MK "Happily Ever After" Dessert Party (Parties) Discussion

[ml sumner]

My family did the HEA dessert party on 6/1/18. We had a fast pass for Splash Mountain at 7:30 and went to ride that and then go to the party. We arrived at 8:30 (later than I expected) and let me tell you we were the "last" family to show up. There were only 3 other tables with people still eating desserts at that time. It was nice on that part since there were no lines at any of the desserts or drink tables, but it made me panic and feel really rushed to grab a few bites of different things and then go stake out a spot. The apple juice they serve in the plastic champagne glasses was already hot by that time and that to me was disappointing. Once we were finished snacking, which was about 8:50 we went to the table to let the CM know we were ready to be taken to the garden area. It took about 5 minutes before someone showed up to escort us over. There was still room left at that time on the grass, but the spot we choose had a lamp post right in the middle and through the show it really bothered me (that is probably why the spot was empty). I think if we do this party again, I will show up at the 7:45 check in time and be in the garden a lot earlier, which to me does defeat the purpose of paying extra for this event. The fireworks started at 9:15 and we still had a 20 minute wait, which wasn't too bad and my son who is 7 does not do well with long waits (he has ADHD) but there was room for him to lay down and play on my phone during that time. He however was not impressed with the fireworks and kept asking if they were finished every 5 minutes! I guess this was a nice splurge for me, but I don't think he could have cared less. I can say I have seen the new show but it will probably be several years before we try to watch it again. Maybe my son will appreciate it more when he is older.

 

[Cluelyss]

Once we were finished snacking, which was about 8:50 we went to the table to let the CM know we were ready to be taken to the garden area. It took about 5 minutes before someone showed up to escort us over.

For future reference, or for anyone else, you do not need to seek out a CM to come to your table and escort you down to the viewing area. Simply return to the check in podium when you’re ready to leave and one of the CMs there will walk you over.

 

[prgal0715]

Because I love a challenge I booked a pre-fireworks dessert party for the 4th of July. Crazy? Oh, totally. But...I'm thinking our best strategy is for one of us to get dessert while the other goes to the garden for a spot and kind of tag-team it that way. With what you all have seen, and knowing that the 4th is going to be insanely busy, does that make more sense than both of us going to the party and then the garden? I miss the days of not having to strategize the best way to enjoy a premium event that I've paid $$$ for

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I miss the days of not having to strategize the best way to enjoy a premium event that I've paid $$$ for

Same. Except for me, this is enough of a reason not to do it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

This was my thought — but I wasn’t kidding.

LOL!

I forgot, they already do it at the Fantasmic dessert party. You get a tray of desserts you can eat your seat for $39. I think I would prefer this!

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/fantasmic-dessert-vip-viewing/

 

[Cluelyss]

Because I love a challenge I booked a pre-fireworks dessert party for the 4th of July. Crazy? Oh, totally. But...I'm thinking our best strategy is for one of us to get dessert while the other goes to the garden for a spot and kind of tag-team it that way. With what you all have seen, and knowing that the 4th is going to be insanely busy, does that make more sense than both of us going to the party and then the garden? I miss the days of not having to strategize the best way to enjoy a premium event that I've paid $$$ for

Unless there’s a certain spot you want in the garden, enjoy your desserts. There are nowhere near the projections during the 4th of July fireworks that HEA has, so you don’t need a perfect view of the castle for this show.

 

[JETSDAD]

Just booked our first dessert party for December on a non-party night (after fireworks). Normally I wouldn't bother as we are ok with waiting, or missing it as we're there often enough but we are bringing family with us on this trip and it may be their only Disney trip. They won't be too keen on waiting around for 1.5+ hours just to be squished by others so figured it was best to have a spot to go to relatively little wait. Figured we could then take our time with dessert and let things clear out a bit before heading back to the resort.

 

[ml sumner]

For future reference, or for anyone else, you do not need to seek out a CM to come to your table and escort you down to the viewing area. Simply return to the check in podium when you’re ready to leave and one of the CMs there will walk you over.

That is what we did. We went back to the podium and waited there for about 5 minutes before the escort arrived. Sorry if I confused anyone. There was a CM at the podium and she had us wait to the side until someone else showed up to escort us over. We didn't know where to go so we waited there for our escort. I guess she couldn't leave her table to walk us over.

 

[prgal0715]

Unless there’s a certain spot you want in the garden, enjoy your desserts. There are nowhere near the projections during the 4th of July fireworks that HEA has, so you don’t need a perfect view of the castle for this show.

Excellent point! Thank you!

 

[nurseholly]

Unless there’s a certain spot you want in the garden, enjoy your desserts. There are nowhere near the projections during the 4th of July fireworks that HEA has, so you don’t need a perfect view of the castle for this show.

This. I guess I just don't understand why people are so willing to jam desserts in quickly to stake out a spot when you can do that on main street or in the hub. And even if you stake your spot out in the garden, people are going to show up 10 minutes before and change your view....the one you waited for and wasted the desserts for. I dunno...I guess I just think people are waaaaaaaay overthinking this

 

[bravenyc]

We were told by the CM that escorted us to the garden that we were welcome to go back and get more food. There were also people there that had brought plates down and were eating in the garden. They had one member of their party go up to get food while the others in their party stayed to keep their spot.
It was still a pleasant experience for us because we were not dealing with all the people outside the garden. There was space to move- it was just more people there then the party I had attended previously. We didn't necessarily need to go down at 8:00 but we had dinner at O'hana and did not need to eat desserts for an hour. I also wanted to be in a specific area of the garden.

Thank you - this was very helpful

 

[Elle23]

I miss the days of not having to strategize the best way to enjoy a premium event that I've paid $$$ for

I agree. What exactly am I paying $207 for, again?

 

[LvsTnk]

This. I guess I just don't understand why people are so willing to jam desserts in quickly to stake out a spot when you can do that on main street or in the hub. And even if you stake your spot out in the garden, people are going to show up 10 minutes before and change your view....the one you waited for and wasted the desserts for. I dunno...I guess I just think people are waaaaaaaay overthinking this

Because of the new after dessert party people aren’t sure just how many people are going to be crammed in the garden spot now. I don’t think both parties have been sold out at once yet. I’m sure someone will correct me but right now a lot of experiences are being posted to get an idea of what to expect going forward.

 

[Evermore]

This. I guess I just don't understand why people are so willing to jam desserts in quickly to stake out a spot when you can do that on main street or in the hub. And even if you stake your spot out in the garden, people are going to show up 10 minutes before and change your view....the one you waited for and wasted the desserts for. I dunno...I guess I just think people are waaaaaaaay overthinking this

While I agree with you that folks are overthinking/overplanning things, there is also ml sumner's post at the top of this page explaining how being the last folks into the garden contributed to a pretty poor experience overall (with a very high price tag). There's got to be a good middle ground here between being the first one in the garden and the last, but it's clear that not every spot in there is worth the price so it makes sense to plan ahead when you're spending so much. The CMs advising you to rush out there and telling you how busy it is certainly doesn't help things.

 

[nurseholly]

While I agree with you that folks are overthinking/overplanning things, there is also ml sumner's post at the top of this page explaining how being the last folks into the garden contributed to a pretty poor experience overall (with a very high price tag). There's got to be a good middle ground here between being the first one in the garden and the last, but it's clear that not every spot in there is worth the price so it makes sense to plan ahead when you're spending so much. The CMs advising you to rush out there and telling you how busy it is certainly doesn't help things.

I agree that a CM advising me to rush is no bueno. But my point is about the high price point. Enjoy what you paid for. You paid for those desserts. Now maybe waiting until the last minute isn't the best strategy but my other point is this: you can stake a spot out for an hour if you want, but those last minute people are GOING to change the view you staked out. I'm not thrilled about the extra crowds, but even a lamp post isn't a big deal. Especially when you look around at the hub...craziness. I get that its expensive. I do. I paid for six people to do this. I hate that Disney has gotten to point of financial ridiculousness in general tbh

 

[Cluelyss]

This. I guess I just don't understand why people are so willing to jam desserts in quickly to stake out a spot when you can do that on main street or in the hub. And even if you stake your spot out in the garden, people are going to show up 10 minutes before and change your view....the one you waited for and wasted the desserts for. I dunno...I guess I just think people are waaaaaaaay overthinking this

Because the amount of people in the garden is nowhere near what it is in the hub. And if someone stands in front of you in the garden, you can take a step left...or right...not a luxury you have on Main Street.

 

[nurseholly]

Because the amount of people in the garden is nowhere near what it is in the hub. And if someone stands in front of you in the garden, you can take a step left...or right...not a luxury you have on Main Street.

But this is my point....you can just move if the view isn't good in the garden. So why panic about the view? I'm not saying that I don't understand the frustration. I just think that the reasons for booking it remain the same. Again, I'm not happy with the addition of the after party, but I'm not letting it ruin my expensive as heck desserts

 

[cakebaker]

I just changed my reservations to the after party. I don’t want to rush through eating! We’ve done the before party several times and never really felt rushed, but the after party could change that. It is EMH that night, but the lines are alway horrid that first hour with off site guests getting in line at closing so it’s a good way to let the crowds thin out. I did notice that the website says arrive 90 minutes before the fireworks, not an hour. My date for the before party was sold out so I look for the after party to book up as time gets closer, making me even more sure changing was the way to go. Not a fan of this change, but what can you do. It is what it is.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Again, I'm not happy with the addition of the after party, but I'm not letting it ruin my expensive as heck desserts

I do get what you’re saying. But do you really pay for this upcharge because of the desserts? You’d have to go back to the early days of this party for a time when the desserts themselves were a draw at all to us. For years now they’re just ok at best.

Last time, my sister and I brought over our ooey-gooey dessert from LTT to finish at the party instead!

And the new food doesn’t look appetizing in the least to me.

I guess for us, it’s all about the reserved viewing — and doing things at a leisurely pace. If I have to stake out a good spot for 45min+ to get the spot we enjoy in what will likely be a much more crowded area, I’ll pass.

Taking a pause on this one to see if they fix it, then we might try again.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

Just sent my email to Disney with my concerns. Don't expect much but at least they know how I feel about the whole situation with the introduction of the after party.