Christmas Town 2021
- Thread starter Gavin
- Start date
I was...disappointed in the CT Express Friday night. It's way too early in the season for there to be so many lights out.
Left side of the light wall near Festa - not working
Multiple large globes dark at south end of Rhine River trestle.
Multiple rows of small globes dark in the Festhaus field with the gingerbread people.
One third of the 30' tree near Caribou Station - not working.
Multiple smaller trees along the route either dark or only partially lighted.
On the plus side, I got the entire row to myself. I was able to slide form left to right.
Left side of the light wall near Festa - not working
Multiple large globes dark at south end of Rhine River trestle.
Multiple rows of small globes dark in the Festhaus field with the gingerbread people.
One third of the 30' tree near Caribou Station - not working.
Multiple smaller trees along the route either dark or only partially lighted.
On the plus side, I got the entire row to myself. I was able to slide form left to right.
If anyone has full videos of the shows at CT 2021, I'd really love to see them! I haven't seen anything on YouTube. 
BGW can be quite forceful at times in enforcement of the no video policyIf anyone has full videos of the shows at CT 2021, I'd really love to see them! I haven't seen anything on YouTube.
If anyone has full videos of the shows at CT 2021, I'd really love to see them! I haven't seen anything on YouTube.
BGWFans used to publish show recordings, but, as @horsesboy alluded to, years ago, BGW banned recording shows and started copyright striking recordings that did appear online.
Is going on Thanksgiving Day a good or bad idea? I've been going to BGW for 30+ years but I've never been to Christmas Town and never on a major holiday. Any idea on what to expect as far as crowds? Mostly we'd just be looking to see the shows and decorations, but the kids might want to do some rides. Thanks for any advice!
They haven't been open for a regular Christmas Town on Thanksgiving day before so it's anyone's guess. But I would think it will be fairly lite with it possibly picking up later in the evening somewhat
I have seen people that to the best of my knowledge are not members here removed from the theater for recording. I have also seen others get away without anyone ever saying anything to them while they were obviously doing it. So like all BGW policies it seems to be inconsistent but it's just not worth the chance of getting in trouble in my opinion.
I would think it would be a little lighter that day. We are actually deciding to drive down an go tonight since it's a Monday evening and dropping temps. Seems like it should be light this week I'd think, and then probably a madhouse this coming weekend.
Do they still have the cranberry hot toddy this year?
Or the hot wassail?
If so... where? Thanks!
Or the hot wassail?
If so... where? Thanks!
I know I found wassail when I was there for preview weekend, but I am not 100% sure where I was. The BGW website says there is some in New France, possibly at Trappers somehow (?), however. So maybe that was it?
buschgardens.com
I couldn’t find the cranberry hot toddies, however. That said, it was a preview and I could have simply missed it.
Dining & Shopping at Christmas Town | Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Enjoy seasonal dining and food options only available during Christmas Town including hearty soups, warm beverages and our signature hot chocolate. There are also special holiday dining experiences like the opportunity to dine with Santa Claus. From stocking stuffers to souvenirs, Christmas Town...
buschgardens.com
I couldn’t find the cranberry hot toddies, however. That said, it was a preview and I could have simply missed it.
Found wassail at La Belle in France. There's no sign or menu of any kind that it's there. I guess it's a secret menu item?
Note: can't use the refillable mugs for it.
No luck on the hot toddy - though I did hear other people asking about them.
Note: can't use the refillable mugs for it.
No luck on the hot toddy - though I did hear other people asking about them.
Seriously? They want $10 to ride the train through their half assed (the right half) lights?
The detail I like the best is the beanie that the campers must wear. What happens if—I mean when— a child takes off their beanie? If that’s how they are keeping track of the kids, that’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Or is it? I remember when I was young my grand parents both first generation Americans were all very insistent that the old country tradition was the star faced toward Bethlehem. Not good enough with geography to know if that is the case here but it's worth considering before assuming it's a sloppy mistake.
Interesting. Using my BGWFans investigative skills, I decided to map out exactly where O Tannenbaum's star is pointing. Based on @PrincessArlenasDad's picture, it appears the face of the star is turned exactly perpendicular with the front of Das Festhaus (see Exhibit 1). By zooming out the map at the same orientation, we can see Bethlehem's location relative to BGW. Then, by superimposing the diagram from Exhibit 1 and extending the arrow - also at the same orientation - we can see exactly where in the world the star is facing (see Exhibit 2). As you can see, while the star comes close to facing Bethlehem, it actually faces Northern Africa; if we look at the same general longitude as Bethlehem, the star apparently faces the city of Khartoum, Sudan.
So, is BGW saying there is a special significance to the star facing Khartoum? Did BGW mean to make the star more slightly askew to the north to accurately face Bethlehem? Or did the under-staffed and under-budgeted entertainment department, in a hurry to install the tree, simply make a mistake when installing the star? You decide...
Exhibit 1: The diagram shows the direction the star faces, relative to Das Festhaus.
Exhibit 2: Extending the diagram shows how the star actually faces toward Sudan.
If we want to get extremely technical here. We would have to account for the curvature of the earth.