Recently, I was able to experience the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Hollywood Studios for the first time. My son and I were recently in Disney World for a little mommy/son trip to celebrate him turning five. I wanted to plan something to make the trip a little extra magical – and this event was just the ticket.
Star Wars Dessert Party at Hollywood Studios
The event happens several nights each week inside the Star Wars Launch Bay area of Hollywood Studios. Check the Disney World calendar for specific dates and times. It is a hard-ticketed event which requires reservations and an additional cost. Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance through Disney World Dining, online or by phone. Note that there may certain times of the year that the event does not occur, for example during the holidays when it is replaced with a holiday themed dessert party at Hollywood Studios.
The Details
As of August 2019, cost of the event is $79 per adult (10 and over) and $45 per child (age 3-9). These costs include tax and gratuity, and children under 3 are able to attend at no charge. Dates of the part are subject to change, especially with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World on August 29, 2019.
What’s Included
- All you can eat snacks and desserts
- All you can drink beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options)
- Access to the Star Wars Launch Bay area during the dessert party portion of the event. You can view the exhibits and also meet the characters with pretty minimal waits.
- Prime viewing location for the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks and projection show
- A small gift for each person (ours was a Darth Vader cup)
Arrival to the Party
The night of our party, the event was scheduled to begin at 6:30. We arrived about 6:00 and found a small desk out front of the Launch Bay where a cast member checked our names off a list and gave us lanyards, which served as our ticket for the evening. We explored the Launch Bay before it was time to officially enter the party. One important tip for special events is to arrive early so you can be near the front of the line for getting a table and the first round of food and drinks.
Party Ambiance
The party area was set up beautifully and the food and drink options were amazing! We knew there would be plenty of food and planned accordingly – just having a snack mid-afternoon and using the dessert party as a replacement for our dinner and dessert. There is plenty of time to eat and drink as much as we wanted and took advantage of some time to look around at the Star Wars exhibits.
We had already met the characters earlier in our day or we would have taken advantage of that as well. Note, there are no chairs in the party area, just tables. After a long day in the park we did not want to stand up to eat, so we found an out of the way place to sit and eat our snacks and desserts. This didn’t bother us one bit – but for others I imagine not having official chairs at the tables could be a logistical burden. However, wheelchairs and ECVs can be accommodated.
Fireworks Viewing
When it was almost time for the show to begin, we were greeted by some friendly Stormtroopers who escorted the party group to our private viewing location. The location is directly in front of the Chinese Theater and really a perfect place to watch the show. There were no chairs, but everyone found plenty of room to sit down and spread out on the concrete ground. The “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” show is incredible with a combination of fireworks and projections on the Chinese Theater. It lasts approximately 14 minutes. When we were there, the show began promptly at 8:15 pm.
What You Need to Know
The Star Wars Dessert Party is one of several hard-ticketed dessert parties available across the Disney Parks. At the time of publishing, there is a similar event that occur at Magic Kingdom. Each dessert party is slightly different in terms of what is included. Also consider the dessert parties on special event nights like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Special events have worthwhile value when you consider the amount of food available and treat it as a meal substitute. Finally, consider the “cost” of enjoying a fireworks show without having to stake out a viewing location hours ahead of time.
Thanks to my friend Kelly from The East Adventures for sharing her story!
