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

[tirian]

I still can't understand why Disneyland in California offers far more and more substantial holiday offerings INCLUDED with ticket price but Walt Disney World keeps cutting holiday offerings and whatever they do have you have to pay for a overpriced seperate ticket to be able to enjoy. It's nickel and diming and this is why I stoped going to Walt Disney World.

And with the local fan base, gigantic AP population, and stupidly low AP prices in CA, you'd expect DL to charge extra for holiday events—not WDW, which generally relies on tourism.

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

The majority of Guests who visit WDW during the holiday season are there for Christmas, not anything else. The HM overlay could be done during September to coincide with Halloween and Christmas; the CBJ overlay requires just a few days (not even a whole week) and could be done in late October/early November.


There's no conspiracy theory. It's simply bad management.

I agree. The argument that overlays shouldn't be done so as to not upset people doesn't hold any water with me. I find it hard to believe that more people would be angered by an overlay than would be excited about seeing something new and different.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Here's a direct link to that petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SAVELIGHTSOFWINTER/index.html

For my part, I've e-mailed, twittered, written, blogged and am preparing fr a prsonal onslaught next month during my erly Deceber trip (planned 11 months ago).

I just ordered a bunch of Bring Back LOW buttons and magnets from CafePress. My plan is to take them with me and spread as much word as possible to the average guest who doesn't know about it.

--- SSR LOVER ------
--- Marriott Owner | SSR, BWV & BLT Owner| PWC user ----
Grandpa Mohawk Travel Blog



Booked Trips: Dec 4-8 (Family Gathering with 3 sibs & kids = 17 people), NYE '09 (3rd Annual GM Posse), April/May '10, Sep/Oct '10

KEUL .

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

This can only be due to budget cuts. The other "reasons" don't hold water IMO. And a gospel choir is supposed to soften the blow? Hah! Hardly.

Exactly. All management, all money.

From here (2010 on) I think we will see what is happening in DL--constant improvement.

I have yet to see sufficient proof to say that....This is a LARGE detractor.

Burbank has intervened and will continu to. That's how we got new FL.

Glendale, actually... And they can't get involved for EVERYTHING, though it would be nice.

Maybe expectations have just gotten too high.

As an adult, I would weigh the lights equal to meet and greets in Christmas gear to the kids.

The holidays at WDW has always been an amazing experience.

I hate it when the fantastic turns mundane.

Damn, this makes me more and more upset daily.

Here locally, the Columbus Zoo has done a 100% conversion to LEDs over the past two years. They explained it would be a two year process, and the payoff is in two weeks. If our petty zoo can overhaul millions of lights, a change out here is a simple fix.

Oh, and this social media clown I the biggest joke of a professional ever.

...And more generic. This is the current State of Disney....Make EVERYTHING the same, and cut the extra. Slash and Burn. It sucks.

And yeah, Twitter is great for breaking news, but this excuse was BS.

What distresses me most is that it doesn't seem like EPCOT is getting much of any holiday treatment. Pictures taken in the last few days show very little on the decor.

As for this letter response...



Knowing how much they charge for this CP package, I'd cancel my reservation on the spot with this response. I'm only sorry I already cancelled my reservation (due to costs). In fact, I'm inspired to make a reservation, wait 2 days then call and cancel it just to make a point.

TDO needs to realize that there's a reason people carve time out of their schedules to go to WDW in December and it's not to spend an extra $50 a head for a dinner show. Not when you can see the same show at home via your local symphony, concert hall, kid's school, etc.

We go to Disney because EVERYTHING is decorated with holiday spirit, not just the things we pay extra to see. But if it's just gonna be like other times of the year with a few "special events" then it's not worth the time and expense.

Before this announcement I was prepared to take both my brothers' families into EPCOT the first day of our trip next month (I'm taking 17 people to Disney first weekend in December). It would mean an extra park day for them and several hundred dollars for me in park ticket gifts to their kids. (We're talking 11 people here.) But now I'm just gonna forget it. They want to go to Seaworld. Hearing what Seaworld is offering in their new holiday events, I'm thinking it's a better choice over EPCOT. I myself may go resort hopping instead.

My only fear is that if enough people cancel CP then TDO may decide to axe that too. The thinking being that "it doesn't attract guests to spend money so we'll cut the cost".

Do this. Tell them. It'll help our cause.

Thats the same place they've been stored for years. Never been a problem before.

Either TPTB needs to come out and be honest about what technology is 'obsolete' or this is straight up, budget related.

This of course should lead to a lengthy discussion about how disney stores things around property. Just leaving stuff out in the open is not the way to do things.

Exactly. Everything is done on the cheap, and that's not conducive with how Disney acts. Or acted.

I have heard the arguement about the overlays a lot. I think that the more people who are buying DVC, the less water that arguement holds. So many people are becoming annual visitors, myself included. I usually go about once a year and I would love for there to be some holiday overlays. If I did not want to see the holiday overlays, I would not go during the holidays.

There is a reason the week around Christmas is the busiest time at the parks, people love the "window dressing". I just can't see why they are taking it away from us, and not replacing anything, and not adding anything.


Only 13 comments so far...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2009/11/disney-parks-blog-weekly-recap-4/

Exactly!! And what holds these guests to this entitled "regular show" anyway?! That sense of entitlement is REALLY overstepped by TDO, and really throws away good opportunities. If people are offered something unique, and something that personalizes a Holiday trip MORE, it'll be eaten up...and might even generate a new crowd. It did for me...I'm going to MVMCP.

There's no conspiracy theory. It's simply bad management.

That.

 

[BroganMc]

I agree. The argument that overlays shouldn't be done so as to not upset people doesn't hold any water with me. I find it hard to believe that more people would be angered by an overlay than would be excited about seeing something new and different.

You'd be surprised what people get upset over. Remember the birthday cake castle?

I do think with the growth in DVC membership (and upper management's committment to "only" build DVCs vs. hotels from now on), WDW is seeing much more repeat visitors. The first 2 weeks of December are jammed with DVCers. Those rooms sell out pretty much as soon as the booking window opens. DVCers don't go for the regular once-in-a-lifetime touristy summer months. They avoid that chosing instead to go for the special events: Flower & Garden, Food & Wine, Christmas, Halloween, New Year's.

The trouble is TDO has been running roughshod over these regular visitors for some time now. They get DVCer money then scale back the offerings to attract them while hiking purchase prices. Then when sales get flat they cut salespeople pay instead of addressing the problems that kill interest.

Only way TDO will learn this lesson is to suffer a big enough PR backlash. That's why I haven't stopped talking about it and spreading the word. People need to hear that EPCOT is not the special place it once was this year.

Animal Kingdom was the park I avoided in December because of lacking decor. Now EPCOT is the dud park. Very sad.

 

[BroganMc]

i want to start off by saying, i am sorry for all of those who are dissappointed by this news, i really am. i know its a bummer when something youve been looking forward to gets cancelled. but seriously? this has turned into post after post of complaints about how "magic is fading" and wdw is screwing people over and DL is way better and people cancelling their trips.... really?? over some lit up archways? one thing gets pulled this year and everyone cries foul? has this become the new "wand"? have i overused the question mark? yes, i have.

The trouble is EPCOT does not have much in the way of decor to celebrate the holidays this year. Sure those lights only covered a small part of the park but it was the only set of lights you got in that park!!! Decorations have been fairly sparse at EPCOT for a while now.

When I went this past year you noticed a huge difference between Magic Kingdom decor and EPCOT. I first noticed at Flower & Garden. MK had just as much if not more flowers. Then this past October, MK assaulted your eyes with Fall Festival decor as soon as you got off the bus/boat. It was everywhere down Main Street from shimmering jack-o-lanterns to orange/brown/red banners. Meanwhile EPCOT had some very sterile-looking statues in lieu of topiaries and lots of F&W kiosks. It made the park seem stark and all metal-y.

Now we come to Christmas. MK has been transformed from Fall Festival to Winter Magical. They've spent months redoing MGM to give it the incredible holiday transformation (pictures of MGM this last week have been so enticing). But EPCOT looks just as barren as it's been all year.
It's almost as if the same folks who dissed the wand are behind this current vision for EPCOT. It's become the same old concrete and steel park with very little personalization because that's the original concept way?

It's very disturbing to regular visitors.

 

[ChrisFL]

It's almost as if the same folks who dissed the wand are behind this current vision for EPCOT. It's become the same old concrete and steel park with very little personalization because that's the original concept way?

wait, what? People who dissed the wand are the ones who want to preserve the magic, not ruin it the way they have been.

Wand = Ruining SSE

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

It's almost as if the same folks who dissed the wand are behind this current vision for EPCOT. It's become the same old concrete and steel park with very little personalization because that's the original concept way?

It's very disturbing to regular visitors.

Dude, you are very confused.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Kurt over at inside the magic stated the following:

I have received word through back-channels that they were planning on putting them up this year, they just broke on install and are too costly/old to repair.

 

[myawn]

Kurt over at inside the magic stated the following:

Quote:
Originally Posted by kurt
I have received word through back-channels that they were planning on putting them up this year, they just broke on install and are too costly/old to repair.
:

I can't understand why, if they had a legitimate excuse that people would have been accepting of, they decided instead to make up a false reason that people immediately recognize as absolute BS.

Add to that the pictures that show nothing has been moved; and what exactly is it about framing and strings of lights that is beyond Disney's capability to repair? Have they no duct tape?

 

[tirian]

Kurt over at inside the magic stated the following:

I've heard similar rumblings, but can't vouch for their truthfulness. If it's correct, Disney should have admitted this outright instead of pretending the lights are obsolete. The public is no longer a group of naïve minds that can be shaped by PR. The Internet has ended the old days of controlled information forever.*


*In many cases, misinformation and outright lies are now the status quo online, but that's beside the point.

 

[tirian]

I can't understand why, if they had a legitimate excuse that people would have been accepting of, they decided instead to make up a false reason that people immediately recognize as absolute BS.

Add to that the pictures that show nothing has been moved; and what exactly is it about framing and strings of lights that is beyond Disney's capability to repair? Have they no duct tape?

It's holding together the SSE descent.

 

[aladdin2007]

What I dont get is, how come Epcot gets the brunt of bad management choices, poor refurbs (and not even finished ones at that) fiascos with refurbs and new things (Test Tracks opening probs, Imaginations historical redo outcry, SSE inferior and incompleteness), and now no lights of winter or decor.

ps: the duct tape prob is holding the descent together ,, it looks like it is!

 

[wm49rs]

Kurt over at inside the magic stated the following:


Quote:
Originally Posted by kurt
I have received word through back-channels that they were planning on putting them up this year, they just broke on install and are too costly/old to repair.

This jibes with what I read on one of the CM boards recently. Sounds more like laziness than obsolescence to me.....

 

[RSoxNo1]

I agree that laziness may play a part - it could also be that they discovered the problem too late in the game to fix it for this year. It seems like this was on the bubble last year, so the fact that it was broken made an easy decision for them.

As for a press release, when was the last time the company has said, "we're not putting this up this year because it's broken?"

 

[Kadruk]

Broke it unpacking it.. Can't be fixed before the holiday season.. It may be fixed or replaced by the holidays 2010

 

[nbodyhome]

As for a press release, when was the last time the company has said, "we're not putting this up this year because it's broken?"

Why NOT just say that? I have worked at call centers where we weren't even allowed to say when the systems were down, we had to give some other reason. Why not just give the real reason (if it WAS the real reason) - "Our lights broke". Easy, 3 words, and they could promise new, better ones for next year.

 

[TimNRA757]

Why NOT just say that? I have worked at call centers where we weren't even allowed to say when the systems were down, we had to give some other reason. Why not just give the real reason (if it WAS the real reason) - "Our lights broke". Easy, 3 words, and they could promise new, better ones for next year.

It's un-Disney... It's like when people ask specifically what's wrong with an attraction that's 101 and get frustrated with the answer "technical difficulties". If in fact this is the case I just hope the lights are repaired for next year...

 

[RSoxNo1]

No company likes to indicate failure. That's why Jungle Cruise operators aren't allowed to make the, "that was Disney's failed attempt at the monorail" joke.

Unfortunately, our society now a days can't handle the truth unless it's sugar coated.

 

[Biff215]

No company likes to indicate failure. That's why Jungle Cruise operators aren't allowed to make the, "that was Disney's failed attempt at the monorail" joke.

Unfortunately, our society now a days can't handle the truth unless it's sugar coated.

Very true, but is Disney really doing any better by saying that LoW is obsolete? Walt Disney himself said that it was fun doing the impossible, yet today's management has no problem passing this off on old technology.

I would have much rather heard that they broke, I could chalk that up to an accident/stupidity/carelessness. The obsolete argument only causes me to lose faith in the future of Disney.