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

[HeadlessLegoMom]

Mind if I ask when this is? Just curious if it’s a time where the 8pm park closing time is likely to change.

Week from Wednesday

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Week from Wednesday

Ok. You may want to check park hours for your trip... MK is open until 9pm that night with 9-11pm EMHs.

With HEA at 8pm.... show is around 18 mins... you’re back at the Tomorrowland Terrace 8:20-25ish... that gives you around 30 mins before EMHs. Give or take a bit.

 

[HeadlessLegoMom]

Ok. You may want to check park hours for your trip... MK is open until 9pm that night with 9-11pm EMHs.

With HEA at 8pm.... show is around 18 mins... you’re back at the Tomorrowland Terrace 8:20-25ish... that gives you around 30 mins before EMHs. Give or take a bit.

They must have extended the hours. Originally it was EMH 8-10. I should probably switch to the After Party then, huh?

 

[cakebaker]

On the bright side, extending the park hours opened up SDMT availability for my trip and I was able to add it to our EMH night where we have the after dessert buffet, just before EMH's start. Most nights with extended hours in October have at least some availability and they've been booked solid. Even during EMH's SDMT can have a bit of a wait and now I'm not so pressured to hurry through the buffet.

 

[dachsie]

So if my check in time is 7 for the after party, do I need to get there right at 7 or do I have a little wiggle room - no more than 20 mins probably but just in case I am tied up at something I don't want to miss it

 

[Amy11401]

So if my check in time is 7 for the after party, do I need to get there right at 7 or do I have a little wiggle room - no more than 20 mins probably but just in case I am tied up at something I don't want to miss it

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[HeadlessLegoMom]

So if my check in time is 7 for the after party, do I need to get there right at 7 or do I have a little wiggle room - no more than 20 mins probably but just in case I am tied up at something I don't want to miss it

Are you After Party? It depends what you time the fireworks are & if you have a particular spot in mind, but you should be fine. Especially if fireworks are at 8.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Our Disney Cruise is returning 6/30/19, and we're debating what to do for July 4th week. One of the options, of course, is WDW.

So, we are considering the dessert party.
We would be staying onsite, so we could make 7/3 reservations at 180+3, or +4 for July 4.

How hard would it be to get the dessert party for 5?
We've seen HEA once, and for that, we would definitely choose the garden for the better view of the projections. I think I've read the shows are different for 7/3 and 7/4. For these shows, is the terrace seating an inferior view to the garden?

How do you make arrangements for the allergy offerings for the dessert party?

Thanks!

 

[shoreward]

Our Disney Cruise is returning 6/30/19, and we're debating what to do for July 4th week. One of the options, of course, is WDW.

So, we are considering the dessert party.
We would be staying onsite, so we could make 7/3 reservations at 180+3, or +4 for July 4.

How hard would it be to get the dessert party for 5?
We've seen HEA once, and for that, we would definitely choose the garden for the better view of the projections. I think I've read the shows are different for 7/3 and 7/4. For these shows, is the terrace seating an inferior view to the garden?

How do you make arrangements for the allergy offerings for the dessert party?

Thanks!

This might be helpful:

https://simplydarrling.com/2018/02/happily-ever-after-dessert-party-with-allergies/

 

[Life is good]

Waiting for the reports from tomorrow night to book for November- thinking fireworks, dessert party, less of a crowd leaving.

 

[DisFam4]

Waiting for the reports from tomorrow night to book for November- thinking fireworks, dessert party, less of a crowd leaving.

I'm doing the after fireworks dessert party tomorrow night. Anything in particular that you are looking for that I could answer?

 

[Tksolomom]

I'm doing the after fireworks dessert party tomorrow night. Anything in particular that you are looking for that I could answer?

I would love to know how you enjoyed it, and if people sat or stood. If standing, did they allow kids on shoulders? How early did you get to the viewing area and if there were still lots of spots. I was planning on going 30 minutes before the fireworks, but don’t know if you would get a good view then. Sorry, pretty much asking for a full review

 

[nekonekoneko]

I'm doing the after fireworks dessert party tomorrow night. Anything in particular that you are looking for that I could answer?

One question I asked, that I never got an answer to is: how late can we check-in to the after-fireworks party? I want to get there, get my wristband, go to the viewing area, and but wait long for the show.

 

[dachsie]

I'm doing the after fireworks dessert party tomorrow night. Anything in particular that you are looking for that I could answer?

I am too! See you there.

 

[Amy11401]

I'm doing the after fireworks dessert party tomorrow night. Anything in particular that you are looking for that I could answer?

One question I asked, that I never got an answer to is: how late can we check-in to the after-fireworks party? I want to get there, get my wristband, go to the viewing area, and but wait long for the show.

I am wondering the same thing as @nekonekoneko

 

[GADisneyDad14]

One question I asked, that I never got an answer to is: how late can we check-in to the after-fireworks party? I want to get there, get my wristband, go to the viewing area, and but wait long for the show.

We did the After Party on Thursday night. We checked in approx 7:40pm for an 8pm show. The garden was quite crowded at this point but no real issues finding a spot for two. No spots on the back rail or to the left. We were more center right.

Everyone needed to stand this night.

I have more thoughts on the After Party I’ll share later. This After Party seemed more well attended than the other posts I’ve read about. The garden area was preciously close to being too full for what I consider a ‘premium’ event. It was still better than the alternative though.

 

[zipuzee]

Well we’re back home. Overall had a great trip; crowds not to bad, but it was hot. And I’m from southeast Louisiana, so I’m used to heat. We did the dessert party Monday night 9/17. The park itself was pretty crowded. We checked in at 6:30 which was the time we were given and A cast member gave us a quick tour of the food and beverage set up and took us to a table. He suggested heading out to the viewing area by 7:45. We took our time and enjoyed the offerings. We had eaten a late lunch at Satuli Canteen in Animal Kingdom, so this became our evening meal. Honestly the heat pretty much killed our appetite so we weren’t eating lots of food at any one meal. We started out with the egg rolls, which were very good, and some cheese,before moving to dessert. I really liked the little strawberry tarts, but all the desserts were good. My husband got some ice cream with sundae toppings. I got the ooey gooey toffee cake which was very good, but super rich. The staff were all friendly and we were encouraged to take as much as we wanted. The kept refilling food items the whole time. The seating areas were crowded, I’m not sure if it was a sold out party or not but in the terrace area it was pretty full. We finally went down to the podium and were immediately escorted to the viewing area at 7:45. It was nice to be able to sit and relax beforehand. The viewing area was not crowded at all. Most people were seated on the ground and kids has room to play. We got a spot against the rail to the right of the castle. When the show started some people stood, some remained seated. After the show we were able to easily exit the park using the bypass. We had not seen HEA yet, and I really wanted a good view and I enjoyed the show very much. I think the price was worth it and would consider doing it again.

 

[KingdomBound]

9/19 Garden Party Review (Before)
Backstory:
We had FOP fpp for 4:45 and we were using rider swap. By the time we finished both rides, it was 5:50. Our plan was to hop on a bus to MK and get there by 6:30ish. Well, right as my DH, DS12 & DS9 walked off FOP, the bottom fell out! They ran and joined DD5 and I at covered seating area of Satuli. We waited til about 6:20 and the rain hadn't let up at all. We decided that we had to go because we didn't want to miss out on desserts. A photopass photographer was standing next to us, so he gave us exact directions to get to the front gate. He scanned our bands and snapped pics as we took off into the rain! Great idea!
By the time we got to the bus, it was about 6:50. We were all completely soaked, except DD5 who was snug under the rain cover on the Keenz.
We arrived at MK around 7:20. We quickly made our way to the party and got checked in. Whew! We made it!!!
The kids were thrilled with the desserts. I loved the egg rolls and the chocolate covered strawberries. Everything that we ate was good! We made our way to the garden around 7:45. We weaved our way along the back rail to the left hand corner. There was plenty of room for the kids to sit for a while. The show was delayed for a few minutes, which was fine by us because it gave us some time to catch our breath. We had a straight on view of the castle and it was perfect! While we were sitting there, I pointed out to my husband the crowd in the hub. He was stunned at how crowded it was and he poured his praises on me and my planning skills! Seriously, we both realized the real value of a dessert party, during party season, is not the desserts but the reserved viewing area!
After the amazing HEA show (I may have shed a tear or 2), we hung out in the garden for a while. I didn't realize how soon the OUT show would be, so we just stayed put and enjoyed that show as well. After that, the kids just played for a few minutes. At one point, my DD5 ran up to me, gave me a big kiss and said, "Mommy, thanks for the best day ever!" BE STILL MY HEART!! I asked my DH if he told her to say that and he said he did not!
I will definitely do another dessert party. It was worth every penny!

 

[DisFam4]

One question I asked, that I never got an answer to is: how late can we check-in to the after-fireworks party? I want to get there, get my wristband, go to the viewing area, and but wait long for the show.

I am wondering the same thing as @nekonekoneko

OK, so according to the CM's you can check in anytime up till the end of the fireworks. So you can check in at 7:57 and still walk over and not miss any of the fireworks.

I would love to know how you enjoyed it, and if people sat or stood. If standing, did they allow kids on shoulders? How early did you get to the viewing area and if there were still lots of spots. I was planning on going 30 minutes before the fireworks, but don’t know if you would get a good view then. Sorry, pretty much asking for a full review

So I will post a more in depth review when I get home with a few photos, but suffice it to say that we LOVED it. If you want to comfortably watch HEA with a fantastic view, then this is the cats meow. A quick recap. It was all standing and it was a bit "crowded", but crowded here is nothing like crowded anywhere else in the park. There were no kids on shoulders that I saw, not that you need to, just stay towards the back and you will have a clear view. I was leaning on the back rail and there was 10 feet of open space in front of me. We got there at 7:10, pretty much choice of entire area. At 7:30 it was getting filled a bit, but still plenty of space to sit on the grass. At 7:50 everyone appeared to be inside the area and there were a few standing along the front fence and others standing along the concrete walkways and around the shrubs inside the area, everyone else was sitting on the ground. Fireworks were delayed 10 minutes and when they started everyone stood and moved forward. We stood and backed up lol, no one within 10 ft in front of us.

So to the posters above that want to get there just before, just hang wherever you can toward the back and when it starts you should be good for a lot of room.

Had a great time and will post again in a few days with the good the bad and the ugly of the desserts, lol! Would absolutely do it again!

 

[nekonekoneko]

OK, so according to the CM's you can check in anytime up till the end of the fireworks. So you can check in at 7:57 and still walk over and not miss any of the fireworks.

Thank you for asking for me, and for the answer! I'm looking forward to your review of the desserts.

I'm going on a day with an 8 pm HEA, and a current 8 pm park closing, so I don't want to waste any time that I could be riding rides just waiting around. I know park hours do change, but this history of that time of year suggests that they won't.