I personally love dessert parties! On our last trip we did all of them except for the new one at AK. It had just started before our trip and I couldn't fit it into my plans. So we did the Illuminations/Frozen, HEA after party,
MNSSHP dessert party, Star Wars and the Fantasmic VIP dessert seating (that one is not really a party). Here's my comments on each:
Illuminations/Frozen: I really liked the dessert offerings here and the table next to the railing of the lake for the view of the show was fantastic. A great mix of savory and sweet items and the frozen popcorn is quit a novelty, especially for the kids. The biggest perk with this one is you also get a an after park closing ride on FEA, which saves you a Tier 1 fastpass. This was my first time trying this party and it as enjoyable. My group are not fans of FEA, so for that reason I don't think I would bother repeating this one again.
HEA after fireworks I chose the garden view, after fireworks dessert party here to see how it would compare to the terrace view I had at the MNSSHP one. What I liked most about this version of the dessert party is it is less of a time consumer than the usual before fireworks party. I checked in a couple hours early, but then I was free to make my way to the garden viewing area at my leisure. We showed up 10 minutes before HEA started and there was tons of space. I see no need to get there super early. Then afterward, you wait a couple of minutes and they escort you to the dessert area. There were only 5 groups, the place was virtually empty. The dessert offerings are not as good a variety as the other parties we attended and I was not a fan of the cheeseburger eggroll, which is the main savory item, so food wise this one ranks low for me, but the reserved viewing area and a place to sit and relax and eat some sweets while the masses exited the park were very much worth it. I would do this one again and I would definitely go with the after seating.
MNSSHP dessert prty. The version we had this year included parade viewing (due to website error), which is a huge perk of that event. If I were to review just the dessert party and fireworks viewing portion only, I would still rate this one high. I like the terrace because I like having a table to relax at while I enjoy my desserts. The food offerings are great because they have little mini versions of all the special party only Halloween treats. Some will argue that it takes too much out of party time as it is 1 - 1.5 hours worth, but we do 2 parties each trip so I'm okay with using 1 hour out of one of them for this event because I love the desserts. We've done this party several times and I will probably always book it if we are there during MNSSHP.
Star Wars Dessert Party: This is probably my favourite now that they have added tables/chairs. I've always liked the food/beverage offering at this one, but found it pretty miserable to have to stand for the whole thing. They also include a meet & greet with Kylo Ren now, which was a nice surprise. The viewing area is super close to the chinese theatre and arguably the view would be better a little further back (the spot they used to use was ideal), but it is pretty cool to be that close as well because you feel like you're in the show. This one is becoming a must do for us every trip.
Fantasmic VIP dessert seating: This one is technically not a party, they provide you with a container of desserts and a beverage (choice of alcoholic or non) that you take with you to the reserved seating area, which is the same seating are that the Fantasmic Dining Package people get, front and centre. I always find value in a reserved seat, so that was my main reason for doing this, but the desserts were a bit underwhelming and my drink was pretty gross. It was also really awkward trying to balance this container of food and your drink while sitting in one of the benches surrounded by other people. I would not do this one again and instead opt for the dining package, if I want a reserved Fantasmic seat.
If I were to rank these, I thin I would go with
Star Wars
MNSSHP
HEA
Illuminations/Frozen
Fantasmic
I look forward to trying the AK version next time because the food offerings look good.