The Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party - A Walt Disney World Event Review
by Michele Dakho
Not so long ago, in a galaxy not that far away; we attended the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Having seen the Star Wars Fireworks several months ago when they originally began, we were intrigued enough the show and the alleged enhancements to give the Dessert Party a try in honor of my Stepsons 15th birthday. The tickets were $69.00 per adult (ages 10 and up), and included specialty adult cocktails, a wide array of snacks with both savory appetizers and sweet desserts as well as a souvenir Chewbacca stein and preferred fireworks viewing.
Because of the spontaneous inclement weather (thanks Florida!) we were a bit nervous about the fate of our galactic spectacular, but as always…Disney had a plan. The dessert party portion was being held inside of the Disney Junior stage building and we would be escorted to our viewing area after the dessert portion.
We were met by a friendly Cast Member at the entrance to the Disney Junior stage and given a blue wristband and told to return around 8:15 pm to line up for entrance to the venue, which would begin at 8:30 pm. The set up of this party was one of the more superb executions I’ve experienced in a Disney park. The staggering of the cocktail tables allowed for people to move around freely without feeling claustrophobic and the way the food and beverage stations were scattered about, everything was accessible without feeling over crowded. The set up made it feel more intimate and less “one of the huddled masses”.
One of my favorite things was the way the desserts were plated, there were no more than two-dozen items per plate at any given time. From a germ-a-phobe stand point I also felt like it was more sanitary, even though I’m sure that was just in my head, it was nice to have that perception.
There were four themed alcoholic beverages for adults to choose from:
• “The Force”-Pomegranate Lemonade with Jim Beam Bourbon
• “First Order Finale”-Blood Orange Lemonade with Coruba Coconut Rum
• “Jakku Juicy Cocktail”-Green Apple Lemonade with Citrus Vodka
• “Corellian Smuggler’s Coffee”-Coffee with Baileys
Since I have a strong aversion to Bourbon, I chose to forgo the force and take the “First Order Finale” for a spin. I was very excited as this drink sounded like it had my name written all over it, fruity juice and rum…how could I go wrong? But alas, I did.
You know how when you are house-hunting the ads all have those cute little coded descriptions? Like when they say “charming home” it really means, “not a large enough space to express an emotion”…that’s how I felt about the “Blood Orange Lemonade”. Let’s just call it what it is folks…Hi-C fruit punch. I was devastated that the lemonade was not, in fact, lemonade but instead tasted like that blasted kids beverage. I went into hyper-speed to leave that one behind.
The Jakku Juicy Cocktail was a fan favorite at my table, although consider yourself warned…an overindulgence could lead to a galactic stomach ache! In regular rations you’ll find the drink not too sweet and the citrus vodka lends a hint of sour making a great blend.
The lines for the bar weren’t busy at all and we had no problem receiving our drinks in a timely manner. Although the alcoholic beverages were included, I did note several guests were tipping the bar tenders and tips were accepted.
Non-alcoholic drinks included the juice versions of the beverages as well as soda, bottled water, hot tea and coffee.
In the far corner there was a freeze-dried Nutella stand. How do you make Nutella taste better than it already does? You throw in some dry ice, then add chocolate and/or raspberry sauce on top. For those with allergies, a freeze-dried popcorn was also available. Between the freeze dried Nutella station and the other tables was a cart of frozen treats such as Mickey ice cream cones and Frozen Bananas.
The pastry tables boasted droid cupcakes (mini sized) which were a lemon cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and topped with a rock candy sort of concoction and a BB8 edible chocolate. The lemon cake was extremely lemony and the frosting was delightful. Even though we were indoors the icing was starting to melt, which makes me wonder how they usually handle this party outside in the Florida heat.
Of course there were Darth Vader Cupcakes, which were chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, think Reese’s peanut butter cup in your mouth, but with a cake texture and a Darth Vader chocolate topper.
Blue Milk Panna Cotta with crispy pearls was just as it sounds….a Panna Cotta that was dyed blue. The “crispy pearls” are reminiscent of what comes on top of the “Grey Stuff” in a galaxy far, far away and this was my Step-sons favorite.
There were “Yoda” Pistachio Morella Cherry Bites and “Death Star” chocolate Cake and “Sun” citrus Financier. All were tasty and depictive of their titles and descriptions.
Of course no Disney party would be complete without a themed Rice Krispy treat and although these “Bon Bon’s” were among the cutest things I’ve ever seen, they tasted more like the pre-packaged Rice Crispy’s in the park than the fresh home made one’s you’ll find at the confectionary in the Magic Kingdom.
The Darth Maul éclairs were as tasty as they were adorable and you have to appreciate the lengths Disney goes through to create a Darth Maul themed mini éclair. I don’t even like custard and I ate one and enjoyed it!
On the, shall we call it, “savory side” of the force was a delight of unexpected deliciousness and plenty of light “saber” skewered foods including:
• Raspberry and blueberry
• Cheddar Cheese and green olive
• Grape
• Provolone and Tomato
One of the most delicious and unexpected items was the “smoked, sea-salted quarter ration biscuit” and as a lover of salt, I must say even I was blown away with how good this biscuit was.
There were “scorched” pesto and also C3PO cheddar crackers that proved to be as crumby (literally) as they were cheesy.
As the eating portion of the evening wore down, we were approached by a cast member who reminded us to pick up our Chewbacca stein (by redeeming a tear off portion of your wrist band), then at 9:30 p.m. we were given the option to either leave the venue to follow the Cast Member through the “short cut” or take the longer route on our own.
The viewing section was directly in front of the Chinese theatre, which was ideal for the new projections they’ve added to the show. Our area was taped/roped off so we didn’t have a problem finding a place to sit/stand. It seemed almost everyone was sitting and resting their legs until the fireworks and given that we had no chairs in the desert party, we were happily among them plopping down on the cement until the show started.
The show was great and we enjoyed the addition of the projections and the enthusiasm of the crowd. The trees even lit up at times, making it an even more encompassing experience.
If I had to break it down to the nitty gritty I’d say the highlights were the air-conditioning, option for included alcoholic beverages, array of food offered and the preferred viewing location for the fireworks. Cons were the (understandable) lack of seating and the false description of “blood orange lemonade” (I really hate Hi-C). I think to really it make it a galactic spectacular a visit from a Storm Trooper or Star Wars character wouldn’t be a bad idea (*hint, *hint Disney!)
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 07-15-2016 12:07 PM
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