As the temperatures at Disney World drop and the holidays approach, Magic Kingdom enters the best time of year. At least in our opinion. The Christmas décor, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and pleasant temperatures are just a few of the things that make this time of year special. One of the other things we love are the holiday treats and snacks at Magic Kingdom. While these have a more Christmas treat feel to them, they are actually available in early November all the way through early January.
Our guide to Holiday treats and snacks at Magic Kingdom is mostly a review, but we also hope it will be informative as well. We didn’t have a chance to eat every single Christmas treat at Magic Kingdom. However, we will review everything we had, including the good and not so good.
We did have Anna and Elsa with us, so we’ll provide their kid view on the snacks and desserts too! Oh, and we’ll tell you where you can get all these treats. If you want to go straight to our view on each Christmas snack and dessert, skip to the end of each section. We’ll give a verdict on each item we ordered. The things we like will be called “Nice,” and the things we didn’t like will be “Naughty”!
You’ll note that this holiday treat and snack guide is specific to Magic Kingdom. Epcot is the only park with other significant Christmas related snacks for sale, but we didn’t get to them (yet). That is all done via the Festival of the Holidays food booths. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom offer some specialty holiday food items in the parks, but they are not as extensive as the other two.
We’ve generally been more interested in the Christmas treats at Magic Kingdom, so we’ll start with those first. After that, we’ll turn our attention to the savory snacks and holiday specific drinks.
Before we get to the holiday treats, you should note that some items are served exclusively during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, while others can be enjoyed during regular operating hours, even on non-party days. We’ll denote that in the reviews below.
Holiday Treats at Magic Kingdom
Christmas Cookie Milkshake – Available All Day at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies
This is a cookie butter milkshake topped with whipped cream and a Mickey marshmallow straw. The flavor was relatively benign, and it didn’t provide what I found to be something unique. At least not unique enough that it would make me want to have it again. I wouldn’t say the cookie butter was terrible, it just didn’t wow me.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
It didn’t have anything unique enough to make me seek it out. There are better options.
Christmas Cookie Sundae – Available All Day at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies
The cookie sundae is a slightly modified presentation of the milkshake we just reviewed above. It’s essentially the same setup as the milkshake, just put in a different container, with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
Now you might think that is a recipe for us not liking this too, but that isn’t the case. The addition of the chocolate gave this Christmas Cookie Sundae the little bit of nuance I want. It makes the sundae very good.
Anna loved this Christmas dessert, but oddly Elsa did not. She found the mix of chocolate and the cookie butter soft serve to be an odd flavor. As with most things related to kids, their view on this may be wide and varied.
Our verdict is: NICE
We think this holiday dessert is worth seeking out.
Santa Mickey Waffle Sundae – Available All Day at Sleepy Hollow
The Santa Mickey Waffle Sundae features a red velvet waffle topped with mint-chip ice cream, seasonal sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and peppermint powder. I really liked the mint-chip ice cream, but that’s one of my top ice cream flavors. Unfortunately, that’s as good as this review can get.
The waffle was hard, almost like it was stale or overcooked. I assume they are not cooking the waffle at Sleepy Hollow, but couldn’t see. Your waffle shouldn’t fight the knife when you try to cut it, but that is precisely what this did. The red velvet cake flavor was not good either.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
This dessert is a hard pass to us. Don’t waste your money.
Olaf’s Frozen Hot Chocolate Cake – Available All Day at Main Street Bakery
Let’s get this out of the way; this is not literally frozen hot chocolate. Disney uses a Gluten-friendly chocolate cake layered with chocolate crispy pearls, chocolate panna cotta, and marshmallow fluff to create this visually fun treat.
Unfortunately, the marshmallow fluff was overly sweet to us, and the cake didn’t have excellent chocolate flavor. I will say it was nice and moist. Ultimately it didn’t do much for us. Even Anna and Elsa didn’t want more than a couple of small bites of this, although they did enjoy devouring Olaf himself. It’s a good thing that water has memories. See Frozen 2 if you don’t get that reference.
One other note that this is the only gluten free holiday dessert at Magic Kingdom this year. Carla was quite disappointed with the options that Disney World provided.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
This is one that we can see more people liking than us, but we wouldn’t get it again. Your kids may love it, though.
Gingerbread Sundae – Available All Day at Storybook Treats
This was probably the biggest surprise hit of all the Christmas snacks and desserts. Made of gingerbread soft-serve sundae topped with whipped cream, gingerbread pieces, and a Minnie Mouse waffle topper, we loved this treat.
The soft serve had a great flavor to it, and the gingerbread pieces added some excellent texture and crunch. The Minnie waffle piece was also fun to eat. I must confess, I almost ate the whole Gingerbread Sundae all by myself. Don’t judge!
Our verdict is: NICE
If there is only one Christmas dessert you are going to get at Magic Kingdom, we think this MUST be it!
Snowflake Brownie – Available All Day at Casey’s Corner
When we walked into Casey’s Corner, and I saw all the prepackaged Snowflake Brownie sitting on a rack behind the counter, it made me skeptical. However, Anna really wanted to have this. So I went against my better judgment and ordered it. Unfortunately, my skepticism was correct.
This chocolate brownie decorated with sugar snowflakes and icing was pretty bad. The icing was dull and brownie was dried out. Anna didn’t even want to have more than a few bites of it. Elsa didn’t either.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
Don’t get this unless you don’t care about taste or quality. This is a disappointing effort by Disney.
Christmas Churros – Available All Day at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café and Outdoor Vending Churro Carts
We picked up the Christmas Churros at Pecos Bill and found them to be nothing more than regular Magic Kingdom churros, topped with green and red sprinkles. They are served with a chocolate dipping sauce. They were fine and in line with what you would get in the park on any other day, which is the problem. I want something unique to the holidays in Magic Kingdom.
Also, if you compare my picture above with the image in the official Disney blog post about all the Holiday treats and snacks at Magic Kingdom, you’ll notice the vast difference in the number of sprinkles. You can barely tell there are any on the churros we received.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
Don’t spend money on something you can get any time.
Deck the Halls – Available All Day at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
This is another milkshake style Christmas treat at the Magic Kingdom. However, this is made with frozen eggnog and is topped with whipped cream, confetti sprinkles, and a chocolate bulb. I think this is pretty straight forward; if you like eggnog, then you will probably like this. If you don’t, then stay away.
Anna and Elsa each took one sip and said they didn’t want anymore. However, they were both excited to eat the chocolate red lightbulb. It’s expensive for a piece of chocolate.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
We weren’t fans, but we’re not big on eggnog. You may enjoy this more than we did.
An Orange Bird Christmas – Only Available During MVMCP at Sunshine Tree Terrace
Following up on the hit Orange Bird sipper from this past year’s Flower and Garden Festival, Disney offers up An Orange Bird Christmas. It’s orange-scented white chocolate mousse filled with orange curd on a citrus-almond cream cake with buttercream leaves and a white chocolate piece.
This was another surprise hit for us. The orange curd was refreshing and blended very well with the chocolate mousse. We found the cream cake moist and tasty, too! Both Anna and Elsa love this treat. If you like orange flavors, you must get this. I’d get it even if you don’t.
Our verdict is: NICE
It’s the second-best Christmas dessert at Magic Kingdom, in our opinion.
Sven’s Carrot Cake – Only Available during MVMCP at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café
Full disclosure, I’m not a big carrot cake fan, but the girls wanted it because of the Sven chocolate piece on it. This is a carrot cake topped with cream cheese icing, sugar carrots, and the aforementioned chocolate Sven piece.
I didn’t care for it, but that isn’t overly surprising. Despite my preferences, I will say the cake was relatively dry, but the icing was good. The kids didn’t like it either; however they did enjoy the Sven chocolate piece. Once again, an expensive chocolate piece!
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
Not up to snuff, even if you like carrot cake.
Other Holiday Treats at Magic Kingdom
Okay, that’s all the sweet holiday treats we had. Below is the list of other desserts that are at Magic Kingdom that you can check out. We don’t have a view on them since we didn’t have a chance to try it, so we’ll mostly stick to the facts or some nuggets we have read elsewhere. You’ll notice there is only one sweet treat we didn’t have. 😊
Holiday Mickey Cinnamon Roll – Available All Day at Main Street Bakery
This is the typical cinnamon roll you can get at the Starbucks location. I tried to order it when we got the Olaf Frozen Hot Chocolate, but they said they were out. I considered it mercy because I had this cinnamon roll at last year’s Christmas Party and during MNSSHP this year, and both times, it was terrible. Dry, lacking flavor…do yourself a favor and don’t waste your money here.
Holiday Snacks at Magic Kingdom
While the list of holiday desserts is quite extensive, but there are only a few Christmas snacks at Magic Kingdom that are of the savory variety.
Carved Turkey Sandwich – Only Available during MVMCP at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
After my surprise enjoyment of the Lots-O-Burger at Cosmic Ray’s during MNSSHP, I was cautiously optimistic about the Carved Turkey Sandwich. Let’s be honest; Cosmic Ray’s isn’t exactly known for its quality dishes. The sandwich is made with oven-roasted turkey with Applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda, chipotle garlic aïoli, lettuce, and tomato on a roll.
I have to say, I was once again rewarded here. The sandwich was delicious. Combining the chipotle garlic aioli, bacon, and smoked gouda worked very well. The only negative I found is that the roll was a little dry and crumbly, but I was able to get past that due to the excellent flavors inside.
This sandwich is huge. For a Christmas snack at Magic Kingdom, it is probably the largest food item you can find. That is great for me, but when I was sharing it with Anna and Elsa they had a harder time eating it. That was especially true for Anna and her more petite hands. By the time I got the sandwich back from her it was a bit of a mess.
In spite of those issues, both of the girls love the Carved Turkey Sandwich. It’s something you can share amongst a few people to help with your budget.
Our verdict is: NICE
If you’re looking for something of more substance, this the best savory Christmas snack at Magic Kingdom.
Jolly Tamale Christmas – Only Available during MVMCP at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café
If you’re not familiar with what good tamales are like, then you might find these pretty good. If you know what good tamales are, you’ll likely see these as blah. However, if you take them to the Pecan Bill fixing bar, you can dress them with toppings that make them marginally better.
Our verdict is: NAUGHTY
There are better holiday treats at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to spend your money on.
Gaston’s Cheese Dip – Only Available During MVMCP at Gaston’s Tavern
This is a beer cheese dip with smoked bacon bits served with breadstick antlers. We didn’t get to have this, so we can’t render a verdict on it.
Holiday Drinks at Magic Kingdom
Oddly, we didn’t have a chance to try a single one of them. We were trying to get over to Aloha Isle for the Kakamora Float but just ran out of time and stomach room. This was a lot of food to eat in one day. So, we’ll just recap the various drink you can have. The list is below:
- Cherry & Pistachio Float (Available All Day at Aloha Isle)
- Kakamora Float (MVMCP Exclusive, Available at Aloha Isle)
- Tis the Season (MVMCP Exclusive, Available at Cool Ship)
- To Be Jolly Float (MVMCP Exclusive, Available at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor)
Complimentary Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Snacks and Drinks
During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you can pick up specific free party snacks and drinks. These consist of cookies, pretzels, Fanta, eggnog, and hot chocolate. Below is a list of the free treats you can get and where they are available:
- Pinocchio Village Haus: Snickerdoodle Cookie, Hot Chocolate, and Fanta
- Storybook Snacks Cart: Snowman Pretzel
- Miner’s Cove: Peppermint Cookie
- Friar’s Nook: Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Lunching Pad: Ginger Molasses Cookie and Apple Cider
- Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café: Peppermint Cookie, Hot Chocolate, and Apple Cider
- Jungle Cruise: Ginger Molasses Cookie
- Tortuga Tavern: Snowman Pretzel and Fanta
- Golden Oak Outpost: Snickerdoodle Cookie
- Diamond Horseshoe: Chocolate Chip Cookie and Eggnog
As for quality, these are mostly prepacked holiday treats and snacks in Magic Kingdom. You should assume a quality level that makes them not worth waiting in line for, in our opinion. We didn’t have all of them, but the ones we did were just okay. The hot chocolate was good, but not great. It was a welcome warm drink on a cold night.
Wrapping Up Our Guide to Holiday Treats and Snacks at Magic Kingdom
With that, we’ll wrap up our guide to Holiday treats and snacks at Magic Kingdom. All in all, I’d say I was slightly disappointed when comparing the Christmas treats to the Halloween desserts and snacks at Magic Kingdom. There are still several good options here that will give you something to indulge in.
We hope you enjoyed our review of the Holiday treats and snacks at Magic Kingdom. If you did, please share it on social media with anyone you think might benefit from it. We always appreciate your support!
Now it’s your turn! Have you had any of the Christmas treats at Magic Kingdom? If so, we’d love to hear what you thought. Food is a subjective thing, and no everyone has the same point of view. We’d love it if you would share yours in the comments below.