One of the best parts about Disneyland is no matter how many times you’ve been, there’s always something new to do. So when Disneyland announced their new dining experience which takes place overlooking Tomorrowland, we were on board. We tried it, and I’m here to tell you all about it.
Pricing: There’s a flat fee of $45 a person with no AP discount. Under three, like everything else, is free.
Where: You wait in line at the base of the ramp at Innoventions (now Launch Bay). They give each person a wristband, then walk your party up the ramp to the top outside balcony, where you pick up your dessert box and get your seat. Your seating area is yours for the night, so you can come and go as you please.
What you get: A private dining space to kick back, with a box of desserts. You get just one box per person, but unlimited drinks. There are games and activities, and some very attentive cast members. You also get a souvenir lanyard.
And now let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Okay, here’s the thing. I think this could be super cool, I’m in love with the idea, but it’s not quite there, yet. What you get isn’t quite $45 dollars worth. However, I wouldn’t necessarily change the price since you can’t fit too many people up there, and since you get to keep your seat the whole night, there’s no turnover. I would however switch up presentation, but I’ll get into that in a bit.
The coolest part of the whole experience is you get to keep your spot and come and go as you please. You get led up the old innoventions ramp to the top balcony that overlooks Tomorrowland. The view is super cool, and I imagine would be incredible during the fireworks (they weren’t happening on this last trip). There’s also a very limited amount of seats, so you get to stretch out and get away from the crowds for a while.
You grab your dessert box, grab a drink of choice (no booze), and a cast member leads you to your seating area, which is a grouping of white couches around light-up tables. There are games spread out, some at your table, and some in common areas so if you’re a sociable person (so the opposite of me), you can play giant jenga and bond with randos (once again, could be super fun if you’re not a socially awkward human like myself).
The food, which is the main part they advertise, was dismal. They hand you a plastic box with about four reimagined Little Debbie treats, some grapes, and a scoop of pub cheese with crackers. The desserts were pretty good, not great, kind of dampened by presentation. The woman at the seating area next to us mentioned she was lactose intolerant so her box was super sad. She had rice cakes and hummus and gummy bears. That’s it.
I think this is where they could level up the most. Even if they served you your dessert selection on a fancy platter, the whole thing would feel much more tied together and special. Everything else feels so swanky and like a VIP experience, and the plastic box of semi-palatable desserts takes you out of that carefully crafted experience they’ve aced up to that point. Also like...up your game for different allergies, Disneyland. Rice cakes and gummy bears is just plain rude.
On the flip side, you get as many drinks as you want, so shove those mini water bottles all up in your purse (I did this and I have zero shame). They have a pretty solid selection of dranks, from soft drinks and waters (fizzy and flat, y’all), they also have big ole carafes of coffee, hot chocolate, and hot water with a choice of tea bags. And you can hydrate up, there’s no limit.
So would I recommend doing this? If you’re new to Disneyland, maybe hold off until they up the game a bit. It would also probably be worth it for newbies if it’s a fireworks night. If it’s not, it might be a bummer couple hours you could be experiencing the parks.
If you’re a Disneyland pro- and you don’t have any food allergies, I’d say it could be worth it? Maybe? If you like doing new things in the parks, maybe? Just have the right expectations going in and a giant tote bag to stash $45 worth of drinks.
I think it’s a super cool idea, and definitely has potential to be something really special in the park. I think it could use a little leveling up. And less pub cheese.
Welcome to Lost Weekender Lockdown! Where Kat and I make fools of ourselves trying to recreate Trader Sam’s Drinks so we can feel something close to magic or happiness again. We started with a recipe for Gorilla Grogg, which is a base used in a few different Trader Sam’s drinks like the Uh Oa or Lost Safari.