On Sunday, I attended the very first of the newly revamped “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios”, the latest version of the event we provided you a review of back in January. The largest change is in venue as the Florida heat and rain finally convinced Disney to find a new, indoor home for the food and beverage portion of the evening. That new home is Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney used to opportunity given with the move to revamp a number of the offerings and the logistics of the event.
The party is $69.00 for adults and $39.00 for children ages 3-9 (includes a souvenir Chewbacca stein for each guest) and advance reservations are highly recommended. All food and drinks pictured are included with that price. The event is hosted nightly.
The dessert party portion of the event now takes place inside of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Check-in is done at what was going to be the FastPass+ verification podium, but FastPass+ was never rolled out to Launch Bay, so now it is just used for this process.
Even outside of what is the main dining area for the event, there are tables for guest use. The area can b ea little cramped, so it is nice that they are encouraging guests to roam around Launch Bay while still enjoying their treats.
The main area roped off from other guests is to the right of the Kylo Ren meet and greet on the bottom floor.
Here, guests will find a similar, yet upgraded experience compared to what was offered before.
New items include a flatbread with 2 different sauces, sugar cookies, an R2-D2 cupcake, and a Darth Maul red velvet brownie.
The skewers, formerly referred to as sabers but changed for legal reasons (too many kids fighting with them I guess), are still here.
The flatbread is served with both a black bean dip and a roasted red pepper hummus. While I will miss the biscuits, this probably makes a little more sense at a dessert party.
The blue milk panna cotta is still offered as well.
My favorite treat, the Freeze-fried Nutella Truffle has stayed on as well, offering a treat that is as fun to watch being made as it is to devour seconds later.
Many of the fun dessert names were removed, but they are still as good (maybe even a little better given that the elements do not take their toll on the food as much when it is inside).
Above is a photo from January when the bread pudding was referred to as “Space Debris”.
The Darth Maul eclair was replaced with a Red Velvet Brownie, a definite upgrade.
The Star Wars dessert parties have to be my favorite just for the presentation alone. The photo opportunities are great and are sure to be something cool to show friends and family when you get back home. On top of that,l almost everything is absolutely delicious.
The new R2-D2 cupcake is my least favorite of the 3, although I’m not really sure it was more than a vanilla cupcake with a sugar covered icing. The BB-8 and Darth Vader cupcakes are still phenomenal, with the first being lemon flavored and the later chocolate & peanut butter.
They also provided a number of toppings, including ice cream, for the bread pudding.
The table settings were a nice upgrade and they would reflect the room you were dining in.
Tables available up by the Cantina in Launch Bay.
The drink menu saw the largest amount of changes, replacing all 6 specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
I started with the Galactic Punch.
Josh started with the Light Speed Margarita.
The Cosmic Citrus Twist, pictured above.
The Swamp Milk was my favorite of the new bunch, unique in look and flavor.
Non-alcoholic options included Guava Juice and a Watermelon Lemonade.Soft drinks in cans, water, and coffee are also available.
I took some video around the dessert part in Launch Bay to give a better idea of the atmosphere inside:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcCIe7gaqIg]
The viewing area itself has not moved, but it is being set-up differently and has a much smaller footprint.
A picture of it set-up earlier in the evening, seen above. The check-in process for the party begins at Launch Bay at 8:00PM. My suggestion would be to be there at 8PM and get the most for your money. You can have an hour and a half in that space, which is more than enough to enjoy everything there. Cast members walk the party attendees over around 9:15PM, but there is nothing to stop you from heading over a little earlier to ensure you have a good spot. Now, no one in the viewing area audibly complained that they couldn’t see, but I like to have a front row view, unobstructed, so we walked over to the area around 9:05PM and were situated right against the rope behind the new children’s section.
When the tables were here for the old party, shorter tables to accommodate the wheelchair guests were provided up front. This section up front is now for children and could be used for those in wheelchairs as well.
This was honestly the perfect view of the show as I have been unimpressed with the sight lines for it from nearly every other spot around the Center Stage area. Being up against the rope will give you plenty of space from anyone of adult height, and if you are traveling with kids you can have them right in front of you in the children’s section.
I took a video from the section to show just how good the view is. Also, the show has been polished up with some new effects over the last few weeks, si it may be worth another look:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNhNGkWdtaU]
Overall, I think Disney has increased the value here. The decorations and venue are a vast improvement, the improvements that I think finally make this worth $69.00. It is by far the best view of the show available and if you are looking to appease any Star Wars fans in your group, this will do it. I don’t often feel these dessert parties are worth it, but this really is the only one I think delivers at its price point. Alcoholic drinks, endless desserts, good atmosphere, and the perfect viewing of the nighttime spectacular (along with a neat souvenir, albeit not exclusive to the event) come together for a very worthwhile package for the Star Wars fan.
