Did Someone Say Ice Cream??

So it’s no secret that A.) I am an obvious Disney Foodie, and B.) For a lactose-intolerant girl, I LOVE some good ice cream. Before I fully explain what this post will be about, I would like to say that many Disney ice cream locations do have lactose-free ice cream. I am just the kind of person that decides if I’m gunna go for ice cream, my stomach can just curse me later. That being said, I was going through old photos from my program (something I probably do often enough that it could be considered unhealthy) and I realized just how much I really do love ice cream. Not only do I have a million pictures of all the ice creams I consumed while during my program, but I realized just how many different places I had it from. That’s when I started rating my ice cream experiences. I realized Disney has so many ice cream parlors with so many different flavors and offerings. Then being the good Disney samaritan I am, thought of the brilliant idea that I should condense some of my favorite ice cream spots into one post for all the other ice cream Disney lovers out there. So here are some mouth-watering, ice cream induced coma pictures to go along with some great spots on hot days (or cold ones, we New Englanders don’t let the cold get in the way of our ice cream).

5. Ample Hills Creamery

Located on Disney’s Boardwalk, Ample Hills Creamery is a very different kind of ice cream experience. Their flavors are unique and definitely full of sweet deliciousness! Each flavor has its own clever name and all are homemade right in the store! Talk about fresh! Just to give you a quick highlight of some of their more outrageous selections, they have flavors such as Malty Salty Pretzel Punch, Sally Sells Seashells, and Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. My personal favorite (shown below) is Peppermint Patty! Imagine peppermint ice cream with GIANT chunks of homemade peppermint patties in it! Did I also mention they have crazy cone flavors too? The beautiful cone shown below was chocolate cookie flavored! Other flavors include Pretzel, Chocolate Chip, Cake, and M&M! If you’re looking for something totally new, I highly recommend checking this place out!

4. Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

Now time for some classic favorites. Picture yourself walking down Main Street USA or maybe you’re waiting for the fireworks or a castle show to start. Suddenly all the sweet scents of Main Street fill your nose and you realize, wow, I need something sweet to fill this craving. Now you could go down to the Bakery because you can’t go wrong with a candy apple, but maybe you’re looking for something cooler. Whether it’s cold or hot, the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is always open to sell delectable ice cream creations. As you will see from my pictures below, I was a frequent visitor of the Ice Cream Parlor during my time in the program!

Now looking at the first image on the far left, that bad boy is known as the All American Sundae and it is my personal favorite at the Parlor! You’ll learn very fast in this post that I have a slight obsession with peanut butter drizzle and hot fudge (who doesn’t?, except of course those poor souls allergic to peanut butter). This sundae specifically is chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with both peanut butter and hot fudge. On top of that is whipped cream, peanut butter and chocolate chips with of course a cherry to truly top it off!

The middle picture is something you might need a friend to help finish. The ice cream cookie sandwich is two heavenly freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with your choice of ice cream in between! I picked mint chocolate chip and it was an amazingly good combo! Half way through I did start feeling a little sick because it’s A LOT of sweetness. But hey if you can finish it all, good on ya! Calories don’t count in Disney anyways. Just don’t get sick and blame me.

Lastly, on the far right is a morning specialty. Say you’re in the parks in the morning and don’t feel like walking to Liberty Square for a waffle or you’re just not feeling Mickey waffles today. What better way to start the morning off than with a sugar rush thanks to a breakfast sundae? Yes. I said it, a breakfast sundae. This is something I only got once and split with my two roommates because it can be a little too much sugar first thing in the morning, but we obviously had to try it. This sundae starts off with a pool of apple pie filling in your bowl and a good ol donut plucked right in the middle of it. On top of that is a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (with chocolate Mickey ears of course), the usual hot fudge and peanut butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips, whipped cream, and a cherry. Crazy right!? Crazy delicious is more like it!

3. L’Artisan des Glaces

Nestled in the back of the France Pavilion in Epcot, is a frozen dessert shop known as L’Artisan des Glaces. This shop offers a variety of goodies ranging from ice cream to sorbet. Their flavors tend to interchange seasonally with some continuous top choices. When it comes to just getting scoops of ice cream you can pick between one scoop or two. If you pick two you are also given the option of picking two different flavors for the two different scoops. My go to choices were always Cinnamon with Caramelized Pecan and Cinnamon with Caramelized Apple and Crumble Crunch. Both were heavenly and complemented each other nicely!

The other specialty I got was the macaron! You are given the option of either a chocolate or seasonal flavored macaron with your choice of ice cream in between. Chocolate with chocolate was my top pick! The fake newspaper they wrap it in too is so cool!

2. Ghirardelli

I swear my heart flutters a little bit just thinking about this ice cream shop. Wow. Just wow. Who doesn’t love Ghirardelli chocolate? How about using their chocolate in AMAZING sundaes. It is life changing. As you can see by my images below, I got sundaes here an unhealthy amount of times. Every time I went I got the exact same thing too because it was just too good to mix it up.

Located in Disney Springs, the Ghirardelli shop is home to delicious free samples and a store on one, with an ice cream parlor on the other! The line can look crazy because everyone wants one of these delicacies, but don’t worry I never had to wait long even when the place looked packed! Now the delicious sundae that kept me coming back for more is called the Ocean Beach Sea Salt Caramel Sundae. It is a bottom layer of Ghirardelli Hot Fudge (smooth chocolatey heaven in your mouth), vanilla ice cream with layers of caramel in between each scoop, more hot fudge, then whipped cream topped with caramel and sea salt. Then to add an even extra sweetness, most sundaes come with a Milk Chocolate Ghirardelli Square! This sundae would always leave me feeling sickly sweet inside because I would end up eating the entire thing myself every time. I would remind myself at the beginning how sick I always get, but does it stop me? NOPE. Try it.

1. Beaches & Cream

Now it is time. Drum Roll Please. For my. All. Time. FAVORITE. Ice Cream location in Disney. Many have not heard of this adorable little hole in the wall nestled at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, but it is always full of satisfied guests. Beaches & Cream is a 50s/60s looking tiny diner near the Beach Club pool. Guests can either sit in for dinner and dessert or grab some ice cream to go from the take out line. Of course their burgers are savory, but I’m here to talk about their dessert.

Now let’s start things off with my all-time personal Disney favorite sundae before we dive into the heavy stuff. The picture on the left below shows the glorious to-go form of the No Way Jose Sundae! The No Way Jose starts with your choice of ice cream (always go for chocolate or vanilla with this one, they’re a good neutral base for the topping flavors), topped with the biggest amount of my two favorite toppings, chocolate and peanut butter fudge. To top things off we get a heaping dose of whipped cream along with chocolate and peanut butter chips. Clearly now you see my passion for all things peanut butter and chocolate fudge. I have an addiction guys. I can’t help it. Once again this is a sundae a small girl like me will finish all by myself in one sitting. I think it’s called No Way Jose because that’s what most people say when I tell them I will eat the whole thing myself. I have no shame.

SECOND, on the right hand side is something you will definitely need a group of friends to help accomplish. It’s a great bonding exercise to do when you first meet your roommates (I suggest making a reservation your first or second night after move in). This beauty is known as the Kitchen Sink! The Kitchen Sink can feed around 6 hungry college girls and comes in two overall flavors. There is the normal kitchen sink or the all chocolate version which we got below! It all starts with sirens going off in the restaurant and your server bring the Sink to your table. The server then explains to the room that this sundae contains a scoop of every flavor of ice cream, almost every topping they have, AND a whole can of whipped cream (a whole can!?). You’ll understand that reference later. Either way it is a GREAT WAY to boost your excitement and bond with your roommates at the beginning of the program!

Well that’s all folks! Now you all know that I don’t take my ice cream selections lightly and I clearly spent too much money on Disney sundaes, but hey that’s what spare time is for in the parks right!? ANYWAYS, I hope this made your sweet tooth tingle and has you craving some frozen delights. Enjoy!