Rumors of Light (ROL discussion thread)

[HopperFan]

LOUNGERS heads up in case this kicks in, be prepared .....

RUMOR: From WDWNT

Magic Kingdom Security to be Restructured, Screening for Most Moving to TTC and Resort Hotels

By Tom Corless

It seems as though Disney may be trying to create a better guest flow at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom by moving the security perimeter of the park further out.

If all goes according to rumored plans, guests parking at the Transportation and Ticket Center will go through security bag check and metal detectors after they exit the parking lot trams, but before the board any monorails or a ferryboat to the park. These guests will then be able to walk directly to the Magic Kingdom turnstiles (or touch points as the kids call them these days) once disembarking at the park’s monorail station or ferryboat dock.

Supposedly, this would lead to security screening areas being added at the various monorail platforms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Guests taking a bus or resort launch to the Magic Kingdom would still be screened just outside of the park at new checkpoints. Guests walking over from Disney’s Contemporary Resort on the small walkway between the hotel and the Magic Kingdom will also have their own checkpoint (which is already being done at select times of the day).

Disney has not yet made any comment about the changes, so they are simply in the realm of rumor for now. However, recent construction work being conducted at the Transportation and Ticket Center and at the Magic Kingdom park entrance are pointing towards the change. It is unknown when the changes would take place, if they ever do materialize.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/03/rumor...tructured-screening-moving-ttc-resort-hotels/

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Oh c'mon, I have bigger things to worry about! Like trying to find a FP for the early ROL sometime the first week of April! I don't have an AK evening planned so far but trying to decide if it's worth dragging the family or maybe just DS over one night for the late show.

I haven't had the heart to check the official ROL thread to see how things are going lately crowd-wise.

If I don't make it that week that will be two trips where I could have done ROL but didn't. SAD!

 

[pepperandchips]

trying to decide if it's worth dragging the family or maybe just DS over one night for the late show.

As someone who a.) has been to see ROL b.) is a fellow Georgian and c.) appreciates your taste in both the wilderness lodge and CL, I say yes. See it at the second show. And if you see it at the second show on Sunday the second I'll see you there! (See what I did there?)

 

[GADisneyDad14]

As someone who a.) has been to see ROL b.) is a fellow Georgian and c.) appreciates your taste in both the wilderness lodge and CL, I say yes. See it at the second show. And if you see it at the second show on Sunday the second I'll see you there! (See what I did there?)

LOL! Too funny.


That Sunday is our AK day actually (Sunday Funday!), but not sure if staying late is in the cards. As much as I'd like to push and keep DD out late, I'll pay for it later in the trip! But maybe DS and I can sneak out!

BTW - Bad storms tonight. I'm sitting here with no power!

 

[disneymath]

So this is so far off topic that's it's not even on Disney property ... but I have to pass the time waiting for the July/August RoL dining package release somehow ...

Have any of you loungers been to Capone's dinner & show in Kissimmee? If so, would you recommend it? We would have a 10 yo and twin 8 yos with us (all boys). We did the Pirate Adventure dinner show in Anaheim a few years ago and we all really enjoyed it. (We enjoy SoA and HDDR, but are looking for something different this time.)

 

[pepperandchips]

We have power but the wind sounds something fierce. Stay safe!

I loved rivers of light but I'm a Disney nerd and probably one of those kool-aid optimists. AK is my favorite park so I was/am excited to see something new there. And for what it's worth, I actually liked the Jungle Book show and would like to see it again (which shows you how bad my taste might be). We have made next to no plans for our trip (my partner is a teacher and it's his spring break the first week of April, guessing that's popular for our area) and we are just kinda winging it, except I did make fastpasses for AK the evening of April 2, just to show where it ranks on my scale of importance. I can totally see not bringing or keeping kids out late for it though, but it sounds like a fun Dad-Son secret mission!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We have power but the wind sounds something fierce. Stay safe!

I loved rivers of light but I'm a Disney nerd and probably one of those kool-aid optimists. AK is my favorite park so I was/am excited to see something new there. And for what it's worth, I actually liked the Jungle Book show and would like to see it again (which shows you how bad my taste might be). We have made next to no plans for our trip (my partner is a teacher and it's his spring break the first week of April, guessing that's popular for our area) and we are just kinda winging it, except I did make fastpasses for AK the evening of April 2, just to show where it ranks on my scale of importance. I can totally see not bringing or keeping kids out late for it though, but it sounds like a fun Dad-Son secret mission!

Yep - spring break for us too. I suspect there will be a big GA crew there that week!

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I really liked Jungle Book too. DS and I saw it last July and had hands down THE best Disney night we had last year. It was just one of those random, somewhat unplanned magical Disney nights.

I think the park was open pretty late - like 11PM? It was during that late night stretch last summer. The combination of everything - Jungle Book, the Tree Awakenings, the various entertainment around, the SUPER low crowds - it all made for a fantastic evening in my book.

DS got up enough courage to ride EE that night too, and now it's his favorite ride! Ahh, the small Disney things.

In some ways I'm so glad I got to experience that brief moment in AK's history because I suspect with ROL, Pandora, etc, it won't be like that ever again.

 

[ArielSRL]

BTW - Bad storms tonight. I'm sitting here with no power!

We never lost power (I'm in Gwinnett) but it sounded crazy out there!

 

[ArielSRL]

it's his spring break the first week of April, guessing that's popular for our area)

Yep - spring break for us too. I suspect there will be a big GA crew there that week!

Yep, for us in Gwinnett, too. Being a teacher I'm off but DH is not. We were supposed to visit friends in Pensacola Beach but he can't get off (too many others requested it) and I'm not ready to take a 5&3 year old on a 6 hour car trip. I'll save it for next year maybe.

I did spring break at Disney once. I know it had to be busy but I don't remember much about it. I did a cruise that week once as well and just remember the driving to FL took forever bc of all the traffic coming from Atlanta! We just sat on the interstate several times. No moving at all! It was ugly.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yep, for us in Gwinnett, too. Being a teacher I'm off but DH is not. We were supposed to visit friends in Pensacola Beach but he can't get off (too many others requested it) and I'm not ready to take a 5&3 year old on a 6 hour car trip. I'll save it for next year maybe.

I did spring break at Disney once. I know it had to be busy but I don't remember much about it. I did a cruise that week once as well and just remember the driving to FL took forever bc of all the traffic coming from Atlanta! We just sat on the interstate several times. No moving at all! It was ugly.

Yeah, I'm a little bit scarred about going during 'real' spring break time to be honest! This is our first year having to live with the school calender, prior to this we've been able to steer towards slightly off-peak times, to the extent those even exist.

But, I'm not one to complain about crowds and feel we can handle whatever Disney throws at us! Bring it!

That I-75 traffic is no bueno, even with those new express lanes.

 

[pepperandchips]

Yep - spring break for us too. I suspect there will be a big GA crew there that week!

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I really liked Jungle Book too. DS and I saw it last July and had hands down THE best Disney night we had last year. It was just one of those random, somewhat unplanned magical Disney nights.

I think the park was open pretty late - like 11PM? It was during that late night stretch last summer. The combination of everything - Jungle Book, the Tree Awakenings, the various entertainment around, the SUPER low crowds - it all made for a fantastic evening in my book.

DS got up enough courage to ride EE that night too, and now it's his favorite ride! Ahh, the small Disney things.

In some ways I'm so glad I got to experience that brief moment in AK's history because I suspect with ROL, Pandora, etc, it won't be like that ever again.

Sniffle. I love this! It's why I love Animal Kingdom so much -- constant surprise. I don't know that Rivers of Light will do for AK what the execs are hoping but I think Pandora might. Kinda weird to see "my" park getting some love these days.

the driving to FL took forever bc of all the traffic coming from Atlanta! We just sat on the interstate several times. No moving at all! It was ugly.

Nooooo. You hush, Renee! We are leaving after work next Friday and I highly suspect traffic will be a mess until well past Eagle's Landing. Ugh. Forgot about that!

 

[ArielSRL]

Nooooo. You hush, Renee! We are leaving after work next Friday and I highly suspect traffic will be a mess until well past Eagle's Landing. Ugh. Forgot about that!

I know! I hated to even type that and be a Debbie Downer but I thought I should prepare you. However, we drove on a Saturday so maybe Friday won't be as bad?? I know we are actually out on Friday 3/31, so Gwinnettians may head out Thursday night or Friday morning.

 

[ArielSRL]

Yeah, I'm a little bit scarred about going during 'real' spring break time to be honest! This is our first year having to live with the school calender, prior to this we've been able to steer towards slightly off-peak times, to the extent those even exist.

But, I'm not one to complain about crowds and feel we can handle whatever Disney throws at us! Bring it!

That I-75 traffic is no bueno, even with those new express lanes.

Hopefully it won't be terrible this year but if leaving Saturday, I'd probably try to leave as early as you can make it.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hopefully it won't be terrible this year but if leaving Saturday, I'd probably try to leave as early as you can make it.

Fortunately Delta will be taking me high above that stretch of road!

 

[ArielSRL]

Fortunately Delta will be taking me high above that stretch of road!

Smart move!

 

[HopperFan]

@ArielSRL @GADisneyDad14 @pepperandchips

Well last night the the Devil surely went down to Georgia. I can't remember the last time we headed down to the basement. We laughed that DS1 grabbed his pizza to take with him. We had a few distant explosions, lost power, wind crazy, recycling all over the front yard and no idea how it got way in back yard, blew furniture off one deck, took off hot tub lid, strangely colored sky and pouring rain.In first lull DS2 disconnected garage door opener to get my new car inside - family in N GA all got hail. Bit crazy. After two hours and a couple camping lights we called it a night and went to bed.

5-6 hours no power and of course when it comes on lots of beeping, whirring, house lit up like christmas tree, computers on, all tvs on. I wandered the house shutting everything down.

We are going that week too even though I swore NEVER AGAIN. I have been giddy with all these reports of crowds hoping most are not out our famous Georgia week. Maybe we will get lucky guys as I think a poll awhile back didn't post us as one of the more popular ones this year. BUT I'm not going until Sunday to avoid the traffic and weekend Disney rates - and coming back before the next weekend for same reasons. But I don't rule out using my Sunpass on the Eagles Landing speed lanes, cost of sanity. It has been better since they got rid of the invisible naked dancing ladies in the median but still a pain.

Hope you get your FP+ 'cause everyone should see it once. But I tell you if it's not in the cards, head over early to Flame Tree, grab some food and drinks and have a seat. I loved it from back there, better than from the stands.

For your Wednesday entertainment pleasure -

So this is so far off topic that's it's not even on Disney property ... but I have to pass the time waiting for the July/August RoL dining package release somehow ...

Have any of you loungers been to Capone's dinner & show in Kissimmee? If so, would you recommend it? We would have a 10 yo and twin 8 yos with us (all boys). We did the Pirate Adventure dinner show in Anaheim a few years ago and we all really enjoyed it. (We enjoy SoA and HDDR, but are looking for something different this time.)

Never tried that one. Do your kids understand gangsters? And search all over for a groupon or discount ticket. That's how we did Pirates and Arabian nights.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

What is this nonsense I just read about rumored AP soft dates for Pandora April 8 or 9th, the day after I leave!?!?!? Argh! Don't tempt me to add days Disney!!!!

 

[HopperFan]

What is this nonsense I just read about rumored AP soft dates for Pandora April 8 or 9th, the day after I leave!?!?!? Argh! Don't tempt me to add days Disney!!!!

Where did you get those dates? I've only seen one poster with inside info and those dates don't match up.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Not one of my favorite bloggers out there so hate to even post the link, but: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/03/break...gin-soon-pandora-world-avatar-dates-revealed/

 

[HopperFan]

Not one of my favorite bloggers out there so hate to even post the link, but: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/03/break...gin-soon-pandora-world-avatar-dates-revealed/

Okay .... thinking out loud.

I get that they are not your favorite blogger. They have often put some things out there not quite right (and they aren't the only one) but I at least appreciate they are not (trying to figure out how to say this nicely) ... one of those that kiss up to Disney ... like a couple other BIG ones.

The positive I read in to this is they would ban electronics (been through that for movie screenings) so that gives more credence to me. When I read your post I was thinking that was way too early when you are planning a Media Event prior to it's opening. They aren't going to let those guys get scooped.

The other dates I heard were closer to 22nd/18th .... DS and I had discussed how will they handle the huge numbers of AP holders with only a couple dates? Having multiple dates helps and we had also discussed there would have to be a sign up with capped capacity. This plays in to that.

We shall see, but if the land is close to done, it really would be a huge bone to toss out there to allow AP folks a first look.

I leave two days before those dates too, but I'd be happy to drive back down for later dates.