Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! has been back at Hollywood Studios since the beginning of November. With it also came the return of the accompanying dessert party.
During the last trip Maureen and I wanted to try a tour or a dessert party. Since we had limited time, we decided on a dessert party. The Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Holiday Dessert Party lined up with our schedule, so that’s the one we went with.
The dessert parties always include a dessert buffet and special viewing of a show or fireworks display. The Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Holiday Dessert Party also includes a special gift and a meet and greet with a classic Disney character. Our special gift was an ornament and our meet and greet was with Santa Goofy.
We were asked to arrive 15 minutes before the start of the party to check in. There is a podium at the entrance to the party where you check-in with a cast member. They will give you a lanyard, which has a tag for your free gift that you tear off and give to a cast member in exchange for the ornament.
You will also get a ticket that has a time listed, this is the time you are supposed to go up and have your meet and greet. Last year I saw Goofy walking around from table to table, I think giving people designated times is probably a better way to make sure everyone sees the character. It seemed to be working pretty well the night we were there.
At checkin you will also get your table number. Each table has four chairs and a gingerbread man with the table number on it. The tables are small and can be kind of cramped if there are four people at your table. It was just me and Maureen at our table, but the dessert party wasn’t sold out. Had it been sold out there is a good chance we would have been sharing a table with someone else.
Also on the table are complimentary paper glasses. These glasses change the lights to look like gingerbread men. I brought mine home for the kids to play with and they love looking through them!
I liked where our table was located. There are celebrity signatures and handprints around the area where the party takes place. Our table happened to be right by the square with Robin Williams’ signature. Not a bad spot at all.
Now, for the food. I really liked the gingerbread cupcakes, the chocolate fondue, and the little rice crispy treats covered in chocolate were good too. Unfortunately, those were really the only things from the sweets buffet that I liked. The cookies and the Christmas tree cupcake didn’t really have a taste to them, which was disappointing because they looked really good. The Yule Log was good, but very, very rich. I only had a bite of the Yule Log.
The party didn’t just have sweets, there was also a table with pretzel rolls, toppings, and other savory snacks. So if you’re not big into sweets, don’t worry, there are things for you to try. There are also non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink options as well. When we first walked into the party there were some cast members handing out some Christmas run punch drinks to guests. The drinks were pretty good and a nice touch!
Once the eating and drinking portion of the party is done, they lead you to a VIP viewing area. We were taken to an elevated area for viewing. I have to say, it’s nice to have this viewing area and not have to hold a spot for an hour or so (which is what I did last year). We were brought out about 10 minutes before the Disney Movie Magic projection show started and after that we had about 10 minutes before Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! started.
The shows are fantastic, but I do want to warn you about the sound. If you have anyone in your traveling party that is sensitive to sound then these shows will probably not be good for them. I would suggest either purchasing headphones or watching the shows from a farther distance, because you are right up front for both of these shows in the VIP viewing area.
As far as recommending the Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Holiday Dessert Party, I’m not sure about that. The cast members were great and the viewing area is a nice inclusion for the party, but I was not impressed by the food. I don’t think I would do this dessert party again, but I would still like to try another dessert party like the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party. That party looks like it has more of a selection.
Have you been to the Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! Holiday Dessert Party?
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*