4. T-Rex Cafe & Rainforest Cafe - Downtown Disney

While Ghirardelli shines a spotlight on desserts, it’s not the only Downtown Disney location worthy of consideration for a chocolate fix. A couple popular restaurants will find you rolling in regret if you fill up on appetizers and entrees. Make sure you save room for dessert at T-Rex Cafe and Rainforest Cafe… or better yet, skip the meal altogether and dive right in to colossal treats like the Chocolate Extinction or the Sparkling Volcano! T-Rex Cafe’s Chocolate Extinction serves four - or maybe one ridiculously hungry caveman. It’s a mammoth portion of chocolate fudge cake, paired with ice cream, and topped with whipped cream, fudge and caramel sauces, and Butterfinger crumbles. Even Fred Flintstone would approve of this masterpiece. Meanwhile, at Rainforest Cafe, the Sparkling Volcano can satisfy three with all the pizzazz of a jungle jubilee. This chocolate brownie cake is covered in ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate and caramel sauces. And that “sparkling” aspect comes in the form of a brightly popping sparkler emerging from the center of the “volcano”. By the way, that’s only part of the fanfare with this lively treat. Wait until you experience the delivery to your table!

5. In-park bakeries - Various

Bakeries and sweet shops are in abundance, both in the parks, and at the resort hotels. A longtime favorite, The Main Street Bakery now lacks some of its allure in the baked goods department. Most of the edibles available here are now Starbucks branded, since the renovation that put the coffee mega-company front and center on Magic Kingdom’s Main Street U.S.A. While it still draws plenty of guests, it has also left many disappointed by the traditionally beloved baked treasures that are no longer to be found there. Depending on the sweets you seek, you still have numerous options to fall back on. A few that have been rising in popularity as of late: Sweet Spells and Starring Rolls Cafe (both at Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Candy Cauldron at Downtown Disney, and Boardwalk Bakery at Disney’s Boardwalk.

Sweet Spells and Starring Rolls Cafe complement each other so well. Sweet Spells focuses heavily on the “candy” side of chocolate, with a variety of brownies, cookies, dipped fruits, and fudge specialties. S’mores Squares and Mickey Peanut Butter Cups put a genuine Disney spin on classic favorites here as well. Starring Rolls Cafe also offers cookies and brownies, with additional temptations such as chocolate croissants, eclairs, and a respectable selection of Disney’s famous oversized cupcakes! Speaking of Disney cupcakes… they seem to come up with new flavors and styles constantly, so it’s always worth considering multiple stops to examine the selections at various cupcakeries (if this is your sweet treat of choice). Boardwalk Bakery often has an impressive selection on-hand as well, along with cannolis, cakes, brownies, eclairs, and much more. Candy Cauldron is another shop that hones in on candied specialties, but they have a wide assortment of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, and even MORE cupcakes. Disney cupcakes are such a big deal that there are websites devoted solely to outlining suggested paths for “cupcake crawls” throughout Walt Disney World property.

6. All you can eat buffets - various

Surprisingly enough, some of the best dessert spreads are found as afterthoughts on any of the various buffet meal options throughout property. In fact, the dessert bars could easily be buffet meals on their own merit. Bite-size nibbles of every sort demonstrate Disney’s masterful attention to devilishly sinful sweetness. Mickey ears on mousse cakes, brownie bites, cookies, ice cream, and everything under the chocolate umbrella are there for the taking, on an unlimited basis. And believe me - it’s hard to limit yourself to sampling only an item or two. While the entrees are the main attraction at any of these locations, the desserts are not to be underestimated. The co-starring role is not a designator of lesser value in this scenario, so plan ahead, and dive right in!

You can’t go wrong in any dessert direction at the Walt Disney World Resort. There truly is no bad option when it comes to chocolate offerings. It’s all a matter of pacing yourself and preparing for the options that await. The only wrong turn is filling up before the final course, so pack your second stomach, and indulge. After all - you’re on vacation!