Find Your Happily Ever After With Dessert!

Maggie Ballantyne9.24.19I didn’t know I could love watching a Disney Fireworks show any more than I already do until I booked the Happily Ever After Dessert Party. The price of your ticket comes with a special viewing area of the fireworks and magical desserts that you can’t get anywhere else in the park. I highly recommend booking this early as it does fill up. There are two time slots: preshow desserts and post-show desserts.I booked a post-show dessert party. By doing this I was able to enjoy the attractions in the Magic Kingdom until about half an hour before the fireworks began. At that point, I headed over to a reserved area where only people attending the party can view Happily Ever After fireworks. Earlier in the evening (around 7:00 pm), I checked into the party at Tomorrowland Terrace and received my wristband. I recommend doing this earlier in the evening to get it taken care of prior to the show. At the reserved seating area, I made sure I had a nice view that was not obstructed in any way, and that was really it! So simple! No waiting on the curb of Main Street for over an hour to get that perfect spot. I would like to point out that when I say “seating area” I mean everyone sits on the ground until the show starts and then everyone stands up; there are no chairs.As always, Happily Ever After did not disappoint and it triggered those emotional Disney feelings. The castle projections are impeccable, the fireworks are show stopping, and the music is fun. It will remind you of your favorite Disney movies and to “reach out and find your happily ever after.” If you have not seen this show, I do not want to spoil it, but just know you will have the best view of some of the most exciting parts of the show. Just have a little faith, trust, and pixie dust; that is your hint!After the show, we walked up to the Tomorrowland Terrace and showed our wristbands for entrance into the dessert party. If you do not know where to go, they also have Cast Members there to escort you. We walked in and our first reaction was, wow! We were brought to a reserved table and the rest of the night was ours. Our first stop was the s’mores station. These s’mores on a stick are better than any s’more I ever had. A Cast Member roasts a marshmallow for you and then rolls it in chocolate, crushed graham crackers, and Mickey sprinkles.The desserts were pretty and delicious. My favorites were the Cookies and Cream Pushpops (I hope you like the grey stuff!), the Minnie cookie dough bites, and the cheesecake brownie bites. There were numerous other options like special chocolate covered strawberries, passion fruit, funfetti cupcakes, etc. For people with a savory instead of sweet palette, there were the famous Adventureland Cheeseburger Spring Rolls, spinach and artichoke dip, and assortments of cheese, fruits, and crackers. And that is not all! There was another station with ooey gooey toffee cake, a build your own ice cream sundae, and an area to decorate your own cookies, brownies, and cupcakes. There really is something for everyone!

As for the drinks, they were delicious and there were a ton of options. These included Mickey milk, fruit-infused water, orange juice, apple juice, sparkling apple cider, the famous Jungle Juice from breakfast at ‘Ohana, decaff and regular coffee and hot water for tea and hot chocolate. All of the drinks and desserts were very fresh; not leftovers from the preshow.I have read other recommendations online that favor the preshow dessert party and I agree that it has its benefits: an earlier night for kids and dessert sooner rather than later. However, I really believe the post show is the way to go. Why?

• More time to enjoy the Magic Kingdom while everyone is saving seats on Main Street.
• More time for dinner to settle before you jump right into dessert.
• The crowds were far less at the after-show party. We had much more room to walk around and we never waited in line for food and drinks
• You are enjoying sweets while the rest of Magic Kingdom is trying to exit the park and get on the monorails, boats, etc.
• It’s perfect for adult-only groups. The after party definitely had less kids and more adults.

 Magic Kingdom is not the only park with special dessert parties to accompany a nighttime show viewing. If you are interested in these types of special events, please contact me at maggie@wishesfamilytravel.com or follow my Facebook page www.facebook.com/wishesfamilytravelmaggie