Another Dessert Party commentary

[DisneyStarWisher]

My DH and I just did the HEA Dessert Party this past Monday night. We had done a Wishes dessert party a few years ago, and a lightning storm cancelled the fireworks. We decided to try again. We got great weather, but we both agreed that the desserts had really gone downhill. We arrived right at the time given to us. We were able to get one plate of food, and then when we went back to get more, things were already disappearing. The one dessert I liked was already gone, and they never brought more out. This was very disappointing. We will not be doing another one.

 

[AngiTN]

My DH and I just did the HEA Dessert Party this past Monday night. We had done a Wishes dessert party a few years ago, and a lightning storm cancelled the fireworks. We decided to try again. We got great weather, but we both agreed that the desserts had really gone downhill. We arrived right at the time given to us. We were able to get one plate of food, and then when we went back to get more, things were already disappearing. The one dessert I liked was already gone, and they never brought more out. This was very disappointing. We will not be doing another one.

Which side did you do? I ask because the last time DH and I went (in August) we got there very late, due to a storm. They kept bringing out food right until it ended, and fireworks began. Nothing ran out. I wonder if the Plaza area refills better than the Terrace side? We don't like the Terrace view so we only do the Plaza side. We did it in June and it was the same, filled right until we left for Fireworks, which was just about 10 min before they started

 

[Liz Z]

Never understood the draw of these dessert parties considering the cost.

If you stake out an area in front of the castle about an hour before the show, you get get a fantastic view anyway. Same goes for the Star Wars spectacular

I understand your thinking but in the case where you have crowd levels of 10+ during the week between Christmas and New Years( DD is a special Ed teacher so it's the only time for us to go). No summers for us waaay to hot. So having a spot away from the crowds is a nice respite.

My daughter and i wouldn't usually spend the extra on the dessert parties if it were any other time. We've been to all of dessert parties but Epcot is actually our favorite great desserts sweet and savory and liquor as well Star wars was our least favorite. It was new so we tried it. Can't wait for Epcots and the added bonus of the Frozen ride at the end. Thus saving us a FP+

 

[SaintsManiac]

Never understood the draw of these dessert parties considering the cost.

If you stake out an area in front of the castle about an hour before the show, you get get a fantastic view anyway. Same goes for the Star Wars spectacular

Dan

To each his own maybe? I don't want to stake out a spot an hour before. Been there, done that.

 

[DisneyFive]

To each his own maybe? I don't want to stake out a spot an hour before. Been there, done that.

I agree. I'm not knocking those who enjoy the dessert parties, but for us it's never made sense. Even on a 10 day there isn't enough benefit to justify the cost for us. ...but to each his own. They would get rid of them if there there wasn't enough interest, so obviously there is.

Dan

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I watched Wishes in the Plaza Garden view area when it was a FP+. It was such a great experience. I plan on doing the plaza dessert party next trip when it is just DD12 and myself going. I hate crowds to watch fireworks. DD likes to have a full on view to anything we go to. Sporting events, Disney on Ice. She hates an obstructed view and it can ruin her entire mood. I'm willing to pay it since it's just us two. I don't know if I could swallow the price for my family of 4.

 

[nat8199]

Thanks for your review. I'm seriously considering canceling our Christmas night Plaza Garden Dessert Party.

Of all the nights that this would be worth the money, I think that Christmas would be it. Even if you don't eat or drink anything, just getting out of the crowds would be incredibly valuable to me.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We did the Wishes Dessert Party with Terrace views a few years back. Did not like the food, it rained but the fireworks went off anyway; however, we had people standing in front of us as we chose not to get wet. Trees obstructed somewhat. Not a great experience, and I said never again. However, this last visit with limited time and HEA just starting up, we opted once again for the party with Plaza viewing. The kiddos didn't mind the desserts, and the viewing area was excellent! This time it was worth it. We had people snorting behind us because we were standing, but there were people up against the fence (outside the viewing area) standing, so had we sat we would not have been able to see it all.
The Star Wars party was awful. We don't drink, and I was hard pressed to find ANYTHING I liked in the food department. Viewing was terrible. We could have done much better without the party for this. We had fps for ROL. Much better.

 

[Gentry2004]

Yup, happens all the time. Some are oblivious, some just don't care. I will carry my daughter so that her head is at the same height as mine, but I would never put her on my shoulders. So annoying!

My kids don't stay up late enough to do nighttime shows. But, I imagine its a race to the bottom. If the people directly in front of you do it, what choice do they leave you? If they enforced a rule that no one could do it, that would be totally fine.

 

[Surgie2]

Never understood the draw of these dessert parties considering the cost.

If you stake out an area in front of the castle about an hour before the show, you get get a fantastic view anyway. Same goes for the Star Wars spectacular

Dan

This is true...but for some of us traveling with preschool age children (in our case, four grandkids under the age of 6), "staking out a spot for an hour" at the end of a long park day is nowhere in the realm of reality. So I'm glad to have a different option. Agreed, it is not for those who see no value in it.

 

[SarahC97]

I know... I did my homework. I read the reviews, but I seldom meet a dessert I don’t like, unfortunately. Well, I met a bunch tonight. All of you who candidly admit you pay the price simply for a place to watch the MK castle show and fireworks are right.

DD and I attended our first -and last - party tonight. It was more than a small letdown. We opted for the Garden Plaza viewing as the goal was to finally see a castle projection show and fireworks from an unobstructed vantage point.

Most of the CMs tried their cheery best to make you feel welcome but even their personalities could not save it. Bright harsh lighting, metal chairs, and institutional presentation set the scene and should set your expectations accordingly. Tepid water for tea, bad coffee with creamers. No milk

The macarons were absolutely delicious , but the other selections ranged from Blah to blech. We ate a lot of macarons. I cannot even image why they make/buy/serve that food.

So, after not even a decent cup of tea or coffee, we were escorted - another sore point- to the viewing area. Sore point being that I was stranded in my scooter trying to get across a steady stream of people , not one of whom would break stride on their way to squeeze into the area around the ice cream parlour. By the time I got anywhere near the entrance, the “escort” was long gone.

Happily ( ever after remains to be seen) the shows lived up to their hype and were as spectacular as anything I could imagine.

Was it worth the cost? Yes and no. I think everyone who pays park admission should be able to enjoy these shows without adding close to another days admission cost. It makes me sad and cross that the nature of the shows have drastically shrunk the viewing area where they can be truly appreciated. At least ROL and Fantasmic have propers viewing areas.

Did I enjoy the shows? Immensely. Will I ever do it again? Not a chance. Nor would I recommend the dessert party as a “ special experience”. There was absolutely nothing special about it, in terms of atmosphere, service, or food. I would far rather pay a fee for admission to a venue which provided seating and unobstructed views. Yeah... we had tall people in front of us and even if I had stood for the show , there was a gentleman over 6 ft tall standing in front of me. Stadium seating is my best friend!

Thank you so much! I was considering this, but you've helped me make up my mind that it's not for us!

 

[Jessirip]

This is true...but for some of us traveling with preschool age children (in our case, four grandkids under the age of 6), "staking out a spot for an hour" at the end of a long park day is nowhere in the realm of reality. So I'm glad to have a different option. Agreed, it is not for those who see no value in it.

Yes to this. We are traveling with a 3 and 6 year old and have booked Plaza Garden viewing for over Spring Break when I expect it to be crazy crowded. I know we can do the late hour from experience, but not the stake out.

I do appreciate all experiences though, I'm not expecting much from the desserts but am really not planning to chow down as we have BOG dinner just before. We're paying for the convenience hands down. But heck my kids will even think an extra chocolate chip cookie is the absolute star treatment after 8pm.

 

[LizzyS]

They have since changed the procedure on this for the terrace party. They have moved the seats against the railing so you can sit in comfort and watch the fireworks with no one in front of you. This is 100% better than the last time I did it as well. I noticed this as I was getting my desserts for the plaza garden party and I was instantly regretful that I did not purchase the regular one.

I've purchased the terrace version for our trip and wasn't going to at first, but my husband talked me into it, saying "We're going to be tired by that point, why not be seated?". I'm kind of glad we went for that version at this point, tbh.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I understand your sentiment but for those of us who travel 4,000 miles across the pond and have very limited time in WDW then the ability to get a good view of the main events is well worth the price paid. We are coming over next September and already have the parties in all of the parks lined up in our plan and will be booking them as soon as we can.

I can understand that for some people’s situations, it may be worth the cost.

Your circumstances are different than mine. I hope to visit WDW many, many more times in my life and see HEA numerous times. I saw Wishes more times than I can count. Sometimes we had a great view; other times, not as much, but that was part of the charm for me. I can connect the memory of a certain view with various people I’ve been there with over the years.

A poster here recently mentioned that she was planning an MK dessert party for her family and her mother who had cancer. Mom was physically frail, so the poster figured it would be easier for her. Plus the poster was pretty sure it would be Mom’s last trip to WDW. That story melted my heart, and if it were my Mom (or any loved one), I could see springing for it even without a Powerball jackpot.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We did the Plaza Garden Viewing tonight for the first time (we usually do the Terrace view) and had a great time. We walked up to the podium as they were letting people in (no need to line up in advance to get a good table), are our desserts, left to go ride Buzz, then came back around 8:20 and were escorted to the viewing area.

We stood against the back rail and once the show started everyone pushed to the front, so we had a great view. Main Street was elbow to elbow, so just being out of the crowd was worth the price to me. The desserts were decent, the cheesecake brownie and strawberry tart were the best. The selections have decreased over the years though.

 

[JayhawkFans]

My daughter and I attended our first ever dessert party last Saturday (10/28). We were celebrating her 16th birthday and scheduled the Happily Every After Dessert Party with Garden View Seating on our last night. We will definitely include it again on future trips. To me, having a guaranteed spot in the garden without having to jostle our way into position was well worth the price. The weather did not cooperate with moderately heavy rain falling the entire time but we wore our ponchos and made the best of it. We arrived for desserts at (I believe) 7:40 and then went out to the garden about 8:05 ... We do not mind sitting around waiting if we can be guaranteed a great spot. All things considered, the dessert party was a highlight for us.

 

[danikoski]

By any chance, are the ingredients listed for the desserts at this party? I'm lactose intolerant and usually can figure out what I should or shouldn't eat, but I don't want to go overboard.

You can ask when you check in, or contact Disney Dining before hand. My mom's diabetic and we did the Wishes Terrace Dessert Party in February. They had a sugar free sorbet for her and went through the desserts with us. I contacted them before hand with dietary concerns.

We really enjoyed the party in February. We had eaten dinner at BOG before hand, so we didn't go to gorge, although I ate 3 plates of desserts, cheese, and fruit. My mom did not want to fight crowds or wait an hour to hold a spot, so we did the party. I'm not sure I'd do the terrace viewing again, just because of how HEA is set up now, but I'd consider the plaza garden viewing.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

That was two souvenir gifts ago, it's now the BB8 Sipper.

I want this! Do they have a large enough stash of these sippers to last through the end of January? We will be at that party on 1/22.

 

[FastPasser.]

Do they have a large enough stash of these sippers to last through the end of January? We will be at that party on 1/22.

I don't think running out will be the issue with the BB8 Sipper, it's that they could switch to something else at any time.

 

[Lydia S]

We did the Plaza Garden Viewing tonight for the first time (we usually do the Terrace view) and had a great time. We walked up to the podium as they were letting people in (no need to line up in advance to get a good table), are our desserts, left to go ride Buzz, then came back around 8:20 and were escorted to the viewing area.

I had no idea you could eat, leave, then come back. That makes this even better! I was thinking my kids would be bored waiting around for over an hour just eating sweets.