All of this!
I totally agree with you. I saw HEA two nights in a row without a dessert party and it blew my mind away. My traveling partners were not willing to shell out the money, so I did not go for it.
I did get a ROL TH dining pack and a HBD Fantasmic dining package. I loved the food at HBD, but Fantasmic left me… wishing I had paid for dessert party to watch HEA! TH dining package is $5 more expensive (I think), so for me, that $5 was well spent.
No need to pay extra for the Lion King. Or even the parade. I feel that I always try to get around the parade and instead, I get stuck in it and end up watching it.