Fireworks Dessert Party: Is it worth it?
One of my favorite Disney activities is Magic Kingdom fireworks. I love starting and ending our trip with a fireworks show, and have always looked forward to sharing that experience with our kids one day.
Fun fact: We first visited Disney together in 2013 and I fell in love with Wishes. In 2015, we got engaged at the top of the California Grill on the observation deck during WIshes. So in 2017, before Wishes ended for good, we made a zip trip and spent a full day in Magic Kingdom to watch WIshes one last time before it was gone.
our first trip in 2013
Last year, our son was 3 and while I felt he was old enough to appreciate & enjoy fireworks for the first time, I didn’t want to have to fight the crowds and spend 2+ hours saving a spot with a toddler, and be squished between strangers. So we decided to book tickets to the Fireworks Dessert party for the first time. Here are my takeaways and whether or not I would do it again.
The Fireworks Dessert party takes place in the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant, and there are 3 options when booking your tickets:
Pre-party allows you into Tomorrowland Terrace starting 2 hours prior to fireworks, and then you will be escorted to a designated viewing area for the show. The pre-party option costs $92.95 per adult and $55.39 for kids 3-9.This is the option we chose to do last year.
Post-party has you check in up to 60 minutes before fireworks begin, where you’re then escorted to the fireworks viewing area. Once the fireworks show is over, you then return to Tomorrowland Terrace where you can enjoy your desserts, snacks and drinks. This costs the same as the pre-party.
Seats & Sweets is the priciest option of the 3. Rather than enjoy desserts at the restaurant and watch the fireworks from the viewing area, this party takes place at Tomorrowland Terrace from start to finish. For $117.73 per adult and $70.42 per child, you will enjoy the dessert party and then are given a seat on the patio to watch the show from.
For me, the biggest draw to trying the dessert party was the reserved viewing area. With a very young toddler, I didn’t want to risk losing out on a spot and then either have to totally ditch the plans for the night or deal with staking out a spot for hours with a 3 year old.
The dessert party check in was easy, and you’re seated by cast member rather than having to try and find your own table. Desserts and drinks are set up buffet style and there was a variety of things offered- cheese & crackers, crudites, brownies, chocolate covered strawberries, and other bite sized sweets. They also had alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, water & milk. It is all you can eat, so you can certainly try as many things as you like and go back for seconds (or thirds) if you want.
Would I do it again?
Yes. To me, the guaranteed viewing space is a high priority for doing a fireworks show at Magic Kingdom with little kids. The desserts and included drinks made for a fun & special experience for us to do with our toddler. It also offered us time to sit and relax (as much as you can, at Disney, with a 3 year old who didn’t nap and is up past their bedtime eating chocolate) more comfortable than sitting on Main Street waiting for the show. I will say, some cons for me were that because Tomorrowland Terrace is a covered but not enclosed area, there was no reprieve from the heat. Our trip happened to fall during record high heat index last August, and so being able to escape into some AC would have made this a 20/10. I also think that for the price, Disney could offer a slightly larger variety of foods, and possibly include more items for those wishing to snack on something other than chocolate. Things like spring rolls, sliders, or other appetizer style bites would be a great addition, but this one isn’t a make or break for us.
Overall, while the Fireworks Dessert Parties are a bit of a splurge, its a fun & unique experience you can’t find anywhere outside of Disney, and one we would definitely do again.
