Walt Disney referred to the fireworks display at the parks as their “kiss goodnight” for the guest, a way to end the day on a memorable note. For many visitors the fireworks are an essential part of the Disney experience and they’ll arrive in front of the castle 1-2 hours in advance to scope out the best seats. However, did you know Disney has several options that give you reserved seating for the fireworks? The fireworks pre-party, post-party and sweets & seats provide reserved seating along with unlimited desserts and alcoholic beverages. Of course this comes at nearly a $100/person price, but is it worth it?

I won’t bury the lead, for the right people in the right situation it can be very much worth it. However, if you’re not a drinker and don’t see cheese, fruit and desserts as a possible dinner substitute, then you might struggle to see the value.

Disney has brought back the much loved Happily Ever After fireworks extravaganza with it’s awesome castle projections and fireworks. You can view the fireworks from all over the park, but there are a few more optimal places if you want ideal viewing of the projections too. The dessert party options assure you a seat in a prime viewing area to see it all without stress or getting in place insanely early. There are three different offerings for desserts and fireworks that are similar, but have important differences:

Fireworks Dessert Pre-Party: Enjoy unlimited desserts and drinks before the fireworks and then view the show from a prime reserved seating area.

Fireworks Dessert Post-Party: View the show from a prime reserved seating area and then enjoy unlimited desserts and drinks after the fireworks.

Sweets & Seats: Enjoy unlimited desserts and drinks before the fireworks and then watch the fireworks seated from an area inside the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant

In our case we did the pre-party and were very happy with our choice. This option allowed us to arrive around 6:30pm for an 8pm fireworks show and we essentially used it as a dinner substitute that night. This makes the $100 charge seem a bit more reasonable, but still obviously more than a typical dinner. Many people prefer the post-party as you can arrive to the viewing area early for the best seats and enjoy some adult beverages in a relaxed manner as the crazy post fireworks exodus from the park occurs. However, we actually preferred to use this post fireworks time for rides since the park was still open for another hour and wait times are typically down after the fireworks are over.

For the pre-party and post party the viewing area is the same. It’s a garden area right in front of the castle that’s a great distance to not be too close or too far to get the best perspective. The area is gated off and you’ll need a wristband to enter (more on that later). Once in that area it’s first come first served, so it may be best to leave desserts 30 minutes before showtime to get the best of the best seating. The area isn’t that large and didn’t feel overcrowded at all, but if you want to be up at the front then best to try to arrive earlier. There’s some nice fake grass to lounge on while you wait too with most people then standing for the fireworks.

If you do the Sweets & Seats you’ll view the show from the restaurant in a view that’s slightly behind and more off center than the prime viewing area for the pre-party and post-party. Still a great view and an opportunity to enjoy the show seated with a drink in your hand, but not as ideal as the other options.

When you arrive at the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant you’ll first check-in at reception. You’ll then be given a wristband and shown to a table. This table will be reserved for you and will be your spot during dessert. The wristband will get you into the reserved fireworks area and also allows you to come and go from the desserts. This is so you can check-in at 6:30, get a beer, and have the option to maybe do a lap on Space Mountain using the Lightning Lane before coming back for more. Once you’re done with dessert a Disney cast member will actually personally escort you to the reserved prime viewing area.

The dessert selection is pretty vast. You’ll find mini cakes and chocolates of many kinds along with staples like chocolate covered strawberries. There are also mini crepes and a cookie decoration station for the kids big and small. On the more savory side there are cheese and crackers and an assortment of fruit. One of my favorite things were the layered chocolate cake in a push tube that were topped with chocolate pop rocks! You can easily make a meal replacement out of this if your sweet tooth can handle it.

With regard to beverages there’s a huge selection there too. They offer an assortment of beers such as Blue Moon and Bud Light. There’s also wine such as champagne, Moscato, red and white. If you know the typical prices for alcohol at Disney you can score some big value here with a few drinks. In the non-alcoholic section there’s lemonade, tea, and assortment of juices (including Pog Juice!) along with coffee and hot chocolate for those cooler nights. Since the kids don’t get to enjoy the alcohol they also get a cheaper rate of $59 instead of $99.

The desserts and fireworks is not something I would do for every Magic Kingdom visit, but maybe reserve it for special occasions. This Disney trip was for my wife and mother-in-law both celebrating birthdays and I reserved the dessert party as a surprise to them. This made the $300+ splurge for our party of 4 a little more palatable. It certainly made for a memorable night with zero stress. It was magical with awesome views and tears in eyes, so mission accomplished, a great kiss goodnight indeed.