Illuminations from Rose and Crown Pub

[tawasdave]

Going with friends in Feb to Disney...Friend suggests watching Illuminations from the Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom pavillion...anyone have any thoughts or experiences? Thanks

 

[Robo]

Going with friends in Feb to Disney...Friend suggests watching Illuminations from the Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom pavillion...anyone have any thoughts or experiences? Thanks

Well, you and about 10,000 of your "closest friends" may have the same idea.

This is a VERY WELL-KNOWN and desired viewing location.

If you CAN get ADR's ("reservations") at the proper time... and you CAN get seated in the proper place to see the show... GREAT!

The outside "public" seating (if its available at all) is usually FILLED by at least an hour before the show (if not sooner) so its not exactly a secret viewing spot.

 

[jmsvss]

Three of us did this in Mar 2005 and it worked beautifully. If you don't have ADRs by now you need to hop on it and good luck!! I think I got my ADRs about 5 weeks out. I was very upfront about what we wanted to do (of course they hear it all the time - but you have to let them know) I was worried that our ressies were too early (7:10 for a 9:00 show). Of course we told the delightful British lasses that we wished to have an outside table with a nice view - we had to wait about 45 minutes after our 7:10 time but it was no problem. The Beatles were playing, another band was playing right at the pub, the beer carts were there and my daughter was able to spend lots of time with Pooh across the street. It was very nice.

Go for it!!

 

[cinderella97]

We do this the first night we arrive. Get ADR's for 8:00pm, then you will almost be certain to get table outside.- Ask at the podium-they can't guarntee it. We have done this about 5x now and it works like a charm. Going next month. It's the best spot!

 

[Robo]

The Beatles were playing...

Cool, I didn't know they were back together.

 

[jmsvss]

Wellll Maybe not THE Beatles. But after a couple yards of beer while waiting on our table I could close my eyes and IMAGINE.

 

[ZoZo]

I did have a small problem with the seating at Rose and Crown in 2002. We were lucky enough to get an outside table, but were seated underneath an awning at the back of the terrace. To see the fireworks, we had to duck down really low; it was pretty uncomfortable (I finally gave up and walked over to the far side of the railing, so I wasn't blocking anyone else's view). So, not all seats on the terrace are created equal!

 

[IwannaseeMickey]

We used it, we got there early though. It did definitely get very crowded closer to the time.

 

[apple]

If you are seating inside is there a spot to go outside to watch and then move back to your table?

 

[lillygator]

be careful as well, we have watched there a few times and being downwind with all the smoke from the fireworks is not very nice!

 

[DebbieB]

We do this the first night we arrive. Get ADR's for 8:00pm, then you will almost be certain to get table outside.- Ask at the podium-they can't guarntee it. We have done this about 5x now and it works like a charm. Going next month. It's the best spot!

That may be too late. Last May I had a PS for 7:20, got there at 7:10 and requested an outside table. We were not seated until 8:00 and most of the other tables were filled. The people next to us were done by 8:30 but still stayed at the table until after Illuminations.

 

[Fredd's Girl]

If you are seating inside is there a spot to go outside to watch and then move back to your table?

We were there Dec 2005 and sat inside. They do let you go out on the patio and watch Illuminations from there. We unfortunately were there on a night when the wind was moving towards the patio. We didn't see alot of Illuminations, just smoke. We went back to our table fairly quickly.

 

[Eljay]

Dress warmly! They usually have the portable heaters outside, but it can get very nippy by the water at night!

 

[belle_fan]

We have dining reservations at Corral Reef. Does anyone know if it's possible to do an ADR for Rose & Crown if we only plan on eating dessert there?

Or does anyone have suggestions for other viewing areas? I have three very young children so I want to avoid hunting down a viewing spot 2 hours in advance

 

[schoen]

Last December my husband and I decided at the last minute to see if we could get into the Rose and Crown. We asked at the podium at about 8:30. We were not able to sit outside, but we ordered a couple small dishes and when the show started we were told we could go outside on their patio and watch. It was totally blocked off, so only restaurant customers could use the area. We would have prefered to sit and nosh on our food during the show, but our dessert was waiting for us when we got back!

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

If you are seating inside is there a spot to go outside to watch and then move back to your table?

Yes. There is a private viewing spot for Illuminations that is not available to the public as it is reserved for Rose & Crown dining room guests only. That's where we watched it from on our final night at WDW.

 

[bicker]

We've been very lucky, being given a patio table with a view of the show three times out of the eight times we've had dinner at Rose and Crown during the show. I wouldn't count on it though. Only 30% of the tables have a view, and as others have indicated, almost every guest is eating there specifically because they want a chance at one of those coveted tables. If standing in the back of the patio during the show won't be good enough for your, steer clear of Rose and Crown during Illuminations.

 

[kidd_freeper]

Going with friends in Feb to Disney...Friend suggests watching Illuminations from the Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom pavillion...anyone have any thoughts or experiences? Thanks

Yes - a great spot to watch the fireworks from. I did this once with my wife in 2002. I think we had 7:30 pm ADRs. Took a while to get seated. We requested an outside seat (we were told that they could not guarantee it) and we were given an outside seat. Food was above-average and we had a good waiter.

They turn off most of the lights during the show. In addition to being a great viewing location, we were able to eat desert and have drinks by the light of the fireworks (very cool), without the crowds.

We finished our meal well after the park had closed and we were able to leave with nearly no other people around. There is some very nice background music that plays that I normally never hear. We had a nice slow walk out of the park with the lights reflecting off the lake.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We have been lucky twice and for most of us the experience was wonderful. Just a warning if you have small children, the 1st time we watched from the patio my DD was only 2 and she was scared to death of the noise!!! I felt terrible (bad mom decision) as I didn't even think about how loud it would be! She wouldn't have anything to do with fireworks for the next year.

Now she is 6 and we felt safe trying it again this year. It was great! She was even asked to start the fireworks at the Rose and Crown. She still talks about it months later. I didn't even know they did that, but it was really special. And best of all I no longer feel badly about the first experience there!

 

[Ghost]

I have been very lucky when I was there with a friend. We got to sit outside on one of the tables for two persons. Those are along the side of the water. One of the best views I ever had… I love Illuminations