[Park Hopper]

DW and I checked out the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights in their new location the other night and came away liking it much more than the old version. Admittedly, we never were huge fans of the lights when they were on MGM's Residential Street, but the move to New York and San Francisco streets provides a spacious venue where guests have more room to wander around without feeling like they're being herded down a narrow street. The view from the foot of San Francisco Street looking up the hill is particularly spectacular.

The tall buildings along the streets make great structures to hang the sheets of lights, and also provide more locations for the "snow" machines. There wasn't any snow on Residential Street because the structures were low and set back from the street, but in the new location the snow falls continuously from the tall buildings. Overall, because they're more spread out, the 2004 Osborne Lights are much more enjoyable and don't seem quite so tacky and overwhelming as they did before.

One word of caution, though. Guests expecting the special visual effects provided by the "Star Glasses" of previous years will be disappointed. The glasses aren't being used this year because, according to a cast member, the 3-D effects didn't work because the lights are strung so closely together. He said the engineers were working on the problem and the glasses might return next year.