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

[princessebird]

Thank you to everyone for your advice and guidance. We went to the after fireworks dessert party last night (5/31). We were a party of 3 with a 7yo. We arrived at the Tomorrowland Terrace around 8:40. We were quickly checked in and escorted over the plaza viewing area. At this time (about 8:45), there was still about a quarter of the back rail open. The adults leaned up against it while the 7yo laid claim to some "grass." While it did get full, it was never such that you couldn't move or make your way to the exit. When the show began, most people who had been on the grass in front of us moved forward, and there was about 10 or 15 feet between us and the closest people. The 7yo watched part of the show from the grass (and now had plenty of room to dance), but then leaned on the railing for the last 7 minutes or so. We were very lucky in that I saw NO ipads or phones held up. There was one dad who put his 18 month old on his shoulders, but he carefully made sure that he wasn't blocking anyone's view and stepped off to the side. Maybe there IS hope for humanity after all.

After the fireworks, we went back over to the Terrace. I would say maybe 40% of the tables were filled. We were seated at the edge of the Terrace. We gathered up a bunch of yummies (no macarons). We thought the sweets were better than the savory, though we appreciated a savory option. The CMs were attentive and helpful. There were two dessert lines that were identical, and they cleared one away shortly after 10pm. We were able to have a somewhat obstructed, but still fun view, of Once Upon a Time at 10pm. When we booked the party, the park was to close at 10pm, but that changed in mid-May to 11pm. So I had gotten a Buzz FP earlier in the evening, which we did around 10:30. Then we got in line for AstroOrbitor, and we got off shortly after park close.

Overall, this was a worthwhile purchase for us. It had been 3 years since we had been to WDW, and the then 4yo couldn't stay awake long enough for the fireworks. We will likely not go back for several years. I can't emphasize enough how stress-free this was. I have been somewhat taken aback at how stressful the whole planning process and the "is there another FP+ available right now" process has been. But for a couple of hours, it was stress-free, which was borderline priceless.

 

[123SA]

I keep reading that the back railing is a good spot to be. Why isn't the front rail a good spot?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I keep reading that the back railing is a good spot to be. Why isn't the front rail a good spot?

Probably the main reason is most people think the front rail is best spot and intuitively gravitate to it, leaving the back area generally much less populated. With the size of what you are looking at, 15 feet closer is not going to improve your view at all.

 

[amycishere]

i am sooo excited for this!!! Not only will I be celebrating my 35th birthday on 10/26 but I will ALSO be celebrating a NEW JOB with is a huge accomplishment in my opinion due to the severity of my disability. It is taken me over 3 years-searching on and off- and despite my current employer- over 8 years with them- being wonderful to me I am ready to spread my wings. And they have been extremely supportive which i am very grateful for.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Here now and in the garden pretty early for the after fireworks dessert party. We chose a spot by the front rail with some little bushes in front for cushion from the people walking by but we found out they mark the entire front rail for wheelchairs. (They forgot to mark the corner where we were standing.) we found out when he came to mark our area. So we moved to our usual back rail spot. (Usual as in the one time we did the garden party before lol). I swear that last summer the front was not blocked off for wheelchairs. I don’t mind because the back rail is fine but a lot of wheelchairs must attend the parties.

 

[QueenElinor]

We went to the Terrace Dessert Party on May 25th, here's a quick report.

We have not seen HEA before. We went down at about 7pm but were not allowed to check in early. The CM at the podium asked us what our check in time was, and I said I didn't know, she located us on the list and told us to come back at 7:30. . There were two check-in times- 7:30 and 8pm. (As it turns out, our time was at 8pm, so it may pay to forget!). She also said we could be late if we were in the middle of something.

We returned about 8:15. and were seated in the second row back from the railing because of our group size. We were allowed to pick which table we wanted and it did actually make a difference- this was our view while seated:



Being in the second row back, however, made almost no difference except the top of the very highest fireworks were cut off by the eaves. Maybe noticed that twice. The girl in front of us even had rose gold Minnie ears on, you can barely see them down there on the bottom right.

But I think we were lucky we didn't wait much longer to get our table. If we'd been at the table to the right or left of us, the trees would've blocked the lower part of the castle. At that point our table was reserved, we got our bands and were free to snack or leave, but she recommended we be back by at least 10 minutes before the show which was a 9. The fireworks went off predominantly to the right of the castle, but the projections were outstanding.

The treats were not as good as what they offered at the BWI CL lounge every night, so that was a bit disappointing. We weren't that hungry so it was ok. I had hoped for more savory snacks but there was only the cheeseburger rolls, veggie and bread with spinach dip. Desserts were fine. There was a marriage proposal while we were there so that was pretty fun to see!

After a long day in the park, we really enjoyed being able to sit and rest and have a few snacks while watching the fireworks. I probably wouldn't watch the fireworks any other way unless it was super low crowds. But most likely, I'd just keep riding rides instead.

 

[TropicalDIS]

Is the Dec 4th desert part plaza garden view sold out already?

 

[osufeth24]

I wish I would have thought about doing the dessert party for the 4th. I really wanna go see fireworks at Disney for it, but I don't want to deal with the crowds trying to get a decent spot

 

[only hope]

I wish I would have thought about doing the dessert party for the 4th. I really wanna go see fireworks at Disney for it, but I don't want to deal with the crowds trying to get a decent spot

Keep checking. People cancel. I got a reservation for a family member for the 3rd a few weeks ago, and someone else on here posted they got a reservation on the 3rd.

 

[Stefne]

I wish I would have thought about doing the dessert party for the 4th. I really wanna go see fireworks at Disney for it, but I don't want to deal with the crowds trying to get a decent spot

I don't think they always release these right at 180 days, so it may just be that the date hasn't opened up yet .

 

[SaintsManiac]

I don't think they always release these right at 180 days, so it may just be that the date hasn't opened up yet .

I booked it at 180 days. It sold out very quickly.

 

[MemphisVanessa]

Is the Dec 4th desert part plaza garden view sold out already?

I just checked and December 4th has openings for the after party with garden viewing.

 

[Stefne]

I booked it at 180 days. It sold out very quickly.

Oops, I, meant to quote the poster looking for a party on December 4th. Sorry about that!

 

[osufeth24]

What is the cancellation policy? I am constantly checking for July 3rd and 4th, and obviously will need to pull the trigger immediately if by dumb luck something comes open. Just didn't know how far out we could cancel if something changed

 

[123SA]

What is the cancellation policy? I am constantly checking for July 3rd and 4th, and obviously will need to pull the trigger immediately if by dumb luck something comes open. Just didn't know how far out we could cancel if something changed

5 days.

 

[Mommymarie]

Can you take a stroller in viewing area? If not where is closest parking for easy exit?

 

[iujen94]

Can you take a stroller in viewing area? If not where is closest parking for easy exit?

Yes - you definitely can.

 

[Mommymarie]

thanks this helps....19 month old twins here someone said sw dessert party does not allow in viewing so wanted to check...

Yes - you definitely can.

 

[dec2009mama]

i am thinking of booking the after fireworks dessert party but how does it work if there is an after hours park event that night?
fireworks are at 9:15pm -- assume they are about 15min long and we get back to the dessert area by 9:40pm (or later?), do they kick us out at 10pm when the after hours event starts? Seems like a very small window of time to sit and enjoy our desserts, we do not want to be rushed!
Any experiences to share?
pre-fireworks dessert parties are not available on our night and its our last night at MK!

 

[TheSpooph]

We enjoyed the Garden Viewing Party back on Sunday, May 26th. We enjoyed the desserts (don’t remember the particulars - I was busy chasing three little!). We enjoyed the cupcake station, s’mores, and hand scooped ice cream. The kids definitely had their fill of sugar!

We ate until about 30 or 45 min before the show started. By that time, almost all of the tables in our section of the Terrace were empty. When we entered the garden, I was very surprised how full it was. There were people everywhere. So much so, that a CM had to help us find a spot with our stroller. I headed to the back fence as suggested here. It was so full that we couldn’t even stand together along the back fence.

All that said, we still enjoyed the event. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as Main Street. We were tight in the garden but nothing like crowds outside the fence. I think we would do the party again - and just hope that there are less people.