Fireworks Snob

[blueboxdoctor]

The fireworks started and I instantly thought, "where's the accompanying soundtrack?"

So yes, Disney has somewhat ruined fireworks for me, though, I must admit, they put on a pretty good finale at Ocean City (NJ) and the overall show was one of the better local ones I've seen.

 

[JasonDeyoung]

All I could think about this lovely 4th of July was how Disney has ruined my hometown fireworks. Wishes, Illuminations, Frozen fireworks.. I've become a fireworks snob! There really aren't any firework shows quite like Disney! Anyone feel me? What else has Disney "ruined" for you??

Happy July 5th everyone! Hope everyone is battling those hangovers on the forums

Disney has ruined all firework shows lol

 

[boilerpicc]

Disney has ruined every hotel for me. My husband and I spent a weekend at the Gaylord in the National Harbor outside of Washington, DC. It is a very nice hotel, built around a 19 story atrium with live plants, a replica of a colonial village, and a huge water fountain that does hourly shows. Do we appreciate the grandeur? Nope. We walk around and say things like, "Disney would never allow a dumpster to be out in plain sight like that. The fountain show is better at Disney World. Disney would have gotten the crowd flow better." Completely spoiled.

 

[popcenturylover]

Didn't get to see 4th of July fireworks due to work. Did mention to my co-workers that it was okay because I just saw some of the best fireworks ever on our trip a couple of months ago!

 

[ABQ]

I can agree to a degree with the OP, but there are some other shows outside WDW that stand well on their own. Having gone to about 10 4th of July shows on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, the Pops with the National Guard doing their thing is quite impressive. Nothing like the sound of the echo of the serious loud flash bang shells coming off the buildings of the Back Bay to make you say wow.
Louisville, KY does a fantastic job, utilizing the river and bridges as launch points.
But the, at least until it changed a bit for the worse last year, Illuminations with the holiday Peace on Earth tag are always phenomenal.

 

[PhotoDave219]

All I could think about this lovely 4th of July was how Disney has ruined my hometown fireworks. Wishes, Illuminations, Frozen fireworks.. I've become a fireworks snob! There really aren't any firework shows quite like Disney! Anyone feel me? What else has Disney "ruined" for you??

Happy July 5th everyone! Hope everyone is battling those hangovers on the forums

I had some rather small, low level fireworks from a barge off the Atlantic. I was dealing with spray and waves coming up near me.

They weren't perfect but it was a nice change of pace. Very old town, old timey. Very few BIG shells but it didnt go on forever either. Generally, I need my show to last no more than 12 minutes, have a huge finale and preferably be synched to music, with low humidity, temps in the mid-60s and a nice high pressure system to blow the smoke away.

.....But if we're gonna go there.... I prefer: Fantasy in the Sky with Perimeter (NYE Mirror Show). Followed by Illuminations:ROE with Peace on Earth Tag (circa 2004, feat. Walter Cronkite - not what we have now). Then MK's Current July 4th Show followed by DHS' Star Wars show. To round out the Top 5, Holiday Wishes.

The regular fireworks shows of Wishes and ROE just don't do it for me anymore, mostly because of subtle product changes over the years and the same old, same old. Ive seen them soooooooo many times that its kinda of old. I'm really ready for both to go, but if i had to pick one that needs replacing is that its Wishes. Wishes is cute but I'm ready for something more, something that can bee seen from different angles in the park, not just the main street vista.

I'm rather tired of just tossing on a Tag to ROE, rather than just giving us a different show. I know that Epcot has some very talented people on their fireworks crew and in-house designers, I say let them make a full-on July 4th and NYE show, especially because ROE goes off at 730 on NYE. The Midnight show should be different, IMO.

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

Seems like as good a place as any to post. So here goes.
Here's a pic that I took back on Dec 13, 2014. It is looking up and over Columbia Harbor House Restaurant. It is the section that you walk under between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. I used a low light app on my iPhone to capture it. You can see the sprinkler system that is used on the rooftops to protect the wood shingles, etc. from the fireworks fallout. You can see the water misting directly to the left of the chimney in the center of the pic and directly below the fireworks burst, just to the right of the same chimney. I know it's a bit blurry.

I often wonder why they cannot or will not use this same system on top of Mine train and Little Mermaid buildings to help protect them. I mean, the last two fires that broke out during the Wishes shows should have told them "Hey, lets add some sprinklers over here too".

But hey maybe some bean counter ran the numbers and said it was better to have fires every now and then rather than the expense of a sprinkler system. Even though said sprinkler system would not be all that expensive to start with.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Seems like as good a place as any to post. So here goes.
Here's a pic that I took back on Dec 13, 2014. It is looking up and over Columbia Harbor House Restaurant. It is the section that you walk under between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. I used a low light app on my iPhone to capture it. You can see the sprinkler system that is used on the rooftops to protect the wood shingles, etc. from the fireworks fallout. You can see the water misting directly to the left of the chimney in the center of the pic and directly below the fireworks burst, just to the right of the same chimney. I know it's a bit blurry.

I often wonder why they cannot or will not use this same system on top of Mine train and Little Mermaid buildings to help protect them. I mean, the last two fires that broke out during the Wishes shows should have told them "Hey, lets add some sprinklers over here too".

But hey maybe some bean counter ran the numbers and said it was better to have fires every now and then rather than the expense of a sprinkler system. Even though said sprinkler system would not be all that expensive to start with.

View attachment 100599

There are sprinklers up there.

The two incidents you refer to were low humidity days with strong winds (15+ mph) from the north.

Changes were made. Bosses were yelled at. And the head person in change & ultimately responsible was just made the VP of Epcot.

 

[BJones82]

Though Disney is better I still love a good local firework show Our town did them on the 3rd this year and we can watch them from our driveway so we did, then driving home from seeing Inside Out at 11pm on the 4th it was beautiful because as we were driving west towards Lake Michigan all along the cost we could see fireworks going, we are just south of St Joseph, MI. It was both amazing to see and dangerous to drive in lol....

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

There are sprinklers up there.

The two incidents you refer to were low humidity days with strong winds (15+ mph) from the north.

Changes were made. Bosses were yelled at. And the head person in change & ultimately responsible was just made the VP of Epcot.

Nice. I hoped that they put those in. Nice too to see they are pushing the problem on down the line, or up the ladder.

 

[Mickey_777]

I may be in the minority here but I really can't watch fireworks for more than a few minutes. It all gets very repetitive to me.

 

[Bluewaves]

I feel that sometimes, but some of the local shows have their charm, one of them being I can watch them from my couch and not getting eaten alive by bugs is a nice thing.

I do agree about ROE let them go wild on the holidays, those guys know how to put on a show, the 25th anniversary tag showed that

 

[flynnibus]

I sat on my balcony overlooking the ocean and watched dozens of people setting off their own fireworks down the few miles of beach I could see.

I love disney's shows... But I love my comfortable zero crowd location too

 

[Goofyernmost]

The most I have ever enjoyed the fireworks was from my 8th floor balcony on Universal Drive. From there I could watch both MK's and Epcot's just by turning my head an inch of so. No crowds, no loud noises, no kids and their families cutting in front... it was rather pleasant.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

True...most small town firework displays do not compare to WDW. However, I have been to Washington DC, Boston and NYC for their 4th fireworks and with the patriotic music playing while they are going off... they all are much much better the WDW's fireworks.

I know that WDW produces a number of fireworks show per night compared to each city's 4th show. Comparing show to show though... any of the 3 city's July 4th shows are way better then any one of WDW'S IMO.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I sat on my balcony overlooking the ocean and watched dozens of people setting off their own fireworks down the few miles of beach I could see.

I love disney's shows... But I love my comfortable zero crowd location too

Which beach were you at? Are you following me? lol

 

[PhotoDave219]

True...most small town firework displays do not compare to WDW. However, I have been to Washington DC, Boston and NYC for their 4th fireworks and with the patriotic music playing while they are going off... they all are much much better the WDW's fireworks.

I know that WDW produces a number of fireworks show per night compared to each city's 4th show. Comparing show to show though... any of the 3 city's July 4th shows are way better then any one of WDW'S IMO.

Yes, DC's Fourth of July fireworks are the best I've seen

 

[flynnibus]

Which beach were you at? Are you following me? lol

Ocean City, MD We are locals and my family has been going there every year for over 65 years

 

[PhotoDave219]

Ocean City, MD We are locals and my family has been going there every year for over 65 years

Ahhhhh I was a tad farther north in south jersey.

 

[flynnibus]

Ahhhhh I was a tad farther north in south jersey.

Have college buddies who did the shore thing and we still have get togethers at their parent's beach house... but still can't get over that whole 'pay to get on the beach' thing that is so common up there.

My first photos on the internet were VHS scans of Tron scenes and me bodyboarding in Ocean City