HEA Dessert Party Questions

[Lydia S]

We went to the Garden View Terrace Viewing Dessert Party a few years back and had a wonderful experience. I noticed now though, that they have BEFORE and AFTER parties, and it looks like both groups share the viewing area. Is it crowded in the Garden because of this? Are both experiences essentially the same in terms of the food offered and pricing? My understanding is that the Before group gets the food BEFORE the fireworks but the AFTER group eats afterwards. I guess I’m confused because check-in for the After group is still for 1 hr before the fireworks start.

Also, do they still allow you to take food out to the viewing area? I remember reading somewhere before that they used to give out take-out boxes to bring stuff with you.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

I did the "After Fireworks" party last February with my dad. If I recall, the pricing is the same. We checked in an hour before and were escorted to the garden. We were in the front row of that area (in retrospect it may have been better if we were further back as some lamp posts did obstruct a tiny bit of the view). I didn't notice the garden being particularly crowded. We then went back after the show, were shown to our table, and we gorged ourselves on dessert. Afterwards we watched the closing show.

As I understand it the food is the same across all parties (Plaza, TT, and After). Since this was the after party and I was at the front, I didn't notice if any food from the other "Garden" party was present.

 

[kylenne]

We went to the Garden View Terrace Viewing Dessert Party a few years back and had a wonderful experience. I noticed now though, that they have BEFORE and AFTER parties, and it looks like both groups share the viewing area. Is it crowded in the Garden because of this? Are both experiences essentially the same in terms of the food offered and pricing? My understanding is that the Before group gets the food BEFORE the fireworks but the AFTER group eats afterwards. I guess I’m confused because check-in for the After group is still for 1 hr before the fireworks start.

Also, do they still allow you to take food out to the viewing area? I remember reading somewhere before that they used to give out take-out boxes to bring stuff with you.

For perspective, we did the HEA party last year during the height of MNSSHP season, and our Before with Plaza Garden viewing was sold out. There was still ample space in the garden and it did not feel crowded at all.

Last month when I did it, they still allowed people to take food outside. Not sure about to go containers since I just took a couple of bites out.

 

[Lydia S]

I didn't notice the garden being particularly crowded.

Good to know! This is further convincing me that I need to book this again!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We always care gallon freezer bags just for leftovers of this type.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I've done the HEA Plaza Party three times and it feels really hit or miss as to whether it's crowded or not. We went to one party that was packed and they had to open the mid-mezzanine area to accommodate all of the guests for the dessert portion of the party. The garden was pretty crowded that night as well, though we still had a good view. We just went this past July and it was virtually empty - I was kind of shocked at how few people were there actually. I've never, however, felt it was so crowded that our view was affected. The plaza dessert party is our go-to when we want to stay for the fireworks. We enjoy the desserts, have always had a good view and it keeps the hub chaos at bay!

 

[SaintsManiac]

I've done the HEA dessert party 4 times, every time during a holiday week (including ON July 4th). The garden never feels too crowded.

 

[Lydia S]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I went ahead and booked it for our trip. The last time we went, we didn’t book the party and we waited well over an hour, off to the side of the castle, thinking we had the perfect spot, only to have a crowd of people jump in front of us right before the show started. DH hates crowds, but loves sweets, so I’m sure this will be a hit with him.

Does anyone know if they still serve Macarons? Those were our favorite when we went 2 years ago.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Attended the party Wednesday night. No macarons.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I would love to see pictures or a listing of what’s offered now. The July 4th food offerings were so mediocre that I sent an email complaint.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

I would love to see pictures or a listing of what’s offered now. The July 4th food offerings were so mediocre that I sent an email complaint.

I went in February for the After Fireworks party.

I remember a S'mores station, some fruit & cheese selections, cheeseburger spring rolls, a selection of assorted small desserts (miniature brownies and cupcakes mainly), ice cream and toppings, and the ooey gooey toffee cake that Liberty Tree Tavern is known for.

I don't know if any of these were missing from your July 4th offerings.

 

[OasterP]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I went ahead and booked it for our trip. The last time we went, we didn’t book the party and we waited well over an hour, off to the side of the castle, thinking we had the perfect spot, only to have a crowd of people jump in front of us right before the show started. DH hates crowds, but loves sweets, so I’m sure this will be a hit with him.

Does anyone know if they still serve Macarons? Those were our favorite when we went 2 years ago.

I went last week (I think the 1st?) and there were no macarons. I was a little sad

As for offerings, I know they had:

sparkling cider
fruit and chocolate covered fruit
cheese
little mini cupcakes and other mini desserts
mini cheesecakes
cheeseburger egg rolls
spinach dip
"smore's" (marshmallow on a stick and they rolled it in graham cracker crumbs/added chocolate (pretty cute)
ice cream (soft serve)
little bread things to eat with the dip
ooey gooey toffee cake (I didn't see this until the end and sadly was way too full to eat it).

It was pretty good. I would have loved the macarons though.