Rose and Crown PS

[debkorb1]

I have a Rose and Crown PS for 7.30 on July 3rd - how likely am I to get a seat on the patio for illuminations and how do I maximise those chances (the Disney folks wouldn't let me make a reservation on the phone)? If I can't get one will it do they let you linger until 9 and then allow you to step outside?

 

[Antonia]

My husband charmed the hostess and we got outside seating. If you have a husband like that and the hostess is a female, send him to the podium and you stand somewhere else. It works all the time.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

We were at RC on Sunday and everyone that went to the podium asked for outside seating. There were allot of disappointed people and one woman really gave the CM a hard time.

They won't let you wait for outside seating. We were outside but the view was terrible. If I were there for Illuminations I would have been terrible unhappy.

The best advice I can give you is don't expect the water view seats and maybe you will be lucky but if not don't let it ruin your evening.

Have a great trip!

 

[Dalpal]

I am going to make two differnt PSs. If I cant get outside seating Ill go to the other restruant. The only reason I like to go to the R&C is the seating.

 

[debkorb1]

I think I'll get there about 20 minutes early and see what happens. If it seems that I am not going to get to see Illuminations from the patio at all, I'll speed up the meal and leave by about 8.30. I may not get the best view but I think I'll be able to find somewhere acceptable half an hour before!

 

[eleanor]

The bridge between England and France gives a great view of Illuminations.We usually watch it there.

 

[kilee]

That's an awfully long time span. This happened to us at Ohana's in March. We made a 8pm PS (not for wishes but to eat!!) Anyhow we didn't get seated until quarter after 9pm because they said they had people holding onto their 6pm tables for 8pm Wishes and it backed them up incredibly terrible!!

I wonder if WDW has actually ever asked anyone to leave that is just lingering and holding onto a table for these purposes--- anyone know?

 

[debkorb1]

Originally posted by kilee
That's an awfully long time span. This happened to us at Ohana's in March. We made a 8pm PS (not for wishes but to eat!!) Anyhow we didn't get seated until quarter after 9pm because they said they had people holding onto their 6pm tables for 8pm Wishes and it backed them up incredibly terrible!!

I wonder if WDW has actually ever asked anyone to leave that is just lingering and holding onto a table for these purposes--- anyone know?

I suppose with the customer service ethic of the US (particularly in Disney) asking someone to leave is not going to happen that often. Taking away somebody's chance to see Wishes from Ohana's is going to leave them VERY grumpy. That said to hold a table for two hours is a bit unfair to the diners behind you and isn't going to leave your waiting customers with a smile on their face.

I do think, however, that the Rose and Crown/Illuminations scenario is different and less likely to be a problem than the one you encountered. Firstly, Ohana's is open much later than the Rose and Crown and secondly Wishes was earlier than Illuminations = a much bigger chance for a backlog.

Those sitting down at 6.00/6.30 at the Rose and Crown cannot wait nearly 3 hours for Illumunations and will therefore have to leave long before the show to find a good spoot. Also, no-one can really start a meal much after 8 at the R and C, so you're looking at a very small window for a backlog to open (really from 7 to 7.45). At Ohana's the backlog window for an 8 O'clock Wishes could open at 6 and keep building until 7.45 and since it stays open so much later it will affect people all the way until 10 or beyond.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Originally posted by debkorb1
If I can't get one will it do they let you linger until 9 and then allow you to step outside?

I'd really like to hear an answer to this. They were doing this when I was there in December, and I'm wondering if this is the norm. I had 8:00 PS, was seated inside (across from the window), but when Illuminations started, those of us inside were invited outside. We stood by the building wall, but there was no one in front of us, and it's a step or two down to the patio, so I had an unobstructed view of Illuminations. Just had to tell the server I was going to go outside to watch Illuminations and would be back. Otherwise he would have cleared my half-eaten dessert! Considering the fact that it was a chilly night, I would just as soon do this as eat on the patio-those people must have been cold!

 

[debkorb1]

Originally posted by Simba's Mom
I'd really like to hear an answer to this. They were doing this when I was there in December, and I'm wondering if this is the norm. I had 8:00 PS, was seated inside (across from the window), but when Illuminations started, those of us inside were invited outside. We stood by the building wall, but there was no one in front of us, and it's a step or two down to the patio, so I had an unobstructed view of Illuminations. Just had to tell the server I was going to go outside to watch Illuminations and would be back. Otherwise he would have cleared my half-eaten dessert! Considering the fact that it was a chilly night, I would just as soon do this as eat on the patio-those people must have been cold!

The Unoffical Guide says you can do this - that's why I've booked for 7.30 - if I can't get a seat on the patio I'd like to at least stand out there. I have, however, heard others say you aren't allowed outside! As ever with Disney always a million different experiences

 

[chessie]

We had a late seating at RC after the CP. Our server asked if we would be staying for illuminations. He said at the appropriate time he would take us to a special viewing area that was just for their dinner guests. There was one other table and us. It was a spectacular view. We had our fingers crossed for outside but this was even better. It was a fairly cold night. We ate comfortably and still had a wonderful view of illuminations.

 

[snowglobe girl]

We tried to do that last year. I made PS reservations at RC for the last seating time of the night and requested patio - four months in advance! I even stopped by the day before and again requested patio...well, as someone stated earlier - everyone was requesting patio and one woman was throwing a fit on the CM because they weren't going to seat her family at the patio. I felt sorry for the CM. We didn't get seated on the patio, but were put at a table against the window facing the lake. At the time of fireworks, CMs told us that we were welcome to go out on the patio to watch fireworks. We watched most of them from our table - but being inside causes you to miss a lot of it that goes high up into the air. We walked out for the last of the show, but it was too crowded out there to see anything. Made me wonder if I would have wanted to sit out there anyway since they let everyone dining inside go out on the patio while people sitting out there are being crowded by everyone else.