I have never shied away from a sweet treat, but, for most of my childhood, I didn’t think much about the snacks you could have at Walt Disney World. I knew about them and had many boxes of popcorn, but rarely expanded beyond this standard park treat. Since my wife Laura first went to Walt Disney World with me in 2006 I have learned to expand my pallet for sugary treats. Now I anticipate the wonderful treats that I can enjoy as I walk for miles around the parks. Waiting in line is a lot more fun with a tasty treat in my hand.
Here are my top five snacks and a couple of honorable mentions that you can enjoy at Walt Disney World:
Donuts: I would never have thought that donuts would be my best discovery on my last trip in 2014, but they were. Just outside of the main gates to Epcot at Joffrey’s is the world’s best and largest donut. Before entering Epcot one day, Laura was craving a coffee and she stopped at Joffrey’s. I never paid attention to this place. It was beside the Monorail and is easily ignored, but this time I actually looked at what they offered. What I saw amazed me. They have a donut that is as big as my head. My wife thinks I am exaggerating, but I know I’m right. I couldn’t not buy it and I was happy I did. It was delicious. I had never had a donut so big that consistently tasted so good. Every other visit we made to Epcot on this trip I always stopped at Joffrey’s and, to my shock, they didn’t always have donuts. According to the Cast Member, they get a certain amount for the day and when they run out, they are out for the day. This is definitely a limited time magical treat.
Minnie’s Bakery Cookies: From Mickey’s best gal these massive cookies are found throughout the Walt Disney World resort. Gigantic in size, they come in a variety of flavors. I particularly like the peanut butter kind because the cookie contains enormous chunks of peanut butter, which I love. All you have to do is look for the Minnie’s Bakery label and the massive cookie in a see-through package. They’re not hard to find. It’s too bad that when I ask family to bring me some back from their trips they can never find them. For the life of me I just can’t understand it; they are impossible to miss.
Giant Rice Krispie Treats: Anyone who has been to Walt Disney World has seen these treats. Whether they are in your resort store or on Main Street at Magic Kingdom you can sample a variety of rice krispie treats in various shapes. The sheer size of these massive snacks could feed a whole family. I personally love to stop at Main Street in Magic Kingdom and watch them be created at the Main Street Confectionary.
Popcorn: I always enjoyed the popcorn at any of the four theme parks in Walt Disney World. I always get a popcorn tub — they cost more than just getting a regular cardboard box but I splurge on them because I like having the souvenirs, especially ones I can reuse at home.
Ice Cream Bars: These are everywhere on Walt Disney World property. From your resort to the theme parks and back again you can’t walk twenty feet without buying an ice cream treat. I personally like the Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar and the Mickey’s Cookies’ N Cream Ice Cream Sandwich. They’re both great at providing the much-needed energy to spend many hours at the parks. I only hope that when I do go on a Disney Cruise they will still have the all you can eat ice cream sandwich option.
Honorable Mentions – The cream cheese pretzels that I found in Tomorrowland are especially delicious and fill the need for a full meal. The one problem is that if you don’t take your time and eat them while they’re hot, then they don’t taste as good. These snacks need you to take a moment, which you may not have.
Of course, you have to have at least one Dole Whip when visiting Walt Disney World. My wife is a huge fan of this Adventureland treat and has no problem waiting in line for it. I do, and will often go do something else while she is standing in the queue. I enjoy the Dole Whip, but would never go out of my way for it. It’s just not as easy to get as the other snacks I have listed.
You can spend hours in line for the best attraction in any park, but take a moment and indulge in the sweet treats that Walt Disney World offers.