DD and friend are taking a quick trip to WDW in June. Friend is a newbie to WDW. DH and I offered to pay for a dessert party so they could have a good view of the fireworks and projections without claiming their spot on Main Street hours ahead of time. (We usually do this, but with the nighttime parade, I am not sure how successful that strategy is going to be.) They are trying to decide between the pre and post parties. I am leaning towards advising them to attend the post party so that they are not rushed watching the parade, and the post-fireworks crowd will have a chance to clear out of the park. They are staying at the Swan. Anyone have an opinion? The only dessert party I’ve ever attended was what is now referred to as Seats and Sweets, and that was many years ago. Your thoughts are welcome!
I’m firmly in the “post” camp. I don’t like to feel rushed to get from here to there, so I’ll take the CM guiding me from the fireworks to the desserts
Counterpoint: The ride lines will be shorter after the fireworks than before the fireworks so if they are interested in late night rides after the fireworks, then the pre-party may make sense for them.
When I looked at the dessert parties in June, the fireworks were at 10 and the park closed at 10 (especially if there is an after hours that night). If it is a 10 pm closing, I would do the after party.
I’m more inclined to give weight to the seating or lack there of … Parties that offer a pre/post option view the fireworks from the Garden Plaza location, which is a standing location, whereas the Seat and Sweets view the fireworks from a seated location.
Yes it’s seated, but from further away and on an angle. The Garden Plaza location definitely has a better view. There aren’t any seats in the Garden Plaza, but most times, we’ve been able to sit on the grass and still be able to see ok. I agree, if the park closes at 10 and it is not an EEH night, I would do the after party. But if it is an EEH night and they want to take advantage of rides during that time, then I would do the pre-party.
I would definitely spring for the Seats and Sweets, but when we were at MK last month, I wasn’t sure about the view. When we did the party many years ago, it was just fireworks, not projections. And I volunteered to be the first in line at 7PM so that we could get a table at the front rail. It was great! But some trees have grown in since then, and with the projections, I just think there is a better chance of a good view (for the first timer) at the pre or post party.
ETA: These two will definitely be ready to leave the park right after they eat sweets! It will be difficult enough for them to hang in there until 10:00 for the fireworks. (We are not late-night people.) And getting back to the Swan may take some time.
I have done it twice in the last couple of years and everyone has their own opinion, but I love it. Tinker flying overhead so close you can almost touch her, is amazing. At 65, I can’t sit on the ground and with limited back rail space, the garden is not a choice I can pick.
That being said, it is harder to book seats and treats.
Did you have a table up front at the rail both times?
Yes. I remember years ago the tables were preassigned but now they are assigned in order of check in. I have always just lined up about 45 minutes before check in time. The earlier you check in, the better the table.
For Wishes, sitting in The Terrace was a wonderful option. After switching to HEA, the angle caused issues with the projections, especially on Main Street. From there, being in the middle of it was much better.
We did the Post party a couple of years ago and I would suggest that one with one caveat for Summer 2026. First, the main reason I think the post-party is beter than the pre-party is that while the pre-party guests are eating their desserts, the post-party people can check in and grab the best spots in the viewing area. We grabbed a snack and waited at the front of the viewing area for the fireworks to start. There is still plenty of room for people coming later if you don’t mind standing in the back, but we had a short kid with us and wanted to be right at the front. It was pretty much perfect. Then while the pre-party guests and everyone else is fighting the crowd crush leaving after the fireworks, the post-party people are escorted to the party area and have a nice leisurely exit afterwards. However, I have been told you cannot see the Starlight parade from the dessert party viewing area. So depending on parade times (it looks like Starlight is at 9pm right now with a 10pm MK closing time and 10pm fireworks, I can only assume that will be the schedule through the summer?) if you are wanting to watch that parade and then get to the viewing area afterwards, this might not be as good of a strategy (getting there early enough to be right up front). If you want to view the Starlight parade, though, I also think the pre-party would be out of the question.
I am with the minority here that we definitely preferred the pre-party because our entire group agreed that no one was interested in stuffing their face or pounding prosecco at 10:15pm. We also had two kids with us for whom 10pm was already a late night!
We wanted to see Starlight and ride Tron so I will admit that we did rush through the dessert party a bit, but there really is only so much you can eat. Some of us were able to check into the party and get one round of drinks/desserts before Starlight and then come back again right before the fireworks. We all also had no interest in standing/sitting waiting for a spot so just stayed in the Terrace until only about 10 minutes before. Also, the position in the grass puts you in a great spot to easily exit via that Main St overflow route so we did not feel like we were leaving “with the masses” and were totally fine getting to the ferry/buses.
Having seen Starlight I am not in a rush to see it again so we would have more time if we did this again and we would definitely do the pre-party again.
I have done all 3 options and I would recommend post party but seating in front of castle. The view from TT isnt great. If you do it on an extended evening hours night and do it post party, you get to hang out for a while and let the crowds thin out and then have plenty of time to hit more rides