Dessert Party or wing it?

[hllb]

OK, I'm debating what to do one evening at the Magic Kingdom. I want to see the fireworks show from a good location. This would be on January 29th, which *should* be a fairly low crowd level day. We have two options:

1) Go this dessert party that has a private lawn area to watch the fireworks that has a good view. It's expensive, but it's guaranteed and you get a dessert buffet. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party-plaza-view/

2) Have a celebration cake during our dinner (to celebrate my son's family day), and then go about an hour before the fireworks show and stake out a good spot to watch them. The cake is about $35: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...akes-coming-soon-to-walt-disney-world-resort/

I'm kind of torn on it. The dessert party is expensive, but is pretty cool by all accounts, especially if the park is crowded. But, it probably takes up as much time as staking out a place early for the fireworks too.

 

[hes122]

I would opt for the cake at dinner. When I was there in March, we found a spot between Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace both MK nights and it was a GREAT spot for viewing.

 

[hllb]

I would opt for the cake at dinner. When I was there in March, we found a spot between Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace both MK nights and it was a GREAT spot for viewing.

I've heard in front of Casey's Corner is the place to go. How early did you have to stake out your spot?

 

[Hopefully]

I would do the dessert party

 

[hes122]

I've heard in front of Casey's Corner is the place to go. How early did you have to stake out your spot?

I'd say about an hour (at most) before the show started. For us (2 adults, so take that FWIW), it was nice to be able just sit for a while. The 2nd night I went and got us a funnel cake to snack on while we waited after we'd found out spot.

 

[hllb]

I would do the dessert party

Because? Just looking for reasons to swing one way or the other

 

[mousehouse23]

I vote for the cake if you're concerned about the cost of the dessert party. I got right up to the Partners statue about an hour before HEA and the time flew by. It really wasn't a big deal, and like you said, you'd have to sacrifice that time, anyway, if you did the dessert party.

 

[kj2mom]

Hopefully someone can confirm but when I was there last only a small portion of what used to be the FP section for Wishes in front of the Plaza was roped off for the dessert party. The rest of the area was open for guests. In other words, it is still possible to get a similar view without the dessert party. We did go about an hour early but we got ice cream sundaes from The Plaza counter and sat on the grass while enjoying our treats. The time passed very quickly for us. Again, hopefully someone can jump in to confirm that the roped off section is not very big leaving plenty of available grass for people not included. We love that area, especially when the show is over and people are rushing out not many people go into that area to exit because of the railing so we were kind of protected (if that makes sense).

 

[Lesley Wake]

Hopefully someone can confirm but when I was there last only a small portion of what used to be the FP section for Wishes in front of the Plaza was roped off for the dessert party. The rest of the area was open for guests. In other words, it is still possible to get a similar view without the dessert party. We did go about an hour early but we got ice cream sundaes from The Plaza counter and sat on the grass while enjoying our treats. The time passed very quickly for us. Again, hopefully someone can jump in to confirm that the roped off section is not very big leaving plenty of available grass for people not included. We love that area, especially when the show is over and people are rushing out not many people go into that area to exit because of the railing so we were kind of protected (if that makes sense).

When I was there the whole area was reserved for the dessert party. They had gates on most of the entrances and a CM at the main one checking wristbands.

For OP, if you are willing to wait for an hour then on a low crowd day you should be fine getting a good view. I would scope out any spot right behind a planter (as long as nothing in the planter blocks your view). That will mean no one will stand right in front of you. The area in front of Casey Jr is also an option, but more and more people are realizing it isn't reserved, so they are heading there too.

For the dessert party, I loved it! It was just a nice relaxing end to the day and let us put our feet up for a bit. And then we could make our way out to watch the fireworks a few minutes before the show and get an amazing view. I will absolutely be doing it again on my next visit. But I only had to pay for 2 people, so if you are a larger group I can understand if the cost is too prohibitive.

 

[hllb]

When I was there the whole area was reserved for the dessert party. They had gates on most of the entrances and a CM at the main one checking wristbands.

For OP, if you are willing to wait for an hour then on a low crowd day you should be fine getting a good view. I would scope out any spot right behind a planter (as long as nothing in the planter blocks your view). That will mean no one will stand right in front of you. The area in front of Casey Jr is also an option, but more and more people are realizing it isn't reserved, so they are heading there too.

For the dessert party, I loved it! It was just a nice relaxing end to the day and let us put our feet up for a bit. And then we could make our way out to watch the fireworks a few minutes before the show and get an amazing view. I will absolutely be doing it again on my next visit. But I only had to pay for 2 people, so if you are a larger group I can understand if the cost is too prohibitive.

Yeah, we're a family of 5 and only one is a kid. The night before we're doing the Illuminations cruise.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If your family can handle waiting in the general crowds for HEA, I would opt for the cake at dinner and just staking out your spot. We only do the dessert party for the viewing location (and the ability to sit there afterward while the crowds disperse). Otherwise, my DS can't handle the crowds.

 

[Lothlórien]

If Disney CMs were not required (for safety reasons) to make everybody stand, I would tell you to book the Dessert party, but even having a dedicated area does not get you a better viewing spot. Once people stand up, place their kids on their shoulders and hold their ipads as high as they can, you get the same view for less money and less dessert.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’m a sucker for the dessert parties, especially the Plaza Garden viewing version. For us, it is ‘worth it’ just for the peace of mind not having to stalk a spot well in advance, not having to worry about someone having to go to the bathroom 5 minutes before show time, etc. It minimizes the “sitting around waiting” part of the evening, which is a big plus. I know I’m in the minority but I do it more for the reserved area than I do for the desserts.

Some of the experiences above seem to be from pre-HEA. I would just add a caveat that obviously the new show puts a premium on being in the hub for the best viewing. The hub is generally going to be/feel busier now than it did during Wishes, in my experience.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I vote dessert party. We did it in April and my daughter loved it -- we sat on the grassy area and it was perfect. My (then) 13 month old even had a fun time at it. I made reservations for it again in February.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

If Disney CMs were not required (for safety reasons) to make everybody stand, I would tell you to book the Dessert party, but even having a dedicated area does not get you a better viewing spot. Once people stand up, place their kids on their shoulders and hold their ipads as high as they can, you get the same view for less money and less dessert.


View attachment 279839

Is this a new policy? My whole family sat in April.

 

[buzznina]

One and done for us with the desert party, $200+ just to reserve a spot and eat, maybe, $40 worth of desert. Plus, we still had a few families that put their child on their shoulders that blocked part of our view during the castle show. My DW said that we had a better view a few nights earlier without paying a fortune.

 

[smooreo]

I've never done a party before and while they do sound nice, I saw some pictures the other night of the view that have turned me off trying to do one on our upcoming trip. We're going in December and it's going to be BUSY but I'd still rather get a spot early by Casey's or the statue to get a great view. I don't want lights or banners in my view (and pictures). I've read to stand where the sound goes higher to get a great view. I also want to be head on to the castle and not slightly to the side, but I'm sure that's just me!

 

[Crash1207]

We opted for the Dessert Party for our upcoming trip in December. I have 10, 7, and 5 so getting all three of them to wait patiently would be a problem. Plus, as someone mentioned above, one of them is destined to need to use the facilities before the show. For my youngest, this is his first trip and I felt like I wanted to get him a really good view of the fireworks the first time he sees them. This gives me the peace of mind that we'll be able to do that.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Hopefully someone can confirm but when I was there last only a small portion of what used to be the FP section for Wishes in front of the Plaza was roped off for the dessert party. The rest of the area was open for guests. In other words, it is still possible to get a similar view without the dessert party. We did go about an hour early but we got ice cream sundaes from The Plaza counter and sat on the grass while enjoying our treats. The time passed very quickly for us. Again, hopefully someone can jump in to confirm that the roped off section is not very big leaving plenty of available grass for people not included. We love that area, especially when the show is over and people are rushing out not many people go into that area to exit because of the railing so we were kind of protected (if that makes sense).

We had the same experience last April when we did the dessert party - pre-HEA. Still had CMs checking wristbands, but she confirmed that only half of the area was reserved, but I don't know how regular that is. In any case, we really enjoyed it and were glad we did it, especially as it was the day after Easter so we were concerned about crowds. We went to the back and leaned against the fence, so there was a good amount of space directly in front of us, so no one blocked our view. I only had to pay for myself, however, so certainly paying for a larger family is a big consideration - just wanted to say we had a similar experience to @kj2mom

 

[hllb]

I didn't realize that you could cancel this up to 5 days before. Surprisingly, my husband wants to do it (he normally picks the cheaper option, but he remembers how crazy packed the plaza gets during parades and such). So I booked it and if we change our minds, we can cancel.