Rivers of Light Dessert Party
Dessert parties have grown in popularity with the past several years and are an exciting option for guests at Walt Disney World. Not only do they give you great, exclusive viewing spots for some of Disney’s best nighttime shows, they also offer treats for the whole family to enjoy!
Last year, I had the pleasure of attending the Rivers of Light Dessert Party at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Check in to the dessert party is located in the Asia portion of the park, just past the “Serka Zong Bazaar” at the exit of Expedition Everest. They even include a sign out front to ensure you don’t miss it.
Entrance to the party begins one hour before the show starts, so this gave us one hour to enjoy all of the delicious snacks they offered! Although there were one or two savory options, the dessert was all of the focus at this party. It is a DESSERT party, after all!
The theming of the décor was very fitting for the park. The table cloths were all different animal prints with complementary colors so, even though they were different prints, they all looked great together. Centerpieces on the tables were little lanterns with flameless tea light candles. Although very simple, they were a perfect match for the atmosphere of the dessert party.
Now for the best part, what we ate and drank at the party!
The non-alcoholic beverages offered were water, iced tea, jungle juice, and purple lotus juice.
For guests of age, there were also alcoholic beverages available. They offered guests a red and white wine, two different kinds of beer, and two signature cocktails. One of the cocktails was a tiger lily, a rum-based drink with pineapple, orange, and lime juices. The other cocktail was called Asia Chai Tea, which was a lemon vodka-based drink with chai and sour mix.
As I mentioned above, this party focused mostly on the sweet options, contrary to other Dessert Parties offered in Walt Disney World that offer more savory options as well. However, there were cheese and nuts for guests to much on if they were looking for something a little less sweet.
The dessert options were:
- Tiger Cake Push Pops
Chocolate and orange cake arranged to look like tiger stripes with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. The push pop serving style was a great handheld option, and super fun!
- Green Tea Cake
These Cakes were flavored with green tea, giving it a very unique option that I had never experienced before. They also had chocolate trees on the front of them, which made them very cute to look at!
- Yogurt Panna Cotta
This dessert seemed to be more of a yogurt parfait to me with the granola on top, but was nice and refreshing with the fresh berries.
- Pineapple Bar
The Pineapple Bar was also very refreshing and creamy with a delicious dollop of whipped cream on the top.
- Chocolate Pot de Crème
I wish I had a photo of these because they were super cute! It was chocolate mousse in an edible “terra cotta” pot topped with Oreo crumbs to look like dirt, a little flower, and a chocolate leaf.
- Safari Mickey Cookies
These were very simple sugar cookies covered in different animal print icings.
- Lotus Flower Cupcakes
The Lotus Flower Cupcakes were a traditional Vanilla Cupcake that had a lotus flower piped on the top of the cupcake, which fit very well with the aesthetic of the party.
- Fresh Fruit
At our party, they offered strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
Altogether, I thought that the choices were delicious and covered all of the important dessert categories.
Some things to consider if you are thinking about purchasing tickets for your next trip. Tables were standing room only and first come first serve. They do have the bleachers for the show open to guests, so you’re able to sit on bleachers if you are looking for a seat, but that is the only option offered to guests. Therefore, if you are looking for a place to get off your feet and relax after a day of trekking around the park, know that chairs are not offered.
Once we enjoyed our share of desserts, it was time for the show. The portion of the bleachers blocked off for dessert party guests are in a great location! It was a perfect place to view the show and snap a few pictures.
I would definitely suggest this dessert party to anyone looking to try something new in the Animal Kingdom park or anyone who loves desserts as much as I do!
~Alyssa
