Posts Tagged ‘Osborne Lights’

It is a month of contrasts.  The beginning of December is a favorite of Disney veterans who take advantage of the great weather and lower crowds during the first couple of weeks.  The week between Christmas and New Year is the single busiest one of the year.  During this holiday period, it’s not unusual for the Magic Kingdom to reach full capacity and close the gates to new arrivals as early as 10:00 or 11:00 a.m.

It is festive and beautiful – perhaps the single most beautiful time of year to visit Walt Disney World – with parks and resorts dressed to impress and the daily schedules a whirlwind of special events, activities, and holiday performances.  There are so many different things going on it’s impossible to list them all!  As the calendar counts off the days until Christmas, each resort begins to add its own roster of special holiday happenings.

Fast Facts

Special Events: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party continues, typically until about December 19th, at which time the Christmas Parade replaces the daytime parade in the Magic Kingdom for the remainder of the season.  The Castle Dream Lights sparkle and Wishes becomes Holiday Wishes for a few special days.  There are regular performances of the Candlelight Processional and the storytelling of Holidays Around the World in EPCOT.  Visitors to Disney’s Animal Kingdom can enjoy Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.  The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights draws the crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Festival of Seasons offers seasonal entertainment and Santa meet-and-greets.  In fact, Santa really gets around the Walt Disney World Resort!

The Voices of Liberty don their holiday finery for concerts of seasonal music at the American Adventure and many of the resort lobbies ring with good cheer as various choruses, choirs, bell ringers, soloists, and musical groups serenade guests.

Attendance levels: From the sublime to the ridiculous – expect lower attendance for the first couple of weeks escalating to the highest numbers of the year during Christmas week.  Guests visiting for the first time after the middle of the month should understand that crowds will be fierce.  The parks are crowded, the parking lots are jammed, the roadways are busy, the buses and monorails are full; it’s difficult to overstate just how massive the crowds are.  Expect long waits for attractions and transportation; be prepared to wait at every turn.  Be certain to make dining reservations well in advance and plan to visit with a relaxed attitude, knowing that this will be a time to slow down and enjoy each moment as it comes.

Weather: It can be breezy and balmy or crisp and cold.  In the past few years, the temperatures have climbed well up into the 80’s and crashed into the 20’s.  December of 2010 was the coldest ever recorded for this area.

Packing: If there was ever a time to pack for all possibilities, this is it.  As the departure dates nears, we suggest checking the ten-day forecast at weather.com!

November is a month of transformation as the World dons its gay apparel for the holiday season.  Guests can revisit a park or resort hotel to find it completely changed from the day before.   Working through the nights, cast members perform magic as they bring Christmas to life throughout the Walt Disney World Resort.  Although this wonderful photo was taken onboard the Disney Magic, we think it is a beautiful illustration of the holiday mix found at all Disney Destinations during this special time of the year.

The thermometer is something of a quick-change artist, as well, marking cool morning temperatures that can turn into sunny, warm afternoons in the blink of an eye.

As the entire resort gears up for Christmas, Thanksgiving is celebrated with traditional meals, and appropriately-costumed characters.  Before the month is over, the festive decorations are in place, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties have begun, the Osborne Lights are dancing, and EPCOT is celebrating Holidays Around the World.

Fast Facts

Special Events: Enjoy the last two weeks of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival; the start of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Holidays Around the World at EPCOT, and The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

Attendance levels: November offers a wide range of attendance from some of the lowest annual numbers during the week after Thanksgiving to the heavy crowds of Thanksgiving Day and weekend.  Once EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival winds down, the days leading up to Thanksgiving are among the most pleasant of the year.

Weather: Typically a glorious month with temperatures ranging from the high 50’s to the high 70’s and little rainfall.

Packing: For months other than May through September when it is reliably hot, visitors should always pack for the possibilities and November is no exception.  It is definitely a time to think “layers.”

From traditional and timeless to the trees of tomorrow, Walt Disney World has a Christmas tree to suit every taste.

For cutting edge, we’ve chosen the monorail tree at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

The Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights offers the lights and only the lights, with trees fashioned entirely of brilliantly-colored bulbs.

At the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the tree in the rotunda references one of the vintage black and white photographs that grace the lobby – “Wildflower Excursion.”  The branches are festooned with ornaments, lights, and bunches of wildflowers – a wonderfully woodland tree!

Reindeer are another recurring theme at Walt Disney World, and are found in some unexpected places.  At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, there’s a twinkling deer family grazing on a ledge over the main entrance.  They add to the beauty of the lobby in the evening, when it glows with light and good cheer.

For the holiday parade at the Magic Kingdom, Santa’s reindeer have left their post to join the dancing on Main Street U.S.A.  Wearing their “hollyday” bows and sleigh bells, they’re a favorite year after year.

Nestled in fields of flowers, the beautiful twig deer at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa draw visitors outside to enjoy the perfectly manicured grounds of this splendid resort.

Look for a reindeer motif featured on everything from antenna toppers to chocolate.   Take the time to visit Disney’s Fort Wilderness and enjoy the fantastic holiday displays at the campsites.  You’ll see lots of reindeer prancing through the woods.

But, do they really know how to fly?  Oh, yes!

For many years, I’ve attended the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.  It is always a pleasant, and sometimes quite memorable, evening; one I look forward to each holiday season.  Unwilling to stand in line for two or three hours for anything, I take advantage of the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

The package has certainly changed through the years.  At one time, guests could choose to dine after the performance rather than before, making it a far more relaxed evening.  Then, for a time, reservations could be made much closer to show time, rather than what amounts to the middle of the afternoon.  Pricing was pretty much in line with the regular menu prices; participants confirmed their reservations earlier in the day at the hotel and were given a badge to wear.

As the years went by, the prices increased, of course, and the badge turned into a wrist band that needed to be obtained while waiting in line for the show.  With the advent of the dining plan, guests were allowed to exchange one table service point for the package.  In 2008, I noticed a considerable increase in cost, but in 2009, the changes are really breathtaking.  It will now cost more than $55.00 for an adult to have dinner at the Garden Grill, while the price for dinner at Teppan Edo and the other Tier 3 restaurants will be a staggering $75.00.  Now, I enjoy both the Garden Grill and Teppan Edo, but that seems excessive for the basic food served there.  Yes, they’ve thrown in an appetizer, but guests are paying dearly for it, and a couple of the venues are buffet- or family-style meals.

A decision has clearly been made that the mere one-hour wait in line for package participants is now worth $15.00, plus the cost of the most expensive menu items, whether you order them or not.  If you’re on the dining plan, you’ll now need to use two table service points.

I do understand that the company is in business to make money.  I realize that the popularity of this event, much like a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table, makes it a candidate for a price increase.   I know that good practices dictate charging whatever the traffic will bear.  But, at some point, the consumer does speak, and this year, I’m speaking loudly:  I won’t be attending the Candlelight Processional.  Will I miss it?  Certainly! I have many wonderful memories of this event.  But, I’ve planned a new “tradition” for 2009.  For that same $75.00, or probably a good deal less, I can have an exceptional meal at Hollywood Brown Derby, or save considerably by dining at one of the other restaurants in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then join the fun at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.  I’ll enjoy the choral performances found elsewhere in the parks and resorts, make a point this year to attend the tree-lighting ceremony at EPCOT, and take advantage of the many holiday events that help to make the season bright.

One thing we can rely upon is Disney’s sensitivity to guest trends.  If there is a sufficient drop in participation, they will reevaluate the program.  If the majority of guests embrace the changes, we can be certain we’ll see those prices continue to rise.

#2  The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

OK, I’m going to admit that, when the lights were first strung up over at the television houses in the backlot of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I did think they were over-the-top tacky.  Now, keep in mind I never missed the chance to go see them, I just thought they were too, too much; not very pretty but definitely a spectacle.  While I missed the former location for a while, their new home on the large buildings and little side Streets of America began to grow on me.  But, when they added the “dancing” feature, I was hooked!

Appearing nightly from just after Thanksgiving until the new year, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is a must-see attraction.  Several times each hour, after a brief opening ceremony, more than five millions lights burst into their dazzling choreography synchronized to seasonal music, including holiday favorites performed by the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Jose Feliciano, and Barbra Streisand.  Look for additional embellishments: angels and reindeer overhead, twirling trees, dozens of shapes outlined in lights, and, of course, snow flurries.

Visitors can also look for some of the more than 40 Hidden Mickeys found throughout the installation. It’s an astonishing display of holiday fun designed to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Nightly from late November to early January

Shows every 15 minutes

Park admission required