Disney: Where we stayed & food allergy

When I was looking for a place to stay in Disney all the way back in November all I knew was that it needed to be affordable and on Disney property. The first one that came up the All Star Movies Resort. It is a value resort. From all the pics it looked and sounded perfect. The All Star Movies Resort features five film-inspired themed areas. Fantasia, Toy Story, 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks and The Love Bug.  At the 101 Dalmatians buildings, you'll find a 40 foot tall Pongo and a 35 foot tall Perdita while their spotted pups decorate the railings.  There is a fire hydrant covering the outside stairwell, with paw prints and dog bones embedded in the cement walkways. Toy Story lovers will be enchanted by the 35 foot tall Buzz Light year and the 25 foot tall Woody. The Green Army Men stand guard at the tops of the building.  "Herbie," the loveable VW Beetle, is 5 times its normal size. Sorcerer's paraphernalia such as a giant hat, spell book, broom and bucket, ballerinas and nutcracker soldiers are found adorning the Fantasia buildings.
Sports fans will be ready for action with the giant hockey sticks, pucks, nets and duck-billed masks found at the Mighty Ducks buildings. Thirty one foot tall goalie masks cover the outside stairwells.  The rooms all feature a framed poster and border of the building’s movie theme.  Each of the guest rooms has either 2 double beds or one king sized bed. Each room has a mini fridge, nightstand, telephone, small table with 2 chairs, armoire, television, wall mirror, clock radio and an open closet area with shelves on top for extra storage.  A vanity area with a single sink and mirror is separate from the tub and commode.  Film reel tiles surround the tub and shower curtains adorned with stars enclose the shower area.  The light fixtures are shaped like popcorn boxes and star fixtures to further carry out the movie theme. TIP: Fantasia, Toy Story and 101 Dalmations sections are considered "preferred" and are higher priced. I felt like it was worth the extra to stay in Toy Story. We were close to the food court, pool, laundry facility, bus stop  and it was pretty quiet. Our resort also had an arcade and a gift shop. There were 2 pools (Fantasia and Duck Pond). Our room was so close to the Fantasia pool so that is where we went. I loved that each day there was activities for the kids as well. The activity director did a good job keeping the kids entertained. They played games and did crafts. Most crafts were free but they did do tie dye shirts one day that did cost. Both kids loved doing the games and making shirts.

I was really impressed with our room. When it comes to hotel rooms, though, we aren't high maintenance. So what might have been perfect for us might not be what others want. The rooms weren't super large. But I felt like it was the right size for our family of 4. Mere and Max were able to share a bed. There were 2 double beds in our room. We never spend a lot of time in a room so I would rather save some dollars and use it for other fun stuff!

One other thing that I didn't see a lot of when researching Disney was food allergy info. I wanted to touch on that. Meredith is severely allergic to peanuts/tree nuts. If she would eat something we would be making a trip to the emergency room. It is that severe. Disney was EXCEPTIONAL with dealing with a food allergy. When I made our dining reservations there is a spot that you choose if there is any dietary requests. I was able to choose peanut allergy. Upon arrival at any reservation it was marked for our waiter to immediately see. Of course, we always mention it anytime we go to a place to eat but it is nice that the waiter sees this immediately. At our reservations that included buffets the chef came out almost instantly to our table to talk to us. Then they went with us to the buffet and showed us exactly what Meredith could have and could not have. This added touch was tremendous to us. I couldn't thank them enough for doing that for us. It is difficult dealing with a food allergy. Not everyone is understanding. I have heard many snide comments from others pertaining to allergies and its not fair that there child can't eat something just because another child can't have peanuts. Luckily, these people aren't in our circle. I would not tolerate someone being around my child who felt this way. We have been blessed so far. As Meredith gets older I thought I would worry less about the allergy. She has been on top of it and very aware of what she can have and can't have from a very young age. If she is uncertain she always asks. But I still worry. A lot. So I appreciate the extra thoughtfulness and attentiveness that Disney showed to us.