Tonight we are doing a Fireworks Dessert Party at Magic Kingdom. After spending the day with our daughter and her cousins, we are looking forward to experiencing this enchanting extra experience. Find out all you need to know about a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party!
Planning a Fireworks Dessert Party
We are looking to do something different on our latest trip to Walt Disney World. And there are many enchanting extras you can do at the parks. 4 years ago we did a Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Hollywood Studios and really enjoyed it. So, we looked to see what other dessert parties are offered today. And they have multiple options for fireworks dessert parties at Magic Kingdom. Basically these dessert parties offer all you can eat sweets and a premier spot to see the nighttime show. And at Magic Kingdom, there are 4 options to see their fireworks.
Unfortunately, the Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise is closed for refurbishment. Though the other 3 options are inside the park. They include the Pre-Party, Seats & Sweets and Post-Party options. I thought the Pre-Party is before the fireworks and the Post-Party is after the fireworks, but they are both before. The Pre-Party starts 90 minutes before and the Post-Party starts 60 minutes prior to the fireworks. The Seats & Sweets also starts 60 minutes prior but cost a little more, but I chose to do the Pre-Party option. The Pre-Party is $99 per adult and $59 per child which includes tax and there are no passholder discounts. To read more about it, see Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties: Pre-Party | Walt Disney World Resort.
Checking in for the Fireworks Dessert Party
We have to check-in for the Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace at 7:30PM. But due to our virtual queue for Tron being called after 6:15PM, we get on the ride late. So we have to run to the restaurant after getting off the ride. We pass some Disney photographers near the Tomorrowland bridge, but we continue on to check-in. And though we’re about 15 minutes late, but no issues checking-in.
A cast member leads us to our table and gives us wristbands. She also explains that we have a dessert station in our section. But there is another dessert station up the ramp that has drinks and a few more desserts. There are a lot of open tables, and I thought I saw they were taking walk-ups at the check-in sign. But we are told after we are done eating, we can head to the fireworks. So, some people could have already finished and left.
Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party treats
We head up the ramp past the desserts to the restrooms first to wash-up. Once out, we start at the 1st dessert station which looks pretty picked over already. This is a cookie decorating station supposed to have chocolate chip and sugar cookies. And you can decorate them with 4 squeeze bottles of different colored icing and a red and green sprinkle mix. They also have strawberry “birthday” cupcakes and “celebration” cupcakes with Dopey on top. They are currently out of sugar cookies, so our daughter decides to decorate a chocolate chip cookie. She enjoys making a little mess.
Afterwards we continue to the next station which looks better. The 1st table has about 6 different desserts including miniature chocolate silk pies and chocolate-covered strawberries. We each put a few items on our plate. Then the next table has some “firehouse” doughnuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar accompanied with strawberry sauce. And there’s more including butterscotch pudding, pistachio crunch bars and some fruit. They also have a station where a chef is making small apple dessert crepes plated for quick pick up.
There is also some fruit including grapes and melon. And then there’s the cheese. The website description says a variety of assorted cheeses. They have 2 types of cheese cubes accompanied with toast points. The other side has identical desserts so with full plates, we head to our table.
Drinks at the Fireworks Dessert Party
The other thing included in the price are drinks. In the top section they have POG juice, strawberry lemonade, milk, water and coffee. They also have a bar, but there is also one in our section. So after getting our daughter something to drink, we head to our bar. Their assortment of wines and beers is 6 choices. They have a chardonnay, red blend, moscato and champagne. Their beer choices are Bud Light or Blue Moon.
Even though there is a bartender, the drinks are already poured on a table next to the bar. Here you can just pick up what you want. I would rather have a draft poured in front of me instead of pre-poured from a bottle or can. And even though beer and dessert are a little much, I feel I should grab something. So, I get a Blue Moon already topped with an orange slice. And Becky gets a moscato and we sit back at our table.
Our Thoughts on the Food and Drink Offerings
The 1st thing I thought was why didn’t they have ice cream? Even a soft-serve machine would have been nice. But there was a decent variety of desserts. And they were all bite size so you don’t feel bad getting a plate full. Some of the desserts were ok like the cookies or chocolate strawberries. Some were good like the chocolate silk pie tarts or tres leches cakes. Though there were no mini-dome cakes like our last dessert party. Ironically our daughter enjoyed the fruit more than anything.
We were most disappointed in the limited cheese offerings. Again, last time we had a whole table of charcuterie. This time, 2 types of cheese cubes. So, if you are hoping to eat something other than sweets, don’t count on much. And rather than specialty cocktails, we only get wine or beer options. Unfortunately, these were also limited, especially having only 2 beer selections. And even though we go back to get another round of drinks, there is no way to get your money’s worth. However, it’s not all about the food and drinks.
Fireworks Viewing Area
We take our time and wash up again before we’re ready to leave. We spend about an hour total in Tomorrowland Terrace before going to a cast member at the check-in counter. Becky goes to get the stroller while I talk to the cast member. She advises me we can wait for someone to take us or we can just walk down the ramp. Once down the ramp, we turn right toward the castle and look for a cast member in the reserved section. Just outside the restaurant, we show our wristband to get in. They advise us we have to park our stroller in the back, but can go anywhere to view the fireworks.
Unlike our last dessert party, they didn’t take everyone to the viewing area at once. Meaning some people finished early and got spots in front. And everyone is standing in front of us, so we can’t sit to watch.
Because they wouldn’t let us keep our stroller with us, the only way our daughter can see is if I lift her up. And she is heavy. Good thing is there is enough space for us to stand without feeling people are all around us.
Happily Ever After Fireworks
The Happily Ever After fireworks show debuted in 2017 and ran almost 3 years before Covid shut the parks down. The fireworks show resumed for about 3 months before being replaced with Enchantment for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. But Happily Ever After returned after the celebration just last month and with more projection mapping and sound effects. And the show starts promptly at 9:00PM.
The show opens with “…and they all lived happily ever after” before a keyhole appears on the Cinderella Castle. Magic pixie dust covers the castle as the Happily Ever After them song is played. Searchlights and lasers are coming from the castle as it changes colors. And then the fireworks begin.
The 20-minute show has 6 different sections introduced by a Disney character. Each section has a theme starting with Dreams where characters from different movies display on the castle. In each of these sections different songs are played to the castle projections and fireworks.
Though we’re a little far from the castle, we have great views. I also notice my MagicBand+ is lighting up different colors. But unfortunately it doesn’t change with the show. However, the show itself is great and we enjoy seeing all of the different characters and hearing the familiar songs.
Happily Ever After Finale
For the finale, the narrator challenges the audience to unlock their own magic. And to make their dreams come true just like the different characters did. A keyhole reappears and a pixie flies from it to the top of the highest spire. And then we see Tinkerbell fly from the castle over our heads and past us.
As Tinkerbell is flying we hear the familiar You Can Fly being played. And once Tinkerbell is clear, a colorful array of fireworks begins to light up the night sky.
The final set of fireworks is in all shapes and colors. And it goes on for a couple minutes. We can’t remember the last time we stayed until the end of the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. And this is the only time we can remember our daughter seeing the fireworks up-close. Once the fireworks end, we grab our stroller before heading out. There are so many people around the castle, we are glad we got a good view of the show.
Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party Summary
So is the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party worth it? At Disney, we expect pricey options, but this fell short for us. And unfortunately the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular we did in 2019 was so much better. First we knew the prices had gone up a lot since then. But secondly, there were no character greetings. As soon as we sat in the Galactic Spectacular, a stormtrooper came to our table. We also had exclusive character greetings with Kylo Ren and others. This time there were none.
Also, there was no dessert that stood out, including the apple crepe. And the non-sweet options included only 2 types of cheese cubes. There were no specialty cocktails like before, and the beer and wine was limited and pre-poured. But more disappointing may be the fact that people were able to go to the viewing area early. And like us, if you don’t go early, you won’t get the best spots. Holding my daughter for 20 minutes was hard and I didn’t have her stroller to help. It would have been nice to have seats, but the Seats & Sweets option would have been an additional $40 for us. At least, this section was less crowded than the masses, but it wasn’t even the best place to view the show.
Disney has raised prices and lowered the value to the point we don’t think their Fireworks Dessert Party offerings are worth the expense. Though we really enjoyed the fireworks show, this is a one and done for us.
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