Our HEA dessert party experience 4/16

[kniquy]

We figured for the first time seeing HEA that we would do the garden dessert party. There were 7 of us in our party including our 4DD. I figured with her being so small the garden viewing area would be nice so that she would likely get a decent view. Upon arriving at the dessert party check in at just prior to 8:00 we waited a couple minutes to be checked in. From there a greeter met us, we received our bands and were escorted to a table. At that point he informed us that it was a sold out event and that it would be really busy so we better get our desserts and head over to the garden area. That really put a bad taste in my mouth as we wanted to relax enjoy the basic desserts and the head over, but with being told that information we felt that we needed to get a move on eating our desserts.

After arriving at the garden area around 8:40 we did find a spot for our party of 7 - mid way in the garden section. It never really was wall to wall people, which from the CM description was what i was anticipating. Did he tell us this so that they could get people in and out of the dessert area quickly?

It was nice that they had a photopass photographer there so we did get a couple pictures of our group.

We though that we had a decent view for our 4DD, but once the show started the couple right up at the front railing decided to hoist their kids up on their shoulders -- they had the essentially front row and still needed to put their kids up, which we found to be be very rude to those behind them. I could have said something but I am not one to create a problem. My DD was complaining that she couldn't see, which obviously at 44 inches it is tough to see beyond the now 7ft people in front of her. Thankfully there was a nice couple who did allow her to sneak up to the railing so that she could see the castle.

All in all it is not something that we would do again for the money that we spent. The desserts were mediocre and feeling like you have to rush to get a seat took any enjoyment out of the experience.

I am not one to wait around for fireworks/shows/parades, but My DH and I decided that next time we will stake out a spot an hour or so prior-- one can take our kids on rides or get some ice cream and we will sit and people watch, which will be far more enjoyable than the experience we had at the dessert party.

 

[RPM1214]

We figured for the first time seeing HEA that we would do the garden dessert party. There were 7 of us in our party including our 4DD. I figured with her being so small the garden viewing area would be nice so that she would likely get a decent view. Upon arriving at the dessert party check in at just prior to 8:00 we waited a couple minutes to be checked in. From there a greeter met us, we received our bands and were escorted to a table. At that point he informed us that it was a sold out event and that it would be really busy so we better get our desserts and head over to the garden area. That really put a bad taste in my mouth as we wanted to relax enjoy the basic desserts and the head over, but with being told that information we felt that we needed to get a move on eating our desserts.

After arriving at the garden area around 8:40 we did find a spot for our party of 7 - mid way in the garden section. It never really was wall to wall people, which from the CM description was what i was anticipating. Did he tell us this so that they could get people in and out of the dessert area quickly?

It was nice that they had a photopass photographer there so we did get a couple pictures of our group.

We though that we had a decent view for our 4DD, but once the show started the couple right up at the front railing decided to hoist their kids up on their shoulders -- they had the essentially front row and still needed to put their kids up, which we found to be be very rude to those behind them. I could have said something but I am not one to create a problem. My DD was complaining that she couldn't see, which obviously at 44 inches it is tough to see beyond the now 7ft people in front of her. Thankfully there was a nice couple who did allow her to sneak up to the railing so that she could see the castle.

All in all it is not something that we would do again for the money that we spent. The desserts were mediocre and feeling like you have to rush to get a seat took any enjoyment out of the experience.

I am not one to wait around for fireworks/shows/parades, but My DH and I decided that next time we will stake out a spot an hour or so pri
or-- one can take our kids on rides or get some ice cream and we will sit and people watch, which will be far more enjoyable than the experience we had at the dessert party.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! We've been on the fence about doing it too as it is a lot of money and not sure if it's worth it if we arent big dessert eaters...I'm sorry you guys got rushed, that's really not fair!

 

[Quellman]

We always debate it, to do or not to do. Always we choose not to do. And to be honest we have been 4 times since HEA came out and we still haven't seen it from inside the parks.
I don't usually do confrontation, but people who are space hogs and ruin the experience for others get no sympathy from me.
Flash photos in rides? I say something. Already at the railing and need to hoist kids, I'm saying something.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Op I'm sorry for your mediocre experience after paying out so much money. It's upsetting that Disney portrays it as this carefree, relaxing experience and many times it is not because they sell too many tickets and then there is nobody there to supervise. Since it is a paid event a cm should be there to make sure selfish people do not take away from others' experience and, if their warning is ignored, call security. I remember watching the fireworks from this exact spot when it was a fp area. It was crowded and kids were on shoulders and we even saw people climb in over the divider. There is no way I would pay $$$ for the experience you described.
I hope you had a fantastic trip.

 

[deedubb]

It's too bad you didn't have a great experience. It is a LOT of money for what you get, but for us, it is worth it. We did it twice last Christmas (Dec 22-29) so it was a very busy time of year. We were able to sit during the whole show with a great view and lots of room around us. This only worked of course, because everyone sat. It was wonderful.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Thank you for your review.

My favorite dessert party is the Frozen Illuminations party. You have assigned seats and from what I could tell, all the views are good.

The desserts were really good, but I am more of a savory girl. I really liked the cheese fondue and bread. There was other savory items as well.

 

[saraheliz]

I'm sorry you had that kind of experience. We were there the next night and really enjoyed it! Everyone stood up for the fireworks and we had to move back so my kids could see, but there was plenty of space to do that, luckily, and nobody put kids on shoulders. We have done the dessert party at MK the last two trips and loved not being out in the crowds on Main Street! Just goes to show you how much everyone has a different experience.

 

[mala55]

That stinks! We did the HEA Dessert party on the Terrace on 4/19. We thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the desserts were quite nice and plentiful. We also got a gift package of chocolates to take with us. We had a table right by the railing and just sat back and enjoyed the show. I’m not sure how the prices on the terrace compare to the garden. Same party but different viewing area.

My dd is 11 now, but I remember when she was younger how aggravating it was when someone would hoist their child on their shoulders to view something. Even at 11 or for shorter people, it’s still a problem. I find it outright rude. There is no reason why a parent, if standing, can’t just hold their child in their arms bringing them to adult height. In your case at the dessert party, common courtesy would be for everyone to sit and not block it for people behind them. Cast members should control this in my opinion. You paid good money to be there just as much as the blockers.

 

[slpeters]

It's so interesting how different groups have different dynamics. The night we did it I'm pretty sure the whole area remained seated on the grass. We certainly did. It was wonderful.

 

[Abigail Broughton]

Same experience for us, terrible! I love the meandering dads who leap in the perfect spot last second and hoist there child on their shoulders. I get it but its just not nice! My husband disliked the experience so much he's only enjoying our Disney Christmas vacation at the resort! No parks for him!

 

[kniquy]

We did it twice last Christmas (Dec 22-29) so it was a very busy time of year.

OP here -- I could totally see doing it during the very high crowds, if you want to see it with a great view, but i think any other time you should be able to find a spot without waiting 2 hours. On our last night we scooted out just as HEA was going on. We happened to go the back way parallel to main st to exit (the area between the plaza and tomorrowland terrace) . With this being a Friday night on a night that was pretty busy there was plenty of room in that area with a pretty decent view and what would make a really quick exit after the show.

I'm pretty sure the whole area remained seated on the grass.

Interesting. I think once one person stands the rest will. Maybe if the CM instructed people to sit it might be better for all. Even myself being just a hair over 5ft had difficulty seeing.

It was an experience but certainly a one and done. It sounds nice in theory, but not the relaxing event that we envisioned. We have another trip at the end of November where there will MVMCP most nights of our trip. I was considering the dessert party but was waiting to experience it this time. We will save our money and plan a dinner for what we paid for those so-so desserts and ok view.

 

[mom2rtk]

Interesting. I think once one person stands the rest will. Maybe if the CM instructed people to sit it might be better for all. Even myself being just a hair over 5ft had difficulty seeing.

The problem is that some people with knee issues have a hard time getting all the way to the ground and back up again.

That said, I think the CM's should have said something to the person at the rail with the kid on their shoulders. That's pretty awful. It ruins things for an awful lot of others.

 

[firefly_ris]

That said, I think the CM's should have said something to the person at the rail with the kid on their shoulders. That's pretty awful. It ruins things for an awful lot of others.

I agree. I don't get how a person can be so oblivious to the other people around them -- or I guess just too self-centered to care. I'll never understand it. I was raised to be courteous and conscientious of people around me and how my actions might affect others.

 

[emilymad]

We had a similar experience in December. When we checked in the CM told us the party had 150 people added to it last minute as part of some event. They ran out of food and drinks early. People were really upset because they couldn't even get a cup of coffee.

We did it once to see the new fireworks show but never again. This trip we watched HEA from behind the castle. You don't get the projections but it was a much nicer experience.

 

[JerseyJanice]

If they were still giving out tags, mine might say something like, “Dessert Party Hater.”

However, I just don’t like seeing people get ripped off, and if I were you @kniquy, I would have called Guest Services the next morning to complain.

The CM rushed you through a buffet for no reason, and you were cheated out of enjoying food and drink that you paid a pretty penny for.

Next, as @mom2rtk said, a CM should have said something to the guests with the kids perched on their shoulders.

IMO, this was a big fail on the part of Disney’s CMs, and they should have refunded your money or gave you tickets for a do-over.

 

[kniquy]

OP Here -- I did send off a message to WDW about our experience as well as some suggestions for improvements. I clearly stated what really ruined the event for us was being greeted with - hurry up and rush. That is just a bad way to start anything. Especially because what we were looking forward to most was to relax away from the crowds for a 1/2 hour. We really could have cared less about the desserts. We saw enough reviews and knew we weren't receiving anything grand, but we certainly could have enjoyed them a bit more if we were not rushed. I really feel that it was a tactic to push us out of the dessert area and out to the garden. Even with being rushed, provide us with to-go boxes. My son tried to get one, but was unable, so he took a cup and took what he could.

It will be interesting to see what or if I get a response. I will definitively report back with what i hear.

 

[Crystal824]

We did this party a few days after you and had the same experience. We checked in around 7:40. The time they told us to be there was 7:45. By the time, we got there I felt like I was late. There was already a ton of people. Our party was myself, DH, 3 kids (3,7, and 10 months) and my mom who is is a scooter. I didn't think the desserts were good. Most weren't terrible, they were just ok. Not really worth the calories in my opinion. They were pretty but not tasty. As we finally got food for everyone, I could see the place starting to clear out. By then it was like 8:00. Then I had to take my kids to the bathroom. That was a 20 min. line. By the time we made it out to the garden view, the place was packed. It was about 8:35. We had to park my mom at the back, but we couldn't sit with her because there was just no room. Then we squeezed into a space on the ground and the view was blocked somewhat by lights and decorative shrubs. I would not do this party again. I would have much rather just staked out a spot and got some cupcakes from the bakery. It would have been cheaper and probably tasted better too.

During our party, most people remained seated, which was nice. The few who did stand moved over the right, which was great. Still our view was partially blocked by objects placed by Disney so there was that. I did sit because I was holding my 10 month old and my three year old on my lap.

We also did the Star Wars dessert party last week. That experience was completely different. It was more chaotic during the food part because you aren't assigned tables, but the food was really good. Then they walk you out to the viewing area with the wheelchairs first so we all go to sit together. While more expensive, it was a better experience all together. I might do this one again.

 

[TAK]

We did this a few months ago and were told to check in much earlier, 6:45 I thought. We were one of the first ones there and had tons of time to enjoy desserts then go over to the garden area when we wanted to. We sat in the back of the area so I could rest my back against the railing and then stood when the fireworks started, and had a terrific view.

I'm sorry it wasn't a good experience for you!

 

[Disnsyncey]

I'm sorry it was too rushed for you, but I also read that CM's comment as possibly trying to be helpful, as some people REALLY MEAN BUSINESS about their fireworks spots....I know when I went last year, we got there 10 min "early" for checkin and people left for the garden like 20 min later. Not saying that it wasn't incorrect to say, but maybe they thought they were being helpful?

To the person that was hoping to show up about 5 minutes before the fireworks, it took at LEAST 5-10 minutes to be corralled and escorted to the garden, there was so much people traffic! I would say that you should leave the desserts at least 15 minutes ahead of time.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just a tip for the “long bathroom line” situation mentioned upthread. I have seen that during the party, especially the womens restroom.

If there is any sort of line, my strong recommendation is to use the bathroom just outside of the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant area (roughly in between the Tomorrowland Terrace and Plaza restraurant).

The bathrooms in the restaurant area itself are very small and can’t handle the volume of people who want to make a pit stop before heading to the garden for the show. The bathrooms outside the Terrace are just steps away and won’t have any material line.