World of Color has been delighting Disney California Guests since 2018. While no fireworks are featured, Disney uses lights, water, and music to celebrate the colorful world of Disney. In 2023, Disney created a special edition: ‘World of Color: One’ to celebrate 100 years of Walt Disney Studios. The show is basically Disney California Adventure version of the Castle Fireworks Show and it has become just as much a MUST DO as the Fireworks show over at Disneyland.
During our last visit to Disney California Adventure, we booked the World of Color Dessert Party to view World of Color: ONE. We wanted to enjoy the show in a special way to celebrate 100 years of Disney and also ensure a great view of the display without having to get in line 2 hours early. But is the World of Color Dessert Party worth it? Our World Of Color Dessert Party Review looks at whether it is worth paying for the Dessert Party to view World of Color while on your visit to Disney California Adventure.
What is World of Color: ONE?
First off, let’s explain what World of Color: ONE actually is. World of Color: ONE celebrates Disney’s storytelling legacy that started 100 years ago. The show is based at the waterfront of Paradise Gardens and is a twist on the traditional World of Color water show. Using over 1000 fountains, each with its own LED ring, World of Color: ONE, tells the story of how a single action (such as a ripple of water) can lead to a wave of change and magic.
- Location: Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure
- Time: Daily, 9 PM and 10:15 PM.
- Duration: 24 minutes.
- Note: projection Show Only, no Fireworks.
What exactly is the World of Color Dessert Party?
Dessert parties have become increasingly popular in general as different, unique, and fun desserts have become quite a trend. So it makes sense that Disney would create their own version and World of Color Dessert Party combines 2 of our favorite things at a theme park; sweet treats and night-time shows!! And the fact that the desserts are Disney-shaped snacks and treats is even better. Like many dining experiences at Disney, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you are paying for, not just the food.
The World of Color Dessert Party starts an hour before the showing of World of Color and ends once the show is over. The total duration of the Dessert Party is approx 1 hour and 24 minutes, giving you an hour to enjoy your drinks and desserts before the show starts. Once the show is over the World of Color Dessert Party ends. There are 2 showings of World of Color: One: at 9 PM and 10:15. The Dessert Party Reservations are either at 8 PM for the first showing or 9:15 PM for the later one.
What’s included in the World of Color Dessert Party Package?
During your 1 hour and 24 minutes at the World of Dessert Party, you will get the following:
- A delicious selection of desserts and cheeses to eat while you wait for the show to start
- 2 alcoholic beverages of your choice (only for adults, age 21 and older)
- Unlimited soft drinks and bottled water during the hour before the show starts
- In and Out Privileges for the viewing area, meaning you can come and go if needed.
- Reserved seating in the prime viewing area where you can sit at a table with folding chairs or a high-top table with director chairs.
Yes, you read that right, the World of Color Dessert Party Package includes a pre-reserved seating area that you can come and go from and enjoy the show whilst seated, all in a prime viewing spot!! This means there is no need to stand around for hours before the show starts, saving the best free spot possible, unable to leave your spot with your feet hurting before the show has even begun.
Oh, and you get all of this whilst enjoying Disney-themed desserts and an alcoholic beverage or 2 (if you are of legal age).
How can I go to the World of Color Dessert Party?
First off, to attend the World of Color Dessert Party you need to have a Valid Admission and Park Reservation for Disney California Adventure on the day you plan to go or Park Hop access if your reservation is for Disneyland Park).
Once you have your admission and Park Reservation for the day, you can start planning your dining reservation.
Disney Dining Reservations for Disneyland California and Disney California Adventure open 60 days prior to the date at 6 AM PST.
Dining Packages sell out really quickly so it is important that you have logged onto your My Disneyland Account, 60 days before the day you want all ready to go at 6 AM PST. If you are not local to California, remember that the time difference may mean you need to log in at a different time, depending on where you are in the world.
Once you have selected your preferred date and time of showing you are all set for your Dining reservation at the Word of Color Dessert Party. You can add any dietary requirements to your booking as you make it. Please note that on the day dietary requests may not be able to be met so adding the info to the special requests part of your booking is the best time to do it.
Guide on getting Hard to Get Reservations at Disneyland
How much does the World of Color Dessert Party cost?
The World of Color Dessert Party costs $89 per adult plus tax.
This is not a cheap meal, which unless you count dessert as a meal, is not actually a meal at all. Luckily, we more than consider a selection of Desserts to be an acceptable meal, especially while at the Disney Parks as the endless walking required definitely balances any unhealthy eating out!
However, when you consider that other Dining experiences such as Mickeys Breakfast Buffet and Goofy’s Breakfast Buffet are priced at $35-$59 per adult where you get as much food of all variety’s that you can eat, $89 is a lot of Disney Dollars to spend on Dessert!
So with a price tag that high, is the World of Color Dessert Party really worth it? Read on to find out…
World of Color: ONE Review
Dessert Party Check-In
The information given states that you should arrive for check-in 1 hour before your Reservation Time. The reservation check-in point is at the Eureka Water Wheel near Redwood Creek Trail (just around the corner from the restrooms near the Little Mermaid ride) Our reservation for the Dessert Party was for the 8 PM showing so check-in was required from 7 PM. However, we wanted to make sure we got the best view of World of Color possible so we arrived just before 7 PM.
The high-top tables towards the back of the viewing area are best for Photos and videos. The Cast Members know where photo views may be partially obscured by equipment etc so we simply asked the Cast Members if they could seat us in the best seats available to avoid this. As we had arrived early, there were tables not yet been assigned so they were able to get us a good spot. The Cast Member gave us our wristbands and told us to arrive back no later than 8 PM for our reservation time.
So far, we were already very happy with our World of Color Dessert Party choice: we had been able to secure and prime viewing spot of the show AND as our table was now reserved in the system, we did not have to wait around and queue for the next hour wanting to get the best spot. So off we went to use a couple of lightning lanes we had booked using Genie+.
TIP: If you have a reservation for the Dessert Party at 9:15 PM then check-in will be at 8:15. However, when we returned to the check-in area for our Reservation for our Dessert Party just before 8 PM, a queue for the 9:15 check-in had already started to form. If you want to get there early to get a good table and then be able to go off and do other things, we recommend you get to the check-in area no later than 7:30 PM.
When we arrived back at the Check-in Area just before 8 PM, most Guests had clearly chosen to wait around after checking in and had formed a long queue. As all Table Reservations had been assigned an hour before, we happily got into the back of the queue knowing that being at the back would not affect our great view of the show at all AND we had not wasted any time in the Park queuing unnecessarily.
(Dessert) Party Time!
The long line of Guests moved quickly towards the viewing area at Paradise Gardens Park and we were in our allocated seats by 8:10 PM. As we were seated at a high top, we sat with another couple of Guests. We had been told that this happens with smaller groups and that we would end up sharing a table with another party. The 2 ladies who sat at our table were very lovely, regular Disneyland visitors celebrating a birthday. We happily chatted our way through the Desserts talking all things Disney.
As the Cast Member who checked us in had promised, our Table Top was sat on a raised platform slightly higher than the other round tables at the front of the viewing area. As our table was raised, this meant that any view and photos taken were higher than the guests below us so they were not obscuring our view (great especially if you are not very tall like me!)
Our table was also to the left of the viewing area, facing central with little to no equipment in our eye line to ruin the view. This was definitely what we consider a prime spot and our early check-in plan had paid off.
Desserts and Drink
No sooner than we had sat down, our server had arrived with water for us both and asked what drinks we would like to choose from. The following were available:
- Hot Chocolate
- Tea/ Coffee
- Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke
- Beer
- ONE-derful Vodka Cooler Cocktail
The ladies we were sat with had attended the World of Color Dessert Party before and advised us that it is best to ask the server for both your allocated drinks at the same time so I asked for the ONE-derful cocktail and the Sparkling Wine whilst Steve asked for 2 of the cocktails.
Our drinks soon arrived quickly followed by a plate of Desserts each. As promised when booking, our plates were filled with a selection of savory and sweet desserts. The cheese on the plate was plentiful, so much so, we had to ask a server for more crackers to be able to eat it all. We began with our cheese as it was savory and considered it as our ‘main meal’ before heading onto dessert.
There were 5 Disney themed Desserts on each of our plates:
- Birthday Macaron,
- Triple chocolate cheesecake
- Raspberry Shortbread Cookie
- Celebration Bunt Cake
- Birthday Crispy
There was so much food, we couldn’t eat it all but Cast members were walking by with cardboard take-out boxes so we grabbed a couple of these to take the rest of our desserts back for breakfast tomorrow. You definitely do not have to worry about leaving the World of Color Dessert Party hungry!
After enjoying our drinks and desserts, I decided to take advantage of the in and out privileges and head to the restrooms before the show started. The Paradise Garden Park viewing area is just across from the Little Mermaid ride, so the restrooms around the corner are not far at all. Once I arrived back at the viewing area, I just showed the security my wristband, and then let me back in. The servers arrived to clear our tables of any rubbish and we packed our water and leftovers away ready for the show to start.
World of Color: ONE
This was the first night-time show of our visit and the show opened with a voice recording of Walt himself talking about how a person can change the world with just ONE simple act. The show then started with different Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movie moments being brought to life with lights, sounds, and water. The special 100-year celebration did not disappoint: the music, projections, and lights in front of Pixar Pier were breathtaking.
The viewing area is located directly opposite the show with Pixar Pier and the water area behind it. As a result, the viewing area is only just set outside the ‘wet zone’ and even with our tables being to the back of the viewing area, we could still feel the spray from the fountains. Any closer and we would have been worried about our camera!
Our favorite parts of the show were the Encanto, Moana, Star Wars, and Marvel moments but there were many more included too. The show lasted only 22 minutes which could have been longer, after all, it is almost impossible to celebrate the amazing Disney magic moments of 100 years in just 22 minutes.
But World of Color: ONE did not disappoint, and being able to watch it in a stress-free, prime spot with delicious food and drink felt a certain level of civilization that you don’t always find in the chaos of a theme park. We were abruptly reminded of this when we quickly left the viewing area after the show ended into the crowds also left the Pixar Pier area!
We braved the crowds and went AGAINST the grain over to the other side of the Pier where the rides were literally walk-ons as most people were dragging their tired feet out of Disney California Adventure. After our sit down and food, we had plenty of energy to stay in the Park and go over to Disneyland once Disney California Adventure had closed too! And all this was after we had been up from 6 AM for rope drop, which is why we would recommend choosing the 8 PM Word of Color Dessert Party reservation rather than the 9:15 option. If you ARE tired from a long day at the Parks, then this earlier option means you can leave the Parks earlier at night than if you were still waiting for your party reservation and the show to start. But it is also early enough that once you are fed and rested, there is still time to continue to enjoy Disney California Adventure before it closes at 10: we went on another 2 rides after the dessert party and wandered through Radiator Springs in the dark with very little crowds.
So is the World of Color Dessert Party Worth it?
Watching this magical celebration of Walt Disney and everything his studios has brought to life in the last 100 years was always going to be amazing. And being able to experience it whilst being comfortable, stress-free with food and drink at the same time was just the icing on the (100-year) cake!
The $89 per person price tag is not cheap and there is no denying that. If you simply do not have a spare couple of $100s (assuming there is more than 1 of you), then the World of Color Dessert party is not an option for you. And after all the other costs of a Disney vacation, that is not a surprise. You may decide that the cost of the dessert party is better spent elsewhere on your vacation be it either at character dining, Disney-themed hotel rooms, Genie+, or an enormous amount of Disney merch to take home. When planning a trip to Disneyland, every person has different elements that they consider a priority for their trip.
The Food and drink we got were all really good, and based on the price of things at Disney in general, it covered a large part of the $89, but nowhere near it all. On this basis, the Party is not worth the money. If the food and drink were $49, maybe, but the experience is far more than just some dessert and a couple of drinks.
But as with most things at Disney which have a hefty price tag, it can be justified as you are paying for an experience. A once-in-a-lifetime experience that you would not get elsewhere. For us, watching the World of Color: One whilst sitting down and enjoying Disney-themed drinks and desserts was the highlight of our very long day (possibly of the whole trip). Being able to plan ahead and not waste valuable time in the parks standing and saving what we hope it a good spot to see the show is priceless. As good as World of Color: One is, I highly doubt we would have enjoyed it so much in one of the free viewing spots.
So, for that reason, we say that the World of Color Dessert Party at Disney California Adventure IS worth it and if budget allows, something that every Disney guest should experience at least once. After all, it is the experience you are paying for.
What we Didn’t like!
The experience wasn’t perfect and there were a couple of downsides to the Party. Not least the View. You are right at the back, as far away from the fountains and with large crowds right in front of you. It can feel like you have been given a really short straw overall! You miss a lot of the fine details of the show such as the shorter colored fountains and the bottom of some of the images.
However, while some find the view pretty poor, being at the rear offers a really nice overall view of the display. Two close and everything is on top of you and worse of all, it’s going to rain. Not real rain, this is California, but the spray generated by the fountains can absolutely drench the front of the crowd. Even at the back we got a little soggy and felt the temp drop a good few degrees!
So there are good and bad points and overall we take the slightly restricted view over getting drenched while trying to enjoy our desserts!
There is also the issue of shared tables. This is not a problem for us, we like to meet new people especially those with shared interests such as Dinsey, but if you are looking for a romantic moment or a bit of privacy, being on a shared table means you are unlikely to get this.
The Queue line was complicated and it is easy to miss the early slots and end up with a less-than-perfect table. We had a great handle on it and so will you now after reading this, but we saw a lot of unhappy people turning up just before their booking and getting the tables that were left!
Overall we felt if the price was acceptable to you then the Positives far outweighed the Negatives. To get a rail spot you would have to queue for hours and waste so much Disney time, and end up drenched, and the queue issues can be mitigated by good planning, so if you can put up with sharing your table, or are a larger group, there are no real negatives at all, apart from the high-cost of course.
How can I watch World of Color: ONE for free?
As much as we maintain that the World of Color Dessert Party is worth it, we understand that sometimes our Disney Dollars do not stretch to cover every experience at the Parks. There are alternative World of Color viewing options that are free which include stand-by queueing and a virtual queue. You can read all about them in our article Disney California Adventure Fireworks Guide – World Of Color: One
Have Your Say
Have you ever been to the World of Color Dessert Party? What did you think? Do you agree that it is worth the price? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Likewise, if you have any questions about the World of Color Dessert Party at Disney California Adventure just write them below in the comments section and we will get back to you.
