Rumors of Light (ROL discussion thread)

[MMlovesDisney]

Since there is no ROL news to discuss, I wanted to ask for some advice on one of my ADR's. I had scheduled my Fantasmic package for lunch at Hollywood & Vine months ago for my family of 4. When looking over my itinerary I realized that at lunch time they have the Disney Jr. characters and not Mickey, Minnie, & friends. Big oversight on my part. I spoke with my kids (DD8 & DS12) and they had no interest in the Disney Jr. character buffet. Of course at this point all the dinners were all booked up, but I managed to get 2 tables for 2, only 5 minutes apart. My question is, do you think there is any way I could get H&V to make that 1 table of 4? Or at least seat us in the same general area? Has anyone done something similar to this?

 

[Paigevon]

Since there is no ROL news to discuss, I wanted to ask for some advice on one of my ADR's. I had scheduled my Fantasmic package for lunch at Hollywood & Vine months ago for my family of 4. When looking over my itinerary I realized that at lunch time they have the Disney Jr. characters and not Mickey, Minnie, & friends. Big oversight on my part. I spoke with my kids (DD8 & DS12) and they had no interest in the Disney Jr. character buffet. Of course at this point all the dinners were all booked up, but I managed to get 2 tables for 2, only 5 minutes apart. My question is, do you think there is any way I could get H&V to make that 1 table of 4? Or at least seat us in the same general area? Has anyone done something similar to this?

I would arrive quite early to explain the situation and request it, but know there is a chance they won't be able to honor the request. Have you considered Garden Grill, Cape May Cafe breakfast or Tusker House? There are still a few spots available for a party of 6 on my trip when I was looking around dining yesterday so maybe you'd have some luck if you're interested.

 

[lovethattink]

I was hoping this was the day!

My son was in Shrek the Musical this past summer. This wait is feeling like the tower scene with little, middle and big Fiona!!

 

[MMlovesDisney]

I would arrive quite early to explain the situation and request it, but know there is a chance they won't be able to honor the request. Have you considered Garden Grill, Cape May Cafe breakfast or Tusker House? There are still a few spots available for a party of 6 on my trip when I was looking around dining yesterday so maybe you'd have some luck if you're interested.

I was planning on walking up early to ask, but I have no expectations of being accommodated. My kids said they would rather sit separate at this dinner then together at the Disney Jr lunch. My DH says whatever they prefer. I'm sure we can get reservations elsewhere, but this is our HS day and we don't do parkhoppers. We specifically wanted the Fantasmic package and the characters are an added bonus. We have the DDP so I see this as a good bang for the buck, so to speak.

 

[KMWoolley]

I feel the need to comment against all the negativity about having to plan to the greatest detail for Disney vacations. Quite simply, you do not have to. I do it so my family has the best chance of doing all the things that are important to them. Yes, it limits spontaneity, but with only 3 secured Fast passes, it's not like my entire day is scripted.
FP+ versus the first of Fastpass system isn't even close. Here is my old 'rope drop' at HS...Travel with the throngs of people to TSMM, get the family in line, grab cards and print Fastpasses (usually for within 30 mins), join the family (get dirty looks as a line-cutter), ride, run like mad to ToT and print Fastpasses as soon as my other time window opens, run back to TSMM, ride again, then off to next ride. I know I'm not the only one.
The new way is so much better. Does it require more planning? Of course. The reason isn't because Disney has a bad system, it's because demand is high. I don't get mad at Disney for 'forcing' me to plan way in advance, as it truly is my choice. What I get mad at is when the system fails because they are not doing their part and make me feel less valued as a customer.
OK, rant over, back to today's regularly scheduled Sarcasm....

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I know i'm replying way late to this… had date night and went to see Batman vs Superman. I'm on "team Amazon" and proudly wore a Wonder Woman themed outfit. On the way back home we saw a car hit a cat. (just was in the wrong place/wrong time.) The cat seemed like it could be okay after medical attention, so we brought it in my coat to the local vet ER. There I was in the ER holding a black cat wrapped in my coat with my wonder woman outfit, what a crazy friday night. It turned out the kitty was going to be okay (head trauma, broken leg) but needed to go to a rescue shelter because it had no collar, no chip. The cars coming behind us wouldn't have seen the black cat lying on the road, so I'm glad we stopped. The driver had also stopped, came to the ER, and brought the cat to the rescue shelter. After recent crappy events in the news, it restores my faith in the goodness of people to see the driver help out and care about an animal.

Okay back to your post….. I'm helping organize a group of about 30 for this summer. Only 1/3 are Disney-savvy. The others a) are so novice they almost bought tickets to DisneyLAND, b) just want to "go with the flow" with little/no plans. I'm trying to help the folks in group A, because they want to understand and plan. I've cautioned the group B folks that if you "go with the flow" you might be flowing to all the places and experiences that other families DON'T want. You might be floating around finding cafe/counter service because restaurants may be booked, etc. I don't take on their stress, I just advise and let them have their experience. (I do hope for the best of course.)

I'm glad to hear the cat was going to be okay - you must have made quite a picture rescuing the cat in your Wonder Woman costume!

I do not envy you planning for 30 - honestly I can't even imagine. When I read about people doing big family gatherings - pre-FP+ that sounded so awesome but now it sounds so overwhelming! And you're right - there's always different personalities to work with that have different vacation styles! That must be rather stressful! I've only had to plan for my immediate family of 4!

I'm in charge of our Sister Milestone trip. There are 5 of us (4 sisters, 1 sister-in-law) - all fairly Disney savvy but definitely different personalities and styles. So, the two of us that came up with the idea - myself and my sister who loves Disney but hasn't been in many years and is an organized planner but doesn't want to do the actual planning part. So our deal is I will present her with all my research and ideas and such, she will then decide (I go more often, so I'm happy with anything for the most part). Then I execute the plans (and hope Disney doesn't throw a monkey wrench in there), and then the rest of the sisters can fall in line or not! She means business, lol!

My friends came back recently doing a Disney/Uni split. They did this "unofficial" tour (not a Disney VIP tour) because they have 4 kids and she couldn't deal with the planning part. She loved it and told me all about it but I don't understand how it could be okay - she said they had "endless" FPs - for every single ride. She said they had the Uni equivalent to a FP there on rides that didn't even have them - that last part I don't understand but I've never been to Universal so not sure what she meant. I did a search here when she came back but didn't find much on the topic, but I don't get how you can have "unlimited" FPs when you're not with a Disney guide? But I digress...

 

[Paigevon]

I was planning on walking up early to ask, but I have no expectations of being accommodated. My kids said they would rather sit separate at this dinner then together at the Disney Jr lunch. My DH says whatever they prefer. I'm sure we can get reservations elsewhere, but this is our HS day and we don't do parkhoppers. We specifically wanted the Fantasmic package and the characters are an added bonus. We have the DDP so I see this as a good bang for the buck, so to speak.

Ah gotcha! Yes, totally understand. Thought the priority was just a character meal other than DisneyJr Hilariously, I told my husband about different character meals to get his input, and he said "No Disney Jr they look creepy"--so we're doing the Mama Melrose F! Package.

He also requested no Stitch/Ohana breakfast.

OH have you tried calling to combine? Are they the same time? I did this for a BOG lunch! It might not work because its QS vs TS but maybe worth checking? I had two parties of two BoG lunch ADR at the same time, and someone on the dining reservations line combined them for me.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I feel the need to comment against all the negativity about having to plan to the greatest detail for Disney vacations. Quote simply, you do not have to. I do it so my family has the best chance of doing all the things that are important to them. Yes, it limits spontaneity, but with only 3 secured Fast passes, it's not like my entire day is scripted.
FP+ versus the first of Fastpass system isn't even close. Here is my old 'rope drop' at HS...Travel with the throngs of people to TSMM, get the family in line, grab cards and print Fastpasses (usually for within 30 mins), join the family (get dirty looks as a line-cutter), ride, run like mad to ToT and print Fastpasses as son as my other time window opens, run back to TSMM, for again, then off to next ride. I know I'm not the only one.
The new way is so much better. Does it require more planning? Of course. The reason isn't because Disney has a bad system, it's because demand is high. I don't get mad at Disney for 'forcing' me to plan way in advance, as it truly is my choice. What I get mad at is when the system fails because they are not doing their part and make me feel less valued as a customer.
OK, rant over, back to today's regularly scheduled Sarcasm....

I agree - there are limited resources and big crowds and if you want to choose to maximize your value, you need to do some planning. However, the way Disney seems to work, you also need to balance the planning with the ability to accept that you don't have a lot of control these days, lol!

 

[Paigevon]

@Tiggerette Didn't want to dig for your original post but I am so glad you helped the poor kitty! So much respect ♡

 

[MMlovesDisney]

Ah gotcha! Yes, totally understand. Thought the priority was just a character meal other than DisneyJr Hilariously, I told my husband about different character meals to get his input, and he said "No Disney Jr they look creepy" so we're dooing the Mama Melrose F! Package.

He also requested no Stitch/Ohana breakfast.

OH have you tried calling to combine? Are they the same time? I did this for a BOG lunch! It might not work because its QS vs TS but maybe worth checking? I had two parties of two BoG lunch at the same time, and someone on the dining reservations line combined them for me.

Haha well enjoy your F! package. I'm sure we will enjoy ours either way. Thank you for your input. My reservations are 5 minutes apart. I think I will try calling and seeing if they can help me out. Can't hurt!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Ah gotcha! Yes, totally understand. Thought the priority was just a character meal other than DisneyJr Hilariously, I told my husband about different character meals to get his input, and he said "No Disney Jr they look creepy"--so we're doing the Mama Melrose F! Package.

He also requested no Stitch/Ohana breakfast.

OH have you tried calling to combine? Are they the same time? I did this for a BOG lunch! It might not work because its QS vs TS but maybe worth checking? I had two parties of two BoG lunch ADR at the same time, and someone on the dining reservations line combined them for me.

We love Stitch breakfast! Yay for family style and no buffet! Seriously, it's a fun one!

 

[Paigevon]

I'm glad to hear the cat was going to be okay - you must have made quite a picture rescuing the cat in your Wonder Woman costume!

I do not envy you planning for 30 - honestly I can't even imagine. When I read about people doing big family gatherings - pre-FP+ that sounded so awesome but now it sounds so overwhelming! And you're right - there's always different personalities to work with that have different vacation styles! That must be rather stressful! I've only had to plan for my immediate family of 4!

I'm in charge of our Sister Milestone trip. There are 5 of us (4 sisters, 1 sister-in-law) - all fairly Disney savvy but definitely different personalities and styles. So, the two of us that came up with the idea - myself and my sister who loves Disney but hasn't been in many years and is an organized planner but doesn't want to do the actual planning part. So our deal is I will present her with all my research and ideas and such, she will then decide (I go more often, so I'm happy with anything for the most part). Then I execute the plans (and hope Disney doesn't throw a monkey wrench in there), and then the rest of the sisters can fall in line or not! She means business, lol!

My friends came back recently doing a Disney/Uni split. They did this "unofficial" tour (not a Disney VIP tour) because they have 4 kids and she couldn't deal with the planning part. She loved it and told me all about it but I don't understand how it could be okay - she said they had "endless" FPs - for every single ride. She said they had the Uni equivalent to a FP there on rides that didn't even have them - that last part I don't understand but I've never been to Universal so not sure what she meant. I did a search here when she came back but didn't find much on the topic, but I don't get how you can have "unlimited" FPs when you're not with a Disney guide? But I digress...

Interesting... hope more chime in because I want more info! Lol.

Your trips will be magical, no matter what, I'm sure ♡

 

[Paigevon]

We love Stitch breakfast! Yay for family style and no buffet! Seriously, it's a fun one!

I'm going with DD, my grandma and grandpa in August!

My husband doesn't like the movie. He thinks it teaches bad behavior. Obviously he didn't pay enough attention.

He also doesn't like the Little Mermaid..

His favorites are Lion King, Pocahontas, Tangled, Toy Story and.... Aristocats.
(I like them all! Just it funny how much he likrs the last one!)

 

[jlundeen]

My friends came back recently doing a Disney/Uni split. They did this "unofficial" tour (not a Disney VIP tour) because they have 4 kids and she couldn't deal with the planning part. She loved it and told me all about it but I don't understand how it could be okay - she said they had "endless" FPs - for every single ride. She said they had the Uni equivalent to a FP there on rides that didn't even have them - that last part I don't understand but I've never been to Universal so not sure what she meant. I did a search here when she came back but didn't find much on the topic, but I don't get how you can have "unlimited" FPs when you're not with a Disney guide? But I digress...

I know that at one time, there were some shady deals being made with some "less than honest" folks who had "handicap" access, but I thought they plugged that hole....

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I know that at one time, there were some shady deals being made with some "less than honest" folks who had "handicap" access, but I thought they plugged that hole....

Yes, I remember reading about that...I asked her how that could be possible but she didn't really know. It was significantly less $ than a Disney tour, and they weren't really on a plan - they could just wander where they wanted and just FP everything. I didn't understand the Universal part especially, since I don't have a reference point for it. In any case, I couldn't figure out how it could be above-board...

 

[staceyj2]

I just saw this online at WDW.com. If you click on it, it still says April 22nd as the start date. I hadn't seen it before. Was it there and I missed it, or is it new?

 

[Paigevon]

Haha well enjoy your F! package. I'm sure we will enjoy ours either way. Thank you for your input. My reservations are 5 minutes apart. I think I will try calling and seeing if they can help me out. Can't hurt!

Thank you! You too & good luck!

 

[jlundeen]

I just saw this online at WDW.com. If you click on it, it still says April 22nd as the start date. I hadn't seen it before. Was it there and I missed it, or is it new?
View attachment 158315

THat's been there for quite awhile...the one under DINING that talks about ANIMAL KINGDOM SPECIAL ACTIVITIES isn't clickable yet...I think that's where the dining stuff will be eventually

 

[Paigevon]

I know that at one time, there were some shady deals being made with some "less than honest" folks who had "handicap" access, but I thought they plugged that hole....

Oh wow! Okay not interested in that!

I just saw this online at WDW.com. If you click on it, it still says April 22nd as the start date. I hadn't seen it before. Was it there and I missed it, or is it new?
View attachment 158315

I think it has been there, but is somewhat changed. New photo & Heights listed I think?

 

[TNkidspt]

For you to first get over the anxiety you have to accept that Disney isn't doing this to you, you are. Plan with what you know. If you want to be able to change, than remain flexible.

The key to success almost anywhere is having a well organized plan of execution but the ability to throw it away at a moments notice and still be successful. Avoid being too rigid.

Things will come out soon and so long as you check once a day, you will be far ahead of the masses. It will all work itself out and you will have a magical time. And if ROL is delayed until Fall, you will still have a magical time. And if it is offered and you miss out on all dining packages, FP+ and it is cancelled every night you are there, you will still have a magical time.

I completely agree! You couldn't have said it better! I am thankful for my family and the resources to be able to go when so many people can't. I'm certainly making plans, but it will be magical regardless. Thanks for the reminder.