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View Full Version : World of Color stopped midshow 11/28. Technical difficulties



JunJunM3
11-28-2011, 08:48 PM
Well, actually it was cancelled 2/3 of the way during the Enchanted song. The audio was working and the 3 mist screens at the back were on, but there were no projections whatsoever. There were no lights on the lagoon and the light towers along Paradise Park were dead too. They turned the lights back on and it took a few minutes after they stopped the show to make a formal announcement, saying the show will not continue due to unforeseen technical difficulties.

I was with my friends and we've all seen the show countless times and we realized something was off beforehand. During the Aladdin scene, the lights around Paradise Park/Pier, Ariels' Grotto, Tritons' Carousel, and CA screamin all went on and stayed on for some time. They eventually managed to dim it down til it was totally off, but it came back on again and they had to turn it off once more. That kept going on and on during the Aladdin and Genie sequences. At first we thought they tweaked the show and this was all a new effect, but that obviously wasn't the case when it kept going on and off. The Pocahontas scene went off fine and while the Pirates scene was clearly missing some laser effects, it was still completed along with the Lion King stampede scene. Then came the Enchanted song and that's when it all went south. Here's hoping it's nothing major and they solve whatever issue came up. With the holiday season in full swing and the busiest weeks in DLRs' calendar year coming, it would be unfortunate if WoC is down for some length of time.

winnapegjets96
11-28-2011, 09:09 PM
I don't see it being down for long, it'll be back tomorrow night in full swing, these things occur from time to time, its like attraction censors being tripped, reset the system and continue :)

JunJunM3
11-29-2011, 09:24 AM
I don't see it being down for long, it'll be back tomorrow night in full swing, these things occur from time to time, its like attraction censors being tripped, reset the system and continue :)

We did notice divers during the daytime yesterday at Paradise Bay, and late in the afternoon, they had the whole platform raised and a crew was working on some stuff. I'm sure all the kinks will be worked out immediately, heck, they were probably hard at work at it overnight :)

danyoung
11-29-2011, 09:36 AM
While I have no direct experience with this show's technical setup, I have worked with many highly complicated show systems over the years. I'd imagine a show like this has several potential points of failure along the way. I'm sure the data from the main controller branches several times, and goes into and out of a variety of control modules scattered about the entire show floor. And the failure of just one module would mean something of a cascade failure that could do anything from take out a few lights or fountains to scramming the entire show. Hopefully the techs in charge know the system well enough to know where the failure is, swap out malfunctioning modules, and get the show back on track. I'll be seeing it in just over 3 weeks - plenty of time to get 'er running again (not that it should take anywhere near that long!).

shna
11-29-2011, 09:41 AM
We were there last night & had tickets, but decided to head home before the show anyway (we've seen it a number of times). Glad we didn't wait around!

3Princesses1Prince
11-29-2011, 11:20 AM
On another site it was reported to be due to an altercation in the crowd and they had to clear the area. I wonder what the reality is?

JunJunM3
11-29-2011, 08:07 PM
Just got some tweets right now that World of Color encountered problems tonight (11/29) as well. Don't have much info but I think it says they stopped the show and restarted after some delay.

winnapegjets96
11-29-2011, 08:23 PM
Wow, then woc is experiencing some problems then, that's too bad, and if I may, that's why the fastpass system is bad for that show, even thought tickets now these days take longer to sell out than beforel
, let's say I'm a tourist and I've never seen the show, I get a ticket and I wait all or most of the day to see it and something like this happens twice in a row, is that fair to me? I understand things happen but still.........

JunJunM3
11-29-2011, 08:46 PM
I got a tweet saying that during the show, one of the speakers popped or perhaps blew, and then the projectors flashed out. They stopped the show but I guess they restarted and managed to finish the 2nd time.

Nonetheless, these problems are alarming. Perhaps after the holidays, WoC can go down for a month or so for maintenance/refurbishment. WoC has been playing nonstop since its debut which I find commendable, but I'm guessing such technology needs time for some really meticulous TLC. I mean, do those projection orbs/domes that pop out of the lagoon still work? Also, watching the show from the back so as to get a full panoramic view, one can notice that on some rows of fountains which shoot water straight up, some nozzles are shooting water at a slant instead. WoC must have such a complex and intricate operating system, it probably requires maintenance at much shorter time intervals.

chahn
11-29-2011, 08:58 PM
We just returned from tonight's (11/29) show. The sound track started after the Prep & Landing intro but the park lights kept going up & down and there were no projections on the water screens or fountains running. We got to the beginning of the Ariel segment when they stopped the show completely & announced the show was delayed due to technical difficulties. They got it fixed and the show ran through in full after about 20 min.

ETA: show date & actual delay time (gotta love twitter time stamps!)

disneyobsessed
11-30-2011, 06:39 AM
Wow, then woc is experiencing some problems then, that's too bad, and if I may, that's why the fastpass system is bad for that show, even thought tickets now these days take longer to sell out than beforel
, let's say I'm a tourist and I've never seen the show, I get a ticket and I wait all or most of the day to see it and something like this happens twice in a row, is that fair to me? I understand things happen but still.........

Unless you've paid money for the picnic lunch or expensive WoC dining, I don't see how it's much different than waiting enthusiastically through the day for fireworks or Fantasmic only to have them canceled due to wind, rain, or technical difficulties.

winnapegjets96
11-30-2011, 10:27 AM
Yeah okay, I guess that makes good sense

emgm
12-01-2011, 02:48 AM
So how did the show go last night (Nov 30th)?

iceman559
12-01-2011, 08:49 AM
Unless you've paid money for the picnic lunch or expensive WoC dining, I don't see how it's much different than waiting enthusiastically through the day for fireworks or Fantasmic only to have them canceled due to wind, rain, or technical difficulties.

I agree. You pay nothing extra for a fastpass other than the time it takes you to get it. It is part of the park admission and is a perk, not a right. Sure, it sucks that you went over to DCA to get it right when the park opened, and then enjoyed your day and had it end on a sad note by not getting to see WoC, but that's part of attending a theme park. Problems happen. If you paid money to get the special reserved seating or what not, then it's a slightly different story. At that point, you did pay something extra over and above what everyone else paid for a special right. If that occurs, then yes, compensation should be made because you paid for a service that was not rendered. However, with just the generic fastpass, you take a gamble spending time picking it up, because there's many reasons why the show might not happen. The same goes for attractions. There's nothing binding about a fastpass ticket for Space Mountain saying that if you come back to use it later, the attraction will be up and running. Problems can arise, but you acknowledge that when you purchase your ticket and enter the park under your own will.

It's a lot like purchasing a ticket to a sporting event. You pay for your seat, and that's what they guarantee you. You gain admission, but they make no guarantees above that there is the designated sporting event occuring. When you purchase that ticket and attend the event, you are gambling on whether or not your team will win or lose. If a person's team loses or if an obnoxious fan of the opponent sits next to you, is it not fair to that person because they expected a win or only fans of their own team? No, we all acknowledge that attending a sporting event brings a risk of your team losing or you winding up right next to some obnoxious fan yelling and screaming for the other team while constantly getting up and down and leaving their seats. Sure, it sucks when they do, but it's a possibility. What's different about paying to get into a park, riding all of the rides throughout the day, maybe seeing a parade or two, and then one show not occuring because of technical reasons? You still got a day's enjoyment from everything else in the park.

I'm an avid Phoenix Coyotes fan, and when I attended the home openener this season (against the new Winnipeg Jets), we wound up with Jets fans all around use, after having been booed by a group of drunk Jets fans outside the bar right next to the arena. Sure, it was annoying with them yelling and screaming all game and throwing stuff in my face without provocation (other than me simply wearing a jersey to support my team), but I knew it would happen when I picked that game. I knew it was likely that there would be tons of Jets fans there. After all, it's the "Old Jets" vs. the "New Jets" so to speak (for those that don't know, the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and now the Atlanta Thrashers have become the Winnipeg Jets this season). After 15 years, Winnipeg finally has a hockey team back (shall I assume that winnapegjets96 means you were an original Winnipeg Jets fan?) and they are playing the team that left their city 15 years ago for the first time. It's a risk I took, and was willing to put up with the consequences. I paid good money for my seat, but I still enjoyed the game (we kicked Winnipeg's rear-end!) and there's no reason for me to have expected to only have Coyotes fans around me. Same goes for Detroit games. I know the arena will be just as loud when Detroit scores as it is when Phoenix Scores during those games. It's a risk you take when you purchase the ticket, just as attractions being down or canceled for any reason is a risk you take when you purchase your tickets to any theme park (not just Disney).

Koala Gurl
12-01-2011, 12:57 PM
We didn't stay to see the show, but I did notice there were divers out again in the afternoon working on things.

Autopia Guy
12-01-2011, 02:48 PM
If you paid money to get the special reserved seating or what not, then it's a slightly different story. At that point, you did pay something extra over and above what everyone else paid for a special right. If that occurs, then yes, compensation should be made because you paid for a service that was not rendered.

What service that you paid for was not rendered? You paid for either a lunch or dinner. I would assume that they had enjoyed those meals. The fastpass is a FREE incentive (I know, its the big marketing push for those meals as well) that was never paid for. Disney has been very careful about making that known with the meals. Now, if you go to guest relations and are nice about your situation, you can usually get it resolved and get viewing for another night, but that isn't a guarantee either.

iceman559
12-01-2011, 05:43 PM
What service that you paid for was not rendered? You paid for either a lunch or dinner. I would assume that they had enjoyed those meals. The fastpass is a FREE incentive (I know, its the big marketing push for those meals as well) that was never paid for. Disney has been very careful about making that known with the meals. Now, if you go to guest relations and are nice about your situation, you can usually get it resolved and get viewing for another night, but that isn't a guarantee either.

As long as the price of the meal is not increased with the inclusion of the ticket (in other words, you can get the same meal for the same price without the reserved seating), then you are paying for that ticket. Now, if Disney is upfront about it beforehand saying that you "purchase" the ticket at your own risk, that's different. While you still purchased a ticket for a service not entirely rendered, you have no legal recourse because you agreed to the terms. It'd be like going to a hockey game and the game being suspended during the second intermission. Well, you paid for a full game, but it's typically stated that they do not guarantee that a full game will be played and that the game could be canceled at any time for reasons out of their hands. Like Disney, you will usually be able to get at least a partial refund in these instances if you're nice, but it's still not a given.

danyoung
12-02-2011, 02:56 PM
I'm not totally sure about this, but I think the dinner with the WoC ticket is a prix fixe thing that isn't available without the package. You get appetizer, entree and dessert all for a pretty decent price (I think is was around $40). But I think if you eat without the package you pay a la carte just like in every other restaurant.

dban3
12-03-2011, 09:57 AM
I'm not totally sure about this, but I think the dinner with the WoC ticket is a prix fixe thing that isn't available without the package. You get appetizer, entree and dessert all for a pretty decent price (I think is was around $40). But I think if you eat without the package you pay a la carte just like in every other restaurant.

Yep, that is how it works. WOC dining packages at Ariel's Grotto and Wine Country Trattoria are price fixed and include appetizer and dessert trays. There are usually around 5 entrees to select from. The WOC fastpass is part of the package but you are not paying anything additional for the pass. More of a perk. I have heard that if the WOC performance is cancelled and you did have one of the expensive dining packages, you can go back and ask the restaurant manager for a "rain check" for the cancelled WOC performance. Don't know that for a fact or not and I would doubt that the rain check would be in special area for high end dining packages (very nice view and not as crowded).

TravelingMickeyFan
12-03-2011, 05:49 PM
Any word if the technical difficulties have been fixed?

bumblebeeonarose
12-03-2011, 10:58 PM
We saw the water running on Wednesday in the morning and had not heard of the previous closure. We were both surprised. An hour later we saw divers. Guess we know why now.

JunJunM3
12-04-2011, 01:57 PM
Any word if the technical difficulties have been fixed?

After this past Mondays' midshow cancellation and Tuesdays' delay, I haven't heard of any malfunctions the rest of this past week. It's safe to assume the show has gone off without a hitch since then. Perhaps they've gotten to and taken care of any glitches there was. Or maybe they just managed a "stopgap" remedy for the time being. A show of this magnitude and technology will always be subject to possible technical issues, that can never be prevented 100%. All they can do is to continue to conduct thorough maintenance on a regular basis so the show is free of glitches/technical issues as often as can be.