The toy soldiers will be in the parade starting next week. I can't say why they've been absent, so you'll just have to take my word for it. (Or not.)
FWIW, I'm the author of that blog post (thanks for sharing the link!) and I would recommend the Holiday Time at Disneyland tour over the dessert party. I cover getting the best spot for World of Color in my viewing guide (mentioned in that post), and it's a pretty easy strategy to follow.
From my perspective, the dessert party is way overpriced for what you get. A great view of World of Color is not at all difficult to secure if you know what you're doing. Have fun!