My "I always went to WDW for the food, and now I'm vegan" planning journal

[baybemama]

My name is Jenny and I've been to Disney many times as a child with my family and this September will be my first trip as a vegan. Dining has always been on of our favorite things to plan and do in Disney so this change for me will be an exciting challenge on our vacation!

Here's who is coming...


Name: Jenny (That would be me)
Age: 29
Occupation: Photographer
Favorite Disney Experience: Watching the fireworks over the castle as a kid and drenching my shirt in chocolate ice cream
Favorite Non-Disney Thing: Anything Twilight and other vampire related goodness

Name: Erik (aka Boston Erik)
Age: 30
Occupation: Systems Engineer (And an alternative radio DJ)
Favorite Disney Experience: He'll have to get back to me
Favorite Non-Disney Thing: The Who

Name: Henry
Age: 2.5
Occupation: Cutest toddler in the world
Favorite Disney Experience: Seeing Lightning and Mater
Favorite Non-Disney Thing: Star Wars

Name: Cheryl (aka Grandma)
Age: Ageless
Occupation: Babysitter, friend and DVC Membership holder
Favorite Disney Experience: I'll go ahead and say taking her 4 grandchildren
Favorite Non-Disney Thing: Gardening
Picture not available

Up next...more about us and our dining plans this trip...

 

[baybemama]

We have about a week to decide where we want to try and eat. I'm thrilled to see that one of our all time favorites, Boma, appears to be very vegan friendly. I am so appreciative of all the vegans that have written reviews of their experiences. I'm using their threads as my personal bible. Here are some of the places we'd like to eat. Eventually we'll form a more concrete plan and make final decisions.

Boma
'Ohana (I already have anxiety over getting Chef TJ and making plans to go on a weekday!)
Sanaa (I can't pass up a place that has an actual vegan menu, right?)
Kouzzina
Fresh
Kona (breakfast...I hear they can make the Tonga Toast Vegan with some notice!
Grand Floridian Cafe
Sci-Fi

 

[baybemama]

I've come up with a brilliant dining agenda for our family. I've included where we hope to eat for each day and what I expect to eat. I've learned it's not so hard to eat out when I plan ahead so that's what I've done. And now my mouth waters everytime I think about each place!


Thursday Dinner at Kouzzina (Veggie flat bread might a possibility)

Friday Lunch at Columbia Harbour House (excited to try the Lighthouse sandwich w/out the broccoli slaw and the vegetarian chili!)
Dinner at Sanaa (oh the possibilities when I have an entire menu!)


Saturday Fresh Tangerine Cafe (LURVE me some hummus!)
Dinner San Angel Inn (Burritos. yumumumumumonomum)


Sunday Character breakfast at Tusker House (This is more for my son than me, I'm sure there will be something I can eat if I call ahead)
Lunch at Restaurantasaurus (veggie burger and fries)
Boma (Pre-vegan favorite of mine, can't wait to see what there is for me)


Monday Lunch at Back Lot Express (Veggie sandwich w/out cheese)
Dinner at Sci-FI (Marinated tofu)


Tuesday Breakfast at Kona (Um, can you say TONGA TOAST!!!!)
Lunch at Cosmic Rays(veggie burger and fries)
Dinner at Ohana (this will be great for my meat eating family and I'm hoping for a little vegan magic)

 

[ksl5f123]

Sounds like a great plan! My DH is vegetarian, which is really easy to plan at WDW. Vegan seems a little harder, but I think you are doing great!

Love the pic of the little guy with his SW gear. You will have to take him to SWW in a few years.

 

[baybemama]

Sounds like a great plan! My DH is vegetarian, which is really easy to plan at WDW. Vegan seems a little harder, but I think you are doing great!

Love the pic of the little guy with his SW gear. You will have to take him to SWW in a few years.

Thanks! I'm so happy to have seen the other threads of vegans eating out at WDW...it's been my inspiration!

I'm so bummed the Star Wars ride will be closed when we are there. Although I'm not sure he will have been tall enough anyway...at least the store should be open and he's already talking about what color light saber to buy! I'll have to look in to SWW!

 

[baybemama]

I've been psyching myself up looking at pictures of the Boardwalk. I remember staying at the Beach Club Villas with family and I LOVE the running loop around the lake. I'm a much "better" runner than I once was so I can venture down the canal path.

And when I mentioned to my mom that I assume the three of us would take the 2nd bedroom she told me that DH and I should take the King bed and she would sleep with Henry in the 2nd bedroom!

So now I can't stop daydreaming about waking up early and rolling out of my big bed and going for a nice run on the boardwalk before stopping for a little coffee and then walking over to Epcot. sigh!

 

[lillielil]

I'm excited for you already!

Right now I'm planning an all-vegetarian-but-mostly-vegan trip and let me say, I am very excited and reading all the vegan dining reviews I can find.

My planned menu looks great (except for Restaurantasaurus, where I've never had the veggie burger, but the "meat" was one of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten). Columbia Harbor House and Boma are fantastic, and from the reviews I've read here, if you go to Ohana on a weekday Chef TJ can make you amazing towers of vegan deliciousness. Thanks for reminding me about Sanaa - I'm staying at AKL for my next trip, so there's really no reason for me not to try it

I'm looking forward to a full report of your dining experiences.

 

[mandibc11]

You'll have to let us know how the trip went, and give some reviews of the restaurants you wound up dining at. I will be going in May and have just recently committed to a completely dairy free diet heavy on the vegan side, along with only the occasional seafood or piece of chicken for protein. This is mainly for health reasons; I've noticed a huge improvement in my energy level since converting over! Being a huge foodie though, it was a challenge for me also when looking over Disney menus and seeing my options.

Can't wait to hear your side of things!