ROL disappointing!

[Tuffcookie]

Okay, we are on our way home from our WDW trip this year. I was so looking forward to seeing ROL since it took so long to open. I booked the dinner pkg. just to make sure we would have a good seat. The show, IMHO, consisted of some hokie looking water lilly floats, a couple of boats, and some hard to see video. I couldn't understand who was on the boats or what their purpose was. I thought they couldn't have fireworks because of the animals, yet we clearly heard the fireworks from either Illuminations or the Star Wars fireworks over at Hollywood Studios. This is a once only attraction for us!

TC

 

[tink2007]

Okay, we are on our way home from our WDW trip this year. I was so looking forward to seeing ROL since it took so long to open. I booked the dinner pkg. just to make sure we would have a good seat. The show, IMHO, consisted of some hokie looking water lilly floats, a couple of boats, and some hard to see video. I couldn't understand who was on the boats or what their purpose was. I thought they couldn't have fireworks because of the animals, yet we clearly heard the fireworks from either Illuminations or the Star Wars fireworks over at Hollywood Studios. This is a once only attraction for us!

TC

My husband and I did the same thing. We did the dinner package just so we could get priemium seating. I thought the water show was pretty but really didn't get into the music or story line. We both said it was defiantly a one time thing.

 

[adamreisinger]

I saw it for the first time this past Friday. I thought it was good, but would definitely rank at the bottom of the WDW nighttime shows if I was forced to pick one on any given night. The projection effects against the wall of water reminded me of World of Color at DL, but that show has a definite Disney theme, where it was kind of hard to tell what they were going for at times during RoL.

 

[TCRAIG]

Okay, we are on our way home from our WDW trip this year. I was so looking forward to seeing ROL since it took so long to open. I booked the dinner pkg. just to make sure we would have a good seat. The show, IMHO, consisted of some hokie looking water lilly floats, a couple of boats, and some hard to see video. I couldn't understand who was on the boats or what their purpose was. I thought they couldn't have fireworks because of the animals, yet we clearly heard the fireworks from either Illuminations or the Star Wars fireworks over at Hollywood Studios. This is a once only attraction for us!

TC

Us too - a one and done attraction with very uncomfortable seats...

 

[randumb0]

That's unfortunate. I love it

 

[Thing 1]

It was just ok in my opinion. Once and done for us.

 

[North of Mouse]

That's unfortunate. I love it

This! Sorry, OP that you didn't enjoy it. We just returned and saw it twice! Loved, loved it!! Next to MK, our favorite night time show. Like all the night time shows, it's the waits that are horrible - whether standing, or sitting - even with FP, or dinner pass. That would be the only thing that would keep me from wanting to see it more often.

 

[oufpat]

I saw it for the first time last week with a FP. I was underwhelmed and don't think I'd waste a FP on it again.

 

[CAS239]

Wife and I didn't like it either. It was definitely a one and done to us just like the Nemo show.

I used to have Illuminations at the bottom of night time Disney shows, but RoL now took that spot. It's not awful, but I wouldn't wait more than 5-10 min for it

 

[linzbear]

Whole family loved it, except for the sardine-like seating.

I think this is an expectation vs reality thing. It was never meant to be a top tier nighttime show - the theatre is smaller than Fantasmic!

 

[JETSDAD]

We thought it was alright but probably wouldn't bother watching it again. We preferred the Tree of Life Awakenings over ROL.

 

[DOOM1001]

Happily Ever After 9.5
Illuminations 9.1
Wishes 8.8
Star Wars a Galactic Spectacular 8.3
Fantasmic 7.4
Rivers of Light 5.1

 

[smidgy]

throw us into the VERY DISAPPOINTED. I understand they can't have fireworks because of the animals. but don't try to tease us with "nighttime shows". it was very blah. and Disney's latest "trend".. the Projections. we hate them... esp on the water screens. you can barely see them. (not much better on the castle either) stop trying to save money

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I saw it in March and was also quite disappointed after it was so far behind schedule and didn't open in time for my previous two trips. The delays only raised expectations, later to be dashed. I understood ahead of time there wouldn't be fireworks, but even so there was just nothing else in the show as any type of "wow" moment. Not sure what the whole point of this show was. If I had to describe this show in a word it would be "underwhelming".

 

[DisneyDad2015]

Saw ROL for the first time at the beginning of this month and my wife and I were also extremely underwhelmed by it. By far my least favorite of the night time shows. I also kept asking myself the question, what in this show is so special that it caused it to be delayed by almost a year, and why couldn't they have made it better during that amount of time? Maybe we just expect too much out of Disney these days?

 

[KristinU]

Different strokes. I thought it was beautiful and have another dining package booked for our next visit. My whole family enjoyed it, and that includes my saucy, thrill-seeking 13 year old DS.

 

[Delirium]

I've never understood the 'one time only' reaction. There are numerous rides/shows/attractions at Disney where the experience has been different depending on the circumstances of that particular point and time on that particular day.

For example, we have seen Fantasmic! several times over the years. Some of the showings have been just okay. A couple were tainted by weather, but most were not. But, one particular showing stands out as one of the more memorable experiences we ever had a Disney. It wasn't our first, and it wasn't our most recent. Just one showing among many. Maybe it was the age of the kids. Maybe it was the crowd that night. Maybe we simply had a great day as a family. I don't know the 'why' that it was special. I just know that it was. And, it's a memory we will have forever.

If we had taken the 'been there, done that' attitude towards the show, we would have missed out on one of the very best family moments we've ever had.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I've only seen it once. I thought that it was visually appealing and very beautiful with all the lighted floating flowers and animals and such, and I enjoyed the water spray projections and thought that they were quite well done, as I could recognize most of what was projected. But what it lacked for me was any sense of a storyline. I think perhaps there was supposed to be one, but, if there was, it escaped me. If there were a more well defined story that one could see developing and progressing throughout the show, it would be more appealing for me. I agree with most of the posters that it is certainly not the most impressive night show at the parks by any means. I did enjoy it and I would see it again if it fit into my schedule and I could get in without a substantial wait, perhaps with a FP+, but I wouldn't spend the money on a dinner package or stand in a long line. I also agree with the previous poster that it may take more than one viewing for the show to really grow on you, and I'll undoubtedly give it another shot.

 

[cabloom]

We liked it we saw it twice on our recent trip. Is it our favorite? No, but the colors and music were beautiful, and it was nice to be able to sit for a nighttime show. It's not an "exciting" show, but we thought it was a perfect fit for the park. We definitely enjoyed it more than we've ever enjoyed Fantasmic (I've never understood the popularity of that one) and we'll make it a point to see it every trip. Just goes to show how different people like different things!

 

[Minnesota!]

I am so torn on what to do. We had a dining package for ROL, but do I really want to spend the extra money to see a "eh" show? Plus, having to PLAN to be in the park at night. I love AK at night, but we kinda fly by the seat of our pants on WDW vacations, so "HAVING" to be somewhere stresses me out.