I sometimes wonder why – in the land of delicious, cool and refreshing Dole Whip – would anyone go to the Disney turkey leg cart in 1,000-degree relative heat? Well, they are good, for starters. And man cannot live on Dole Whip alone. Also, some folks just enjoy going to Walt Disney World and ordering the biggest, saltiest, full of grams of fat and calories, heaviest piece of poultry known to man.
Where can I get a turkey leg at Magic Kingdom?
So where can I get one of these enormous turkey legs? As far as I can tell, three locations within the Disney Magic Kingdom sell the salty, fatty on-the-bone goodness. And they are relatively close to each other. In the past, turkey legs could be easier to find. There used to be a turkey leg food cart in Frontierland.
Also, the legs used to be sold at Tortuga Tavern by the Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland. But they are no longer listed on the menu there. Turkey legs used to be at Gaston’s Tavern. However, they are not listed on the menu anymore at this quick service station, either.
I suspect all of this is for supply chain reasons. It’s easier to stock two locations in Liberty Square and one location in Fantasyland than it is to be running smoked turkey legs all over the park. That said, I do recommend verifying the menu on the My Disney Experience app before making your turkey trot all around the park.
1. Prince Eric’s Village Market
In Fantasyland, the legs can be found at Prince Eric’s Village Market, across from Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. There, the leg will set you back $15.49. It also comes with a side of chips, which is good because you’ll want some more salt in your system after you munch one of these things down in 98-degree heat. I vote Disney should throw in a couple of soft drinks to wash all that salt down.
2. Liberty Square Market
At the Liberty Square Market, the turkey legs are $13.49 and available after 11 am, at the time of this writing. Here, you can also get snacks like the Mickey Pretzel, chips, gummy bears, fruit or a chocolate-chip cookie.
3. Sleepy Hollow
Also located in Liberty Square, turkey legs are the same price at the Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, but only available after 9 pm. It’s not clear if that’s just for the off-season or if that’s the case year-round.
How much is a turkey leg at Magic Kingdom?
Prices vary between $13.49-$15.49, depending on where you get it and whether or not it comes with chips. Prices are also subject to change.
Do the other Disney theme parks have turkey legs?
Sure. At EPCOT, you can find turkey legs at the Fife & Drum Tavern in the American Adventure Pavilion. You can also find them at The Smokehouse at House of Blues in Disney Springs. Hollywood Studios has been known to not have turkey legs.
Are the turkey legs at Disney really turkey?
If you are not a person who explores the wider internet, this question may come to you as something of a shock. Why would anyone ask the question at all? Are the iconic snacks originated by Big Al himself in the 1980s not made of turkey?
For the answer to that question, we must travel through time back to 2010. A time when internet rumor mongers whispered in the darkest corners of the web that the huge turkey legs were not harvested from turkeys. They were, according to the internet gossips, taken from emus or ostriches or velociraptors. The latter possibly resurrected from ancient DNA to provide tasty, leg meat to the unabashed carnivores roaming the Magic Kingdom, unwilling to sate their ravenous hunger with a Mickey Pretzel and Teriyaki Burger.
The urban legends reached a cacophonous roar when actor Zachery Levi, aka TV’s Chuck from the show “Chuck”, appeared on the Conan O’Brien show and declared that his inside sources in the labyrinth that is Disney foodservice swore to him that the famous jumbo turkey legs were not turkey at all. The public – known for its restraint in such situations – took the information and ran wild with it.
Of course, Disney officials have frequently debunked the rumors. But every so often, the rampant fires of wild speculation are flamed again. And some poor executive chef is forced to come out and explain to the world that just mere months earlier, that leg upon which you gnawed in the sweltering summer heat was away at some turkey farm somewhere, blissfully unaware of its inevitable march towards the gobbler gallows. Still, the questioning internet persists. Are they emu legs? Why are they so big?
Why are the turkey legs so big?
Well, it turns out that the internet doesn’t know as much about turkeys as they thought. Your typical Thanksgiving turkey is a hen, a female. Therefore, most of your perception of the relative size of turkey corpses and their legs comes from lady turkeys. The Disney turkey drumsticks come from the males, aka gobblers, which are considerably larger than the female turkeys. It’s all that turkey testosterone that makes them bad boys so large. Do male turkeys have testosterone? I don’t know. I’m not Googling it. If they don’t, I’m sure they have the turkey equivalent of testosterone.
Also, have you seen the size of an emu? They’re like six feet tall. You order an emu leg at some quick-service location and Disney fans would be walking around the park like Fred Flintstone and his brontosaurus burger. Your Walt Disney World vacation would look more like a visit to Jurassic Park.
Why do Disney turkey legs taste like ham?
But, if those legs are turkey, how come they taste like ham?I like this question. I like it a lot. It predisposes that emus or ostriches or whatever non-turkey animal Disney is using to make its alleged turkey legs taste like pork. Does emu taste like pork? I don’t think they do or we’d be eating a lot more emu – which I understand is quite healthy, unlike the Disney turkey. No, the reason Disney’s turkeys taste like ham is in the preparation. The turkey legs, like many hams, are soaked in a salt solution. You’re not tasting ham. You’re tasting salt.
Do the turkey legs at Disney taste good?
But are the turkey legs good? Hell yeah, they’re good. Weren’t you listening? Most people think they taste like pork shank. The pork shank is delicious. Also, Disney parks sell a billion turkey legs and have them at three locations within the Magic Kingdom. You don’t do that if they’re not good. It’s one of the best snacks in the park.
Is a turkey leg a healthy option?
Relative to what? Is a turkey leg healthier than a pile of corn dogs and jumbo Mickey waffles or anything they have at Casey’s Corner? Sure. It’s turkey meat, after all. But if we’re being honest, no. It’s not healthy at all. They’re full of fat and salt and liquid smoke. I can promise you this, Mickey Mouse didn’t make it to 93 years old eating giant turkey legs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Are you planning a trip to Disney soon? Remember to check Tripster for discounts as you make your vacation plans. What snacks do you get when you visit Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below.
