Originally Posted By 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. <a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32405488&f=0" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32405488&f=0</a>
Originally Posted By brotherdave Thanks for the pictures, TDLFAN! I was fortunate enough in June to see DAK at night. VERY DARK, but somehow, that made the park that much more special to me. I guess because it was darker than the other 3 parks which made it more unique. Chester and Hester's actually looks better at night than it does during the day, mainly for its lighting, I suppose. I really don't care for the theme, but, if they're going to have it, don't you think they need MORE rides in this area to make it feel a little more complete? It just seems, um, 'sparse' (and in more than one meaning to that word!). Everest, on the other hand, I thought looked magnificent at night, even MORE awe-inspiring than during the day. The orange-red glow seemed to make it look more mysterious, at leas to me. I also didn't notice the mountain's structure during the backwards portion during the night as I could during the day. But, more 'blue' light on the top of the mountain would make more sense due to the snow & ice theming there. The lighting on the lower portions seemed fine to me, though. Sorry to hear about the shadow animation of the yeti not working. Bad show, like you said, but, perhaps it was just an end of day glitch that they didn't feel warranted shutting the ride down to fix. At least the AA yeti was working great for you. And, yes, I totally agree that it seems much more impressive at night since your eyes are more adjusted to night vision! Thanks again for the trip report and photos! Merry Christmas!!!
Originally Posted By kennect On my last trip I got see to DAK at night(again) and the Dinoland area was busy that evening....You bring up a good point about Everest during the evening versus daylight hours...That is one thing I hadn't thought about...That adjustment that your eyes have to make could seriously make a difference in how well you see things...
Originally Posted By kennect Just checked your photo's...Wow, that sky looked really nasty...I get the idea that Christmas Day the weather is going to be better there...Also, the photo's made the place look like a madhouse in the Tommorowland section...Was is that bad or just the moment you took the photo's?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN It was bad at Tomorrowland, and the forecast calls for 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms most of Xmas afternoon. Enjoy your day at WDW kiddies!!
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??
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Those days are long over, buddy. I believe the 6-8 p.m. park closings ended a decade or more ago. Last night, MK was open until midnight, the Sudios until 10, Epcot until 9:30, DAK until 8 BUT had EMH's until 11 ... so there was absolutely no time for CMs to get home to be with family ... unless their names were Meg, Erin, Al, Phil, Brad etc ... Oh, and the MK is open today from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. (8-midnight plus EMH's both a.m. and p.m.). I'm all for extended hours and such, but during the holidays folks should have time to be with their families ... and anyone who would stay at the MK from 7-3 or even 7-midnight qualifies as nuts in my book.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Oh, and I'm glad to hear Yeti was working for you ... he was in B mode for me on my first night rides last week. But pretty much all the effects, including the projections were un-op when I rode. Very bad show ... Speaking of show, anyone watching the Disney par...commercial on now? Samantha Brown shilling DVC and DLP's 15th, actually flew her to Paris ... I'm impressed. ... Gotta love the video clips they show that are from 15-year-old Disney commercials (little girl running into Mickey's arms ... family on Main Street ... T-Land '98 opening promo etc ...) Then people arrive and things don't quite look like that ... and poor Regis and Kelly being forced to act like Pirates ... that's what happens when the Mouse owns your soul. Merry 12/25 everyone!
Originally Posted By kennect Spirit, The one thing I did like about the parade were some of the commercials promoting the current dreams bit...I thought they were very well done...As far as everything else it was pretty much the same...Regis and Kelly doing there thing to me means there isn't anything they wouldn't do for a buck...But I hate to admit there was one thing I really liked regardless of how tacky it was...I thought it was great that they had Mandisa in the opening segment...I love her voice and spirit...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>^^Me, too, with regards to Mandisa- such a sweet woman!<< Well...she already burned her bridges by making anti-gay comments shortly after her being booted off AI. But yes, I like her singing and thought she looked great on stage. (and so did Ace Chicken Little I can do without.
Originally Posted By Labuda hehe - just so you know, I LOL'd when I got to pic #15 - ay Harambe! hehehe The walkway to Everst looks pretty at night. Thanks for the report & pics, my friend!
