MS, I don't think the individual settings will let them flash that quickly. Some are faster than others but not strobelike, IMO.
For me, it was just seeing them at different rates that was uncomfortable.
Now on the video there was a sequence where they all started blinking together very rapidly--that's where I switched it off.
So I'm reading my bean feed...
"...since I don’t do drugs, I spend the money that I save on good dried beans." David Lebovitz
The tag on the hat says that it works with World of Color, Mad T Party and "other attractions". For Mad T Party, they do blink together along with some of the music, but given the decor of Mad T Party anyway, I think it fits right in. I saw the hats blinking some when we walked through World of Color on Saturday night. I wonder if they have something specifically in mind with regard to the "other attractions".
FYI: on another site it was noted that these hats work in Cars Land, too -- at Flo's, Luigi's, and with the stop light. It is supposed to be a fun game to discover where the ears go off. Someone also reported that the ears have a way to relay data of how many times they've been used in the parks. Just a warning to those who are tryin to avoid them for medical reasons. For those with medical concerns, I would let Guest Services know that these ears (and all the other flashing "crapola") are problematic. If enough people say something, maybe something can be done, e.g. a non-crapola section for WOC, more announcements on dark rides, etc. I agree with MS -- so far, I've not encountered a parent who refused to turn off their child's flashing toy/hat/etc. when asked quickly and politely. But I have gotten some dirty looks and loud sighs.
Flo's would make sense (for theming). I already have trouble with the light show in there. And oddly, I did begin to experience my first headache twinges while waiting for my husband near the stop light. I attributed it to the loud noise and crowds that were there due to an appearance of "Red" and the crowd at RSR.Originally Posted by tea4two
I imagine if it's problematic for enough guests, Disney would not want to continue with them. I can work around the occasional area but not half a park, or more.
So I'm reading my bean feed...
"...since I don’t do drugs, I spend the money that I save on good dried beans." David Lebovitz
hmm - you want to see too much blinking? check out the Park's blog's video on it. I don't get affected by them - but it's definitely distracting from the regular show...
blog post is here
"[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney
Compared to the videos from Mouseplanet, that seemed sped up? If so, the blinking wouldn't be quite that bad.
Here's another video that shows off much more of the show. Should be a good benchmark for whether or not you'll hate it (or find them problematic for medical reasons).
As for me, I think it's a really clever idea, but I'm going to reserve full judgement until I actually see a show in person. With every person in the audience wearing one it looks to be a bit overwhelming, but if the scattered throughout the audience along with people who aren't wearing the ears I think it'll be a more pleasant experience. At this point I'm tempted to buy one, but again, I'm going to wait until I get to see it in person this August before I commit one way or another.
I never really thought about the nighttime lights being a problem but I ride the Tea Cups after eating a bowl of clam chowder. I admit that the CARTS of glowing "crapola" makes me a bit dizzy but watching the video of the light up ears is AMAZING! I think the show itself is much more dizzying and mind numbing than the addition of the ears which are just colorful in my humble opinion. Disneyland/California are my faves at night..... WHat a really cool idea. I love it! Of course I am mad you all know....
For those who attend tonight's event, please let us know how it went. TIA!
As someone who is not a fan of WOC, the show with everyone wearing the ears is *amazing*. They certainly added to the show and were not intrusive at all, imho.
As for how it all worked. We got to the parks about 7 pm last night. They were able to check us in at the ticket booth. I am not able to stress how important it is that your whole party be there. When they check you in, everyone gets a wristband and a voucher for an ear hat. The line up started about 9 pm by Mickeys Fun Wheel. Seating is first come first serve, so if you want a "good" seat, get there early and be prepared to wait. They handed out the hats a you get into the WOC viewing area when they let you in about 11 pm. All and all, I didnt feel that the viewing section was all that crowded. There was still plenty of space, and we did not feel like sardines, like we have before watching the show.
If you have tickets to tonight or tomorrow night, have fun!! The show is great with all the ears!
*edited for spelling errors
Make sure you go early with your party the lines get long. It looks like they are taping the nights as well Im guessing it's cheaper to give free hats then to pay actors for what ever it is they are taping for.
We went to last night's showing and had a great time. We arrived to the ticket booths right before the 11:30 p.m. check-in cut-off time and proceeded to the line up area just past the Little Mermaid ride. The line took about 15 minutes for us to walk through Paradise Pier to pick up our ears just after the Silly Symphony Swings. A lot of people had arrived earlier and already had staked out spots, even so, we were able to find a great spot just behind the splash zone area. There were a lot of empty spaces, unlike for the Fantasmic! 20th Anniversary Event. Even though the show was slated to start at 11:45 p.m., it was closer to midnight or even a few minutes after before it actually started.
The effect of the ears with the show was pretty cool, this was only my second time viewing World of Color. Overall, it was a fun, very well-organized event. I highly doubt, though, that I will go back specifically to watch World of Color with the glowing ears. I'm glad they are doing all of these events for APs, hopefully they continue to do so!
I checked in at 9:30 and lined up at the Little Mermaid attraction at about 11:20 like abkb76. The line moved quickly and getting the hat was easy. Seeing the sea of ears change colors with the show was really cool and the audience kept looking around to take in all the colors. The Glow with the Show ears were a very welcomed addition to the show. The minds behind the technology are very innovative and creative.
I think they would be distracting. They take your focus off the show and onto the ears in front of you and around you. Just like those annoying glow, blink necklaces and things. Maybe create a special glow with the show section for those peeps.
Have a Disney Day!
You don't have to walk on water, it's how you walk on land.
Houseofmouse, I thought they would be distracting as well but...the way they integrated them with the show was really nice. They weren't on the entire time, just during certain parts of the show. The overall effect was really neat.
Going later tonight! Just a few questions to those who have gone. Are they strictly enforcing the 9pm check-in time as stated in the voucher? I've heard from some friends who have gone on the earlier scheduled shows that they were able to check-in earlier than that. Isn't tonights' schedule (Sat 6/30) just exclusive to Premier and Premium AP holders?
We went last night, and I'm still torn on the hats in general. We weren't able to get a very good spot, and as a short person (5'3) I could barely see a thing because the hats made everyone taller and created more obstructions (ears) that I had to look around to see the show. I was able to find a spot to stand to see in between people, but definitely not the best view I've ever had. I think the effect the hats made altogether was pretty amazing, but I disagree that it's not distracting. Whenever the hats had a particularly crazy effect or sequence, I was definitely staring at the hats more than the show. Not saying it's not cool, but it's very different from the show being the only focus.
The hat itself really doesn't fit my head -- not sure if others have this problem. The kooshy stuff at the top (I'm guessing to soften the battery pack?) makes it sit a bit funny on me, and the opening is actually a little too big. (Then again, I usually buy the junior ear hats, so perhaps this is just an issue with my head...)
I'll be interested to see how many of the hats start showing up at the regular WoC performances, and just around the park. I'll probably wear mine at least once more just to see what happens with Mad T Party, but I'm not sure it'll be a staple for every visit.
We went last night as well, and SP77 is correct in that the effect of the hats is extremely distracting, but really cool and fun to watch.
We specifically staked out a spot on the bridge to view the hats performance, and it was definitely fun to watch how they interacted with the WOC effects. Some pretty neat sequences to see, but I'm not sure how impactful it would be with just a few hats vs a whole crowd wearing them.
We didn't line up until about 10:30 and the line was already CRAZY long. However, the very front of the viewing area was open. My group and I all found ourselves looking back at the crowd. It really is pretty cool.
I think this is actually BETTER when everyone has them. A CM told me that the reason for these 3 shows is that they were to film them for advertising footage. Don't know how true that is. She also told me 4,000 people were in attendance each night. That's $300,000 worth of hats (retail value) that they gave away.
yeah - but it;s a very low cost entry for them (cost of ears) to do a lot of marketing to sell even more using the videos
"[Disneyland] has that thing - the imagination, and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid." - Walt Disney
They do "sit" funny. Actually I think I have a normal head and felt it was too small. Most of my friends commented similarly--plus, they are HEAVY! Not something I would want to wear all day. We are planning to use them for Mad T Party in a couple of weeks when we are at the resort for the weekend, otherwise I think they will stay at home. I wouldn't drag the ears to the park to see WoC with them again (although I did enjoy the effects). We were in the handicapped area which was up a little bit so it was cool since we could see the show the and sea of hats at the same time. But not sure how "rad" it will seem when there are many less scattered in the crowd.
If I go down, I'm going down fat and full.
No doubt. I doubt the hats cost even $5 to make, which would make their investment on the consumer end of the campaign less than $60,000, otherwise known as "5 minutes". I was more amazed at the idea that 3 sold out showings of WOC with GWTS hats would rake in $300,000 in 90 minutes, if paid for.
Yes, you can check in earlier. On the last 2 nights, people were able to check in as early as 7 PM. We checked in last night around 8:30 PM and had no problems.
And the hats do fit oddly (mine is too big and slid off my head every time I looked up) and they are heavy. If I wear them again to the parks, I'll have to remember to use hair clips to keep them on.
That's funny because my head is rather large and I was worried when I saw they didn't have different sizes, but it seemed fine to me. I agree about the weight though, had to carry it about half of my walk back to the hotel because it was really starting to bug me.
For anyone who is interested in the AP package (ears, lanyard, and pin -- $40 w/o discount), we were able to purchase just the pin and lanyard at Seaside Souvenirs. After the 20% discount, the cost was about $14 per set.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks