So far, hs continues to win the decorations contest. It’s so gaudy and perfectly “Christmas” to me.
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Love it! Nothing like the Osborne Lights (which were very gaudy), though. They’ve come close, especially with the projections on the ToT.
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Awe, thanks @Randall1028
And thank you for sharing your time. I know time is always a commodity, and I took up quite a bit today. I never underestimate the gift of time. It was fun, and I hope it was a bit of a magical moment.
Oh and we totally had another liner meet at fireworks tonight!! @disneygirlmama needs to hop on and post the photos she took!! (Because I am terrible and have really only taken photos of gingerbread displays and fireworks. Oh and shoes. 
)
Hope after hours is AWESOME.
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That is important…
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Tomorrow is our off day so I’ll try to post some! My computer hadn’t been working with the internet here until today. Turns out the password changed and I didn’t know it! Trip report to continue tomorrow. Totally fun to meet you and @Randall1028 tonight!
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Day 3 is in the bag. Sorry for the lack of pics throughout the night, but things got hectic or repetitive so didn’t think it was all the pic-worthy till real late. That and wasn’t sure I could take pics in the dvc area in Epcot. Not sure of the protocols there.
That said, what a night! It was slightly disappointing getting into the dvc lounge and only to find it packed with people (kinda negates the exclusivity of it all) but it’s a really cool thing they have for the members.
And then at MK it was great meeting you @disneygirlmama and thanks again @JuliaMc for organizing the meetup! I am so very sorry for cutting it so close. The rain and a last minute adjustment in my personal plan cascaded into a series of blunders and compensations to fix. In the end it worked out, so thanks for waiting!
Found something at DS that I’m fairly sure we…well most of us… will relate to 
After hours was a mixed bag. The park was almost completely empty (awesome) but 7dmt, space mountain, and people mover were all down for most of the night (I don’t think SM ever came online). And with the rain cooling things off, splash mountain was only a once and done go.
BUT as I am not a ride guy, the only effect these “obstacles” really had was allowing me to down several more Mickey sandwiches and strawberry bars than I would have otherwise. And I have to say, being in the park, that empty, with Christmas music playing was absolutely surreal. It was like the one scene in Polar Express. Felt like I was lost in the North Pole. And with a gingerbread latte in hand, it only added to the experience.
Overall really fun night! I am so going to feel it tomorrow. Over 42,000 steps today. 
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It won’t be Christmas, but this post has me super excited for my DAH with DH for Valentines Day 
️:heart:️
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@Randall1028 You were fine!! We ALL cut it close tonight. We had only been standing there maybe 2-3 minutes? Plus the viewing area was empty tonight (yay!), so it wasn’t like we had to fight for space! That’s the beauty, you can cut it close and it’s not a big deal!
Bummer about the attractions being down during DAH! Yay for more Mickey bars!
Oh, and I’ve taken photos in the epcot DVC lounge. I don’t think it matters? That Coke Zero machine is magical. The snack cart cracks me up…I didn’t realize it’s ONE SNACK PER PERSON. Whoops. It’s a pretty view up there. I’ve only been once with a friend, but enjoyed it. It was really busy.
Here’s to a successful rest of your trip. 
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Wow! The pictures are awesome!
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I’m reading too many reports of A list rides being down during paid-for events and it’s making me nervous.
Wow gorgeous pics!
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Agreed, I’d be pretty upset if I paid extra & THREE rides were down. It’s one thing for a party, where there’s additional attractions that you’re paying for, but with the DAH?
I remember listening to a Disney Dish where Len & Jim were discussing the effects of all the extra ride times because of all the “extras” Disney has been adding. They thought it would lead to ride break downs as the rides aren’t meant to be run non-stop.
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These photos of an empty park are so great. My little would never be able to hang this late, but it’s fun to dream! They’ve yet to open Fantasyland EMM in March for my trip, but I keep hoping.
Morning!
After thinking on it, i think I’m more disappointed than I was originally. Factoring in cost, which was more than the holiday party, having 3 attractions (2 of them being headliners) down for any real length of time for the short 3 hours, should really be grounds for a full refund. While I’m not most people in this regard when it comes to rides, the whole point of these DAH, that they even use in their marketing, is to be able headlining rides with almost zero wait time.
The “free ice cream, popcorn and soda”was also done pretty poorly. There were, I believe only 3 carts that were functional in the whole park, and all at extremely remote locations. One by splash mountain, one by haunted mansion, and one by liberty square boat. And only the HM one had Mickey ice cream sandwiches. There was nothing in Tomorrowland as far as I could see and neither on main street.
I really don’t feel I got my money’s worth, even with the highlights (and they were high, don’t get me wrong) but I don’t see me ever doing it again. I feel if you just plan for a holiday party, you’ll get 90% the same experience on ride availability with the added bonus of far more treats available to you and far more entertainment.
Regarding the “rides aren’t designed to run. Constantly”, that’s not really an excuse, nor do I believe is accurate for the simple reason of “more run time = more money”. These machines are designed to be up as long as possible for just that reason. If it becomes common knowledge it will go down, it’ll start becoming less popular and thus less profitable. Especially something like 7dmt where it’s only real draw is that it’s still the newest ride in the park. Once tron gets here, I expect that wait time to plummet to btmrr or barnstormer levels.
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Are you going to speak to Guest Services about getting some form of redress?
I have DAH booked for both AK and DHS for my trip in a couple of weeks time. No matter what the small print says, I’m doing this — as is everyone else who books it — for the opportunity to ride FOP and SDD at least twice each.
If that doesn’t happen, I’ll be (politely!) asking Guest Services for anytime FPPs that cover these rides.
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Nah, it’s more of a hassle than it’s worth for me to complain and I certainly don’t feel like jumping through hoops for something that only slightly bothered me after I had to think about it at length. Now, had I been with someone or had a strict objective to ride 7dmt a certain amount of times, absolutely there would be action taken, but it’s me alone and I roll with punches faaaar easier in that regard.
I still had a good time, made up at least half the cost with Mickey sandwiches and fruit bars (which, ah, incidentally I am certainly feeling this morning lol) and enjoyed an empty park which is my favorite thing more than rides or food. The only thing that woulda made it better was free coffee. Ah well. If I would’ve been staying at the contemporary I woulda popped over and back and turned it into a nighttime photography extravaganza.
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They weren’t making excuses, more like “how long can Disney keep this up before everything breaks down? because the rides weren’t designed for this.” Exited to add-if I remember correctly, they were specifically concerned about Space Mountain-it’s not a spring chicken as rides go.
I’m sorry that was you experience, everything I’ve heard people say before was that this was their favorite after hours event because of how empty the park is and how many time they were able to do their favorite ride. It’s a big deal that 3 headliners were down!
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I have mixed feelings about empty parks at night. There is something both eerily atmospheric about it, but also something lacking in atmosphere — no excitement hangs in the air.
It’s like going into an empty bar or restaurants. It’s a bit weird.
I actually think AK at night might even feel a little scary!
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It would. That is what would make it fun!