Good morning from EPCOT, where we have noticed that Walt Disney World has begun securing the in-ground lighting that recently became a tripping hazard in the reimagined World Celebration Gardens. Earlier this month, we reported that a large part of the marquee in-ground lighting in the World Celebration Gardens had been blocked off to guests, likely as a safety measure. The in-ground lighting had become a tripping hazard, with a majority of the plastic strips coming dislodged from the ground, raising up to create the hazard for guests.
While Walt Disney World has been battling this in-ground lighting essentially from the day that it opened to guests, the hazard created by the lighting had reached a point where immediate mitigation became difficult. While visiting EPCOT this morning, we noticed that a number of the plastic lighting strips have been secured with screws – likely a temporary measure as Walt Disney Imagineering dreams up a solution for the failed lighting package.
In-Ground Lighting Secured with Screws at EPCOT
The solution, for now, appears to be to screw the faulty plastic strips into the ground. The blue screws have been sent through the plastic, and painted white. It’s an inelegant solution, but a solution nonetheless, as Imagineering (hopefully) goes back to the drawing board. Of course, it’s an assumption that this “solution” isn’t permanent, but we certainly hope that this isn’t the type of repair that Walt Disney Imagineering wants to be permanently in place, but who knows. If I had to guess, this was an operational quick-fix to get the area safe and reopened. Here’s a look.
When it worked, the in-ground lighting was nice, synchronizing with Spaceship Earth exterior lighting and other lighting elements within World Celebration. Of course, that could only be enjoyed after sunset, with many guests complaining about the lack of kinetic energy in this area following the removal of the fountain of nations and reimagining of the area.
At this point, we’d love to see Disney go back to the drawing board to figure out a way to introduce some kinetic energy to the gardens area. That said, it is very hard to believe that there would be any appetite to close off the area and create something new. Instead, we could imagine that Disney finds a way to either secure the lighting in a more elegant way, or simply fill in the lighting with concrete and call it a day. We’ll keep an eye on what they choose to do next.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
