help their guests.
Kristy says
I’ve never been to Disney World, but I did take note of one of your previous comments regarding vegan eats at Disneyland. We’re planning on going later this year so they will be coming in handy!
Cadry says
Oh, excellent! You’ll have so much fun! I can’t wait to hear all about it.
disneydetail says
When I went to WDW in the fall, I was amazed at how many vegan options were available for me. In fact, it was better to be vegan there than it was back home! 50s Prime Time Cafe was the absolute best for a vegan. The chef was very knowledgeable, and he even fixed me a special (huge!) vegan brownie with Tofutti. I couldn’t even finish it, it was massive and rich.
And now I need to plan a trip back. 🙂
Cadry says
That’s great to hear! For a resort that handles a lot of people, they’ve certainly streamlined ways to be accommodating. I’m glad that you had such a positive experience!
Em @ Love A Latte says
This post gets me so excited!!!! I am in planning a trip to Disney with my family and I’m vegan! Thank you Disney!
Cadry says
How exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time!
Cadry says
I’m glad you had a great time! I’d heard that they added vegan options to their food and wine event last year. Very cool! We had such a fabulous time at Disney World, I’m certainly looking forward to going again someday!
Cadry says
Gardein would be such a good fit as a regular concession item at the Disney parks! It would be great if they included it on their standard menus.
Rachael says
Great info!
I just wanted to add a quick note that I was at the Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor in March 2013 and checked the ingredients in the cones, and the cones are NOT vegan, sadly. 🙁 They contain honey.
The chocolate Tofutti is so good that I don’t mind too much, though!
Cadry says
Thank you for letting me know, Rachael! I’ll update the list. I hope you had a good time at Disney World!
Rachael says
We had a blast! We’re locals, so this info is super helpful since we go pretty frequently.
Thanks especially for the update on the bun at Cosmic Ray’s! It’s great they have a vegan bun now (and, yes, quite annoying when they didn’t). Glad to know about the green beans also (parks need more veggies, imo!). I’ve never been to Cosmic Rays, but a veggie sandwich sounds right up my alley.
Cadry says
How lucky that you’re local and get to go frequently! Hopefully their vegan options will keep expanding, especially where vegetables are concerned. I was impressed in the new part of the park where the Little Mermaid ride & Beauty and the Beast area are located that they actually had menus with hummus and soy milk listed prominently on the menu. I wish I’d known about the vegan options at the new Be Our Guest restaurant, because that sounds like a cool experience, especially that the setting looks just like the interior of the Beast’s castle.
greentrailsandteapottales says
Thanks for this article!!
We’re going to Orlando tomorrow and I’ll be the only vegan eater but this has helped a lot!! 🙂
Cadry says
Oh, excellent! I’m glad that it’s helpful! Come back and let me know how your trip went and what you tried while you were there. I’m sure you’ll have the best time!
greentrailsandteapottales says
Thank you so much! You’re very kind!! 🙂
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete} says
I am SO excited to have found this post. I am going on vacation with my family to Disney World in August and will be the only vegan. I am glad to see that there are SO many options and that the employees seem very knowledgeable and accommodating. Yay! I am bookmarking this page to read through the comments more thoroughly before our trip. Thanks Cadry!!
Cadry says
You’re so welcome! You’re going to have the best time, Anna! Disney does a good job of being transparent about their ingredients, which is so helpful. You definitely won’t starve! 🙂 Be sure to let me know after your trip how it went and what you had!
Vegan Mom Sammy says
Thanks so much for your post! We are a family of four heading to Disney World in August too much like Anna. Although we’re doing the condo thing and will bring in snacks of our own, it’s nice for our girls to feel like they’re just like all the other kids and can have some of the same types of snacks. A quick question though, with all of these vegans above that have visited… How did you deal with Animal Kingdom? Did you go, did you avoid it? We’re faced with this question and would like some other opinions. Also, with having worked at Disney, did you ever get any insight into how the animals are treated there?
Cadry says
I hope you have a great time on your vacation! I hope you’ll write me back afterwards and let me know how it went!
I looked into renting a condo when we went as well, but we ended up opting for a hotel with refrigerator/microwave/pool instead. Having the ability to make at least some of your food certainly helps with costs and quality! (If you venture out for a meal, Ethos & Dandelion Communitea are both well worth visiting!)
My husband and I consciously chose not to go to Animal Kingdom, because of the animal confinement/captivity issue. It’s the same reason that we don’t visit zoos, aquariums, or circuses. I don’t think it’s right to take animals from their homes and families to instead be used as “entertainment.” I know there are other vegans who go to Animal Kingdom, and restaurant-wise it’s pretty vegan-friendly. However, there’s no way either of us would feel comfortable going there.
Vegan Mom Sammy says
Thanks so much for your response! I’m excited to try at least one (if not both) of your restaurant suggestions. It looks like the kids will love the options at Ethos but I’d love to try Dandelion Communitea too! What great menus both of them offer.
The condo thing worked out best as far as space goes for us as my Mother-In-Law is travelling with us too. We’ve got a pool at the complex so I’m hoping it will help us stay cool in the hot, August, Florida sun.
Thanks also for your opinion on Animal Kingdom. We’ve got the same feelings about the captivity issues. I’ve read many varied reviews about it and wasn’t sure if you had more insight seeing as how you’d worked at the park. We’ll have to give this one more thought. There’s so much to do there that I know we don’t have to visit it.
Once again, you’ve been incredibly helpful! Have a great day Cadry!
Sammy 🙂
uncommonlife says
Well, I just want to say thank you for all this information.
We are not just vegans – my daughter and husband have dairy allergies – so it is imperative that we have NO MILK. Our last trip sort of scared me off Disney food because we ordered from the Vegan menu at Saana, but she still ended getting some milk even though ALLERGY was printed as big as day on the order. She vomits for hours anytime she has milk. Who wants to do that at Disney?
We are returning again in about a week. I have complied a list of places mostly using your website , and even though I will check ingredient lists at every place we eat, it was SUPER HELPFUL just to know where to start. I never would have imagined Disney had so much vegan food available!
Thank you for helping a nervous mama feel more comfortable.
Dawn M
Cadry says
That’s so upsetting that your daughter had such a violent reaction after eating at Saana on your last visit. I can see why you would be inclined to be extra vigilant. Getting sick like that would put a serious damper on any trip!
I’m glad that this list will be a help to you, and I hope that you’ll have a much better visit this time around! Please let me know how it goes! 🙂
Ashley says
The Ratatouille at Be our Guest is to DIE for! Expensive, but soooo good if you can get a table!
Cadry says
Oh, that’s great to know! Thanks for telling me, Ashley! I’m hoping that next year sometime I’ll be able to go back to WDW. Hopefully I’ll be able to score a table! 🙂
asicrecemos says
This is an awesome post!
I’m a vegan mom from Costa Rica getting ready for a trip to Disney World! I plan on taking snacks but I’ll treat myself with some vegan root beer floats and waffles! Yum!
Thank you!
Cadry says
I hope you and your family have (or had) such a great time on the trip! Enjoy the floats and waffles! 🙂
TofuForBrains says
Thanks for this great update! I’m a fan of vegan dining in the parks, and it’s an ever-changing kaleidoscope of options…you never know what will be veganized (or, occasionally, un-veganized) from trip to trip!
My tips to add are that the chili at Columbia Harbour House is vegan, but is served with oyster crackers containing milk. (Isn’t that kind of like putting cheese in hummus???) You have to make sure to tell them not to top the chili with the crackers. Also, I’ve been given wrong info at Tusker House and at Boma when a chef came out to walk me through the buffet. From prior experiences eating there, I knew that some of the stuff they pointed out to me contained butter or honey, and when I really pressed them to verify, it turned out I was right. Even when there is a vegan menu, I always check and double-check to be sure (or as sure as you can be).
Finally, I am one of those vegans who IS a fan of Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Lodge–although I generally feel as you do about zoos and captivity. I can respect your wanting to avoid them, but my reasons for wanting to go are that the animals have a LOT of room to roam around–much more than at a traditional zoo; they are very well cared-for, and get excellent attention; and the very blatant message of the park is conservation. They’ve done an amazing job of replicating the animals’ habitats with local plants so as not to disturb the ecosystem, and in many places (like Sanaa) the animals seem to enjoy the people show as much as vice-versa. 🙂 They also don’t allow things like plastic straws or balloons because those could hurt the animals, and it is the only WDW park with no fireworks. I do think that some zoos do more good than harm by exposing people to animals up close and personal. When you’ve looked a cow in the eye, it makes you think that much harder about what (or whom) you put on your plate. I have never seen an animal park quite like DAK, and it is one of the few such places I feel good about visiting.
Thanks for your great post!
Ashlin says
When my husband and I started planning our honeymoon I hadn’t really thought about food options. I am newly vegan, so in previous vacations it wasn’t a worry to find food that I could eat. And since my husband is not vegan I didn’t want to be a burden having to drag him around to places that I could find some food. Now we know that there are a lot of options out there and can stress a little less. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to post this, it has really helped a lot!
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear that this guide has helped in your planning and eased your mind about your upcoming trip. You are going to have such a great time. Have a happy honeymoon!
Bethany says
been to Walt Disney World many times but i’v never been there since i have become vegan and thanks to you i can’t wait too!
Cadry says
I’m excited for you! You’re going to have the best time. If you make any new vegan discoveries that I haven’t touched on here, send me a note when you get back! 🙂
MeShell says
Thanks for this post! I’m looking forward to checking some of these out later this month.
Cadry says
Oh, lucky you! I hope you have a wonderful time at Disney World! Let me know how it goes!
Courtney says
Just wanted to say that I’m staying at Coronado Springs for a work conference and the staff has been very willing, helpful, and friendly about me being a vegan. Chef Willie was so polite and helpful, making sure that I received a vegan burger, bun, and baked fries!
Cadry says
Excellent! I’m so glad to hear it!
Anonymous says
Thank you! You saved me so much research for our first trip!
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear that! I hope you have a great time!!
Courtney says
Your blog was so helpful!!
My waitress at dinner was NOT polite or helpful, when seeing I had a food allergy on my card, she said, “oh…okay…you have a food allergy?” And then was not helpful when I asked about the deep fried chips. And I never got to speak with the chef.
Also, there is no dairy free ice cream, but there is sorbet available!
Thanks agai for all of your information!
Clare says
I’m fairly certain that the Dole Whip pineapple floats are vegan…at least from the ingredients it appears that way. It might be good to double check just in case!
Cadry says
Yes, you’re right, Clare! Good catch! They’ve gone back and forth, but right now they are vegan. I’ll add those to the list!
Anonymous says
Both Pineapple and Orange are! (but not the vanilla or chocolate soft serve)
Clare says
Wonderful! Thanks for double checking this. My husband’s all-time favorite treat in Disney are the pineapple floats. We haven’t been back since going vegan but are planning a trip coming up soon. He was very excited to learn he could still enjoy these.
Cadry–thanks for providing such a great resource! I’ve made note of many of your recommendations and I’m sure they will help us while we are there.
Cadry says
I hope you and your husband have a great time, Clare! Let me know how you enjoy your time there!
veggieshape says
Bookmarking this for my upcoming trip. 2 things though:
I have heard Dole Whips have casein in them, which makes them not vegan 🙁
Also- on Animal Kingdom… PETA works closely with them to ensure animal safety. Disney has done amazing things for conservation, including breeding nearly extinct white rhinos and reintroducing them to the wild. 🙂
Cadry says
I hope you have fun on your upcoming trip! In the past Dole Whip wasn’t vegan, but as of July 2013 all of the fruit flavors are vegan. The chocolate and vanilla are not. Of course, I would encourage anyone going to the parks to ask questions about ingredients when they are ordering since vendors/recipes/products are subject to change.
I disagree that animals should be used as entertainment, and so I don’t support Animal Kingdom, just like I wouldn’t support any other zoo. I think animals are here for their own purposes, not to be taken from their homes to live out their lives in a Disney-fied zoo. I have never heard that PETA works closely with Animal Kingdom, since they protested about its opening and also speak negatively about the park and other zoos on their website. http://prime.peta.org/2012/06/zoos
The point to me is that Disney didn’t open Animal Kingdom out of altruism or to create a sanctuary. They opened it because it would make them money.
Chris says
This guide is awesome, thank you!
At the Tortuga Tavern now. The vegetarian burrito is not vegan as is. The cilantro rice has cilantro pesto in it, which has romano cheese in it. You can get it with plain white rice if they have a fresh batch not yet adulterated with pesto.
Cadry says
Thanks for letting me know, Chris! I’ll update the list! I hope you had a fun day at Disney World.
Kelley says
Sad but true, the Dole Whip has dairy 🙁
Kelley says
Sorry, just read your update above. That is awesome!
Brynrose Foote says
Thank you so much! This was very helpful!! There are also pretzels available in the gift shops that are vegan:)
Cadry says
I’m glad it helped, Brynrose! Thanks for the note about the pretzels!
Randi says
WOW- thank you so much for writing this! SO helpful! The last time I went to Disney, I was vegetarian, but now that I’m vegan it’s really great to know that there ARE options! Woo hoo! This made my day:)
Cadry says
I’m glad to hear it, Randi!
Aurélia says
this article is awesome !! thanks for all the list of vegan option ! i’m going there from Paris and I was worried i would have to bring food in everyday ! thanks again! very very helpful !
Cadry says
You’re welcome! I hope you have a wonderful time!
Sara says
Eww! Who puts cheese in hummus. 🙁
Becky Striepe says
This is such a helpful post! Dave’s folks live in Orlando, and we think that Darrol will be big enough soon to really enjoy Magic Kingdom. Maybe in a year or so? I wouldn’t have thought to bring a cooler to stash in a locker. I bet it’s a lot cheaper than buying snacks in the park, even with the locker fee. Definitely doing that!
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky! That will be so fun to go with Darrol Henry. Disney is fun at any age, but there’s something really special about when a child is 7 years old or younger. At that point, they really believe the magic.
It’s great that Disney has lockers that are large enough for coolers and that they don’t try to dissuade families from bringing them. It’s a big savings to eat even one meal from a cooler instead. Plus, there’s plenty that Disney does right, but their food leaves a lot to be desired. It’s edible, but I’m never blown away by it. (And that was true before I went vegan too. It’s just your basic over-salted, over-fried theme park food.)
Donna says
Snacks With Character at the gift shops are also vegan:)
Cadry says
Great! Thanks for the tip, Donna!
SC says
We went a number of years ago (with family, ugh). I’m vegetarian but lean vegan, so my experience is a bit more lenient. I just felt like we were going from one food experience to the next. Not really enjoying the park, but just trying to eat.
We got the meal plan, and mostly I think that it was worth it. One nice thing is that if there was no kid’s meal that meets your needs, you could get an adult meal for the kids. This happened in Epcot with Morocco country. I remember getting everyone some huge falafel sandwiches. (I suspect those would be vegan as well).
For the character dining, we had almost no problems at all. Skip the Lilo/Stitch polynesian, it is REALLY meat heavy. My inlaws ate the meat, and we ate pineapple, pancakes, and potatoes. I’m not sure if pancakes were vegan.
The best character dining was at princess dinner in Epcot (Norway, pre Frozen-ever-after)? First, they had a decent buffer, but we told our server we were vegans, and the chef came out to ask us what we could eat. I remember it was a veggie heavy pasta dish that our inlaws wanted over what they were served.
Cadry says
Good to know. Thanks for the insight, SC!