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Credit: Gideons BakehouseIf you like to follow food at Disney World, you surely have heard of Gideon’s Bakehouse.
Gideon’s is an Orlando-based cookie shop that has a unique steampunk aesthetic to match their over-the-top cookies which are huge, and covered in toppings. Now with Gideon’s Bakehouse opening an official location at Disney Springs (and not just selling a handful of cookies at Polite Pig), the Guests’ demand has grown so large that virtual queues for the dessert have surpassed 8 hours!
That being said, there are a few ways to cut down those long wait times if you want a sweet treat, but don’t feel like waiting 3-5 business days for it!
Gideon’s Life Hack #1
Timing is everything when it comes to picking up a cookie at Gideon’s Bakehouse. Disney Springs is a busy shopping and dining location on the Walt Disney World property, and as one can imagine, visiting on weekends, evenings, or peak lunch hours will boast larger crowds more often than not.
Personally, I have hopped over to Disney Springs on a Monday afternoon around 2:00 p.m., just after the lunch rush, and found that the timing significantly affected my Gideon’s Bakehouse wait time. I only had to wait 30 minutes in the virtual queue before being admitted into the line, which was much shorter than the 2-hour virtual queue that my friend was quoted when visiting later that evening around 6:00 p.m.
Of course, you may show up during an off-time and the queue may still be very long, but it seems that Guests will have a better chance of escaping the wait when they escape the rush of crowds.
Related: UPDATE: Disney Springs Bake Shop Shares Reason For Temporary Closure
Gideon’s Life Hack #2
For those who do not know, Gideon’s Bakehouse is a franchise and has another Orlando location just a short ride away from Disney. In fact, the store is under 30 minutes away from Disney property and does not boast the same Disney Springs lines.
If Guests want, this location can provide a few alternatives to cut down those hour-long wait times that you may otherwise receive if visiting Disney Springs.
If you have access to a car, or, are willing to call an Uber, going to the East End Market location is a perfect alternative. This is great for foodies who have a sweet tooth and want instant gratification and satisfaction.
Another option is to preorder your cookie — Yes, you can put in a next-day preorder for a Gideon’s Bakehouse cookie on their site! The only catch is that it must be picked up at the East End Market location — but this would cut down your wait time to zero minutes.
Gideon’s Life Hack #3
Let’s say you show up at Gideon’s at Disney Springs and you get quoted a five-hour wait. Yikes! Even a lunch reservation at Boathouse and shopping at the World of Disney won’t fill all that time. Another option that Guests can take advantage of to make that wait time fly by is hopping over to the theme parks.
With Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom only minutes away, popping over to one of the parks will quickly pass the time, and, will give you a Disney day filled with magic! There is nothing worse than trying to fill time with a boring activity, or just waiting around — so by filling that gap with a Disney park experience Guests can enjoy themselves, and then get a sweet surprise when their phone alerts them that they can enter the physical line back at Gideon’s Bakehouse.
It is also helpful that you do not need to immediately return to the line! I received my text while eating lunch one day and did not return to the bakehouse for an hour, but was still clear to enter once I showed the text. This means Guests do not need to feel rushed out of the theme park to grab their cookie!
Those are a few ways we can think to skip the line, or, at least feel like you are, when waiting for a cookie, cake, or cold brew coffee at Gideon’s Bakehouse!
If you have any ideas or hacks on how to keep the wait time low at Gideon’s, let us know!