The Mickey pretzel is a beloved snack among Disney Park enthusiasts. Shaped like Mickey Mouse, this pretzel is often fresh, soft, and salty. While it’s a favorite for many, its availability varies between Disney parks, with some locations offering it early in the morning and others later in the day.
Seriously, the Disney Park Nerds’ love affair with the Mickey Pretzel goes way back! Back to when we were just Nerdlings.
(The Ultimate Guide to Disney World)
Introduction to the Mickey Pretzel
There is everything in the world to love about a Mickey Pretzel.
First, they look like Mickey Mouse and anyone enjoying one of these delicious snacks is probably already in a good mood – Mickey, Food, Disney theme park; basically a recipe for success.
Please note the “P” in Mickey Pretzel is intentionally capitalized due to its importance to anyone who has ever visited a Disney park anywhere in the world.
This is a sign of respect for the very best snack (okay, okay, the Disney Park Nerds may have a slight disagreement about this, but I am writing this post…).
The Disney World Mickey pretzel is almost (unofficial scientific measurement of 92%) always fresh, soft, hot, salty, chewy goodness.
If you’re asking – and you must be if you are reading this – we prefer extra salt that we can brush off vs not enough salt.
Also, the Nerd doesn’t bother with the cheese, but the same cannot be said for the Nerdlings…they love the (almost always – 87%) hot and gooey cheese.
Magic Trick!
Look at this amazing piece of food art:
Abracadabra!!
Genius!!
But seriously, why is a Mickey Pretzel so hard to find?
And why do Disneyland and Disney World behave so differently?
Using basic common sense, a Mickey Pretzel is a perfect morning snack.
It’s essentially a bakery item – fresh and filling – to help fuel any morning touring plan.
It’s portable, it doesn’t spill, it’s no muss and no fuss. And yet – AND YET – the Mickey Pretzel is impossible to get in Disneyland before 10:30a, with most places withholding this tiny bit of heaven until 11a.
This begs the question of WHY? Disneyland executives, I hope you are reading this!
You want an 830a churro?
No problem! Popcorn?
Yup, they serve that.
Giant pickle, chips, fruit?
Check, check and double check. Pretzel? Nope 🙁
To make matters even more confusing Disney World handles this situation in a completely different manner.
Mickey Pretzels can be found early in the morning AND at snack carts that have ice for their sodas.
It’s as if Disney World understands the importance of a Mickey Pretzel on a day of touring.
Maybe, just maybe, they can help our their Disneyland counterparts and impart some wisdom to help make the guest experience amazing (are you hearing us, Disneyland?).
The Mickey Pretzel is Truly One of a Kind.
A Disney pretzel is a Disney pretzel, regardless of the character…right?
How about, “NO!”?
It’s Mickey Pretzel or bust for this Disney Park Nerd.
On rare occasions where Disney parks have tried other pretzel version, they simply pale in comparison.
What about those delicious pretzels they sell in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion? “NO!”
Okay, okay, the German pretzels were more like those you order in a pub.
But Animal Kingdom sells Simba pretzels – thick, salted and shaped just like a Mickey Pretzel.
These are fine, aren’t they? “NO!”
Despite the fact that it is hot, chewy and salted, all we wanted to do after eating the Simba pretzel was leave it on the plate.
And to top it off…
It’s important to remember that a Mickey Pretzel is pure goodness, but it is also a lot of bread.
And you cannot eat a lot of bread without a refreshing beverage with which to wash it down.
This is just common sense at this point.
So, what do you do? If you are in Disney World, it might be 830a and we know if you are in Disneyland, it’s approaching the lunch hour.
Do you drink water? Can you enjoy a Mickey Pretzel with some orange juice?
What about a sports drink?
The Disney Park Nerds so “NO”! There is only one beverage choice that will keep you hydrated, help wash down each glorious bit and enhance your entire experience.
There is nothing like a Coke (or if you are counting calories, a Diet Coke) to make this eating experience truly magical.
8am Pretzels? Disneyland Dreams DO Come True!
If you’ve ever read a Disney Park Nerds article, you know the Nerd is gaga for Mickey Pretzels.
You probably also know that he has complained about a lack of Mickey Pretzel availability for the past quarter century at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort…the best that could be done was 10:30a at Bay Side Brews at Disney California Adventure.
It was well documented by the Nerd that Mickey Pretzels are available in the morning at Disney World and just plain don’t exist at Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.
This is a complete shame, but I digress.
So imagine the Nerd’s joy jubilation glee pure happiness delight bliss euphoria thrill rapture when he walked to Space Mountain just after rope drop on a Thursday morning in May to be greeted with an OPEN MICKEY PRETZEL STAND at 8am!!!!!
The Nerd was nearly brought to tears by this sight. It was a scene to behold. Of course, the fresh and hot Mickey Pretzel was delicious, but it was more than that. It was as if the Disney overlords had finally seen the light.
From there…it got interesting.
The Nerd spoke with the Cast Member and expressed gratitude for the early opening.
The Cast Member looked perplexed and replied, “We’ve always been open mornings.”
The Nerd has known to be a wee-bit on the sarcastic side and may (or may not) have thought to himself:
- Sure, just not in the past quarter century; AND
- Right. 11:30am IS technically the morning
In the end, the Nerd said his thanks, enjoyed his Pretzel and Starlight Coke (and will be immediately switching back to Diet as he was not a fan of the Starlight Coke).
Part of writing for Disney Park Nerds requires regular visits to the park. Let’s fast-forward one week.
It’s a Wednesday in the middle of May at 8am.
The Nerd practically floated to Tomorrowland on Cloud Nine after the rope drop to enjoy Mickey Pretzels while waiting to be joined by two Nerdlings.
After gleefully walking to the Mickey Pretzel stand, he was turned away and told the pretzels would not be ready until 8:30am.
Not the end of the world, but a bit of a shock.
It still worked out, the Mickey Pretzels just had to wait until AFTER Space Mountain.
All of this morning Mickey Pretzel back and forth is making the Nerd feel like he might have an issue.
Case in point….at around 10a the next day the Nerd stopped by Tomorrowland for a Mickey Pretzel and Diet Coke.
The Cast Member from the previous week (the one who was confused that the Nerd was surprised about morning pretzel availability) asked innocently, “Are you a regular here?”
Might be time for a low carb diet.
Aside from Mickey pretzels (because this is obviously the first choice), what snack do you get so excited about in the Disney parks?
