Citrus Swirl Is BACK at Sunshine Tree Terrace!
One of our favorite Walt Disney World desserts is the Citrus Swirl. As explained in our List of Best Snacks in Magic Kingdom, the iconic Orange Bird treat is even superior to the (arguably) overrated Dole Whip. Unfortunately, the Citrus Swirl is currently gone from Adventureland. (Updated March 27, 2022.)
Despite Orange Bird’s ever-increasing presence in Magic Kingdom, his unofficial dessert flew the coop last summer. At the time, this was not particularly noteworthy. There have been multiple occasions in the last several years when the Citrus Swirl has been temporarily unavailable due to issues with its machines.
Admittedly, we haven’t meticulously monitored this situation in the past–we just know the Citrus Swirl hasn’t always been on the menu at Sunshine Tree Terrace in the decade since its return. ‘Machine issues’ has usually been the proffered explanation, and we’ve just taken it at face value…because why wouldn’t we?
More recently, Walt Disney World has had problems with supply chain issues. This has impacted everything from merchandising to dining, as souvenirs have disappeared from shelves and items from menus. Further explanation here likely isn’t necessary–you’ve almost certainly encountered this in your day to day life, too.
As such, when the Citrus Swirl disappeared from Mobile Order late last summer, we assumed one of those two things was the culprit. Either parts to repair its machine or ingredients (frozen orange juice? sugar? magical deliciousness?) it uses were difficult to acquire for whatever reason.
As the months have gone on and readers have continued to ask (our fault since we’ve continued to recommend getting the Citrus Swirl in multiple posts–but we assumed it’d be back by now!), we figured we should head out to Magic Kingdom and see what’s up…
March 27, 2022 Update: As of this week (thanks Amanda D. in the comments for the heads up!), the Citrus Swirl has returned to Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom. Note that while the physical signage at the snack spot has not been updated to reflect this, the Citrus Swirl is available via Mobile Order in the My Disney Experience app (you can also just go up to the window and order it, despite it not being on that menu). At least, for now.
Note “Citrus Swirl” is product name, not a generic term or Disney slang. If you don’t see something specifically called the Citrus Swirl, it is not this. DOLE Whip Orange Cup is not the Citrus Swirl. Orange Cream Soft-Serve Cup is not the Citrus Swirl. Sparkling Sunshine Float is not the Citrus Swirl. Twinings of London Hot Tea is certainly not the Citrus Swirl. While (some of) those things look similar to the Citrus Swirl, they taste very different. Only the Citrus Swirl is the Citrus Swirl. Accept no substitutes!
What follows is our “investigative reporting” from a few weeks ago about the disappearance of the Citrus Swirl, why this has happened, and the significance of the snack. Some of this is interesting and I fear the rest will be relevant again in due time, so I’m preserving it here for posterity. In the meantime, go out and order a Citrus Swirl–the real one–from Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom!
During a visit to Magic Kingdom earlier this week, I actually rope dropped Sunshine Tree Terrace. Not intentionally–I was just racing around and passing by right as the window opened. No one else was around, a rarity for that popular location, so I figured that was a great time to find out when the Citrus Swirl would return.
The Cast Member with whom I spoke said there had been a lot of problems with the Citrus Swirl, and that it was “probably gone for good.” Not exactly the answer I was hoping to hear.
Wanting to see if I could find out anything more…or perhaps a more palatable explanation…I went back the following day and inquired again. The answer was more or less the same, leaving the door open for the Citrus Swirl to return but pretty pessimistic that it would be back anytime soon.
This is pretty far from investigative journalism, so I didn’t press either of the Cast Members for further answers or insight. (For bloggers, there’s a fine line between asking normal guest questions and being an overbearing pain; I like to stay on the correct side of that.)
I know this isn’t the most illuminating update, or pressing issue for most Walt Disney World fans. I’m mostly sharing this to raise awareness. Also, because it’s possible that the Citrus Swirl could be brought back “by popular demand” if enough fans know it’s gone and request its return. (Again, there’s a fine line between a polite request and entitled demands; it’s good to know the difference–and makes for more persuasive feedback.)
Petitions are largely pointless, especially if they’re aimed at ousting a CEO who’s popular with shareholders or bringing back something niche that’ll cost considerable capex investment. Nevertheless, Walt Disney World still does value constructive guest feedback, especially when it’s aimed at reasonable targets. Something like this is low-hanging fruit, so to speak; the Citrus Swirl could be restored if it were on the radars of the right leaders.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the history of Orange Bird and the Citrus Swirl, that is exactly what happened about a decade ago. It’s actually a fun story. After being gone for a quarter century, Magic Kingdom brought back Orange Bird and the Citrus Swirl in Spring 2012 during Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary. This came after years of online fascination with the Orange Bird in the fandom, and limited merchandise releases by D23 and Pin Trading.
It was a really big deal at the time, with Imagineering restoring other aspects of the original Sunshine Pavilion. After a fortuitous fire, the Enchanted Tiki Room returned for the start of Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary, as did other little details like tiki torches. Imagine if Disney announced that Dreamfinder were coming back in an updated Journey into Imagination–it was akin to that, albeit on a smaller scale.
Even fans who didn’t care about Citrus Swirls, Orange Bird, or the specifics of Adventureland were heartened. It felt like park management was listening, and Disney had allowed a dedicated group from the Archives, D23, and Imagineering to bring the passion project to fruition. (There were actually a handful of little ‘restoration’ projects in Magic Kingdom around that time, but this was the highest profile one.)
It was a positive change demonstrating that some leaders at Walt Disney World truly care about the details and making Magic Kingdom a special place. It was a small victory, and not just for historically-minded fans. The return of Orange Bird and the Citrus Swirl were substantive improvements for all guests, adding a layer of detail, another unique character, and a delicious dessert for all to enjoy.
In general, we like to celebrate these small victories as a form of positive reinforcement. That (hopefully) encourages more improvements like this, and demonstrates that the most ardent fans also aren’t entirely unreasonable. Just because you’re dissatisfied about one change–or several recent ones–doesn’t mean that you still can’t be happy about other changes.
Complaining about every single one of Disney’s decisions doesn’t make you part of some fierce “opposition” group. It makes your voice easier for the company to disregard entirely, especially when your spending doesn’t comport with what you’re saying.
Beyond that, not everything can or should be a new land or E-Ticket. To the contrary, I’d contend that some of the best and emotionally resonant additions in recent years are smaller scale, likely put together on tighter budgets and by dedicated groups that willed them into existence. Praise and positive feedback from guests about these offerings only helps those teams with their next endeavor.
This is why, from my perspective, each and every little change that adds or restores some of the charm and uniqueness to Walt Disney World deserves to be highlighted. Over time and in aggregate, minor improvements add up. Plus, if Walt Disney World has taught us anything, it’s that every little detail is important. But I digress, as we’re well off-topic from the original “what’s up with the Citrus Swirl/will it ever come back?” question.
In any case, all of this is why the Citrus Swirl and Orange Bird are important to me, and the reason we’ve spent way too much money over the years “voting with our wallets” to support the Citrus Swirl. (It has nothing to do with them being addictively good–we’re doing it as a form of activism!) Admittedly, there’s an incredibly big part of me that sees the success story of Orange Bird, and wants to see that repeated with Figment, Dreamfinder, and the original Journey into Imagination.
That’s also why this rambling post about a seemingly insignificant topic exists. Seeing small steps forward undone over time is disappointing, but I remain hopeful that the Citrus Swirl isn’t really gone for good. There are still plenty of passionate people working behind the scenes at Walt Disney World (at this time last year, a new Orange Bird mural was added to Sunshine Tree Terrace), and constructive guest feedback can be helpful. Who knows, maybe they’re waiting for the removal of the Magic Carpets of Aladdin (addition by subtraction) before bringing back the Citrus Swirl once more. Might as well “dream big” if we’re listing Adventureland improvements!
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Your Thoughts
Have you ever had a Citrus Swirl at Magic Kingdom? Do you agree or disagree that it’s the better of the two iconic Adventureland snacks? Think this is one of the “little things” that makes Walt Disney World special, or just another interchangeable dessert? Thoughts about giving the company constructive feedback or praise where it’s due? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Clearly, I need to study both the supply chain and the equipment possibilities by running out to a variety of Dairy Queen locations and ordering an original Orange Julius repeatedly.
Best data collection ever!
The citrus swirl was something I discovered thanks to you back in 2014 as I was reading this fine blog! It quickly became a staple of our visits in the mid-2010s. Unique and refreshing. I hope not all hope is lost for it to return on a more normal basis. We have an ice cream place in my hometown in Northern Michigan that has rotating Dole Whip flavors year round, so it’s lost its “uniqueness” for me in that regard. The swirl is where it’s at.
It was better than the Dole Whip
Tom do you have an explainer on the orange bird for the uninitiated? I live in California and have never been to Disney World, only land. Lately they’ve had Orange Bird merch here (and a lot of other stuff that clearly belongs in Florida) and I don’t know the story behind it or where it originated! Thanks!
As a former sunshine tree cast Member I can attest to the citrus swirls popularity and problems. It’s not magic breaking for me to reveal that the newer the ice cream machine is, the less viable the citus swirl would be. Why? The orange juice side is quite litterally frozen orange juice. The problem with that? Soft serve machines and ice do not get along. The orange juice often froze solid, wouldn’t come out, and that leads to burnt out motors. In turn lead to periods where we couldn’t sell it at all. Secondly, since oj can’t be pasteurized the machine had to be emptied and cleaned everynight, also not the design of the machine. The orange cream is much more popular and way less problematic for the cast that maintain the machines.
Orange juice is indeed pasteurized- twice in fact! If you spent time in central FL and know the name Dr. Phillips, you can thank him for that (he invented the OJ pasteurization process.) Many local orange groves offer a Citrus Swirl- Ferris Farms, Showcase of Citrus, so if their independent owners can afford to offer a product I’m not sure why a Fortune 500 company can’t.
Erin, thanks for sharing that behind the scenes info!
IIRC, the Citrus Swirl was originally brought back along with “restored” machines. Any idea whether those are still around? (I could be wrong about that–it’s been a while–but it’s a detail that is oddly stuck in my mind.)
I’ll throw out there that anyone interested in making a stop at the Vero Beach Resort will be close to a legit and delicious citrus swirl. Just inland from Vero is the Indian River citrus grove area. Last week my family visited Coutnryside Family Farms, in Sebastian, and enjoyed excellent, fresh picked oranges and grapefruits along with the farm’s homemade citrus swirl ice cream. It was so tasty and refreshing! The Wabasso beaches (where Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is actually located) are peaceful and beautiful this time of year.
The citrus swirl is my #1 snack at WDW. I find it much more refreshing on a hot day than the Dole Whip. I like pineapple, but there is just something special about the swirl of sweet vanilla and tangy orange juice. I usually have several per trip. I will be very sad if this goes away and will never substitute it with a Dole Whip. I have had different flavors at the Poly and variations at Disneyland… just not the same. I hope this turns out to be a supply chain/part issue. I find it hard to believe engineers cannot make a swirl machine in 2022; is it that different than any other soft serve or froyo machine?
I agree with you, maybe they are just short on “magical delicousness”!
It could have been me writing thus. Thanks for saying what I would have.
I have always said that the Citrus Swirl is and has always been my “favorite ride.” it was gone for many years and I was an advocate. I went to town hall and officially left a complaint/comment regarding the delectable dessert. When they brought it back it was the highlight of my entire visit. There is something wonderful of vanilla soft serve and actual frozen orange juice. I usually visit the sunshine terrace at least 2-3 times per visit. I can get ice cream anywhere, I can only get the amazing Citrus Swirl at the Happiest Place On Earth!!
Thanks for the heads up that the Citrus Swirl was available for a window in Jan/Feb. That’s great news!
I don’t doubt your reports, but just to confirm, you all had the Citrus Swirl and not the Orange Cream Cup Swirl that’s currently on the menu? (Or the Orange Dole Whip.) They look similar, but taste very different.
I think you just confirmed a suspicion I had. In October I ate what I thought at the time was a Citrus Swirl, and was disappointed that it wasn’t as good as I remembered. Looking back, it must have been the Orange Cream Cup Swirl!
Don’t feel bad—I’ve been “burned” before ordering a Citrus Swirl and receiving the Orange Cream Dole Whip. Still delicious, but not quite the same.
The easiest way to tell is that the Citrus Swirl is a darker orange color, whereas the cream cup is lighter. The orange is also thicker and slightly textured in the Citrus Swirl.
We had a couple of those swirls during our January visit. Every child should have the delight in tasting his or her own swirl. It’s a part of growing up. To those who say it’s not important, pour in a bit of rum and then post your comment!
Tom,
We are very sorry to hear. It was there in mid-December as we supported them plenty that week:)
We were there in mid-December, the Citrus Swirl was definitely not there. The orange-vanilla one was, but not Citrus Swirl.
I (finally!) got my Orange Bird Sipper, though!
I was at MK on February 19, 2022 and I got a citrus swirl (and bought the adorable Orange Bird sipper on the side). I never even knew it was gone before this post. I wonder if they had just got a shipment and now it’s gone again.
We were there in late February and it was there!! We orders it snd got an orange bird sippy cup with it. Week before Presidents’ Day.
Amy
Loved Citrus Swirl and really miss it. But my absolute favorite was the Strawberry Swirl that was sold at the Enchanted Grove (now the Cheshire Cafe). I was really sad when they stopped serving that!
I actually kind of like having the kinetic energy of a spinner in Adventureland, I just don’t think the desert theme matches the jungly land. What if they kept the spinner but rethemed it to tiki birds or… Orange birds? :O
Citrus Swirl was there the last week of January 2022, so it has not been gone since last summer.
I’m planning a Disney World vacation for April 2022. Hotels, air, car rental, dinner reservations made. I intentionally picked the last week in April trying to find a less crowded time in the parks. I am now tweaking our vacation. Tried to get reservations for MK Fireworks Dessert Party. Nothing available. I am sitting on hold for 3 1/2 hours trying to rent umbrellas at Typhoon Lagoon and a cabana at out hotel. 3 1/2 hours! Does not bode well for avoiding crowds during our stay.
I read your blogs. Very informative. But I just envision hours long lines for pretzels and Mickey ice cream bars. I have never, ever, ever brought anything other than water bottles and baby food into the parks but am now seriously considering a stop at a grocery store to pick up such kid staples as white bread and peanut butter and jelly to pack sandwiches to take into Disney parks. I’m not sweating citrus swirl.
Don’t lose heart, Virginia! We were there on the Princess Run weekend (the busiest in a very long time) and still had an absolute blast. Mobile ordering is a great option — you and your family can get a break while you wait at a table or bench instead of in line — and/or just keep your app open to see all the nearby options. We find that sheeple tend to crowd together when there’s often another good option with a much quicker wait just a few steps away. And have a great trip!
I’m really looking forward to the day when “supply chain issues” are no longer accepted as the default excuse for mediocrity. Disney, you’ve solved so many bigger problems than this. Please save the little Orange Bird dessert!
The citrus swirl is my favorite snack in all of WDW. I have always been annoyed that it is the one snack that they seem to mess with the most. Hopefully it will return. I am a little devastated over it being gone TBH. I was really hoping they would bring it back before my trip in May
For me it’s next week.
As much as losing the Citrus Swirl would sadden me, I’m willing to make an exchange if it means we can have Dreamfinder and the original Journey Into Imagination back.
@Jenn, 9 out of 10 popcorn buckets agree.
I’m reading the comments going “ummm no way, I want my citrus swirl” then look at the name.. of course it’s you lol!
The Citrus Swirl is not one of the things I actively look forward to when I plan my Disney trips, but it should be. It’s a treat that I forget about until I’m overheated in Adventureland and the Aloha Isle line is moving painfully slow. Every time I’ve “compromised” an chosen a Citrus Swirl, I’ve been delighted, murmuring things like, “Why do I never remember how wonderful this is?” through a mouthful of orange/vanilla deliciousness. I sure do hope that it’s not gone for good! I also sincerely hope that positive feedback works with Disney. I seldom send messages directly to Disney, but I did send a “Thank you! More like this, please!!” note after my first viewing of “Great Moments in American History.” Womp, womp.