Advice about Wishes dessert party-plaza garden viewing area

[Graciegirl5]

We are headed to Florida to visit family, but will spend 2 days at Disney. 1 day Epcot, 1 day MK. Our MK day is May 11, the final night for Wishes. We have been twice but have never seen Wishes, so it was on my must do list anyway. Now I expect it will be more crowded than a normal Thursday evening; so I was debating the dessert party.

1. Does this viewing also include the OUAT show?
2. Are tickets refundable? My mom may or may not go with us, so I don't want to be stuck with an extra ticket if she doesn't come.
3. Does anyone have an educated guess (I know there's no guarantee) as to whether the hours will be extended that night? Right now closing is at 9, so the dessert party cuts out quite a bit of touring time.
4. I know worth is subjective, but for those who have done it, do you think it would be worth it for that night.

Thanks!

 

[Graciegirl5]

Shamelessly bumping in case anyone has any advice .

 

[ErinsMommy]

1. Does this viewing also include the OUAT show?
2. Are tickets refundable? My mom may or may not go with us, so I don't want to be stuck with an extra ticket if she doesn't come.
3. Does anyone have an educated guess (I know there's no guarantee) as to whether the hours will be extended that night? Right now closing is at 9, so the dessert party cuts out quite a bit of touring time.
4. I know worth is subjective, but for those who have done it, do you think it would be worth it for that night.
Thanks!

1. Not sure what OUAT is, but the dessert party starts at a specific time where they allow guests into teh area, and from what I recall it was about half hour prior to Wishes starting.
2. You can cancel within a certain window/timeframe (don't recall what that is though - maybe 72 hours prior?) after that its non-refundable.
3. No guess
4. The desserts weren't worth it IMO, and once the fireworks start or close to it, people get up and stand against the railing -- while having the a more 'private' view away from the mass crowds was nice, I wouldn't do it again.

 

[Graciegirl5]

1. Not sure what OUAT is, but the dessert party starts at a specific time where they allow guests into teh area, and from what I recall it was about half hour prior to Wishes starting.
2. You can cancel within a certain window/timeframe (don't recall what that is though - maybe 72 hours prior?) after that its non-refundable.
3. No guess
4. The desserts weren't worth it IMO, and once the fireworks start or close to it, people get up and stand against the railing -- while having the a more 'private' view away from the mass crowds was nice, I wouldn't do it again.

Thank you! OUAT is the new projection show "Once Upon a Time." It replaced Celebrate the Magic. The cancellation policy is enormously helpful. We'll definitely know by then whether mom will be with us. I didn't really figure the desserts were worth it; but, having never seen Wishes I thought the reserved spot might be nice and not as crowded as the other areas.

 

[jaysmom4285]

We did the plaza view dessert party in December. This one is a little cheaper than the terrace view party, since you watch Wishes from a reserved section in the Hub, right in front of the Castle. Regardless of which version you buy, you can be admitted to the Tomorrowland Terrace about a hour and a half before Wishes. It's up to you when you get there - it could be closer to the Wishes time if you want, although you'd have less time to eat. If you do the Terrace view version, your table will be on the lower level, and if you have the plaza view, your table will be on the second or third level. Everyone gets to enjoy the same desserts. Plaza view people will be escorted to their viewing spot in the Hub just before Wishes starts. The Terrace view people stay where they are on the lower level. The Plaza view people are welcome to stay in the viewing spot for the castle projection show that is a little later. The only thing is that admission to the area is no longer restricted after Wishes, so others may come in. I would assume that would be true for the Terrace view people - they can stay, but it is no longer an exclusive area. But many leave after Wishes, so it still isn't crowded. For my money, the view is better from the plaza view area in the Hub, as it's straight on to the castle, and the terrace view is off to one side. And the plaza viewing area is large for the amount of people who are there, so there's plenty of space to move around and no crowding. As far as whether it's worth it - we only did it in December because we didn't have MVMCP tickets, and Wishes is only shown three times a week for non- MVMCP guests, and the crowds to see Wishes on those nights is beyond belief. People stake out spots hours in advance, and everyone is jammed together like cattle in a pen, and CMs are yelling at everyone to stay within the taped off areas or keep moving. We found that experience to be very unpleasant, so we decided to do the plaza view dessert party . IMHO, it is worth it at a very busy time when crowds for Wishes are that extreme. At other times,when Wishes can be seen by anyone any night of the week, we haven't found it difficult to get a good spot to see Wishes at the last minute, so I wouldn't bother with the expense of a dessert party then.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Oh theres a difference in plaza view an terrace view? we did the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party that's up on that reserved area. Not sure if the plaza view is something different?

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We've done the terrace viewing one twice. The first time was probably more than 6 years ago (don't remember the exact date) and when the show was either in its infancy or not as popular. In any event, we paid $20 a person, the viewing area wasn't crowded, and the desserts were enjoyable/well-stocked. The second time we went was several years later and it cost I think $30 a person then, it was significantly more crowded, and the desserts weren't as good and the entire dessert area was sort of messy. I think the view is ok but you can't see much of the castle show. I wouldn't do it again at the current cost. I might consider the plaza viewing area one.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Oh theres a difference in plaza view an terrace view? we did the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party that's up on that reserved area. Not sure if the plaza view is something different?

Plaza view is less expensive and you watch the show from a different area. Desserts are in the same place. Linky's - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party-plaza-view/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/tomorrowland-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party/

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

1. Not sure what OUAT is, but the dessert party starts at a specific time where they allow guests into teh area, and from what I recall it was about half hour prior to Wishes starting.

Last time we did this was a while ago, but the ADR time was 1 hour -- not 30min -- before Wishes.

Has this changed?

 

[ErinsMommy]

Last time we did this was a while ago, but the ADR time was 1 hour -- not 30min -- before Wishes.

Has this changed?

it could've been an hour now that i think about it -- we just didn't go until closer to show time. as it was, my daughter fell asleep shortly after we sat down. made for a fun trek back to the hotel lol.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Oh theres a difference in plaza view an terrace view? we did the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party that's up on that reserved area. Not sure if the plaza view is something different?

Check out my post just above yours.

 

[danikoski]

We just did this, but the terrace version instead of plaza view. For a crowded time, it'd be worth the price. Plaza view party starts at 6:45, terrace view starts at 7:00. Our night, Once Upon a Time was at 7:30. Those with Plaza view could go watch it in the viewing area if they chose, but be aware, you may not have time to go back and eat desserts.
We did the terrace view because my mom gets fatigued standing. It worked out great and no one came up to the rails, even though it was relatively full. If it was my husband, stepson and I, and a busy time of year, I wouldn't hesitate to do the plaza viewing. I like the terrace view, but unless you have mobility issues, the seat probably isn't worth the price when you get basically the same with the cheaper plaza view.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

DS9 and I did the Wishes dessert party with Plaza garden viewing in mid-December. We are not big dessert eaters (though the desserts are good!) and it was well worth the price IMHO. Because we did the Plaza viewing, where we sat for the dessert party really didn't matter. We ended up being late for the party as we were all the way over at BTMRR when it started to downpour. We didn't make it over to the dessert party until about 45 minutes prior to the fireworks and it was not a big deal at all. Since that is not where we were viewing the fireworks, where we sat for dessert really didn't matter to us. We ended up sitting just above the people who had purchased the terrace viewing which was actually a lovely spot. I'm only pointing this out to let you know, if you would rather tour a little more than sit at a table eating dessert for 90 minutes, you can! Shortly before the fireworks started (I think it was about 15 minutes), they led all of the Plaza garden people over to the Plaza viewing area. If you do book the party, I recommend going to the BACK of the viewing area along the back rail. Most people rush to the front, but then you are right behind the general public who are standing right outside the plaza area. If you go to the back, there is no one standing in front of you and the view is magnificent. You can stay in the plaza area for the projection show, just know, at that point the general public can come into the Plaza area, but when we were there, not a lot of people came in. Also know, it's a 5 day cancellation policy for the Wishes dessert party. I thought it was well worth the cost and we will definitely do it again when we go in August for the new fireworks show if the party is still offered.

 

[maryj11]

We have done the dessert party on the terrace. The desserts were just ok but plenty of them. We enjoyed having a place to watch Wishes without fighting crowds. I was not real thrilled with the side view of the castle but it wasnt bad. We do have a reservation already for the dessert party this coming August but booked the Plaza garden view area. To me there is nothing better then watching Wishes right down in front of the castle.

 

[starry_solo]

I read reviews and booked the plaza view. I went five years ago when it was $20-25 and only one option for viewing (so we short people ended up standing at rail early).

 

[Graciegirl5]

Thanks everyone! We decided to book the plaza garden view dessert party. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[rcraw45425]

Thank's y'all, based on your reviews I just booked Plaza view for March 17. Have to get one more Wishes fix in!