Dessert Party lover...disappointed this trip.

[cakebaker]

I just looked for a party of 4 from August 1 to August 10 and every night is available.

When does the new pricing take effect? Was it July sometime?

When we booked ours at about 70-80 days out, we were one of the last for our date. The next day it was sold out. This was for mid June, probably similar crowd levels. I think 90 days out is probably a good indicator of how well the new pricing is going over. Of course at twice the price they only have to sell half as many spots to make more profit than they were before.

But if they don't fill up, good sign that they hit the limit on what people are willing to pay. I certainly hope there's a ceiling. At $25, we thought it was a decent deal. At $50, not so much. But this is the first time in years we've ever been able to book it so glad we got in before the price hike!

 

[ArwenMarie]

When does the new pricing take effect? Was it July sometime?

When we booked ours at about 70-80 days out, we were one of the last for our date. The next day it was sold out. This was for mid June, probably similar crowd levels. I think 90 days out is probably a good indicator of how well the new pricing is going over. Of course at twice the price they only have to sell half as many spots to make more profit than they were before.

But if they don't fill up, good sign that they hit the limit on what people are willing to pay. I certainly hope there's a ceiling. At $25, we thought it was a decent deal. At $50, not so much. But this is the first time in years we've ever been able to book it so glad we got in before the price hike!

I believe July 4th is the last date of the old price.

I've had the same experience, this was always a tough one to get.

Perhaps they have hit the limit on what people are going to pay. Comparing it to the dessert parties at Epcot and the Frozen ones at DHS, those ones have unlimited alcohol. I don't drink, but I could see people getting value out of that if they do. I just can't understand this price jump for this particular event.

We shall see I guess. Glad you got in before the price hike! Enjoy!

 

[cakebaker]

We did the Illuminations buffet our last trip and I've mentioned many times we were not happy with it at all. We drink occasionally, but not the things they served and so that was of no value to us at all. Even the desserts themselves are secondary to me. It's really all about the ability to sit before the fireworks and not be crushed and fighting for space during the fireworks. If we get that, it's money well spent to us at the current rate. I wouldn't pay $50 for the best seat in the house so we won't do it at the newer price. I think $30-$35 is as much as I could justify.

 

[midnightlouise]

Wow this is disappointing to hear. I was debating going this year, but not much point if you're still crowded and you get to pay double for the privilege. With MVMCP tickets to buy, not sure I can justify $200 for the chance of a good view of the fireworks. Guess I'll read the reviews once the switchover is official and go from there.

 

[pktbMouse]

We had a bad experience too that put us off going back...the same thing..once the fireworks started it was 4 people deep at the rail we couldn't get a clear view of the fireworks...when the fireworks had finished we came back to find our table had been cleared of our food and they were starting to put chairs and stuff away already! Part of the video I took of the fireworks had chair noises in it being scuffed across the floor by staff clearing up. I personally didn't think it was worth the money we payed...sad really ..JMI

 

[pktbMouse]

$53 for adults and $31 for children
Old price was $25 and $13

OH WOW! its def not worth that for sure

 

[larryz]

Maybe it is just luck of the drawl in terms of who else is booked that day, large parties, etc.

Well, Orlando IS in the South, now. Y'all have fun!

 

[NavyDad]

I was looking forward to trying this on our June trip. I usually take reviews with a grain of salt and am willing to try things at least once to form my own opinion. However after reading the increasingly negative reviews over the last year or so and thinking about the underlying similarities in the reviews and how it would affect us I decided not to bother....

 

[ArwenMarie]

OH WOW! its def not worth that for sure

Crazy right?!

It used to be one of my favorite add-ons/ADRs too.

 

[Tea4Alice]

I've attended the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party 3 times now (maybe 4?) and last week helped me realize that I won't be very sad once they jack up the price. They are now cramming more people into it than there should be, and construction is currently blocking the castle.

I was extremely disappointed when I noticed that you could see less than half the castle due to construction walls, I know this is temporary but it kind of negates the reason for the dessert party.

In years past, we were able to enjoy desserts and then go to the rail when the show started, well this year there were so many people jammed into the balcony that they started staking claims on the rail 45 minutes before Wishes. I started booking this party because I wanted to enjoy Wishes with my family without having to jockey for position or camp out...that is now gone. We were 3-4 deep along the whole rail and there were several people who gave up and decided to only see the sky part of the show so they sat back at their tables. I had a party of 11 that was crammed on a traditionally "8-top" table and there was about 2 feet between us and the next table that was equally crammed.

This was a nice family tradition that I'll be sad to see go. I understand Disney needs to make money, so I can't fault them for that...but if they continue to pack it that tight, and almost double the price then I won't feel bad not going again.

Do they still take your pics w/ the castle background

 

[theyoungs07]

Do they still take your pics w/ the castle background

Not anymore :-(. We did have a CM take one with my cellphone.

 

[soniam]

The OP's experience sounds like ours in March. I am glad we did it once, but I don't see us doing it again. The worst part was just the rude and grumpy attitude of the guests. The wait to get in was really long too. However, we liked the Illuminations party in July. The desserts felt more upscale, and the champagne was decent. The view couldn't be beat, and everyone was nice, friendly, and happy.

 

[mom2rtk]

$53 for adults and $31 for children
Old price was $25 and $13

Wow. I heard there was a new price. But it's crazy to see it in print.

 

[Jfsag123]

We must have just gotten lucky with this. We've done it twice, in May 2013 and March 2015, and had great experiences both times. We did not have a line to get in and desserts were plentiful and yummy, though not spectacular. We did watch from the railing both times, as CM's actively encouraged this, but there was enough space for everyone to get a spot right on the rail. DD and I even left the rail for a bit between the castle projection show and the fireworks to grab sips of our drinks from our table and had no problem walking back up to our spots.

However, despite our good experiences with this, we won't be doing it again at the new price. It's nice, but it's not worth that much $$$! Will be sad to take it off our list of must-do's.

 

[cakebaker]

The OP's experience sounds like ours in March. I am glad we did it once, but I don't see us doing it again. The worst part was just the rude and grumpy attitude of the guests. The wait to get in was really long too. However, we liked the Illuminations party in July. The desserts felt more upscale, and the champagne was decent. The view couldn't be beat, and everyone was nice, friendly, and happy.

This is an example of how opinions differ-the illuminations dessert buffet was terrible in our opinion. Crowded, no seating, dark and a rush of people grabbing for the few good tables at the fence. For $50 a person, we would never do it again. I don't think I'd do it for half that much.

 

[goofy4prez]

I am sorry to hear the bad experience the OP had for this event. We are booked in June and looking forward to it. I hope our experience is not as disappointing. We have never done it before and I'm sure it's going to be a one and done for us. There is no way I'm paying over $50 per person to eat some cupcakes and a few other desserts along with cheap sparkling grape juice. I am known to drink the Disney Kool-Aid from time to time, but this is one cup I'm going to pass on.

 

[cinderella'smommy]

Yikes. Not happy to hear this review. We have also done it twice before; in 2011 and 2012. We really loved it; and booked it again for our trip in June. If it is an overcrowded free-for-all, I am really going to be unhappy. And, also concerned that the construction is blocking the view of the castle.

 

[grecorj]

We did it in 2010 and it was awesome. But even so, once was enough.

 

[Crystal824]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We loved the dessert party 2 years ago and had planned to do it this past trip, but we just couldn't fit it in with everything else, which made me kind of sad because I am not willing to pay the increased prices. The old prices were worth it. The new ones not so much for what you get. If they somehow change the experience to make it worth it...we will see, but if it stays the same with the addition of cider and a cupcake....not worth it.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

We had planned to go to this on our trip last week but we decided against it due to the price hike. I'm sorry to hear it's now sounding overbooked as well. It used to be a decent price for what you got, but now to me it's totally over-priced. I'd rather buy a sundae at the Ice Cream Parlor on main street and use a FP+ reservation for Wishes for about $5 than pay the current dessert party price.