Dole Whip: The Complete Guide

By now, you’ve either experienced or have heard the hype surrounding the almighty Dole Whip. This iconic treat is delicious, sweet and refreshing - and we’ve got the run-down on everything you need to know about it.

What

From all the hype, you’d think Dole Whip was some miraculous, addictive, sugary secret-Disney-recipe treat, but really, it’s just pineapple soft serve.  There must be something secret-Disney-recipe about it though, because we’ve tried loads of ‘pineapple soft serve’ offerings from other amusement parks and nothing compares.

Dole Whip is available in Disneyland in either plain soft serve, float (soft serve plus pineapple juice), or float + booze (light or dark rum) form. The boozy version is only available from the Disneyland Hotel, and we HIGHLY recommend it; rum + dole whip is pretty much a match made in heaven.

Plus, at less than $5 and about 90 calories, the Dole Whip won’t break the bank or your waistline (not that we advocate counting calories in Disneyland, that’s a great way to have a crappy time at the Happiest Place on Earth).

Where

Dole Whip is available at not just one but two locations in the Disneyland Resort.

Adventureland

At the entrance to Adventureland, right next to the entryway to the Enchanted Tiki Room, sits the Tiki Juice Bar. The main line circles around the outside of the Tiki Room garden, sometimes stretching all the way to the entrance to Aladdin’s Oasis.

There is also a line inside the Tiki Garden (often, this line is shorter) but be cool and don’t dash into the Tiki Garden just to try to get a line shortcut if you’re not going to watch the Tiki Room show - theoretically, the line inside should be for those guests waiting to see the show. 

The Disneyland Hotel

Dole Whip is now also available hidden away at the coffee shop in the Disneyland Hotel, close to Goofy’s Kitchen. This is the only place you can get some rum added into your float!

When

The fact that the Dole Whip is probably the most popular Disney treat means that the lines can get far too long far too quickly. The best time to get in line at the Tiki Juice Bar is about 5-10 minutes before it opens (usually around 11 am). Your second best option for the Tiki Juice Bar line is just to scope it out whenever you’re walking through Adventureland.

The Disneyland Hotel, luckily, is still less popular as a destination for the Dole Whip, so the line there is almost always much shorter.

There’s never a bad time for a Dole Whip. If you happen to be in the area of either location and there’s a short line, it’s a good time to employ one of your rules of Disneyland  and ‘ride now, ask questions later’. Jump on into that line and treat yourself - you will not regret it.

 

Best Unexpected Snacks Around the Disneyland Resort

Dole whip rum float from Disneyland Hotel

I’m actually super hesitant to share this secret BUT this is what we’re here for, I guess. The dole whip line at the Tiki Room is a level of ridiculous I can’t contend with on most days. The most funnest of fun facts? You can get Dole Whip at the coffee shop in the Disneyland Hotel. Zero line. Also since they know what’s up, they’ll throw a shot of rum in your dole whip float. You can opt for a dark rum or coconut rum, I highly recommend going for the coconut rum option.

Twists from Maurice’s

Churros hold a very special churro shaped place in my heart, but if you’re looking for a long cylindrical snack that’s not a churro, definitely check out the twists from Maurice’s cart in Fantasyland (if you’re looking at the front of the castle, to the left). The twists are a flaky pastry twist with different fillings. They’re toasty and soft but still flaky, and laced with different fillings like chocolate or strawberry. They’re messy but who cares, go ahead and shove it right in your mouth hole with no shame.

Bratwurst from the Fantasyland Theater

If you got a corn dog sized craving but not super into the corndog line (fun fact: there’s also a shorter corn dog line one the side of the horseshoe), try out the brat from the Fantasyland Theater (across from Small World, home of Mickey and the Magical Map). It’s SO GOOD, y’all. Like a hot dog but way tastier, it comes served up on an herb roll. While you’re there, check out the other snacks, like pretzel bites and their own stash of twists like Maurice’s.

Ice cream nachos from Golden Horseshoe

Who wants regular ice cream when you could have ICE CREAM NACHOS. That’s a real thing. It’s secret menu, but they’ll know what you’re talking about. It’s an ice cream sundae with broken pieces of waffle bowl for ice cream scooping action. Try now, thank us later.

Peach tree mojito and tableside guac from Tortilla Joes

If the parks are getting too much, venture into Downtown Disney and head over to Tortilla Joes. One of our favorite midday pick-me-ups are a fail-proof combo of the tableside guac and the peach tree mojito. Don’t worry, we’ve tried all the other drinks, even the margaritas, and the peach tree is the best you’re welcome. Also all guac is good guac but tableside guac is the best of the good guac. They pull up a guac-making cart straight from the heavens and you get to customize to reach guac perfection. We also usually get a side of rice and beans to add maximum deliciousness to each scoop.

Fried green beans Trader Sam’s

No lie, the tiki drinks at Trader Sam’s in the Disneyland Hotel are some of the best. And besides Disneyland, we do our fair share of touring tiki bars so we know what’s up. If you’re snuggling up to a few rounds at Trader Sam’s, it’s probably best to get some snacks so you can go longer without making a fool out of yourself. There are lots of good options, and you almost can’t go wrong, but our ride or die are the fried green beans. They come with a sauce I don’t eat because it’s mayonnaise based and mayo is the devil condiment, but even without dipping sauce they are so good. We usually horf down at least two orders.

Neopolitan shake from Flo’s

Flo’s in Cars Land is one of our favorite lunch spots- that turkey dip don’t quit. They also have delicious milkshakes. Imagine if you will, though, not having to choose between chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. Well, friends, at Flo’s you don’t. Opt for the neapolitan option to get all three flavors layered into one delicious shake. And definitely get them with the crushed oreos on top.

Artichoke Dip from Cove Bar

Cove Bar in California Adventure is known for their Lobster Nachos (which I’ve actually never tried), and while I’m sure those are good, the poor, delicious artichoke dip is the forgotten child. Hot and bubbly, served with thick fresh chips, you can’t go wrong. Pair it with an icy, creamy Pina Colava and you’re good to go.

Snack mix and drinks but not much else from Grand Californian bar

There’s a bar in the Grand Californian! How fun is that. What’s even more fun is they serve the same drinks from Cove Bar, so if that hour long line looks dumb to you, hop on over to the Grand Californian and drink your mai tai in peace. Also, the snack mix they plop on the table is delicious but no lie, nothing else is. Harsh, I know, but besides the drinks and snack mix, everything is inconsistent and sometimes straight up gross. But if you need a big comfy chair and a tasty drink for a while, this is the place.

Fruit with tajin

If you want a super quick snack, pickles are a pretty obvious choice. If you’re not a pickle fan (but why wouldn’t you be), everywhere that has pickles also has big watermelon spears and containers of mango with tajin, a delicious chili lime seasoning I put on just about everything I can. You can also find apples and caramel sauce and pineapple spears.

Bacon wrapped asparagus from Bengal Barbeque

First of all everything at Bengal Barbeque in Adventureland is supes tasty, but an all time favorite is the bacon wrapped asparagus kebab. One in each hand and you’re ready for that Pirates line.