Our reservation confirmation for the party stated that we should check in at 7:45 for the Post-Fireworks Party at the desk, located at the entrance to Tomorrowland Terrace (the rarely open quick service restaurant). This was one hour before the fireworks, which were scheduled for 8:45 on this night, April 3, 2024. We got in the short line at around 7:30. They had already started checking people in (not sure what time they had opened up the desk) so by the time we were checked in and directed to enter the Plaza Garden viewing area for the fireworks, the area already was several guests who had staked out their spots. We were still able to get a good spot for our group of 7 though (not far from the front) and laid out some plastic rain ponchos on the ground for us to sit down. It had been raining off and on all that afternoon and the ground was pretty wet, so we were glad that we had our rain ponchos.
The area continued to fill up with people, as not only the rest of the Post-Fireworks Dessert party guests arrived but then the Pre-Fireworks Party guests finished up their desserts and joined us. A little before 7:45 the lights were dimmed in the castle hub area and we were asked to stand up for the remainder of the time.
And then the show began, “Happily Ever After”. Here are just a few photos to give you an idea of the point of view we had for the show…
Can you spot Tinkerbell?
And then we’ll skip to the finale…
Which always brings me to tears. But they are happy tears. “Happily Ever After” tears.
From start to finish “Happily Ever After” lasts nearly 20 minutes. The view from the Plaza Garden is pretty much ideal for seeing both the projections on the castle (which is a big part of the show), as well as having most of the fireworks centered behind the castle.
Exiting the Garden area and making your way through the crowd to get back to the Tomorrowland Terrace for the Dessert Party is no easy task though. Crossing the hoards of people while trying to keep your group together can be challenging but you forge ahead because a smorgasbord of desserts await you. Once you make your way back to Tomorrowland Terrace, you check back in at the desk and they will take you to your assigned table.
Then it is on to the Desserts, served buffet-style…
The Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts with Strawberry Topping were one of the favorites of our group.
Another of our favorites were the Caramel Apple Crepes…
My one complaint is that they no longer have any savory options. I remember one Dessert Party that I attended in 2018 where they served the delicious Cheeseburger Spring Rolls that you can only get now at the Spring Rolls cart by the entrance to Adventureland. Can you imagine having unlimited spring rolls that now cost about $5 each? I guess that’s probably why they no longer serve them at the Party.
I also remember them having more dessert options available at the Dessert Party in 2018, however no alcohol was served at that time. So I guess they probably cut down on the food because of the added alcohol expense. Afterall, Disney wouldn’t want to cut into their profit margin, lol.
Back to the food now at the 2024 Party. The only non-dessert items on the buffet were Assorted Cheeses & Breads…
I’m not really sure that you can call two kinds of cheese (cheddar and swiss) and two kinds of bread (plain and olive) an assortment though, lol.
But speaking of assortments, they also had Assorted Fruits…
At least they had 5 different fruits (pineapple, green grapes, strawberries, red grapes, and cantaloupe) so I guess that qualifies as an assortment.
The also provided Emily a plate of Gluten-free desserts…
She was also able to have a few things from the buffet, like fruit and cheese.
Now on to the beverages, starting with the non-alcoholic ones…
Strawberry Lemonade, POG (Passion fruit, Orange, & Guava) Juice, and Minute Maid Lemonade
Milk, Water and Gold Peak Iced Tea
Also both Regular and Decaffeinated Coffee…
Then for their alcoholic beverage choices they had…
They had 4 wines: Veramonte Chardonnay (from Chile), Zolo Signature Red Blend (from Argentina), Saracco Moscato D’Asti (from Italy) and Paul Cheneau Lady of Spain Cava (like Prosecco only from Spain instead of Italy). There were also 2 Domestic beers offered: Bud Light and Blue Moon.
The Saracco Moscato happens to be a family favorite so we were excited to see it as one of the wines offered. It very sweet, so it is much like drinking soda pop. Between five of our group we probably easily drank two bottles of their Saracco. Maybe even more???
We paid $102.34 each (including tax) for this so it was an expensive experience for our group of 7. In my opinion though it was worth the splurge. As I said before, the Plaza Garden provides a great view for the Magic Kingdom fireworks show (my favorite of the Disney nighttime shows) and it is way less crowded then the surrounding area of castle’s hub. The desserts are decent and some alcoholic beverages are included, which added to the value for us. We will likely be doing this again during our upcoming trip in March. I expect that the parks will again be crowded at that time, so things like this dessert party that help us deal with the crowds are worth the money in my opinion.
Taste of Disney 