Last Illuminations Show...gonna be jammed?

[elgerber]

Are you doing Rose and Crown?? That's where we will be... maybe see you there!
Also hoping for T-shirt and/or other merch!


We have reservations at POP! And hoping the gondolas are up and running smoothly!


Live orchestra would be the absolute BEST thing ever!!!!!

Yes to R&C
Our home is the BWV. Thank goodness!!!

 

[MrKnight]

For those not planning on seeing the show but worried about ADRs and crowd levels, I wouldn't be to worried from a dining standpoint as those going to see the last show are going to be more worried about securing a good viewing spot versus dining at a restaurant, the only exception to this would be a restaurant with a view of Illuminations such as Rose and Crown or Monsieur Paul.

 

[gillep]

We have the Rose and Crown package booked for both the last Illuminations and the first showing of the interim show. Glad we are staying at BCV and can easily walk back!

 

[elgerber]

We have the Rose and Crown package booked for both the last Illuminations and the first showing of the interim show. Glad we are staying at BCV and can easily walk back!

Looks like we will probably be seeing each other LOL

 

[fractalpotato]

We'll be there! And the next night! We booked these dates months ago based on rumors and pulled the trigger on park tickets and airfare within ten minutes of the official announcement. It's also F&W so Epcot is going to be busy in general. We expect to settle in for a spot at least an hour before the show, probably longer, on both nights.

Matt

 

[MrKnight]

We'll be there! And the next night! We booked these dates months ago based on rumors and pulled the trigger on park tickets and airfare within ten minutes of the official announcement. It's also F&W so Epcot is going to be busy in general. We expect to settle in for a spot at least an hour before the show, probably longer, on both nights.

Matt

Smart thinking Matt! Your instincts paid off!

 

[cakebaker]

We'll be there! And the next night! We booked these dates months ago based on rumors and pulled the trigger on park tickets and airfare within ten minutes of the official announcement. It's also F&W so Epcot is going to be busy in general. We expect to settle in for a spot at least an hour before the show, probably longer, on both nights.

Matt

Same here. It paid off as we were able to get the discount for at least 2 of our 3 nights. Had we waited, we’d be paying rack rate.

 

[fractalpotato]

Smart thinking Matt! Your instincts paid off!

Same here. It paid off as we were able to get the discount for at least 2 of our 3 nights. Had we waited, we’d be paying rack rate.

Friends of us traveling the same time, but booked at Pop, thought about upgrading to POR (where we are) after the announcement. The prices they got quoted were nearly twice what we paid!

Matt

 

[Dug720]

Friends of us traveling the same time, but booked at Pop, thought about upgrading to POR (where we are) after the announcement. The prices they got quoted were nearly twice what we paid!

Matt

The price increase has been there pretty much since the early opening at Studios was announced. NOT the final Illuminations. All discounts pretty much disappeared after the opening move-up announcement.

 

[WalleandEve]

'Eve' and I won't be there for the final night of Illuminations, though we are pretty much suckers when it comes to the emotionality of those special things we've come to love that will be sorely missed. This will be loss number four in less than four years.

When they announced that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights were going away (we'd only 'discovered' them in 2012, but spent many hours there afterwards), we carved out some time at the final minute and drove down from Lake Placid NY to be there. That was just a few weeks before the finale. Our last night before having to return home, we sat at the end of one of the side roads until they all but kicked us out.

For the trip near the ending of the Main Street Electrical Parade, we got a prime spot early. We'd not checked the camera's battery, and after realizing that it would not last long enough to film the entire parade, we sat back and just enjoyed the show. That may have been a good thing.

'Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams' was the heart-breaker. We watched it every night that we could during its final week. 'Wishes' and the Castle are what Eve originally made Eve fall in love with Walt Disney World. The evening of the last show we found a prime spot early and parked ourselves. There were so many others around us that came out just for the finale, and the sentiment and sensations were palpable. Tears were everywhere, and so many of us were 'best friends', even if just for those few hours. It was hard to leave the park that night.

Returning the next night for the debut of 'Happily Ever After', we'd arrived later than we should have and the colossal mass of humanity and raw emotions were just too much. We stayed way back where much of the show was obscured by a tree, and ended up leaving with a feeling of wanting. We like the new show better now, but as I've said before, some people listen to singles, and some listen to albums. We've always been 'album' people. Put it on and let it play, hopefully it tells a story. The new show is definitely a 'hit singles' show, with not the same continuity that endeared so many to 'Wishes'.

We'll be there next week, and for sure much of our night time will be spent at Epcot. We're also going down for the party in August, and my guess is that I'll have to tear Eve away from Illuminations. The four things she most fell in love with will then be gone, and still no nighttime parade at the Magic Kingdom. At least the Dragon is working again, and FOP rocks, but Wishes and Osborne were something special, and not blatantly 'Disneyfied'. We love many things Disney, though to have that other quality non-IP entertainment showed amazing diversity. Something tells it might be quite a while before we anything of that nature again.

"You can only lose what you cling to...."

 

[fractalpotato]

The price increase has been there pretty much since the early opening at Studios was announced. NOT the final Illuminations. All discounts pretty much disappeared after the opening move-up announcement.

Oh absolutely, but at the time we booked it we knew that prices would never go down at Disney World so we were pleasantly surprised that our gamble paid off, because once SWGE was announced, as you say, that was that. If we didn't already have it, we probably wouldn't have been able to make it happen.

Matt

 

[cindyfan]

'Eve' and I won't be there for the final night of Illuminations, though we are pretty much suckers when it comes to the emotionality of those special things we've come to love that will be sorely missed. This will be loss number four in less than four years.

When they announced that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights were going away (we'd only 'discovered' them in 2012, but spent many hours there afterwards), we carved out some time at the final minute and drove down from Lake Placid NY to be there. That was just a few weeks before the finale. Our last night before having to return home, we sat at the end of one of the side roads until they all but kicked us out.

For the trip near the ending of the Main Street Electrical Parade, we got a prime spot early. We'd not checked the camera's battery, and after realizing that it would not last long enough to film the entire parade, we sat back and just enjoyed the show. That may have been a good thing.

'Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams' was the heart-breaker. We watched it every night that we could during its final week. 'Wishes' and the Castle are what Eve originally made Eve fall in love with Walt Disney World. The evening of the last show we found a prime spot early and parked ourselves. There were so many others around us that came out just for the finale, and the sentiment and sensations were palpable. Tears were everywhere, and so many of us were 'best friends', even if just for those few hours. It was hard to leave the park that night.

Returning the next night for the debut of 'Happily Ever After', we'd arrived later than we should have and the colossal mass of humanity and raw emotions were just too much. We stayed way back where much of the show was obscured by a tree, and ended up leaving with a feeling of wanting. We like the new show better now, but as I've said before, some people listen to singles, and some listen to albums. We've always been 'album' people. Put it on and let it play, hopefully it tells a story. The new show is definitely a 'hit singles' show, with not the same continuity that endeared so many to 'Wishes'.

We'll be there next week, and for sure much of our night time will be spent at Epcot. We're also going down for the party in August, and my guess is that I'll have to tear Eve away from Illuminations. The four things she most fell in love with will then be gone, and still no nighttime parade at the Magic Kingdom. At least the Dragon is working again, and FOP rocks, but Wishes and Osborne were something special, and not blatantly 'Disneyfied'. We love many things Disney, though to have that other quality non-IP entertainment showed amazing diversity. Something tells it might be quite a while before we anything of that nature again.

"You can only lose what you cling to...."

You said it so elegantly!! I am getting teared up already just reading your post! When we visited last September we watched Illuminations twice, once doing the dessert party, because we had heard rumors it would end in early 2019. We prepared ourselves thinking it would be our last viewing and of course we got emotional!
We couldn't be happier to know that we have one more chance to see it.... but it will be so bitter-sweet! Happy to see it again, so very sad to know it will be gone!
We have so many great memories..... from the first time we saw it back in Oct 1999 to now! All the times we searched for the "best spot" to watch it! All the times we shared moments with strangers that became friends for that short time. And the hundreds of times listening to the Illuminations music in the car and at home! It truly has been our favorite show for the last 20 years! We will miss it!

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Any guesses on which areas will be roped off for the 30th and the 1st? My concern would be getting a spot early only to be asked to move.

 

[MrKnight]

Any guesses on which areas will be roped off for the 30th and the 1st? My concern would be getting a spot early only to be asked to move.

I wouldn't expect anything different from regular showings of Illuminations on any other night, however, at this point it is truly unknown unfortunately. If you see a crowd control CM during the day setting up ropes you can always ask them just to be sure.

 

[just stella]

We are a little worried


Stella

 

[cakebaker]

Any guesses on which areas will be roped off for the 30th and the 1st? My concern would be getting a spot early only to be asked to move.

That’s a concern for us as well. Since it’s a final show, they may have vip areas they don’t normally have. If we can’t get fp or the dessert buffet, we’ll stake out a spot we know isn’t usually reserved and try and find out from event staff if we’re safe.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I was there for the last Wishes, well, I was at the Top of the World Lounge. I have been listening to the CD of Illuminations and Tapestry of Dreams for awhile now, but I will NOT be there for the last show. I have a Rose and Crown Illuminations dinner set for July 5, that’s my farewell.

Would like to be there, but won’t be.

 

[MrKnight]

That’s a concern for us as well. Since it’s a final show, they may have vip areas they don’t normally have. If we can’t get fp or the dessert buffet, we’ll stake out a spot we know isn’t usually reserved and try and find out from event staff if we’re safe.

That would be the best course of action. Thankfully one of my favorite aspects of Illuminations is the fact that you can practically see it from nearly anywhere around the lagoon even if you arrive just in time or even as the show is starting. I hope that both the temporary and replacement shows will be similar in this aspect.

 

[Bronte]

As a family we decided to cancel our trip for Star Wars Opening to do a long weekend for the Last of Illuminations ... It just means more to our family.
We where there for the last of Wishes and the first of Happily Ever After so we know we will have to go early and stand strong !!!!

We will also be going May 1 for Hollywood Studios 30th Anniversary and we can not wait to see the parade !!!!!