Ending 2008 With the Best Question Ever

[McGintoy]

I was working on the Disneyland Railroad for New Year's Eve. If you were there, or live in the area, you know how foggy it was that night. For those of you who didn't get to see it, the fog was thick! You could not see the castle from the Main Street Station.

Anyway, our Lead decided to stop the trains in a station before the countdown so we could all enjoy the celebration from a station and not from the side of a train, in the dark, between stations. We were planning to open up shortly after the countdown and resume operation for the remainder of the evening (that did not happen, though, because the engineers did not feel safe operating in fog that thick).

So I'm standing in the Main Street Station informing guests that we will be closed until after the countdown (which was the plan at the time). The SG walks up to me. The conversation goes a little something like this:

"Hey, are the Trains running?"
"No, sorry. We're actually going to be closed for the countdown. After the countdown, we'll be running again." (Yes, I repeat the same thing with different wording. Trust me, it works.)
"The countdown, eh? How long is that?"
*Grin* "Generally...about 10 seconds" *Smirk*

It was great.

[Disneyguy85]

"Hey, are the Trains running?"
"No, sorry. We're actually going to be closed for the countdown. After the countdown, we'll be running again." (Yes, I repeat the same thing with different wording. Trust me, it works.)
"The countdown, eh? How long is that?"
*Grin* "Generally...about 10 seconds" *Smirk*

So funny! :D:

I stayed home for New Years. I knew that it would be insane at the parks.

[Big Wallaby]

I love those moments.

They're especially fun when you get them working with a guest willing to laugh at themselves. Otherwise, on a long Monorail ride, it can make the ride very long.

Not saying I've ever had it happen where the person didn't have a sense of humor... Oh, no. Not at all...

[DLRFantasmic!Dan]

Oh, yeah, I was there, first time not working it. I sat around 8+ hours to watch the "firework - less" Firework show, :D

[Ms. Matterhorn]

Oh, yeah, I was there, first time not working it. I sat around 8+ hours to watch the "firework - less" Firework show, :D

No fireworks on New Years Eve?

[CBeilby]

As thick as that fog was, who'd have seen them?

As to not running the trains in that fog, good move. I grew up in the Central Valley, and anyone who's been up there knows how thick the Tule fog gets in the winter. Most fog in orange county can't match that. This one came close (and I have a healthy respect for the stuff. Anything that can cause a 112 car pileup on the 99 deserves a healthy respect.)

[turkeyham]

One of my friends stayed until the park closed. They did do the fireworks, but it was a bright flash and not much to see. :)

[Zazu]

My grandfather was in the first 100-car accident in California history. As you might guess, it happened with the tule fog blew sideways across Hwy 99.

Fortunately, he was driving a Studebaker with cast iron bumpers. The adjacent cars left some flakes of paint, but as soon as they were towed away he drove on.

Got his nice "Certificate of Participation" from the CHP around here somewhere.

[techie-13]

One of my friends stayed until the park closed. They did do the fireworks, but it was a bright flash and not much to see. :)

So it was like watching some of the fireworks shows that happen on San Francisco Bay. Sometimes the fog rolls in and all you can see of the show is pretty glowing clouds in time to music. ;)