MK "Happily Ever After" Dessert Party (Parties) Discussion

[cakebaker]

I'm very disappointed to hear that the food offerings are already being reduced. I know people do this for the view and that the food is secondary, but my goodness, at these prices there could be a great dessert buffet! Not gonna kill Disney to bring back what they served in the beginning.

The menu changes from time to time. We went this past October and I noticed no reduction in quality or selection. They had added more savory items though and I appreciated that! I’ve never thought any dessert buffet was gourmet quality, but they’re acceptable. My least favorite ever is the Frozen buffet, yet others rave about it. It’s really just personal preference.

 

[grannyminnie]

I kind of like the idea of savory items too. Thank you for your comments. I'll be booking for early May, and this will be my first dessert party at any park.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

There did not seem to be many savory items. Just the cheeseburger egg rolls, which were pre cooked a long time prior, kind of chewy and not hot, and some cheese, crackers and very few fruits.

 

[cakebaker]

There did not seem to be many savory items. Just the cheeseburger egg rolls, which were pre cooked a long time prior, kind of chewy and not hot, and some cheese, crackers and very few fruits.

Ours were hot or at least warm and appeared to be fresh. There was a nice selection of cheeses and crackers. It’s not a full buffet of savories, but it was enough between those and the desserts that we easily skipped dinner.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

This was our 4th time going to the HEA dessert party on 2/10. The desserts and offerings are seemingly less and less. (I remember huge amounts of fruit, and sweets, including zebra domes!) However, for the great viewing spot without the crowd, it is so worth it. We got our goodies and then went to the area to scope out the back left corner. I was worried someone would have already grabbed it, lol. But no one was there and in fact there didn't seem as many people in the garden as when we went last year. It makes for a delightful way to watch the fireworks without the crazy crowding.

Obviously different strokes for different folks/palates/preferences, but I tend to agree with you here. I had the same feeling in Oct & 12/30. The savory items don't appeal to me and the dessert offerings felt less interesting. I really couldn't tell if it was just familiarity/repetition on my part that was clouding my thinking or if offerings had in fact changed... I sometimes have trouble distinguishing between the two.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[TheSpooph]

We are thinking about this for Memorial Day weekend. We only have a day to spend before our DCL cruise. We haven’t seen the new show and I’m excited to see it.

I would love to minimize crowds and waiting - we have three little ones and my husband isn’t a fan of crowded chaos. So, the dessert party seems like a good deal for us.

Thank you to everyone for the tips. As always, I love using DIS for research.

 

[Superchikk]

Waiting for them to open September booking. We've done the dessert party before, but it's been a while. Last year, on an adults-only trip, DH & I watched the fireworks from Contemporary (where we were staying) but never watched in the parks. This year with the kids, I want to be sure to watch in the parks. And I'm SO not a fan of staking out a spot forever early and being squished. So dessert party it is.

 

[Cluelyss]

Waiting for them to open September booking. We've done the dessert party before, but it's been a while. Last year, on an adults-only trip, DH & I watched the fireworks from Contemporary (where we were staying) but never watched in the parks. This year with the kids, I want to be sure to watch in the parks. And I'm SO not a fan of staking out a spot forever early and being squished. So dessert party it is.

And during party season, you will NOT regret having a reserved spot!! Enjoy!!

 

[Superchikk]

And during party season, you will NOT regret having a reserved spot!! Enjoy!!

That's what I was thinking! The cost is a little daunting, but DH said "Do it," so I'm booking as soon as I can!

 

[Jennygt]

Is there a spot for wheel chairs at the plaza viewing area? Or would it be better to try for the terrace?

 

[Jennygt]

So did I read correctly that there is a before and after party now? With both parties sharing the same plaza viewing area? Ugh is it now crowded there too? Not sure I can justify the cost if this is true

 

[jaysmom4285]

We do the before parties and have only done one of them since the after party was added. The viewing area certainly had more people than it did when there was just the before party, and I guess "crowded" is an individual interpretation. But we didn't feel crowded by others or hemmed in, as we would have if we were on main street or in the Hub. There was still plenty of personal space, and we could move around to stand where we wanted. The "prime" spots on the front or back rail tend to get picked off early, but there's really no bad viewing spot. People tend to sit before HEA starts, and they take up more real estate that way. Most people stand when HEA starts, and that frees up some space. I didn't define it as crowded. There are reports from others on this thread that you may find valuable, and I think most of them had the same experience.

 

[cakebaker]

So did I read correctly that there is a before and after party now? With both parties sharing the same plaza viewing area? Ugh is it now crowded there too? Not sure I can justify the cost if this is true

when we did it in October, the park was very crowded, but the viewing area didn’t seem any more crowded than it ever was. The side you come in on gets pretty crowded because people tend to step in and stop. Go to the far side and it’s much less crowded. We did the after party and will continue to do it because we get there earlier and get our choice of spots. We also don’t feel rushed to finish eating. It’s still well worth it, imo.

 

[gap2368]

Is there a spot for wheel chairs at the plaza viewing area? Or would it be better to try for the terrace?

You will be fine in the garden view area. I know people that have sat for the show. Get down there 15 or so minutes early and find a spot up front.

 

[Jennygt]

Can I reserve online or do I need to call

 

[eagle1992]

Can I reserve online or do I need to call

Either

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

Waiting for September also. Today was our ADR day but Sept. dates not open yet. Went ahead and booked our arrival day just in case but will switch it to our last day in the parks when they open up (hopefully)

 

[disneydreamer781]

I really want to do this at least once but DH doesn't want any part of it and I'm not going to do it alone. I wonder if I can convince him to do the "After" dessert party but I doubt it. At least the park will be less crowded but he'll probably say it's too late. I wish the Sparkling fireworks cruise in October was on a non party night at least once a week because he would do that. I have considered the Wednesday night DVC fireworks cruise but $85/pp seems a bit steep for just chocolate covered strawberries and champagne that I can't drink and he doesn't drink.

 

[jaysmom4285]

It looks as if you're going to WDW during MNSSHP time. At the risk of telling you what you already know, HEA is only available to non-MNSSHP guests three nights a week. We haven't been there at Halloween time, but we go every year in early December - MVMCP time - when HEA is only available to the public, so to speak, three nights a week. On those three nights, the hub and main street viewing areas are unbelievably and (for me) intolerably crowded with people who want to see HEA. I mean, shoulder to shoulder, pressed against each other, constantly jostled and shoved kind of crowded, and you have to stake out a spot incredibly early and put up with all that til the show starts. For us, the plaza garden dessert party is well worth it to have an uncrowded and perfect view of HEA. It is pricey, but the real value of it, IMHO, is certainly not the desserts but the viewing experience. For us, we regard it as paying for a prime viewing location that actually has personal space that we don't' have to hold down for over an hour in advance, with some nice desserts thrown in for good measure. We do the before party and spend most of our time sitting at a table, lingering over desserts. We don't go to the viewing area until 10-15 minutes before HEA starts and we've never had any problem getting good place to stand, with some personal space around us, even with the addition of the after party people.

 

[cakebaker]

It looks as if you're going to WDW during MNSSHP time. At the risk of telling you what you already know, HEA is only available to non-MNSSHP guests three nights a week. We haven't been there at Halloween time, but we go every year in early December - MVMCP time - when HEA is only available to the public, so to speak, three nights a week. On those three nights, the hub and main street viewing areas are unbelievably and (for me) intolerably crowded with people who want to see HEA. I mean, shoulder to shoulder, pressed against each other, constantly jostled and shoved kind of crowded, and you have to stake out a spot incredibly early and put up with all that til the show starts. For us, the plaza garden dessert party is well worth it to have an uncrowded and perfect view of HEA. It is pricey, but the real value of it, IMHO, is certainly not the desserts but the viewing experience. For us, we regard it as paying for a prime viewing location that actually has personal space that we don't' have to hold down for over an hour in advance, with some nice desserts thrown in for good measure. We do the before party and spend most of our time sitting at a table, lingering over desserts. We don't go to the viewing area until 10-15 minutes before HEA starts and we've never had any problem getting good place to stand, with some personal space around us, even with the addition of the after party people.

From my own experience, any night that isn’t a party night is insanely crowded. We did our after party on one last October. The viewing area was not packed, but outside that area is not somewhere I wanted to be. It was also an emh night and that only added to the insanity. Honestly, we don’t watch the fireworks without the buffet anymore. It’s worth every penny.