Disney Cruise Line Quick Service Dining Guide: Safe Gluten Free Options Around the Ship [2025]
Last updated on May 21, 2025
Exploring casual dining venues on your Disney cruise doesn't mean that you’re compromising safety or tasty food. From bustling buffets to quick service deck food, Disney Cruise Line ensures safe, delicious options are always available. During our DCL adventures, we have been able to eat successfully (and deliciously!) and the ship’s buffet and casual locations on the pool deck.
Gluten Free & Allergy-Friendly Mickey Churro Waffles on the Disney Wish / Photo ©️ Gluten Free Disney Cruise
Navigating the Buffet Safely
Disney Cruise Line offers a signature buffet restaurant on each of its ships. The Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy currently offer buffet dining at Cabanas. The Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny offer buffet dining at Marceline Market. While dining at a buffet may seem like a scary prospect, Disney Cruise Line has rigorous protocols in place to provide guests with special dietary needs safe options.
Pre-Ordering vs. Not Pre-Ordering
Your Disney Cruise Line service team will typically recommend that you “pre-order” meals while you on are the ship, so that the kitchen has time to prepare and customize dishes based on your special dietary needs. This includes meals that you may get throughout your sailing at the ship’s buffet. Although it is not a requirement, we do occasionally pre-order from Cabanas or Marceline Market when we have a specific request, like the gluten free churro Mickey waffles. Pre-ordering or not -preordering is entirely up to your preference and cruising style. No matter which way you order, your start to any meal at the ship’s buffet will start with talking to a head server.
Look for a “Head Server”
If you have celiac disease or are gluten sensitive, you’ll want to ask to speak with a “head server” who can assist you with gluten free options available at the buffet. Head servers typically wear white polo shirts, but you can ask any crew member, and they will connect you with a head server.
Head servers are a part of DCL’s main dining crew, and you’ll likely have already become familiar with the head server assigned to your table for rotational dining. They also work with guests outside of main dining in both the ship’s buffet and at the pool deck quick service locations. Head servers rotate throughout these locations, and you will likely be speaking with a head server who is not a part of your regular service team. No matter which head server you speak with, they are there to help you navigate options at the ship’s buffet safely.
Gluten Free Lunch from Cabanas / Photo ©️ Gluten Free Disney Cruise
If you have pre-ordered your meal, the head server will go directly to the kitchen to confirm the pre-order with the chef. Once prepared, a head server will typically bring you the food directly to whatever table location you have chosen at the buffet. Though meals are pre-ordered, they can still take some time to prepare and bring to your table.
If you did not pre-order, you will typically walk through the buffet with the head server to determine what you’re interested in eating. Buffets can pose high cross-contamination risks, due to shared utensils and serving platters. Be sure to let the head server know if you do not feel comfortable eating items directly from the buffet.
While some guests may feel comfortable eating items from the buffet, head servers are well trained to put safety first. They will work with the chefs to arrange for fresh items to be prepared separately or brought directly from the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination. Our personal preference is to ask for items to be brought from the kitchen since we navigate both celiac disease and food allergies. Like pre-ordering, your meal will be brought directly to your table to enjoy.
Save Time at the Buffet!
To make things a little speedier and easier, we typically go through the buffet on our own to see what options are currently available before talking to a head server. That way, we already have a good idea of what we want to eat and can order more quickly. We also like to make a note on our Smartphone with a list of what we want too.
Pool Deck Dining: Your Gluten Free Oasis
Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of different quick service options on the pool deck, from burgers and fries to fresh salads. Guests who are gluten free will be able to order many of these dishes with no worries. Fries are made in dedicated fryers and gluten free buns are available (brands can vary by sailing).
Gluten Free Burrito Bowl from Donald’s Cantina / Photo ©️ Gluten Free Disney Cruise
Like the ship’s buffet, we recommend that you find a “head server” to assist you with any requests. Though food can take a little longer to prepare at these locations if you’re gluten free, we love that you can get safe items to enjoy in between lounging at the pool or taking a ride on the Aqua Duck or Aqua Mouse.
Common gluten free options include:
Burgers, including plant-based
Hot Dogs
Chicken tenders (one of our favorites!)
Burrito bowls
BBQ
Fresh salads
Cold sandwiches
Pizza (non-dairy cheese also available)
French Fries
Our personal favorite quick service spots on the pool deck are Donald’s Cantina on the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny and Flo’s V8 on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Avoid the lunch rush
The buffet and quick service / pool deck lunches typically run until 2 p.m. Waiting a bit before eating or going early can help you avoid the lunch rush.
While you’re on the pool deck, ton't miss the soft-serve ice cream stations. They can provide you with cups for ice cream, but they also have gluten free ice cream cones too (supplies can vary across sailings). Just check with a crew member about options and cross-contamination protocols. If you’re gluten free and dairy free, we recommend talking to a head server in Cabanas/Marceline Market for safe options.
Late-Night Cravings
Although the times vary by ship and sailing, many of the pool deck quick service locations have extended hours — ensuring you never go hungry. The locations that serve pizza, in particular, typically offer options later in the evening, though this is subject to availability. We recommend checking the hours on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App when you’re sailing and speak with a head server to confirm that gluten free and special dietary needs options are available during any later hours.
Casual Cruise Dining Made Easy
From the variety at the ship's buffet to the convenient pool deck quick service options, Disney Cruise Line offers gluten free cruisers plenty of safe and delicious choices for casual dining. No matter where you dine on DCL, the ships maintain high standards when it comes to preparing gluten free and allergy-friendly options. With thoughtful preparation, clear communication, and Disney's legendary attention to detail, you can enjoy worry-free quick service meals throughout your entire cruise vacation, leaving you free to focus on making magical memories with your loved ones.
Looking for even more details about navigating Disney Cruise Line gluten free? Check out other posts in this cruise planning series, where we’ll take a deep dive into everything from main dining room to specialty restaurants and everything in between. Whether you're a first-time cruiser or a Disney veteran with dietary restrictions, our comprehensive guides will help you savor every moment – and every bite – of your magical vacation.