ROL vs WOC? Anyone seen both?

[gottalovepluto]

I'm a Disneyland vet so I'm very familiar with WOC and have come to love it with the addition of the desert party seating! I was shocked to find out ROL is 15 mins long? (Is this right?) I was really excited for ROL thinking it's a very plused up version of WOC just with animal projections & people dancing on floats. I'm really concerned now it's the sort of show you just start getting into and then it ends... I'm trying not to watch a YouTube video and have the whole thing spoiled but do I need to adjust my expectations down? (I'm trying to decide if a dining package will be "worth it" to my family.)

 

[subtchr]

I have seen (and tremendously enjoyed) both. I don't think of RoL as a "plussed up version of WoC". It stands on its own as a beautiful, moving, mesmerizing show in an incredible setting.

I did the WoC dessert party last spring, then saw it again a couple months ago with a FP. I LOVED the dessert party viewing, but the FP area was so packed, if you weren't there early and right up at the fence (with a high probability of getting wet), it really detracted from the viewing experience.

I had a FP for RoL and felt I had a perfect view. They have learned from their other shows in the design of the viewing area. The music, the lights, the fountains, and the water screens are all wonderful. I'm actually not usually a fan of the screens much in Fantasmic and WoC, but with RoL they do some things with them that are just amazing.

Try not to set a comparative expectation -- take it for what it is, a new experience. If there is a restaurant you would consider visiting even without the RoL package, then do the package. If not, get a FP. But don't miss the show!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I have seen (and tremendously enjoyed) both. I don't think of RoL as a "plussed up version of WoC". It stands on its own as a beautiful, moving, mesmerizing show in an incredible setting.

I did the WoC dessert party last spring, then saw it again a couple months ago with a FP. I LOVED the dessert party viewing, but the FP area was so packed, if you weren't there early and right up at the fence (with a high probability of getting wet), it really detracted from the viewing experience.

I had a FP for RoL and felt I had a perfect view. They have learned from their other shows in the design of the viewing area. The music, the lights, the fountains, and the water screens are all wonderful. I'm actually not usually a fan of the screens much in Fantasmic and WoC, but with RoL they do some things with them that are just amazing.

Try not to set a comparative expectation -- take it for what it is, a new experience. If there is a restaurant you would consider visiting even without the RoL package, then do the package. If not, get a FP. But don't miss the show!

Ah! Stop comparing them & take them as different experiences? THAT makes sense! Thank you! Yeah, we're already considering a couple of the dining package restaurants so I'm thinking of wrapping it into a package & then I started second guessing myself & found myself here!

 

[rteetz]

I haven't seen either but personally I don't think they should be compared. They are not meant to be like each other. Yes they both have fountains, fire, and projections but they are two completely different shows.

 

[Accident]

ROL is nice but if you know WOC you'll probably like that one more. They are different (to a degree) but if both was at WDW, I'd say WOC over ROL but it's not so enjoy ROL!

 

[NDFamily]

I've seen both and while they are different, I couldn't help but compare them. WOC is much better imo. ROL is worth seeing once, it's entertaining and by no means bad however for our family it's not something we are going to try and see again. WOC is something we all loved and wouldn't mind seeing more than once.

 

[Brian Noble]

I've also seen both. I think both stand on their own merits. The show pieces in RoL can move, which adds significantly to the overall experience. There are only four-ish performers, and they are important but not necessarily a highlight. RoL did not feel too short to me---unlike WoC (or Fantasmic) it is not trying to tell a sequence of individual stories, which just takes more time to do.

For WoC, the only decent way to see it is via the dessert package because, as noted, the viewing area really isn't designed well. That's been corrected for RoL. I suspect as long as you have a seat somewhere in the theater, it would be fine. So, an FP+ is certainly an option, and standby could be too, particularly for the second show which is likely to be less popular. A dinner package would be fine if you are already eating at one of the package places, but even then it might be better to just FP+ it. We had lunch at Tiffins, using the tasting menu, and with an additional app, drinks + dessert still spent quite a bit less than the package would have run.

 

[4Hawks]

Newbie here. What's WOC? Also, we haven't been to AK in a while, but don't these shows happen on the river where everyone can see them?

 

[pmaurer74]

Newbie here. What's WOC? Also, we haven't been to AK in a while, but don't these shows happen on the river where everyone can see them?

World of Color at California Adventure Park in Disneyland.

 

[HydroGuy]

I saw ROL tonight. I just wrote up some thoughts on the "Official" ROL thread and happened to discuss WOC. Here is a link:

We saw ROL tonight using FP. We arrived to the FP entrance at about 6:40PM for a 7:15 show. The viewing area was more full than I was expecting - probably 80% full. There were just two of us and we got good seats about half way up on wooden benches. We could have had spots on the concrete seats a few rows down but opted for the wooden ones. If I had to do it again I would arrive by 6:30 even though things worked out fine for us. As others have said, there do not appear to be any bad seats. Obviously, each night can be different so YMMV. Once they add two shows starting March 11 it would seem that will also change things. As others have noted Pandora's opening will change things.

FWIW, I liked the show and thought it fit really well with the whole DAK theme. Yes, there is no story but that is fine with me as the show worked for me. DW did not like it as much and thought it was hard to see the projections on the water screens. Next time we come I suspect it will not be a must-do but I would still like to see it again.

For anyone comparing ROL to World of Color at DLR, they are not really comparable. ROL has more in common with Illuminations than WOC IMO. WOC has several versions and they have now returned to the original version which is by far the best. If anyone compares ROL to WOC please find out which version of WOC they are talking about. WOC is based squarely and almost completely on Disney characters. ROL takes a different approach and like Illuminations does not involve Disney characters. The theme is more a celebration of the world. Illuminations is more about celebrating people and nations, while ROL is of course about nature and the animal kingdom.

Even though WOC and ROL are not comparable, I can compare how I felt about both at first showing. WOC absolutely blew me away and everyone in my family. ROL did not. It felt good and uplifting. But it did not blow me away. Even so, a show like WOC would not work at AK IMO. ROL works at AK. So to some degree comparing ROL to WOC is like comparing apples and oranges.

 

[CAS239]

Newbie here. What's WOC? Also, we haven't been to AK in a while, but don't these shows happen on the river where everyone can see them?

Somewhat. There's a few spots around the water where you can view the show, but only a few and people stand there quite a but ahead of time too. There's walls and structures all around the water (always been there) so majority of the view to the water is blocked

 

[NDFamily]

I saw ROL tonight. I just wrote up some thoughts on the "Official" ROL thread and happened to discuss WOC. Here is a link:

I've only seen the original WOC. I compare them because they utilize the same basis, a water based show. WOC has more clear pictures and better images imo. Like your wife, I struggled to see quite a bit of the show well. WOC from a technical aspect is better put together and leads to a better experience imo. There were entire chunks of images missing from our ROL experience due to water not connecting or spraying where it was supposed to. WOC did not have these issues when I saw it which was also when it first opened.

 

[KalamityJane]

I saw ROL tonight. I just wrote up some thoughts on the "Official" ROL thread and happened to discuss WOC. Here is a link:

Thanks for your review, we adore WoC and it blew me away (honestly, I had tears during both the 60th anniversary one and the original). I will try to not compare when we see RoL <3

 

[bumbershoot]

ROL has more in common with Illuminations

Ah well I'm out then. I've seen Illuminations a few times and have yet to enjoy it! (of course, apart from the free DVC member event late February I haven't been in a WDW park since January 2015 as far as I can recall, so it's not like I'm pummeling down the gates to get in anyway)

 

[HydroGuy]

I've only seen the original WOC. I compare them because they utilize the same basis, a water based show. WOC has more clear pictures and better images imo. Like your wife, I struggled to see quite a bit of the show well. WOC from a technical aspect is better put together and leads to a better experience imo. There were entire chunks of images missing from our ROL experience due to water not connecting or spraying where it was supposed to. WOC did not have these issues when I saw it which was also when it first opened.

For sure. Yes ROL and WOC are water based, but WOC does not have any floats or live people. Fantasmic has floats and live people and water screens, so ROL is closer to Fantasmic to WOC in that regard. On the other hand, Fantasmic and WOC are based on Disney characters and stories, while ROL (and Illuminations) are not. It gets to a point that we are talking about apples, oranges, grapes and bananas.

As I mentioned earlier, from a "Wow" factor, WOC and Fantasmic beat ROL. But as I also said, I am not sure if a WOC (or Fantasmic) type show would work as well at AK while ROL works.