Wishes Dessert Party - No more assigned seating

[LSUfan4444]

Cool...obviously it's been a while since we booked it last. Thanks a bunch!

 

[porschegrl]

On Monday, I emailed guest relations about the dessert party changes. I got a phone call in response today. The CM confirmed that the changes are the "new normal"---no assigned seats and no room to stand at the railing. So, she said, arrive early! (She said she has been told there is "some" standing room "off to the side," but the tables are indeed moved all the way to the railing at the front. And they're staying that way.)

I told her that, to me, a major benefit of the dessert party was that I didn't have to arrive early. Also, in my opinion, the lack of assigned seating is less problematic than the fact that those who wind up with less desirable tables are now pretty much stuck there.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't know how many people will care about these changes. But I would recommend that anyone who cares let Disney know. If my voice is just one among many, there's always a chance that Disney will hear the chorus and change it back.

~porschegrl, eternal optimist

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

On Monday, I emailed guest relations about the dessert party changes. I got a phone call in response today. The CM confirmed that the changes are the "new normal"---no assigned seats and no room to stand at the railing. So, she said, arrive early! (She said she has been told there is "some" standing room "off to the side," but the tables are indeed moved all the way to the railing at the front. And they're staying that way.)

I told her that, to me, a major benefit of the dessert party was that I didn't have to arrive early. Also, in my opinion, the lack of assigned seating is less problematic than the fact that those who wind up with less desirable tables are now pretty much stuck there.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't know how many people will care about these changes. But I would recommend that anyone who cares let Disney know. If my voice is just one among many, there's always a chance that Disney will hear the chorus and change it back.

~porschegrl, eternal optimist

Gotta' love it... spend a bunch of $$ and "arrive early!!"

I'm glad we did this one many times before this. To quote Shark Tank (ABC TV ), "I won't pay extra to 'arrive early' and wait, and for that reason, I'm out."

 

[porschegrl]

Gotta' love it... spend a bunch of $$ and "arrive early!!"

And all for just double the price of what I paid for it 2 years ago!

It costs me nothing to hold onto my reservation for a little while longer, just in case. But I'll definitely be keeping my cancellation date in mind. So disappointing.

 

[lilkimmyk]

These confirmed changes have definitely made my mind up for me. Did the dessert party in 2014 before the price increase and loved it. We booked super early so we had a table up front and didn't really have to worry about standing at the railing anyway (thanks for that tip fellow Disers). However, we were going to do it again for our upcoming fall trip, but have decided against it. I would not be a happy camper if I spent all that money to be all the way in the back and not be able to stand and watch Tink fly right over our heads. DS 3 said last time "she waved at me!" Maybe if we hadn't had such a great experience last time and didn't know what I was missing it wouldn't bother me as much, but we are going to either save the $ or try some other experience.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

We've booked this for our May trip at the 180 day mark but I'm really on the fence about keeping it now... We've done it on the last 3 trips (before changes) and really enjoyed it so I guess we'll see how things go. I hate the idea of having to stand
in line for an hour for something I paid a premium for months ago.

Unfortunately they don't have the Wishes FP+ option for our dates (or at least nothing was there when we booked ours at midnight at 60 days out) so I guess we'll line up really early and vie for a good table view but it's doubtful we'd book this again.

 

[Jfsag123]

I booked it for our next trip after having done it twice at the previous price point after swearing I wouldn't do so just to have a convenient way to see Wishes and Celebrate the Magic (my favorite) on our final night. I'm now thinking about canceling and replacing it with the Pirates and Pals cruise. Not worth it to have to show up 2 hours early just to get a good spot. Pretty much negates the whole point of booking it.

 

[goofy4prez]

Gotta' love it... spend a bunch of $$ and "arrive early!!"

I'm glad we did this one many times before this. To quote Shark Tank (ABC TV ), "I won't pay extra to 'arrive early' and wait, and for that reason, I'm out."

And all for just double the price of what I paid for it 2 years ago!

It costs me nothing to hold onto my reservation for a little while longer, just in case. But I'll definitely be keeping my cancellation date in mind. So disappointing.

I agree 100% Like I've said already, twice the price, no reserved table, and having to wait at least an hour in advance forget about it... Even if that sparkling apple juice in a flute is to die for. LOL... Even Mickey agrees with me.

(Unfortunately, there will be so many who wake up first thing in the morning and frantically hit the ADR button at the 180 day window and fork over their credit card number and won't think twice about it. The power of pixie dust.)

 

[maxiesmom]

Glad I did this before. The assigned seating was the whole point for me.

And how long before we read about one person checking in and holding a whole table? Or a family checking in and all but one leaving for a while?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

the tables are indeed moved all the way to the railing at the front. And they're staying that way.

1) This means a lot of guests will have "tushes in their faces".
2) Kids, and some adults, will walk up and squeeze between the tables to get a better view.
3) Sure, some will say it won't happen, but, it does occur at places with window-side or railing-side tables . . . such as Ohana or Coral Reef.
4) In most cases, CM's will not force the interlopers to move.

NOTE: Once when this happened to us, I spilled a grape soda on a woman's blouse and shorts. It was clumsy of me, but accidents do happen.

 

[Claudia1]

We went on 3/19 and, honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds. I was only in line for an hour (which may have been too long but I didn't have anything else to do). The hour before Wishes was spent at a table, with treats, in a chair, and just chilling with my family. If you line up in the parks for 2 hours, you are on the ground or in another uncomfortable position for a long time.

For us, it was worth the view and the comfort of the space. We were in the second "row" and had a great view. Yes, I lined up 2 hrs ahead of time but the party started an hour later, so it was really only an hour wait..... in the shade and in a comfortable area. We were a party of 6, so we were seated at a table for 6. By having the family join me later in the queue, it didn't take good seats away from the people behind us....... who were also doing it. Many families showed up and then took turns taking bathroom breaks. I heard at least 2 parents telling their kids to go wash their hands.

Nobody went to the rails or invaded our space. Love the cheese and crackers with all the sweets.

 

[TheSpooph]

We went on 3/19 and, honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds. I was only in line for an hour (which may have been too long but I didn't have anything else to do). The hour before Wishes was spent at a table, with treats, in a chair, and just chilling with my family. If you line up in the parks for 2 hours, you are on the ground or in another uncomfortable position for a long time.

For us, it was worth the view and the comfort of the space. We were in the second "row" and had a great view. Yes, I lined up 2 hrs ahead of time but the party started an hour later, so it was really only an hour wait..... in the shade and in a comfortable area. We were a party of 6, so we were seated at a table for 6. By having the family join me later in the queue, it didn't take good seats away from the people behind us....... who were also doing it. Many families showed up and then took turns taking bathroom breaks. I heard at least 2 parents telling their kids to go wash their hands.

Nobody went to the rails or invaded our space. Love the cheese and crackers with all the sweets.

I'm so glad you guys had a great time!!

We still haven't decided completely but are leaning towards the Pitates and Pals cruise.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

We went on 3/19 and, honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds. I was only in line for an hour (which may have been too long but I didn't have anything else to do). The hour before Wishes was spent at a table, with treats, in a chair, and just chilling with my family. If you line up in the parks for 2 hours, you are on the ground or in another uncomfortable position for a long time.

For us, it was worth the view and the comfort of the space. We were in the second "row" and had a great view. Yes, I lined up 2 hrs ahead of time but the party started an hour later, so it was really only an hour wait..... in the shade and in a comfortable area. We were a party of 6, so we were seated at a table for 6. By having the family join me later in the queue, it didn't take good seats away from the people behind us....... who were also doing it. Many families showed up and then took turns taking bathroom breaks. I heard at least 2 parents telling their kids to go wash their hands.

Nobody went to the rails or invaded our space. Love the cheese and crackers with all the sweets.

Glad that you had such a fun time with it! The bold part is why I just won't do this one anymore. Looking into the cruises, or just watching from our balcony.

 

[aaarcher86]

Glad that you had such a fun time with it! The bold part is why I just won't do this one anymore. Looking into the cruises, or just watching from our balcony.

Same. Not having to wait in line to secure a spot and being at an uncrowded table are why we did this.

Heck, I would have been screwed if they did it this way last year. I got stuck behind the EP in Adventureland and could barely wade my way through the sea of people to get to the party. We got there just as the light show was starting and had a perfect table waiting for us.

I'm sad it's changed. I would've paid the higher price for the convenience, but not now.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

We booked at 180 days back before the changes occurred. I doubt we would have knowing that this was coming but decided to keep our booking since our plans had included it. The night we're going is sold out so we'll likely need to line up early.
We pay for these type of night events in large part due to the fact that offered a "reserved seat" and didn't require extended line ups. My DS has ADHD and by 9 o'clock his meds have long since worn off. Standing in line for 2 hours after a day in the park would not work well for him.

As far as line etiquette goes if I line up early and my DH and DS are walking around is that okay (since it's a pre-paid event) for them to join me in line later? They'll join me in line about a 1/2 hour before it starts.

 

[Claudia1]

As far as line etiquette goes if I line up early and my DH and DS are walking around is that okay (since it's a pre-paid event) for them to join me in line later? They'll join me in line about a 1/2 hour before it starts.

That's what we did for similar reasons. Since you will be seated at a table for your reservation size, the number in the line doesn't make a difference. You should only be in line an hour. You will be seated an hour before the Wishes pre-show starts. Our Wishes show was at 9pm, the pre-show started at 8:45, and we were admitted around 7:45.

 

[goofy4prez]

We went on 3/19 and, honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds. I was only in line for an hour (which may have been too long but I didn't have anything else to do). The hour before Wishes was spent at a table, with treats, in a chair, and just chilling with my family. If you line up in the parks for 2 hours, you are on the ground or in another uncomfortable position for a long time.

.

I'm glad that you had fun while you were there. You mention that honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds; For me, it's as bad as it sounds. 1 hour in line is 45-50 minutes too long of a wait for something that is now twice the cost it was a few months ago and had reserved seating where you could walk up 15 minutes before and know you already had your seat. That is how it should be for that price. As for not having anything else to do; I can find plenty of things to do with an hours time in the MK than stand in line for that same time for something that I just forked over $50 extra to do. Again, glad you had fun... I really am glad for you... I'll pass.

 

[Claudia1]

I'm glad that you had fun while you were there. You mention that honestly, it was not as bad as it sounds; For me, it's as bad as it sounds. 1 hour in line is 45-50 minutes too long of a wait for something that is now twice the cost it was a few months ago and had reserved seating where you could walk up 15 minutes before and know you already had your seat. That is how it should be for that price. As for not having anything else to do; I can find plenty of things to do with an hours time in the MK than stand in line for that same time for something that I just forked over $50 extra to do. Again, glad you had fun... I really am glad for you... I'll pass.

I completely understand this viewpoint. We won't pay to do it again but this one time was not as bad as I anticipated.

 

[horse11]

How are people feeling about this now that After hours has presented itself. The new After Hours has been added to our MK day so now I am wondering if I will be fighting even more people for a spot at wishes. Wondering if this addition has added to the desire for this Dessert Party.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I'm moving to the Narcoossees DP if it's still available for my trip. I liked the exclusivity of Wishes DP but am not fighting for a table. I'd rather have a cheaper dessert at CG and watch them from there (and have scotch too).