2. Character Dining – Win: Tusker House (Fail: The Garden Grill)

Vegans have to choose buffet experiences wisely since they get charged the same amount as meat eaters. Even if you’re not looking specifically for character dining, you can expect to get your full money’s worth at Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House.

The African-inspired buffet is rich with vegan options: tabbouleh, lentils, couscous, protein-rich salads, a wide range of seasoned vegetables, tofu, plantains, potatoes, and samosas. The chef will also make a special dessert for vegan visitors upon request.

Tusker House is an absolute must-visit for vegans and a great experience for kids as well. Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy regularly get children up and dancing, and the characters can prove hysterical when dealing with adults. Goofy (who we now call “The Luddite King”) had some fun at my husband’s expense after he caught him using his cell phone at dinner. Goofy does not approve of cell phones at dinner. Even for our band of introverts, it was a delightful experience.

FAIL: Chip n’ Dale’s Harvest Fest at The Garden Grill

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Garden Grill used to be one of our top recommendations for vegans visiting Epcot. On a trip in 2014, we were treated to heaping plates of roasted vegetables, crispy tofu, and other delights. As the flagship restaurant of The Land pavilion, The Garden Grill is still advertised in resort literature as a go-to hub for healthy, sustainable dining.

The utter disaster that was our last experience (as of February 2017) merits an article of its own, but the vegan/vegetarian option was so bad, it calls into question if there's any "Garden" left in the Garden Grill. Gone are the days of healthy, sustainable eating. The options served to us included passable sweet potato fries, substandard mashed potatoes, freezer-quality corn on the cob, and a mottled vegetable loaf worthy perhaps of Golden Corral but certainly not Disney… and to pour salt on the wound, this parade of store-bought starches cost the same as the full meat spread (which was not much better). We hope Disney will get the message and return to the restaurant’s healthy roots, but until then, we’ll be skipping this Epcot mainstay.

3. Signature Dining – Win: Jiko and The Flying Fish (Fail: Hollywood Brown Derby)

Image: Disney

Animal Kingdom Lodge’s signature restaurant, Jiko, remains one of our favorite dining experiences to date. They keep a separate menu for vegans with a variety of appetizers, entrees, and desserts to tempt your palette. The Egyptian Kushari, a rich dish of lentils, chickpeas, raisins, and vegetables over couscous, is one of our favorite dishes (vegan or not) at Walt Disney World.

Boardwalk’s Flying Fish Café has also stepped up to the plate as a contender for vegan dining. Not only do they maintain a regular vegetarian menu, but the chefs can also customize main menu items for vegan visitors. The key thing that earned Flying Fish a spot on our list was not just the remarkable food, which can include  roasted tofu and vegetable mélange, plancha-seared chanterelles, and a pickled watermelon stack, but where they really shine is how consistently they make vegan guests feel welcome. The chefs are engaged and eager to make sure you have an unforgettable dining experience, no matter your restrictions.

FAIL: The Hollywood Brown Derby

The Hollywood Brown Derby was one restaurant where our vegan and vegetarian party members felt less-than-welcome. This partly had to do with a somewhat clipped server, but the menu only had one option for vegans or vegetarians—vegetarian pho. For a location of such high reputation, this came as a disappointment.