Disneys July 4th Weekend Fireworks

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Originally Posted by flynnibus

I think its stupidity. I think they made a decision.. couldn't deliver.. and figured no one would notice... overriding those who knew obviously the rabid fans would be watching by the second to get their favorite show.

The thing is flynn, this isn't even a "minor detail only rabid fans would notice"... they were different shows. 9 minutes vs 14 minutes...

The tourists who extended their vacation to July 2nd, just to see the Celebrate America fireworks, can log into Youtube and see the difference.

The locals who purchased a ticket for July 3rd, wanting to avoid the crowds of July 4th, can log into Youtube and see the difference.

The families who went on July 5th, wanting to end the 3 day weekend on a high note, can log into Youtube and see the difference.

People planned accordingly thinking that the show would be consistent on all days. This obviously boosted numbers on the alternate days, and possibly contributed to the lower attendance on the 4th itself. The show was advertised as the same show on all 4 days. It wasn't. So individuals "missed out" even though they paid for that show on that particular day. To me this isn't a "rabid fan" issue, it's a "bait n switch" one. If you ask those individuals "would you have visited if you knew it wasn't the full 4th show?" You would get mixed answers. Many locals would likely answer "No" with some stating openly they would not have made alternate plans on the 4th. Tourists may or may not have extended, depending on the cost of their extension... Disney truly benefited from this in both increased income and lowered crowds on the 4th. But I'm calling it like I see it... it was False Advertising...

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I can understand "supplier issues" to a point. It's the 4th of July and last minute pyro is a big no-no in the industry... However Disney at some point on or before July 2nd would have known that they did not have the shells and or could not get the shells. They chose to remain silent about it. At some point before July 2nd the choice was made to choreograph and program 2 different shows... so someone knew ahead of time supply might have been an issue. Instead of "spreading the wealth" and expanding all shows they "put all their eggs in one basket" and greatly enhanced the 4th... but most importantly they said nothing. So even if supply was an issue they had to have known before the first shell was fired and they didn't say a word.

[Darkbeer]

In regards to San Diego and Fireworks that was discussed earlier... Here is video of the 2009 show from the 4th...

YouTube - The Big Bay Boom Fireworks-San Diego...

Enjoy!

[1FoolishMortal]

I'm just curious, how would you word something like that into a press release?

"On July 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, Disneyland Resort will present 'Celebrate America! Lite,' a scaled-back version of the show in an effort to promote the reduction of harmful chemicals in the Earth's atmosphere. The Disneyland Resort takes pride in its efforts to reduce harmful greenhouse gasses, and hopes you'll understand our efforts on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th to give our guests the best experience possible. On July 4th to commemorate the actual birth of our nation, the Disneyland Resort will present a special extended version of the show for our guests' enjoyment."

I'd love to see the Marketing Dept. put out a release like that.


Also, has anyone considered that this possibly was a last-minute test of the multiple show concept? The MK has presented multiple "July 4th" shows for quite a while now. Perhaps somebody thought at the last minute to test the concept here at DL to see if it would work for future years, and to avoid the fiasco that occurred last year when they had to cancel the show. Maybe, because this was a last minute decision, they only had enough custom-ordered pyro for the 4th so they used additional "leftover" Remember pyro for the other 3 shows.

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Originally Posted by 1FoolishMortal

I'm just curious, how would you word something like that into a press release?

"On July 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, Disneyland Resort will present 'Celebrate America! Lite,' a scaled-back version of the show in an effort to promote the reduction of harmful chemicals in the Earth's atmosphere. The Disneyland Resort takes pride in its efforts to reduce harmful greenhouse gasses, and hopes you'll understand our efforts on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th to give our guests the best experience possible. On July 4th to commemorate the actual birth of our nation, the Disneyland Resort will present a special extended version of the show for our guests' enjoyment."

I'd love to see the Marketing Dept. put out a release like that.

I'm not a marketing guru but something like this would likely be a lot better...

Disneyland presents Celebrate America, our 4th of July patriotic fireworks spectacular from July 2nd to July 5th. This amazing show will be 9 minutes of beautiful fireworks specially choreographed to beloved patriotic tunes. On the 4th of July Disney will launch an extended showing of Celebrate America with an additional 5 minutes of fireworks to commemorate the birth of our nation.

See... that simple... and doesn't mislead anyone!

[brenden]

I think giving more people a chance to experience the fireworks for the 4th was a nice gesture. I didn't hear any news reports about Disneyland showing the special fireworks or see any stories (other than here...) or publications at the parks announcing it, so I doubt the general public feels gypped over a few minutes difference between the two options. Again, it was a very nice gesture to APs and guests in general who might not have wanted to deal with 4th of July at Disneyland or had other plans or what have you.

To say it's false advertising? Give me a break. I'd be more peeved about every billboard in Southern California having a dragon as the main supplement for the summer promotion.

[lou_mom]

The fourth of July is my son's birthday. This year he wanted to celebrate with a free ticket to Disneyland as he turned 18. We did just that and had a blast. It was hard getting in all we wanted to do in one day but we sure tried. The fireworks were shorter than Remember, but he got to see them in the park. He loved them and it made his 18th birthday special.

[mainstreetcm]

So from the comfort of my home, hundreds of miles away in Colorado I could seriously care less about this issue. I saw the July 4th show online and to me it appeared to be a very well put together Disney fireworks show. I'm sorry, but your just not going to get that kind of "magic" anywhere else.

I will say, however, that if I would have been a paying customer to Disneyland on July 3rd, and the show advertised was the same as it was to be on the 4th, and this show was completely different I would have been pretty upset about it. To me it would have been like attending Disneyland on a Monday and recieving a 14 minute Remember show vs. attending on a Saturday and viewing the full 18 minute version.

Yet they continue to publish in the GUIDEBOOK that I am watching "Remember Dreams Come True" on both days.

Now with that in the bag, I will not give Disney the benefit of the doubt here. They did this to save money. It's as simple as that. I don't care if this balloons into a huge issue and they send out the HR spin to make it something else. Bottom line is Disney cut corners TO SAVE MONEY and figured that the only people who would notice would be the hardcore fan. Thats how I'm calling it, and I'd bet $20 thats how it is.

I know it sucks, but I think alot of us here believe the Disney "hype" a little too much sometimes. You know that whole (pretty much BS anymore) spin about being a "different, QUALITY driven company!" It's all smoke and mirrors folks, and they are just trying to hide the fact that they are a corporate empire just like everyone else...