Which Fireworks Dessert Party is Better?

[jcross74]

We have reservations for the Tomorrowland dessert party in MK and also for the Illuminations Dessert party in Epcot. Unfortunately they are two nights in a row and I was thinking that may be a little too much. If you had to choose which would you do? Or should I definitely keep both? It is myself, my husband and my 8 year old daughter. I appreciate the opinions!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have done the Wishes party twice, before the price increase. I thought it was good. It does get better reviews here than the Illuminations one.

 

[HopperFan]

If I had to pick one with young kids I would do the Magic Kingdom one.

- The HUB can be packed and miserable especially with a young one if you want to see the front of the castle and projection show.
- Epcot has tons of good viewing spaces you can get to watch, sit with a snack and not be crushed in.
- Magic Kingdom has CHAIRS while you are enjoying your desserts, Illuminations does not.
- Magic Kingdom tables are all reserved for you, I do not believe Illuminations are and last I saw they were all cocktail table height except those reserved for w/c.

 

[Skywise]

A lot of it is a matter of taste. The desserts for illuminations tend towards the adult side (although there's enough for the kids too) along with alcohol and standing tables only, no chairs that are first come first served. The MK one (as others have pointed out) has reserved seats along with more typical dessert fare and no alcohol (though you will probably have to stand to see the fireworks as everybody rushes for the railing).

I'd give the edge towards the MK party though I just recently was able to FP Wishes and I find the front on view of the castle to be a little nicer. But with Tinkerbell flying directly over the dessert party you can't really beat that!

 

[jcross74]

Thanks so much! I was leaning towards the MK one and the responses confirm that. Plus after a full day the idea of chairs is a nice feature

 

[soniam]

I will dissent and say that we (me, DH, & DS8 at the time) enjoyed the Illuminations one better. I think it was mostly due to the other guests. People were in a good mood at Illuminations; whereas, people were pushy, greedy, tired, and grumpy at Wishes. People (adults) started blocking sections of the railing with their bodies from the very start. One man almost elbowed DS in the head to try to move him out of the way DH and I enjoyed the desserts and drinks better at Illuminations. DS liked the desserts at Wishes better, but not by much. At Wishes, they all looked good, but many didn't taste good. At Wishes, the ice cream was just vanilla with a few toppings. At Illuminations, it was ice cream bars, ie Mickey bars, strawberry, maybe ice cream sandwiches.

 

[pixarmom]

I will dissent and say that we (me, DH, & DS8 at the time) enjoyed the Illuminations one better. I think it was mostly due to the other guests. People were in a good mood at Illuminations; whereas, people were pushy, greedy, tired, and grumpy at Wishes. People (adults) started blocking sections of the railing with their bodies from the very start. One man almost elbowed DS in the head to try to move him out of the way DH and I enjoyed the desserts and drinks better at Illuminations. DS liked the desserts at Wishes better, but not by much. At Wishes, they all looked good, but many didn't taste good. At Wishes, the ice cream was just vanilla with a few toppings. At Illuminations, it was ice cream bars, ie Mickey bars, strawberry, maybe ice cream sandwiches.

Our experiences were very similar. We've been to both, and also prefer Illuminations. We have three boys and we all really enjoyed the atmosphere and desserts at Illuminations. We don't mind the standing tables at Illuminations, and entire vibe was fun and positive. We didn't have the same ice cream selection at Illuminations that soniam did, but our kids all agreed that while Wishes offered a ton of desserts, Illuminations offered far better quality desserts. At Illuminations, our youngest danced and laughed with other kids, and we occasionally chatted with other parents and took photos. Entirely different experience for us from Wishes, where we stood in the far back and were kind of amused by the competition for the "best" positions along the railing. We had a great time at Wishes, too, but really enjoyed and would repeat Illuminations.