News Disney Files Permit for Exterior Work on Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom

[FettFan]

Good. Get rid of that horrid rose gold.

 

[HauntedPirate]

But a more competent company could have figured out even that walkway lighting at Epcot. They had embedded pathway lighting working around that area for decades prior to that. And for whatever reason, the lights added all over Spaceship Earth don't seem to have suffered from the same degree of problems.

All the competent people were working on something up I-4. THEZach and his flooring expertise is the best they could do for Epcot.

And I wish those horrible LED pucks would malfunction en masse so they’d remove them.

 

[castlecake2.0]

All the competent people were working on something up I-4. THEZach and his flooring expertise is the best they could do for Epcot.

And I wish those horrible LED pucks would malfunction en masse so they’d remove them.

I wouldn’t mind them for show “activations” but they really take away from the beauty of SSE, they’re too bright and overused

 

[TTA94]

Some on here hate projections but for SSE maybe they would prefer projections over the pucks? Just my guess but I don’t see the puck lights going anywhere anytime soon.

Epcot has far more important priorities like tearing up that embarrassing mess in World Celebration, bring back a fountain and new pavement lights.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Interesting how tastes vary, I think the SSE lights are the best addition to the park in the last decade, absolutely love them.

 

[TTA94]

I hope if they do install lights on Cinderella Castle it’s not just the roofs like they did in Paris.

 

[Vacationeer]

Pics from December 2019:

 

[Brian]

Pics from December 2019:

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Considering that sunset is on average around 5:30pm during the Christmas season, and obviously the days are at their shortest, I think the minimal daytime impact the lights presented is negligible when compared to the beauty they provide at night. The pictures just don't do them justice.

 

[Agent H]

Pics from December 2019:

View attachment 852041View attachment 852042View attachment 852043View attachment 852044

You never know how good something is until it’s gone.

 

[JoeCamel]

Considering that sunset is on average around 5:30pm during the Christmas season, and obviously the days are at their shortest, I think the minimal daytime impact the lights presented is negligible when compared to the beauty they provide at night. The pictures just don't do them justice.

How about the months of a crane up to hang them and remove them?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

How about the months of a crane up to hang them and remove them?

I always thought it odd how long it took in FL, DL does their Christmas transition in a couple nights, its a much smaller castle but also a much better plan, just drop on the new roofs with the lights attached and you’re basically done. I always thought it odd world hung them by hand instead of using a similar system that could be quickly added/removed.

 

[lazyboy97o]

For modern Disney's standards, wouldn't surprise me. Though I don't know if it would be AS problematic as having lighting embedded into walkways. Those routinely get flooded with rain or pressure washed, water pools there and seeps down into them (and apparently they were improperly sealed too). This would have adorned the walls and roofs, which are sloped and don't allow for as much opportunity for water to saturate the surface. It would mostly just drain and slide down the sides.

Keep in mind that I believe this proposal was also many years ago, they used to be much more competent at water proofing (they've frequently installed lighting underwater even). I don't think they would even consider doing it these days, and i'll be surprised if the netted lights even return. But a more competent company could have figured out even that walkway lighting at Epcot. They had embedded pathway lighting working around that area for decades prior to that. And for whatever reason, the lights added all over Spaceship Earth don't seem to have suffered from the same degree of problems.

Either way, i'm actually mostly fine with using the old net lights instead. I'm usually pretty critical about things, but the netting wasn't particularly noticeable unless you were really looking for it. The crane was worse, but if they can use a retractable one instead then i'm good. I just want the lights back.

Two words: capillary action. While we generally think of water as wanting to seek the lowest point, in certain conditions it can move against gravity. It’s a very real risk in a humid place like Florida and in theme parks where so much is made of cementitious materials.

All the competent people were working on something up I-4. THEZach and his flooring expertise is the best they could do for Epcot.

And I wish those horrible LED pucks would malfunction en masse so they’d remove them.

The landscape architecture was done by Stantec, the same office that worked on Disney Springs. Not really a second rate, fly-by-night operation.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Two words: capillary action. While we generally think of water as wanting to seek the lowest point, in certain conditions it can move against gravity. It’s a very real risk in a humid place like Florida and in theme parks where so much is made of cementitious materials.


The landscape architecture was done by Stantec, the same office that worked on Disney Springs. Not really a second rate, fly-by-night operation.

Did they forget pathway lighting is needed? Because several of the paths are pretty much dark at night, from what I’ve experienced.

 

[jrhwdw]

Hopefully this Week, we'll get some insight on what this Project is and if we should be excited for it.......

 

[FettFan]

Interesting how tastes vary, I think the SSE lights are the best addition to the park in the last decade, absolutely love them.

I’m between the two…. I love the idea and overall effect, but I think they need a frosted cover on each one.

It’s nice in the park… but while riding the Skyliner from DHS to the interchange station after sundown, I look over and it looks like something out of Las Vegas.

 

[JoeCamel]

I’m between the two…. I love the idea and overall effect, but I think they need a frosted cover on each one.

It’s nice in the park… but while riding the Skyliner from DHS to the interchange station after sundown, I look over and it looks like something out of Las Vegas.

Wait til they put up the flyer......

 

[MisterPenguin]

How about the months of a crane up to hang them and remove them?

Last two years of Dreamlights, the cranes weren't 'up' for people to see during guest hours. Putting them up and down was done at times the park was closed.

 

[Brian]

How about the months of a crane up to hang them and remove them?

In the latter years, the crane was only used after the park was cleared of guests, so it was largely a non-issue, other than blocking the path between Sir Mickeys/CRT and Cosmic Ray's.

 

[Disstevefan1]

How about the months of a crane up to hang them and remove them?

Don't worry, MK will be filled with cranes, construction walls, flying dumpsters on cranes for years to come.

Another thing, phones can eliminate things from the background of photos with a single tap these days.

Maybe Photopass could add this capability...... Oh wait...... Never mind

While I wish the castle lights will come back. I know they wont because Disney.

 

[FerretAfros]

I always thought it odd how long it took in FL, DL does their Christmas transition in a couple nights, its a much smaller castle but also a much better plan, just drop on the new roofs with the lights attached and you’re basically done. I always thought it odd world hung them by hand instead of using a similar system that could be quickly added/removed.

DL's castle has several advantages that makes the temporary roof overlay a more viable option for them:

• The smaller scale of the castle means the roofs themselves are much smaller, making them lighter easier to transport by truck and lift into place with boom lifts
  • The smaller castle means fewer individual roofs and less total square footage of roof, making the process faster
  • The smaller roof sizes also means fewer need to be installed in multiple sections, which makes the process faster and the end result looks better. Several of MK's most visible roofs would need to be broken into multiple pieces which would likely result in visible joints between sections.
• Shorter structure height makes installing them considerably easier and faster. Almost all of DL's roofs are lower than about 50', while nearly all of MK's are above that height
• DL's gilt gothic spire is relatively small and off to the side, so it can be more easily ignored without adding snow on top of it. MK's tallest tower is the gilt gothic spire, which isn't practical for a temporary cover, yet it would look very out of place to not have the overlay and ignoring it like DL's would significantly reduce the impact
• SoCal's drier climate (though it still certainly rains in winter) causes less concern for moisture getting trapped between the actual roofs and temporary covers. It also means the light-embedded roof covers stand up better from year to year than a Florida equivalent would

Even with the advantages that DL's smaller structure provides, installing the roof covers is still al long process. Installation usually begins around the 3rd week in October and isn't finished until around Veteran's Day, when the Christmas promotion kicks off. This leads to a strange situation where the castle begins to be covered in snow while the rest of the park is still celebrating Halloween, with nearly all of the snow roofs being installed before Halloween itself.

With the emphasis that WDW puts on the seasonal parties, the extended installation and overlap is most likely a non-starter for them. MK's last Halloween party and first Christmas party are usually about a week apart, which doesn't leave much time for a proper changeover, which they also as justification for the minimal decorations throughout the park compared to other resorts (and WDW's guests don't seem to question it).