Last season for the Osbourne Lights

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I would love a year around Christmas theme park.

 

Me too.

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

Me three!

 

I would love a year around Christmas theme park.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Unfortunately this seems to pretty much put the kibosh on this rumor...

 

 

Are The Osborne Lights Moving To Epcot? – Not So Fast, Says The Family

September 23, 2015 by Doctor Disney

 

So, a lot of people have signed petitions, protested, called Disney, and tried everything they could to save the Osborne Family Spectacle Of Dancing Lights. When Disney announced this is their last year, many people have started asking me about rumors that they’ll be moving to Epcot or somewhere else…but that unfortunately isn’t happening.

 

The rumors of the Osborne Lights ending happened for years, but then it finally happened. The rumors of the Osborne Lights moving to somewhere else on Walt Disney World property have been around for years too….as you can see at this link.

 

Well, those rumors have started up again and a number of people have been asking me about it…so, here is a post from right after Disney announced the end of the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This comes from Tristan Wingfield, the son-in-law of Jennings Osborne:

 

Hey gang, Tristan here, yes sadly the lights will be coming to an end after the 2015 Holiday Season. My family sat down with the directors of the lights last night, and we were told that this year is going to be the biggest and best year for the lights as a final blow-out and the 20th year celebration. There are currently no plans to move the lights to any portion of HS or any other park on Disney property. (In fact we were given and inventory sheet of the items in the lights that belong to our family, which further cements the fact that they will never again be displayed on Disney property.)

 

While the family is sad that the lights will be leaving Disney, we are so very happy that we had the chance to spend 20 years lighting up HS and the many, many people we were able to meet and make their lives brighter after seeing the lights.

 

We hope you’ll join us for one last hurrah, before the streets go dark. And don’t worry I’m sure Disney will fill the void with something equally as magical as the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights was for the last 20 years!

-Tris

 

As you can see, with the family getting the inventory sheet for the lights…it doesn’t appear as if they will ever be at Walt Disney World again. Sure, things can change and we never know what the future may bring, but for now, they will be done after the 2015 holiday season.

 

With Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land expansion construction beginning soon, the Osborne Lights will soon officially be a thing of the past at Walt Disney World.

 

http://www.doctordisney.com/2015/09/23/are-the-osborne-lights-moving-to-epcot-not-so-fast-says-the-family/

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm not sure when you first began to visit WDW, but they used to have a very big archway of lights on the main path between Future World and the World Showcase.  It was called the Lights of Winter.  The blogger mentions it in the article Mo quoted.  I found a video on YouTube that shows the Lights of Winter in action:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9BOZ3VIfao

 

There's a good article and some photos posted here:  http://www.disneytouristblog.com/lights-winter-tribute/

 

 

I loved this display.  It was a TCD family tradition to arrive at Epcot via Monorail as often as possible during the winter season so we could see the lights from the monorail.  But, that's about as large a display as can fit in that spot, and it caused a lot of congestion.

 

It's miniscule compared to the size of the Osborne Lights display.

 

 

Yup.  I can't see how something on the scale of the Osborne Lights would fit along that walkway.

 

TCD

 

 

Yeah, maybe.

 

One of the reasons I recall hearing when they didn't come back was that the lights were not LED lights. Somewhere along the line, they swapped out all of the Osborn Lights for LED lights. That couldn't have been cheap.

 

They probably didn't want to mess with that for the Lights of Winter.

 

It would be cool if they brought them back, though.  Truthfully, I'd rather see those than the Osborne Lights.

 

TCD

 

Thanks for this photo TCD.  I loved seeing the lights and wondered why they were gone. 

 

Unfortunately this seems to pretty much put the kibosh on this rumor...

 

 

http://www.doctordisney.com/2015/09/23/are-the-osborne-lights-moving-to-epcot-not-so-fast-says-the-family/

 

 

Well....boooo

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I got an email today from Disney Destinations that says there's going to be a passholder preview of the Osborne Lights:

 

 

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I got an email today from Disney Destinations that says there's going to be a passholder preview of the Osborne Lights:

TCD

So if I get my AP as planned I can go on this trip and my next trip. I probably won't make it twice but good to know.

[bhall 115]

I don't think anyone answered my questions about the lights using Light o Rama. 

According to Wikipedia:

 

In 2011 the display had a major overhaul, all the lights were swapped out for LED lights including all the ropelight. During this overhaul the lighting control was updated to a "state of the art" entertainment lighting system using light control boards from the company Light-O-Rama.​

 

​I've got 5 LoR controllers and the software.  It takes me 8-10 hours to program a song for 80 channels and 8k lights.  I can't even wrap my head around what is needed to do it on that scale.

[rm0530 5]

TCD, I saw those early preview dates too. I wish we were able to make it during that week! We will be there that weekend but were planning to avoid opening night. We are going Saturday evening hoping that the Wine and Dine race will divert some of the crowds.

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

I got an email today from Disney Destinations that says there's going to be a passholder preview of the Osborne Lights:

 

 

TCD

 

 

Interesting. I wonder if this would be available to us if we were to upgrade to AP's when we get down there....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I got an email today from Disney Destinations that says there's going to be a passholder preview of the Osborne Lights:

 

 

TCD

 

So, this "early peek" is supposed to happen in 4 days.  And not a word has been posted by Disney anywhere I can find about how Passholders will be able to enjoy this so-called perk.

 

But, lookie here:

 

 

Free Osborne Lights Spectacles!  For all Passholders!!!

 

Woo Hoo!

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Somewhere in China, a crap factory has been busily cranking out spectacles.  

[Travisma 1,317]

So, this "early peek" is supposed to happen in 4 days.  And not a word has been posted by Disney anywhere I can find about how Passholders will be able to enjoy this so-called perk.

 

But, lookie here:

 

 

Free Osborne Lights Spectacles!  For all Passholders!!!

 

Woo Hoo!

 

TCD

But no free specs for the sneak peek 11/1 thru 11/5 if that. Is even happening!

My daughter is staying in town just for the sneak then flying back to Minneapolis on Monday instead of Sunday.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

But no free specs for the sneak peek 11/1 thru 11/5 if that. Is even happening!

My daughter is staying in town just for the sneak then flying back to Minneapolis on Monday instead of Sunday.

 

Well, I hope for her sake that the early (not sneak) peek happens.

 

I am guessing that it will.  But, it must be pretty lame, because apparently there isn't any effort going in to planning it.

 

I have a feeling that all that's going to happen is that they're going to start the lights on November 1, and everyone can come and get that early peek.  Nothing in that passholder email said it was exclusive.  And that would be consistent with the neglectful treatment passholders have grown accustomed to.

 

TCD

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

The first year or two of the Osborne lights we were given specs similar to those.  Each year the design you saw was different. They were neat to look at the Osborne lights and then I sent mine to a friend up in the mountains in WV.  She and her little girl had a lot of fun looking at the stars with them.  I was very disappointed when WDW stopped giving the specs away.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The first year or two of the Osborne lights we were given specs similar to those.  Each year the design you saw was different. They were neat to look at the Osborne lights and then I sent mine to a friend up in the mountains in WV.  She and her little girl had a lot of fun looking at the stars with them.  I was very disappointed when WDW stopped giving the specs away.

 

Yup.  I still have a few sets of those specs we got way back in the day when the lights were still on the Residential Street.  I keep them with the Christmas decorations, and break them out when we get those out.  If I recall correctly, the lights didn't "dance" back in those days, so the flimsy paper glasses were supposed to make things more interesting.  Truth be told, they didn't.

 

It's funny that they're bringing these backs after all these years.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

It's funny that they're bringing these backs after all these years.

 

 

My guess is that they've had unused boxes of the specs sitting in storage since the days they used to hand them out, and when the announcement was made that this is the last year for the lights, somebody said "hey, let's get rid of those old glasses while we can".  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My guess is that they've had unused boxes of the specs sitting in storage since the days they used to hand them out, and when the announcement was made that this is the last year for the lights, somebody said "hey, let's get rid of those old glasses while we can".  

 

LOL. You're probably right.

 

And, I just noticed something I missed in my extreme excitement of posting the screen shot of the free spectacles offer:  they are only available on Mondays and Wednesdays after 5:30 pm.  What's the deal with that?  Can you imagine the line that will be formed just inside the park entrance for these free crappy cardboard glasses? 

 

And as long as I'm complaining about the ineptness of the Disney Passholder Relations department, I may as well add that there is still NO information about the Passholder early peak that is supposed to start in two days.

 

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

So we are sitting in the rocker at Aunt Polly's trying to find out if the sneak peek is happening. Nothing on the HS show pages lists it as happening tonight. Called the pass holder #, got a recording on how wonderful the show is, then got transferred to an agent who was a regular reservation agent. He hadn't heard or seen anything about it, he checked his wife's pass holder page, and he even got into the CM messaging system for HS and they didn't list anything special for today's events. So still no definitive word yea or nay, but it's leaning towards the no side.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Saw a post on one of the fan sites on FB (Mousesteps?) that it's opening tonight for everyone, not just Passholders.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

We will be heading over, already have fast passes for HS this afternoon any. Guess we'll find out for sure then.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Travisma 1,317]

Ended up talking to a HS CM at the customer service desk at MK. He said the sneak peek is 11/5. Starting tonight are test runs and he made it sound like it's blocked off but you can still see some things.

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

Light are on and open to all guests

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Ended up talking to a HS CM at the customer service desk at MK. He said the sneak peek is 11/5. Starting tonight are test runs and he made it sound like it's blocked off but you can still see some things.

 

This is the typical comedy of errors.  That 11/5 event is probably the CM preview- which is not open to the general public.

 

From everything I've seen, though, the lights were on an open to all last night, and that will continue through the official published opening date, with the exception of the time they're blocked off for the CM preview (whenever that is).

 

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

Full blown Osborne lights. If you.come around past Indy, they make you go all the way around to the entrance by Lights, Camera. There is a sign above the wall heading to the quick serve place that is Tink with a 20 under it.

They have passholder T shirts and Christmas ornaments.

There is a Lounge area by Lights camera that is going to be a dessert party. Right now it's open to first come first served. They are having adult beverages also.