Disney World Part 2- Epcot

I was a bad photo taker on our day at Epcot so I included a couple of fun pictures of us visiting however there are no food pictures.  We started the morning off getting to ride Soarin’ three times in a row with no wait because they had one of Disney’s Magical Moments and let the first 400 people in at 8:30 am (the park doesn’t open until 9).  After that we went on a few rides and met up with Neil’s parents just in time for lunch.  We ate lunch at the Sunshine Seasons food court at The Land.  There are tons of options here and it is great for vegans.  We settled on a tofu noodle bowl and veggie sushi with popsicles for our dessert.  The food was really great and our parents really enjoyed their food as well. 

Later on in the afternoon Neil and I went out for some drinks around the world- we got a Gran Marnier Slushie at France and then stopped over to Mexico for a Margarita and chips & guacamole.  The food was great and the drinks were huge and strong. 

For dinner we went to Morocco and got the Vegetarian Plate which included tabouli, hummus, bread, marinated olives, lentil salad and falafel. Since we were using our dining plan points it also came with a drink and baklava; we gave the baklava to our parents.  The food at Morocco was really good- my favorite was the marinated olives so delicious.  The tabouli was okay but it didn’t live up to the tabouli we had at Tusker House.

Disney World Party 1- Tusker House

 

Tusker House

 

Wednesday morning we jumped on an early flight to Orlando and after dropping our bags off at our resort we headed straight to Animal Kingdom for my Dad’s birthday.  It was lunch time when we arrived and all of us were starving so we decided to go to Tusker House for dinner.  Tusker House is a buffet that features Indian and Asian influenced dishes and has a ton of vegan dishes.  We let the waitress know that we had dietary restrictions and the chef came out and walked us around the buffet showing us the numerous vegan dishes.  Some of our favorite dishes were: greenbean and onion salad, mango chutney, tabouli, pita, hummus, couscous with veggies and roasted potatoes.  Also featured were a few other salads, rice dishes and tandoori tofu; the tandoori tofu was kind of bland.  We had fruit for dessert and took a few oranges and bananas in our bag to snack on the rest of the day.

Yummy Tabouli and Hummus at Tusker House

The tabouli was my favorite ever! Many times I find that a traditional tabouli is just too much parsley and doesn’t have enough acid in it but this was the most perfect balance of oil and acid. 

Eating Yummy Food at Tusker House

 

Dad "blowing" out his Birthday Candles

Also available at Animal Kingdom are various counter service locations that have salads, vegetable wraps and veggie burgers.  We stayed at the park late because it was an Extra Magic Hours night so we ate at the park.  We went to Restorantosaurus for dinner-  when we walked in we let the employee taking our order that we had dietary restrictions and he let the cook know.  The cook came out and let us know that she could substitute a tapioca roll for the bun (there is dairy in the bun) and she reassured us that the fries were cooked in separate oil that is vegan.  There was a condiment bar which had onions, tomato, lettuce, relish, ect.  I filled mine up with tons of lettuce and tomato and made myself a salad burger.  Our first day at Disney went great and was yummy!

Eating Vegan on a Disney (Holiday) Vacation

Hey Everyone! So my husband, both our parents and I are on our way to Disney World for the Holidays.  This is exciting as I have been to Disney a number of times, we actually just went last year for our honeymoon, but I have never been during the holidays.

Disney Honeymoon 2008

 

Over the last few years I have picked up a number of tips on how to eat vegan at Disney World; where to go, what to ask for, and most recently what to do ahead of time. Since I know Disney is a popular destination for many people I thought you might like to hear my eating vegan at Disney tips.   I will update you with my most recent experiences upon our return.

My Vegan Disney Survival Tips:

1. E-mail WDW.Special.Diets@disney.com and request a special dietary needs worksheet.  All you have to do once you make your table service dining reservations is fill the worksheet out detailing any dietary needs you have and where you are dining , what time and your reservation number.  Once you have done this fax or e-mail it back.  Disney will then make a note on your dining reservation and everything will be set for your arrival.  *Note this is only for table service dining that you have a reservation for. If you don’t have a reservation don’t worry…keep reading. 
2. There are some great places that we have dined that were great and easily accommodate a vegan diet.  Many are able to get tofu, non-dairy products and other vegan items with advanced notice. My first recommendation is to inform your server that you are vegan and they can easily suggest vegan options and many times will bring the chef out to discuss what options you have.  Some great restaurants we have experienced are:

• The Wave at The Contemporary Resort has a great Tofu Sandwich at lunch that without the mayo is vegan.  They also have a Vegetable Stew which is delicious and served at both lunch and dinner.  For dessert you can indulge in some of the amazing house made sorbets 
  

  The Wave at The Contemporary

• Boma this is a vegan’s paradise at Disney; located at The Animal Kingdom Lodge this buffet style dining has tons to offer.  We informed our server of our dietary needs and he quickly went to get the chef who then led us around the  buffet letting us know what vegan options there were and also asked if we wanted anything else that she could make up special.  There were so many great options that we didn’t feel like we would need any other options and we certainly didn’t . We basically gorged ourselves on kalamatua olive hummus with lavash.  At the end of our meal our waiter surprised us with house made coconut and raspberry sorbet which was great because there aren’t any vegan dessert options except fruit at the buffet. 
• Rose Crown Dining Room at the United Kingdom in Epcot- there was a vegetarian curry that was veganizable however rumor is that there is a vegetarian shepherd’s pie on the menu now which is not vegan.
• Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has great food and this delicious Coconut-Crusted Tofu Noodle Bowl

 

Tofutti at Magic Kingdom

 

3. Counter Service is slightly more difficult as there is no chef to talk to however there are some easy tips:

• All fries are vegan EXCEPT those served at McDonald’s Locations
• All veggie burgers are vegan Garden Burgers however the bun is not vegan- you can request a vegan bun 
• Divvies vegan cookies, brownies and caramel corn are served at many locations around Disney 
• There is Tofutti and Rice Dream served around Disney and at the Magic Kingdom Ice Cream Parlor
• All around Disney you can find veggie wraps/sandwiches and veggie burgers- boring but know you’ll never starve 
• Soy milk is available throughout Disney and at most of the resorts 

4. The most vegan friendly counter service spots are:

• Sunshine Seasons at Epcot- there are tons of vegan options such as the Asian vegetarian entree
• Tangierine Cafe at Morocco in Epcot- this is a great location that has a vegetarian platter with couscous salad, hummus, tabbouleh, olives and lentil salad. The lentil salad is not vegan but you can sub extra hummus, couscous salad or tabbouleh.
• Wolfgang Puck Express at Disney’s West Side and Market Place – there are many options such as pizza without cheese, salads, sandwiches and pasta 
• Backlot Express- there is a great veggie sandwich here

5. For breakfast I recommend bringing oatmeal, cereal, or cereal/energy bars- many of the Moderate, Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club Resorts have microwaves and mini fridges in the room which makes it great for stocking up your room (and saving some money). 

I will report back after we our trip but here are some plans we have for our 2009 Christmas Trip:

We have planned to visit The Whispering Canyon located at The Wilderness Lodge- now this is one of the least vegan friendly places but we are compromising as it is my dad’s birthday and his choice however this will be the true test to see if the special dietary request form actually works.  

Next we plan to visit ‘Ohana at the Polynesian which I hear is an amazing restaurant and Chef TJ apparently makes amazing vegan food.  I am so excited and can’t wait to report back. 

We are going to Chef Mickey’s at The Contemporary for Christmas Day breakfast and from my research I have heard that the chef can make tofu scramble and vegan mickey mouse waffles (which can also be made at many other restaurants) there is also tons of fruit and cereal with soy milk. 

We will also be visiting The Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Sanaa which has a vegan menu and we will also be visiting Boma again as it is a must.  If you want to spend a bit more money Jiko is a great restaurant for vegans and also has a vegan menu. 

Lastly, we are gong to be visiting The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom which is said to be one of the top places for vegetarians to eat at Disney.  

Dinner at The Brown Derby @ Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

 

 

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