Just returned from our trip and here's what I found.
Those
special meals without the 5 major allergens....they do NOT offer them. I asked at three places specifically for that meal and was told NO. Instead, I had to tell them what I could not eat. In all instances, they were very cooperative and sent out a manager or chef with a tablet or a notebook that contained every dish and its ingredients. At counter service, he would point out to me what I could have. For instance, at a curry place the only thing I could eat was white rice and a green salad, no dressing. At two buffeterias, one in each park, I found roasted chicken and vegetables with white rice as a side order.
Most salads are simple green salads. There are no chicken Caesar salads, and certainly not the large salads offered at DL or WDW, but I did find a couple of "Cobb" type salads. All are small and have mostly lettuce with paper-thin shavings of meat, carrot or bell pepper, if you are lucky. The Cobb or 'deli' style are more specialty and aren't available except at a theme place, such as a deli at DS in the NY area. It had shaved meat, shaved veggies, and a small stick of cheese. There are usually 2 types of dressings- one being Japanese sesame and another.
Portion sizes can be small. At DS' Columbia boat, I had an excellent large sirloin with vegetable sides- 1 small baby ear of corn, 1 small broccoli floweret, and about 1/4 cup mashed potatoes. At DS Portofino, I had a roasted chicken that had a little more veggies on the plate, but not much more- but the chicken was very good. So, don't think you're going to fill up on veggies with a meal. And, you cannot buy individual fruits at the park, like apples or bananas, but some buffeterias may have a small cup of cut fruit as a side dish for purchase.
The restaurant staff are super polite and eager to help. But, it is Japan and English is not widely spoken, at all. I had asked a friend at church to write out several phrases for me in Japanese and that proved to be a lifesaver. Without that paper, it would have been very difficult to get across to the chef what I could eat.
None of the menus had allergy notes on them. That is, there's no "GF" indication, etc beside an item- at least not in English. As for special accommodations, the only one I could get was no sauces on the meats.
Many menu offerings involve a meat covered with a sauce or curry and rice. There were hamburgers and fries, usually a plain green salad or salad in a cup, or interesting pizza (about 12") combinations. Don't expect a huge pile of fries- the cup they came in had plenty of room for more. There was no sushi in the parks, and we checked every menu.
After two days, I gave up trying to follow my diet strictly and just focused on 2 or 3 major triggers, such as onions, garlic, and dairy and tried to avoid the majority of the other items by eyeballing the menu or buffet line. If you are ALLERGIC to something, obviously this is not a good option, but mine are an intolerance and I was willing to risk some misery in order to eat something more than green lettuce and rice. But by the end of the week, I was not feeling well.
If you have major allergies, your best bet might be at the buffets, which run from about $30-50. The park buffets had a variety of meats/sauces and a salad bar, breads and desserts so at least you have a better chance of finding a few items you can eat.
We ate at the Oceano at DS' Miracosta Hotel and it was very good. The chef walked the line with me, thick notebook in hand, and pointed out what I should avoid. It was heavy on seafood, but everything was very good. Tiny portions, but that allowed you to try many things...if you can tolerate onions. Onions were in many dishes and sauces. (Eat at the 7pm sitting, and you can go outside and watch Fantasmic from the restaurant balcony- best view in the park!)
Our favorite, by far, was the TDL Hotel Sherwood Garden buffett. The chef, the manager, and a very nice young man who spoke English came out and went over all the dishes. At this one, there was less onion and sauces, and a good variety of meats. We agreed that it was well worth the extra money and the 5 minute walk from the park entrance to the restaurant. Had I known about the Sherwood Garden or the Oceano at the beginning of the week, we would have eaten there every night so I could at least get one good meal a day. (We made reservations easily at their check in counter. Most buffets at the park had no openings, though, even on days when the park crowds was light).
So, if you have allergies or special dietary needs, you will probably find TDL challenging, but not impossible if you are flexible and do not expect many options. If at all possible, have someone write out your needs. ("I cannot eat onions or garlic." "I cannot eat dairy or milk products." "Please help me choose a dish I can eat." etc) This was VERY helpful.
Most of the snack carts have items with gluten- bread-covered meats, churros, or ice cream sandwiches. Breads and desserts with wheat are numerous on the buffets, too. So, eating gluten free will take some effort. There are popcorn carts everywhere, though!
Also, take snacks or food with you. I hauled a can of tuna with me every day, along with small peanut butter packs and homemade trail mix, and bag check did not stop me (in fact, they barely look in your bag). Had I not found the roasted chicken on second day of nothing but green lettuce and white rice, I would have popped that tuna lid and dumped it on my rice! The TDL website says they will heat up your special diet food- not sure about that, but have my doubts since they don't offer the special allergy-free meals.
Salt and pepper are not on tables, nor are there packets of either on the condiments rack. If fries are served, there will be ketchup packs, and there's sugar/sugar syrup, but nothing else. A minor thing, but when you're faced with a plate of white rice, again, a little salt and pepper would help. At buffeterias and buffets, they might have S&P if you ask for it, but counter service did not.
Whereas WDW and DL hotels offer a quick service, along with a family restaurant and one or two fancier places, the hotels at TDL are mainly geared toward adults and are expensive- $50- over $100 with buffets or limited menus/set Chinese menu. For kids, the buffets usually had Tater Tots, chicken nuggets, or a mini corn dog thing.
Overall, TDL does not seem to be as friendly towards those with special dietary needs as WDW or DL. The people at the restaurants are wonderful, but the food choices are not as wide. Still, it was fun and I did not starve.