Underwhelmed by Beaches and Cream ice cream

[Phonedave]

We finally got in to Beaches and Cream on our last trip. Overall we really had a good time, largely due to our lovely server. The ambiance was fun and the main courses (burger and sandwich) were good, but not great. The burger was yummy but the amount of fries they served was paltry. The most surprising thing was that the ice cream wasn't that amazing. I had a strawberry milkshake and the strawberry flavour was very slight and it didn't taste real. For a place built around ice cream, the ice cream was really disappointing.

I never thought Beaches and Cream was all that great. A solid place, but nothing to go out of the way for. At one time is was sort of unknown and off the beaten path, so you could get in when other places were crowded, but those days are long gone.

It is not as if it is "artisinal" "handcrafted" :homemade" "small batch" "old fashioned" "bespoke" or any other buzz word of the day ice cream and food. It's factory ice cream, and food service food. Not horrible, but not any sort of grand experience.

 

[OneofThree]

We went to B&C one evening during our Summer 18' stay, largely because we were staying there, it was late, and we were hungry. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, and our grilled cheese and burger were both good. That said, I fail to see what might draw someone to the location for an ADR. As stated by the site Admin, The Fountain over at Swan/Dolphin is so much better. What we got at L'Artisan des Glaces -now that was memorable.

 

[ToTBellHop]

We went to B&C one evening during our Summer 18' stay, largely because we were staying there, it was late, and we were hungry. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, and our grilled cheese and burger were both good. That said, I fail to see what might draw someone to the location for an ADR. As stated by the site Admin, The Fountain over at Swan/Dolphin is so much better. What we got at L'Artisan des Glaces -now that was memorable.

It is simple, approachable food and it’s small. See also: most Magic Kingdom sit-downs that are chronically out of ADRs.

 

[J_Carioca]

Now that I think about it, I can't remember what caused me to have such a hankering to try Beaches and Cream. I think I read about it on some blog, thought "that sounds fun" and then tried, unsuccessfully, to get a reservation on about five consecutive trips. It became a kind of challenge. Overall I really enjoyed the experience, but I don't know that it will make it onto my list of must-dos.

 

[dweezil78]

The majority of mid-tier resort food is almost always blander and less interesting compared to similarly priced third party food options on property. It’s akin to non-upcharge cruise food IMO and way overpriced.

 

[GSP Guy]

Isn’t it just Edy’s?

This is good info. Thanks. I had no idea and was planning on visiting here on our upcoming vacation but now think we will just hit Ample Hills instead.

 

[WDWTrojan]

Beaches and Cream uses store bought Edy's ice cream. Nothing special. The sundaes are great though. No Way Jose is the stuff dreams are made of.

 

[Hockey89]

It is Friendly's.... I'm not sure if they are everywhere in the country....

 

[Worldlover71]

Got to say I'm not that big a fan of Ample Hills either. I live near the original in Brooklyn and never go there--and I love ice cream! They have signature flavors that many people love but they're just not for me. A good old fashion Mickey bar usually does the trick when at WDW.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Some is definitely the ice cream. With the number of trendy places popping up in vacation destinations that do all kinds of house made flavors from premium ingredients that range from generic to wow, strawberry Edy's isn't all that revolutionary. It's certainly not bad, but not wow either. On top of that, the shake business is also upping its game, making the shakes at B&C seem boring. Just look at what Toothsome serves over at Uni. I also saw that DTD Anaheim is getting a Black Tap. We were just at the Vegas location and their over the top shakes make B&Cs offerings look like glorified fast food shakes. Just look at DD12s shake...

I can't see us bothering with B&C whenever we go back to WDW. This was also pretty close in price to B&C's, from what I'm seeing.

 

[Phonedave]

Some is definitely the ice cream. With the number of trendy places popping up in vacation destinations that do all kinds of house made flavors from premium ingredients that range from generic to wow, strawberry Edy's isn't all that revolutionary. It's certainly not bad, but not wow either. On top of that, the shake business is also upping its game, making the shakes at B&C seem boring. Just look at what Toothsome serves over at Uni. I also saw that DTD Anaheim is getting a Black Tap. We were just at the Vegas location and their over the top shakes make B&Cs offerings look like glorified fast food shakes. Just look at DD12s shake...

I can't see us bothering with B&C whenever we go back to WDW. This was also pretty close in price to B&C's, from what I'm seeing.

For me, that is the opposite of what I want. The trend now seems to be to jam as much stuff into a dish/cup as possible. That in no way appeals to me. Give me a human sized portion, with flavors that are actually thought out, with high quality ingredients, at a reasonable price.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

For me, that is the opposite of what I want. The trend now seems to be to jam as much stuff into a dish/cup as possible. That in no way appeals to me. Give me a human sized portion, with flavors that are actually thought out, with high quality ingredients, at a reasonable price.

Very fair...I know this is a bit much (and then some) for some. I'm just thinking that B&C's strawberry shake is listed as $14 on the Nov 2018 menu I located, which is a lot for a shake that OP says was nothing special. Our shakes from this Vegas place were in the $15-17 range and much more 'wow' (and shake/food for that matter) for that kind of price range. So, some of this is just feeling like the price and raves match the product. We got shakes at Shake Shack a few nights later which were more "normal" shakes, both in appearance and price. There's nothing bad about those Shake Shack shakes, but they also were around $6. So, the mind tends to consider a $6 shake a bit differently than a $15 one.

 

[correcaminos]

We're not really B&C fans. The only thing they have there that I like is peanut butter sauce. The problem in general is that they use Edy's ice cream which is meh to me. Often not creamy and crystallized. All the PB in the world cannot make up for that. As an FYI the ice cream parlor on Main St. in MK offers a lot of the same - or you can order the same stuff for the most part.

Better ice cream is had at Ample Hills. Better food in a soda shop style place would be at the Fountain in the Dolphin. All close to BC so easy to get to if you plan to be in that area anyway.

After my last experience with B&C I doubt we'll go back. They ignored an allergy (when I say all onions, I don't mean all but green) and took about 45 minutes to get our food. Service was super slow as well. It wasn't worth our time to complain as we had to get on the road to Tampa and just wanted out of there. I was able to eat some of what was given to me, but I had to remove a lot of green onions.

 

[MMFanCipher]

For me, that is the opposite of what I want. The trend now seems to be to jam as much stuff into a dish/cup as possible. That in no way appeals to me. Give me a human sized portion, with flavors that are actually thought out, with high quality ingredients, at a reasonable price.

Now, that's just crazy talk!

 

[breesus]

If you are looking for good ice cream in that area, head to Ample Hills.
https://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/amp...ls-creamery-now-open-at-disneys-boardwalk.htm

Beaches and Cream is mostly just dressed up store-quality ice cream. Ample Hills is the real deal.

Amen! I could really go for some Ooey Gooey butter cake or Sally Sells Seashells

 

[Phonedave]

Very fair...I know this is a bit much (and then some) for some. I'm just thinking that B&C's strawberry shake is listed as $14 on the Nov 2018 menu I located, which is a lot for a shake that OP says was nothing special. Our shakes from this Vegas place were in the $15-17 range and much more 'wow' (and shake/food for that matter) for that kind of price range. So, some of this is just feeling like the price and raves match the product. We got shakes at Shake Shack a few nights later which were more "normal" shakes, both in appearance and price. There's nothing bad about those Shake Shack shakes, but they also were around $6. So, the mind tends to consider a $6 shake a bit differently than a $15 one.

Understood. Ideally you would be able to get a $6 "normal" shake and a $14 "Over the top" shake at the same place.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Amen! I could really go for some Ooey Gooey butter cake or Sally Sells Seashells

When I’m alone, I fantasize about Ooey Gooey Butter Cake...

 

[erasure fan1]

Just to be clear, I'm not looking for artisan. I'm looking for a good old-fashioned honest milkshake made with real ice cream and milk. The kind you'd get at an old-fashioned diner - which is really the opposite of artisan. And if you're going to call it a strawberry milkshake it had better taste like strawberry.

We got shakes on our last trip (our first time at B&C) and we all had the same thoughts. That it was just OK and nothing special. Of course the hard part for me with any Disney food, is that because it costs so much more, I always expect too much. My daughter and wife had the same complaint as you, they really couldn't taste the flavor.

 

[JillC LI]

That's too bad. DD loved her strawberry shake there two weeks ago!

 

[NormC]

It is Friendly's.... I'm not sure if they are everywhere in the country....

Friendly's is primarily in New England. They have been closing shops regularly over the past few years. I hope they survive.