Xmas eve at MK/DAK

[TDLFAN]

So I took a little time out of my day to enjoy a bit of time at MK and DAK on Xmas eve.. just to have a rainshower spoil it. Heck, even the Weather Channel is advising against going to WDW tomorrow since it will be stormy all day (or so they claim). Hope Santa wears his seat belt as it may be bumpy due to the weather...
Anyways... I did get to see DAK at night once again, and took a million photos but most came out too dark. I have to say, the parks is a bit too dark at night, especially in some walkway areas... for the simple reason that there is hardly any "landscape lighting" highlighting the wooded areas. Most elements and icons are lit but, my camera did poorly trying to capture those on digital photography. Oh well. I also had the chance to ride EE at night, my 1st time doing so. The lighting on the Mountain itself is nice and subtle but reddish in look. If this is supposed to be a "snowy" peak, then why illuminate it bright orangy red and not pale blue of sorts? Also most areas of the ride are simply dark. The backwards trip in the mountain at night makes the gap below the track (where you can see into the mesh of the mountain) even more pronounced and apparent. Not good. The Yeti was working fine and this scene was worth seeing at night since your eyes are adjusted to the dark and entering the Yeti's cave with lighting makes the scene much brighter than riding it in the daytime. However, the projection of the Yeti breaking the rails before the big drop was out! All we got was sound effects for 10 seconds. Bad show. If TDL can have all elements of Splash Mountain working just fine after 10 some years in operation... then why can't WDW have all elements of EE working fine with less than one year in operation???
Sadly, the area that has the best lighting at night is Chester & Hester's Dinobomb. Yet, no one seemed interested in being there. I find it funny that Disney kept the games of chance opened and staffed so late into the day when NO ONE was there wasting their money, when others, more important areas of the resort should still be opened for the enjoyment of the heavy crowds... like the Adventureland Veranda Restaurant at the MK? Just a thought...

Anyways... here are very few shots from my time there this Xmas eve.
http://albums.photo.epson.com/
j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32405488&f=0

[TDLFAN]

Oh... one more thing I forgot to mention.. Whatever happened to the days when the MK and EPCOT Center closed early on Christmas Eve so Cms could go home and spend some well deserved time with family on this most important holiday of the year? I arrived at the MK expecting for it to be closed by 7pm and found out they actually were opened until midnight?!?!? Is there no respect for the holiday and appreciation for CMs who deserve some time off to enjoy before the mad rush that will be the holidays at WDW??

[almandot]

They just want to abuse all the people that are away from their families to work over there like international and CPs :P That's a shame about midnight. Disneyland closed at 9, though the late shift CMs had to stay until 11:30 to finish selling stuff and then cleaning up, but they were out of there by then, not close at midnight stay cleaning up an hour like the wdw ones prolly had to.

[SpokkerJones]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Is there no respect for the holiday and appreciation for CMs who deserve some time off to enjoy before the mad rush that will be the holidays at WDW??

When you apply to work at Disney park you are expected to work holidays. If you don't want to work on Christmas Eve don't work at a Disney park.

Not everybody celebrates Christmas. And there are many people who are in need of the extra pay and willing to forego the holiday.

To call it abuse, as almandot puts it, is silly.

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Oh... one more thing I forgot to mention.. Whatever happened to the days when the MK and EPCOT Center closed early on Christmas Eve so Cms could go home and spend some well deserved time with family on this most important holiday of the year? I arrived at the MK expecting for it to be closed by 7pm and found out they actually were opened until midnight?!?!? Is there no respect for the holiday and appreciation for CMs who deserve some time off to enjoy before the mad rush that will be the holidays at WDW??

So now your complaining that they opened late?

If this is supposed to be a "snowy" peak, then why illuminate it bright orangy red and not pale blue of sorts?

Because it is not a real mountain. Disney wanted to take a more fantasy-like look at night with Forbidden Mountain. Why is the castle illuminated in pink and green? Why does the Hollywood Tower Hotel take a blue tone at night?

If TDL can have all elements of Splash Mountain working just fine after 10 some years in operation... then why can't WDW have all elements of EE working fine with less than one year in operation???

Would you like some cheese? Give me a break. The ride had a technical difficulty. It is something that happens to every attraction in every park every once in a while. You seem to think that it has been broken for the past 5 months.

Sadly, the area that has the best lighting at night is Chester & Hester's Dinobomb. Yet, no one seemed interested in being there. I find it funny that Disney kept the games of chance opened and staffed so late into the day when NO ONE was there wasting their money, when others, more important areas of the resort should still be opened for the enjoyment of the heavy crowds... like the Adventureland Veranda Restaurant at the MK?

Can't speak for when you were there, but in the summer that area is packed at night.

[tloolgb]

Well the weather today is spectacular...not. We're under a tornado watch.

Hey being open till midnight on Christmas Eve is nicer than 3am tonight.

[BigPigletFan]

Originally Posted by tloolgb

Well the weather today is spectacular...not. We're under a tornado watch.

Hey being open till midnight on Christmas Eve is nicer than 3am tonight.

Nice... last year I spent Christmas Eve at the Magic Kingdom with Witches of Morva and friends. That was a lot of fun, but I don't recall the park being open so late.... around 9pm maybe? Or maybe that's just when we left?

[aimster]

Yeah it's dark and raining here today... and under a tornado watch.

[TDLFAN]

Originally Posted by SpokkerJones

When you apply to work at Disney park you are expected to work holidays. If you don't want to work on Christmas Eve don't work at a Disney park.

Not everybody celebrates Christmas. And there are many people who are in need of the extra pay and willing to forego the holiday.

To call it abuse, as almandot puts it, is silly.

You missed the point TOTALLY. This was Disney's way to *GIVE BACK* to the CMs who put in so much hard work the rest of the year. To sacrify that particular tradition in hopes of profits is simply deplorable. But you would not know that if you are in such dire need of money. I could use a bigger paycheck for sure but will NOT work for a company that does not appreciate me enough to let me spend Xmas even with my folks.

As for you Mikey.... your opinions mean nothing to me. You are just a kid who should be looking at girls rather than mice. You know nothing about the traditions of Disney. Remember, I was a CM. You have never been. Enough said.

[ZeekSlider]

I've never seen DAK lit at night like that. When did they start doing this?

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Oh... one more thing I forgot to mention.. Whatever happened to the days when the MK and EPCOT Center closed early on Christmas Eve so Cms could go home and spend some well deserved time with family on this most important holiday of the year? I arrived at the MK expecting for it to be closed by 7pm and found out they actually were opened until midnight?!?!? Is there no respect for the holiday and appreciation for CMs who deserve some time off to enjoy before the mad rush that will be the holidays at WDW??

Wow!! Even the movie theatre I work at let us out early X-mas eve. Our last show was at 7:40, and after I walked that to make sure nobody is filming, I left to go home.

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

Originally Posted by ZeekSlider

I've never seen DAK lit at night like that. When did they start doing this?

DAK's been lit up at night ever since EMH has been introduced (bringing its closing into the 9/10pm hours). EE started out being lit bright white at night but changed to the purple/red fantasy scheme a few weeks before opening.

As for you Mikey.... your opinions mean nothing to me. You are just a kid who should be looking at girls rather than mice. You know nothing about the traditions of Disney. Remember, I was a CM. You have never been. Enough said.

Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too.

[captsmith84]

You're both crazy, stop arguing! Shiesh!

Everest is lit up in different colors because it's supposed to. The entire park is supposed to be lit up in color, not all white. The only reason that Everest was lit up white for the first few weeks was because the gels hadn't come in for the lights.

Now, here's the real reason for the color. AK has had night lighting since it opened. The idea with AK at night is this... in the day, the park is real. At night, the park is supposed to show that an artist took his brush to the park and painted it in various colors at night.

Since the park opened, that logic has sorta fallen by the wayside. Gels faded on the Tree of Life, and it's not as colorful as it once was at night. Much of the night lighting around the park isn't working at night as it should be because of bad bulb replacement, and the bulbs that are replaced don't keep the colors that the park is supposed to have at night.

Though, keep in mind that the park is supposed to look darker than the other parks at night. Then again, walk around World Showcase in Epcot at night and tell me that's not darker in some areas.

[Cmash95]

I don't know about disney but at anheiser busch parks you either get one holiday between thanksgiving and new years off but you don't usually get to chose it. and you work the rest. it may have been a tradition at one point to close at 9pm but I have lived here since the early 80's and I don't remember Mk closing early for christmas eve. I remember them staying open later. I have been to the parks on christmas day and christmas eve a couple of times and we always left before the park closed because i couldn't deal with crowds. THis is the biggest time of the year for orlando so I doubt disney would miss out and lose people to other parks. practically every hotel room in the orlando area is booked because of bowl games on the 29th of december and january 1. not to mention the " regulars "and DVC folks coming down for a "warm" christmas holiday.

[ZeekSlider]

Originally Posted by captsmith84

AK has had night lighting since it opened.

Then why is it when I visited the park four years ago, they closed before sundown that entire month? This was in the middle of their peak season, mind you. I never got the impression that DAK was even open at night.

[Phonedave]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

You missed the point TOTALLY. This was Disney's way to *GIVE BACK* to the CMs who put in so much hard work the rest of the year. To sacrify that particular tradition in hopes of profits is simply deplorable. But you would not know that if you are in such dire need of money. I could use a bigger paycheck for sure but will NOT work for a company that does not appreciate me enough to let me spend Xmas even with my folks.

I'm not saying it's right, but its par for the course. We allways got a 1/2 day on christmas Eve - paid. It was never offical untill a few days before hand when the senior execs would announce that "keeping in mind the needs of the business, employees can leave after 1/2 a day"

This year we got the eMail last Tuesday "Christmas Eve is to be considered a normal work day for all management employees"

Disney is not the bad guy here, its business in general, Disney is just following the leader.

-dave