Turning on the neon in cars land...What time?

[coloradocutie]

What time has the neon in cars land been coming on? Seems pretty cool!

 

[dina444444]

The lights come on at sunset

 

[Epek]

It changes with the sun. When you're there, ask a cast member. They have the exact time for each day.

 

[PHXscuba]

It changes with the sun. When you're there, ask a cast member. They have the exact time for each day.

Maybe, maybe not. I certainly wouldn't count on it. When I was there last month and asked 3 different Carsland cast members, none of them had a specific answer to give out. I pressed all 3 to give me their best guess and they were all very wrong -- off by as much as 45 minutes from when the lights actually came on. None of them even knew who else would have a correct answer like a lead or area manager.

The best consistent guesstimate I have found on the DIS is "about 5 minutes after official sunset," which is roughly when the lights DID come on that night. You can look up online for your specific week. YMMV.

PHXscuba

 

[SMD]

It's supposed to be 5 minutes after sunset, but I've seen it as much as 15 minutes late. I will usually just stake out a bench or seat by Cozy Cones and wait 20 minutes or so before the official "sunset" time for that day. But I have seen it a few times where the song plays and the lights don't come on. The first time I asked a CM and she said something must be wrong. The lights popped on all at once a few minutes after the song ended. Last year during Christmas they changed the song to Walking in a Winter Womderland.

 

[Disney Dreams]

The official answer is "dusk." When is that? Do NOT rely on me as I've missed it 6 times! No, really.

You sort of have to camp out for it --- or get lucky.

- Dreams

 

[bumbershoot]

Maybe, maybe not. I certainly wouldn't count on it.

Neither would I!

July 2012 I asked a CM and got a VERY confident answer.

That was totally wrong and if I'd gotten there at that time I would have missed it.

I decided to get there half an hour before dusk, which to me is a bit before sunset time. I looked up sunset that day on my phone and got there well before that. Not because I didn't believe the CM (I did!), but because I wanted to be there and not be stuck in a line or on a ride or anything. And caught it.

 

[Butterfly123]

Sounds like we were lucky on our trip last June. We asked a CM at the entrance to MJJ about the lighting time. They walked over to the entrance, referenced a piece of paper, and gave us the time it was scheduled for that evening. They were right down to the minute! Maybe they aren't supplying the CM with accurate information anymore...that's a shame. You wouldn't want to miss it..it's a fun thing to experience.

 

[Kiwigirls]

We looked up sunset on my phone, which was 6.09pm that day (last Tuesday), and made sure we were in Carsland then. The song played and lights came on a few minutes after that. It was cute.

 

[SMD]

I decided to get there half an hour before dusk, which to me is a bit before sunset time. I looked up sunset that day on my phone and got there well before that. Not because I didn't believe the CM (I did!), but because I wanted to be there and not be stuck in a line or on a ride or anything. And caught it.

Dusk is by defintion after sunset.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We've found the easiest and most consistent method is to Google the sunset time for that specific day. Then estimate about 5-10 minutes after that. Plan to be on Rte. 66 about 10-15 minutes early to get a good spot, grab a snack at the Cozy Cones, and enjoy your treat while waiting. This method has worked for us every time, regardless of the time of year. It comes in very handy on overcast days when you can't see if the sun is close to setting.

 

[Epek]

Sounds like we were lucky on our trip last June. We asked a CM at the entrance to MJJ about the lighting time. They walked over to the entrance, referenced a piece of paper, and gave us the time it was scheduled for that evening. They were right down to the minute! Maybe they aren't supplying the CM with accurate information anymore...that's a shame. You wouldn't want to miss it..it's a fun thing to experience.

Yes, this was my exact experience and why I suggested to go to a CM. This was in August. There is a little podium close to Stanley, on the far end of Luigi's. I asked the CM who hangs there.

 

[SeaDis]

One thought:
This weekend is daylight savings-- Sunset moves to just before 5:00 PM, and this will start to conflict with the Pixar parade at 5:00. As sunset moves up earlier, the parade moves to 4:30 in November.

We had a similar setup with sunset around 5:20 and the parade going by Carsland right in that window. We kept missing the lighting and finally asked. One CM told us they just flip the lights on when this happens-- and you can't hear the music anyways with Pixar going by. That seemed to be the case 3 or 4 days in a row.

We have a quick trip next weekend and I'm curious to dial-in this scenario better. We still haven't seen it...

 

[disney4cam]

Would Flo's be a good spot to watch?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Flo's (or across the street) is a great spot to watch the lights come on. You just don't want to be too close to City Hall or you won't get the full view of all the lights as they come on shop by shop. By the Cozy Cones is also a good spot.

 

[jitterbug]

One thought:
This weekend is daylight savings-- Sunset moves to just before 5:00 PM, and this will start to conflict with the Pixar parade at 5:00. As sunset moves up earlier, the parade moves to 4:30 in November.

We had a similar setup with sunset around 5:20 and the parade going by Carsland right in that window. We kept missing the lighting and finally asked. One CM told us they just flip the lights on when this happens-- and you can't hear the music anyways with Pixar going by. That seemed to be the case 3 or 4 days in a row.

We have a quick trip next weekend and I'm curious to dial-in this scenario better. We still haven't seen it...

Could you please post your experience with this? We will be there Nov 17-20, and Pixar Parade is scheduled for 4:30, and sunset will be at 4:46, so wondering if we still get to see the magic of the lighting with the music, or if gets trumped by the parade. TIA.

 

[coloradocutie]

Could you please post your experience with this? We will be there Nov 17-20, and Pixar Parade is scheduled for 4:30, and sunset will be at 4:46, so wondering if we still get to see the magic of the lighting with the music, or if gets trumped by the parade. TIA.

Ditto! Thanks everyone for the input. It seems like a wonderful experience if we can time it right...

 

[SeaDis]

Could you please post your experience with this? We will be there Nov 17-20, and Pixar Parade is scheduled for 4:30, and sunset will be at 4:46, so wondering if we still get to see the magic of the lighting with the music, or if gets trumped by the parade. TIA.

Sure, I will report back-- Or maybe someone can do it sooner. We will only have one or two chances next weekend.

To clarify (I checked dates/times):
This was our mid-February trip. The Pixar Parade was 5:15 and sunset was 5:35. The first two attempts we got to CL just in front of the parade arriving (guessing 5:30) and all the lights were on. We figured we just missed it. On the 3rd attempt we got there earlier, maybe 5:20, and again all the lights were on. That's when a CM said "oh yeah, sometimes when the parade is coming they just skip the music and turn them on". But it's not like he was super-confident about it.

I saw on another Web site the parade lasts 20 minutes (for those watching), but it takes 50 minutes to get through the park end to end. So I figure the entrance to Carsland is roughly in the center of those 50 minutes.

I was interested in this thread that they change to Winter Wonderland in the Winter. So they obviously do the lighting at some point during the Winter. Maybe they need just enough separation between dusk and the parade arriving. And the gap can change as the weeks go on and the parade is moved earlier and later with daylight, etc. And/or maybe they move the lighting up a few minutes to get ahead of the parade. Just luck of the draw as far as planning your schedule...

 

[Coffee50]

What song is played when the lights come on?

 

[planningjollyholiday]

What song is played when the lights come on?

Shaboom. ...life could be a dream. Just like in the movie when the lights come on.