Is the World of Color Dessert Party Actually Worth the Upgrade?
World of Color in Disney California Adventure park is one of Disneyland’s most popular nighttime shows! This is available to all guests visiting the park, but if you are someone who doesn’t like to stake out a spot and would rather have a guaranteed view, then the dessert party is something you may be considering. But is that upgrade worth the price? Let’s break it down!
World of Color
As mentioned, this is a nighttime show in Disney California Adventure. To view, you’ll be facing Pixar Pal-A-Round (the big ferris wheel) overlooking the Pixar Pier Lagoon.
This show features fountains and lights, projections and is set to some of your favorite Disney music. The show does change slightly from season to season, but you can expect to see features from movies like Encanto, the Incredibles, Tangled, Turning Red, Inside Out, and more!
When I was able to see the show, they even had a really fun pre-show featuring the muppets!
The show itself can be viewed from most areas all around that lagoon with standing room only. Some of these can be walk up or may require a virtual queue depending on where you wish to view from.
As with all nighttime shows at Disneyland, be sure to check the App for showtimes as they may change depending on the time of year.
World of Color Dessert Party - What is it & What’s included?
For those of you that don’t love the idea of staking out a spot or hopping on the app to try and secure a virtual queue, or maybe you simply would rather have a seat to enjoy the show rather than stand, the dessert party is definitely a great option!
This is a reserved area right in front of the prime viewing area for the show. Each group gets a table with reserved seating - please note that seating is communal, so depending on your group size, you may be seated with other guests.
Additionally, guests are greeted with a snack box full of sweet & savory treats. This includes things like a World of Color macaron, charcuterie style meats & cheese, and you even get a complimentary World of Color mystery pin to take home as a souvenir!
Along with snacks, you also get unlimited complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. This ranges from soda, water, lemonade, and hot chocolate. There will be servers walking around with trays making sure you have plenty of drinks on the table.
Adults ages 21+ also can get up to two of the specialty adult cocktails. Or if you prefer, wine & beer. The cocktails are seasonal and may change depending on when your visit is. We got a lavender lime lemonade that was very sweet, but fabulous!
Logistics
The dessert party can be booked up to 60 days in advance and it is highly recommended to do so as this is very popular and does sell out. You will pay ahead of time when you make your reservation.
You do have a dedicated server for your table who makes sure that you have what you need and I do recommend having a little cash to tip them!
You can check in for your dessert party up to 2 hours before your reservation time through the Disneyland app under your reservation. This is where you will confirm your party members and be placed in the queue to be called to your seat.
If you have difficulty with checking in through the app, just look for the Cast Members with the gold vests outside the dessert party area and they will be able to help you get checked in in person.
Once checked in, you are free to hang out outside while you wait to be called. When it’s your turn to be seated, you’ll receive a text to hop in line. Don’t worry! The line is going to look a little crazy, but it does move very quickly.
You are typically seated around 30 minutes or so before showtime so that you may enjoy your treats and get settled for the show!
The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly
What I LOVED about this experience was the show itself! It is a really beautiful show and the music and colors are simply stunning. I do appreciate not having to find a good spot and although we personally had some hiccups with our check-in (due to our own issues, not necessarily Disney’s) figuring out where to go and what to do was relatively easy to figure out.
I did also love how attentive our server was. Everyone was super friendly and when I say that the drinks are unlimited, I MEAN it! I’m pretty sure for the two of us that were at the table, we had a good 14 drinks on our table at one point. I mean… you’re paying for it, so you may as well take advantage of it!
It was also nice just getting to relax and sit for a show. Sometimes standing still in one spot for a long amount of time can be really hard on my feet, especially after a long day, so getting to sit was great.
Now… there were some things that I super didn’t love.
Although the idea of the snack box was fun and it was easy to take with me after, the elements they included inside were a little strange.
The sweets I had no complaints about! They were really cute and really tasty. But the savory items were not as great. You get a few different cheese selections, but since it’s so dark, it was a little hard to tell what we had.
The think I was absolutely not a fan of was the freeze dried fruit. We noticed that when we arrived to our table that both our table and our box was covered in condensation. Of course I know that isn’t Disney’s fault, but what it did was essentially rehydrated the fruit giving it an almost gummy marshmallow type texture that was an literal nightmare for me.
I think I would have preferred to have a fresh plate of treats or maybe have servers come around with treats like they did with the drinks so that items were a little more fresh. Although the box idea is cute, I just don’t think that it works super well with the food.
Something else that I didn’t expect that really was disappointing was that you didn’t really have a way to request where you were. Because we did have some issues checking in with our app and had to do things in person, we ended up in the very back row of tables furthest from the show. Additionally, we were elevated, but were actually behind one of the standing sections.
I didn’t mind this as much as we could still see pretty well, BUT there was a guest with a very long selfie stick camera that they had straight up in the air for a majority of the show. Our server tried to get someone to have the guest take it down, but it didn’t really get resolved until at least halfway through the show.
Now… is this something that happens often? Probably not, but what I didn’t love is that as a paying guest, we were so far back that the people standing in front and servers walking by and all the other things happening were VERY distracting and made it difficult to enjoy the show. I’m sure that guests who were closer to the water at the tables more in front had a much better experience with less distractions, but they also paid the same price I did, which left me with a bit of a sour note.
So is it Worth It?
Did I have a good time? Of course! As with anything, I strive to take things in stride and I can make a good time out of anything - even when there are some hiccups.
Would I do this experience again? Personally, probably not. I can absolutely say that for some guests, this is an excellent option! You do have a guaranteed spot and truly the service is wonderful.
But for me, I would much rather take the gamble and try to get a closer view from the standing area than pay extra money and get stuck in a back row seat again.
Plus the food for me was just fine. Nothing was stand out enough that I feel like I need to go back again.
So how do you know if it’s right for you? It all comes down to your priorities. You are paying for a seat and guaranteed viewing spot and if that is your aim, I think you’ll be very happy with your experience. But if you are wanting this to feel like an elevated experience, unfortunately, I just don’t think this is giving that.
I’m all for a splurge IF it’s the right splurge and I’d love to talk to you more to see if it might be right for you. As a Travel Advisor, that’s exactly what I help with! If you want to learn more about booking your next Disneyland vacation with me and how I can help you decide the best vacation for YOU (and not just the most popular things) you can click below to learn more.
