Lights of Winter not being displayed this year (2009)!?!

[unkadug]

First hand knowledge of the situation..

Anything can be replaced, for a price.. but it's not being considered. I wish something would at least take it's place... but it is, what it is..

Then please explain how the technology was irreplaceable...as you put it.

 

[luv]

Is it really an issue of sponsorship?

How much does Disney want to sponsor the Lights of Winter?

If they had decided to stop the Osbourne lights, I'd have missed it, but wouldn't have been crushed in the way I was with the end of the LoW.

I love how they can spend money to buy Star Wars crap, but can't put up the God-blessed Lights of Winter.

They need to get rid of all their management and put someone with some sense in charge.

 

[Texas84]

Bottom line: People like me keep spending money at Epcot no matter what they take away.

 

[EpcotFanForever]

Bottom line: People like me keep spending money at Epcot no matter what they take away.

I wonder how much it would cost to sponsor something like this?

Instead of the "group gripe", shouldn't we just take up a collection?

 

[Alektronic]

First hand knowledge of the situation..

Anything can be replaced, for a price.. but it's not being considered. I wish something would at least take it's place... but it is, what it is..

Since you have first hand knowledge, it means you actually worked on them then you should have no problem explaining how they worked and what tech was obsolete! I'm still waiting for answers to your other posts also.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's also seasonal and that means that the only people that even knew it existed are those that went during the Christmas season. After 30 year, I made my first December trip in 2011. It wasn't there then and the only way I knew that it did exist was by reading the boards. So, not missed by me and, literally, thousands and thousands of people that never go during that season.

One would need a much larger base to get Disney to reconsider. Does that make it good that it is now gone? No! Not even a little, but there just won't be the ground swell of support that would be needed to make it reappear.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Has this (dead) horse not been beat enough? It's over! The lights are gone! If you want to complain about it, contact Disney, because continuing to whine and cry about it here is pointless.

 

[RSoxNo1]

How about the Osborne Lights in World Showcase while they build Carsland?

 

[cheezbat]

Disney is missing out in additional attendance. When they do special seasonal things, fans like us know. I love going to all the theme parks to see what they offer during Christmastime. Before, I'd take time to visit the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios to see their seasonal offerings, but now theyre only getting two days from me because I'd only care to go to MK and DHS.

 

[Master Gracey]

I would be dancing for joy if they got rid of the Osborne Spectacle!! I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I, for one, HATE the Osborne Spectacle. I appreciate it from a technology aspect and synchronization aspect, but that, for me, is where it ends. It's garish, gaudy, and doesn't allow for any fun photos from September through whenever they take it down. I would LOVE to see those go away, but I know that'll never happen.

It was a far better spectacle when it was strung out along the full neighborhood of Residential Street. I still had some enjoyment when it went to New York St. or when untill they started to dance to the Jonas Bros. Then all bets were off!

 

[TheDisneyMagic]

I a

It was a far better spectacle when it was strung out along the full neighborhood of Residential Street. I still had some enjoyment when it went to New York St. or when untill they started to dance to the Jonas Bros. Then all bets were off!

I agree, it was much nicer back then, now it feels so crammed. Lets squeeze as many lights in as we can!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

A brace of ubbers and their undying corporate loyalty. But who cares the lights were on at a time when I dont go anyway. For that matter I dont go on any spinner rides so Disney should chop them too.

 

[PhilharMagician]

there are no plans to bring them back... Jokes aside, the tech used for the entire system was obsolete, and irreplaceable. Therefore an entire new system would have to be purchased.. and it's not happening.. The arches have been in the same location for quite some time and have not been touched in years..
Anyone that compares it to plain old Christmas lights is being silly.. That's like comparing household landscape lighting to the lighting in a high school football stadium.

They were obsolete. They were incadescent bulbs. I was just looking @ picture of them from 2004 and it is surprising how many bulbs are out in the pictures. Somewhere I have some close-ups of the frames during the day and they were due for refurbishment with paint bubbling and rust.

I thought that they were getting an upgrade to LED bulbs and the $$ were cut and they were put on hold. This was like 4 or 5 years ago now.

 

[wdw71fan]

it was obsolete because the company that manufactured the equipment stopped making It years before the LoW were retired.. The system was hacked together in the last few years and in 2008 there were multiple failures that had them offline for 10 days....

In other words.. the system that was in place had no 'spare' parts.. it was a custom designed/built system, and the sub con that provided the tech was gone years before the LoW were removed from the holiday rotation.

I didn't say they couldn't be completely refitted with a new system.. But the company officially retired them 3 years ago.. There is absolutely no reason to think they are coming back...

Much like Pleasure Island.... And I don't say that as a dig, I say that because it seems as though there are a few people in this thread that are complaining about LoW being gone, that also keep the 'Save PI' thread going with the same banter..

I feel your pain, I loved LoW a LOT (as well as PI).. but the horse is dead.. it's been dead for years..

 

[muteki]

Just curious, what equipment/control system does Osborne run on, is the company that makes it still around, and if not are they also in a state where if things were to break permanently tomorrow, would they have to retire that show as well?

It's understandable now that years later the LOW have essentially been allowed to rot, and they are not coming back. To me though, it seems like they could have found a different solution back then shortly after the failure, through another supplier or otherwise, for a lot cheaper than they could today. Certainly if they were to try and bring them back now they would have to start from scratch.

 

[Goofyernmost]

A brace of ubbers and their undying corporate loyalty. But who cares the lights were on at a time when I dont go anyway. For that matter I dont go on any spinner rides so Disney should chop them too.

I don't recall anyone saying that, especially me. I pointed out that that particular attractions was strictly seasonal and many more people were unaware of it existence then were. That is, IMHO, why it is gone and will not return unless they lose Osbourne.

They were obsolete. They were incadescent bulbs. I was just looking @ picture of them from 2004 and it is surprising how many bulbs are out in the pictures. Somewhere I have some close-ups of the frames during the day and they were due for refurbishment with paint bubbling and rust.

I thought that they were getting an upgrade to LED bulbs and the $$ were cut and they were put on hold. This was like 4 or 5 years ago now.

OMG...lets not start another thread on burnt out light bulbs, please! This really is about the napkins isn't it?

 

[wdwmagic]

Just curious, what equipment/control system does Osborne run on, is the company that makes it still around, and if not are they also in a state where if things were to break permanently tomorrow, would they have to retire that show as well?

It's understandable now that years later the LOW have essentially been allowed to rot, and they are not coming back. To me though, it seems like they could have found a different solution back then shortly after the failure, through another supplier or otherwise, for a lot cheaper than they could today. Certainly if they were to try and bring them back now they would have to start from scratch.

The Osborne lights run on current equipment from a third party, which is still supplied/supported. There would be nothing stopping the Lights of Winter running on the same system.

 

[muteki]

The Osborne lights run on current equipment from a third party, which is still supplied/supported. There would be nothing stopping the Lights of Winter running on the same system.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking as well. This is just a number of flashing lights, not rocket science. The only thing stopping them from having it again is money. Problem is, since they have waited so long, to bring it back now would mean a lot more money than had they tried to do it a few years ago.

 

[COProgressFan]

The Osborne lights run on current equipment from a third party, which is still supplied/supported. There would be nothing stopping the Lights of Winter running on the same system.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking as well. This is just a number of flashing lights, not rocket science. The only thing stopping them from having it again is money. Problem is, since they have waited so long, to bring it back now would mean a lot more money than had they tried to do it a few years ago.

Exactly. Thank you for bringing some logic back to this conversation.

 

[PhilharMagician]

What I do not understand is that the LoW were nothing but static incandescent lights mounted in a large tubular steel frame with each color light on a seperate circuit. There was really no elaborate control of these lights just a rolling color change.

So what is this technology that cannot be repaired? Maybe a simple process logic controller and relays that could easily be replaced by Siemens and some software to control timing?

I just sounds like it was decided that the ROI was not there and the budget was pulled.