Disney Hack: How to Enjoy Gideon’s Bakehouse Without the Wait

Do you dream of indulging in one of the hotly renowned cookies from Gideon’s Bakehouse, but the long wait to get one seems like a nightmare? We have some tips for you for grabbing these delightful baked goods without the wait!

Gideon’s Bakehouse

Gideon’s Bakehouse is an extremely popular place to grab treats in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. The bakehouse serves delectable bakery items including cakes and cookies as well as caffeinated brews. The nitro cold brews are especially popular and pair well with the unique cookie creations.

The cookies at Gideon’s are in a class all their own. They are huge, weighing in at nearly 1/2 a pound each, and they are soft in the center and filled with high-quality ingredients.

You can also grab special limited-time-only monthly offerings at Gideon’s Bakehouse. You can follow along with us at Kennythepirate.com as we will share which flavor is announced monthly.

It is a well-known fact by now that these treats are so popular that the line for Gideon’s Bakehouse typically spills out into the street and wraps around the building. If you are at Gideon’s and you don’t see a line, it is most likely because it became so long that the staff moved it to a virtual queue.

However, most guests who dare to take on the line, whether it is physical or virtual, are thrilled with their treats. You can read a full review right here.

Visit the Not-So-Secret Original Location Instead

Orlando locals will tell you that Gideon’s Bakehouse did not originate in Disney Springs. In fact, the original location over in East End Market is not terribly far from Walt Disney World.

It is nestled inside the market along with several adorable shops and places to grab a bite to eat. It is a great place to visit, especially if you are traveling by car for your Walt Disney World vacation.

East End Market Location Advantages

There are two amazing things about the East End Market location of Gideon’s Bakehouse. For one thing, there is seldom a wait to order cookies, cake slices, and other treats. That is not to say that there is never a wait; sometimes it can get busy, but during peak times, it is probably still less busy than the Disney Springs location.

I visited during Gideon’s Disney Springs birthday celebration, and they had several limited-edition treats that day. While the line at the Disney Springs location was reportedly (and unsurprisingly) lengthy, there were only two people ahead of me at the original location. I was in and out in under 15 minutes.

Another awesome timesaver is that you can actually pre-order your treats at the East End location and simply walk in and pick them up. This makes getting your Gideon’s fix even simpler.

If you are heading to Walt Dinsey World from anywhere North of Orlando, and your drive will take thou through Orlando without adding too much time to the trip, it is a great idea to stop at East End Market for Gideon’s. When my travel party drives, we typically stop on the way home as it only adds about 10-15 minutes to our total drive time to add the stop.

More importantly, it is so fun to bring home a taste of the magic, especially if we are looking for something unique to bring back to friends and family.

It would be nice to stop on the way to Disney and stock up on treats, but we are usually arriving too late to do so. Hours are typically 10:00 AM-7:00 PM EST. These are subject to change, of course, so check before you go.

East End Market Location Drawbacks

There are a few drawbacks to ordering Gideon’s from the original East End Market location. For one thing, if you do not have a car on your trip, getting there is much less easy. Your best bet will be to utilize rideshare on your arrival day, departure day, or on one of your rest days provided that you have the time to do it. You will probably need to devote about 25-30 minutes each way just to get there and back again.

That is not much longer than you should give yourself to get to and from Disney Springs utilizing Walt Disney World Transportation or rideshare. Even so, it is hard to step out of the magic bubble once you are inside of it.

Second, the East End location does NOT serve Gideon’s famous and delicious cold brew. For me, this is not a deal breaker because I would rather have some treats than no treats, but I sure do LOVE the cold brew. The reason they do not serve it is out of respect for the neighboring coffee shop in East End Market. Gideon’s Bakehouse does not want to detract from its coffee business. Such gallant reasoning makes me forgive the lack of cold brew.

Finally, at the time of writing, the East End location does not take cash. You must use a credit card to pay. This probably is not a deal breaker in 2023, but it is important to know going in just in case.

Beating the Crowds at the Original Location

Okay, so if you just know there is no way you can get to the original Gideon’s Bakehouse over in East End Market, never fear. There are a few tricks to scoring cookies, cake slices, cold brews, and specialty treats at the Disney Springs location with minimal waiting as well.

Here is a rundown of what you can try. Again, I highly recommend utilizing a rest day, your arrival day, or your departure day to do this so that you do not miss out on any precious park time. However, if you are planning a mid-day break, late arrival, or early departure on one of your park days, you can work in a trip to Disney Springs then, too.

Rope Drop Disney Springs

If you really want to beat the crowds, one easy way is simply to rope drop Disney Springs. This way you can be ready and waiting at Gideon’s Bakehouse when it opens. The bakery opens daily at 10 AM EST, but times are subject to change.

Now, you may be thinking “isn’t this still waiting?” Yes, but, you are doing your waiting before the heat of the day sets in, and you will enjoy lower crowds for anything else you wish to do while you are there.

One drawback to this is that Gideon’s treats are made with high-quality ingredients that do not withstand heat well. You do not want to carry them around in the heat for too long!

If you are planning to spend several hours in Disney Springs afterward, and it is hot outside, it will be best to bring along an insulated bag to put your uneaten treats in, particularly if you are lucky enough to go when truffles are on the menu.

Visit in Mid-week and Mid-day

It will probably come as very little shock to you that Disney Springs tends to be busier on the weekends than midweek. It is also going to be more crowded on bank holidays/federal holidays. This is because you do not need a ticket to visit Disney Springs, and more locals are off and able to visit during weekends and holidays.

You are less likely to hit crowds if you head over mid-week instead. Tuesday and Wednesday are good choices, but any day can be a great choice if you time it just right. It is also best to avoid peak mealtimes. People are there for lunch and dinner and will line up before and after meals, especially if they are planning to dine at a quick-service location.

For example, 2:00-3:00 PM tends to be a better time to visit than say 11:00-1:00 PM when people typically plan lunch. The wait will pick back up for the late afternoon/early evening.

Visit at the End of the Night

Crowds tend to taper at the end of the night. For reference, Gideon’s Bakehouse closes at 10 PM EST on weekdays and 11 PM on weekends, but be sure to check as that is subject to change.

The last time I visited the Disney Springs location was after dinner over at Paddlefish. The line looked long, but the Cast Member attending the line said not to worry and that it would only be about a 25-minute wait. We got in line and it only took about 17 minutes! The time was around 7:15 PM when we lined up. However, it was also mid-week during non-peak season, which helps.

We were able to order our cookies and head out pretty quickly. However, one drawback to this is some people are unable to enjoy the cold brew in the evening because it keeps them awake all night. However, if you are the type who can drink coffee without having it interrupt your sleep, this is a great strategy for you if you want to try theirs.

The wait also tends to taper closer to that late-night closing time. Of course, the other drawback is that there is always a sell-out risk if you wait to head over at the end of the night, so if you have your heart set on something specific, particularly the limited treats, you may want to go sooner rather than later.

Remember Some Treats are Only available on Specific Days

Before you plan your trip, remember that some items are only for sale on specific days. For instance, limited-time cake slices may only be available on Wednesdays and Saturdays for example. Over at East End Market, the Candied Walnut Chocolate Chip cookie is only available on Wednesdays. Check before you go if you have your heart set on a limited-edition treat.

Your mileage may vary using any of these strategies. So, hope for the best-case scenario and plan for unforeseen circumstances. We hope that if Gideon’s is what your heart desires that you are able to find a way to enjoy it regardless of the strategy you employ.

Do you know anyone who would love these tricks for getting into Gideon’s Bakehouse with less of a wait? Be sure to share this information with them so that they can enjoy more goodness with less wait time. Do you know any other good tricks? Have any of these worked for you? Be sure to let us know in the comments so that other readers can learn from your advice.