What is a trip to a fun theme park without food? Boring is what it is. Part of the nostalgia of heading to amusement parks are all the fun foods that you will consume that day. Each food provides a memory.
As a mom of a child with severe food allergies, there is a whole other side of travel and food. I always plan food ahead of the trip, because if my son can’t eat, we can’t go. Packing foods (albeit the best bet) is such a bore for both him and me, as we just want to have a fun, relaxing day and join in with everyone, but food allergies certainly are limiting.
Guess what? Kings Island provided allergen friendly dining and its not just for my kid, it’s for so many people with so many food allergies. Lavishly live travel out loud and learn about Kings Island All Day Dining Plan & Allergen Friendly Dining.
Kings Island All Day Dining Plan & Allergen Friendly Dining
I am a food and travel writer and I seek out destinations that are allergen friendly and offer great deals for families while they are traveling and what I discovered at Kings Island is amazing and something that we have looked at before in other attraction parks. The trend is growing, but Kings Island gets bonus points for the allergen friendly side of things.
Before We Got To Kings Island
My life is all about the footwork before we get to a destination and indulge in the experience. Thankfully I am very Type A and I am a planner so trying to elicit responses from establishments about allergen friendly dining is just a normal part of my life that does not send me over the edge.
I simply called the Customer Service department at Kings Island and spoke with someone who then referred me to Adam and Chef Nate. That’s right, I spoke right to Chef Nate of Kings Island and we talked food, and allergen friendly dining and what I learned just makes me smile from ear-to-ear and it had my son smiling the whole day as well.
Kings Island Is Allergen Friendly
Guess what? For anyone allergic to nuts, fish, latex, honey, peanut oil, and gluten, Kings Island is ready for you. Kings Island is allergen friendly and each food booth has the appropriate signage, trained employees and someone to whom they can reach out to and find answers.
This should help every person out there with food allergies of any sort who wants to travel to a park, but can’t because food is always an issue. In fact, this may be the largest treat you can give to yourself. Toss out the brown bag and head on into Kings Island, because allergen friendly dining is available.
I will again preface this point: Always announce your allergies, always inquire about your personal food allergies, as my experience is based on my son’s allergies and the questions I asked, not everyone has the same allergies and not everyone may have the same experience.
Verified By Employees
What I love the most about the park is the fact that other than 2 eating establishments their oil is soy-based (and not only did Chef Nate provide that info, but one of the employees in Soak City told me ) — So we simply avoided those to places for dining. Additionally, no latex is used in the park, so we did not worry about latex gloves and we knew what foods to avoid on the latex list.
As a bonus, there were a few places that the fries were in dedicated fryers so my son could enjoy them and there was no honey in ingredients.
Hot Dogs, Subway, LaRosa’s Pizza and Breadsticks, all were on the dining menu for my youngest and he smiled every time he went in line. At one location, he did ask about allergen-friendly dining, and I don’t remember why. And this is what happened…
Meet James. James put the chips on the counter to be very sure just what my son could have. I mean, outstanding service and allergen friendly, nothing could make this mom happier.
All Day Dining Plan
Let’s do the math and figure out if the plan is worth it? I can tell you this, I am biased to the All Day Dining Plan so it is worth it and I don’t even need to do the math, but I will give you an overview.
2 teenage boys are in an amusement park for 10+ HOURS, they are walking, riding, and playing all day long, and hunger sets in. While I am not going to say it is expensive to eat in the park ( because it is actually priced the same as all parks we have ventured to from Disney to Busch Gardens) I will say that the plan pays for itself after they eat 2 times. I assure you, teens eat more than 2 times in 10 hours so get the plan.
Buy the All Day Dining Plan
The plan is only $29.99 and a meal can cost about $15, so you see the math is pretty easy to figure out. However, with teens, you know that they are going to eat more than 2x while in the park, and mine did, so the plan is just priceless.
What You Need To Know About All Day Dining
The best place to buy the All Day Dining is online. Once you get to the park, you will trade it in for the vouchers and then at your first eating encounter, you will get your wristband. The bands must go on your arms, are not transferable and will pay for themselves after 2 meal purchases ( I assure you as I looked at the pricing announcements in the park).
Leave the credit card at home, you won’t need your credit card, all you need is your wrist. The band has your meal plan and it is set for the day, easy peasy.
The wristband is always with you so that is a plus and you won’t need your wallet.
While the drink cup has nothing to do with the All Day Dining Plan….
I do suggest purchasing the souvenir beverage cup as well (online as it is only $11) because drinks are not part of any meal, dining plan or non-dining plan, they are separate. The cup refills FREE the first day you use it and if you bring it back, it’s only a $1 a refill (bargain!)
All Day Dining
You won’t need your wallet each time it’s time to eat because your band is paid for ahead of time. You can eat at so many different locations and instead of being barraged by too many choices, each location has meals set for the All Day Dining Plan.
Another bonus is that ‘MOM or DAD does not have to be the one heading to the line all the time. Once those bands are on, and the kids are at the pool, on the slides, or in their groups, they just order. They don’t need to come and get you to go in line so you can relax a bit more as well!
We ate in Coconut Cove Café in Soak City, the kids chose fries and chicken tenders, the other chose pizza, so they both had their happy face on.
At a different stop, they grabbed Subway and here they enjoyed, 6″ inch subs with a bag of chips. And yet another stop, at the Rivertown Hotdog, had them dining on foot-longs and chips.
You can eat every 90 minutes, and the band must be on your wrist. The associate at each food location will scan the band and that logs your food purchase. We had no issues all day, and the kids ate when they were ready. The food was delicious at every stop and they were well fed.
The choices are plentiful for dining and no matter what area of the park you are in, SOAK CITY, or the Amusement Parkside, you will find a food you love. LaRosa’s is so popular that it is in 2 locations, as is Subway, so you are sure to find what you like.
An Honorable Mention
I found myself Starbucks and a beautiful building it is. I was happy to make this find right on International Street when I walked in as it was the perfect way to start the day and the perfect way for me to end my day.
A cute story
My kids spent a lot of time at the PipeLine in the water-park side and they became friends with one of the kids there. He lives close by, holds a season pass, and has an All Season Dining Pass that he uses each night. He explained to them that he has tried every meal that is offered and that he really loves the park. I can only imagine if we lived that close to Kings Island that I would never see my kids for dinner again, lol!
Making It Easy
We did not have to pack our food, tote a cooler or worry about cross contamination. Kings Island Amusement Park really is impressive and well-organized. I know that may sound funny to you, but I have worked with many different venues, large and small and not all have it together. The fact that the park has great food offerings, All Day Dining packages, beverage packages and is allergen friendly is a large “make me want to come back factor.”
Remember, check the website for information, call and ask customer service and learn before you go. No one has the same food allergies, so inquiring is the first part of the trip and then communicating. My trip and my information are based on my experience as we were guests of Kings Island and I made my own inquiries.
Lavishly live travel out loud, indulge in delicious, allergen-friendly food while taking in a great destination. Are you ready to treat yourself to Kings Island All Day Dining Plan & Allergen Friendly Dining?
