Glitzy singing Christmas trees!! Singing all your favorite pop Christmas hits!
Christmas Town
- Thread starter AlpenChrist97
- Start date
New info has just come in, they are doing what tursiops said but on scaffolding around all major buildings in the park. (Globe, AST,Festhaus...) 
If they let me design Christmas Town: (Does this really belong in concepts? It isn't very thorough, so I'm not sure.)
1. Lights everywhere. More places like Polar Pathways and that amazing tree near Festa.
2. Decorated bridge between Germany and Scotland. The lights reflecting against the water are just beautiful.
3. Skyride running. It always has the best views of lights.
4. A drastically expanded penguin area. I feel guilty every time I go in there.
5. Customizable hot chocolate, cider, and caramel corn.
6. Mulled wine and cider.
7. The insane s'mores thing from BGT. For those who have not seen it, it is literally a plate-sized blob of graham, melty chocolate, and gooey marshmallow. Tony and I split one.
8. Local artisans selling stuff.
9. Carolers milling about.
10. A light show on the Festhause, like Crown Colony.
11. Local holiday traditions to match the hamlets.
12. Something needs to be done about the train. It should be awesome, but it always seems a bit lackluster (and cold).
1. Lights everywhere. More places like Polar Pathways and that amazing tree near Festa.
2. Decorated bridge between Germany and Scotland. The lights reflecting against the water are just beautiful.
3. Skyride running. It always has the best views of lights.
4. A drastically expanded penguin area. I feel guilty every time I go in there.
5. Customizable hot chocolate, cider, and caramel corn.
6. Mulled wine and cider.
7. The insane s'mores thing from BGT. For those who have not seen it, it is literally a plate-sized blob of graham, melty chocolate, and gooey marshmallow. Tony and I split one.
8. Local artisans selling stuff.
9. Carolers milling about.
10. A light show on the Festhause, like Crown Colony.
11. Local holiday traditions to match the hamlets.
12. Something needs to be done about the train. It should be awesome, but it always seems a bit lackluster (and cold).
I would love to see carolers/performers just roaming the park. I remember a few years back when they did this during regular season. In New France, they had a few guys drumming on stools, and stuff like that. The localized holiday traditions would be cool, too, maybe with traditional foods/desserts, as they seem to really be specializing on the culinary this year. And I've always thought the train was great, with the lights strung all the way along, but it would be nice just to have no recordings, except maybe Christmas music. I like just sitting and enjoying the sound of the train rolling along and nothing else. As for the cold, you should buy a Carhartt jacket. Those things are toasty.
Nic said:
I agree
Nic said:
I agree
Nic said:
Skyride has always been running except heavy winds and snow storms.
Nic said:
Though not necessary, it would definitely be an improvement.
Nic said:
How so?
Nic said:
I think they have that already, cider and the wine.
Nic said:
Had one at BGW for the first year, they have toned it back some, but they are basically there.
Nic said:
I agree
Nic said:
I agree
Nic said:
I think O Tannenbaum already fills that, being that the light show is the Festhaus and the giant tree.
Nic said:
Elaborate a bit more? Please.
Nic said:
I agree
Not much they can do for the train. I guess just dress warmer. The seat is cold though. I think the blanket idea was good. I would hate for them to enclose the cars somehow. I think the cold makes it more fun personally!
tursiops said:
The problem is the cold metal. I have no idea how to fix it short of carrying a blanket or chair pad around with me.
I want to be clear, this was in no way a comprehensive or fleshed out list. Just things that I have enjoyed or missed in the past.
To address a few specific questions:
3. Skyride: Occasionally it closed for events, because of construction or maintenance. That always bums me out.
5. Customizable hot chocolate, cider, and caramel corn: I enjoyed picking the added ingredients for my hot chocolate last year. And I recall a variety of caramel corn flavors in the past. I just like the idea of picking my gooey toppings for all of these, to achieve a maximum sugar rush.
10. Light show. Having seen the tree and the Colony House, I prefer the latter and would like to see that replicated at BGW.
11. Local Holiday Traditions: No idea. This would require research, at least for me. But food and drink specific to each country. Any unique traditions. That kind of stuff.
To address a few specific questions:
3. Skyride: Occasionally it closed for events, because of construction or maintenance. That always bums me out.
5. Customizable hot chocolate, cider, and caramel corn: I enjoyed picking the added ingredients for my hot chocolate last year. And I recall a variety of caramel corn flavors in the past. I just like the idea of picking my gooey toppings for all of these, to achieve a maximum sugar rush.
10. Light show. Having seen the tree and the Colony House, I prefer the latter and would like to see that replicated at BGW.
11. Local Holiday Traditions: No idea. This would require research, at least for me. But food and drink specific to each country. Any unique traditions. That kind of stuff.
Well that is the skyride, I mean the ride only really closes for high winds and snow, in the past few years of Christmas Town since CT started, I have not known them to close the ride for anything other than weather related events or it broke down.
I remember the hot chocolate you are talking about. That was in Holiday Hills and it wasn't the park's hot chocolate either, it was hot chocolate made with a special chocolate brand, adding the different flavors was really nice and I did enjoy that.
I am sure the actual show can be better, I doubt essentially "reducing" the show to just the Festhaus versus the Festhaus and the tree would make the show any better.
I agree tons of research, but I think as far as local holiday traditions for the countries are comprised of the decorations and the food mostly. They could go more into the merchandise and entertainment offerings, but I am not sure that is too much or not. The carolers for England is very traditional.
But I do like your ideas overall.
I remember the hot chocolate you are talking about. That was in Holiday Hills and it wasn't the park's hot chocolate either, it was hot chocolate made with a special chocolate brand, adding the different flavors was really nice and I did enjoy that.
I am sure the actual show can be better, I doubt essentially "reducing" the show to just the Festhaus versus the Festhaus and the tree would make the show any better.
I agree tons of research, but I think as far as local holiday traditions for the countries are comprised of the decorations and the food mostly. They could go more into the merchandise and entertainment offerings, but I am not sure that is too much or not. The carolers for England is very traditional.
But I do like your ideas overall.
Folks, the blanket on the train is just the beginning. Let me modify my original statement a bit...Bring a blanket to SHARE with somebody on the train. 'Nuff said?
chickenking said:Folks, the blanket on the train is just the beginning. Let me modify my original statement a bit...Bring a blanket to SHARE with somebody on the train. 'Nuff said?
Yeah. My single girlfriends would just LOVE it, if I shared a blanket with my husband, while they shivered on the ice-like seats.
I would LOVE to see them maintain wood fires around the park. Nothing feel more Christmasy than gathering around a warm, good-smelling fire on a cold winters night with friends and family. They have enough stock of wood by the smokehouse, they should do it!
DaTrueBGWFan said:
I believe Colonial Williamsburg usually has that covered?
Nic said:
I totally agree with you. I live about an hour or so from DC, but definitely in the country. My nearest neighbor is a half mile away, and when we go into town, there might be 10 houses decorated with a few lights (usually just one of those spiral christmas trees that you pull up and hook on a rod and plug in and you're done). If I want to get out of Red-Neck-Ville and see some classy light displays, BG is the place for me. My three personal favorite things to go for, and I would be pretty angry if they take them away are:
1.) the skyride: The last time I went was in 2011, so it was Flights of Lights and went all the way around. I absolutely LOVED it! I thought it was brilliant and added so much to the theming, because they were thinking 3 dimensionally when they put up lights. Not just lights on the ground, but they took to the skies, and they thought about how it would look from above. I think that makes the experience so much better! Also, they have taken down the sky rides at almost every other amusement park, so it is certainly a unique ride experience.
2.) the tour! (I can't remember what it's called, but you get a personal tour guide for a whole night): unbeatable! Absolutely my favorite vacation experience ever. SO worth the money! That is my christmas present from my husband on the years we go to CT. You get SO much for the price. 3 day tickets, penguin experience, priority seating for shows, front of the line for all the rides, upgraded parking, as much food as you want! Trust me, we make up for the cost of the tour when my husband sits down to eat that day. The tour guide is there to do whatever you need, and also happens to be great company! We talked at length with her about herself and about the park, and had a fantastic time with her. She even rode the rides with us. Another great perk is that your tour guide is armed with a camera! On a trip with just my husband and I, we might get 1 or 2 pictures of both of us together, because we have to ask a passerby to take our picture, but with this tour, we get a whole CD of as many pictures as we want. As far as I know, you can't get this sort of experience anywhere else around here. I cannot RAVE about it enough. And if they take it away, there will be many harsh words exchanged...
3.) The coasters: I start to feel like I am incomplete as a person if I don't ride a roller coaster at least once a year. We don't live close enough or have enough dough or vacation time to go in the summer and at christmas. So, when I go to CT, I NEED MY FIX!!! And please, don't send me any hateful personal messages or call me crazy, but I DO NOT count Verbolten as a decent roller coaster. I will ride it if there aren't any other coasters... But I am still so very bitter that they took down my wolfie, my beloved first roller coaster, in order to put in THAT MESS. In 2011, Alpengiest was running. In my husband's stocking, I put 2 fleece balaclavas. We rode that thing until we couldn't see straight! Riding a coaster you've ridden a million times before, but in the dark and cold, with the lights all around... it is so magical. I will be severely disappointed if they only have Verbarfin open this year.
Sorry for the novel... I'm just a little bit passionate about CT!
DaTrueBGWFan said:
I'd rather them use the wood to cook my food than use it for general fires around the park.
But I will say, if they had the capabilities to have wood fires stay under control safely, I would think it'd be really nice.