Tag Archives: Citrus Swirl

Disney World Snack Check

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Over the past year, some of my favorite Disney World snacks have disappeared.  Now I find I’m challenged with finding acceptable replacements.  Remember how enamored I was with the Roasted Pork Shank in Gaston’s Tavern?  Gone.  Remember the glorious Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle in Sleepy Hollow?  Also gone.  How about that amazing Jalapeno Cheese Stuffed Pretzel I enjoyed so much at Animal Kingdom?  You guessed it…gone.  While I’ve never been a fan, even the quintessential Disney Turkey Leg is becoming so scarce, fans will surely be disappointed if/when those legs are permanently off the menu.

Disney World Snack Check

Not one to dwell on what I cannot change, I propose we focus on future Disney World visits and devise a plan for snacking necessities.  I’m open to suggestions.  If you have a favorite snack that is not on this list, please don’t hold back!  Let me know where I can find it and what you love about it.  In the meantime, here are the snacks I’ve got left (at least as far as I know right now) and where I’m planning to eat them:Churro-DHS

Churro –  Snack Cart in Frontierland / Magic Kingdom (if you need to know why this is the perfect treat, check here) – otherwise, you’re probably a fan like me and you know the comfort and perfection of this snack’s crunchy-chewy delectableness.Citrus-Swirl

Citrus Swirl – Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland / Magic Kingdom – Another snack I can and have waxed poetic about.  I’m picturing myself enjoying one of these during the late afternoon after taking a ride on either Jungle Cruise or Pirates.  Adventure makes me hungry and a Citrus Swirl will get me through to supper time without spoiling my appetite.Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar

Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar – Animal Kingdom.  Sure, I know you can get these in any park (and I do love them in Epcot), but Animal Kingdom is HOT!  I need ice cream here most of all.  It has a certain brunch-time appeal to me.Starring Rolls / Red Velvet Cupcake

Something Cake-ish – No visit to the Studios would be complete without at least a bite or two of either a cupcake or a Carrot Cake Cookie.  Both of those options are too much for me to eat on my own (too much sweetness), but sharing works out great!  I prefer mine early in the day and I don’t care if my cupcake is Butterfinger or Red Velvet since both are heavenly.  I’ve been buying my cupcakes at Starring Rolls and my cookie at The Writer’s Stop.  With all the changes going on at the Studios, there’s no telling when those locations and their offerings may change.  This will be top priority on my next visit in a few weeks.RM-Epcot-Italy-Gelato-Espresso

Croissant Donut? Chocolate Croissant? Espresso Gelato “Affogato”? All three excellent snacks have been available in Epcot.  I’ll be there during Food & Wine so I’m not sure I’ll have the time or intestinal fortitude to get to any of these on my next visit, but all are solid snack choices in my opinion and all are also great for sharing.

What do I need to add to the lineup?  Egg roll? Fudge? School Bread maybe?  What are your favorite Disney snacks? Have any of your go-to snacks disappeared?

 

 

 

Disney World Stuff I’m Never Going to Like

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Being a serious Disney fan does not mean you have to automatically love each and every aspect of all things Disney.  I can (and often do) wax poetic about Walt Disney World and why it’s my favorite vacation destination, but that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the existence of some things I don’t care for.  There aren’t many, really, only a handful.  Some of you will be huge fans of some of the items on this list and most likely will find fault with some of my favorite things in return.  For the sake of discussion, though, I invite you to consider what tops your own list of…

Disney World Stuff I’m Never Going to Like

Remember when I made this list of attractions I could live without?  Well, consider this sort of an addendum to that first look at this other side of Disney World fandom.Scan-Magic-Band-to-Board-Disney's-Magical-Express

Magic Bands should know more – I’m not going to lie here – I am crazy about the ease and convenience of Magic Bands when they work properly.  Hello!  Room key, park ticket, FastPass, charging feature – all are fabulous to me.  Now I want them to know I’m all of the following:  Annual Passholder, DVC member, and Tables in Wonderland user.  How can this not be working already?  I hate to think that Disney wouldn’t automatically want to apply appropriate discounts by maybe hoping we’ll forget we’re eligible? If attractions like It’s a Small World can know my name by my Magic Band, when I scan my band at a checkout counter, it should know I’m due a discount.Winnie-the-Pooh-attraction-sign

Mr. Toad is living on the West Coast – I finally forgave poor Winnie the Pooh for taking over the real estate and I refuse to be a perpetual whiner about this, but I will freely admit I miss Toad and his darkest of dark rides.  I’m seriously working out a plan to visit him in California in the not too distant future.Pineapple Dole Whip

I wanted to like Dole Whips but I don’t – Again, no secret here.  Bazillions of people adore these pineappley (made that up) frozen treats.  I wanted to belong…I wanted to be one of those uber-fans.  Alas (if ever there were an opportunity to say “alas” this is it!), it was not meant to be.  On the bright side, turns out I’m a Citrus Swirl Girl!!!!  And that makes me happy.Epcot in Summer

Future World in 2016 – If you never knew what it once was, you could kinda overlook what it is today…but I do remember and I long for a much more meaningful, interactive, edutainment-filled Future World.  WHY can we not have this again?  Oh, I know…Disney’s spread thin right now with so many projects over in Animal Kingdom and the Studios.  Which brings me to the next item on the list…RM-Animal-Kingdom-Construction-Walls

The Castle Crane and Construction Walls – The crane (affectionately referred to by many, including myself, as Frasier) is a necessary evil when the Christmas lights go on and come back off of Cinderella Castle.  I’m always a little heartbroken for first-timers who cannot get a crane-free Castle photo.  I know the why, but I don’t have to like it.  Likewise with construction walls.  They’re inevitable for progress to take place and sometimes, those clever Imagineers make the walls a bit entertaining…but they obstruct, impede, and diminish.  I’m never going to like them, but accept their necessity and am excited by all the new attractions I’ll get to enjoy.RM-Magic-Kingdom-Autumn

Reduction of Extra Magic Hours – If you haven’t noticed, there are fewer Extra Magic Hours than there used to be.  We’ve always been fans of the morning variety (our kids love late night EMHs) and can’t help feeling a little bit gypped by this once so useful perk being reduced.  Having been touted for many years as a real advantage of staying on property at Walt Disney World, the reduction in quantity of Extra Magic Hours strikes me as Extra Unfortunate for those of us who purchased our Disney Vacation Club memberships, in part, based on this early entry (or late night) advantage.

I know I’ve told readers not to whine at Walt Disney World, but I will be the first to give you permission to NOT love absolutely everything.  What tops your list of things you’re never going to like?

 

 

Disney Snack Favorite – Citrus Swirl

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Sunshine-Tree-TerraceEver since my ill-fated attempt to enjoy my one and only Dole Whip (yes, I know I’m weird), I’ve been looking for an acceptable new Disney sweet snack to try.  Enter the Citrus Swirl!

Last month on a warm and sunny December afternoon in Magic Kingdom, I found myself in Adventureland with some free time on my hands.  It was our last day of vacation and Raymond and I had decided to take things easy and savor every single moment.  We’d had breakfast at the Grand Floridian Café before heading to Magic Kingdom with no bigger plans than our three FastPasses – which were broken up by our lunch reservation at Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge.  (Begin flash-back sequence now….)Main-Street-USA-Crowds

Another great Disney day!  We started with Under the Sea: Voyage of the Little Mermaid which had a short stand-by wait.  Then we stopped in Fantasyland near Gaston’s Tavern to watch Gaston himself entertain a few guests with his hilarious ego-fuelled antics.  Then it was on to Mickey’s PhilharMagic before using our first FastPass for Pirates and our second for Jingle Cruise (gotta love that holiday overlay!).  Time for lunch, so we caught the boat to Wilderness Lodge.Magic-Kingdom-Boat-Dock-Selfie

I remember thinking over and over what perfect weather we were having and trying to stay in the moment.  The wind on the water was soft as our nearly empty boat took us to lunch.  Our experience at Whispering Canyon was great, but we skipped dessert.  By the time we returned to Magic Kingdom, it was just in time for our third FastPass and we flew right on to Space Mountain.Tomorrowland-Crowds

At this point, the crowds were definitely approaching an extreme level, but we weren’t ready to leave.  We waited longer than we ever had before to cruise Tomorrowland on the PeopleMover (worth the wait!) before slowly making our way to see those amazing Country Bears (you love them too, right?).  We could barely move for all the people crowding the walkways, but we still didn’t want to go.  That’s when Raymond said, “Wasn’t there something you wanted to eat in Adventureland?”Sunshine-Tree-Terrace-Menu

See?  This is why I married this man!  Citrus Swirl!  Yes, I wanted to taste a Citrus Swirl!  The line at Sunshine Tree Terrace was amazingly short.  In a few minutes I was madly trying to scarf down my snack as it rapidly melted in the sun.  Citrus-Swirl-MeltingThat’s when I got the idea that we could find some shade by seeing the Tiki Birds.  Bear in mind that it had been decades since we’d been in the Tiki Room.  I honestly didn’t realize that snacks are prohibited until it was too late – I am not advocating rule-breaking at all.  Please do not do this (no matter how happy you think it will make you)…Tiki-Room-Tiki

We waited in a very short line, caught the pre-show, made our way into the Tiki Room, and found our seats.  All the while I was calmly and openly snacking away on that Citrus Swirl – oh, the deliciousness!  Right about the time the show started and the announcer asked guests to refrain from eating and drinking…my paper cup was empty and I set it and my spoon aside to take with me and discard after the “concert”.  Tiki-Room-BirdsI enjoyed the birds, but I liked that Citrus Swirl more!  Me, born without a sweet tooth, hater of Dole Whip, in love with the perfect combination of creamy soft serve and tangy orange slush – worth every penny of its $3.79 price.

My first Citrus Swirl made me a fan – and I’ve got the memories of an amazing day to go with it.  In 30 days, I’ll be back at Disney World and I’ll be heading for Sunshine Tree Terrace.

How about you?  Have you tried a Citrus Swirl?  Are you a fan?