Private Anniversary Dessert Party at Epcot
I called Disney’s Catered Events (321-939-7278 or 321-939-4648) and worked with a planner at the BoardWalk Inn on a surprise dinner and dessert (including a replica of the top layer of our wedding cake) during IllumiNations at Epcot. I contacted her about 6 months ahead of time and put down a deposit, but I had to wait til 90 days to sign the contract. Final payment was due 30 days before the event.
Because it was just the two of us, we reserved UK Pubside, a venue adjacent to the patio at Rose & Crown that is designed for a maximum of 10 people. The venue-rental fee is $100 plus 6.5% tax, and the food and beverage minimum is $230 plus tax and 21% service charge. There is also a viewing fee if you don’t have park admission—$12.95/person when we were planning. (Note: These are the 2013 prices.)
Also, the fine print of our contract stated that if we had fewer than 20 people, Disney would charge a $50 small-party fee, but this never showed up in our BEO or on our final bill.
Location of UK Pubside
We had the option to try for one of the dessert party locations used for weddings, like UK Lochside, but since you have to pay the $23/person food and beverage minimum for the minimum number of people required by these sites, and that’s at least 20, it was out of our budget. As it turned out, I thought UK Pubside had the best view of IllumiNations anywhere, so we were happy to be there!
Dinner Options
Our planner presented us with three options for dinner:
1. Dinner reservation in Epcot + Desserts During Illuminations @ UK Pubside
2. Dinner with Rose & Crown food service + Desserts During Illuminations @ UK Pubside
3. Dinner at BoardWalk Inn + Desserts During Illuminations @ UK Pubside
I picked Option 2 so that we could spend as long as possible at UK Pubside. Because I’m not crazy about the Rose & Crown’s food, we were fortunate that the chef agreed to work with us to customize a dinner with dishes from other Epcot menus, including Le Cellier, Coral Reef and the Epcot catering menu. I sent in a suggested menu, and then we worked on it to get the price down to $50/person plus tax and service charge. The price of dinner did not count toward our food and beverage minimum.
Anniversary Cake
I sent my planner a picture of our wedding cake and asked for a 6-inch anniversary cake that replicated the top layer, but in hot pink. Originally the price was $55, but when I asked to add the fondant “handles” from our wedding cake and to create an appropriately themed topper from fondant, the price went up to $110. However, this amount did apply to our dessert food and beverage minimum. There was also a $75 delivery fee to get the cake from the Grand Floridian Bakery to Epcot.
Desserts!
Because the cake applied to our food and beverage minimum, we only needed to order a few more desserts to make up the difference. We picked some from existing Epcot menus and asked them to add peanut butter chocolate marshmallow squares, which we’d had at our wedding dessert party but were no longer on their menus. We also asked to do milk, cider, and hot chocolate BOC (“bill on consumption”), meaning we would only be charged for what we drank. And we added two scoops of vanilla ice cream for our cake.
Total Price
Without the cake and dinner, you can do one of these parties for $320 (before tax and service charge). Here are our totals, including tax and service charge:
Anniversary Cake: $117.15
Dessert Party + Cake Delivery + Handling: $210.26
Venue Rental Fee: $106.50
Dinner: $124.50
TOTAL: $558.41
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m guessing that they dropped the $50 small party fee (for less than 20 people) as the venue only actually holds 10.
Yeah, that would explain why we didn’t get slapped with the fee at UK Pubside for our dessert party either.
Carrie who exactly did you contact to do this? Is there a specific phone number you called or an email?
I worked with Disney Catered Events (321-939-7278) — Sorry! The info got broken out of the article when I made a main page that has it all, here: http://disneytravelbabble.com/how-to/private-party/
Carrie,
First of all, I love your website, your photos, and your wonderful sense of humor.
I’m trying to plan a surprise VR for my wife. In lieu of a mid-day reception, I’m thinking about a DP similar to the one you did. It will be a small affair (8 adults, 6 kids). I think the DP will be well-received by everyone, but I’d like to get a bar going for the adults. Assuming alcohol counts toward the F&B minimum, this could be a great (and not too expensive) event. Do you know if a package bar is only for guests that are older than 21? And, any idea if the $100 labor charge is waived if the total F&B (not just beverage) exceeds $500.
Thanks for any insight.
Hi there! Yes, alcohol counts toward the food and beverage minimum. The $100 labor charge is only waived if the bar sells more than $500. When you do a package bar, your choices include soda and water, so the ages of the guests don’t matter. However, I always recommend doing Bill On Consumption instead of paying for a package upfront. People never drink as much as Disney estimates they will with a package, and you usually end up getting some money back. Hope this helps!
I was wondering if you can rent the UK Pubside for a group (we would be 7) without meals or desserts – just for viewing the fireworks?
Unfortunately, no. One of the two requirements is that you spend a certain amount of money on food and beverages in addition to the venue rental fee. If the price isn’t the problem and you just don’t need the food, maybe you could have it all be wrapped things (like Mickey Krispies) that you could take with you for later.
First and foremost, thank you for the wonderful information you have provided both through this site and on DIS Boards!
I too am arranging a surprise vow renewal for my wife, in Feb 2012. I have the “Memories Collection” package because the maximum number of guests will be 6 (including my wife and I). The most likely senario is that it’ll be my wife, myself and my daughter! I’m really stumped on what to do after the ceremony which is at 3pm. We have the DDP but I don’t really want to just book a with everyone else, I’d like to do something a little more intimate and special.
I love the idea of the private dessert party for Illuminations with our very own custom cake, but I’m not sure that I’m following what you did and how the costs work out. I really don’t mind paying “over the top” because I have so few guests as long as I can make it special for my wife.
So I’m sorry if I am asking stupid questions, please bear with me I’m just a guy! ;o)
As I’m understanding it, you rented the venue for 10 and as long as you meet the minimum expenditure, which would include the cake? Is this correct?
What a sweet idea for your wife! Yes, Epcot has some smaller venues with 10-person guest-count minimums, and as long as you pay the food and beverage minimum for 10 people (currently $23/person, a.k.a. $230) you can use them. Our cake counted toward the minimum expenditure even though it was made by the Grand Floridian Bakery. If you want a really fancy cake, be sure your planner knows that you want it to come from the GF or the Yacht & Beach Club Bakery and you’re OK with paying a delivery fee; Epcot’s bakery cannot do fondant or anything fancy. In addition to the food and beverage minimum, your site will have a venue-rental fee, which includes tables and chairs, plus basic tea-light candles. And you will need to pay a viewing fee of $12.95/person for those who don’t have tickets to the park. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Hi! We are planning our Epcot dessert party for this Sept. Any recommendations on whether to do UK or the obat idea? We have 30 guests. Also, any idea if tower of terror is available for 30 guests? Or anywhere in Hollywood Studios?
I think the very best IllumiNations viewing spots are in Italy and the UK. With 30 guests, you qualify for Italy West Plaza and UK Lochside, both of which are wonderful. Italy has a slight edge because occasionally the wind blows the smoke from the show over the UK. Tower of Terror’s Courtyard is available for parties, and there are numerous other locations inside DHS. Check out THIS POST, which details them all, including photos and prices.
Thanks for all the feedback!!! Epcot UK it is! Anyone have any favorite desserts from there? Also random queation, has anyone done a disney honeymoon from wdw?
I called disney catering and haven’t heard back in two days. Do you think they’ll be able to do something at AK since they close earlier, I figure this might be a better choice for my young family. There are five of us (three children 2, 2, 8). What do you think the best options are for my hubby’s birthday?
Usually it takes them a while to get back to you, especially if it’s quite a while until your event. I’d give them a week and then try back. Many of Animal Kingdom’s venues are pricey, so if you’re looking to save a buck, I’d recommend using one of the pavilions at Flame Tree BBQ, which have a venue rental fee of $250 and a food and beverage minimum of $200 during the day (which means you wouldn’t even have to wait for the park to close to use one). I’m never quite sure what one does at an Animal Kingdom event other than eat, since there’s no fireworks show to watch, but you can hire entertainers, including animal wranglers, musicians, magicians, face painters, and the like. Figure on at least $300 apiece there. With little ones, you may even want to do the event at breakfast time. Another advantage to having an event during the daytime is that you could do what’s called a ride “mix-in” where you pay about $15/person and are escorted onto the ride without waiting. It’s way cheaper than buying out the ride after hours, but for something with FASTPASS like Everest you might as well just use FPs. But maybe the safari would be good?
Hi Lurky loo.
Your pictures and information on this subject is fantastic!!
I caught your site the otherday on a routine search of best place to view illuminations and have been hooked ever since.. (my mods at work might block your site I am on it so much ..but I multi task well!)
Anyway, might as well ask..My little one turning 3 is in love with illuminations, all he talks about since last trip, since I won’t make it back to Disney for sometime after this trip here goes.
I have 3 adults and 3 children (counting him) attending this September. What would be the bare minimum I would spend to reserve and area for private viewing of illuminations? (or any other ideas)
Appreciate any advice or feedback you may have.
Hi there! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site! So the most basic costs of an IllumiNations DP are the venue fee + the food and beverage minimum + per-person viewing fees if you don’t have admission to the park, with tax and service charge on top. The venue fee depends on which space you want. UK Pubside’s is somewhere around $150 now, plus 6.5% tax. The food and beverage minimum there is $230 + 21% service fee + 6.5% tax on the total. So, if you’ll have park admission, you’re looking at just under $300 if you can keep your menu to exactly $230 before tax and service charge. Hope this helps!
Hi
Me and my girlfriend are getting married at the swan and dolphin next march
And keen to do a DP
Could you please give me the contact details of how we can book this
Many thanks
Martin
Sure thing! Just call Disney’s Catered Events at 321-939-7278 to get matched with an event planner at your Disney resort. I’ve also put the number in the first sentence of this page—it didn’t occur to me that people would come straight here and bypass the page with all the contact info.
Thank you carrie
One last question how long in advance can we book?
Martin
Check out the first paragraph for complete details, but the short answer is you can put down a deposit 6 months out.
Thanks so much for this info! I had no idea this even existed!
Sure thing! Let me know if I can answer any questions!
Hi Carrie!
I was just reading your comments about a ride mix-in. Is this possible without park admission?
For example, for my wedding, I was thinking of having an early dinner at ‘Ohana, hire a coach to take the guests to DHS for a Fantasmic Dessert Party but before we get started for the party, give my guests the option of riding RnR?
Would this be possible? Or would each guest need park admission to be able to ride the ride?
Yes! Actually, the ride mix-in fee is really just a modified admission amount that allows guests access to only that ride if they don’t already have park admission. You would not have to pay the fee for any guests who were willing to use their own ticket that night. You would just need to coordinate the DP and dinner so that the mix-in occurs while the park is still open. It’s usually toward the end of the operating day, but your planner can help you with this.
I was wondering if you ordered appetizers would this count towards your food and dining bill?
I think $220 of desserts is a bit much even with the $100 cake. We are planning a 10th anniversary celebration with our Daughters. We talked about a Vow renewal but I think we just want to go to the beach at the Poly and say nice things while wearing nice clothes with our kids there. Then go have dinner and get a cake. I am thinking of just doing a restaurant but this option looks nice too. Truthfully I LOVE the TOT party but with my luck the kids will have a bad day or something!
If your location allows appetizers, yes, that would count. And yes, $220 is a LOT of desserts (booze counts too, though, so maybe it would only take a bottle or two of something pricey to make up the difference). I’d love to hear what you decide to do!
Hi,
A group of us are coming over this for my wedding but we have a friend that wants to propose while we are over there and I suggested the dessert party. He would like of us to go to an Epcot dessert party so he can propose in front of all of their closest friends. I was wondering if you have to be staying a Disney resort to be able to have a dessert party?
I really hope he can do it! Thanks
Hi! Disney Catered Events requires you to be staying at a Disney-owned resort in order to book a private event (they assign you a planner at your resort). Could he book a room just for that night? Might be a fun extra surprise after the proposal!
Hi Carrie! I have had much trouble getting in touch with someone that knows anything about booking an Illuminations DP. We did this for our post-reception for our 2011 Disney Wedding…. We are staying at Fort Wilderness if that makes a difference!
Thanks in advance!
Hi Amanda! So what you would do is call the number for Disney’s Catered Events at the top of this page and tell them where you’re staying. They will assign you a planner based on your resort. Lately they’ve been telling people they won’t do parties for fewer than 10 guests, so you might want to invite some super-unreliable guests who may flake on you at the last minute.
DCE may also try to scare you by telling you that private events start at $2,000, which they do not. You just have to be persistent and sound like you’re serious. Usually if you mention that you had a Disney wedding they are more accommodating, but it really depends on who you talk to.
Okay, I’ll try that way! That’s what they told me last year and I ended up just giving up because I wasn’t getting anywhere with it! They did tell me that it was 2k, but I’ll make sure to be more pushy about booking it
Thank you for your help! … I’ve tried calling the Catered Events number listed, but it always goes to voice mail, that actually hangs up on you when you press ’1′ to leave a message…. GRR!
Ooh, weird! I’ve always gotten through on that line. Here, try this alternate number: 321-939-4648.
Just wanted to follow up — I got in touch with a planner to help that’s been emailing me information!
Thanks Carrie! … now I need to read your TR about Pubside DP, that’s where we are doing it! It was the lowest Minimum Requirement/Venue Fee available, but I think it will be great since our original wedding DP was at Lochside. I’m just hoping Pubside is nice and private!
Yay! Yes, check out the trip report—we LOVED Pubside (we also had our wedding DP at Lochside). Pubside feels even closer to the show, and it does feel private. There is the restaurant patio on one side, but there’s enough space that it isn’t like someone’s table will be mashed right up to the railing next to yours.
Do cast members get a discount on the Illuminations party? We are DVC and staying on property and my mom is a cast member. We were married at the Wedding Pavilion and had our reception at The Boardwalk 10 years ago. Disney Fairytale Weddings made quite a few mistakes so we were not keen to use them again and decided against a vow renewal. Instead we are opting for an anniversary party. Another quick question, we are spending one night on the concierge level at the Boardwalk. Would you recommend skipping the Epcot dessert party and just having our guests up to the concierge lounge for the evening desserts and fireworks on the lounge’s balcony? Do you know if it gets crowded there?
Apparently they’re not always available, but in the past, cast member discounts on private events have been 10% off food and beverage, plus 10% off certain entertainment, photography, and floral services. I’d definitely check when you start working with a planner. We could never tear ourselves away from Epcot in time to watch IllumiNations from the BWI concerge lounge when we stayed there. Unless they are also staying on the Concierge level, your guests won’t be alloed access to the lounge, though. If you can afford to do an in-park event, I guarantee it will have a lot more impact. There’s nothing better than being right there in front of the fireworks!
Thanks for the reply! I just got assigned a planner and she told me Epcot is blocked for private events on the 4th : ( Any recommendations on how we can get around this? We have a group of about 10-15 people. Couldn’t they help us arrange a private dinner at one of the restaurants and view Illuminations on our own? Or what about at the BoardWalk? Any ideas of spots where we could have a gathering with a view of Illuminations? I tried to reserve the Steeplechase suite, but it was booked. We are staying in one of those cute garden cottages, but I think it’s too small for a cocktail reception for 10-15. You think they could set up small tables in the little garden? Thanks in advance!
Hi! If parties are blocked out on the 4th, there’s no way to get around that, unfortunately, but I like your alternative ideas. DCE can’t book you into a private event at a restaurant that’s open, but you could work directly with the restaurant itself. Kouzinna might be perfect—it has a private room that holds about 25 people and has a $600 food and beverage minimum. Then you could make your own way into Epcot to see the fireworks. Another idea would be to book a private catered dinner at the Attic at BoardWalk Inn, which has a view of the high fireworks from IllumiNations and is a great size for your group. At dinner, the food and beverage minimum is $2,500. Or you could try to book an IllumiNations cruise by calling 407-WDW-PLAY. I believe the larger pontoon boats only hold 10 adults or 12 people if some are kids, so you may need two.
Thanks! Especially for the info on Kouzzina. For now we are working on arranging a cocktail party at our suite in the Boardwalk via private dining. I’ll probably decide between those 2 options based on their budget proposal. Back to the restaurant question I asked, I was really wondering about restaurants inside of Epcot. Could they assist us with getting into Epcot for a large dinner reservation at one of the restaurants (e.g. Chefs de Paris) and have us pay the Illuminations viewing fee?
No, the viewing fee is arranged through Disney Catered Events, and they can’t book events inside restaurants that are open. You can certainly make a large-party reservation by calling the regular dining reservation number, though. They just can’t guarantee that your whole party will be seated together, and none of the restaurants inside Epcot have private rooms. One question I’d have is whether Epcot is really blocked out for ALL events on the 4th, or just for events in the countries around World Showcase. Because then you could do a dinner someplace inside that doesn’t have a view (like Norway Loft or American Adventure Parlor or Wonders Lounge) and maybe they’d let you pay the viewing fee as your guests’ admission into the park if you transported them in through backstage or met a guide at the gate.