Who here enjoyed Rivers of Light?

[maryj11]

Is it still necessary to have the fastpass or dining package to get a seat. I know when it first opened it became packed quickly and you had to get in line an hour or so ahead of time. Is it still like that?

 

[DWillowBay]

For us...not everything has to be a Blockbuster slam to our sensory systems. Sometimes pretty and peaceful is enough.

 

[Davey Jones II]

We'd like to see it, but just how long do you have to wait for it? Now that Pandora is open, can you show up close to show time and still get a decent view? We will be there at the end of October/beginning of November.

 

[BebopBaloo]

I thought it was pretty, but not something I would attempt to fight crowds for, or wait a long time for and as a reference Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks. My husband enjoyed it from a technical perspective and he probably enjoyed it more than I did.

 

[Thing 1]

Very pretty and peaceful is a good description. We liked it and and enjoyed the evening. It's very different than most of the night time shows but good its own right. If I had to rate it, I would put it after Happily Ever After and Fantastic but ahead of Illumination.

 

[North of Mouse]

So I have read lots of negative reviews, people that were underwhelmed by it. Now I want to hear the positive reviews - people who loved it, enjoyed it etc... Did yoyr children enjoy it etc...

We just returned and loved it enough to do it twice in our trip! Actually enjoyed it more than Illuminations and Fantasmic. Could be partly because I've seen the other night time shows so many times. (nothing will ever beat MK night time show for us though).

I think people are 'over' thinking what this should all be about, so their expectations are waaaay too high! May not be for everyone, but as for dh & I, we loved it! Just wish we could figure out a way not to have to 'sit' for so long before the show starts - that was by far the hard part!!

 

[North of Mouse]

Are the seats reserved for the dining package much better than using fast pass seating?

IMO, no! We had FP, got in early and sat near the center (next to center where dining pkg. seats started) Had excellent seats both times we viewed. Sat near water 1st time - mid way up second time (actually liked the 'higher' seating better).

And, yes, there are still long lines of SB that start really early with lots of them not having a chance of getting in. It's quite limited in seating, actually. Will never try to see it that way - will always FP.

 

[mckennarose]

We loved it. It is very zen-like and fits in AK. We saw it on Mother's Day for the first time and really enjoyed the music and the visuals were lovely. We also saw HEA and that was a very different vibe than ROL. I really like and appreciate the direction Disney is going with their technology and these new night time shows.

 

[SGMCO]

is there an early show and a later show of ROL? can you choice which FP time? thanks

 

[bashuck]

Are the seats reserved for the dining package much better than using fast pass seating?

We had the dining package seats which were right in the middle but I feel the other seats would be nearly as good. Have a FP for it later in the trip and will likely do it again. DW/DD7 and I all enjoyed it.

 

[FastPasser.]

is there an early show and a later show of ROL?

Starting tomorrow it will be two shows, with three shows on 6/2 & 6/3 only. It's scheduled to change to one show on 7/9. All subject to last minute changes though.

 

[dismom57]

Dining package gets you a lotus blossom popcorn bucket and a good meal. May or may not have to line up as early as FPP, areas are equivalent in the center. SB on the edges, and must line up two hours early for SB and not guaranteed a seat. Ties up your FPP until end of day, so no fourth available. Our experience was different as there are not many HC spots available, so we went early with both dining and FPP. Dining area seemed "less crowded" until 15 minutes before show.

 

[cigar95]

What I like most about it is that it isn't a character show. It's somewhat more ethereal and abstract.

Give me characters at MK. Give me movies at the Studios.

At DAK, give me something about animals and a nature-centric view of the world.

 

[FastPasser.]

May or may not have to line up as early as FPP

You're assured of a seat if you arrive within the arrival window. However, there's no guarantee that your entire party will sit together if it's toward the end or after the arrival window.

Dining area seemed "less crowded" until 15 minutes before show.

That's because at the end of the DP arrival window, which ends 15 minutes before the show, any unused DP seats are made available to standby guests as well as DP guests.

 

[Someluck]

Thanks for all the helpful information!

 

[davkata]

Is it still necessary to have the fastpass or dining package to get a seat. I know when it first opened it became packed quickly and you had to get in line an hour or so ahead of time. Is it still like that?

I would say yes. We were there a week ago and it had downpoured and thundered/lightning previous to the show. We had FP+ and got in the line (yes a line!) right at the beginning of our window which was 8:35 for a 9:15 show. Line was quite long, mainly because they hadn't opened it yet. In fact we sent DH ahead to make sure it actually was the FP line. My point is, the stadium filled even with questionable weather and possibility of a cancelled show due to lightning in the area. Lucky for us it was not cancelled as it was our last night!

 

[davkata]

Realized I replied, but never answered OP's ?. We enjoyed it! Beautiful and different than the other nighttime shows. We are not huge fans of Illuminations, if it fits our schedule we will see it, but prefer using that as prime ride time. We haven't see Fantasmic our last couple of trips, been there, done that for us. We thoroughly enjoyed the Star Wars Fireworks/Show at DHS and all of us were completely WOWED by the new Happily Ever After, if that puts it in perspective. Definitely go see it. Now that we have seen all the current nighttime shows, if/when we return we will most likely utilize that time as ride time with the exception of HEA!

 

[KristinU]

Me, me, me! My whole family thought it was beautiful. Don't tell anyone, but my tough guy 13 year old even got a little emotional about it!

What we didn't love was the fire portion, it almost seemed to detract from it for all of us. I would have been just fine with more lights in place of the fire.

I just liked how lovely and soothing it was, a visual feast of light and color.

 

[TLPL]

Dining package gets you a lotus blossom popcorn bucket and a good meal.

What do you mean by that? I didn't know the dining plan included a popcorn bucket. Is it per person? Where do you get it from? I have booked the dining package for my upcoming trip i didnt realize it includes it.
Thanks for the info

 

[Accident]

I wouldn't wait around for it but when opportunities like what happened the last three days opens up and I happen to be around, it's a nice relaxing end of the day..

(they ran a third rol at 11:45pm for memorial day weekend). theater didn't fill up any day so you could just walk in last second standby, pick your seat and a few minutes later it started. crowds, needing to wait around, hot and crowded, it's not that type of show to want to go through that.