Just bought my ticket! This will be my first ever time at the party. I'm super excited.
I'm weighing the dessert party/Cruella add-ons. I don't have any sense of how crowded things get at the party vs. a normal Magic Kingdom parade/fireworks. I'll be there October 1st.
I am 6'4". The number one benefit of being so tall is that you can see well for stuff like this without camping out for an hour beforehand.
Would you spend the extra $$$?
Well, I'm pretty petite at 5'1" so it is way more difficult for me to see at times. We did the dessert party for a few reasons;
1. for a better view of the castle projections
2. we've done the HEA dessert party a few times before and enjoy it
3. we figure it would be a nice break to sit and relax with something to nibble on
4. we're celebrating our anniversary on this trip (30 years!) and would like to do something special
I *think* you'll be fine to see over people's head, my concern would be HOW many people will be will be crammed into the hub area. If you're back a little, you should be fine. Just don't wait too long to get a spot for the fireworks because if you try to squeeze into a spot too close or in a designated path, the CM's are pretty aggressive in making people move to keep those paths open.
First time party goer here. One of the biggest reasons we're doing it is to see the hocus pocus show and the fireworks. Does it make sense to watch the fireworks at 10:15 and just stay if we have a good spot for the 10:45 hocus pocus show? And is it wise to claim a spot an hour before? My mom has never seen the castle projections before, and we're short people, so I want to make sure we get a good viewing spot. Can't splurge on a dessert party because the halloween party ticket was our splurge this trip!
We've only done MNSSHP for the first time last year, but I can say that yes, if you are already in that area for the fireworks it would be a good idea to just stay there for the next HP show. Actually, you may not be able to easily move FROM that spot if you are down really close to the castle at that time. It's pretty crowded in that area and after a certain point, it's wall to wall people. Keep in mind that as soon as the parade moves from the hub area people will flood forward toward the stage for the shows.
We watched the second parade in Frontierland last year, cut through Adventureland by Jungle Cruise as soon as the parade passed us (with a quick bathroom stop!) and made it to the hub as the parade was rounding the circle. As soon as it passed we went straight to the front toward the castle for the last HP show of the night and we had a spectacular view. BUT...it is crowded so if anyone in your party is sensitive to that, you might want to watch from back farther.
I'm not sure if people realize it or not, but the area right in front of the castle stage is actually sloped downward as you get closer to the castle. If you're farther back near the gardens the stage is pretty much eye level, when you're right in front of the castle the stage is several feet higher that you're slightly looking up.