It’s been about a month since Hanford and I went on vacation to Walt Disney World (WDW). Life has been so hectic between then and now (a huge derby bout, school projects, and a business trip to Colorado kept me from posting about vacation sooner). I decided to break up covering vacation into several blog posts and this will be the first one. In this post I will cover the miscellaneous meals I had. The next couple of posts will cover the rest of the food and I will also include a guide on planning a vegan vacation to WDW. So check back again soon for more posts!

I was very surprised at how many vegan options were available at the various Disney theme parks. I researched ahead of time which restaurants had the best options and also had availability. The key to getting a great vegan meal at WDW is to make sure the servers know that your vegan (duh)! The folks at Disney are used to accommodating a variety of different diets. Let your server know as soon as you are seated and they will most likely bring out an available chef to discuss dining options. This was really helpful because there were several items that looked vegan but turned out to have something non-vegan in them (chicken broth in the rice or whey in the breading of vegetables, for example). Shown below are some of the meals that I had while on vacation.

Coconut encrusted tofu with snap peas, edamame, and noodles in curry at Brown Derby in Disney MGM Studios. Brown Derby was the most upscale restaurant that we dined at while on vacation; it was also the most expensive. I made sure to get reservations ahead of time (three weeks) because I was told that it was popular. Before ordering any of my food for the evening the chef came out and discussed my various dining options. The chef told me that the tofu curry dish was already vegan but that he would whip up something special for dessert. It was pretty busy the night we went (Wednesday) and I had to wait about 15 minutes to talk to the chef. The wait wasn’t that bad since they have a full bar

Mango sorbet and Tofutti ice cream with fresh mango and raspberries dessert at Brown Derby in Disney MGM Studios. The chef made this special for me (not on the menu). The sorbet and ice cream mixed together reminded me of a creamsicle.

Hummus wrap with black beans, corn, and salsa from Cosmo’s Ray located in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. This was a pretty tasty wrap considering that Cosmo’s Ray is a greasy burger type place. I double checked with the cashier via the ingredients book that this wrap was vegan (I would suggest checking again though if you go here just in case they changed this item). Overall the wrap was pretty good and it was a good quick meal option. Cosmo’s Ray also has a toppings bar too (check to see what everything is cooked in though, I heard some of the sauteed veggies were not vegan).

Seared marinated tofu with mango glaze at Sci-Fi diner at Disney MGM Studios. Make sure to ask for no honey in the mango glaze! This was a pretty unique dining experience; the atmosphere is that of an old drive-in theater and you sit in car shaped booths. This was also another popular restaurant (had to book it way ahead of time). They also have Toffuti ice cream and make a really yummy vegan chocolate milk shake!

Fried Rice with veggies and fried tofu at Yak & Yeti in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I didn’t make reservations ahead of time for this place; we only had to wait 15 minutes and they have a bar where you can wait. Overall the meal was ok, nothing too special, but the chef came out and talked with me about my vegan options. Although they didn’t have many options the chef was very knowledgeable about what was and wasn’t vegan. The chef also let me know that the wok fried green beans where not vegan (they have whey in them).

Roasted pepper with wild rice and roasted mixed vegetables at 50′s Prime Time Cafe in Disney MGM Studios. This is a pretty popular restaurant and I made sure to make reservations ahead of time. I would recommend this place because the meal itself was pretty tasty and they have Toffuti ice cream but just make sure not to put your elbows on the table

Roasted zucchini with tomato and tomato/basil hummus at Captain’s Grill at the Beach and Yacht Club. This was the last meal that I had on vacation and it was yummy! The sandwich came with a zesty orzo salad and it was great! I spoke with the chef at this restaurant (our waitress had no idea what vegan meant) and he created a very delicious meal.