“Frozen Ever After Dessert Party” with Fireworks Viewing and After-Close Attraction Ride

[NuJoy]

Club Villain, I'm very familiar with that setup. And just like in that case, when there were nights that it was not sold out, and there were too many, each group got their own table. No need to share. This will probably be the same on non sold out nights as it's the same team doing it.

Thank you. That gives me a really clear picture.

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

I assumed that the check-in process would remain as it is, wrong. It appears, not official yet, that it will be assigned seating after all. That being the case, there's no point in arriving early because you'll get the same table whether you arrive 30 minutes early or 30 minutes late. The tables are 5 person tables.

Also, there will be no tables with views obstructed by the boat dock because there will not be any tables in front of the boat dock.

Wow, interesting! Glad I booked early. Fingers crossed for an awesome table (although it sounds like none of them will be bad).

So is check-in still likely to start 15 mins beforehand?

 

[FastPasser.]

So is check-in still likely to start 15 mins beforehand?

Like other dessert parties, I imagine that check-in will be possible about an hour before guests are allowed into the venue. But again, no need to check in and wait there that early because the reserved tables will be waiting inside no matter when guests arrive. I suggest checking-in when it's convenient and returning at opening time. Don't wait in line.

Not everything has been set in stone yet. There will be a test party after the last Sparkling dessert party and before the first booked FEA party in order to work out any major kinks. They don't want another JBJB opening day fiasco. That was a mess. If it is assigned seating, and at this point, it is, a mad rush for tables won't occur.

 

[heazer]

Difficult/odd question here. Can anyone attempt to describe how loud this might be? My youngest would love it. However, she (and therefore I, because I'm always with her) has never seen fireworks from inside one of the parks. The closest she has been is from the dock at the Grand Floridian. Even there, she wanted her ear muffs along, although I don't think she wore them. Is it really super loud? How much louder than the dock at the GF? Would her ear muffs make it tolerable? Thanks.

Not a difficult or odd question! They are loud enough that you can "feel" the fireworks when you are watching them in the parks. Now if MK fireworks and you are riding Splash Mountain, you won't feel them and they will be quieter....but if you are viewing the fireworks for any show in the general area they are intended to have you view, they will be loud.

Our guy is autistic so we always have his kidz bandz hanging on the outside of my crossbody bag, easily accessible for loud rides or fireworks.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Not a difficult or odd question! They are loud enough that you can "feel" the fireworks when you are watching them in the parks. Now if MK fireworks and you are riding Splash Mountain, you won't feel them and they will be quieter....but if you are viewing the fireworks for any show in the general area they are intended to have you view, they will be loud.

Our guy is autistic so we always have his kidz bandz hanging on the outside of my crossbody bag, easily accessible for loud rides or fireworks.

Thanks! This was very helpful! I think as much as all us would enjoy this dessert party (especially Frozen-obsessed DD), we will skip it this time. I am going to try taking her to see 4th of July fireworks, though, and if she tolerates it well, we will re-think it. Our trip is at the end of July.

 

[monorailrabbit]

I'm so excited for this! As much as we love Epcot, we've only managed to see Illuminations once, and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. I don't remember where we were, but it was CRAZY packed, people were shoving and bumping into each other during the show, and really all I got to see was a small portion between some kid on an adult's shoulders and a pole or tree. It kind of ruined it for us. So our new tradition has been to hop the monorail and catch parts of it from there, which is actually super fun. We booked for 10/4 which happens to be our anniversary! We are doing this trip mainly for Epcot's 35, so we wanted to make a point to give Illuminations another shot anyway. This is the same price we paid for what sounds like a similar experience with the WOC dessert party at DLR last year, so we didn't have any complaints on the price point. The drinks and seating made it amazing at the end of a long day! It's just DH and myself, so we ended up sharing a table, and will be expecting to again, but honestly, I don't mind. You meet fun people that way! Looking forward to reading reviews when they come in! DH is super stoked - we have a PPO ADR that morning, and will now "be the last people" to leave the park - should be super fun!!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I assumed that the check-in process would remain as it is, wrong. It appears, not official yet, that it will be assigned seating after all. That being the case, there's no point in arriving early because you'll get the same table whether you arrive 30 minutes early or 30 minutes late. The tables are 5 person tables.

Also, there will be no tables with views obstructed by the boat dock because there will not be any tables in front of the boat dock.

Thank goodness!! Ever since they changed that about the MK dessert party we haven't been back. Has that been changed back, by any chance?

 

[nas1861]

How long does the monorail run to MK? We are doing the party on a MK EMH night and want to hop over there after riding frozen.

 

[mckennarose]

Yep. and I was posting this at the same time as you. This particular seating really carries even less of an appeal as it's the one show where there are seating choices to be had.

LOL... Illuminations is the one place where seating is less of a big deal. Because there are places where you can dine, seated, and watch.
Just 2 weeks ago, on the night of the Dis party at Epcot, DH, DGD and I walked up to Rose and Crown (no ADR) at 8:00 and got seated right on the rail with a dead on center view of Illuminations. We couldn't have gotten a better seat if we'd planned it out months in advance. I realize it was a fluke and all that but that particular night, there were more empty tables than there were used tables. I think it may not be as hard to see Illuminations seated as folks think it is.

I was thinking the same thing before I saw your post. We usually eat at a restaurant for Illuminations, either R&C (more often) or Spice Road Table because we like to sit and enjoy ourselves, eat and drink and it's way more relaxing and enjoyable for us. I priced the dessert party for us (4 adults) at $316 and I checked one of our R&C receipts from last month which was around $200 including tip, appetizer, entree and drinks. And 2 hours of relaxed seating on the patio, front-rail, prime viewing. I realize that it is not a guarantee to get an outside table, but we have every time we've been there. I would be just as content to eat inside and go onto the patio for the show. For this particular show/party, its not worth it for us.
Now, the Star Wars dessert party was definitely worth it for us! Everyone has different priorities and that one appealed to us and I would do it again.

 

[oceanscape]

I was thinking the same thing before I saw your post. We usually eat at a restaurant for Illuminations, either R&C (more often) or Spice Road Table because we like to sit and enjoy ourselves, eat and drink and it's way more relaxing and enjoyable for us. I priced the dessert party for us (4 adults) at $316 and I checked one of our R&C receipts from last month which was around $200 including tip, appetizer, entree and drinks. And 2 hours of relaxed seating on the patio, front-rail, prime viewing. I realize that it is not a guarantee to get an outside table, but we have every time we've been there. I would be just as content to eat inside and go onto the patio for the show. For this particular show/party, its not worth it for us.
Now, the Star Wars dessert party was definitely worth it for us! Everyone has different priorities and that one appealed to us and I would do it again.

Do the R&C let everyone go on to the patio, even if you're not lucky enough to get a patio table? If so, how crowded does it get? Is the view better than most "general public" spots?

 

[mckennarose]

Do the R&C let everyone go on to the patio, even if you're not lucky enough to get a patio table? If so, how crowded does it get? Is the view better than most "general public" spots?

If you are inside the dining room (not the pub, which is attached) they allow you to leave your seat and watch the show from a spot on the patio. I've never done it, we've been lucky to get patio seats the several times we've been there, so I can't comment on how that works or the view. But I would imagine it's the same as if you were seated outside.
The view IMO is better because of the entire experience included. It's a front row, unobstructed view of the show that you don't have to stake out and get jostled around for. I've watched from WS several times as well, mostly near Canada, and the view was good, but very crowded and I don't like staking out a spot early. My one "really bad" experience watching from WS was someone putting his camera directly in front of my face to film the show, and he kept edging me over to get a better shot (which was my view that I staked out early). That and having rows of people behind me pressing in is just not something that makes watching Illuminations enjoyable for me, so its worth it for me to eat at a restaurant or possibly do a dessert party in the future. (but not the Frozen one)

One time we had a family member in a wheelchair and watched from right in the front which I *think* is near the fastpass area. ?? That was the best view we've had without a restaurant, but it was reserved for guests with disabilities. We've also watched from Spice Row Table and the view is fair, but again, we like to sit and enjoy ourselves and we LOVE the food at Spice Road. For someone who has never seen the show, I wouldn't recommend SRT.

I think there are a lot of good general public spots to watch. For us, we've found that we like the restaurant experience the best.

 

[FastPasser.]

There are four good options:
1. Find a spot around the lagoon
2. Restaurant with a view
3. Frozen dessert party
4. Private dessert party

The last option is not as difficult to do, or as expensive as it may sound. They take place on a regular basis around the WS. If you have a small-ish group or large family that are celebrating a life event and you're considering the Frozen dessert party, you might want to consider having your own private party at one of the many smaller venues around the lagoon. It can be very basic or as elaborate as you want.

 

[NuJoy]

We thought we had scored the very best way to see Illuminations by booking a reservation at Rose and Crown and requesting patio seating. We were so content with this arrangement. Then last year our reserved viewing of the SWaGS fireworks were cancelled due to rain and we were contacted by Disney offering us another experience in its place. We reluctantly chose a private viewing of Illuminations at the Italy isola not realizing how that was really a good alternative for missing the Star Wars show. However, we were blown away by how good that viewing was. Sadly, it was something we would never be able to repeat since it was just a one-time special thing. I couldn't get it out of my mind though how good that view was, and because we enjoyed the SWGS dessert party so much, we began to just peek at what the dessert party might be like for Illuminations. We LOVED the low price compared to other dessert parties and what looked like a really great view, so we booked it for our past trip in May. WOW! Loved this party. The best view we ever had. It was the first time I could actually see what the images were on the earth. Dang it, I was now hooked on the Illuminations dessert party. So what does Disney do? Offer Frozen at a much higher price. And we booked it. And that's my shameful Disney addiction story of the day.

 

[mckennarose]

There are four good options:
1. Find a spot around the lagoon
2. Restaurant with a view
3. Frozen dessert party
4. Private dessert party

The last option is not as difficult to do, or as expensive as it may sound. They take place on a regular basis around the WS. If you have a small-ish group or large family that are celebrating a life event and you're considering the Frozen dessert party, you might want to consider having your own private party at one of the many smaller venues around the lagoon. It can be very basic or as elaborate as you want.

Would you consider the Illuminations fireworks cruise as one of the private options? I've wondered about those and considered it for an upcoming special occasion celebration, but don't know much about it.

On one of our visits to R&C, there was a newly married couple and their party celebrating in a private section on the side of R&C, lower patio. I'm guessing that might be a private dessert party? Or maybe something different all together and part of a wedding package? They were dressed in their wedding clothes so must've just gotten married that day.

 

[FastPasser.]

Would you consider the Illuminations fireworks cruise as one of the private options? I've wondered about those and considered it for an upcoming special occasion celebration, but don't know much about it.

That's certainly an option as well. A good option is of course subjective. Starting at $299 per hour, plus tax and pilot tip, which includes the smaller pontoon boat, pilot, water, soda and only bagged snacks for up to 10 people, it's not something I would do. The view, being at water level, is not IMO as good as watching the show from the bridge directly above the boats.

On one of our visits to R&C, there was a newly married couple and their party celebrating in a private section on the side of R&C, lower patio. I'm guessing that might be a private dessert party? Or maybe something different all together and part of a wedding package?.

It could have been one or more of those things. They take place routinely somewhere around the lagoon. They range in size from 2 guests up to hundreds.

 

[mckennarose]

Good information, thank you! It's nice to know there are so many options.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

8/31 already not available ( at least for a party of 2 - didn't try any other numbers). Glad I got ours the day it was announced.

 

[WillowRain]

Can we try to book this 180 days out?

 

[oceanscape]

Can we try to book this 180 days out?

It's only booking thru October for now ....

I'm (im)patiently waiting for November dates.

 

[FastPasser.]

Can we try to book this 180 days out?

It's only booking thru October for now ....
I'm (im)patiently waiting for November dates.

With a little over half the capacity of the current party, you'll really have to be vigilant in trying to book it.