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

[BMAEC]

We attended the “before” Garden View party on 11/7. This was one of only two nights HEA was featured this week due to a cast member party and the Christmas parties beginning. We arrived just after 7:00 expecting to wait until around 7:15 to be allowed in, but we were checked in immediately. I think we were the second group there. The desserts were really good! Everything I tried I liked. My girls loved the spinach dip/crackers and cheeseburger egg rolls (we didn’t have an official dinner that night). The toffee bread pudding was a big hit with my husband and girls. They had a s’mores station where a cast member was roasting a marshmallow on a stick and rolling it in chocolate and graham crackers I believe- we didn’t get those. Lots of drinks, plenty of apple cider in plastic champagne glasses. We headed over to the garden view around 8:15. We found a spot along the back rail thanks to the reviews here! The girls danced around the fake grass, and it didn’t feel crowded - especially compared to the sea of humanity outside the rail! There was a PhotoPass photographer taking pictures where you hold up a sign that says Happily Ever After Fireworks or something like that. As reported, when the fireworks began, everyone stood and moved up so we happily stayed leaning against the back rail and it was great! My 6 y/o could see perfectly, and my 4 y/o and 2 y/o could stay in the stroller and watch since everyone had moved up. After, the garden cleared out quickly but we stayed to allow the crowds to disperse a bit. We realized that when the cast member removed the reserved rope and took the after party guests back for dessert, none of the non-party park goers realized it was no longer off limits! So we just stayed in the section and laid down and had the most space we had all day! We stayed for Once Upon a Time show which began at 9:45. We originally chose the before party since our girls are so young and we didn’t want them eating desserts so late. We didn’t intend to stay for OUAT but it was so nice that we did. They loved it. When we left the crowds were much less than they were right after HEA ended. Sitting in that garden area was like being in an oasis and such a welcome break after a very crowded day at the park. I would 100% recommend the dessert Party! I will say that this is my only experience with HEA so I can’t say how the experience is outside the garden, but we did watch Elsa freeze the castle at 6:15 that night in front of the castle and did not like how crowded it was. My girls couldn’t see at all and kept getting squished. We ended up holding the older girls which was pretty painful for how long it took! I may have forgotten some details so please let me know if you have any questions! . I’ve learned everything I know about Disney from these boards and now finally have first hand experience to share!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

@BMAEC
Great info and great review!

I'm now second guessing whether we should have chosen the before party. Our DGS is 4. Too many choices!

 

[bigeyedfish]

Do they only open the After Party if the Before Party sells out? I would consider the After Party, but I don’t want to waste park time while it is still open! TY!

 

[mom2rtk]

Do they only open the After Party if the Before Party sells out? I would consider the After Party, but I don’t want to waste park time while it is still open! TY!

No. Both should be offered from the get go.

 

[bigeyedfish]

Thanks! That must mean the After Party is sold out for both of our MK dates. The only available time is 6:30 pm for 8:00 pm fireworks.

 

[Dracarys]

We planned to do the HEA dessert party on Nov. 4, my birthday! Showed up around 7:45-8 and were seated within 5 minutes (party of 9). Desserts were tasty, everyone enjoyed! Went out to seating area around 8:45 and would have had a good is viewing spot, but the rain moved in and it was pouring for a bit. Being with 4 grandparents and 3 young kids my husband and I decided to head back to the hotel. We he rain let up enough that we caught most of the fireworks from the TTC. Oh well. I’ll try again with our next trip in June to see the HEA show from inside the park. Will do the party again! It worked well for us for the MNSSHP in 2017.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thanks! That must mean the After Party is sold out for both of our MK dates. The only available time is 6:30 pm for 8:00 pm fireworks.

There are two different booking pages for the two different parties:

Before Party - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party-plaza-view/

After Party - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...owland-terrace-after-fireworks-dessert-party/

FYI!

 

[bigeyedfish]

There are two different booking pages for the two different parties:

Before Party - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party-plaza-view/

After Party - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...owland-terrace-after-fireworks-dessert-party/

FYI!

OMGosh, thanks! I swear I googled it and was not able to find an After Party link.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

OMGosh, thanks! I swear I googled it and was not able to find an After Party link.

Lol, no worries. This stuff - all these different versions... Disney’s website... etc - is kind of confusing except for those of us who for some reason watch these things closely.

 

[QueenElinor]

Quick question- The web page for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party describes it this way:

As showtime nears, Cast Members will escort you to a prime standing area in the Plaza Garden for priority viewing of the nighttime fireworks spectacular. Then, watch in amazement as the skies ignite and Cinderella Castle glows with enchanting illuminations.​

Pricing
Admission is $84 per adult and $50 per child (ages 3 to 9) including tax; gratuity not included or required. Separate Magic Kingdom park admission is also required.​

It's the same description they have for the Plaza Garden viewing, except the price tag. But there's reserved seating, no?
I know people make jokes about Disney IT but would they really leave a mistake like that in the description considering seating is the whole reason folks would pay more?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Quick question- The web page for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party describes it this way:

As showtime nears, Cast Members will escort you to a prime standing area in the Plaza Garden for priority viewing of the nighttime fireworks spectacular. Then, watch in amazement as the skies ignite and Cinderella Castle glows with enchanting illuminations.​

Pricing
Admission is $84 per adult and $50 per child (ages 3 to 9) including tax; gratuity not included or required. Separate Magic Kingdom park admission is also required.​

It's the same description they have for the Plaza Garden viewing, except the price tag. But there's reserved seating, no?
I know people make jokes about Disney IT but would they really leave a mistake like that in the description considering seating is the whole reason folks would pay more?

Yeah, Disney has had that incorrect wording on the Tomorrowland Terrace version for a few months now, if not longer. No clue why.... pretty bad though.

 

[QueenElinor]

Yeah, Disney has had that incorrect wording on the Tomorrowland Terrace version for a few months now, if not longer. No clue why.... pretty bad though.

Thanks for your quick reply- also loved your writeup & pics. If the set-up is still the same, I think it's a "go" for us.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thanks for your quick reply- also loved your writeup & pics. If the set-up is still the same, I think it's a "go" for us.

Thanks!

The Tomorrowland Terrace seated version seems to be more or less the same over time, based on reports. Most tables are up along the railing, with a few a second layer “in” but still with good views.

The only real downside is the inconsistent visibility of the castle / limited ability to truly see the full projections. But you can see ‘some’ and for many staying seated in one spot is a plus. Since the guest count is smaller, it’s a more “intimate” affair than the other party options.

Would love to hear your experience when you get back, if you think about it.

 

[QueenElinor]

Thanks!

The Tomorrowland Terrace seated version seems to be more or less the same over time, based on reports. Most tables are up along the railing, with a few a second layer “in” but still with good views.

The only real downside is the inconsistent visibility of the castle / limited ability to truly see the full projections. But you can see ‘some’ and for many staying seated in one spot is a plus. Since the guest count is smaller, it’s a more “intimate” affair than the other party options.

Would love to hear your experience when you get back, if you think about it.

Sure! We won't be going until May but I'll be sure to post back as there are a relative dearth of those reports.

I'll just need to get off my feet and my family will want a little break from the crowds. Since we've never seen HEA before, we won't know what we're missing regarding the view. It'll all be completely awesome to us!

 

[TinkSassy]

Review from Wednesday, November 7th. This was my first HEA dessert party and I booked the Plaza ticket. I arrived at 7:30 and there was confusion on separate check-in points for Plaza and Terrace so didn't get checked in until 7:50. They walked me to a table and I went and got food. Was not overly impressed with the desserts - pretty low quality by WDW standards. Glad for the ooey gooey toffee pudding as that was a highlight and ate quite a few eggrolls. HEA started at 9 so I went to get an escort over about 8:30. I got the last spot against the rail to the left (if I had a family with me we would not have been so lucky). Booked this time as there were mostly party nights this week so I expected the hub to be ridiculously crowded and IT WAS. Versus dealing with that I was glad to have what I did. I had space around me to a degree - was not the crush that the hub would have been.

However, the garden was much fuller than I would have liked for the money. I watched families struggling to get good viewing for their kids and had to stand ground with a few adults that were late to the game. That being said - I would probably do this again but only in a very busy time of year. For that kind of price tag, I want to be able to walk in and have good viewing without camping out and that was not what was provided. I spoke with others in the area that had done the party before and they said the amount of people was about double what they had been used to.

 

[DavidNYC]

Just did after party last night (Sunday, Nov. 11). Great move! Hub was packed! Following advice here we snagged the back left corner. Got there about 45 minutes in advance but based on when we saw crowds arrive we probably could have gotten same approximate space 20 minutes later. I did notice the half where you enter was far more packed than the far end. Even when they started, we had plenty of room on our side - a good 6 feet space between us and the next closest people in front (the front half of the garden also became more packed than the back half as people followed their instincts and moved closer to the rail - far better to just sit back to get some space). A bit annoying to find a space that didn't have some sort of pole in the way but didn't really detract too much.

Was actually happy with the food - particularly the Toffee Cake and Ice cream and macarons (or at least after they replenished them when one woman took over half the tray as she put them in a tupperware she brought . . .). The things like the oreo bites were pretty mundane but there was enough variety to make me happy - it's still overpriced - but was worth it on a night with crowds like that. Not an every year thing by any means but worth doing for our typical one new splurge we look to do each trip.

 

[QueenElinor]

Was actually happy with the food - particularly the Toffee Cake and Ice cream and macarons (or at least after they replenished them when one woman took over half the tray as she put them in a tupperware she brought . . .). The things like the oreo bites were pretty mundane but there was enough variety to make me happy - it's still overpriced - but was worth it on a night with crowds like that. Not an every year thing by any means but worth doing for our typical one new splurge we look to do each trip.

Seriously?! That woman is an embarrassment to her momma!

 

[pl71]

We did the afterparty on Sunday, Nov 11. We checked in around 750 for 9pm fireworks. It was a very crowded park day and Christmas parties limited HEA that week. They escorted us to the plaza which was almost completely empty. We selected a spot on the back left rail as recommended. Great view. The other people already there were almost all along the front rail.

My mom had a scooter and I had my 5 year old son with us. She backed it up against the rail. My son ran and spun around the plaza for the first 30 minutes until more people showed up and he played with a couple little girls in the group next to us. Most people were sitting on the ground and it was nice to be able to sit and use the rail as a backrest.

20 min before the fireworks my son needed to use the bathroom. The closest bathroom is outside Tomorrowland Terrace, not very far away. We headed over and I got we to experience the crowds outside our little oasis, it was insane out there! We managed to get back and saw there were far more people in the plaza on the right than our left side. It guess the late arrivals didn’t want to walk past everyone already sitting to search for spots. It was 2 to 3 times more crowded on that side.

Once the fireworks started everyone stood. We put my son on the scooter ( keys removed) and I stood behind him to hold him there. My mom was comfortable standing because she could lean on the rail. We had a perfect view and the group in front of us was at least 10 feet away.

After it ended we went for our desserts. It was challenging to get the scooter over there because we had to work our way left while most people were heading straight to leave the park. I walked and stood at the left front of the scooter to briefly block people from the scooters path and that was enough to get it over there.

We requested a table along the rail and were about to watch some of Once upon a time while eating, but it wasnt a great view due to trees.

We liked to food and started with ooey gooey chocolate cake and ice cream and a lot of cookies. It was good, but after that we didn’t want more sweets so we ate cheese cubes, crackers and egg rolls. The dining area was never packed and most people didnt stay long. We enjoyed ourselves and were one of the last two tables to leave. We headed out at 1015 (HEA had been at 9). They never ran out of food or pushed us to leave. They did start to put food away, but it was a slow process. We could have sat there longer if we wanted.

We loved the experience and would do it again. My family HATES crowds. I absolutely could not watch HEA on Main Street. The desserts were just a nice bonus and it was such a nice way to let the crowds die down as the park emptied.

 

[AngieInOH]

We will be doing the after party in January. Fireworks and close time are both currently at 8:00. I'm assuming we will be there at least until 9:00 hopefully the crowds will be gone.

Will there still be photographers taking pics at that time with the castle? Hoping to get a little less crowded pic!

 

[DavidNYC]

We had a perfect view and the group in front of us was at least 10 feet away.

LOL! We were that group 10 feet away! I remember when I stood I tried to make sure I wasn't in front of the scooter and I remember the kids running around playing right next to us.