Wishes dessert party vs fast pass

[VioletSparkles]

i would like the opinion of seasoned Disney Goers in an issue that I've been debating on my head the past 2 weeks:
If money was not a factor (pretend the dessert party was free) which option would you recommend to see Wishes and Celebrate the Magic with an almost 2 year old who LOVES fireworks?
We have a fast pass reserved as well as the dessert party (for a different night) and I'm thinking of canceling one. I'm just not sure which will provide the better viewing experience for the fireworks?
If we do the fast pass how late can we realistically show up toget a good viewing spot (going sept 24)? I'm concerned with her getting bored waiting for the show to start- desserts at the party would surely distract her but I'm sure I could grab a Mickey bar as well and equally keep her happy as long as it's not more than 20 minutes or so.
Any input is appreciated

 

[aretha30]

The dessert party viewing is off the the right of the castle, on the Tomorrowland Terrace. I believe the FP+ viewing is more straight on. We are doing the dessert party again this year, our kids love it. We've never been in the FP+ area so I can't speak to that area. I love the fact that we aren't crowded and get to sit and relax until right before the show starts and we go to the railing. Personally I would keep the dessert party. Either way I hope you have a blast!

 

[Robo]

The dessert party viewing is off the the right of the castle, on the Tomorrowland Terrace. I believe the FP+ viewing is more straight on. We are doing the dessert party again this year, our kids love it. We've never been in the FP+ area so I can't speak to that area. I love the fact that we aren't crowded and get to sit and relax until right before the show starts and we go to the railing. Personally I would keep the dessert party. Either way I hope you have a blast!

There is a difference in angles, but not a tremendous amount.

They offer fine views of Celebrate the Magic and Wishes:

Wishes FP+ areas are more straight-on.
Dessert Party is more at an angle.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

You may want to wait to cancel one until you've used the other -- kind of an insurance policy for bad weather, too tired one night, etc...

We did the dessert party on our last trip and really liked it, in particular because then DD7 was kind of run down that day, so having a place to sit was nice, and the desserts were pretty good. For about $100 total for our family of five it was well worth it. We plan to use FP+ for Wishes on one of our 3 MK days on our next trip, in part because the dessert party prices have doubled and our oldest will be a "Disney adult" (even though she weighs barely 60 pounds and has the appetite of a small bird).

 

[loves to dive]

My picture was taken from the dessert party location, note the big tree in the way. That was because our table was actually one table away from the railing and when the show started everyone got up and went to railing, thus blocking our view so I had to get up and stand in front of a column (it was wider than me so I didn't block anyone else's view) and that was the best view I could get. I would not do it again, we only ate 3 desserts max, I only ate parts of two because I just can't eat that much sweets. I booked it strictly for the view, that was before the FP viewing areas and really felt like it was a waste of money. I'd buy a cupcake or mikey bar, get the FP+ and you can still sit on the ground until the show starts (they make you stand up for that).

 

[NoMoneyThanks2Disney]

I've gone to the dessert party, and loved it for the fireworks view. However, as others have stated it's off to the side. I will say that if there is any interest in the castle projection show I thought the view was awful for that. We'd seen it before, so that didn't really matter to us. I've never done the Wishes FP+. I wasn't able to get the dessert party for 9/26 (still hopeful!), so I grabbed the Wishes FP+ for that day as the next best thing.

 

[ArwenMarie]

If money wasn't an issue, the dessert party!

I had the dessert party booked for our August trip, but with the new price (double the old price ugh!), I cancelled it. The price went from around $100 for our family to almost $200!

I am going to try the Wishes FP for that night instead.

Good luck deciding!

 

[pmaurer74]

I prefer the Wishes FP. We were disappointed in the dessert party both times we were there and in our case DD was asleep both times.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Dessert Party only for us. It's covered. There are treats. It's not crowded. You get seats. There's coffee. We'll worth the price exclusivity. I budget for it on purpose so I don't worry about the price.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

We watched the fireworks a few times from the Dessert Party location (to get out of the rain) before they created the party and it is okay, but not good enough even for free for us to choose that over something closer and with a more "straight on" view of the castle/fireworks.

Also, Celebrate the Magic is every bit as special as Wishes, and we really don't enjoy it from far away, so even the FP+ viewing area is not an option for us.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The view is better from the fastpass area. And you can wait to enter the fp area up to five minutes before the projection show starts. There is plenty of room in the back and the view is good, too. The dessert party is expensive and a 2 year old can be very unpredictable.