The annual Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of my favorite fall events, as well as one of the busiest times at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom. But for parents of kids with food allergies, Halloween can also be highly stressful time at Disney. Thanks to the allergy-friendly treats at the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the stress level just decreased and the fun level increased for those parents and kids. Read our Tips for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Features Allergy-Friendly Treats for Kids with Food Allergies
Fall is my favorite time of year at Walt Disney World Resort. The Villains are some of my favorite characters. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is just as much fun as you expect it to be with all of your favorite villains and happy haunts. I like the party so much, in fact, I like to attend as an adult with my friends without kids, too. As an Epi-Pen carrier, I discovered something that made my heart happy the last time I went: an added special consideration for people with food allergies, parents and kids alike. We have tips for an allergy-friendly MNSSHP. We love Mickey's Halloween Party at Disney World.
Disney Cares About Kids with Food Allergies
Every time I've dined at Disney I've seen how careful Disney is with their allergens. They have always gone above and beyond in their restaurants to serve people like me with food allergies. The chefs and dining services staff make a concerted effort to work with individuals and families who have food allergies: from the chef coming to talk to you at the table to discuss the menu options and then walking you around the buffet to tell you what is safe for you to eat and what not to eat.
As someone who carries an Epi-Pen, I can appreciate the need for safe handling of contaminants for specific food allergies.
As someone who has friends with children who have life-threatening allergies to food such as nuts, eggs, and milk, I know how severe and frightening food allergies can be, especially when one is unexpectedly exposed to cross-contaminated food (been there, done that, and I do not want the t-shirt).
Trick or Treating is one of those instances where cross-contamination can easily occur, especially with a lack of labeling or treats being thrown into a bag, and trick or treating at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is essentially no different, but it doesn't have to be. What a way to help make Disney at Halloween special.
Read our Tips for Traveling with Food Allergies
Teal is the Color for Food Allergy Awareness
At Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), Disney offers special teal treat bags with teal tokens specifically for trick-or-treaters with food allergies. For those with allergies, as you receive your trick or treat bag at the beginning of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, you have the option to choose a special teal allergy-friendly bag instead of the regular bag for trick or treating. The teal colored bag alerts cast members to give you a teal token instead of candy when you trick or treat throughout the evening.
Collect Teal Tokens for Allergy-Friendly Treats While You Trick or Treat
For those with food allergies, you can trick or treat throughout the evening just like everyone else at MNSSHP. The only difference is that instead of candy, you’ll collect a special teal token at each Trick-or-Treat station throughout the Magic Kingdom (the stations are labeled on the map).
The teal allergy-friendly bag-token system is designed to eliminate cross-contamination. By trick or treating this way, the allergy-friendly treats you collect throughout the evening won’t possibly be contaminated by other candy items that could contain something you are allergic to, such as peanuts or other tree nuts. All of the allergy-free items are stored at a separate location. When you have completed your trick or treat stops, you turn in your tokens for your allergy-friendly treats. So smart!
Turn in Your Teal Tokens for Allergy-Friendly Treats
After you are finished trick-or-treating, kids (or adults) who collected teal tokens then exchange the tokens at specific allergy-friendly token trade-in stations. The tokens are turned in for craft kits or snacks that meet certain allergy criteria at one of two locations (there were two locations at the time of this article)—one station located at Liberty Square and one on Main Street. The one at Liberty Square wasn’t very busy when we were there (only one person in front of us), but at 11 p.m., they were out of both cookie options.
The allergy-friendly experience station offers both food and non-food options with a list of ingredients that are in each item. The list also shows additional information, such as what ingredients are NOT in each item, which is also critical for those with allergies. You can read and decide which options work for your family and choose the option that works for you. Obviously, as allergy sufferers, we read and reread those labels, but it is a helpful start. The options included:
- Smarties
- Surf Sweets Gummy Worms
- Surf Sweets Gummy Bears
- Enjoy Life Vanilla Honey Graham Crunchy Cookies
- Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunchy Cookies
- Surf Sweets Jelly Beans
- boom Choco boom Ricemilk Chocolate Bar
- Pumpkin Character Ornament Craft Kit (non-food item)
- Foam Heart Halloween Character Ornament Craft Kit (non-food item)
This is a tremendous step for Disney! It shows just how much Disney cares as a company. What a superb example of how big events like this can be run. I wish all companies could take a page out of Walt Disney World’s playbook when it comes to stepping up to ensure the safety of our kids (and grown-ups) who have severe allergies. It's great to see allergy-friendly treats at events, as well as non-food options for kids who may not want candy, too. Well done, Disney!
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[…] Note: If someone in your party has allergies, Disney has an amazing allergy program where kids can get teal coins instead that can be traded in for allergy-free treats and items at the end of the night. You can read more about attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary party with allergies here. […]