Advice please on Sweets & Sounds Dessert Party

Lashed34

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
So, we will be at UO when this is running. It's currently $49.99 per person but I was wondering if anyone could advise whether it's value for money or not.

I'm very tempted as it includes The Sweets & Sounds Dessert Party entitles one (1) guest to all-you-care-to-enjoy specialty desserts, savory bites, non-alcoholic beverages, and sparkling wine* and exclusive viewing areas for Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s and the Mannheim Steamroller concert.

I really am tempted, but am I just paying $50 for a few desserts, drinks & savory bites?
 
This is new I think, so people may not be able to comment on this specifically. I think they did something similar at Mardi Gras, but that would have only included the parade for entertainment. It's definitely cheaper than anything Disney does. so there's value in that. I didn't think the Macy's Parade was that hard to get a spot for, considering that we went at Thanksgiving. I think we waited more than 30 minutes but less than an hour.
 


I love UO, but honestly, I see this as a WDW-like money grab- it's pretty easy to snag a decent parade spot at the studio....it's nowhere near the insanity that is Magic Kingdom these days. I think UO became tired of watching WDW rake in the bucks with all the specialty dessert parties and other upcharges and figured they should begin doing the same. If you really want or need a great spot for Mannheim, maybe - or there's one or more people in your group that have mobility problems and would welcome a reserved spot for that reason.

But we just hang towards the back and listen to concerts and have never had a problem getting a great spot for the parade 30 min before.

My advice: use the money to buy your own treats, drinks and you'll have leftover $$$ for a fun souvenir of the trip.
 
We did the Mardi Gras one...it had a spot for the parade (with character meet and greets along with non-alcoholic beverages while we waited) and then the dessert party was at the Cinematic Spectacular. We had a favorable experience. Was it necessary? No, we could have seen both events without it, but it was fun and I felt the TMs were more attentive than ones at the Disney dessert party we attended a few years back.
So it might not be "worth" it in terms of just food, drink , and a spot, but the extra attention was nice. (Also, my family doesn't really want to do any waiting around for parades and shows but I wanted to see both, so having reservations made my family come along LOL).
I was able to pay $178 for my family of 5 (2 adults, 1 teen, 2 kids) with AP discount

I believe the TimTracker has a video of an offering last Christmas (but it was parade and Cinematic Spectacular I believe and no savory options)
 
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Just more info-Before the party we met Scooby Doo and Homer & Bart Simpson and I would call it a better interaction than I ever had at any character meal at Disney. Drinks were Water, Sprite, Coke, Diet Coke, Coffee, Hot Chocolate

At the dessert party itself, we had same drinks as before plus sparkling wine
celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower with blue cheese and ranch
A few kinds of crackers and cheese with grapes
6 different desserts: macarons, beignets, mini fruit tarts, mini cheesecake, pralines, praline crunch
 


It's definitely cheaper than anything Disney does. so there's value in that.
The Magic Kingdom dessert parties are $84 per adult and $50 per child now Yikes! (So literally twice what we paid for the Mardi Gras party)

Also to OP if you do decide to do it, the annual pass discount wasn't necessarily that heavily advertised. Also, I couldn't buy them online that way, I had to do it at Guest Services. However, I don't think you will have trouble waiting to buy a ticket. These are newer at Universal so I don't think they are selling out like they do at Disney.
 
I love UO, but honestly, I see this as a WDW-like money grab- it's pretty easy to snag a decent parade spot at the studio....it's nowhere near the insanity that is Magic Kingdom these days. I think UO became tired of watching WDW rake in the bucks with all the specialty dessert parties and other upcharges and figured they should begin doing the same. If you really want or need a great spot for Mannheim, maybe - or there's one or more people in your group that have mobility problems and would welcome a reserved spot for that reason.

But we just hang towards the back and listen to concerts and have never had a problem getting a great spot for the parade 30 min before.

My advice: use the money to buy your own treats, drinks and you'll have leftover $$$ for a fun souvenir of the trip.

Unlike Disney's parties these are a little more reasonable and while it could be another way of jumping onto the bandwagon to see if there is an extra dollar, or two to be made, there might actually be a demand for it I am unaware of. While for Disney a lot of times it might be necessary to do it just for a decent seat and them taking advantage of that, to me, this seems to be an invitation for of the idea of people having to relax, be able to treat themselves, and enjoy not one, but two events/shows without waiting. Even if it's a cash grab it's more affordable than what Disney's events and they technically offer more.

Is it needed? No. Would it be nice and convenient? Yes. Worth it? Matter of opinion.

Also, I do not think it's necessary, but anyone can easily eat, or drink beyond the worth of $50 dollars, especially if sparkling wine is thrown into the mix. Just one "fancy" drink whether non-alcoholic, or alcoholic can easily be around $10 at a resort.
 
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Thank you for all your help and info everyone, I've gone ahead and booked it as we're flying from the UK for 2 special weeks and really want to experience that feel good Christmas feeling and this sounds like a fun filled night with lots of festive cheer.
 
So, we will be at UO when this is running. It's currently $49.99 per person but I was wondering if anyone could advise whether it's value for money or not.

I'm very tempted as it includes The Sweets & Sounds Dessert Party entitles one (1) guest to all-you-care-to-enjoy specialty desserts, savory bites, non-alcoholic beverages, and sparkling wine* and exclusive viewing areas for Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s and the Mannheim Steamroller concert.

I really am tempted, but am I just paying $50 for a few desserts, drinks & savory bites?

I'm doing this on the first night (November 16th). It will be hubby and I, plus his 2 cousins from Ireland that are joining us.
 
Where do you buy the Sweets and Sounds Party tickets from??
I can’t see them anywhere??
 
It does ask you to choose a time. I'm unsure what the relevancy of that is since I think the parade only runs once. If it does run multiple times then I guess that would explain. IIRC, the times were from 4:45 - 5:30 at 15 minute intervals, though it's been a week since I booked and I don't remember for sure.
 
It does ask you to choose a time. I'm unsure what the relevancy of that is since I think the parade only runs once. If it does run multiple times then I guess that would explain. IIRC, the times were from 4:45 - 5:30 at 15 minute intervals, though it's been a week since I booked and I don't remember for sure.
I think they may possibly have different viewing areas along the parade route, so the time you choose might coordinate with that. I have no idea about that, but it's just a guess.
 
We did the dessert party the week between Christmas and New Years last year. For us it was absolutely worth it as the parks are packed that week. It was wonderful to be able to spread out and not have to stake a spot for the parade, and have a reserved area for Cinematic spectacular was really nice. Any other time I'd probably not do it, but it is far more reasonable than Disney's outrageous prices.
 
For Mardi Gras last year, my grandmother and I did the crawfish boil buffet with special viewing area for the parade. It was so great, I'd definitely do it again and I'm looking forward to trying their different add-ons, including this one.
 

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