Wondering what a sold out Plaza Garden Dessert Party would be like crowdwise if I would even want to go.
 
Wondering what a sold out Plaza Garden Dessert Party would be like crowdwise if I would even want to go.
I am wondering the same thing, we are a party of 10. So we can't just walk into the viewing area late and get in front of people who have already been there. That is why I was looking, to change to the after party.
 
I am wondering the same thing, we are a party of 10. So we can't just walk into the viewing area late and get in front of people who have already been there. That is why I was looking, to change to the after party.


But I think even the After Parties were sold out the dates I was looking (10/20, 10/22)
 


I am wondering the same thing, we are a party of 10. So we can't just walk into the viewing area late and get in front of people who have already been there. That is why I was looking, to change to the after party.

When you walk in, if there's a spot to stand, you're entitled to stand there. It's not possible to not be in front of people usually. Of course you don't push them out of the way, but open ground is fair game to stand in.
 
When you walk in, if there's a spot to stand, you're entitled to stand there. It's not possible to not be in front of people usually. Of course you don't push them out of the way, but open ground is fair game to stand in.

Although, I had an awkward experience at the party on 9/17. There was an open spot (the only open spot) when we got to the garden, but the Photopass photographer was set up there. Unfortunately there was no where else for us to stand so we had to stand there or stand in front of a stroller (DH and I are tall so very few places work for us), and every time someone wanted to take a picture, we had to move out of the way until the show started. It was awkward and really dampened the experience for us. One time we moved so someone could get a pic, then before we had a chance to go back a group of young adults moved to where we were standing so we had to explain to them that we had moved out of the way so someone could get a pic. They were understanding but it was just more hassle than I thought we'd have to deal with since we paid to attend the party.
 


Although, I had an awkward experience at the party on 9/17. There was an open spot (the only open spot) when we got to the garden, but the Photopass photographer was set up there. Unfortunately there was no where else for us to stand so we had to stand there or stand in front of a stroller (DH and I are tall so very few places work for us), and every time someone wanted to take a picture, we had to move out of the way until the show started. It was awkward and really dampened the experience for us. One time we moved so someone could get a pic, then before we had a chance to go back a group of young adults moved to where we were standing so we had to explain to them that we had moved out of the way so someone could get a pic. They were understanding but it was just more hassle than I thought we'd have to deal with since we paid to attend the party.


Do you know if this was a sold out party?
 
Not sure whether system is glitchy or Plaza Garden dessert parties are becoming more popular but we have been trying to book a Garden dessert party for 10/20 or 10/22 and it's showing no availability for the "before" parties for those dates. Have never had a problem with the Garden parties being sold out before.

Has anyone been to a sold out Garden Party???

I'm not entirely surprised at sell outs in the thick of party season where you only have HEA on a few precious nights. It was like this last year at this time. 7 days worth of people wanting to see HEA crammed into 3 nights of it being available that week.

I have been to sold out parties before the introduction of the After Party. I did the After Party a few weeks ago and if both weren't sold out, it had to be very close. With people seated/sprawled out before the show, the garden "felt" crowded, although we could still find a spot for 2 easily 15 mins before show time. When people stand up for the show there's a lot more open ground. This particular party was, in my opinion, a bit more crowded in the garden than past experiences, but it was still better than the alternative and overall I thought it was a reasonable experience. Borderline reasonable, but reasonable overall.
 
I'm not entirely surprised at sell outs in the thick of party season where you only have HEA on a few precious nights. It was like this last year at this time. 7 days worth of people wanting to see HEA crammed into 3 nights of it being available that week.

I have been to sold out parties before the introduction of the After Party. I did the After Party a few weeks ago and if both weren't sold out, it had to be very close. With people seated/sprawled out before the show, the garden "felt" crowded, although we could still find a spot for 2 easily 15 mins before show time. When people stand up for the show there's a lot more open ground. This particular party was, in my opinion, a bit more crowded in the garden than past experiences, but it was still better than the alternative and overall I thought it was a reasonable experience. Borderline reasonable, but reasonable overall.


Ok then...we go! 10/20!
 
We went to the Garden View Dessert Party on 9/26, an EMH night during a MNSSHP Week. I had originally booked the before party, but switched to the After Party after making late lunch reservations thinking it would have less attendees.

We checked in around 7:20 & got our wristbands. The CM told us that we should park my mother's ECV in the garden & go do something. They said we had plenty of time to meet Mickey, but we probably should have skipped it. There were already a handful of people/families staking out spots in the Garden. We adventured out into the crowds to see Mickey using our Fast Pass & rushed back with only a few minutes to spare. Our photos with Mickey are time stamped 7:47PM & fireworks were scheduled for 8.

The garden was waaaay more crowded than last year's party. Less so than outside of the viewing area, but still pretty crowded for such an upcharge event, especially with the price increase. We were on the left side of the back center railing (thanks to ECV) & everyone stood. We probably got some dirty looks for having the ECV save our spot. I had to do a little maneuvering throughout the show to maintain my sightline.

We waited a few minutes after the show for the mass exodus to die down a little before fighting the crowds to enter the party. We could have used an escort. The After Party was pretty busy with a significant line to get dessert. They did prepare an allergy friendly plate for my soy allergy, but luckily I am allowed to eat soy lecithin and could partake in the actual desserts. For me, the highlight by far was the addition of the ooey gooey toffee cake. I also had a few chocolate covered strawberries & a cup of tea. My mother felt rushed because we wanted to enjoy our last night in MK by going on rides during EMH. They had no issue with us taking things from our plates to go (Tupperware would have been better) and even encouraged us to take more.

My 7 year old daughter's favorite part was the CM working the S'mores stand. My daughter nicknamed her the Marshmallow Lady & she kept my daughter entertained while we indulged, earning herself a Cast Compliment.

All of the staff was great, but between the price & popularity of the event, I am not sure that I would do it again. Last year's experience (aside from the toffee cake) was far superior. I would only be willing to do it again if Disney capped the crowd level attending the event or utilized both gardens as viewing areas. You can only eat so much dessert, and the big draw for us was not feeling crowded during HEA.

It is worth mentioning, that on an evening EMH at MK, you don't have the luxury of shopping at The Emporium or Bakery after the park closing time or using up leftover snack credits. They lock the doors and block you from walking through the store. They also cut all of the photopass photographer lines, so no Main Street photos with the castle in the background.
 
We went to the Garden View Dessert Party on 9/26, an EMH night during a MNSSHP Week. I had originally booked the before party, but switched to the After Party after making late lunch reservations thinking it would have less attendees.

We checked in around 7:20 & got our wristbands. The CM told us that we should park my mother's ECV in the garden & go do something. They said we had plenty of time to meet Mickey, but we probably should have skipped it. There were already a handful of people/families staking out spots in the Garden. We adventured out into the crowds to see Mickey using our Fast Pass & rushed back with only a few minutes to spare. Our photos with Mickey are time stamped 7:47PM & fireworks were scheduled for 8.

The garden was waaaay more crowded than last year's party. Less so than outside of the viewing area, but still pretty crowded for such an upcharge event, especially with the price increase. We were on the left side of the back center railing (thanks to ECV) & everyone stood. We probably got some dirty looks for having the ECV save our spot. I had to do a little maneuvering throughout the show to maintain my sightline.

We waited a few minutes after the show for the mass exodus to die down a little before fighting the crowds to enter the party. We could have used an escort. The After Party was pretty busy with a significant line to get dessert. They did prepare an allergy friendly plate for my soy allergy, but luckily I am allowed to eat soy lecithin and could partake in the actual desserts. For me, the highlight by far was the addition of the ooey gooey toffee cake. I also had a few chocolate covered strawberries & a cup of tea. My mother felt rushed because we wanted to enjoy our last night in MK by going on rides during EMH. They had no issue with us taking things from our plates to go (Tupperware would have been better) and even encouraged us to take more.

My 7 year old daughter's favorite part was the CM working the S'mores stand. My daughter nicknamed her the Marshmallow Lady & she kept my daughter entertained while we indulged, earning herself a Cast Compliment.

All of the staff was great, but between the price & popularity of the event, I am not sure that I would do it again. Last year's experience (aside from the toffee cake) was far superior. I would only be willing to do it again if Disney capped the crowd level attending the event or utilized both gardens as viewing areas. You can only eat so much dessert, and the big draw for us was not feeling crowded during HEA.

It is worth mentioning, that on an evening EMH at MK, you don't have the luxury of shopping at The Emporium or Bakery after the park closing time or using up leftover snack credits. They lock the doors and block you from walking through the store. They also cut all of the photopass photographer lines, so no Main Street photos with the castle in the background.
So are the shops etc closed during EMH?
 
@zipuzee

"After the show we were able to easily exit the park using the bypass."
Where is the aforementioned bypass!?
Inquiring minds want to know!

TIA
It's to the right of the entrance to the Terrace, and goes behind Main Street. It's the area they open up typically for the Halloween and Christmas parties, and comes out between Tony's Town Square and the hat shop.
 
It's to the right of the entrance to the Terrace, and goes behind Main Street. It's the area they open up typically for the Halloween and Christmas parties, and comes out between Tony's Town Square and the hat shop.

They're letting you exit through the bypass now? I know they used to do it a few years ago, but I had asked here and was told the bypass was no longer being used to exit. If so, glad to hear they're starting that again! When we went, they had cm's along the way pouring buckets of candy into our bags. It was fun!

Our party is Thursdays- hoping for good weather and low crowds! A girl can always hope...lol
 
They're letting you exit through the bypass now? I know they used to do it a few years ago, but I had asked here and was told the bypass was no longer being used to exit. If so, glad to hear they're starting that again! When we went, they had cm's along the way pouring buckets of candy into our bags. It was fun!

Our party is Thursdays- hoping for good weather and low crowds! A girl can always hope...lol
I don't think they do for the parties, but they did have it open on a regular park night to use as an exit after HEA. In fact, we used it to leave during HEA and lots of people were standing to the side as it was a decent area for viewing the fireworks.
 

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