Adventureland – A Blog About Disney Stuff

The Dole Whip is one POPULAR Disney snack! It may even be the most iconic Disney Parks snack of all time if we do say so ourselves! We know it’s super popular with our readers — it was voted the ultimate champion of our Snack Madness!

Dole Whip at Typhoon Lagoon

So we went ahead and made an entire page devoted to this beloved frozen treat, complete with its history and some of our favorite variations we’ve seen over the years! If you’ve ever wondered WHY Dole Whip is so popular when it comes to Disney Parks, you can read all about its history and how it has evolved over the years!

What is Dole Whip and when did it first appear in a Disney park?

If you’ve NEVER heard of Dole Whip or wonder what all the hype is about, let’s do a brief recap (you can read the FULL history on our new Dole Whip page here).

Dole Whip from Marketplace Snacks in Disney Springs

In its simplest, “classic” form, Dole Whip is a frozen pineapple soft serve. It comes served in a cup, or you can also get it as a “float” where it is served with pineapple juice. It is certified vegan, so it’s a frozen treat just about everyone can enjoy.

Dole Whip

The first Dole Whip was served in Disneyland in 1986, after DOLE became the official sponsor of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and the Tiki Juice Bar in Adventureland. In Disney World, the general consensus is that Dole Whip ALSO began appearing in Magic Kingdom in 1986.

Aloha Isle Refreshments

Since then, the Dole Whip has been a Disney Parks staple on BOTH coasts!

Where can I find Dole Whip in the parks?

Walt Disney World

Some of the most popular places to get a Dole Whip in Magic Kingdom includes Aloha Isle and Sunshine Tree Terrace. Note that at Sunshine Tree Terrace, you won’t find the classic pineapple flavor, but you can get some specialty flavors (more on that in a sec!). Or, you can hop on the Monorail and head over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and grab a Dole Whip at Pineapple Lanai. You can also head into Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto or Tiki Terrace for a blended rum and Dole Whip concoction called a Spikey Pineapple!

Pineapple Lanai Dole Whip

You can find a variety of flavors and preparations of Dole Whip all around Disney World including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Typhoon Lagoon, and seasonally at many of the festivals in Epcot.

King’s Cooler in Animal Kingdom

It can also be found at a few other Disney resorts, like Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort which offers self-serve Dole Whip!

Disneyland

In Disneyland, there are several spots to pick up this frozen delight! Of course, many years later, Tiki Juice Bar is still the “home” of the Dole Whip, and lots of folks know it! If you notice the lines at Tiki Juice Bar getting long, you can Mobile Order your Dole Whip, or you can head over to nearby Tropical Hideaway.

You need to order this!

Tropical Hideaway serves up a ton of specialty flavors of Dole Whip, as well as LOADED Dole Whips! We’ve also been known to stop by Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel from time to time to pick up a Dole Whip before heading into Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar!

Tangaroa Terrace Outdoor Bar and Patio Dole Whip!

Every time we turn around it seems a new location is popping up with Dole Whip, so keep your eyes peeled for this treat next time you’re in the Disney Parks.

Tell me more about these specialty flavors and floats!

Dole Whip has grown and evolved over the years WAY beyond just pineapple! While the classic pineapple flavor is still served to this day, there are tons of new flavors, including specialty Dole Whip floats, introduced regularly! You can even swirl these unique flavors together, like the Lemon Lime swirl we grabbed at Storybook Treats!

Lemon and Lime Dole Whip SWIRL at Storybook Treats

Over the years we’ve seen flavors like mango, lime, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, orange, lemon, and, our newest love, coconut, which we first saw in the Kakamora Float! We’ve raved about the Kakamora Float for months after it made its debut at Aloha Isle.

Kakamora Float

The Kakamora Float is a yummy (and pretty!) mixture of coconut soft serve on top of pineapple juice with blue curaçao syrup. Equally as yummy and also gorgeous to look at was the Raspberry and Lemon Dole Whip Float at Tropical Hideaway.

Specialty Dole Whip Float at Tropical Hideaway in Disneyland!

With so many flavors and variations to choose from, it has inspired us over the years to learn how to make Dole Whip at home! Luckily, it’s SUPER easy (as easy as buying the mix on online and dumping it in an ice cream maker!). So even when you aren’t in the parks, you can have your own little slice of Disney in your own kitchen.

It’s obvious that we LOVE to talk about all things Dole Whip here at DFB, which is why we created an entire page devoted to it! This is our readers’ MOST beloved Disney snack for good reason! Not only is this a tasty treat, but it has an interesting history in the parks, especially when you consider how much it has evolved over the years!

What is your favorite Dole Whip flavor? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: All-Star Resorts, Disneyland, Featured, Polynesian Resort, Snacks, Walt Disney World, Adventureland, aloha isle, Disney World, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disneyland Hotel, Dole Whip, magic kingdom, pineapple lanai, Sunshine Tree Terrace, tangaroa terrace, Tiki Juice Bar, tropical hideaway

Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys—and there be plunderin’ pirates lurkin’ in every cove, waitin’ to board.

©Disney

If you’re seeking adventure on the high seas, it doesn’t get much better than Pirates of the Caribbean — one of Disney’s most ICONIC rides!

But maybe it’s been a while since your last voyage, so here’s a refresher (as well as a little background info) on one of our absolute FAVORITE attractions at the Disney parks!

Type of Attraction

Pirates of the Caribbean is a slow, dark boat ride. It’s such a classic attraction, you’ll find a version of it at all the Disney theme parks except for Hong Kong Disneyland! We’re going to focus on the two versions of the attraction in the United States.

Locations

Disneyland

Pirates of the Caribbean originally opened at Disneyland on March 18, 1967 in New Orleans Square. Nearly double the length of Disney World’s attraction, Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean clocks in at 14-1/2 minutes long and has TWO drops instead of only one! These were built not as much for thrills as for necessity — the drops take guests under the Disneyland Railroad to the main show building beyond the train tracks.

Speaking of those drops, the waterfall you drop down is 52′ long, the first drop is only about 18 feet. The second drop is an even shorter 13-foot plunge!

©Disney Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland

The Disneyland version actually features a unique reverse waterfall at the end of the attraction as well. After all those drops, Imagineers needed a way to get guests back up above ground, so a slow-moving ramp hidden in rushing water was conceived to return guests to the loading area.

Another key difference is how Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean starts! Looking around, you’ll notice the setting looks more like a Louisiana swamp, complete with an antebellum mansion you float past, than the Caribbean Islands!

That’s because the theming of the Pirates attraction was based on real New Orleans pirates like Jean Lafitte, making the New Orleans Square setting appropriate. And that antebellum mansion? That’s because Blue Bayou Restaurant shares a building with the ride!

Blue Bayou Restaurant

That means you can actually DINE INSIDE Disneyland’s version of the attraction! Once you disembark, you’ll exit next to Pieces of Eight — Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean-themed gift shop! There’s usually some cool Nightmare Before Christmas stuff inside too!

Walt Disney World

Pirates of the Caribbean is located in Adventureland’s Caribbean Plaza at Magic Kingdom, just past the Jungle Cruise. The ride opened at Disney World on December 15, 1973, and lasts 8-1/2 minutes.

©Disney Pirates of the Caribbean

Only one 14-foot drop takes place at the beginning of the ride, and although it has fewer scenes than Disneyland’s, you’ll still see 125 Audio-Animatronics figures, including 65 pirates and villagers and 60 animals and birds! The New Orleans storyline and a large portion of the pirates’ lair section of the ride were cut for Disney World’s version. After you ride, check out the Plaza del Sol Caribe Bazaar gift shop for some sweet pirate-themed merch!

Wait Times

Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland normally has an average 20-40 minute wait time while Disney World’s version typically has a 20-60 minute standby line. For the shortest wait, try riding Pirates of the Caribbean before noon or after 5 PM.

Accessibility

There is no age or height requirement to ride Pirates of the Caribbean at either Disney park.

©Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Loading Area

Guests using an EVC or wheelchairs can ride Pirates of the Caribbean at both parks if they are able to transfer. Audio description and handheld captioning devices are also available for guests at Disney World and Disneyland.

FastPass?

While you can’t get a FASTPASS to ride Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney World’s version is FastPass+ eligible.

Story Details

On both versions of the ride, you’ll explore a damp pirates’ cave and witness an enormous galleon ship exchanging cannonball blasts with a fortress! You’ll hear them whiz over your head and maybe even get splashed by a few as they land!

Once inside the village, you’ll encounter the marauding pirates and revel in their escapades, which includes a lot of RUM and SINGING!

Refurbishments

Pirates of the Caribbean has undergone several modifications over the years. While both Disneyland and Disney World’s version of Pirates of the Caribbean existed long before the popular movie franchise that began in 2003, Captain Jack Sparrow and his rival Barbossa were added to both rides in 2006 following the success of the films.

The 2006 additions included a waterfall made of mist that guests floated through, featuring projections of some of the films’ villains. This effect was later removed in 2018 in both parks.

The 2006 addition in Disneyland also included a notable prop from the first Pirates film — the treasure chest of Cortés prop was placed in the pirates’ lair section of the ride atop a mountain of pirate loot.

©Disney

Jack Sparrow was added in multiple locations throughout the village scene of the ride, including one of the ride’s more controversial moments — the barrel scene. Originally a smarmy pirate resting near a barrel gloated as he admired a woman’s undergarments he held, with the woman hiding in the barrel behind him popping up from time to time. Now, he holds a key and Jack Sparrow resides in the barrel!

Speaking of controversial — this ride has many scenes that have caused a ruckus over the years. Many guests also remember the original Pirates of the Caribbean’s “chase scene” know that it showed male pirates pursuing the village’s women. The scene was first altered to show the pirates chasing after the women in pursuit of items they were carrying, and not just the ladies themselves. The scene was later altered EVEN FURTHER to show the women angrily chasing the men with rolling pins and other objects in their hands!

Most recently, and perhaps most controversially, the “Take a Wench for a Bride” scene was altered at both Disneyland and Disney World. The famous Mercado scene used to display women being auctioned off to pirates along with the chant, “We wants the Redhead!”

The scene was swapped in 2018, and the “Redhead” is no longer a villager but now a plundering pirate named Redd! She’s no longer being auctioned off — but she’s helping to oversee the auction of the village’s goods to increase their rum supply instead!

A few smaller additions have been introduced over the years including the short-lived underwater mermaid effect in Walt Disney World’s version in 2012. This was tied into the release of Pirates of the Caribbean — On Stranger Tides, which featured siren-like mermaids. A tied-up mermaid skeleton was added to the beach scene nearby as well. The effect was difficult to maintain since it was completely below the water and it was rarely working, so it was ultimately removed in 2018 along with the mermaid skeleton.

Overlays

Pirates of the Caribbean in Disney World receives a couple of overlays throughout the year for special events. We use the term overlay loosely here — it’s really just a few costumed real pirates in the queue and in scenes of the ride! This still makes the experience more engaging and keeps you on your toes looking for who’s actually REAL!

Pirates of the Caribbean Cast Member (Not an Animatronic!)

You’ll find this overlay as part of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Villains After Hours. The two events’ overlays are basically the same, but we did notice for the most recent Villains After Hours it felt like there were a few more pirates than we’d seen at the Halloween Parties.

Look for pirates hiding in the more open areas of the queue, as well in a couple spots on the ride. They can speak and interact with guests, so don’t be surprised to hear them try to talk you into helping them hunt for treasure!

History

Walt Disney originally designed the attraction in the 1950s, but back then he imagined it as a wax museum and a walk-through adventure! It was one of the last attractions with which Walt Disney was intimately involved. and originally Disney World was never going to have a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction!

Imagineers thought Florida was too close to the actual Caribbean Islands, and that people wouldn’t be interested in it. But when Disney World opened in 1971 WITHOUT the ride, guests were adamant about getting Pirates of the Caribbean! Guests consistently asked Cast Members where Disney World’s version of the ride was located only to be told there wasn’t one! Disney listened and put it in a few years later in 1973!

Tips

As you prepare to exit the grotto at Disney World (and encounter the drop) — there’s an on-ride camera that will snap your photo to your left! (Smile and say “CHEESE!” at the talking skull and crossbones.) View it later on the My Disney Experience app where you can download or purchase it!

There are also several hidden Mickeys in the treasure room where Jack Sparrow sits at the end! Look for them on four metal lamps –the lamps are located on each column and two more located on either side of the archway walls.

We hope you’ll get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean soon! Until then, how about joining us in a rousing chorus of “Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate’s Life for Me”? Any takers?

Is Pirates of the Caribbean one of your favorite rides at the Disney parks? Let us know in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disneyland, Featured, magic kingdom, News, 1973, 50th anniversary, Adventureland, Animatronics, auction scene, barbossa, Blue Bayou, controversial, Disney World, films, History, jack sparrow, maxpass, modifications, movies, New Orleans Square, original attraction, pieces of eight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Redd, redhead, restrictions, walk through, Walt Disney, wax museum