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

[qwerty2k]

Similar to the person above anyone know how long after park close you can stay for the desserts if you do the after fireworks party? Looking at October 26th and park closes at 9pm with HEA at 9pm, so if we book the after party will we be rushed out?

 

[RachaelA]

Similar to the person above anyone know how long after park close you can stay for the desserts if you do the after fireworks party? Looking at October 26th and park closes at 9pm with HEA at 9pm, so if we book the after party will we be rushed out?

We stayed eating desserts well after the park closed in May. They didn’t rush us out.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Similar to the person above anyone know how long after park close you can stay for the desserts if you do the after fireworks party? Looking at October 26th and park closes at 9pm with HEA at 9pm, so if we book the after party will we be rushed out?

I don’t know exactly when they close up for the night, but I don’t think I’ve read a review post yet where anyone has said they were rushed out. MK closing is like a balloon with a small leak - it seems to go on and on as people clear the park, head to the hub, take pics, do some final shopping, watch a Kiss Goodnight once or multiple times, etc, etc. Seems to take forever.

 

[JeninTexas]

Just wanted to post my review of the after party on 8/7. We checked in about 8:20 and decided to just hang out in the garden until the fireworks started at 9. We had plenty of room. We were in the grassy section just in front of the back rail on the left hand side. My kids were both able to lay down until the fireworks started. There were a lot of people in the garden but it was not crowded. When the fireworks started, everyone stood up and we had a great view. Afterwards, it was easy to get over to Tomorrowland Terrace for the dessert portion. We enjoyed many of the selections, particularly the chocolate covered strawberries, spinach dip, and s'mores station. The drink selection was good, and overall it was a very enjoyable experience. I would do it again.

 

[wendlle]

We did the Garden View Party in 2017, we are going again in a few weeks.
We have an infant with us, I'm guessing NO, but if she is sleeping can we bring our stroller into the area if we go to the very back of the rail?

 

[cakebaker]

We did the Garden View Party in 2017, we are going again in a few weeks.
We have an infant with us, I'm guessing NO, but if she is sleeping can we bring our stroller into the area if we go to the very back of the rail?

Strollers are allowed.

 

[wendlle]

Strollers are allowed.

oh, fantastic! Thankyou.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Is there anywhere in the reserved viewing area where you can remain seated and still see most of the projections? I don’t want to have to hold my heavy 3.5 year old up at chest level for 20+ minutes straight, but I also won’t shoulder kid him on principle. If we can sit and still see most of the show, that alone would be worth the price of admission to me. I looked at the view from
Tomorrowland Terrace and it looks like it is really blocked by trees.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Is there anywhere in the reserved viewing area where you can remain seated and still see most of the projections? I don’t want to have to hold my heavy 3.5 year old up at chest level for 20+ minutes straight, but I also won’t shoulder kid him on principle. If we can sit and still see most of the show, that alone would be worth the price of admission to me. I looked at the view from
Tomorrowland Terrace and it looks like it is really blocked by trees.

It’s always going to be somewhat challenging for a small child to have a totally unobstructed view in the garden. You may happen into a night where everyone stays seated, but people will probably stand.

My strong preference with my kids is the back rail. For one, I find sometimes when people do stand for the show, they tend to “move up” - so you can maybe get a little separation that creates a view corridor. Two, I will sometimes chest-level hold my kids and it’s easier to do when you have the rail to lean on. I will put them down half way through and take a one segment break if needed.

The good thing with the back rail is there’s no one behind you to block, so no worries with holding kids, etc.

I also find that I’m more worried about seeing all of the castle than my kids, who really don’t know any better. So if they can’t see the bottom portion all that well, it’s not the end of the world.

Hard to be really specific with your question as crowds can act/behave differently on any given night, but that’s how we approach things.

 

[DMLAINI]

I'm planning on booking the HEA Dessert Party with the terrace view for my daughter's birthday 7/20. If I'm reading things correctly, I will be able to book 180 days out, correct? Are there still Photo Pass photographers in the terrace area? Also, would we be able to watch OUAT from the terrace or would we have to move? If we'd need to move, where would be a good place? TIA

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I'm planning on booking the HEA Dessert Party with the terrace view for my daughter's birthday 7/20. If I'm reading things correctly, I will be able to book 180 days out, correct? Are there still Photo Pass photographers in the terrace area? Also, would we be able to watch OUAT from the terrace or would we have to move? If we'd need to move, where would be a good place? TIA

The MK dessert parties are normally bookable at 180 days, although sometimes it jumps off this pattern. They just recently stopped becoming bookable 2/1/20+, the first time it has been off the 180 day pattern in a long time.

I'm not sure about PP photographers in the Terrace, I haven't been to that version of the party in awhile.

OUAT is visible from the Terrace, but it's just an OK view - not great. Depending on where you are in the Terrace, trees may block some lower projections. It's passable though, in my opinion - in the same way the Terrace is passable for HEA viewing. You may miss some of the extreme lower projections, but it it's still a good show.

 

[Cluelyss]

The MK dessert parties are normally bookable at 180 days, although sometimes it jumps off this pattern. They just recently stopped becoming bookable 2/1/20+, the first time it has been off the 180 day pattern in a long time.

I'm not sure about PP photographers in the Terrace, I haven't been to that version of the party in awhile.

OUAT is visible from the Terrace, but it's just an OK view - not great. Depending on where you are in the Terrace, trees may block some lower projections. It's passable though, in my opinion - in the same way the Terrace is passable for HEA viewing. You may miss some of the extreme lower projections, but it it's still a good show.

We had PP photogs on the terrace in June 2018 (we were there for the garden party) but they were not there this past June. They were taking photos in the garden in June 2019 though.

OUAT is clearly visible from the garden @DMLAINI if you'd consider the garden version of the party. And while the garden does not stay "reserved" after HEA, we hung around and watched OUAT from that location with very few people - most people left and only a few wandered in. So even if you book the terrace party, you could move down to the garden for OUAT if you'd like.

 

[Magnoliafan]

I did the “before” Garden Party tonight and it was fantastic. My Mom is gluten intolerant and they brought out a full plate of treats for her. I ate from the regular buffet and found everything to be delicious. We headed to the garden around 8:25 and easily found a spot on the back rail. I’ve seen HEA a number of times, but this experience was by far the most stress free. My Mom is 64 and she doesn’t handle crowds or standing for long periods of time very well, so this was the perfect way for her to enjoy the show in comfort. I’d highly recommend this party, especially if you have slightly older people in your party. It was everything that I hoped it would be.

 

[blbrodger1]

So I booked a party by phone for November 30. The reservation says 8:30 p.m. for Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing. I asked for the party before the fireworks and was assured that I paid for the right one, but am doubtful because why would the check in time be so late? Any thoughts on this?

 

[only hope]

HEA isn’t until 10 that night. 8:30 check in sounds correct.

So I booked a party by phone for November 30. The reservation says 8:30 p.m. for Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing. I asked for the party before the fireworks and was assured that I paid for the right one, but am doubtful because why would the check in time be so late? Any thoughts on this?

 

[blbrodger1]

HEA isn’t until 10 that night. 8:30 check in sounds correct.

Thank you so much! That makes sense. We did the party this summer with a 9 p.m. start for fireworks and checked in at 7:30.

 

[iujen94]

I did the “before” Garden Party tonight and it was fantastic. My Mom is gluten intolerant and they brought out a full plate of treats for her. I ate from the regular buffet and found everything to be delicious. We headed to the garden around 8:25 and easily found a spot on the back rail. I’ve seen HEA a number of times, but this experience was by far the most stress free. My Mom is 64 and she doesn’t handle crowds or standing for long periods of time very well, so this was the perfect way for her to enjoy the show in comfort. I’d highly recommend this party, especially if you have slightly older people in your party. It was everything that I hoped it would be.

By any chance were macarons included in the GF desserts?

 

[BlueLion]

My family did the "before" garden party this past Thursday, Aug. 15th. We enjoyed it quite a bit! We got to the party right at 7:30 and really liked all the offerings. The cheeseburger egg rolls were going quickly, so it took my husband a few tries but he finally got some. We did the Star Wars dessert party in 2016 (which probably has evolved since) and found this more enjoyable and relaxed with the reserved table. My 5 yo slept most of the time, but finally woke up to down a bowl of vanilla ice cream. We headed to the plaza just before 8:30; the two pictures of the plaza crowd were taken at 8:24. It filled in a bit more, but never felt crowded. We were on the left back rail as often recommended here, and the spot worked out great. The rail is at the perfect level to sit/stand comfortably. The show was great! Afterwards, the plaza cleared out, then my husband and older son went to ride Space Mountain while younger son and I watched Once Upon a Time. Overall, we thought it was worth it for the comfortable, easy fireworks viewing combined with some good desserts.

 

[Magnoliafan]

By any chance were macarons included in the GF desserts?

No, unfortunately. It was 3 pieces of lemon cake, 4 brownie bites, 2 pineapple desserts, 2 chocolate covered strawberries, 2 very large chocolate chip cookies, and a cup of sugar coated gummies. The plate was huge and my Mom was told that she could have more of whatever she wanted. She was also informed that all drinks except the hot chocolate were safe.

 

[OrangeU]

We got an After fireworks desert party for Christmas day! My questions are: there's a line in the ''know before you go'' that says ''fireworks are not a guaranteed part of this experience''.... I assume that's for weather? Have any of you NOT been allowed in the garden viewing location with this reservation, on clear nights?

I know that's a weird question, and I probably should've read that before booking. I just got really excited and booked it.