Tips for the Happily Ever After Dessert Party at Walt Disney World

Happily Ever After is the pinnacle ending to a perfect day at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom ends each evening with the Happily Ever After fireworks and castle show, and it is nothing short of spectacular.  I absolutely love Happily Ever After.  Happily Ever After is magical in so many ways…..the fireworks combined with the castle projections is a perfect end to your Disney day.  Today, I want to share my favorite Tips for the Happily Ever After Dessert Party at Walt Disney World.

Happily Ever After is the replacement for Wishes, and debuted at Magic Kingdom in May of 2017. Ever since, it has become a HUGE fan favorite, and for good reason! While Walt Disney World celebrated their 50th Anniversary, Happily Ever After took a break and was replaced by Disney’s Enchantment for 18 months.

However, Happily Ever After has returned {as of April 2023}, and I cannot be MORE excited. Our family LOVES this show, and we REALLY LOVE watching it from the Plaza Garden after a dessert party. I am excited to share all of our best Happily Ever After Dessert Party tips with you today!

What is the Happily Ever After Dessert Party?

Walt Disney World offers guests a reserved viewing area for the evening fireworks show, along with dessert and drinks. Guests have three options for this:

• Pre Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden View
• Post Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden View
• Seats and Sweets Dessert Party

The Pre and Post Fireworks Dessert parties offer guests desserts and drinks and THEN you watch the show. Or, you watch the show first and enjoy the desserts and drinks after. Regardless, the viewing area for this is standing room only in the Plaza Garden, with a full frontal view of Cinderella’s Castle.

The Seats and Sweets Dessert Party is a bit different. Upon checking in for the dessert party at Tomorrowland Terrace, guests are led to a table, which is also their viewing area for the show. You are able to enjoy desserts and drinks before and during Happily Ever After from this seat.

We personally prefer the Pre Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden View. Not only is it cheaper, but I feel like the view is quite a bit better!  Depending on where your table is situated for Seats and Sweets, your view may be obstructed by trees or the upper area of the terrace. The main difference is the garden view is standing room only, whereas the terrace view you are seated at tables.

How Do I Reserve a Dessert Party?

Happily Ever After Dessert Party bookings open {typically} 60-days in advance. If this is on your list of must dos, you will want to book your dessert party as soon as the window opens.  The dessert party does occur nightly, as long as their is a showing of Happily Ever After. You also need to pay in full when you book your reservation, so be prepared for that as well.  You can book it through My Disney Experience, or over the phone with Disney Dining.   

Dessert Party Details

The dessert party check in is at the Tomorrowland Terrace. For guests with Sweets and Seats or the Pre Fireworks Dessert Party, you can begin arriving 75 minutes before the show starts.  

When you check in, the Cast Member will give you a wristband, show you to a table, and then you can begin to help yourself to the savory offerings, desserts and drinks.

When you are finished eating, a Cast Member will lead you to the Plaza Garden viewing area, and you can watch the show!  

We prefer to check in right around the 75-minute mark. By this point in the evening, we are ready to sit down! There are nice bathrooms in the Tomorrowland Terrace area, as well. So we use the restroom, get some food, and enjoy some down time. Roughly 30 minutes before the show starts, we finish up and make our way to the Plaza Garden area to get a spot. Standing against the back rail of the Plaza Garden is our FAVORITE spot to view the show!

The Happily Ever After Dessert Party has Great Food Options

The food is plentiful at the dessert party, and a nice way to have a break.  They offer savory options, as well. We have had cheese and crackers, hot dips, cheeseburger spring rolls, chips and salsa, etc in our experience.

Guests will also find a buffet of gorgeous small sweets…cupcakes, tarts, cookies, parfaits….so good!  Plus, there are various fruits, cheeses, chocolate dipped strawberries.  Lots of goodies!  

Alongside of those are sparkling cider, lemonade, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.  They will also serve wine and alcoholic beverages to those who are of age. There is also an ice cream station and sometimes you can decorate your own cookies.

Is the Happily Ever After Dessert Party Worth It?

In my opinion, if there is one “splurge” at Walt Disney World that is worth it, it is a dessert party. It is a priceless to NOT be standing on Main Street or in front of the castle with thousands of your closest Disney friends. Having a reserved area is so worth it.

Also, the view is spectacular, and you are guaranteed a viewing location.  In the Plaza Garden, you will have folks standing in front of you at some point. However, you are not crushed in there shoulder to shoulder, which is nice. Guests who book the Plaza Garden View are taken to the grassy area, near the hub, to watch the show. The castle projections are RIGHT in front of you, and Tinkerbell flies overhead at just the right time!  

With the castle projections now being such a huge part of the fireworks spectacular at Magic Kingdom a prime viewing spot is almost a must.  Booking the dessert party saves you time and stress of staking out a spot on Main Street, and doesn’t really allow for guests to sneak in front of you just before the show starts, while you have been waiting there forever.  

If you are going to get a spot an hour before the show starts, or so, you might as well have dessert and a reserved seating spot!  While that does come with a price tag, I feel it is worth it, particularly if you are traveling during a busier time, or if you have a situation where sitting in a crowd is stressful.

Seeing Happily Ever After, with an unobstructed view, and not having to wait with my family on a crowded Main Street USA is priceless to me.  The value is there if you are looking for an experience with a nice selection of food, a break from the parks, and an amazing view.  

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