We all know how frustrating it can be to find that great view of whichever park’s fireworks we happen to be at on any particular night. Unless you are willing to sacrifice several hours prior to the show, prime locations are not even an option. What you are left with is shoulder to shoulder congestion with a partial view of the fireworks…until right before when Mr 6’2″ shows up with his 6 year old on his shoulders, and manages to budge his way into a tiny air pocket right in front of you.
Queue Disney’s offer of dessert parties with fireworks viewing. What Disney gives you, typically, when you sign up for a dessert party with fireworks viewing is a spread of sweets and beverages and a special area to stand or sit and watch the fireworks. Over several years, I have managed to experience a dessert party at every park, and depending on the park my opinion of whether it was worth it would differ, I think.
Let’s first take a look at what each park has to offer for their dessert parties. Magic Kingdom is quite obviously the most popular fireworks display. For this, the park offers a terrace seated viewing party ($84/adult and $50/child) and a garden plaza viewing party ($69/adult and $41/child). I have done the garden plaza viewing party, for both the Halloween party and the Christmas party – because let’s not forget that these holiday parties can be just a chaotic as a regular park day. At both, desserts were offered prior to the fireworks, and then we were led to a fenced off garden for the fireworks. Recently I saw that two more parties were added in which the desserts are offered after the fireworks in addition to before.
Epcot offers a Frozen dessert party. ($79/adult and $47/child). In addition to the sweets and prime viewing of Illuminations, attendees are also able to ride Frozen after the fireworks. This is great if fastpass+ are in short supply for the ride during normal park hours.
Hollywood Studios offers a Fantasmic dessert party. This party is not all you can eat, which is definitely reflected in the price ($39/adult and $19/child). A box of pre-selected mini treats instead accompany you to your VIP seats to watch the show. While the price is nice, the lack of tables makes eating your desserts a little difficult, and this stadium is so large that I question whether VIP seating is truly necessary. In addition to this party, a dessert party is also offered for the Star Wars fireworks ($79/adult and $45/child).
The most recently added dessert party is at the Animal Kingdom for Rivers of Light ($79/adult and $47/child). Desserts and beverages are paired with reserved seating to watch the nighttime light show.
There are reasons why I will choose to do a dessert party if my sole intention is to watch one of the nightly fireworks show. First, the crowds, the crowds, the crowds. Remember that description at the beginning of the article about blocked views and being pushed against other sweaty bodies after a long day? Yeah…that picture alone is reason enough for me. Another reason I like dessert parties is location. When you are paying to view the fireworks, Disney doesn’t fail with viewing locale. Magic Kingdom’s garden viewing is in the hub, Epcot offers a spot right on the lake, and Animal Kingdom gives their customers front row benches. The last reason I will mention could actually be two reasons. One is included alcohol. Drinks at Disney are expensive, so while I have never seen any noticeably drunk party goers, all you can drink beverages is a bonus for those that enjoy the occasional cocktail. Along those same lines, parties are great if you have a sweet tooth. The desserts are generally pretty good, and the selection is quite diverse. I promise you your children will be running on high speed all the way back to the resort after the fireworks.
There are definitely cons to the dessert parties as well. One is the price of some, especially if you have a spouse and several children that you are also paying for in addition to yourself. It’s certainly not the first step to doing Disney on a budget. Some cons I found were very party specific, instead of generalized for all of the parties. I mentioned the Fantasmic party and how it’s somewhat difficult to eat without actual tables. Instead everyone is seated on the viewing benches while people fill in all around. I also questioned the value of the party itself with all of the available seating. The desserts were good though, although limited since it wasn’t all you can eat. At Animal Kingdom, there isn’t any seats during the dessert party, but instead tables that you stand at. This is hard after you’ve been walking and standing all day already. Sometimes all you want is a good chair at the end of the day while you enjoy your cakes and beverage of choice.
Are fireworks dessert parties worth it? Sometimes. I would likely choose to do the dessert party with garden plaza viewing at Magic Kingdom every time I choose to view the fireworks within the park. That party is definitely the most worthy dessert party Disney offers. The Frozen party could be worth it, if you desired the chance to ride Frozen or didn’t want to stake out a good viewing spot long in advance. The Fantasmic party, while decently priced, is least worth it in my experience. I will add that I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Star Wars fireworks yet, so it wouldn’t be fair to judge that dessert party. Generally everyone stands for that show, so if the viewing area includes seating or room to breath it could be worth it. The Rivers of Light party had some great desserts and drinks, but the standing made it less desirable for me. Paired with the fact that there are a lot of areas Rivers of Light can be viewed from, or that the stadium seating can be included in a dining package with a table service meal, results in that dessert party not being worth it for me.
Have you ever attended a dessert party at Walt Disney World? I would be interested to hear your take on them, and I encourage those that haven’t done one yet to give it a try. Have a magical day!
*prices of packages are as of time of writing
