Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party

[Boo Bear]

Has anyone attended this? If so, was it worth the expense? I'm kind of bummed that no seats are available. Is it easy to find a good spot to watch Illuminations from somewhere else without having to wait over an hour?

I've heard that there was some disappointment with this and I want to make sure that it's a good investment for our trip.

Thanks!

 

[Boo Bear]

anybody?

 

[KnJ]

We did this in october and loved it!

I have read many complaints about the lack of selections, but there were plenty of desserts and varieties. The alcohol was a nice touch as well, they had more than just champagne. we had some rum mix drink.

Our party was a little different, it was relocated to inside the american pavilion due to the on and off rain. So the viewing area was also moved to be closer to the pavilion.

Not having seats did not bother me one bit. We would be standing during illuminations anyways.

If you have not done it, I would recommend it. It was a good experience

I will try to find my pics and post them.

 

[cakebaker]

We did it, didn't think it was worth the money and won't do it again.

The desserts were great, drinks were great- but it was terrible as far as being an easy way to get a nice place to watch Iluminations- and that's what we were looking for.

We were there half an hour before they'd even let you start to line up to enter. It's a good thing, because they opened the area up 15 minutes earlier than it was scheduled for. We were probably 10 people back, but didn't make a dead run for a table. Most everyone else did and so all the tables next to the fence were gone, literally within seconds.

Since Illuminations is what we came to see, we opted to stand by the fence between tables and ended up eating sitting on the ground- not exactly the easiest thing to do in the dark. Again, chairs to sit in to eat would've been nice. I can stand for free. It really was a mess.

If I have to camp out an hour before they open the area, then make a mad rush to get a decent viewing spot- I can do that for free. We weren't there for the food, we were there for a nice viewing spot without having to save the space and fight crowds. The dessert buffet does not fix that at all.

I expected a more refined, relaxed atmosphere at least and it was hectic and crowded.

 

[andyman8]

Did it back in June. We're in the pass-on-it camp as well. Like the PP said, $50 is a lot for a few desserts and some cheap wine. If you're going to do a dessert party, spend less money and do the far superior one at Tomorrowland Terrace at MK. We loved that one!

 

[Boo Bear]

Mixed reviews so far. I'm hoping that more people can add their experiences. Thank you to those who have. I'd love to see those photos!l

 

[MulanMom]

My son and I did this during July 4th week and had a great time. Not sure if I would go back with my DH and DD in tow.

Cons:
no seats
limited desserts in comparison to Tomorrowland Terrace

Pros:
Alcohol! Loved having Prosecco!
Standing/sharing tables gave us the opportunity to talk with other guests while waiting for Illuminations to start.
I loved not being in the throng of the crowds. Much more relaxed. Then again, might've been all that Prosecco! ;-)

I think it's worth trying at least once.

 

[IamJBo]

Having a spot during F&W on a Saturday night was the only thing that made this worth while for me. We showed up too late to grab a ticket for the reserved Chase seating so this along made it worth while.

If the crowds are expected to be low I would never do this again. The dessert choices seem to vary as some of the selections that some have mentioned we did not have. I felt a bit ripped off in terms of dessert.

Drink selections ranged from water, tea, and lemonade to champagne and a rum cocktail. I'm not a big champagne person so I didn't have more than one.

Like I said - F&W weekend crowds are no joke. Having that reserved seating made it worth it. Would I do it during a non-busy time? Nope. Would I do it again at all? Not unless they upped the dessert choices. Otherwise I would probably just try and get a FP+ for Illuminations.

 

[iheartbuffy]

We did it in April. We were given it for free since we had our MK fireworks dessert party canceled on us. So we didn't pay, and it still wasn't worth it lol I would never do it again. The view is good, but that is about all. I didn't enjoy any of the desserts (except the mickey bars that I can get anywhere at anytime for a lot cheaper than the cost of the party) and there wasn't much as far as drinks go for people who didn't drink. The other 3 in my group felt the same.

 

[wdwpirates]

DH and I enjoyed it. Here is our review:

Illuminations Dessert Party Part 1

Illuminations Dessert Party Part 2

 

[iheartbuffy]

I want to add, while not having seats sucked, it was more that it was a slight incline. After walking the park all day I don't want to have to stand on an incline, or sit on the ground to eat...and it was a cold ground that night.
I have a few pics, it was very dark there.

 

[Boo Bear]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I think I'm going to go ahead and keep my reservations for this. I've already paid for it in full so it's already something that I've covered financially.

 

[Lsdolphin]

The description of the desserts served at the Illuminations Dessert. Party listed on reservations pg. does not match reports of those who have attende previous parties.

Is there anyone out there who has attended a recent party??
Would also like to know if bottled water, sodas, and Mickey ice cream bars are still bring served?? Were there enough tables for everyone? (I know there are no seats).

 

[DebbieB]

I attended in May. We got there about an hour before and got the last table to lean on. Lack of seats was a disappointment. It would have been nice to sit and relax.

The view of Illuminations was nice.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I think I'm going to go ahead and keep my reservations for this. I've already paid for it in full so it's already something that I've covered financially.

I want a full review & photos!

 

[soniam]

We enjoyed it in late July. We got a table in front of a fence in front of the building, so we could lean on the fence. We didn't show up terribly early. The desserts were fine for DH and myself. DS8 is picky and didn't really like them. The champagne and prosecco were fine. There was some drink, that we think was sparkling cider. It was not good, but my son enjoyed it. The staff was excellent and extremely friendly. I remembered having a good time, but I did imbibe a bit much, which usually makes inconveniences, like no seats, melt away. Seats would have been nice though. It was worth it to not have to camp out for a good spot, and we had never seen Illuminations from a good spot.

I can't compare it to the Tomorrowland party; we are doing it in March.

 

[rebeccam31]

Has anyone attended this? If so, was it worth the expense? I'm kind of bummed that no seats are available. Is it easy to find a good spot to watch Illuminations from somewhere else without having to wait over an hour?

I've heard that there was some disappointment with this and I want to make sure that it's a good investment for our trip.

Thanks!

We did it in November, and I was not impressed. We didn't particularly care for the desserts on the whole (a few were tasty). Also, when we were trying to find where to go, several CMs we talked to seemed to have no idea what we were talking about. Based on my experience, we would not do it again.

As a disclaimer, I do need to say that we were directed to a large room inside a building as some bad weather was expected (though it never did strike). I can't really say if we would have enjoyed the experience more if it had occurred in its regular setting.

It wasn't awful. And we had fun. I just didn't feel that it was worth the money I had spent (just for perspective, our group was 3 adult women).

 

[rebeccam31]

The description of the desserts served at the Illuminations Dessert. Party listed on reservations pg. does not match reports of those who have attende previous parties.

Is there anyone out there who has attended a recent party??
Would also like to know if bottled water, sodas, and Mickey ice cream bars are still bring served?? Were there enough tables for everyone? (I know there are no seats).

There were no Mickey ice cream bars at my party. There was an ice cream machine/toppings, though.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have read very few positive reviews online, most negative. I have not done it myself.

Do a Pirates and Pals Wishes cruise, I bet you and Liam will enjoy that a LOT more, for basically the same cost.

 

[WDW1971]

We did it in June and loved it. It helped that we had never stayed long enough at Epcot for Illuminations -- don't know how that happened, but we tend to save our late nights for the MK.

The Illuminations party has a bit of an international flair, which is nice. However, fear not, these are not challenging desserts. Just good stuff, with sparkling wine. My kids loved the desserts. Even the picky ones aren't picky about dessert!

I did not enjoy standing, but when we grabbed a spot for the show, we plopped down on the warm concrete (it was June) and were plenty comfortable.

Comparing the Illuminations and Tomorrowland Parties:

We have done the Tomorrowland party 3 times, and the two are very different. The Tomorrowland party has more variety, but the desserts are not quite as interesting. The Tomorrowland party is less roomy, but much more comfortable with seating and a roof. We have been glad of that roof 2 out of 3 times we went. The Illuminations party was on a beautiful night, and I appreciated the chance to move around under the night sky with plenty of room.

I think finding a comfortable spot for the MK fireworks is harder than finding a good spot for Illuminations. I find the the Tomorrowland party to be much more of a relief.

We are going back to Disney in February. We are going to the Tomorrowland party, but not to Illuminations. I would gladly book it if I could, but we will be with an older relative, and we don't think she'd appreciate the lack of seating at the Illuminations party.