Review: New (Standard & Gluten-Friendly!) Treats at the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party

The Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties recently introduced new treats and drinks, so we snagged a few tickets to try them out! Here’s what we found.

Happily Ever After Dessert Party Options

There are three types of Happily Ever After dessert parties. Each includes reserved viewing for the fireworks and a chance to enjoy snacks and drinks. The snacks and drinks are the same at all three parties, but the timing and viewing options are different.

The Pre-Party

This party ticket will entitle you to enjoy the snacks and drinks before the fireworks begin. It also entitles you to a standing spot in the Plaza Garden. Check-in at Tomorrowland Terrace is officially 7:30 pm but we saw folks enjoying their treats as early as 7:20 pm. This ticket is $105.44 after tax per adult and $62.84 after tax per child. This is the one Dessert Party we would not recommend, but more on that in a minute.

The Post-Party

This is the ticket we selected. It entitles you to a standing spot in the Plaza Garden and all of the snacks and drinks after Happily Ever After is done. Check-in is 8 pm. Tickets for the post-party cost the same as the pre-party.

Seats & Sweets

Seats & Sweets is the most expensive party and the only one that includes a seat at a table while eating, drinking, and watching Happily Ever After. Check-in is 8 pm and tables will be chosen for you. Tickets to Seats & Sweets run $132.06 after tax per adult and $78.81 after tax per child.

Our Experience

Check In and Fireworks

Since we had the Post-Party ticket, we knew we would be standing for a while before the fireworks began at 9 pm. We checked in at the Tomorrowland Terrace counter at 7:30 pm even though our reservation said we had an 8 pm check-in. The attending Cast Member gave us our party wristbands and another walked us to the Plaza Garden standing area shown in the map below.

The space was roomy enough until 8:45, just 15 minutes before the start of Happily Ever After. At that point, guests from the Pre-Party filed in and we were a little cramped – bordering on uncomfortable. The good news? Pre- or Post- Party guests in wheelchairs and ECVs were taken to the front of the Plaza Garden so they would have an unobstructed view. This is a huge improvement over dessert parties we’ve attended in the past.

Now for why we wouldn’t suggest selecting the Pre-Party unless it’s your only option. Since these guests enjoy their desserts and drinks before the fireworks, they are either going to be rushing through their treats to secure a good spot in the Plaza Garden area, or they’re going to sit and savor their plates and end up being mushed in for fireworks at the last second. At least that’s what we observed during our time waiting for HEA.

Since we were standing in the Plaza Garden from 7:30 pm – 9:23 pm, we were also able to see the 8 pm Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade. Well, the tops of the floats in the parade. It wasn’t the best view ever but it was a nice way to pass the time.

The Food, Drinks, and Theme

Disney introduced the new dessert party food and display themes earlier this month.  Each cart and the desserts atop them are supposed to represent the lands of the Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Frontierland.

The new desserts are brightly colored and very on theme as you can see from the Fantasyland and Tomorrowland treats above. Your ticket entitles you to as many trips to the stations as you have time and room to spare. There is a small selection of fruit including pineapple chunks, whole strawberries, and grapes. The savory options on offer during our party were trays of cubed cheese and a smattering of different party crackers.

The new Create-Your-Own Ice Cream Sundae station, pictured above, was a big hit on the night of our visit. Guests are given a bowl of vanilla ice cream that they can top with hot fudge, caramel sauce, and a plethora of sprinkles, candy pieces, and cookie bits.

A seasonal crepe station is another new addition to the dessert parties. They were serving s’mores crepes during our party – delicious and very, very sticky. Just like a proper s’more. We approve of these two new features and hope they keep them around. It made the ticket price feel like a better value for us.

Guests 21 & older are welcome to the alcoholic selections listed in the picture above. The Sunrise Margarita is a new addition and while it wasn’t exactly what you’d get at La Cava, having a margarita while snacking on Country Bear Cheesecake, pictured below, is a win. There is no additional charge for alcoholic beverages – they’re included in the adult ticket price. We arrived at our Post-Party at 9:23 pm and last call for alcohol was 10:30 pm.

There are lots of non-alcoholic drinks options on offer, too. We noted hot tea, regular and decaf coffee, POG juice, strawberry lemonade, blue raspberry lemonade, sparkling apple cider, ice water, and milk.

Gluten-Friendly Treats

We opted to test out the new gluten-friendly treats at the dessert party. We selected “No Wheat or Gluten” under special requests when we made our reservation on the My Disney Experience app. The Cast Member checking us in also confirmed this selection. There is no buffet option for allergy-friendly desserts but we were delighted with the bountiful platter we were given instead.

Although this platter was just intended for one guest, you can easily see that it’s enough to share. There is a hard and fast “no to-go plates” option for the standard fare, but you should be able to take home your gluten-friendly treats if the mountain of sweets proves too much for one sitting.

Final Thoughts

The ticket price for the dessert party is steep but we’re impressed with the improvements to the decor and treats. The expanded selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is also a plus. The gluten-friendly treat selection is thoughtful and provides an excellent variety that won’t make the guest feel shorted or deprived of special, sugary fun. We would love for Disney to provide more dedicated standing areas for pre and post party guests, but we’re delighted they improved the accessible viewing areas. Overall, we’d call this a good value.

Have you been to the Magic Kingdom Dessert Party before? Do the new treats and drinks make you want to go back?