The Disney Food Hack You'll Wish You Knew Years Ago

If you've ever found yourself at Disney World or Disneyland, you know that half the fun of traipsing around the park is stuffing yourself silly with Dole Whips, turkey legs, and Mickey-shaped pretzels before riding Thunder Mountain for the umpteenth time (and hopefully not regretting it). But what you might not know is that if you ask a cast member (what Disney calls employees of the parks) for the recipe for your favorite treat, you might just get it (via PopSugar). Think of how much money you'd save if you could just make a Dole Whip at home instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for a park ticket? 

Disney does already share some of the parks' most favorite recipes on the official Disney Parks Blog. There are recipes for everything from Disney Cruise Line cocktails to the famous Disney churros. But if you're after a different park-specific recipe, you can simply ask a cast member, and if the recipe is available, they'll email it to you. Simple as that. 

There have been reports that this hack doesn't always work, though. Considering how tightly Disney keeps a wrap on everything from the re-release of their old films to the use of their characters (via Racked), it's not too surprising that not all of the park recipes are available to the public at a moment's notice. But if you're feeling really desperate to recreate one of the signature park recipes at home, it's worth taking a chance. 

If you aren't actually in a park, you can also try emailing the specific location, whether it's Disneyland, Disney World, a Disney Cruise Line, or a Disney Vacation Club.

The worst that can happen is you'll get a "no," which might then necessitate a trip back to Disney so you can just get your fix in the park, and really makes this kind of a win-win situation.