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Bruce Bergman
11-08-2002, 11:29 PM
Well, that was an interesting show to start the season...

They decided to run the Believe in Holiday Magic show at the last minute because the rain let up, and I happened to be down there so I saw it from Main Street. Problem was, the fog showed up for the show too, it came in at about 150' up. :(

The sound was fine, the nine-line fireworks were great, the Castle fireworks were great, the comets were fabulous - I won't give it away, but they've made a few interesting changes... and all the aerial shells were just white tails going up, colorful flashes in the fog that go boom, with visible sparklies as they came down out of the fogbank.

I've seen the regular show fogged out, but not the Holiday version. Oh well, there's always Sunday... ;)

--<< Bruce >>--

sydney
11-09-2002, 01:17 AM
thanks for the info... I left the park at about 6:30 figuring there was no way they would run believe with the weather the way it was. did they run the snow finale as well? I'll be there tomorrow or the next day to check it out, but I've heard that those "interesting changes" you mentioned are worth a look-see.

PhilMP
11-09-2002, 01:26 AM
I found it amusing that management would actually run the show, even if they knew that there was fog in the exact area where most of the shells would be exploding. Oh well, I guess they didn't want to incur the wrath of Guests who paid to see the first night of holiday fireworks.

At least they didn't do the snow, since water on Main Street and soap bubbles don't really make for a good surface to walk on.

Phil

Polar33
11-09-2002, 01:32 AM
Gurrr...I was all set to take my break at around 9:30 today so I could watch from Main St. I took it early though figuring there was no way they would run the show. I was back at the office when I heard the first set of shells go off. I ran outside to watch...and saw the fog. :mad:

It's a waste of some good pyro if you ask me. Atleast I got to see some of the improvements. Hopefully I'll be able to see better tomorrow. I'll make sure of it. :D

Sophie832
11-09-2002, 02:02 AM
We were going to go to Disneyland last night, but we decided not to because we thought there was no way they'd do the fireworks! Sounds like we didn't miss much, though, except colored fog. We'll be there tomorrow night, though...with bells on (no, not literally).

Veritech-1s
11-09-2002, 02:22 AM
soap bubbles and water... hmm might not be half a bad idea for some people at the park.

Not Afraid
11-09-2002, 08:07 AM
Just so you all know......they did the FWs last night because I decided not to go to the park. (Yes, it's all about me;) )

I guess I know what I'm doing the next two nights. I'm excited about the changes! I LOVE Believe, Holiday or not.

Rain (and fog) go away, come again some other day.....

ChewyPinkFloyd
11-09-2002, 08:40 AM
Me and my boyfriend went out to the park last night & we were told by MANY CM's that Believe was not going to happen so we decided to ride splash Mtn. Well, 9:30, walking out of the exit "BOOM! BOOM!" I was so upset :( We ran from the exit all the way to the ROA. We joined a crowd standing around a snow machine box. The fireworks (colored fog) ended, the whole crowd stares at the box for 5 minutes while they play "I've been dreaming of a white christmas." Well I guess the wait on the rides were WELL worth the trip. 2 Min. on haunted. 5 on Indy. 3 On Splash. It was great, I thought it was going to be packed. I love the rain....:D

ArthurBang
11-09-2002, 09:32 AM
Did they possibly do the snow anywhere else in the park, like Rivers Of America or Small World? Or is it possible that maybe the Main Street ones had some kind of glitch that the other two areas didn't have?

Bruce Bergman
11-09-2002, 04:38 PM
Originally posted by ArthurBang
Did they possibly do the snow anywhere else in the park, like Rivers Of America or Small World? Or is it possible that maybe the Main Street ones had some kind of glitch that the other two areas didn't have?

Nope, no snow anywhere in the park on Friday. The theatrical "snow" is just very dry soap bubbles using a special soap blend - and while they're not slippery on dry ground, when ther ground is wet they do lower the friction coefficient just a little bit.

And to the lawyers, any measurable effect is a bad thing and a liability, and any possible slip-and-fall claims must be avoided at all costs. So wet streets means no snow. :(

And to answer a question earlier, they look at the weather in the afternoon to decide whether to start loading the show fireworks, and the final decision is made in the early evening to load the big shells and do the final preperations.

I don't know what the fog policies are - but I guess if the wind and rain conditions don't stop the show, it runs. They've done fogged-out shows before.

--<< Bruce >>--

Laffite
11-09-2002, 09:34 PM
So....Believe still costs $10,000 a show?

Darkbeer
11-10-2002, 07:20 AM
So, Saturday, the rain stops about 7 PM, and the fog lifts, leaving a wonderful, clear, sky, and what do we get??????

At DCA, NOTHING, as the Electrical Parade is canceled!

And at DL, no Believe!!!

So here we are, on a Saturday, the day that there is the smallest percentage of AP's, and a large amount of One Day ticket purchases... and what does Disney do to these guests??? Cancels the shows HOURS before they are scheduled to happen, presumably to save labor costs...

But when the time comes, there is NO weather problem, but those who went to the park got the shaft!!!!

Gotta love those guest relations!!!!!:mad:

sydney
11-10-2002, 10:18 AM
another benefit of hanging around coke corner (besides the amazing rod miller, of course), is that oftentimes, those individuals in charge of the fireworks stop by with an update. Last night, we were told around 6:30 (while it was still raining) that believe and the parades were a no go. (also the 6:15 minnie's xmas in fantasy land had been canceled) I can certainly understand that they need a couple hours to load the shells (which from what I learned last night, cannot be done until they dry out the firing tubes... as if I know what that entails.... but anyway). so yes, I have now missed the fireworks two nights in a row, but today is an amazingly beautiful and clear day after a rainstorm, and I will get my fireworks tonight!

(I hope.)

Bruce Bergman
11-10-2002, 10:44 AM
Originally posted by Darkbeer
So, Saturday, the rain stops about 7 PM, and the fog lifts, leaving a wonderful, clear, sky, and what do we get??????

At DCA, NOTHING, as the Electrical Parade is canceled!

Was it still wet? Those lawyer-eers just cringe at the thought of a Workers Comp claim by a Parade CM that slipped on a wet street...


And at DL, no Believe!!!

How were the wind conditions? The winds at ground level can be mild, but if that wind-test balloon goes mostly straight-up for 200 feet and then makes a *hard* left towards Disneyland Drive, due south into the park proper, or straight north to Ball Road, the fireworks are off.

I think they have a little more leeway with winds to the east, as that's towards the Small World show building, the Roundhouse & Monorail Barn, and other backstage areas.

And exactly when did it stop raining? They have to be careful to keep the shells dry, so it has to stop before they load. They can ward off a few before-showtime sprinkles with foil, but if any more heavy rain is coming they won't load.


So here we are, on a Saturday, the day that there is the smallest percentage of AP's, and a large amount of One Day ticket purchases... and what does Disney do to these guests??? Cancels the shows HOURS before they are scheduled to happen, presumably to save labor costs...

But when the time comes, there is NO weather problem, but those who went to the park got the shaft!!!!

Gotta love those guest relations!!!!!:mad:

I'll agree, some days it must... umm, "stink" to be them. ;) And I could name some very famous times I wouldn't want to have been in a front-line Guest Relations position (with a beatific smile nailed on my face), facing down the mobs storming City Hall with the pitchforks and torches... (<cough> Light Magic <cough> AP Preview <cough>)

Much better to be an Electrician, because (if you'll excuse the pun) I have a bit of 'power' over the situation. If the customer steps over the bounds of polite conversation and gets too uppity with me, I can just do my best Soup Nazi imitiation and say "No Lights For You!!", and leave. :D

--<< Bruce >>--

PS: Yes, Sydney, if anyone is going to know, Rod will. "Ve Haff our Zources..." :D

Polar33
11-10-2002, 02:34 PM
Originally posted by Darkbeer
Gotta love those guest relations!!!!!:mad:

Ironically I had to make a delivery to City Hall last night when the first announcement was made to cancel the fireworks. Not more than 5 minutes later they were swarmed with angry guests who all claimed to have "drove all this way just to see the fireworks" and yet "have been here all day in the rain and not happy about it". :rolleyes:

They truely had my pity last night.

The best part about it is on my way out guests came up to me asking about all the cancelations. When I told them about the safety aspect of the whole thing they all understood. Yet the guests that were inside City Hall were still complaining (and a few were demanding compensation).

Things look good for tonight though. Third time's the charm! :D

Disneyphile
11-10-2002, 04:14 PM
I was just there on Saturday, and about 8pm, was told by several CM's that the fireworks would go on since the skies cleared up and they happened to run them on Friday when "things looked worse". After gathering my group outside of Coke Corner just before the start time, I decided to check with the CM at the information stand to make sure they would indeed be presenting the fireworks. She told me and another guest, "No, because it takes well over 12 hours to set up the fireworks and they can't do that in the rain." And then when I asked her if they would at least be running the snow (as they did last year when the show was cancelled), she said, "Oh, that's not possible, because the fireworks and the snow go together, and they can't run one without the other." At that point, I was more steamed over the basic crap she told me than the disappointment of having no show that evening. I just told her, "First of all, I know you ran the fireworks last night and it rained for 12 hours prior, AND how were they able to still have the snow last year, without it being 'possible'??" If there's one thing that I cannot stand - it's a CM giving blatant misinformation. :mad:

-Teresa

Sophie832
11-10-2002, 08:57 PM
Speaking of CM misinformation, we were told on the tram ride going into the park (and this was around 8:45), that the fireworks were going to be at 9:35, and the CM said "as far as I've been told", which implied that he had been updated during the day. Now, what I want to know is: if a bunch of people knew the fireworks weren't going to be put on a long time before that, why were guests still being told they were happening? Rod knew a long time before, Keith knew, so I'm sure other CMs knew, but it still seems like the guests were kept in the dark (maybe to ensure they would stay in the park?). That kinda bugged me...the fact that they couldn't do the show because of the amount of time it takes to load the shells didn't bother me, I just would have liked to have been informed. The official announcement in the park wasn't until 9pm, btw.

PhilMP
11-11-2002, 01:40 AM
Originally posted by Disneyphile
If there's one thing that I cannot stand - it's a CM giving blatant misinformation. :mad:


LOL, and this is from the Guest Relations CM at the information booth with both a radio and a phone at his/her disposal to find out any information that he/she doesn't know off the top of his/her head.

Shows you what kind of high-quality, go-out-of-their-way CMs that Guest Relations has.

Phil

Not Afraid
11-11-2002, 06:21 AM
The fireworks last night (Sunday) were spectacular. The new show is absolutely wonderful and the new effects very effective. I don't want to go into details and spoil the experience for anyone, but go see the show!

bandboy1985
11-11-2002, 08:59 PM
amen to that. sunday night's show was incredible- don't miss it, from what i hear, it's even better than last years'. not having seen the 2001 version, this version of the show was very strong, and a stand-alone attraction!

Laffite
11-11-2002, 09:08 PM
okay, 'nough of that, some of us haven't seen it (this weekend, I promise!) :D

--Preston

Polar33
11-12-2002, 12:41 AM
"Believe..." was canceled due to high winds last night, it still snowed however. But the snow got blown away and disolved before it could fall. <sigh> Four nights into the season and only one good show.

More wind predicted throughout the week it seams, lets hope it dies down as the sun sets.

This would be why there only used to be fireworks during the summer season. The weather is much more predictable. ;)

tstan70
11-12-2002, 08:01 AM
I was there on Friday night and was very surprised that they had the fireworks, although the fog made them seem "unique"

I watched the show from DCA, right past the Golden Gate Bridge, and loved the Sunday night show. I missed the giant mickey face though - the wife needed a hot chocolate. The shooting stars are cool looking...

Bill Catherall
11-12-2002, 09:32 AM
Originally posted by Not Afraid
I don't want to go into details and spoil the experience for anyone, but go see the show! If I ask nicely will you go into details? Pretty please, with granola on top? :D

Some of us won't get a chance to see it this year. :(

You can use the [spoiler] tag to hide it for those who don't want it spoiled.

Ghoulish Delight
11-12-2002, 09:56 AM
mmm, granola
Major spoilers ahead...
They've added lots of "shooting star" style effects. The opening is a huge fan of bright white verticle "shooting star" firworks from behind the castle. It's truly stunning. During the finale is a series of about 4 of these fans in a row. One of the coolest was a "half" shooting star. Normally, you see the launched from one side and shoot all the way across to the other. This one looked like it was going to be a standard shell (it was just the usual small shell shot straight up over the castle), but when it ignited, it suddenly became a shooting star that started in the middle of the sky and took off to the left! It was cool.

There was also one HUGE shell. Probably the biggest firework I've ever seen. It was massive.


Now, where's my granola?!