How to Eat Plant-Based at Walt Disney World

I’ve recently been to Magic Kingdom, so let’s talk about Disney World, the happiest place for the kids. Okay, and for yourself–let’s admit it. But it’s bittersweet. It’s a company that has always been criticized for different reasons, including the wages they pay. Regarding sustainability, the company has taken some actions to be more environmentally friendly, like using solar energy in Orlando that can supply power to operate two theme parks and reducing waste by 80% in their cruises.

However, there’s still a long way to go, as is the case with all big companies that have such a massive scope. Disney World is still a place that sells tons of merchandising, uses fireworks, and has wild animals in the park. You can choose not to support them at all if you want to be a hardcore sustainable person, but not supporting Disney means not supporting any of the companies they own, and they basically own half the world (which is a bit scary). You can stop watching their movies, paying for Hulu, watching matches on ESPN, buying Nat Geo magazine, and the list goes on. There’s no sustainable alternative for Disney that I know of (hopefully one day we’ll have a sustainable theme park that spreads as much joy to its visitors, or Disney becomes 100% sustainable), and my content is for the rookie. So, for you, baby steps!

HOW TO EAT PLANT-BASED AT DISNEY WORLD

I have written about plant-based diets being more sustainable, so that’s what I’ll help you with in this post. As a vegan, sometimes I have to take my own food to trips if I know I won’t find any vegan options. The last times I went to Disney World, I took sandwiches in my backpack and protein bars. Luckily, Disney has included plant-based meals at their parks, and hopefully will continue to do so. I saved a lot of space in my backpack, because now I just carry my reusable bottle to fill in the drinking fountains, my wallet, and just a few other things.

How to spot VEGAN meals at Disney?

In all the menus from restaurants at the parks, you will find the green leaf label that’s next to a plant-based item. That label means the specified item doesn’t contain animal meat, eggs, dairy, or honey. If you have any questions, you can ask whoever works at the restaurant. For instance, I asked if fries were cooked in the same fryer as other foods that aren’t plant-based. It might not be a problem for someone who’s on a plant-based diet only, but as a vegan I make sure animal products don’t touch my food (and gluten products as well, as I’m a celiac). They told me they did it separately, and I actually could spot the individual fryer all over from the counter, as the view to the kitchen was open. I asked the same question in a different restaurant, regarding how the Impossible Burger was cooked (also separately).

Some examples of plant-based foods at Disney World are Chili-Impossible Burger (Impossible Burger topped with Chilli, grilled mushroom, lettuce, tomato, and served on Kaiser bun with French fries) at the Plaza Restaurant in Magic Kingdom, or the Vegan Fish and Chips in Rose & Crown Pub in the UK section in Epcot.

Another thing that’s worked for me is using the Disney World app. I didn’t find a way to filter restaurants by their plant-based options, but you can find details within each restaurant’s profile and find the plant-based category to choose your meal. You can find the restaurant in the map and plan accordingly. What I did was visit the Vegan Disney World blog that has a list of all the plant-based options in every park, so I could plan beforehand. I chose the park I was interested in, and then the price range, as it has information on snacks, coffee carts, quick service, and table service restaurants. Then, I looked it up in the app, so I knew where the chosen restaurant was in relation to the rides.

Also, regarding sustainability, I found a water refill station at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Magic Kingdom (those Elkay filtered water bottle station you usually see in airports), but I didn’t see it anywhere else. While walking and moving around the park, I refilled my reusable water bottle in the regular water fountains that are often found near restrooms. It’s a tricky thing, but it can be done, and it’s a great way of staying hydrated–especially considering how hot it is in Florida and how many hours you spend under the sun–while avoiding single-use plastics.

What has Disney been doing to be more sustainable

In 2019, Disney brought a 270-acre 50-megawatt solar facility to Walt Disney World to generate enough power to operate two of four theme parks in Orlando each year.

Disney has also eliminated single-use plastic straws and stirrers worldwide, which means a reduction of 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers each year. Their hotels and cruise ships are transitioning to refillable in-room amenities, which reduces plastic in guest rooms by 80%. This is a positive initiative to reduce single-use plastics, but straws and stirrers should just be the beginning. As I mentioned before, adding more water bottle refill stations would help significantly decrease plastic bottle consumption at the parks, as just one example of what could be done.

In addition, they have made efforts to conserve fuel, like running the steam trains and riverboats in California on biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil, keeping their water consumption flat (saving more than 300 million gallons of water from 2013 to 2019), establishing recycling and reuse programs on set (Walt Disney Studios), and investing in nature-based climate solutions that provide habitats for animals and resources for local communities.

This company has also committed long-term to achieve net-zero emissions for their direct operations by 2030, which means reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by building more sustainably, investing in more efficient technologies and processes, replacing high-carbon energy sources with lower-carbon, investing in emission reductions from projects that promote environmental conservation.

Have you tried plant-based meals at Disney World? Let me know in the comments below!

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Hi, I’m Melina,

I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.

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