What is the appeal of the dessert parties?

[Buckeye Jones]

The only dessert party we have done is at HS .We are Star Wars fans and the dessert party was a treat for us. We have only done it once but it was worth it to see the storm trooper interaction with our 16 yr old ds. Food was good plenty of choices alcoholic drinks weren't bad either!! The viewing spot was great not packed plenty of space. It is not something we would do every visit but it was fun and less stress finding a viewing spot.

We did it for the same reason. Our family had not seen the SW fireworks on any of our previous trips. It was close to our soon to be 13 yr old ds’s bday, and Disney is not built for teen boys. He loved it! I got him a new light saber as an early birthday present, and he was as happy as a 3 yr old on Christmas morning. I doubt we do it again, and honestly I wasn’t impressed with the desserts nor drinks, but it was worth it as an experience.

 

[joyjoy]

Shoot. With a decent glass of wine costing upwards of $12 at Epcot these days, the booze alone at the dessert party makes it worth it to us. We were moved inside due to rain for the food and drinks, but it was really lovely and we met some great people. The view of Illuminations was fantastic... we could literally feel the heat coming off the earth float. The ride at the end was more fun than you would think. We felt special walking over with our new friends.... Against the salmon swimming downstream to leave after the fireworks and then had virtually an empty park as we were leaving. Loved it. We did HEA, too. The food was less impressive but the space and comfort of the Plaza viewing area made it worth it. After the fireworks we were led out of MK not down Main Street with the throngs, but down another back road I'd never seen before. Easy peasy. I would do either of those parties again.

 

[MKTokyo]

You may have a seat at a table but that doesn't stop rude people from standing at the rails in front when the show starts. At least at our garden seating no one stood so all could see.

This hasn't happened in years. The tables are pushed against the railing. There is simply no room to stand in front of them.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

Our first dessert party was on Christmas Eve when it was only $25. We did the TTDP at MK and it was the best money we spent that trip - DH even agreed! But I was hooked after that! I like the desserts, I have a major sweet tooth, but I really love that I don’t have to stake out a spot 2-3 hours ahead of time to have a great view of the fireworks. The last time we did that, it was for the MSEP. We sat there a good 2 hours and right before the parade started, I stood up to stretch my legs - leaving my feet exactly where they were. This woman shoved her kid through 3 rows of people to put him where I was sitting. I said I was sorry but I was sitting there and she yelled at me and told me how rude I was to take a seat from a child at Disney World. I told her it was rude of her to wait until the last minute to get a spot to watch the parade. After that, the dessert parties have been well worth it.

 

[MulanMom]

Years ago, my DH and I remarked to each other how the better viewing spots for Illuminations were taken up by private parties, which was before they offered the fireworks dessert parties to regular visitors. Our first dessert party was same as jaiminee krikit's....at Tomorrowland Terrace for Christmas Eve. I had arranged it as a surprise for my family. It was so nice not to be part of the crowds. My DS and I did one for Illuminations on another trip. Probably drank my ticket's worth with the sparkling wine!

It's been a few years since we've visited WDW. With our upcoming trip over Christmas, we are booking dessert parties or dining packages to view fireworks. My husband has been using an ECV for years. Although we can do handicapped viewing, there's high demand. In a crowd, unless we are near the front, it's near impossible to view in a throng. It's easier to shift, if needed, when you are ambulatory. Kinda stuck in one place if you are in an ECV. So, for us, the cost is worth it.

 

[Dug720]

Years ago, my DH and I remarked to each other how the better viewing spots for Illuminations were taken up by private parties, which was before they offered the fireworks dessert parties to regular visitors. Our first dessert party was same as jaiminee krikit's....at Tomorrowland Terrace for Christmas Eve. I had arranged it as a surprise for my family. It was so nice not to be part of the crowds. My DS and I did one for Illuminations on another trip. Probably drank my ticket's worth with the sparkling wine!

It's been a few years since we've visited WDW. With our upcoming trip over Christmas, we are booking dessert parties or dining packages to view fireworks. My husband has been using an ECV for years. Although we can do handicapped viewing, there's high demand. In a crowd, unless we are near the front, it's near impossible to view in a throng. It's easier to shift, if needed, when you are ambulatory. Kinda stuck in one place if you are in an ECV. So, for us, the cost is worth it.

Although... I have been at Epcot before when the wind shifted and the reserved/party areas were the ones getting the smoke. So they're not always the best.

 

[Delirium]

They add a lot more value to Disney's bottom line than they do the client experience.

 

[Delirium]

I guess for us the fireworks are nice but just can't get over the price. For a family of five like us were looking at over $400 for some desserts and a nice view of the fireworks. I guess its just not worth for me

Agreed. $400 can be an extra night at many of the resorts. That would seem to be a better value for your money at WDW.

 

[LSUmiss]

I guess for us the fireworks are nice but just can't get over the price. For a family of five like us were looking at over $400 for some desserts and a nice view of the fireworks. I guess its just not worth for me

I don’t have a family of 5. So different ppl have different situations. I have a family of 3 so many things are more affordable. I also have only done it once. We go often & I don’t need to see the fireworks every time.

 

[Lisa F]

We are regular visitors of WDW. Travel down and stay a week to 10 days usually twice a year and we have never done a dessert party. I guess I just can't get over the price tag. Depending on which one it's $90+ a person for an hour of finger desserts and a good spot to watch a 15 minute fireworks show. I'm not trying to put it down for those of you who love them...different strokes for different folks...I just don't get the appeal. For those of you who love them and do them.....what is the appeal for you? Is there something else included that I don't know about?

If you're there for 20 days a year then there wouldn't be an appeal. You can see the shows as much and as often as you wish and be totally flexible on your timing.

For me, we had 2 full and 2 half park days over president's week/half marathon weekend before a cruise and it was our first time seeing HEA so we booked the dessert party and it was so worth it for the amazing and stress free view in a packed park. But if I had 20 days of park time per year I would probably not bother.

It is only myself and my son so that figures into it, a couple hundred $$ is way less than $400, $500, $600 for larger parties. The crowds are tough as a single mom and I'm sure tough on lots of families with kids. As an adult traveling to Disney without children back in the day with 350 DVC points, multiple yearly trips, and APs, I was WAY more tolerant of that kind of stuff and could go with the flow no matter what was going on or what crowds were like... we always knew we'd be back and soon.

Now that I share a 120 point contract with my ex and I travel with my son who is on the spectrum every other year or so, for whom "going with the flow" is very very difficult, I make sure to save up enough to do things in the easiest, most planned and most pleasant way for both of us, even if it costs more.

 

[Pdollar88]

I am still a bit unsure about the value for me. I would much rather pay the money for an extra hour event like EMM or DAH, but I'm giving the dessert party a try this time. After two general crowd viewings of HEA, one with almost no view of the projections and the other crushed in the middle of a sea of people. Since I'm a solo traveler, it's not a crippling expense, and I'd like to have a really nice, unobstructed view of the show this trip. We'll see how I feel in February, but I'm excited to try it!

Side note - I have an AP, and visited ~20 days last year. It just didn't work out that I got a great (or easy) spot for HEA on any of my trips.

 

[jliucci]

For us it was more convenience then the actual food. We don't go to Disney every year and we have not seen HEA yet. This will be our first trip with a 2yo and i honestly thought this would be the easiest way to get a good view without having to sit in a spot & wait 2 hrs with a toddler. The desserts are just an added bonus i guess lol.

 

[Klayfish]

We are regular visitors of WDW. Travel down and stay a week to 10 days usually twice a year and we have never done a dessert party. I guess I just can't get over the price tag. Depending on which one it's $90+ a person for an hour of finger desserts and a good spot to watch a 15 minute fireworks show. I'm not trying to put it down for those of you who love them...different strokes for different folks...I just don't get the appeal. For those of you who love them and do them.....what is the appeal for you? Is there something else included that I don't know about?

Haven't had time to read all of the responses, but I'm in the same boat as you. I've got a family of 5. I could spend nearly $500 for my family to get cookies and a "spot" to watch fireworks? No thanks. As much as I love WDW, that just seems like a waste to me. On the rare occasion we watch fireworks from the hub, we'll go to Goofy's Candy Shop and let the kids pick anything they want...any treat (well, single serving size...LOL). Then we'll stake out a spot on the "lawn", relax, eat and then enjoy the fireworks. Costs about $40 total. I can't justify the dessert party, the value is lost on me.

 

[Rustysmom]

I do it to avoid crowds and to not have to stake out for over an hour. This year I'm going during Christmas so will be doing 3 dessert parties to see the different shows with a good view and minimize wait time/avoid crowds. We did the HEA garden party in the summer and definitely worth the money not to fight the crowds.

I am doing exactly the same thing when I go over Christmas week.

 

[gorkt]

I have done one dessert party for the MK fireworks back when it was cheaper in 2013. I enjoyed it, and the ability to relax and take in the fireworks without crowds is really nice, but since the price has increased, I doubt I will do that one again. There are plenty of places to view the fireworks from main street even without staking out a spot.

I am thinking of splurging for the Star Wars fireworks party for my next trip, because I skipped it last time, and we ended up with a terrible vantage point, plus there were 4 people standing in front of us holding their phones in front of our faces. We barely got to see the show. If we had been up for waiting for 90 minutes prior, we would have had a decent view, but I hate to waste valuable park time doing that.

 

[reluctantredhead]

You may have a seat at a table but that doesn't stop rude people from standing at the rails in front when the show starts. At least at our garden seating no one stood so all could see.

This hasn't happened in years. The tables are pushed against the railing. There is simply no room to stand in front of them.

For all 3 of the parties we've been to so far (EP Frozen, HW SW, and HEA/Hallowishes Tomorrowland Terrace seating), it is impossible for anyone to sit/stand in front of you and block your view. At the Frozen party there's only the lagoon in front of you; at SW the entire area in front of you is blocked off and inaccessible; and at TT the tables are pushed all the way against the railing...not sure what's on the other side of the railing (a planter? water? no idea), but there's no way anyone could stand there. I will admit that if you're at the wrong table your view of the projections on the castle can be blocked by a tree, though -- that was something we didn't realize our first time. So before you agree to sit at a table, be sure to check that the castle isn't obscured (unless you don't mind missing most of the projections).

 

[Dayzy]

We did it because we elderly parents with us and after a day at the parks I knew they wouldn't be up to staking out a spot to see the fireworks. Well worth every penny so that we could see this from a relaxing spot.

 

[stinkpickle]

They used to be much more reasonable in price, but also harder to get.

 

[Moliphino]

I haven't done any yet, but after dealing with the ridiculous crowds for HEA last year a dessert party for that one is tempting just to get out of the crowd.

 

[Huff]

Shoot. With a decent glass of wine costing upwards of $12 at Epcot these days, the booze alone at the dessert party makes it worth it to us.

They're not giving out decent wine IMO. Just low end $10/bottle retail such as DMZ Chardonnay or Excelsior Cabernet. For some that's all they need. For the absurdly high cost of the Party a few desserts and cheap wine adds little value for us. Shouldn't have to pay absurdly high extra costs for a decent place to see shows. Won't be long before the $100+ park entrance price will be just to get inside the gates. Then we'll have to buy A-E ride ticket books like years ago!