Type 2 Diabetes & Dessert Parties

[Dizjunkieee]

Hello,

I realize that sounds rediculous, but I am taking my Dad who will turn 74 years young (but looks and acts like a 55 year old) for his first ever WDW trip in March. We would like to attend the Ferrytale Wishes Dessert Party and I wonder if anyone knows if they ever do anything special for those like my Dad who really can only have one or two small bites of sweets (he is not insulin dependent and controls his sugars with diet and exercise) I know they do have a platter with cheeses and such that he can enjoy, but was curious if they ever do anything like make a special plate for those in his situation (if told in advance obviously). I know WDW restaurants are great about those kinds of things, but since I don't personally deal with any special request needs, I am unsure what, if anything, they would do for him.

TIA,
Kelly

 

[gap2368]

I think I replayed to your other post about this

I do not like desserts ( ok very limited cholcolet chip cookies, when I told them this they said we can see what we can do, and they had a plate of cookies for me)

now with this said I am not sure if they did this just as a pixie dust thing ( it was my Bday when I did this) or if they can do something if you let them know in advance, but if you do ask the worst is they will say they can not

a few things to think about is that carbs raise BG not just sugar so one cookie and a cup of fruit mightt have the same number of carbs ( and no your body dose not know one kids of carbs is better then the other one)

since he is diet exercise he may be able to have more carbs at Disney with all the walking and be able to enjoy a treat at the end of the night.

I think they do have cheese ( low carb) there that he could have.

disney dose not give out carb count on things but you can down lead calorie king and see how many carbs are on different food like a cup of grapes is about 27 carbs.

 

[Dizjunkieee]

I think I replayed to your other post about this

I do not like desserts ( ok very limited cholcolet chip cookies, when I told them this they said we can see what we can do, and they had a plate of cookies for me)

now with this said I am not sure if they did this just as a pixie dust thing ( it was my Bday when I did this) or if they can do something if you let them know in advance, but if you do ask the worst is they will say they can not

a few things to think about is that carbs raise BG not just sugar so one cookie and a cup of fruit mightt have the same number of carbs ( and no your body dose not know one kids of carbs is better then the other one)

since he is diet exercise he may be able to have more carbs at Disney with all the walking and be able to enjoy a treat at the end of the night.

I think they do have cheese ( low carb) there that he could have.

disney dose not give out carb count on things but you can down lead calorie king and see how many carbs are on different food like a cup of grapes is about 27 carbs.

You did reply earlier - so thank you for that & for the reply here too! Another individual indicated I might have more folks in the know if I posted here, so figured I'd give it a go. Others also indicated they were able to enjoy more carbs whilst visiting the "World" due to all the walking so it will be interesting to see what effect it has on him. I plan to carry some sort of high sugar item with me at all times just in case of a low sugar moment. He has had them, but only rarely and nothing that required medical attention, but better safe than sorry I say.

Thanks again!
-Kelly

 

[lanejudy]

We haven't done a dessert party so this is a more general response.

WDW doesn't really do much for "diabetic friendly desserts" at their restaurants. They may offer fruit if pressed for something off-menu. T1D or T2D who use insulin may be able to eat regular desserts and adjust the insulin dose. T2D on oral meds or diet/exercise may find desserts more challenging in that the carbs in desserts can really throw things out of whack. But with all the extra walking and exercise of a day in the parks, sugars may be low enough to "splurge" on a small dessert without worry. Does your dad test throughout the day? I suggest he bring at least double (if not triple) his usual testing supplies and test frequently. He may find he needs more snacks than usual to counter all the walking.

Hopefully someone who has done a dessert party can comment about their experience. I have read of a cheese platter, not sure if they would prepare one just for him or that may be what he chooses off the buffet.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[gap2368]

You did reply earlier - so thank you for that & for the reply here too! Another individual indicated I might have more folks in the know if I posted here, so figured I'd give it a go. Others also indicated they were able to enjoy more carbs whilst visiting the "World" due to all the walking so it will be interesting to see what effect it has on him. I plan to carry some sort of high sugar item with me at all times just in case of a low sugar moment. He has had them, but only rarely and nothing that required medical attention, but better safe than sorry I say.

Thanks again!
-Kelly

Yes make sure you bring something in case he goes low. Disney has things too like cokes candies. But yes he needs to check his BG more times at Disney if he has a limited number of strips you can get a cheep netter at Walmart for around $15 and 50 strips for around $10 I think it is called Rolion

 

[Dizjunkieee]

Yes make sure you bring something in case he goes low. Disney has things too like cokes candies. But yes he needs to check his BG more times at Disney if he has a limited number of strips you can get a cheep netter at Walmart for around $15 and 50 strips for around $10 I think it is called Rolion

Wonderful! Thanks again for all your kind assistance!!!

 

[mamabunny]

From this page on Disney's site:

Contact Us with Additional Questions
For other questions related to food allergies and other special dietary needs and requests, contact us at Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com. Our team will assist you in navigating the dining process.​

 

[Selket]

We did the Jingle Bam dessert party back in December (at DHS) and I'm just going to make a guess that if you ask to speak to a chef they will pull something together for you. Contact them in advance if you can. My son has allergies and they were well prepared for that and brought out his own box of desserts. He also has type 1 diabetes but the differences between that and type 2 are quite a bit (he ate dessert - they were NOT low carb or low sugar and bolused). They might provide some of their no sugar desserts but those (in the past - I haven't looked lately) are usually high carb and I'm not sure how they affect the blood sugar of a type 2. We did see a good bit of savory items and I wish I could remember them all (a kale type salad and I think meatballs).

 

[Dizjunkieee]

From this page on Disney's site:

Contact Us with Additional Questions
For other questions related to food allergies and other special dietary needs and requests, contact us at Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com. Our team will assist you in navigating the dining process.​

Thank you for this...I went ahead and sent an email inquiring!

 

[Dizjunkieee]

We did the Jingle Bam dessert party back in December (at DHS) and I'm just going to make a guess that if you ask to speak to a chef they will pull something together for you. Contact them in advance if you can. My son has allergies and they were well prepared for that and brought out his own box of desserts. He also has type 1 diabetes but the differences between that and type 2 are quite a bit (he ate dessert - they were NOT low carb or low sugar and bolused). They might provide some of their no sugar desserts but those (in the past - I haven't looked lately) are usually high carb and I'm not sure how they affect the blood sugar of a type 2. We did see a good bit of savory items and I wish I could remember them all (a kale type salad and I think meatballs).

Good info - thank you! We are thinking about the Ferrytale Wishes DP and I know they have a cheese platter, but it would be nice if there were something else they might do for him. We shall see. So glad it worked out so well for your son!

 

[Sadie22]

What it's important to understand is that those of us with Type 2 need to sample the goodies rather than stuff ourselves. So a couple of bites of this and this and this rather than whole servings. Savor the first bite, enjoy the company and the scenery and the show rather than mechanically cleaning a plate filled with high-calorie, high-carbohydrate, high-fat items. The cheese will blunt the effect of the carbohydrates somewhat. All washed down with plenty of water. It's all a matter of balance and guesswork with unknown quantities. DH and I attended a dessert party on our last trip. I remember the goodies being on the small side which made it easier, but we shared. We also walked back to the Contemporary afterward, if I remember correctly.

 

[Dream Finder]

I'll chime in here - we have done several dessert parties with one of our party being diabetic.
1) contact special diets by e-mail about 10 days before the party (see mamabunny's post).
...if you haven't heard from them, you can contact them again a couple of days before.
2) usually the special diet team will contact you and see what your needs are (do you need no-sugar-added? can you eat fruit?)
3) inform the host(ess) when you check in that you have a special diet request
4) They will bring you a special plate or box which has been reserved for you

I will tell you that some of the parties will serve the no-sugar-added sorbet which is amazing. We have been told that the chefs will actually snack on this because it is so good.
At the Wishes Dessert Party, that's what DH got - 2 flavors of sorbet, some additional fruit and some no-sugar-added cake or cookie (can't remember which)
At our most recent - the Jingle BAM party, we had a box of treats made in little jars. I think there was a carrot cake and apple pie (again - my memory is fuzzy)

We found that having some safer options kept DH from cheating too much on the rest of the desserts.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

Hello,

I realize that sounds rediculous, but I am taking my Dad who will turn 74 years young (but looks and acts like a 55 year old) for his first ever WDW trip in March. We would like to attend the Ferrytale Wishes Dessert Party and I wonder if anyone knows if they ever do anything special for those like my Dad who really can only have one or two small bites of sweets (he is not insulin dependent and controls his sugars with diet and exercise) I know they do have a platter with cheeses and such that he can enjoy, but was curious if they ever do anything like make a special plate for those in his situation (if told in advance obviously). I know WDW restaurants are great about those kinds of things, but since I don't personally deal with any special request needs, I am unsure what, if anything, they would do for him.

TIA,
Kelly

Is he on metformin? I bet his doctor would say he could indulge that once if he doubles up his meformin (if he's even taking it).

 

[Sadie22]

I have never ever heard of a doctor giving advice like that.

I always recommend education by a certified diabetes educator and CDE nutritionist. Medicare allows at least a couple sessions a year for refresher education according to what I read as I'm not on Medicare.

The problem with asking special diets for help is that what is provided is not necessarily good for anyone. No-sugar-added desserts may have more calories, fat, and carbohydrates than the normally-prepared version. If not, they can have sugar alcohols which act as a laxative.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

I have never ever heard of a doctor giving advice like that.

I always recommend education by a certified diabetes educator and CDE nutritionist. Medicare allows at least a couple sessions a year for refresher education according to what I read as I'm not on Medicare.

The problem with asking special diets for help is that what is provided is not necessarily good for anyone. No-sugar-added desserts may have more calories, fat, and carbohydrates than the normally-prepared version. If not, they can have sugar alcohols which act as a laxative.

My mother was given that advice by her MD. I suppose it depends on how under control your diabetes is. Or the MD was wrong, it wouldn't be a first.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I have been to a few of the dessert parties and I have had gastric surgery, so I eat little to no sweets. I am not familiar with the Fairytale party you are talking about, but sometimes the rest of the perks make up for not eating much of the food. I did the Star Wars dessert party last year at DHS, and I ate very little, but the short lines to meet the characters, the Chewabacca mug, and reserved area for the fireworks, and the beverages made the price tag worth it for me.