Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties

With crowds ever growing and the popularity of Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars, you may be considering one of the park’s dessert parties to secure a spot for fireworks witouth having to stake your claim hours prior to showtime.

We’ve done a few dessert parties at the flagship park, and we’ll weigh pros, cons, tell you which party we think is best and share our thoughts on the “worth it”-ness of the sweets and show.

What is a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party?

Taking place at Tomorrowland Terrace you will be welcomed with a host of desserts and even some savory options prepared by a Magic Kingdom pastry chef, including chocolate-dipped strawberries, cakes, cookies, small bites and a variety of cheeses. Drink selections will also be available, including an assortment of beer and wine for guests 21 and over.

You can choose from three options when you partake in the dessert part, and they all focus on how you view the fireworks.

Dining and viewing from Tomorrowland Terrace (currently $114/$69)
Dining at the Terrace before the show then viewing from the reserved Garden Plaza (aka Hub Grass) (currently $99/$59)
Viewing from the reserved Garden Plaza then dining after the show at Tomorrowland Terrace. (currently $99/$59)

Which is better?

Our opinion has definitely changed over the years, but here’s the breakdown.

We were never fans of the view from Tomorrowland Terrace, but if you’ve seen the fireworks “as intended” already, this is your best bet for a truly crowd-free experience. You are seated, (hopefully) no one is blocking your view, and there’s a bit more separation from the general fireworks viewing area.

That said, our toss up was always between the pre- and post-party, as we preferred watching from (somewhat) front and center. We always opted for the post-party for one reason. Location, location, location. Pre-partiers are in the Terrace eating before the show while post-partiers had access to the front section of the Hub Grass. We were able to snag a quick service dinner, spread a blanket and grab our seats. Of course, if the front wasn’t your jam, you really had your choice of spots in the garden.

And this worked really well initially. However, the last time we were in the reserved Garden Plaza (June 2022), the crowd in the reserved area all moved to the front when the show started and basically crowded out those of us who were already seated. Previously, everyone in the area remained seated with anyone wanting to stand making their way to the back so as to not block views. It seems this is no longer the protocol, and it really does affect the experience for us. It is just like watching in the general viewing area with other guests popping in last minute, standing shoulder to shoulder and cell phone glows often in your face.

Our vote now goes for the viewing and dining at the Terrace purely for the change in the viewing process.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party with Magic, Memories, Mayhem

Is it worth it?

The $115 question…is it worth it? While this is, obviously, a very personalized question, we’ll weigh some of the pros and cons.

First, as is, our family would say the Garden viewing is no longer worth the price, especially for larger families, purely based on the actual fireworks viewing. As mentioned previously, the atmosphere quickly turned from relaxed and luxurious(ish) to sardine-like in the seven minutes prior to the show. At that point, the viewing is not really a perk, and you’re just paying $99 (per adult) for sweets and sips. If you can throw back your drinks quickly, you may be able to break even.

That established, let’s look at the ups and downs of the Terrace experience…

Pros

One stop shop; viewing and dining in one spot
More relaxed, truly reserved viewing
Stress-free (probably) fireworks experience; the general viewing area can get very Hunger Games these days, so being able to relax and eat and drink? Sign me up! I mean. maybe. Depending on these cons…

Cons

The price; for 10+, this is an additional $15 on top of the already questionable $99 experience. We often travel with 5-8 guests, with only two of those under 9. That’s an additional $50-100 after tax to not stand shoulder to shoulder in the Garden
The view; as stated, I don’t love a side view of fireworks.
Other guests; although this atmosphere is less competitive than outside the Terrace, there are still sometimes those guests who are only worried about themselves and how much they paid for this experience. While blocked views are less often an issue in the Terrace, there are still those guests.

The Verdict

All of that said, you’re at Disney. It’s all expensive, and it’s all for “the experience.” If fireworks above that gorgeous castle are a must-do for you or your crew and avoiding the crowd and shoulder sitting toddlers is going to save a modicum of sanity halfway through a week long trip, then saddle up. Let’s do this!

If you’re saving up for that custom light saber and prefer to spend your dollars drinking around the world (don’t forget that Grand Marnier Slush at Epcot!), then collect a few snacks or mobile order at Cosmic Ray’s or Casey’s (julep FTW!) and pop a squat with 10,000 of your closest friends and enjoy the show free (well, included in your admission) of charge.