News 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

[WDW Monorail]

Question: have you been to Epcot on New Year's Eve? In the past those WWIII barges have been able to do the holiday tag for the first show and the New Year's Eve tag for the midnight show. I could be wrong but I do not see them reloading between shows. So it seems like they have the capacity to be able to do Epcot forever and a holiday tag. I'm I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt but that said not really convinced it's a hardware issue.

Load what you can prior to the first performance, then you have about 4.5 hours to reload all of RoE for its second performance and anything else that had to be loaded for the NYE show.

It’s quite an accomplishment and fascinating to watch.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The budget to display the holiday tag or joyful would not cover the construction of additional barges.

Yes. They technically could have made a tag just for this year, but it makes more sense to wait and do it with HarmoniUs, the “permanent” show.

 

[peter11435]

Question: have you been to Epcot on New Year's Eve? In the past those WWIII barges have been able to do the holiday tag for the first show and the New Year's Eve tag for the midnight show. I could be wrong but I do not see them reloading between shows. So it seems like they have the capacity to be able to do Epcot forever and a holiday tag. I'm I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt but that said not really convinced it's a hardware issue.

They reloaded between shows in those cases. Also the WW3 barges were not the primary source of pyro for those shows as they are for Epcot forever.

 

[Disone]

They reloaded between shows in those cases. Also the WW3 barges were not the primary source of pyro for those shows as they are for Epcot forever.

I've just not seen the reloading process before and I've been to Epcot New Year's Eve lots of times. I do see the boat zipping around the lake but it's not stopping by the barges for any prolonged period of time. Much less the time it takes to systematically reload because it cannot be random. You need to put a specific firework into a specific spot at the right color will launch at the right time.

However you're not the first person who have shared this with me. And Epcot fireworks Tac told me the same thing so I guess it's got to be so. It's probably just not playing out how I would imagine it.

The World War 3 barges, while not a source of fireworks for the Regular Show, were definitely the primary source of fireworks for the holiday tag and the New Year's Eve tag. Epcot river is a, low fire power show. I can't imagine Epcot for Now it's stressing out the WWIII barges.

My gut just tells me that no holiday tag was more of a choice than an operational reality that was forced upon them.

 

[WDW Monorail]

I've just not seen the reloading process before and I've been to Epcot New Year's Eve lots of times. I do see the boat zipping around the lake but it's not stopping by the barges for any prolonged period of time. Much less the time it takes to systematically reload because it cannot be random. You need to put a specific firework into a specific spot at the right color will launch at the right time.

However you're not the first person who have shared this with me. And Epcot fireworks Tac told me the same thing so I guess it's got to be so. It's probably just not playing out how I would imagine it.

The World War 3 barges, while not a source of fireworks for the Regular Show, were definitely the primary source of fireworks for the holiday tag and the New Year's Eve tag. Epcot river is a, low fire power show. I can't imagine Epcot for Now it's stressing out the WWIII barges.

My gut just tells me that no holiday tag was more of a choice than an operational reality that was forced upon them.

They entire show was reloaded on the water.

I think this is the second time I’ve seen someone say that Epcot Forever has a low amount of fireworks. Is this even a serious comment? Just considering the larger diameter shells, Epcot Forever uses more than 25% more shells than RoE.

 

[Disone]

They entire show was reloaded on the water.

I think this is the second time I’ve seen someone say that Epcot Forever has a low amount of fireworks. Is this even a serious comment? Just considering the larger diameter shells, Epcot Forever uses more than 25% more shells than RoE.

Huh. Interesting. But definitely not my perception. We have no reason to doubt you but my friends and I just feel like it's a small show it doesn't have a lot of Firepower.

So whatever they did and how they are using them was not effective in convincing us that this show has more Firepower than its predecessor.

I have noticed that uses some larger shells but aside from that I'm not impressed with the overall Firepower of the show.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Huh. Interesting. But definitely not my perception. We have no reason to doubt you but my friends and I just feel like it's a small show it doesn't have a lot of Firepower.

So whatever they did and how they are using them was not effective in convincing us that this show has more Firepower than its predecessor.

I have noticed that uses some larger shells but aside from that I'm not impressed with the overall Firepower of the show.

RoE had no pyro for 4 min in the middle, although you would have been forgiven for sleeping through it.

 

[SoFloMagic]

RoE had no pyro for 4 min in the middle, although you would have been forgiven for sleeping through it.

This. EF may not be a perfect show, but its certainly a fireworks show. I think ROE did a good job of making you feel like it had a never-ending supply of pyro with all of the low stuff, but EF knocks it out of the park with firepower in my mind. The finale of ROE was beautiful, but it packed an emotional punch, not a pyro punch. I think EF flips that.

 

[peter11435]

I've just not seen the reloading process before and I've been to Epcot New Year's Eve lots of times. I do see the boat zipping around the lake but it's not stopping by the barges for any prolonged period of time. Much less the time it takes to systematically reload because it cannot be random. You need to put a specific firework into a specific spot at the right color will launch at the right time.

However you're not the first person who have shared this with me. And Epcot fireworks Tac told me the same thing so I guess it's got to be so. It's probably just not playing out how I would imagine it.

The World War 3 barges, while not a source of fireworks for the Regular Show, were definitely the primary source of fireworks for the holiday tag and the New Year's Eve tag. Epcot river is a, low fire power show. I can't imagine Epcot for Now it's stressing out the WWIII barges.

My gut just tells me that no holiday tag was more of a choice than an operational reality that was forced upon them.

Generally the boat would zip to a barge and a tech or two along with the boxes of pyro would get off and the boat would leave while the tech would stay on the barge and reload.

Disney has the pyro for its shows organized very well. A case of pyro or two dropped off on each barge would contain the correct variety of product for that barge.

 

[Disone]

RoE had no pyro for 4 min in the middle, although you would have been forgiven for sleeping through it.

Oh I know those four minutes. But it was also a longer show and Forever has the kite parts with very limit pyro during the parts.

Seen both shows. Forever about 5 times. ROE, the first, the last and in between literally God only knows how many times.

Again I will take your word on it with the caveat I did not concluded that on my own. I had to be told.

 

[wdwmagic]

Solution for hardware problem - take it to the perimeters in the style of July 4 and NYE. Would be a great way to add a holiday tag and make it something different.

 

[Disone]

Solution for hardware problem - take it to the perimeters in the style of July 4 and NYE. Would be a great way to add a holiday tag and make it something different.

That would be great. Not sure EPCOT would be willing with the logistics of doing that nightly during the holidays.

 

[ToTBellHop]

That would be great. Not sure EPCOT would be willing with the logistics of doing that nightly during the holidays.

I suspect they’ll find they need to if weeks 40-44 of the year with Food and Wine booths and Candlelight Processional, which you can’t really go to unless you’ve booked a package by August, aren’t enough to keep guests. There is serious holiday offering competition in Central Florida. They need to up their Epcot game next year or 2021 at the latest. I give them a pass this year due to significant construction.

 

[Disone]

I suspect they’ll find they need to if weeks 40-44 of the year with Food and Wine booths and Candlelight Processional, which you can’t really go to unless you’ve booked a package by August, aren’t enough to keep guests. There is serious holiday offering competition in Central Florida. They need to up their Epcot game next year or 2021 at the latest. I give them a pass this year due to significant construction.

Ops sorry. I meant the back stage logistics. Not the crowds. Good point though.

 

[wdwmagic]

Ops sorry. I meant the back stage logistics. Not the crowds. Good point though.

Backstage logistics would be an issue, but hey, this is a company that can find a way to test and fly big drones backstage at the Studios for a month as a media event. They can do something for Epcot to make it a decent Christmas season for the guests. It is sorely lacking this year.

 

[jrhwdw]

We were warned, but just to confirm, saw EF on a YT Stream tonight , NO Holiday Tag! Should be interesting to see if there are guests unhappy about that.....

 

[tabecker259]

We were warned, but just to confirm, saw EF on a YT Stream tonight , NO Holiday Tag! Should be interesting to see if there are guests unhappy about that.....

I thought I read on this site that the lack of a Holiday Tag enabled the new decorations at the other parks (AK, for example).

 

[iMax]

We were warned, but just to confirm, saw EF on a YT Stream tonight , NO Holiday Tag! Should be interesting to see if there are guests unhappy about that.....

That's so upsetting...I guess that means all other tags have been removed as well.

 

[oldwren]

That's so upsetting...I guess that means all other tags have been removed as well.

I certainly hope they return with Harmonious. Though it’s hard to imagine they won’t do something for NYE. Surely they will figure out a way. Bare minimum, continue to launch some pyro from behind the countries...

Edit: the NYE page on the WDW site says this:

Epcot Forever, followed by a countdown to 2020 and a special New Year’s Eve display.

So I guess there will be some form of a tag.

 

[ToTBellHop]

That's so upsetting...I guess that means all other tags have been removed as well.

What other tags?