The Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party is a ticketed event that offers the opportunity to enjoy unlimited desserts and VIP viewing for the nighttime fireworks show, Happily Ever After, at Magic Kingdom. In this post, we review the event, walking you through the basics of planning and booking, the event itself, and our analysis of whether it’s worth it. Read on to learn about the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party at Magic Kingdom!
Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party Basics
The Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party is a ticketed event held inside Magic Kingdom most nights. The party includes access to a selection of desserts and beverages before or after the fireworks show, Happily Ever After, and access to a one of two reserved viewing areas for the show…
Three Parties Under One Name
There are actually three separate ticketed events involved in the nightly Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party.
The Pre-Party consists of desserts at Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant before the show and then reserved standing space in Plaza Garden during the show.
Treats and Seats consists of desserts at Tomorrowland Terrace before the show and then a reserved seating area inside Tomorrowland Terrace with a view of the show during the show.
The Post-Party starts with reserved standing space in Plaza Garden during the show and then follows that up with desserts at Tomorrowland Terrace after the show.
We won’t specifically cover the After Fireworks party in this post, but you can imagine that the view is the same as Plaza Garden and the desserts are the same as the other two, just after the fireworks.
Throughout the rest of this post, we’ll just collectively refer to these events as the “Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party.” We will be comparing/contrasting them where appropriate.
Schedule and Booking
The Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party is typically a nightly affair, although not every one of the three versions is held each night. When Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are held, dessert parties specific to those events are substituted.
You can book the party in the same way you’d make an advance dining reservation, online or in the My Disney Experience app.
Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance, but the current event calendar does not always go 60 days in the future, so you may have to check back until your date shows up.
Admission to Magic Kingdom must be separately purchased, and if your party occurs during holiday party, you’d need to book the dessert party specific to that event, and you’d need a separate ticket to the holiday party.
Payment for the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party is required at the time of booking. Exact cancellation periods may vary, but it’s listed in the “Guest Policies” at the time of booking.
For my event, cancellations were available up to five days before the event. Due to a scheduling conflict, I cancelled a dessert party online once (very easy—just pull up “My Plans” and click cancel) and received the refund on my card within a few days.
Pricing
Pre-Party - $99 per adult (ages 10 and up); $59 per child (ages 3 to 9), tax included
Treats and Seats - $114 per adult (ages 10 and up); $69 per child (ages 3 to 9), tax included
Post-Party - $99 per adult (ages 10 and up); $59 per child (ages 3 to 9), tax included
Looking at the adult pricing, you could look at the two price levels as:
$99 to have dessert before or after the fireworks and then stand and watch fireworks
$114 to have dessert before the fireworks and then sit and watch fireworks
Picking Your Party
The After-Fireworks Dessert Party is the best way to maximize your park time on nights when the park closes at the same time at the showing of Happily Ever After. In this case, you basically save yourself an hour by doing dessert after the park has closed. You’ll just have to stay up later.
If the park is open after the fireworks, then waits will typically be lower during that time, so you’ll prefer either the Pre-Party or Treats and Seats.
Besides that timing issue, the only difference in the parties is the two viewing areas. We’ll compare these two experiences throughout the post.
Arrival and Check-In
Desserts for all three parties are served at Tomorrowland Terrace, and check-in for all three is done at Tomorrowland Terrace. There are separate check-in booths for the different parties, though.
Since Tomorrowland Terrace is usually closed, many guests don’t know where it is. Walking down Main Street, you’ll take an immediate right at the end, and Tomorrowland Terrace sits between Main Street and Tomorrowland.
Unrelated, the walkway through the Terrace is a great crowd-avoiding route during the day, and it’s where you’ll find the famed purple wall. The Terrace is also connected to Tomorrowland by a path just next to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.
There are separate sections for those guests staying in the Terrace and for those who will be going to Plaza Garden Viewing for the fireworks.
So if you thought you maybe wanted to split your party for viewing and still enjoy dessert together, you cannot do that.
Check-In for Dessert Portion of Plaza Garden Viewing
Check-in usually begins about 15-30 minutes before the scheduled event time (usually 6:30PM for 8PM fireworks). Check in for the Plaza Garden Viewing dessert portion is right at the turn in the middle of the terrace. Guests are given a generic wristband that is primarily intended to identify them to the Cast Member guarding the firework viewing.
After I gave my name for check-in, a Cast Member explained the buffet-style service to me and escorted me to a table in the seating area. All of the tables have chairs.
Seating is not preassigned, but you also don’t particularly need a good seat for this portion of the evening. This means you don’t really need to arrive early for the dessert portion of the Plaza Garden viewing experience.
There aren’t many noteworthy views inside this section of the Terrace, but if you were among the first to arrive you could request a table along the edge with a view of the surrounding area and the castle while you had your dessert.
You can’t stay there (nor would you want to) during fireworks, though.
Check In For Tomorrowland Terrace Seated Viewing (“Treats and Seats”)
Check in for Tomorrowland Terrace seating is more important since that’s the seat you’ll be watching the fireworks from. Seats aren’t preassigned, which means you’ll want to arrive early for the best seats.
Seated viewing check is in the same large building, but closer to Tomorrowland (where you’ll see the viewing for fireworks would be optimal). By 6:10PM, there were already a few people in line. Check-in began at 6:30PM for the official event start at 7PM and fireworks at 8PM.
Note the Plaza Garden Viewing dessert started at 6:30PM with an unofficial check in of 6:15PM because those guests have to relocate for the fireworks. Seated viewing in the Terrace check in began at 6:45PM for the official event beginning at 7PM and fireworks at 8PM. Times for your event may vary, and we recommend arriving early particularly for Treats and Seats.
We’ll talk more about the seating below when we discuss the views of the fireworks.
Desserts and Drinks
The menu was less impressive at our most recent visit to the Treats and Seats party compared to the pre-closure events.
There were no savory items at this party, just desserts, cheese, and fruit. I count this as a pretty big loss for something that (unofficially) starts 90 minutes before the fireworks. You’d never want to make a whole meal out of the party, but knowing that you could at least start savory before dessert was nice. Now you just dive right into the sugar.
On the dessert front, there were seven cold desserts, plus chocolate covered strawberries, plus delicious Firehouse Doughnuts. Gone is the “make your own” cupcake bar, which I thought in the past was a nice touch. I was also disappointed to be told ice cream is no longer offered.
Beer and wine are included with all three parties now. A standard cold beverage bar (juice, iced tea, water) and a hot beverage bar (hot cocoa, tea, coffee) are also available.
Tomorrowland Terrace Seated Viewing
We mentioned earlier that you want to arrive early to get seated at the best seats possible. The best views are for groups of two and four, right along the railing in the front row. Larger groups will be a little more inward but still have a mostly unobstructed view.
Here’s a gallery of some photos from our view, which I think was one of the best.
There were a few spots that definitely had obstructions, but guests did a good job of scooting forward so that no one was actually left with a poor view at showtime.
Here’s a gallery of some other views, mainly “the worst views.” But notice that by showtime, everyone has moved up a bit:
Noteworthy is that, from any view, this view is a bit angled. It’s really nice to be off your feet, but you’re seeing the show from the side, so the fireworks are to the right instead of behind the castle.
I asked Emily what she thought of the view, and she liked it. I felt like I had to move my eyes a little too much to shift focus from the castle onto the fireworks. Here’s a wider shot:
With the updated Happily Ever After show, all of the views are going to be missing the projections on Main Street. I don’t count this as a huge loss, particularly in the case of Plaza Garden viewing, but it is another strike against the view from Tomorrowland Terrace.
Plaza Garden Viewing
I was advised when I saw seated to plan to go to the Plaza Garden around 7:40PM. Keep in mind that I could have had dessert from 6:15PM to about 6:40PM and still had an hour free.
The viewing area isn’t particularly well-marked, but it’s pretty much just outside the terrace. It should be relatively empty when you arrive and you’ll see a Cast Member standing at the rope. If you can’t find it, any Cast Member in the area should be able to help you. Just flash your wristband and you’re in.
I apologize in advance for my photos. I don’t have an iPhone 11 yet. But I photograph mostly to be helpful, not to impress, so take these photos for their informational purpose. The area is pretty empty when I arrive at 7:43PM.
The Plaza Garden viewing is standing room shared by guests of the Pre-Party and After Party.
In most reports I’ve read, the Plaza Garden space doesn’t get overly crowded. When I was there, there was plenty of standing room and you even could have sat on the ground a little farther back and still had a decent view.
The perk of this space isn’t that it’s raised in any way or offers a particularly unique view—it’s simply less crowded than any of the spaces that are comparably close. That sounds “meh,” but it’s actually a huge perk.
Even on less crowded days, finding good viewing on Main Street or any closer, direct angle is challenging or impossible. Even if the crowd is loose enough that you find a decent spot, you’ll quickly be obstructed by a barrage of cell phone screens and children on shoulders.
The largely unpacked Plaza Garden viewing solves this problem. People will put up their cell phones, and you could probably even see a few kids on shoulders (but it shouldn’t be necessary), but you can just shift around a bit and you’ll have a fantastic view.
It was a cold day.
Also noteworthy, you really don’t want to be much closer than the Plaza Garden. This spot is close enough to see the detailing of the projections but far enough that you’ll have a good view of the fireworks and not need to be constantly moving your head.
There’s always a chance the garden winds up particularly packed on the day you visit. If that happens, you’re still in a good spot that you didn’t have to save in advance, and of course you had the benefit of the desserts.
As mentioned above, with the updated Happily Ever after show, all of the views are going to be missing the projections on Main Street. I don’t count this as a huge loss, though.
Finally, this viewing spot also has a Photopass photographer. This is a really cool perk (particularly if you have Memory Maker), as it offers you the opportunity to get pretty good pictures with the castle with its Happily Ever After projections. Photos are also available a few minutes before the show and after the show if you’d like the “plain” castle.
Plaza Garden or Tomorrowland Terrace Viewing: Which Is Better?
Personally, I greatly preferred the Plaza Garden standing viewing to the Tomorrowland Terrace seated viewing.
While many days you probably could sit in the Plaza Garden and have a good view, you’ll need to at least plan to stand going in. And that’s one of the two big differences. If you have to sit for the show, than the Tomorrowland Terrace seated viewing is your only option.
Keep in mind, though, that you’ll be sitting for dessert for a bit anyways. Yes you feel like you need to sit at the end of a long Magic Kingdom day, but after you sit for 45 minutes with dessert, maybe you’ll feel better about standing for the 20 minute show.
Besides sitting / standing, the big difference here is the view. To me, this is a huge difference. The Plaza Garden viewing is much more how the show is meant to be viewed—directly at the castle with fireworks behind. It’s still a great show from Tomorrowland Terrace, but it’s farther and angled.
For repeat visitors who already know the show well, the seated viewing is sufficient. You know what to look for on the castle, and you’ve probably had a great view before. But if you’re completely new to the show, I think the Plaza Garden view is worth standing for. This is only reinforced by the fact that the Tomorrowland Terrace seating comes at a $15 premium.
Is the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party Worth It?
While there are some things at Disney World that clearly aren’t worth it, the Magic Kingdom Dessert party gets the more ringing endorsement of “worth it for some people”—about the best a ticketed event can hope for.
We’ll work with the $99 adult price for the Plaza Garden Viewing for this analysis. I don’t think the additional $15 per person is worth it for seating (particularly since you’ll have more stress of arriving early for a good seat), but you can do that analysis on your own I think.
If you figure you’ll consume two full-size desserts worth of dessert plus a snack portion of savory treats and a beverage, it’s not hard to value the food and beverage at about $25 per person. That leaves you with $74 (per adult) of cost to justify.
On busy days, Happily Ever After actually can be challenging to get a good view for. As I pointed out earlier, even if you snag a good spot for the show ahead of time, your view might be ruined by a cell phone or kid on shoulders, and by that point you can’t move to a better spot. It’s tough to put a dollar value on this viewing, but “more than zero” is something.
Another intangible you can’t put a clear value on is escaping Magic Kingdom crowds for the dessert portion of the event. The crowds at Magic Kingdom—particularly near the time of the fireworks—can get a little exhausting. To have a space to escape to, enjoy some snacks, and get off your feet for a bit is valuable.
On the flip side of that point, it’s worth remembering that except for the After Fireworks party (and sometimes not even for that party), you’ll be costing yourself an hour of park time. If you’re hardcore focused on riding as many rides as possible, the dessert party certainly isn’t for you.
I have to admit that I’m certainly not as calculating about this event as I am some others…but that says something in itself. The pure numbers still won’t justify the cost, fine, but this was an event that didn’t leave me wanting more. I was fully satisfied with every aspect of it, which is frankly how any Disney offering at these prices should be.
A family of four would spend around $400 on this event. As always, it’s worth remembering that for many trips, $400 could be near the cost of adding a day to your trip, or an upgrade from a value to a moderate hotel. It’s no small amount, even at Disney prices. But while you should make those comparisons, the most natural thing is to compare this ticketed party to other ticketed events.
This is where things actually look worse for the dessert party. Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party costs around $150 per person. Hollywood Studios After Hours costs around $155 per person. I’d generally consider those events much more valuable than the dessert party. Like, 3X to 4X as valuable.
And I think, buried in the comparison of all these events, is the answer. In my younger, solo or adulting at Disney World days, events with more stuff to do were more valuable. As I get older, and now that we have a kid, I see the appeal of events like the dessert party that get a lot of their value from allowing you to escape the hectic park environment.
The bottom line is that I think the hard offerings—food, beverage, and firework viewing—go some way toward justifying the cost, but they don’t really get you there. To me, the thing that pushes me over the edge into booking the dessert party (and I do, on occasion) is the feeling that I’ll need a break.
And then I make sure to leave plenty of room in my stomach to squeeze value out of those desserts.
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