This is the Dessert Party you’ve been
looking for…..
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular debuted in Hollywood
Studios on June 17, 2016. Since its
opening, it has been touted as one of the best nighttime shows in Walt Disney
World history, by both Star Wars fans and non-fans alike. The 12 minute show features fireworks,
lasers, light projections and other special effects set to Star Wars-themed
music, and combined with iconic characters and scenes from throughout the
saga. The best area to watch the show is
in front of the Chinese Theater, ensuring you have a good view of both
projection towers on either side of the building. Note, however, that these spots are often
scoped out 60-90 minutes in advance, especially now that the show is no longer
running nightly (the show is currently only being offered on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday nights after running daily during the summer months). If sitting on the pavement for an hour and a
half doesn’t suit your fancy, consider booking the Galactic Spectacular Dessert
Party, which is offered every night that the fireworks are presented.
The party is scheduled to begin an hour and 15 minutes prior
to the start of the fireworks, though you are often allowed entry up to 15
minutes prior to the official start time.
The party is held inside Launch Bay, and will run you $69 /adult and $39
/child, which includes tax and gratuity, and is paid at the time of booking
(though cancellations can be made up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund).
Party offerings include both sweet and savory
food items, in addition to unlimited beverages (both alcoholic and
non-alcoholic). Additionally, each
participant will receive a souvenir Chewbacca stein.
There are cast members stationed outside Launch Bay to check
you in and provide you with your party credentials (a lanyard). The dessert party itself is located inside
Launch Bay, just past the character meet and greet area. There were several long tables set up with
the food on one side of the room and high top tables (no chairs) located on the
other side. We had no issue finding a
table inside on a sold out night, but there are also additional tables set up
outdoors if needed.
As mentioned, the buffet includes both sweet and savory
items. In the interest of research, I
wanted to try a bit of everything, but it was just too much! Savory items included black bean dip and
roasted red pepper hummus with flatbreads for dipping. There were also cheese and olive skewers,
which my husband loved, as well as tomato and mozzarella skewers. My son ate his weight in fruit skewers (there
were both grape and watermelon options), while my daughter and I preferred the
sweets. Dessert offerings included Darth
Vader, R2D2 and BB8 cupcakes, a red velvet brownie (themed to Darth Maul),
stormtrooper and Darth Vader shortbread cookies, blue panna cotta, rice krispie
bon bons and Mickey Bars, available upon request. But perhaps the most amazing treat was the
freeze-dried Nutella truffle! Served
with your choice of either chocolate or raspberry syrup, it was my personal
favorite.
In addition to water and soda, the party offers 4 specialty
alcoholic drinks, all of which my husband and I found too sweet for our
liking. The Light Speed Margarita was
the least offensive, with the Galactic Punch a close second (POG juice with 2
varieties of rum and a mango syrup).
There was also a Cosmic Citrus Twist (citrus vodka and watermelon
lemonade) as well as Swamp Milk (vodka, melon liqueur, vanilla syrup and half
& half).
Launch Bay remains open during the party, so you are free to
explore all areas of the building, including the meet and greets with Kylo Ren
and Chewbacca. Approximately 15-20
minutes prior to the start of the show, party-goes will receive a Stormtrooper
escort to the reserved viewing area. The
viewing area does have a designated wheelchair / ECV location at the front of
the area, and younger children are often allowed to join this area if it is not
filled prior to the start of the show.
Tip for those with small children if you do not want to be separated
during the show: Head out to the viewing area 5-10 minutes prior to the
Stormtrooper escort for a spot along the rope.
This will ensure that your children are still able to see the show in
its entirety, with you standing directly behind them. When the Cast Members invite children to join
the wheelchair viewing area, the invitation is for children ONLY, not their
parents (though they will ensure that no child is allowed to leave the viewing
area and will wait for the parents to retrieve them at the conclusion of the
show). Our group (which included 2
children) left the dessert party a half hour prior to the scheduled showtime
and had no problem getting a spot at the front of the viewing area.
Upon checking into the viewing area, we received our souvenir
Chewbacca stein, and there were cast members in the back of the area
distributing water and soda. We were
also allowed to bring drinks from the party into the viewing area. The view from this area is arguably the best
possible spot to be in for this show. A
bit left of center, but with a perfect view of the Chinese theater and the 2
projection screens on either side. The
majority of the show is projected onto the front of the theater, so a viewing
spot with a good view of the theater is a must for this presentation.
The fireworks and dessert party are currently scheduled
through November 12, 2016, at which time it will take a brief hiatus to make
way for Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, a new show that will be offered nightly at
Hollywood Studios during the holiday season.
However, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular is scheduled to return on
December 31, and it is expected that the dessert party will continue to be
offered into 2017 as well. Disney has
been very slow to release updates to the entertainment schedule in recent
months, so check back often for updates if you will be travelling after the
first of the year.
By Agent Alyssa
alyssa@traveltimetravel.com
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