One of the things that the Imagineers want when you come to Walt Disney World is that they want your experience to be mostly homogenous.
But they also create unique experiences. So, ice cream from Hollywood Scoops on Sunset Boulevard may be a different experience from the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck in Animal Kingdom or the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain at Disney Springs.
Ice cream options that fit your specific taste can be found all over the complex, from fancier ice cream options in EPCOT’s World Showcase in the France Pavilion and the Italy Pavilion to old-timey ice cream soda shop options on the Disney BoardWalk or at Disney’s Beach Resort.
And overall, ice cream at Disney is certainly big business.
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What’s the best ice cream in the Magic Kingdom?
Let’s take a look at some of my personal favorites.
1. The Plaza Ice Cream Sundae
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Main Street USA
What’s better than a classic ice cream sundae?
This sundae has hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry served in a freshly made waffle bowl with two scoops of your choice of hand-scooped ice cream.
In my opinion, it’s the best thing on the menu and one of the best treats in the park. Sure, you can eat in the Plaza Restaurant, but my go-to is a hot dog from Casey’s and then walk across Main Street for ice cream.
2. All-American Sundae
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Main Street USA
Another offering at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, this old-fashioned vanilla and chocolate (or strawberry) ice cream sundae comes with hot fudge, peanut butter drizzle, whipped cream and a cherry.
3. Original Banana Split
Plaza Restaurant, Main Street USA
At the Plaza Restaurant – not the Parlor – you can get a delicious ripe banana and three hand-scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) topped with hot fudge, strawberry sauce, crushed pineapple, chopped nuts, whipped cream and cherry on top.
4. Brownie Sundae
Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies, Tomorrowland
This sundae features vanilla soft-serve ice cream served over a warm brownie with hot fudge or strawberry topping.
Also, the Parlor has a brownie sundae if you don’t feel like hiking into Tomorrowland.
5. Double-scooped Ice Cream Cone
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Main Street USA
Sometimes a couple of scoops in a cone is all you need.
Plaza Ice Cream flavors include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, cookies ‘n cream and no-sugar-added raspberry sorbet.
6. Dole Whip Orange Cup
Sunshine Tree Terrace, Adventureland
Look, we can’t go without any Dole Whip here.
You can get regular soft-serve ice cream at the Sunshine Tree Terrace, home of Orange Bird, but why would you? Dole Whip Orange is the most delicious of the Dole Whips and should not be passed up for vanilla, chocolate or swirled soft serve.
If Orange Dole Whip isn’t your thing, then we can allow the original Pineapple Dole Whip from Aloha Isle or the Pineapple Lanai at the Polynesian Resort as a substitute.
7. Rapunzel Sundae
Storybook Treats, Fantasyland
This new offering features a shortcake with wild berry soft-serve and Dole Whip Lemon topped with berry compote and sugar flowers.
The Snow White cone seems to be off the menu, at least for now.
8. Floats
Various locations
Floats are available at several of the Magic Kingdom restaurants including Epic Eats.
You can get vanilla, chocolate or swirl soft serve with your choice of Coca-Cola brand sodas or even blue Powerade. Floats are also available with a variety of Dole Whips in some locations.
Can you go with a traditional root beer float? Sure, but your ice cream float need not be bound by convention.
9. Dole Whip Pineapple Float
Aloha Isle, Adventureland
They’ve got more than Dole Whip at the Aloha Isle.
The Dole Whip Pineapple Float is a great option.
They also have the Tropical Serenade, which is a pineapple-orange-guava juice, coconut soft-serve served with an upside-down pineapple cake pop. This dessert feels like a Dole Whip treat but technically isn’t.
Also, they only have pineapple juice on the menu, but if you can get some of the POG juice with pineapple, orange and guava, do it. That’s the best juice drink I’ve ever had in my life.
10. I Lava You Float
Sunshine Tree Terrace, Adventureland
The I Lava You Float from the Sunshine Tree Terrace is just too much fun. It’s Fanta strawberry soda and passion fruit flavor served with Dole Whip Orange and topped with popping candy.
11. Aurora Cone
Storybook Treats, Fantasyland
Newly available from Storybook Treats in Fantasyland, this treat is Dole Whip Strawberry and blue soft-serve topped with white chocolate crisp pearls in a sugar cone.
I like it when food flavors are just described as the color. What flavor is the soft serve? It’s blue. It tastes like blue.
Why is ice cream so popular at Disney?
Have you had ice cream? It’s delicious. Also, it’s almost always hot in Florida. Since you’re walking everywhere, you can justify the calories.
Where at Magic Kingdom can you find hand-scooped ice cream?
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street is your go-to spot for old-timey, hand-scooped ice cream.
Can I get non-dairy ice cream in the Magic Kingdom?
Yes, although they don’t call it that.
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, for example, has “plant-based frozen desserts,” which is great for our family because my son has a dairy allergy. As a result, he’s often left chipping away at a frozen lemonade cup when the rest of the family gets ice cream treats.
Read Also: Is Disney Allergy Friendly? Tips, Where To Go From a Dad
Does the Magic Kingdom have soft serve?
Little known fact, the moat around Cinderella Castle was originally going to be filled with soft-serve ice cream, but it proved impractical.
I am kidding, of course. Still, the Magic Kingdom is kept afloat on a river of soft serve. Its soft-serve swirls from Tomorrowland to Adventureland and back again.
What about Dole Whip?
Dole Whip is technically soft-serve ice cream, but really it is its own thing. Magic Kingdom is a great place to find Dole Whip.
Read Also: Where To Get Dole Whip in the Magic Kingdom, 8 Best Flavors
Do I have to go to a restaurant to get ice cream in the Magic Kingdom?
Nope. There are stands – maybe dozens of ice cream carts – that sell frozen treats like Mickey ice cream, ice cream cookie sandwiches and frozen lemonade cups.
Why is my favorite ice cream no longer available?
Sometimes Disney works in mysterious ways. Is the Citrus Swirl off the Sunshine Terrace menu because it wasn’t doing well? Or is it a McRib kind of deal where Disney pulls it out of circulation for a bit and builds anticipation for the return?
You’re always going to be able to get vanilla ice cream in the park.
However, some items like the Peter Pan Float, the Snow White Dole Whip Cone and the Kitchen Sink Sundae are going to either be available for a limited time or come and go at seemingly random intervals. The My Disney Experience app is a good resource for finding the most up-to-date menus.
Do you have a favorite ice cream at the Magic Kingdom? If so, let us know in the comments.
