Hong Kong Disneyland holiday planning group Rina Okada member shares her top tips for Gluten free eating at Hong Kong Disneyland
I just came back from Hong Kong. Since this group helped me a lot, I wanted to share a few things in return. I’m happy to answer questions if you have any. FYI, I stayed at Hong Kong Disneyland from Friday to Sunday.
Can I get Gluten Free food at Hong Kong Disney?
Yes. I’m allergic to wheat, but all the cast members I talked to didn’t know about wheat allergies, so I just had to say gluten-free. Crystal Lotus (a restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel where they serve character dim sum) has gluten-free items. One page of the menu listed all gluten-free foods.
Our server, Eric, from Enchanted Garden (character dining at the Disneyland Hotel), was amazing! While he suggested that the chef would cook fried rice for me, I wanted to stick with the buffet if that was possible (I’m fine as long as I don’t take wheat itself). He and the chef patiently let me know each item that was safe for me. There were a good number of options. They also brought grilled wagyu and lamb. I brought gluten-free soy sauce with me, so I ate sashimi as well. They don’t have many options for gluten-free desserts, but I had fruit and soft-served ice cream.
Hong Kong Disneyland Corner Cafe:
I was able to order steak, but they offered rice instead of fries because of the cross-contamination. I can usually handle the shared fryer as long as the fries themselves are not coated with wheat, so I asked for the fries. The regular (non-GF) salad had Mickey’s hand-shaped bread, but they gave me Mickey-shaped some kind of veggie instead. It was really lovely for the chef to do so, as us Gluten Free folks usually don’t get any cute character-shaped stuff. Servers here kept checking if I was doing okay, and they were very flexible!
Extra HK Disneyland tips:
Package express:
Whenever you buy something at the park, if you don’t wish to keep carrying it around, you can tell the cashier that you want to use package express. If you stay at a Disney resort, they can bring the items you purchased to the information desk at the hotel where you are staying, and you can receive them after 8 p.m. If you don’t stay on the Disney property, it seems like you can still get the items later around the gate so that you don’t have to keep charring stuff. This was the best service we used!
Tai Chi:
Hong Kong Disneyland has a character Tai Chi thing in the morning. On weekends, they have it twice, from 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. (same character per day), but I believe they only have it once on weekdays. Only the first 20 groups who queued can join Tai Chi and take pictures with the character. Those who couldn’t be in line can still see the event but cannot take pictures with the character. The cast member told me that I should be fine if I am in the queue at around 8:45 a.m. for the 9 a.m. one. But I really didn’t want to miss it, so I went there at 8 a.m., and I was the third group in the line. If this is important to you, going there at 8:45 a.m. is risky.
Hong Kong Disneyland Early Entry:
As everyone says, if you have this, you can finish the frozen area before it gets crowded. Be aware that only a few areas are open during this time. However, if you get closer to the ride or area you want to be just before the park opens to the public, you get to line up a lot earlier than most people.
Disney Premier Access – “Momentous”, 8 Attractions and 2 Shows:
This was the best thing we decided to have! You don’t really need a fast pass for rides, but priority entry for “Mickey and the Wondrous Book” and “Momentous” castle show with designated viewing area were amazing! It seems like you can start queueing for “Mickey and the Wondrous Book” 50 minutes before the show starts, and that’s when I queued. I was the third group in the line, but I was still able to see the show in the front row seats in the middle! I queued for the Momentous 1 hour before, and I was also able to see this show at the front row seats in the middle, and it was insanely good!
I hope this is helpful!
Written and photos supplied by Hong Kong Disneyland holiday planning group member Rina Okada
For more information on Hong Kong Disneyland you can go to the official website here.
