Lighter, Brighter Epcot

[fillerup]

Went to World Showcase for the concert last night, Thursday - as we do 3 or 4 nights a week during F&W.

Wow, was World Showcase ever lit up. The colored spotlights that have been in place for Tapestry were on all around the lagoon. It was immediately noticeable when we arrived, since we had been on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, and it was dark as usual

The bridge to France was so bright you could've read the fine print in a time share contract. And since I'm used to falling over strollers and kicking small children while crossing the black hole that exists between Morocco and the US, it was quite bright.

Asked several CMs about it and got interesting reactions. Two said it was also the first thing they noticed, and two others said it had always been that way.

One said they were on a timer and would go off promptly at 8:45. Given that it was 8:50 when she told us that, we hung around and watched them go dark at the beginning of the illuminations intro.

Some people aren't going to like this, but we were able to actually read menus and see the food we ate.

 

[DizFanatic]

That's nice because I think that all of the architectural detail that Disney worked into EPCOT shows off real nice when lit at night. Ah yes, I do miss Tapestry. Especially at night!

 

[mousermerf]

I've seen it both dark and light during busy periods. I' not sure if its just the weekends or not, but it does seem to corelate to how crowded the park is.

I sort of assume the correlation is to the number of park guests - once it reaches some magical number, the lights are turned on so that navigation in the park is easier. I've always seen them on during really really busy days.

I could be wrong, dunno, but the odd thing about them is that only some of them are colored or even aimed at areas along the parade route - the others have been stripped of their colors or have fallen out of focus and hit bushes and trees at random. So, you can tell just how often they really use the system.

 

[juan]

the lights are only used sparingly
I had to fight my way through the crowds on the 4th of july in the dark - and this was 1 1/2 hrs before the fireworks

 

[marni1971]

The lights have been there for a l-o-n-g time... some since 1982. Tapestry gave a reason to use them on a nightly basis.

Stand around at the right time to see them rise up by themselves. They also do this on MSUSA. Or wait shoreside at Canada, and see if the `rock` light still works!

 

[Nemo14]

The lights have been there for a l-o-n-g time... some since 1982. Tapestry gave a reason to use them on a nightly basis.

Stand around at the right time to see them rise up by themselves. They also do this on MSUSA. Or wait shoreside at Canada, and see if the `rock` light still works!

That used to be my son's favorite thing to see at Epcot! The lights rising out of the "rocks" never ceased to entertain him...

 

[optjay]

Light rock picture, anyone?

 

[ears2you]

That's nice because I think that all of the architectural detail that Disney worked into EPCOT shows off real nice when lit at night. Ah yes, I do miss Tapestry. Especially at night!

yea me too. i LOVED that thing!

 

[EpcotMark]

LIghts are likely going to be on there for Food and Wine only.

 

[Rob562]

Light rock picture, anyone?

Ask and ye shall receive.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/steerr/100_4161.jpg

There's also a similar tower that comes out of a rock along the water in Japan. I thought I had a pic of that one, but I don't.

Here's one in Italy.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/steerr/100_1624-1.jpg
They rise up from two pits along the "canal" at the front of the pavilion. Of all the disappearing light towers, they're the most visible when they're in their down position (at least the top lights are. The ones along the vertical pole are covered). If you go onto the island and look down in there, you can clearly see them.

And for those who say it's only for Food and Wine, all of these pics were taken in early December. Here's the ones in France:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/steerr/100_1725.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/steerr/100_1726.jpg
(Note that the second one is a small tower that pops up from the roof of the pillar near the bridge)
In fact, in the wide-angle shot you can see that the big spotlight for Reflections of Earth is already raised into position on the top of the roof to the right. (Another of those lights is located on the roof of the Rose & Crown)

-Rob

 

[mousermerf]

The ones in France may of been used just for the balancing act or the mime show. Stage Managers running those shows note if they are after dusk or not and request that the lights be turned on accordingly.

I still think it relates to crowd levels, because i've seen them on during non-FW times.

 

[Bravesfn1]

There's No Place Like World Showcase!

 

[marni1971]

There's No Place Like World Showcase!

Everyone sing now....

I remember seeing the large neon graphics screens pop up on the rooftops for IllumiNations - now they did look weird. Mesh screens in a metal framework all along the rooftops. There again, IllumiNations had so may visual effects on the pavillions compared to RoE they were a work of art in their own right. Slide projections anyone?

 

[CrashNet]

The lights are being used for Food and Wine to help extend the purchasing of, well, food and wine after it gets dark in the evening. It makes it easier for guests to see where they are going and what they are eating. The lights won't be used once Food and Wine is over until the New Years Eve party. They are not on timers, but instead are turned off shortly before Illuminations by stage managers. This is because they are not computer controlled like the rest of the lighting in the park with the Illuminations show, and each venue can have its lights turned on or off seperately (as in France with the shows.) Several of the lighting towers, including the ones pictured here, are for Illuminations, as they light up the venues in purple and blue light. Italy has a large band of lighting on the roof used for nighttime lighting in the venue.