I’m a crazed Disney World fan, so it was only a matter of time for me to write this post. In the past, I discussed my personal experiences in Disney World here and here, but today I’m sharing the ultimate list of tips. Disney fans – trust me – you’ll want to pin this for later!
1. Make dining reservations ahead online, as they give you the option to check off your allergies/dietary concerns. This way, the chef will be prepared for your arrival. You can also email SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com or call (407) 939-3463 to make sure they are aware.
2. Yes, you CAN bring your own food and snacks to the park! I find that nuts and Clif bars are my favorite to have on hand.
3. No matter where you go in Disney World, most places will work with you. Just make sure you tell the hostess/server right away that you are vegan. If they are not quite sure, they will most likely whip out this large book that will give you all the ingredient info on all dishes. Trust me, they will work with you!
4. Pineapple Dole Whip is vegan – only the pineapple and orange flavors. Find some in Animal Kingdom or in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom.
5. Experience Chef TJ at Trails End, near the Ft. Wilderness Lodge. He’ll make you a 6-course meal, and you’ll have to be rolled out of there. Just trust. Word is that he is off Fridays and Saturdays, and the best time is Sundays after 4:45. Good luck catching him!
6. Tusker House in Animal Kingdom is a buffet with 20+ vegan options. GO.
7. Beaches & Cream has vegan ice cream sundae options. It’s located at the Beach Club Resort, and you can easily get there by taking the back gateway from Epcot. OH, and the marshmallow sauce is vegan. YUP.
8. “Buttered” popcorn in Disney is not exactly buttered – it’s made with 4 different vegetable oils. Go crazy!
9. The Mickey pretzels in Disney are vegan. Throw on some mustard and enjoy.
10. Stock up in the morning at your hotel. I would raid the cafeteria for bananas, apples, carrot sticks, and any other vegan options I saw. Having snacks on hand first thing will keep you from getting too hungry when you are waiting in long lines.
11. There is a Whole Foods less than 10 miles from Disney, if you want to stock up.
12. Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom has Tofutti and Rice Dream options.
13. Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland has a vegan burger and bun – with all the fixins.
14. Take a stroll over to Gaston’s Tavern for hummus and veggies, fruit, and regular & chocolate soy milk.
15. Sunshine Seasons (located in The Land… the same building as Soarin’) is loaded with allergy & vegan-friendly snacks, including: regular and chocolate soy milk, Enjoy Life cookies, vegan candy bars, fruits, veggies, and other treats.
16. Sunshine Seasons is also great for lunch, as it has a vegan noodle dish and Gardein beef-less tips.
17. Morocco in Epcot has great vegan lunch options at the Tangerine Cafe – the veggie platter is incredible, but pass on the non-vegan pita bread.
18. The Anaheim Produce cart at Hollywood Studios has a stand of fruit, veggies, hummus and pretzels, and pickles… perfect.
19. Mexico in Epcot has vegan chips and guacamole – large portion, too!
20. Starbucks are everywhere in Disney now – perfect to get your caffeine fix. Iced coffee and soy lattes will keep you going strong during nighttime extra magic hours!
21. Animal Kingdom is my favorite (and possibly the best) park with vegan options. The allergy food kiosk (also known at Gardens Kiosk) is located Discovery Island near the entrance to It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It has hummus with veggies, Tofutti Ice Cream PINTS (in chocolate or vanilla), rice chips, vegan granola bars, cupcakes, cookies, donuts, and yes… fruit. It’s a vegan’s dream.
22. Animal Kingdom also has the Harambe Fruit Market with a crazy-assortment of veggies… most notably their large pineapple spears that are perfect to beat the heat and get your sweet tooth on.
23. Assorted nut vendors are scattered throughout the parks, and the cinnamon-glazed almonds and pecans are vegan.
24. Mickey Waffles can be made vegan – just ask for the chef.
25. Visiting an ice cream stand? The pineapple bars are vegan.
26. MK’s Pecos Bills in Frontierland has a vegan burger and a toppings bar that will keep you full and happy.
27. There’s a vegetarian burrito at Tortuga’s Tavern in Adventureland in MK – just ask for plain white rice.
28. Visiting the infamous and stunning Be Our Guest restaurant? They have a vegan ratatouille that is to die for.
29. Be Our Guest is pretty tough to get a dinner reservation, so if you still want to experience it but cannot get in, grab lunch instead. It’s best to get there around 10-11am to beat the crowds. They have a vegan quinoa salad.
30. BOMA located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge hotel is a mostly-vegan buffet. It’s well worth going out of your way for. You’ll also want to check out Jiko and Sanaa – both awesome for vegan fare.
31. You can grab a vegan burger, fries, and tofutti milkshake at the drive-in! The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, that is.
32. Erin McKenna’s vegan bakery is now in Downtown Disney – vegan treats galore, including donuts, cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon buns, and more.
33. Columbia Harbour House at the Magic Kingdom has a vegan chili – if you are into eating hot food while in Disney.
34. Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios has a vegan entree on the menu – Noodle Bowl with Fried Coconut Tofu.
35. You can enjoy Toy Story’s Pizza Planet at Hollywood Studios because yes, they have vegan cheese! Pizzafari in the Animal Kingdom does the same. YUM.
36. Epcot’s Tokoyo Dining in Japan has vegan sushi options, as well as edamame.
37. In Epcot, L’Artisan des Glaces in France has dairy-free sorbet. Grab one for a quick cool treat.
38. The most important thing to remember: be nice to the cast members. They are trained to help you in the best way possible, you simply have to ask nicely!
Do you have any tips or experiences in Disney World? Share with meeeeee. xx bianca
I’m actually heading to Disney over Christmas this year so this is so helpful! Loved reading this :)
Ah, I am sooo jealous, Liz! You are going to be basking in all the vegan goodness :) so glad you found it helpful!
Any tips for Universal? We’ll be stopping there for a couple of days on our drive back from South FL in October. I’m not a Disney fan, but… HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!
I actually have not been to Universal as a vegan yet… I’m sorry! I wish I could be of more help. I’m sure they cater, though!! Do some quick googling and I’ll bet you’ll find some great resources :)
My friend just went to Disney and she said it was fantastic due to all the growing vegan option! :-)
It really is – there is sooo much to try. It was so hard for me to choose where I wanted to eat!! LOL
i’m so excited to go there now!! i was worried i’d have trouble finding vegan options but now i’m going to try to smuggle as many treats out of there as i can!!
Haha! It’s so true – I was truly overwhelmed. Definitely not used to having sooo many options!! :-D
Thank so much for your recommendation!
We’re going to disney this May and I was kind of worried about not finding vegan food at disney.
Thanks again!
Wow this list is so helpful! I might print it out as a cheat sheet xx
Yes! That makes me so happy – so glad it is helpful :)
[…] I guess I’ll move onto the real point of this post. Vegan options everywhere. I share all my Disney vegan tips in this post, but wanted to hone-in on some of the quick service options. There are so many awesome places to go […]
This was so helpful, thank you
[…] and have even wrote down my tips for eating around the world in EPCOT. Check it out, and use my 38 tips as a resource. If you’re going, I know you are going to have the BEST […]