What happens if HEA is cancelled - dessert party question

[kniquy]

I know there is a long thread with various reviews of the actual HEA dessert party and viewing experience.

I am just wondering what the experience has been if due to weather or other technical difficulties the HEA is cancelled -- i would imagine that you still can have the dessert party - kind of expensive desserts.

The policy states that the fireworks are not guaranteed - so anyone having experienced this situation -- did they offer you a FP or is it simply oh well. I know Disney usually makes sure people are walking away happy so i would actually be rather surprised if they only did the desserts and left it at that.

Very curious to find out your experience and what to expect if we encounter canceled HEA (we have it booked for April).

 

[Robo]

MK fireworks are virtually never cancelled.

 

[AngiTN]

They may delay them but they really do always have them. It's nothing like out in CA
There is really such a small odd of it being cancelled it's not worth thinking about.
If it were to happen, chat with GS following the event. They have that in the fine print but I'm going to go out on a shaking and weak limb and suggest they'll work with you for a solution if the worse happens and they cancel fireworks on your night.

 

[OhThePain]

We don't have experience with the HEA Dessert Party, we have it booked for March ourselves. However, we did the F! dining package on our last trip and F! was cancelled (it actually start to pour, thunder and lightning as we were walking out of the restaurant). We were not compensated at all for F! being cancelled. We had the last laugh though. DHS emptied out, the rain eased up and we watched the Star Wars fireworks, totally drenched, with practically no one else in the park. It turned out to be a pretty awesome experience.

With that being said, there are a couple of notes on the Fireworks Dessert Party page on the Disney site, including "Please note that fireworks are not guaranteed as part of this experience." I take that to mean, if it rains or they are cancelled for any reason, just take longer to enjoy dessert.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’m sure it has happened, but I can’t recall any reports of cancelled fireworks/dessert party experiences, at least anytime recently.

I’ve found Disney tends to do whatever they can to run the show, no matter what. Delaying fireworks is far more likely than flat-out cancelling them.

We had a delayed fireworks/dessert party experience earlier this fall. It was actually a blessing to have the covered Tomorrowland Terrace area for shelter.

 

[AngiTN]

We don't have experience with the HEA Dessert Party, we have it booked for March ourselves. However, we did the F! dining package on our last trip and F! was cancelled (it actually start to pour, thunder and lightning as we were walking out of the restaurant). We were not compensated at all for F! being cancelled. We had the last laugh though. DHS emptied out, the rain eased up and we watched the Star Wars fireworks, totally drenched, with practically no one else in the park. It turned out to be a pretty awesome experience.

With that being said, there are a couple of notes on the Fireworks Dessert Party page on the Disney site, including "Please note that fireworks are not guaranteed as part of this experience." I take that to mean, if it rains or they are cancelled for any reason, just take longer to enjoy dessert.

F! and Fireworks are not the same.
They have to cancel the show due to safety concerns for the performers in F!
No performers in Fireworks, other than Tink (and she may not fly many nights) so much less risk to cancel.
Because they cancel F! more often, recovery is rare. This is not the case with Fireworks so I still maintain, if you did encounter the very rare case of a cancelled fireworks show, I would speak politely, with GS.

 

[kniquy]

They may delay them but they really do always have them. It's nothing like out in CA
There is really such a small odd of it being cancelled it's not worth thinking about.
If it were to happen, chat with GS following the event. They have that in the fine print but I'm going to go out on a shaking and weak limb and suggest they'll work with you for a solution if the worse happens and they cancel fireworks on your night.

Thanks!! It puts my mind at ease. With our trip right around the corner i am now worrying myself with all the what if's -- as the trip planner/coordinated/travel guide I feel a lot of pressure to know the ins and outs of everything that might happen.

 

[gatormom2tots]

They do cancel them sometimes...our first night in late May of 2016 they were cancelled after repeatedly hearing they were delaying them due to weather. We literally got caught in a huge monsoon that night!

But in all of our other trips- I have never seen them cancelled.

 

[OhThePain]

F! and Fireworks are not the same.
They have to cancel the show due to safety concerns for the performers in F!
No performers in Fireworks, other than Tink (and she may not fly many nights) so much less risk to cancel.
Because they cancel F! more often, recovery is rare. This is not the case with Fireworks so I still maintain, if you did encounter the very rare case of a cancelled fireworks show, I would speak politely, with GS.

I know. It was just a personal anecdote. More in the spirit of sometimes disappointment leads to a lasting memory than if one night show is cancelled all night shows are cancelled (since the Star Wars fireworks were not cancelled on a night that F! was, same park, same weather, different result).

Thanks!! It puts my mind at ease. With our trip right around the corner i am now worrying myself with all the what if's -- as the trip planner/coordinated/travel guide I feel a lot of pressure to know the ins and outs of everything that might happen.

Every party's Disney trip planner deals with that stress at first. Most of us have learned there is no sense on stressing about the "what ifs...". Not everything is going to go as planned. It could be something you are stressing about or it could be something you haven't even thought of. Don't let it get to you. Roll with it. Jumping (or being thrown) off track isn't always the worst thing.

 

[jca1216]

I was about to ask this same question! It makes me feel better to know that they usually always have the show

 

[deedubb]

It is VERY unlikely HEA would be canceled, unlike at Disneyland where the fireworks seem to be canceled regularly. However, if there were no fireworks, email them and it is very likely they will compensate you in some manner.

 

[jina]

I'm hoping this will be true. We signed up for the HEA dessert party this Sunday and I've been watching the weather - prediction is thunderstorms in the afternoon and rain in the evening (yesterday it said thunderstorms in the evening too - who knows!). Is there any chance if they are canceled Sunday night CM's would let us into the plaza garden viewing area later in the week? I had until last night to cancel w/o penalty but rolled the dice.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm hoping this will be true. We signed up for the HEA dessert party this Sunday and I've been watching the weather - prediction is thunderstorms in the afternoon and rain in the evening (yesterday it said thunderstorms in the evening too - who knows!). Is there any chance if they are canceled Sunday night CM's would let us into the plaza garden viewing area later in the week? I had until last night to cancel w/o penalty but rolled the dice.

If they are cancelled go to GS and discuss your options.
But honestly, there is nothing to concern yourself with. They don't cancel for rain. The forecast in FL shows afternoon thunderstorms 360 days of the year. It's probably right about 150 of them. Even if there is thunderstorm at the time for HEA they will simply have it early or late, depending on what suits best. They have radar and can tell what they need to do. It would take something like a hurricane or a several hour long thunderstorm to make them cancel totally. There won't be a hurricane this weekend and the odds of a thunderstorm lasting for hours is so minuscule you can't measure it. Thunderstorms are brief things and pretty rare at night at this time of the year too. Takes heat to make them, by the time night rolls around if the weather system moves in to the cool air it looses energy and doesn't storm often. Not this time of year at least.
Just search on this board, or anywhere else, for Disneyworld Fireworks cancelled. See how many results you get where it happened. It just doesn't. Believe me, if it did, you'd be hearing about it.

 

[Robo]

Just search on this board, or anywhere else, for Disneyworld Fireworks cancelled. See how many results you get where it happened. It just doesn't. Believe me, if it did, you'd be hearing about it.

If you want even MORE reason to expect that the fireworks will run,
it is that it's actually CHEAPER, EASIER and SAFER for DISNEY
to run the fireworks show than it is to cancel it.

Once the shells have been loaded into the park mortars, the pyro needs to be fired off.
So, since the shells will be fired anyway (and not "saved") they might as well
run the actual SHOW for guests who are still in the park.

So, it's not just a "tendency" to run the show, it is nearly "assured" that they will run it.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

If you want even MORE reason to expect that the fireworks will run,
it is that it's actually CHEAPER, EASIER and SAFER for DISNEY
to run the fireworks show than it is to cancel it.

Once the shells have been loaded into the park mortars, the pyro needs to be fired off.
So, since the shells will be fired anyway (and not "saved") they might as well
run the actual SHOW for guests who are still in the park.

So, it's not just a "tendency" to run the show, it is nearly "assured" that they will run it.

Once we were staying at Poly when Wishes was cancelled. They set off the fireworks late that night after the park had closed. I can't imagine what we were doing still up that late, but we watched and enjoyed them from the resort!

 

[HopperFan]

If you want even MORE reason to expect that the fireworks will run,
it is that it's actually CHEAPER, EASIER and SAFER for DISNEY
to run the fireworks show than it is to cancel it.

Once the shells have been loaded into the park mortars, the pyro needs to be fired off.
So, since the shells will be fired anyway (and not "saved") they might as well
run the actual SHOW for guests who are still in the park.

So, it's not just a "tendency" to run the show, it is nearly "assured" that they will run it.

THIS^ They can not leave them loaded!

We actually watched a HalloWishes in POURING POURING RAIN for virtually no one watching, and they were SO COOL! It created all this crazy smoke and colors and was so creepy since they hung low.