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!
The Citrus Swirl is nothing like the dole whip. The taste and texture are one of a kind. The problem, imho, is that partnering with Dole (and this applies to other large company partnerships throughout the parks) makes a similar but better product a target. Dole would prefer to see an orange dole whip with their sherbert stuff than a real citrus swirl. I understand that from a business perspective. What bothers me is that this kind of decision is being made by people outside Disney who care about their business and not in-park guests. It’s sad to see Disney icons surrendered to outside interests.
I was there this Sunday April 3rd and it was off the menu again 🙁
Thanks for the shout out! I’d like to thank my 13 year old daughter, whose stubborn tenacity resulted in us taking frequent dole whip breaks. First night was devastated that Citrus Swirl wasn’t back, so settled on Orange Cream Soft-serve garbage. Second night saw that Citrus Swirl was back and jumped for joy. Upon taking her first bite of Citrus Swirl in two years, looks at me and goes “ya know, I think I like the other one better”. *eye roll*
Now if only we could get Mint Juleps at WDW instead of only at Disneyland!
PSA! We are at Magic Kingdom and just ordered the Citrus Swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace. The 100% legit frozen orange juice swirled with vanilla, not that orange swirl masking as the real OG.
Gonna go super old school and reminisce about the orange shaped sippers they used to have at the Contemporary back in the 70’s. Let’s bring those back too!
We were eating in “America” at Epcot on 2/23 and saw a major photo shoot for this product!!
I’m 51 and have been going to DW since I was 10. We still go about every other year & we bring my parents & other family. That being said, when we were kids my mom & dad got the Dole Whip & us kids always walked down to the SS Terrace to get a Citrus Swirl. When it left we were bummed, but….it came back. I hope Disney doesn’t put money & practicality over longtime fan favorites. It IS the little things that make Disney such a great place.
If it’s not available, why is it coming up as available to order on mobile ordering?
It’s not. There are several Dole Whip options, but none of them are the Citrus Swirl.
I see it too. Is citrus swirl different from Dole Whip Orange? It’s definitely showing up in mobile order, even with the Orange Bird sipper option.
Jessame,
The Dole Whip Orange Cream is pretty good, but is not the Citrus Swirl. I liked the tangy orange juice taste in the Citrus Swirl.
Completely agree with your explanation of why Citrus Swirl and Orange Bird are important. I love the comeback story, and Orange Bird is just so darn adorable. I always stop by for one whenever I go, and I’m really bummed to hear it probably won’t be available when I’m there in a few months.
The citrus swirl is honestly my favorite thing in Magic Kingdom and possibly all of Disney. I could go to the parks and not do a single attraction but get a citrus swirl and take in the atmosphere and be a happy camper. I’ll gladly volunteer to lead the crusade to try and get it back. I’m not really joking either, so any thoughts on the best strategy? Online petitions can get a lot of numbers easily but would people be better off emailing Disney directly about it? And if so, what email?
Sign me up.
My general stance is that the best way to convey feedback is by emailing [email protected]. Share how it’ll impact your vacations and future business with WDW, and consider doing so as part of a larger post-trip letter about the good and bad of your trip. Sending something about such a specific, niche topic might be construed as a spam campaign.
This approach is far superior to complaining in comments here, on social media, forums, etc. (Although Disney sees all of that, too.) Rather than starting petitions, which are largely ineffectual, share feedback in guest satisfaction surveys, bring it up if you speak with managers or others in park leadership, or even contact Guest Relations.