In a rather unbelievable piece of news, the Magic Kingdom’s Sunshine Tree Terrace has removed the beloved Citrus Swirl and replaced it with an “Orange Swirl”, a blend of orange and vanilla soft serve ice cream.
We went up to the counter and asked the cast members what was different about it. They said the orange soft serve is now vegan-friendly (just the orange which you can get by itself) and a new recipe that legally prohibits them from calling it a “citrus swirl”. Hearing this, we had to try it (in both cup and float form).
The new offering is way more orange in color than the original. The flavor change is noticeable too, as it is now way less tart and more sweet. Personally I liked it a little better, but I was never a big fan of the Citrus Swirl. That being said, the float didn’t blend as well as the previous recipe.
The citrus portion of the former swirl consisted of frozen orange juice, making it basically an “orange slush”.
The change seems particularly strange given the history of the original recipe going back to the 1970’s. Enough fan outcry over the years led to the unbelievable return of The Orange Bird and the Citrus Swirl back in 2012. In addition, the treat has remained popular since its return. Whatever the reason, the Citrus Swirl has “flown the coop” in favor of this new Orange Swirl.
I’ve always thought the citrus swirl tasted like medicine so this is a welcome change. I know others will be disappointed though :-(
I never got over losing the strawberry swirl.
Glad to hear this. The citrus swirl tasted like elementary school orange juice. Gross.
And you call yourself the orange bird? For shame ???? haha!
I’d only had a Citrus Swirl once and could barely eat it – the combination of tart orange juice and sweet vanilla soft serve was really off-putting. I’m a big fan of orange dreamsicle-esque desserts but it completely missed the mark by being far too tart and orange-y. Assuming an angry mob doesn’t force them to change it back, I’ll probably give this a try on my next visit.
Where’s my torch and pitch-fork??!! ????
when i die, i want disney to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time
I’m feeling you… I’m a lil upset… Like a lot.
As long as I can get “dole whip” I don’t care
The citrus swirl was horrible, had one last summer took about 3 or 4 licks and into the garbage it went. Did taste like medicine.
I love the Citrus Swirl and I am going to be leading that angry mob if this is true. When they brought back the real Citrus Swirl in 2012, it was a thrill. I was bitter when they changed the signage on the real Sunshine Tree Terrace and displaced the Orange Bird from his rightful home. This is the last straw…
“If it’s true” – see photos above :)
I don’t think I could be more upset… Might as well rip the statue of Walt down, or maybe the castle… If people prefer Dole whip that’s great, doesn’t effect them… But those of us that prefer citrus swirl, it really messes with us. Not cool Disney… Not cool
I do not understand the ice cream menu at all. Compare with a whatever ice cream parlour out of WDW, where you got 50 choices at a lower price…
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
This literally ruined my whole day. My favorite treat in the whole world is that citrus swirl….because of the frozen oj.
I for one am disappointed. I loved the Citrus Swirl.
I honestly might cry – this was my favorite snack in all of Disney. I loved the tartness of the orange, and I appreciated a snack that had some tart and wasn’t overly sweet like so many other things. I can only hope and pray that Disney brings it back. Might seem like an overreaction, but this is to me what getting rid of the dole whip would be to others.
Was the Citrus Swirl a Dole product? Dole’s fruit flavors were ready vegan-friendly.
So they changed an iconic snack to appease a few dozen people with an eating disorder?….great business decision Disney.
As long as they keep an orange/vanilla combo available I’m all for it.