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

WDW Vacationer

Active Member
I hope this is not it for the blog...lots of effort on a great thing...



I did comment @thomassmith on Twitter,wanted to be sure he knew it was not personal,he's a really nice guy.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Perhaps I lack your business acumen but can you explain to me the correlation between unemployment and profits and a determining of popular success.

Unless you are saying that Disney used unemployment rises to drive down wages to a more compliant work force while at the same time increasing charges to customers.

Now I could be wrong but in any business I’ve run, if you reduce costs and increase charges you dont have to shift as many units to make the same money, so Im not quite sure how that relates toa sustainable long term business plan. The stock market doesn’t seem to be that impressed either.

My only point was Disney improved it's margins even while the economy in general was weakening. The US economy has lost millions of jobs this year.

One of Igers goals has been to create a company that is "recession proof". And it seems as though he has done so.

As to your last point, Disney stock has done very well and Wall Street is more impressed with Iger by the day.

And in the next year even the harshest cynics will admit that.

Stay tuned.
 

NewfieFan

Well-Known Member
I made a new design for buttons and shirts.

416177286v3_350x350_Front.jpg

http://www.cafepress.com/BringBackLoW

Good job!
 

CTXRover

Well-Known Member
Count me in as another person very disappointed to hear about the Lights of Winter being canceled. I always considered them to be the pinnacle of the holiday decorations at Epcot and it surely will not be the same without them. I appreciate the need to update decorations and offerings, but I don't see how if the technology to operate them was obsolete that it could not be replaced with updated technology vs simply retiring them. I look forward to seeing the new gospel choir offering, but I can't imagine how it could provide the same holiday feeling, night and day, that the light arches did. I hope that a suitable and improved replacement will be offered in the upcoming year.

This is probably the first time I have felt the cuts in holiday decorations and offerings have reached a point that my 'guest experience' has been affected. It may be the the loss of both Mickey's Twas the night before christmas AND now the LOW that makes me feel even more disappointed. I have not done it before, but I will send a letter to let Disney know that I understand the need to update and change offerings, but that I hope an improved and updated offering of similar scale and quality can be added in the upcoming year.
 

BroganMc

Well-Known Member
The train isn't there either?!!!!!! ?

Oh come on! Just when I get my plans set to take my entire family down for Christmas AND book a room at Boardwalk to enjoy a bit of EPCOT my first night, they go and pull this crud? You have got to be kidding me!

The folks in charge of EPCOT are in serious need of visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

New slogan for Disney... Scrooge of the East
 

s8film40

Well-Known Member
So I was thinking we should all plan a day to go to the park, maybe wear shirts or buttons or some other way of displaying our displeasure and get a group to hang out around were the lights used to be. I hear Dec 6th is press day at Epcot and the media and executives will be attending to see this years holiday offerings.
 

TimNRA757

Member
So I was thinking we should all plan a day to go to the park, maybe wear shirts or buttons or some other way of displaying our displeasure and get a group to hang out around were the lights used to be. I hear Dec 6th is press day at Epcot and the media and executives will be attending to see this years holiday offerings.
I'm up for it!!
 

THEMEPARKPIONEER

Well-Known Member
I will be complaining about the gospel singers, I'm interested to see how many people actually show up to watch them. I just hope they perform during the day and don't interfere with the night fountain shows . . . also am hoping they don't put up some backdrop on that stage to block the view of SSE. Where is John L??

I know the fountain shows dont run until that Tapestry of nations music ends and I think that's because of traffic control. I know splashtacular stopped do to traffic control reasons I dont think a quire after illuminations will do any wonders for traffic.
 

DisneyCP2000

Well-Known Member
I share the same sentiments as CTXRover...now that this is more official, I'm finding this heart breaking. This is the one item in Disney that puts me in the holiday spirit (Osbourne's is just not the same)! Forget the tree and all the other decorations, this was the item that brought in the holidays for me! I'm very sad and disappointed in this decision and hope that the lights are updated in the future. I will REALLY miss standing under the arches and enjoying the choreography of lights & great Christmas music.

Bad choice disney....baaaad choice.
 

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
STMPE timecode? Oh crap... that's what Spectro uses, isn't it? That makes it... gasp... OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY! Retire it! Kill it! Shoot it in the face and dump it in the lagoon! :rolleyes:

So does wishes and illuminations :lookaroun

Thats what I was going to point out. Most of the sychronized light displays at Disney run on pretty much the same "obsolete" technology. Does that mean we suddenly get rid of them too? :rolleyes:

The only thing about this situation that is obsolete are the idiots who decided to remove the Lights of Winter. Therefore:

The-Obsolete-Man-Screencaps-the-twi.jpg
 

TimNRA757

Member
To me there were always 2 things I could count on to bring me into the holiday season. That was LoW and that old as dust Corona palm/Christmas tree commercial that still airs despite it being obsolete...
 

jrashadb

Member
Seriously? I already booked my December visit. And I renewed my pass in November. So, I'm going to WDW in December. Nothing's stopping that. But, I've gotta be honest... I'm not really excited about it. I go to WDW all the time but I always look forward to my December visit. My December visit to Epcot is usually what gets me in the Christmas spirit. Now? Meh.

I have my reservation for the Processional. I'll enjoy it and I'll probably smile at the topper on the Christmas tree in Epcot like I always do. But, no Light's of Winter? Really? Because the tech is "obsolete"?

Maybe the same folks who made this decision should take a look around the parks and make decisions based on that. Dumbo, Aladdin's carpets, Tiki Room, Buzz (based on what's going on in Toy Story Mania), Living with the land -- actually, all the boat rides on property -- along with all the 3D movies and maybe some of the dark rides, (Snow White The Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan come to mind) that use obsolete tech should be scuttled as well... I mean, mirrors to project ghosts? Plastic Hippos? Birds on a stick on Everest? That's so 1960s. Boo!

The "obsolete technology" excuse is pathetic and they should be ashamed for even using it.

I'm locked in for another year... actually, I'm locked in for another 15 months because of Disney's Passholder promotion. But, I'm going to take a hard look over this year to see if the Company is going to make it worth my while ehen it comes time to renew.

Hopefully SM's refurb will tide me over.
 

Figment1986

Well-Known Member
I also hear that the rather elaborate train set that ran under the tree outside the American Adventure is not there this year.

whats with disney and trains... fist MGMs and now American adventurers?

It's the holidays WDW should not cut back and instead add more like half of America try to do...
 

Figment1986

Well-Known Member
STMPE timecode? Oh crap... that's what Spectro uses, isn't it? That makes it... gasp... OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY! Retire it! Kill it! Shoot it in the face and dump it in the lagoon! :rolleyes:

Desn't the electrical water Padget use tech from the 1970s mixed with upgrades from the 1980s... if so dang it's more out of date than anything... whats next kill that and then increase the price to stay at the MK resorts (fort wilderness included)?
 

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