The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World offers several dessert parties that include reserved viewing for the Happily Ever After fireworks spectacular. We personally attended the Pre-Party, and we have lots of thoughts on whether it’s worth the extra money.
Before diving into our full review, let’s talk about the different dessert party options at the Magic Kingdom. It can be a little confusing.
- Seats & Sweets: Enjoy the dessert party before Happily Ever After, watch the fireworks from your seat on the restaurant’s patio.
- Pre-Party: Enjoy all the dessert before the fireworks show, then watch the show in a reserved area in the hub.
- Post-Party: Watch the fireworks in a reserved area in the hub, then enjoy desserts after the show.
We chose the Pre-Party before an evening when Happily Ever After was scheduled for 10pm. The Post-Party would’ve meant stuffing our faces with sweets a little too late for our liking. We also think the fireworks view from the Seats & Sweets table isn’t great, but that’s just our opinion.
Booking the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Pre-Party
You’ll need to book the Pre-Party (or any of the dessert parties) in advance. You can cancel your party tickets if it’s at least 24 hours before the event. Be aware that the full price will be charged if you cancel or don’t show up for the reservation. You also can’t modify your ticket once it’s bought.
Ticket prices vary by date. We paid $99 per adult, but prices can reach $109 per adult. Children (ages 3-9) are $59 and up.
Our total for two adults came to around $210 after tax. It’s pretty steep when you remember you also need a theme park ticket just to get in. In terms of price, the Magic Kingdom dessert parties are what we’d consider a more premium experience. Does it live up to that price?
Arrival & Check-In
Your check-in time for the Pre-Party is 90 minutes before the scheduled start of Happily Ever After. The check-in area is just inside the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant. There’s plenty of signage. A cast member will then check you in, give you a wristband, and then guide you to your assigned table.
While you’re told to arrive 90 minutes before Happily Ever After, you don’t have to show up that early. You can arrive later, but be aware that you’re eating into your dessert party time. We knew we didn’t need the full 90 minutes to eat and drink, so we showed up closer to 60 minutes before the show.
Desserts
If you love trying out a big variety of desserts, then this is the event for you. There’s a huge selection of sweet treats themed to the different lands and attractions at the Magic Kingdom. This is a dessert-heavy lineup served buffet style.
Disney says the dessert lineup is subject to change, but here’s what we saw:
- Tomorrowland section: Star Command Mousse Cup, Marble Cake Pop, Cosmic Cream Puff
- Fantasyland section: Honey Cupcake, Traditional Cannoli with Chocolate Chips, Under the Sea Cupcake
- Frontierland section: Bayou Peach Cobbler, Campsite Cupcake, Country Bear Cheesecake
- Adventureland section: Dole Whip Pineapple Mousse Cup, Mickey-Shaped Fruit Tart, Pirate Treasure Cheesecake
- Center section: Cheese and Fruit Selection, Crepes Station (‘Smore on our night), Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
- Kids section: Build-your-own sundae bar, brownies, cupcakes, cookies (with decorating icing)
We tried a majority of the desserts and were pleasantly surprised by a few! We’ve given Disney grief over the years for having too many desserts that are basically just cheap mousse, so we were worried all of these desserts would fall into that category. Thankfully, many exceeded our expectations.
Our standouts were the Campsite Cupcake (rich chocolate brownie base for the win), the Pirate Treasure Cheesecake (we went back and got several of these), and the Country Bear Cheesecake. We also tested out the build-your-own sundae (you know, for science) and created a brownie and Oreo sundae with vanilla ice cream. Delicious!
Other desserts were less memorable. Some were basic cupcakes or cups of mousse. The crepe was also a soggy miss. Overall, we think it was split about 50-50 between desserts we’d happily eat again and ones we’d pass on. That makes us think there really is something for every sweet tooth.
One important thing we noticed was the non-dessert selection (fruit and cheese) is significantly smaller than it was in the past. Since this section has been scaled back so much, we can’t really recommend this event for guests who prefer savory versus sweet.
Beverages
The drink selection has improved a lot over the years. There are several alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for everyone. Again, the drinks below are subject to change, but this is what we saw during our visit.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
- Water
- Sparling Apple Cider
- Milk
- Minute Maid Blue Raspberry
- Minute Maid Strawberry Lemonade
- POG Juice (Passion Fruit, Orange, Guava)
- Coffee
- Hot Chocolate
- Tea
Alcoholic Beverages
- Sunrise Margatira
- Zolo Signature Red Blend
- Lady of Spain Cava Brut
- Veramonte Chardonnay
- Saracco Moscato d’Asti
- Blue Moon
- Bud Light
Dessert Party Atmosphere
We think it’s important to highlight what the actual experience is during the desserts and drinks portion of the Dessert Party. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and the tables are extremely close together. We had to turn sideways to squeeze through some of the tables just to get out of our area. That’s pretty annoying when the nature of a buffet is to go back and forth between your table.
It’s no surprise that a mix of kids and sugar is going to produce a loud atmosphere. But, that and chairs that are very loud when moved across the floor (and people constantly getting up) creates a bit of a sensory overload. It’s the opposite of a relaxed environment. We saw some older guests who left the dessert portion of the party very quickly because it was just too much.
Where Do You Watch the Fireworks?
The viewing location for Pre-Party and Post-Party guests is on the hub grass, circled below in red, a short walk from the Tomorrowland Terrance. A cast member at the entrance to the hub grass will check your wristband before letting you in.
Guests spread out in this area before Happily Ever After starts. It might feel really full when you first walk in. We chose to walk over roughly five minutes before Happily Ever After started, and we had to squeeze past guests sitting and laying on the ground in order to find a spot to stand.
That may sound bad, but it’s temporary. Once the show starts, guests push forward to the front railing. This leaves a ton of space in the back half of the hub grass. It’s very easy to spread out once the show begins. Some kids continued to run around in all the open space once the show started.
As for the view, it’s pretty great! There are some poles and plants that can block your view a bit, but it’s easy to shift around in the open space to find a clear view. We had a great view of the projections and the fireworks. It’s really hard to beat. As a bonus, you also don’t have to worry about tall guests blocking your view.
Just outside the hub grass were guests standing shoulder-to-shoulder watching the show. That’s often the case even on slower Magic Kingdom days. We see guests stake out their spots up to an hour before the fireworks (sometimes longer!), and that’s just not for us. That fact alone should be considered when debating whether a dessert party is right for you.
Is the Dessert Party Worth It?
Honestly, the dessert party isn’t going to be for everyone. The event has a premium price and the atmosphere can be a lot. That said, we think the party has improved over the years. The desserts themselves are far better than we remember. We also enjoyed that the alcoholic options have been expanded too.
We think the dessert party makes a lot of sense if a great view for Happily Ever After is a high priority for you. The reserved space is so nice, and it’s maybe the best way to watch the fireworks. For us, having space and a guaranteed great view is the real star of the show. The desserts and drinks are fun, but the chaos around it wasn’t our favorite.
Would we do a dessert party again? Maybe. We probably wouldn’t do it for the desserts and drinks alone. For us, the reserved viewing for the fireworks is the big attraction. We think the party is worthwhile if you haven’t seen the fireworks in a while and you value having a reserved spot. This is a “once in a while” purchase for us.
What do you think of the Magic Kingdom dessert parties?
