Ice Cream Carts -- Snacks -- Quick Service
*This post contains ingredient information from July 24, 2016. Always double-check with a cast member to ensure that an item is safe for your special dietary need before consuming. 
Orlando can be a very warm place, no matter the time of year, so if you're visiting Walt Disney World, chances are you've been looking for a cool treat. In a past podcast episode, I covered some of my favorites cool treats (including the No Way Jose sundae from Beaches & Cream), but in this post we'll be looking at the ice cream cart offerings which you can find at any Disney theme park.On a recent visit, I stopped by one of the carts while checking out information about the freshly popped popcorn at Disney and asked if I could see the information about ice cream. Here are some of the photos from the special dietary needs binder. I will be adding to this post, as I did not get photos for all of their special dietary needs offerings.
One of the most popular Disney ice cream treats is the Mickey Bar. As you can see, the ingredients do not note that it contains gluten and there does not appear to be any "made in a facility" warnings either (you will see those on some other ingredients images).Mickey Bars have often had mixed information about whether they are gluten free or not. By the current ingredients, they do look to be gluten free.
The Frozen Olaf Bar is gluten free and dairy free, but does contain a warning that the items are processed in a facility that also processes those ingredients.
Sadly, the Mickey Ice Cream Bar sandwich is a no go for gluten free and dairy free.
The frozen fruit bars are something I've been offered a lot, and I'm not really a fan of. I would probably avoid this due to the processing in the same facility warning.What are your favorite cool treats at Disney?
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop -- Snack -- Table Service -- Beach Club
*This dining experience took place in March 2015. 
Located in Disney's Beach Club Resort is Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. This ice cream parlor reminds me of those classic 1950s ice cream and soda shops -- complete with hamburgers & fries, milkshakes and amazing sundaes (and let's not forget the infamous Kitchen Sink - a gigantic serving for four of literally every sundae item the restaurant has). It's been a while since I've dined at Beaches & Cream, in fact my last review here on the blog was from 2011. That was when I discovered the awesomeness that is the Beaches & Cream peanut butter sauce! 
Beaches & Cream has two options for ice cream goers. The first is the traditional table service where you can order ice cream treats and a savory items like burgers and fries. The second is a quick service counter style, located directly next to the table service seating area and accessible by a separate door. This place is pretty darn busy, and it used to be that you could only get walk-ups to dine here. That's right, no ADRs! Luckily, that has now changed and you can make reservations to enjoy a visit here. 
On this particular occasion, we actually did not have a reservation but stopped by to see if we could get a walk-in. Luckily, we were able to get counter seating which was terrific. Before we were even seated, I notified the hostess of my special dietary needs, and she marked our ticket with "allergy." Once seated, the manager came out to discuss options for me. Since I love the peanut butter sauce, I asked if I could have a modified version of the No Way Jose ice cream sundae. She said not a problem, and offered me a choice of Tofutti (which they have in chocolate and vanilla) and Rice Dream (in vanilla only). The No Way Jose typically comes with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, so I opted for the Tofutti. When you order special diets sundaes or food at Beaches and Cream, they will prepare it entirely in the back to avoid cross contamination. Watching the servers make sundaes at the counter, I can definitely attest to the high level of cross contamination that posed there. 
After a fairly minimal wait, I was brought out a huge sundae. I was not prepared for the size of this thing! Tons of non-dairy ice cream smothered with peanut butter sauce, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips was the way to go. I'm fairly certain I didn't speak for a good 15 minutes while I ate this sundae. If you like peanut butter and chocolate this is the combo to get.*Note: A blog reader mentioned that they were told the chocolate chips were not safe to consume for dairy free special diets; however, I was told by the manager that the chocolate chips only contained soy (likely soy lecithin). I didn't feel sick afterwards, so I'm hopeful that these are indeed a safe option! The manager did not include the peanut butter morsels on my sundae, which did contain dairy (same with the whipped cream).Overall, I had a great sundae at Beaches and Cream. It's a great go-to sundae stop, and they do have a large variety of options for toppings. I'm looking forward to going back again in the summertime when I need a sweet (and cool) treat!Have you been to Beaches and Cream? What did you order when you dined there?