Disney World just made a change that has a LOT of people with food allergies seriously concerned, and honestly, we need to talk about it. The company quietly removed the ability to note your food allergies when you’re making Advance Dining Reservations. Like, that feature just DISAPPEARED from both the My Disney Experience app and the Disney website, and nobody got a heads up about it.
For anyone who doesn’t deal with food allergies on the regular, this might not seem like a huge deal. But for families who have to navigate serious allergies every single day, this is actually a pretty massive change. Disney World has always been known as one of the absolute BEST places to eat when you have food allergies because they take it so seriously. Chefs come out to talk to you. Servers have detailed allergy information. The whole system was designed to make people feel safe. And a big part of that safety was being able to tell the restaurant about your allergies BEFORE you even showed up.
That advance notice meant the kitchen staff could look at the menu ahead of time, figure out what modifications needed to happen, and be ready when you walked in the door. Parents of kids with severe allergies could make a reservation and know that the restaurant already had a heads up. It wasn’t just convenient, it was legitimately reassuring for families who have to worry about accidental exposure to allergens that could send someone to the hospital.
Now? That’s all gone. You can’t put your allergy information in when you book anymore. The field just isn’t there. We checked it ourselves on both the app and the website, and yep, it’s completely missing. Instead, you get a notification that basically says “tell your server when you get there.” Which, okay, but that’s a VERY different system than what existed before.
Disney also updated their language around allergies in a way that’s honestly kind of concerning. They now say that while they’ll do their “best efforts” to accommodate dietary requests, they can’t guarantee they’ll be able to meet all requests, and they can’t promise that anything is completely allergen-free because of cross-contamination. Which, sure, that’s legally protective language, but it’s also way less confident than how Disney used to talk about handling allergies. For families who specifically chose Disney BECAUSE of their reputation for being allergy-friendly, this whole thing feels like a pretty significant step backward.
What Actually Changed (And We Tested It Ourselves)
So we went through the entire reservation process multiple times to see what’s different, and here’s what we found. When you open the My Disney Experience app and try to make a dining reservation, the part where you used to be able to list your food allergies just gets skipped. Like, the app goes straight from picking your party size and time to confirming your reservation. That allergy section? Gone. Vanished. Not even a “skip this step” option. It’s just not part of the process anymore.
The Disney World website does the exact same thing. We used to see fields where you could type in specific allergies or intolerances, and now those fields don’t exist. Instead, you see text telling you that you need to notify your server about allergy requests when you arrive at the restaurant.
Both platforms now have updated notifications explaining the new process. They say you should talk to your server about dietary needs and that you can ask to speak with specially trained cast members who handle allergies. Disney also includes disclaimers now saying they can’t prevent all cross-contamination and can’t guarantee any item is totally free of allergens.
When we clicked through to Disney’s special dietary requests information page, the language there is pretty different from what it used to be. Disney says their restaurants “take reasonable efforts to accommodate dietary requests” but they “cannot guarantee that they will be able to meet all requests.” That’s a lot more hedging than Disney used to do when talking about allergy accommodations.
Why This Change Is Actually Kind of a Big Deal
Here’s the thing: being able to note allergies ahead of time wasn’t just a nice feature. It was a critical part of the safety system for people with serious food allergies. When restaurants knew about allergies in advance, they could prepare. Chefs could review ingredients. Staff could plan for modifications. Everything felt more controlled and less stressful.
Now all of that communication has to happen in the moment when you’re sitting down to eat. You can’t give the restaurant a heads up anymore. The server finds out about your allergies at the same time they’re taking your order. The kitchen has to respond on the fly instead of being prepared. And if you’re dining during a super busy time when the restaurant is slammed, that real-time coordination gets even more complicated.
Disney says all the support systems are still in place. The specially trained cast members still exist. Chefs can still modify dishes. Allergy information is still available to staff. But the whole flow of information has changed from “let us know ahead of time so we can be ready” to “tell us when you get here and we’ll figure it out.”
And that’s stressful for a lot of families. Knowing the restaurant already had your allergy information before you arrived gave people peace of mind. You could walk in feeling like the hard part was already done. Now you’re starting that conversation from scratch every single time, and there’s no confirmation that the kitchen is prepared for your specific needs.
The updated disclaimer language is also raising eyebrows. By saying explicitly that they can’t guarantee meeting all requests or that items are allergen-free, Disney is protecting itself legally. Which, fine, we get it, that’s smart business. But it also signals a shift in how confident Disney is about handling allergies. The old messaging was basically “we’ve got this, trust us.” The new messaging is more like “we’ll try our best but no promises.”
What This Means If You Have Food Allergies
If you’re planning a Disney trip and you or someone in your family has food allergies, you need to adjust your game plan. The advance notification system is done. You’re not getting that security blanket anymore. Instead, you need to be ready to have detailed allergy conversations the second you sit down at any restaurant.
As soon as your server comes over, you need to clearly explain what allergies you’re dealing with and how severe they are. Don’t assume the restaurant knows anything about your dietary needs because they literally don’t anymore. There’s no record of your allergies in the reservation system.
You should absolutely ask to speak with a chef or a specially trained dietary cast member, especially if you’re dealing with severe allergies or multiple restrictions. Regular servers are trained on allergies, but the specialized staff have way more detailed knowledge about ingredients and kitchen processes.
Plan for these conversations to take time. Servers might need to go back to the kitchen, check ingredient lists, and confirm preparation methods. During busy meal times, this could add significant time to your dining experience. Don’t book back-to-back reservations or cut things too close because you might need that buffer.
Bringing documentation of your allergies is probably a smart move now. Written information about what you can’t eat and how serious the reactions could be helps ensure clear communication. It’s harder for details to get lost when you have everything spelled out.
And honestly? You might need to accept that some restaurants might not be able to accommodate your needs, especially without advance notice. Having backup dining options or being flexible about where you eat could save you a lot of stress if a particular location can’t safely make what you need.
The Questions Nobody Is Answering
Disney hasn’t explained why they made this change, which is frustrating because it’s a pretty significant shift for a lot of guests. Why remove a feature that both guests and cast members found helpful? What problem was this supposed to solve?
Is this about liability? Did Disney’s legal team decide that having allergy information in reservation records created too much risk if someone had a reaction? But if that’s the case, why keep emphasizing that you can still talk to specialized staff and get accommodations? The messaging feels inconsistent.
Maybe it’s operational? Perhaps the information wasn’t flowing properly from reservations to restaurants, so Disney decided it was easier to just remove the feature than fix whatever was broken. But that seems like a weird solution when they could have just improved the system instead.
The big question is whether this change will affect Disney’s reputation as an allergy-friendly destination. A LOT of families with food allergies specifically choose Disney World because of how seriously the company takes dietary restrictions. If those families start having bad experiences or feeling unsafe, Disney could lose a really loyal customer base that has been singing the company’s praises for years.
Real Talk About What Happens Next
Look, Disney World’s allergy accommodation system hasn’t completely disappeared. The trained cast members are still there. Chefs can still work with you. The capability to create safe meals still exists. What’s changed is how you access that support, and honestly, the new system is way less reassuring than the old one.
If you’ve got food allergies and you’re planning a Disney trip, you need to go in prepared to advocate for yourself at every single meal. Don’t expect restaurants to know anything about your needs ahead of time because they won’t. Be ready to have the same conversation over and over. Ask for specialized help when you need it. And maybe have a backup plan if things don’t work out at a particular restaurant.
The Disney allergy community is already buzzing about this change on social media and forums. People are sharing their experiences with the new system, and those reports are probably going to be super valuable for anyone planning future trips. Pay attention to what people are saying about which restaurants are handling this well and which ones are struggling.
We’re going to be watching this situation closely because it affects a lot of people we care about in the Disney community. This isn’t just about convenience or minor policy changes. For families managing serious allergies, this is about safety and being able to trust that Disney dining won’t put their loved ones at risk.
If you’ve already experienced the new system firsthand, PLEASE let us know how it went. Seriously, drop us a message or comment below because we want to hear what’s actually happening in Disney restaurants right now. Are servers handling it well? Are chefs still being accommodating? Is the lack of advance notice causing problems? Your real experiences will help other families know what to expect and how to prepare. We’re all navigating this together, and sharing information is how we keep each other safe and informed.
