FP or dining pkg seating better for ROL...

1. CLICK.
2. Not "priority" seating.
You get "reserved" seating.

RoL-Seating-West_022517_zpsjbmibnbv.jpg

Robo this map is GREAT...thanks....so it looks like the Dining FP and Standby have separate entrances: do you know if there are ropes between them, separating MR from LQU, at least until they start "filling to capacity" .... meaning that as long as you get in by the time they tell you for the dining entrance, you will be able to find a seat in LKPQ or U (and is U "Standing Room")?
 
Robo this map is GREAT...thanks....so it looks like the Dining FP and Standby have separate entrances: do you know if there are ropes between them, separating MR from LQU, at least until they start "filling to capacity" .... meaning that as long as you get in by the time they tell you for the dining entrance, you will be able to find a seat in LKPQ or U (and is U "Standing Room")?

Don't know about "ropes" but they do that at Fantasmic!, so that would be likely.

Unsure of SRO area(s.)
 
Just a big thanks to all on this thread for providing info, and Robo that map is awesome! I decided to book the Tusker House breakfast RoL package and after reading through
the thread will make sure to show up at least 45 minutes prior to show time.

Honestly 1 show every other night in prime March Spring Break season...smh...going to be a lot of disappointed guests.
 
So, I'm paying $250ish for my ROL dining package at Tiffins. It says in the booking details "Plan to arrive for Rivers of Light seating 15 to 35 minutes prior to show time. Please use the theater entrance located closest to DinoLand U.S.A." If I get there 45 minutes in advance and it is full, I will not be a happy camper.

If Disney is giving out "reserved" seating with a dining package and telling people to arrive in a certain window, they had better make darn sure they have enough room for all of those people.

I am glad that I know to get there in plenty of time, but I feel bad for those who rely on what Disney says (in writing) and who may be split up or turned away after paying extra and following the rules. Bad form on Disney's part.
 
Do we know if people with a DP who arrived on time were not let in?

I haven't heard specifically, but I've only seen a few reports from people with dining packages. None of them particularly reassuring. Scary, as I believe Robo said :). I think it's more likely that you'd be split up than turned away, but if either of those things happen, I think that would mean the dining packages are oversold.

I have a friend at the show tonight. She said they arrived 45 minutes early with the dining package and it was full to capacity. They weren't sure they were going to be able to sit together but the CM helped them to be able to.

Agreeing with PP - friends were there last night with reserved dining seats. Arrived around 6:20 and it was mostly full. We were there last Tuesday & by 6:40 it was obviously full on the dining/standby side, a little later for the FP side. Looks like a minimum of 30 min in FP side and 45+ for dining. There wasn't a line (we went to Nemo and had one group standing waiting for the line to start from about 5:30 on - when we realized no line was forming and they were just letting people in continuously, we went in). Yes to food, at least last week. The family in front of us was enjoying their dinner :)

I can imagine seating at 15-20 minutes before show time was certainly worse than that. I will be there on Saturday (with my Tiffins dining package) and will report back.
 
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You all convinced me! I am going over Easter Week and staying off site so can only make FP selections at the 30 day mark. I just booked a ROL Tusker House breakfast package at 10:40 AM on my AK day. I really wanted 10:50, but it was already gone. I checked again after I booked and I think I got the very last breakfast slot for April 11th!

Thanks everyone!

Keep checking the FP's incase you'd rather a FP over the dining package. We just booked a ROL FP for exactly 7 days out, so it's definitely doable if you keep an eye out
 
And to those wondering how far in advance to show up, whether you do FP or Dining package I'd show up to the line 45+ min in advance. For standby, I'd show up closer to 60+ min in advance.

We missed out on seeing ROL a couple weeks ago because I figured we could get to the standby line about 45 min ahead of showtime. Well I was wrong and about 45 min ahead of showtime it was standing room only, then 5 min later announced it was completely full. And if it's anything like Fantasmic, if the show is close to starting and there's still a lot of people coming in, they'll open up the dining package area to standby guests. Not saying they have the same process at ROL, but just that I would show up ahead of time.

So it's always good to be there early. Just because someone has a FP or dining package doesn't mean they can show up 5-10 min before the show and get a seat.
 
The way it sounds getting the dining package may be almost as bad as waiting in the standby line.
I mean if they are putting the standby even into the dining package area crowding out the priority seating for them.
 
The way it sounds getting the dining package may be almost as bad as waiting in the standby line.
I mean if they are putting the standby even into the dining package area crowding out the priority seating for them.

I thought they had differently entrances? Like on different ends of the seating? I thought - or maybe my hope? - was that they kept them separate until it got close to showtime, but who knows? :confused3 I'd like to stick with my dining package because I want to try Tiffins anyway, and I'd get there early anyway, but hoping the seating is good. Maybe things will shake out as the shows become more regular?
 
I thought they had differently entrances? Like on different ends of the seating? I thought - or maybe my hope? - was that they kept them separate until it got close to showtime, but who knows? :confused3 I'd like to stick with my dining package because I want to try Tiffins anyway, and I'd get there early anyway, but hoping the seating is good. Maybe things will shake out as the shows become more regular?
We plan to go ahead and get the dining package also. I figure they will get more organized on seating people as time goes on.
 
1. I thought they had differently entrances?
2. Like on different ends of the seating?
3. I thought - or maybe my hope? - was that they kept them separate until it got close to showtime, but who knows? :confused3

1. They do.
2. They do.
3. They do.

RoL-Seating-West_022517_zpsjbmibnbv.jpg
 
So it's always good to be there early. Just because someone has a FP or dining package doesn't mean they can show up 5-10 min before the show and get a seat.
Except I don't think people (here) are expecting to show up 5-10 minutes early. It is reports of barely being squeezed in or having to split up when arriving 45 minutes early with Dining Package seats that officially (according to the times on the flyer) they are still 10 minutes early for.
 
Every entrance is separate and has a sign up for it with a CM there.

The only difference I've seen is that on the night I went to try to catch the show, (Using Robo's map) Standby line was entering from that walkway by T Section. It was right across the walkway from Trilo-Bites I believe it's called? That little stand right over the bridge where you can get nachos, right before you walk under the Boneyard bridge
 
Except I don't think people (here) are expecting to show up 5-10 minutes early. It is reports of barely being squeezed in or having to split up when arriving 45 minutes early with Dining Package seats that officially (according to the times on the flyer) they are still 10 minutes early for.

Im just speaking in general about people showing up 5-10 min early. There are plenty of people daily for all disney shows/fireworks that don't release how busy the parks are and how early shows start to fill up. So they think they can walk up 5-10 min early and have guaranteed seats are shocked.

I'd say it depends nightly on how early you should show up. When I was there I saw people were sitting down and grabbing seats all over about 70-80 min before showtime. This was across all sections is what it looked like. So the earlier you get there the better, but I think in general, if you show up at least 45 min ahead of showtime for dining or FP then you should be good.

We have a FP for ROL for this coming thursday so we'll probably plan to be there 60 min ahead of show start time
 
Also as far as I saw, you are allowed to bring food and beverages into the seating area. I saw plenty of people getting popcorn, beer, and soda and going to get in line.
 
Every entrance is separate and has a sign up for it with a CM there.

The only difference I've seen is that on the night I went to try to catch the show, (Using Robo's map) Standby line was entering from that walkway by T Section.

On map v.1 (oh, so many versions since then,) that's where I had the Standby entrance.
Then, the notes from others came to offer different info.

The "notes" have recently stopped coming in, so I've stopped making revisions.

So, this is another request for those who are attending the shows...
If you would, please pay close attention to the various entrances and seating sections on the nights you are there.
Then, let us know on the boards or by private conversion, so I can update the map.
 
On map v.1 (oh, so many versions since then,) that's where I had the Standby entrance.
Then, the notes from others came to offer different info.

The "notes" have recently stopped coming in, so I've stopped making revisions.

So, this is another request for those who are attending the shows...
If you would, please pay close attention to the various entrances and seating sections on the nights you are there.
Then, let us know on the boards or by private conversion, so I can update the map.

I'll take a look when I'm there next week. I should've looked at the map prior to going because I thought standby was by EE for some reason. I know by the time we got over by the Boneyard I was just thinking "Well I wish I would've known beforehand that we would've had to walk almost to the front of the park to enter" lol...As we did the Safari right before planning to go to ROL
 

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