WISHES Dessert Party

[chellt]

I would like to make a ressie for the Wishes Dessert Party for June. The only time available is 9:10. I am assuming Wishes begins at 10:00. Will this give us enough time to get seated and enjoy our desserts before having to head to the railing? What if they are running late seating us? Or does that not happen? Why does it give the option of 7PM, 8PM, and 9PM? People don't sit there for three hours do they??? SO confused....

 

[Agri]

They have yet to run late. We've actually been seated earlier more times than not - we're usually seated before the light parade starts. They give the time options because that's how the ADR system is set up (the fireworks do not go off at the same time every night) - there is just one seating a night for the dessert party.

The seating is always about an hour before the fireworks starts - you'll want to be in line about half an hour before the time of your ADR. You will have plenty of time to eat before the fireworks starts unless you eat very, very, very slowly. They are mostly 1-2 bite dessert items, nothing that will take forever to eat. Also, people don't always rush to the railing. Depending on your seat, you might not need to get up at all. Even with people standing at the railing, we could see plenty sitting behind them last time we went.

 

[Madhatter266]

Last week we had ADRs for 7:15 PM. They started admitting folks at 7:00 PM and actually it did not take that long to eat. The desserts are a smaller size which enables you to sample several without getting full. The fireworks were at 8:00 PM and people were still coming in at 7:45 PM.

 

[mmtravel]

We went shortly after it started in 9/09 - there was plenty of time to enjoy desserts before the fireworks began. We actually wound up leaving before the fireworks because the young birthday boy was exhausted after a long day of fun.

Though the view is a little off to the side, it's a great way to enjoy the fireworks without the crowds and cramming that you'll find on Main Street.

You just inspired me to book it again for our April trip.

 

[chellt]

Thanks for the info! I think I might book it. One other question... All the girls have talked about is watching hte castle "change colors." Does this happen during WISHES? And will we have a good view of it from the terrace?

 

[OurDogCisco]

Thanks for posting this as I totally forgot to book our Wishes Dessert Party for our trip in June. Now, I'm booked. YAY... I was given a 9 pm ADR time.

 

[VrBchJ]

When I booked for April 4 9:00 PM was the only option I was given. Parade that night is at 9:00 with Wishes at 10:00. I guess we'll have to miss the Parade. But I'll gladly give up the Parade for DESSERT!

 

[strikrr]

So I'm a liitle concerned about this reservation. We have never been to WDW. We have a ADR for the dessert party and I have a couple of questions. Our res time is 8:20 on 5/3. How good is the show from here? I assume it is similar to the show in DL, can you here the show? Basically if this is the first time to see the show is this a good way to do it?

 

[squirrel]

So I'm a liitle concerned about this reservation. We have never been to WDW. We have a ADR for the dessert party and I have a couple of questions. Our res time is 8:20 on 5/3. How good is the show from here? I assume it is similar to the show in DL, can you here the show? Basically if this is the first time to see the show is this a good way to do it?

Wishes is the fireworks in MK. I would arrive at about 7:45pm at the latest for your dessert party. When I went in 2009, they didn't take people by their ADR time they went by when you got in line.

I thought it was okay. I was with my niece who was almost 6 and we had a great table. It took longer for us to get food as I had to wait for them to bring out my nieces dairy free desserts. It was a bit of a pain with only one adult as when I took her to the washroom, they cleared the table. So then I had to go back and get drinks and dessert for myself and then find the floor manager to see if they could get my niece some more dessert.

I won't be doing it again. I found better locations for viewing the fireworks and it's free. I can purchase some dessert at the bakery or other stores for way less than half the price of the dessert party.

 

[Quin]

Ignore the ADR time you are given. The ADR computer system really isn't set up properly for this event. The party opens for all attendees 1 hour before the fireworks start. Get there 10-15 minues before that and check in at the podium. When they open they very rapidly seat all the checked-in groups. You don't need to be there any earlier because your table is pre-assigned; it's a real reservation, not an ADR.

The food is lots of fancy little desserts: think chocolate-covered strawberries, not Mickey bars. Beverages include coffee, tea, and milk but not soda pop. If you prefer a soda and a big ice cream cone then watching the fireworks from Main Street is your better and much cheaper option. If you want to sample lots of little goodies in a quieter environment with your own seats then the Dessert Party is great.

You cannot really see the parade from the Tomorrowland Terrace; if that's a deal-breaker then again the Dessert Party is not the best option for you. The hour before the fireworks is plenty of time to eat. The party is not crowded and they set up several buffet lines with the same offerings.

You have a great view of the fireworks. Have your camera ready - Tink flies from the castle to right over your head! People do tend to stand up and move to the railing when the fireworks start but there's no need to do so; most tables have a great view too. The railing is big and the party is small; you will not be stuck behind people.

While the CMs will start to clear things away during the fireworks they do leave one buffet line open; just tell them you want to keep your plate and glass. You can stay for at least 10-15 minues after the fireworks end, too. It's nice to get a final drink refill and wait for the crush to disperse from Main Street before heading back out. And if you do the Dessert Party on a night with evening EMH, that's a huge bonus - you're fully fueled for the night!

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

You can eat and leave and come back. That is why they stager the people/time i guess...... you will have plenty of time to enjoy the desserts.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

There truly is no time. They give you different times because people always complain. There will be a line and there is always that person who doesn't think they should have to wait. You can line up around 10 minutes prior to the hour before Wishes starts. You will get checked in and get your wrist band. When they open the area, you are walked to your PRE-ASSIGNED table. So you can go in whenever you want. Even if you were to go in at half past the hour, only 30 minutes prior to Wishes you would have more than enough time to get your desserts, eat some, leave some for after.

I was told that if your desserts were on the table and not pushed to the edge that the waitstaff could not remove it. I found this to be true during our last trip. We made a plate just prior to watching Wishes. They were there when we came back. Since they leave the drinks out the longest, we went for fresh drinks (hot drinks as it was a cold night) and enjoyed after Wishes. We were told to take our time and enjoy. We did. No rush and no crowds on Main Street.

 

[squirrel]

Maybe they have changed it since I went. Maybe I just have bad luck with them clearing plates, as it has happend numerous times at different places. I guess the CM's just don't know when it's just my niece and I-I can't send her to the washroom herself.

I know they closed the Tomorroland Terrace and did some work on it a while back maybe they made the viewing area larger. I know when I went that everyone lined up a good 15 minutes before Wishes. It also took us a good 15 minutes to get in and shown to our seats.

 

[Agri]

So you can go in whenever you want. Even if you were to go in at half past the hour, only 30 minutes prior to Wishes you would have more than enough time to get your desserts, eat some, leave some for after.

If its fully booked, this may not be the case. We've done the dessert party a few times and when it was fully booked, stuff started disappearing pretty quickly. Twice after getting our first plate and getting ready to go back, not even 15 minutes later, some of our favorites were gone. It was fully booked for the last night of the Christmas Party last year and the majority of the desserts available were definitely gone within 15-20 minutes of us being seated. We heard a few people who came late complaining about this fact - loudly.

You can hear all the music for the parade (and the fireworks - its piped in and clear as a bell!), and while the view is obviously not AMAZING for it, you can still see it going by and see most of what is going on with the floats. If seeing the parade is a must-do, I'd plan to see it another night or try to schedule the dessert party on a night that the parade is scheduled twice. (I'd personally pick the party over the parade if I had to choose.)

With the dessert party, now you have an AWESOME view of the Magic, Memories, and You! light show on the castle, as well.

(The times are different in the system online because the fireworks are scheduled at different times on different nights. Everyone scheduled for the party on x day are going to have the same seating time.)

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

I looked into this but boy that's pricey for just some deserts. Plus as big as I am I still can get full on a piece of cake, a cookie and a glass of milk.

 

[hugpooh]

I just made our reservation for the wish dessert party few minutes ago. It will be on June 15th. They gave us a spot at 915pm but we will probably show up a bit earlier than that. I want to enjoy as much dessert as possible !
The price is not cheap and we hope it is worth it!