Has anyone done the 'extra' dessert party inside
MNSSHP? Trying to figure out if it is worth it to pay for the Garden View party for our upcoming December trip. My mother in law has mobility problems and my wife has crowd anxiety so I'm thinking of pulling the trigger. Do they let you hang out in there until the madness dies down in the hub?
In my humble opinion, the dessert parties during MNSSHP (both the seated Tomorrowland Terrace version and the Plaza Garden viewing version) are more splurges than "crowd avoidance" strategies. Generally speaking the Hub is much more manageable than a normal MK night so the "reserved space" part of the dessert party offering has less appeal.
As to the Plaza Garden version specifically (which I just did last Friday), this version of the party during MNSSHP is a rather uncrowded affair. The crowds were so light at the ones I did this year and last year that I'm frankly surprised Disney even offers this version during MNSSHP. The Tomorrowland Terrace version seemed on par with a regular MK night, but the Plaza Garden one has pretty light crowds.
All of that being said, it is certainly nice to know you have a reserved spot that in all likelihood won't be crowded. I'm not into the dessert part for anything more than a chance to grab some water, a light snack, and a bathroom break... but it can be nice to take a brief break from running around. It takes some of the stress/planning out of the evening, especially if you're worrying about mobility/crowd anxiety concerns.
I could really go 50/50 on the event personally. I thought it was kind of a waste last year, but then I booked it again this year... so I talk out of both sides of my mouth.
They do not clear people out of the garden afterwards.
Last Friday we didn't arrive in the garden until 10ish mins before show time and we had our pick of nearly anywhere. We pretty much laid down and rested before the show and remained seated - relaxed and with our legs out - the whole show on this particular night. Our view.
Happy to answer any questions.