In back from dlrp about 2 weeks now , although I've come back with a few issues regarding the resort in general ; Park condition , outdated village , a poor studios Park etc , one thing annoyed me more than any other and that's these light ears !!
I paid 40€ For 2 pairs of these for the kids which I didn't have a problem with until I seen the show and how few people had bought some .
Id say no more than 100 people had them on , it was something I was looking forward to as an addition to dreams but was amazed how non existent the things were .I mean Disney must of spent a lot of cash installing the technology to make this possible .
The marketing is disgrace of this product for a start ! If you were not aware of this product on arrival you won't be made aware ., end of .
I know the price is also to blame but not one incentive is made to sell these .
They should be available in hotels and discounts should be available for family's etc .
How come disneys californias show of colours has most people wearing them and in dlrp it's non existent ?
Maybe it's the same reason dlrp is losing money and can't get finances in order .
MANAGEMENT !!! NO shows etc at dlrp and when the tech is installed at the park they don't bloody use it to their advantage errrrr .!! Imagine an advert for dlrp with clips of dreams and the audience with the lightyears on ? Ratatouille , t.o.t , magic on parade etc
The only add ive seen lately is a picture of the castle with a few characters ! Stuff people already know is there .
I seen an ad For Disney cal and they highlight world of colours ..dlrp as we all know has money issues so to waste limited opportunities to show case the park with tech already their is unforgiveable
I admit I didn`t buy any, beacause they are to expensive!
Well Irishboy. that's quite a tirade!
I would suggest two reasons why very few people buy these, not including your feelings of poor marketing! They are too expensive and what do you do with them after the show?
I believe that the main reason for the poor take up is cultural. In America you see hundreds of people wearing mouse ears, here in Europe we don't have the same interest! I would not contemplate buying this product and am sorry you had such a bad experience.
I also agree.....the ears are way too expensive, and a bit uncomfortable to wear. The only time you would wear it is when you watch the show at night. They should either make them less expensive or change the design so they are a more practical hat to wear.
I agree with captain rocket - Mouseketeer ears seem more popular in the States anyway, let alone the Light Ears.
As for what do you do with them after? I thought that they were supposed to work away from the parks and react to music?
And I'm curious, if €20 is expensive for the Light Ears, how much do the normal Mouseketeer ears retail for in the parks these days?
I don't agree that people in the states will wear them as oppose to people in Europe .
It's typical dlrp wasting money imo , I'm sure if dlrp thought that they would only work in America then why was the tech installed ?
Marketing at the resort is useless ! For instance this was my first trip there since 2012 and when I got to my lodge (davy crocket ranch ) which was excellent btw I turned on the tv only to find the same programme advertising the park was on since I left in 2012 .???
The "10 things to know before you go " maybe a new 30 minute slot would help advertise stuff better .!!
Has anybody any idea btw of how much it cost to install the light ear tech ?
I never got them because they didn't fit right, they felt annoying, and to be honest, I'm easily distracted in the corner of my eye, so they are in general just annoying to me, haha :P
My friend last week, who did buy them, to obviously wear them during the show, got asked by a person behind us "you will take those off will you when it starts, because we can't see"
Excuse me? That's what they're there for, haha!
Quote from: irishbhoy1888 on June 30, 2014, 08:34:52 PM
I don't agree that people in the states will wear them as oppose to people in Europe .
It's typical dlrp wasting money imo , I'm sure if dlrp thought that they would only work in America then why was the tech installed ?
We'll have to agree to disagree. To me, it
is quite common to see people walking around wearing the ears in the US and Japan, but in Paris its just not as big as a thing. Some wear them, but they just don't wear them as much as the guests in those resorts.
That being said, they obviously sell enough ears to warrant bringing the Light Ears over. EuroDisney would not add to the Dreams budget on something that would be a loss maker.
Besides, it doesn't really effect the show, it just adds fun for those wearing them and those around them.
Quote from: irishbhoy1888 on June 30, 2014, 08:34:52 PM
Marketing at the resort is useless ! For instance this was my first trip there since 2012 and when I got to my lodge (davy crocket ranch ) which was excellent btw I turned on the tv only to find the same programme advertising the park was on since I left in 2012 .???
If the information from the '12 film was still relevant, there's no need to update it and waste money making a new promo.
Besides if they had them advertised everywhere, no doubt someone would complain that they were really pushing the Light Ears on to guests.
in my opinion the design of the hats are all wrong. It is not the type of hat that once bought could be worn all day around the park. It perches on top of your head and is not very comfortable. Maybe people would not mind spending the money out if the design was different. We where all set on buying 4 when we went in Feb but once we had tried them on decided to spend the money on other items. It is a shame because when I have seen promo videos it does look cool when everyone is wearing them and they are working alongside the show. :'(
We bought 2 sets last year and felt they were a waste of €40. Our girls were 8 & 2 and they just don't fit kids heads.
We will probably take them back this year and maybe attach them to the buggy :D
I bought two sets when I went in April this year. One for each for my 7 and 11 year old girls. My 11 year old was fine with it but my 7 yr old found it too big for head so I ended up wearing them! Tbh, once we got home my girls did play with them a lot and used them as a night light at bed time! In some ways I feel I got my money's worth and when people do wear them at the show it is brilliant to see. I'm booking to go again for Halloween next year and will bring them along again to wear! Maybe it does seem like flogging a dead horse but I do hope one day they'll catch on as it's brilliant to see them all light up at the same time during the show :)
I agree it needs to be pushed more in the park if they want it to take off. An audio announcement before all the shows etc that it works with, a few posters around, a small advert on the free park maps/guides and they'd sell a lot more, making their initial investment more worthwhile. Also the price definitely needs to come down. If they were 12-15 euros it would be easier to swallow.
As for Sophie & "10 things to know before you go", it does seem that the audio parts are updated slightly each time we go, but I think there needs to be a specific push to update it at least once a year, keeping the stuff thats still relevant, but adding specific mentions and explanations of new stuff. If Sophie in real life now looks significantly different, there is no reason why not just have her voiceover whilst video clips with bullet point style text comes up. A 30 second spot abut Light Ears, along with videos showing what they re for, would definitely help push the service. I was thinking the same about "Art on Demand" - lots of people won't even notice that the service is there unless they are told.
Yeah, the Light Ears really don't seem worth it to me. That whole design of the mouse ear hats never really appealed to me anyway. Give me the soft Minnie Mouse Ear headbands any day!
We didn't buy them because I thought they were expensive and a bit naff! We had the soft Minnie Mouse headbands. I was a bit disappointed they didn't do Mickey ears. I wanted some for my 13 month old son and could only find the Mickey wizard hats which he wouldn't wear x
Just my 2 cent worth... I think there to expensive and also distracting when watching dreams... cant stand seeing them flashing out the corner of my eye..
My main issue with the lightears (beyond the cost) is that you are essentially buying them for other peoples enjoyment and not your own.
While Im not a miserable bloke if Im spending £20 on something, Id quite like to see it in use.
Quote from: BenRM on September 30, 2014, 11:10:36 PM
My main issue with the lightears (beyond the cost) is that you are essentially buying them for other peoples enjoyment and not your own.
While Im not a miserable bloke if Im spending £20 on something, Id quite like to see it in use.
This has always been my issue!
my issue with them is as BenRM said, paying that much for them i would like to actually see them working.... also my other issue is that i just dont like them, in general i just.... dont like how they look, it looks like a weird plate/upside down soup bowl that i would put on my head, the design just isnt for me at all, if they where more like an actual proper hat i would probably see the appeal to them, i love the head band ones and rather buy those than the silly hat ones. i can definatly see the appeal to them though, but like duffy the disney bear i just cant see why they are overall so popular (even if they arent as popular in dlp)
I'm just amazed that so many people but them in the US parks ;)
According to the book "Disney War", one of the problems they had when they opened DLRP, was that they thought the American and European markets were the same. Wrong! It seems that, although we have more days off, we spend less time and resorts and less money on souvenirs. That could explain why Europeans don't buy all the bad merchandise ideas Disney has, like Light Ears. Also, if I'm not mistaken, many of the Disneyland CA guests are locals. I guess it makes more sense for them to buy them. I'm not going to spend 20€ (for each person!) on those things if I'm not coming back to DLP in 10 years.
They do announce them before the show, and they explain how it works. Also, they have a cart in which they sell them. But you need more than an ad to sell that. They're REAL ugly, really really FUGLY. I'd considered buying a pair... until I saw them. Seriously, some people here do have a sense of style. They need to change that design.
Also, they don't seem confortable. Some people try them on before making a decision... and the decision is no.
And if I had some with a hat in front of me that lights up, I wouldn't like it either. I'm there to watch an amazing show, not an ugly hat that changes colours.
The only time I've seen the LightEars work (I'm usually on the front, so I don't see that many people), the girl had left them in the pavement because they didn't fit, and I felt they didn't add anything. Why am I going to look at two ears with blue light when I can see Disney Dreams?
LightEars are cool when you watch a video and you see them change colour. And it's only cool for about a minute. If I'm spending 2 days at DLP and not coming back, I'm not spending 20€ in an ugly, uncomfortable hat that I won't even see change colour. I'd rather spend 13-17€ on some cool Minnie ears, or, basically, any other souvenir.
Quote from: Basketca on October 02, 2014, 02:24:55 PM
LightEars are cool when you watch a video and you see them change colour. And it's only cool for about a minute. If I'm spending 2 days at DLP and not coming back, I'm not spending 20€ in an ugly, uncomfortable hat that I won't even see change colour. I'd rather spend 13-17€ on some cool Minnie ears, or, basically, any other souvenir.
I agree!
And that is exactly what I done in Walt Disney World.
Kinda off topic but sorta related to the topic- I saw a video on Youtube of a performance of Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios, WDW & the majority of the audience was wearing the LightEars. Although it looked nice, it just seemed a bit too much.