Insane crowds, more space needed

[MisterPenguin]

What the Magic Kingdom needs is to do their fireworks like they do in Disneyland. At Disneyland they have the show on the castle but also on small world and the rivers of america so it spreads the crowd to 3 places. At the MK the only way to see show is to be on main street facing the castle.

Well, there is a suggestion for more view areas here that would also stretch out the crowds deep into the parks so that Main Street isn't crushed...

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/creating-new-viewing-stands-for-mks-fireworks.943273/

It's also in my sig.

 

[Willmark]

We’re at the point of this upcoming trip might be the last for quite sometime and we’re exactly the type of customer Disney wants:

* flys in and stays on prem.
* non DVC or annual pass holder (less demands).
* eats on prem and does not do a dining plan.
* in top quartile for earning meaning more disposable income.
* pays in cash and usually paid in full 30-60 days out.
* stays 7-10 days roughly every 18 months.

Why am I saying this? Not to brag. We hit the just right demographic that a company, any company would want and we’re now seriously considering taking those discretionary dollars elsewhere? That should make any smart company pause: the best customer is the one you already have.

Why? For the various reason posted in this and other threads on the site. As I often say the bean counters took a page off of the playbook of the airlines post 9-11. Prior to 9-11 flights were half full at best. Now they are overbooked. Disney has done the same exact thing. They have put out a sub-par product at deluxe pricing and gotten away with it.

For us the value is becoming harder and harder to justify relative to the cost to say nothing of the packed parks. Packed parks can somewhat be minimized by planning but with even the “slow times” filling up, harder and harder again to justify. YMMV.

 

[NickMaio]

Agreed, I went the 2nd week of july this year and it was less crowded than any december/january/may/september trip i've taken in the last 8 years. Everyone I talked to said "oh, i'd never go in july, it's so hot". I guess a LOT of people feel that way because I was absolutely shocked at how short the lines were. Outside of one night when one of the MK ferries was down, it was about as easy going as I can remember this decade.

We were there also.
Great weather and lines....
I did take us 1.5 hours to get to our car after fireworks though.
To be fair we were at MK the day HS had a massive power failure and everyone at Studios came to MK for the evening.
It was nuts.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Nah.. they were just Katiebugs who expected heaven and earth be moved for their little princess (who was hitting a CM)

I don't condone violence in any situation.

Being upset, though, is okay. Without knowing the circumstances surrounding their trip it's impossible for you or me to judge that family.

 

[drp4video]

We too always pretty much watch from the bridge in Tomorrowland. We don't leave the parks after the fireworks. We go get ice cream on main street, eat, and wait till the crowds disburse. Trying to get on the monorail with the crowds is insane. One time, we were the last car i the transportation center.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Maybe, but I went ahead and did anyway because they were loud, obnoxious and ruining the dining experience for others, and I loathe people who feel their time is more important than others. (Personally I was enjoying the show)

And I mean little Veruca Salt hitting the CM was only like 8, but yeah. No excuse

I agree with you there. Very frustrating when people make their complaints public to ruin others experiences.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'll say this, and I've possibly said it elsewhere, but, I do not get people's fascination with the WDW fireworks. Now, yes, they are pretty, but hardly worth taking hours off your ride/experience time just to set up shop for a 'good' vantage point. I've been in BOG when they had to prevent people from leaving the building during the fireworks for safety reasons, meaning the people in there eating could not go out to watch, and people were losing their minds. (never mind that these same people took over 2 hours to eat & take pics, but I digress)

MK is the oldest park, meaning it will probably have the worst infrastructure as far as exiting. Maybe they could set up grandstands in the parking areas so that people would have a decent view and already be off main street. Or maybe people could settle down about their little Prince Jaxxden not getting the absolute best viewpoint to watch something he's going to be bored of in 10 seconds.

I gotta tell you...fireworks love is a phenomena I’ll never get.

I get it the first time...or “first time, long time”...but the monthly, daily, yearly obsession is beyond logic.

You can find people on boards such as these saying they buy the silly cupcake thing multiple times per trip.

Or you can be my mother in law - who subs parades and fireworks because of a 1950’s irrational hatred of rides...
...which means she shouldn’t be in an amusement park in the first place.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I agree with you there. Very frustrating when people make their complaints public to ruin others experiences.

...they’re probably from my neck of the woods

 

[breesus]

7/4/1989, it took my sister and i over 2 hours to get back to poly after watching fireworks on Main Street. Several people fell out from heat exhaustion. It was mayhem. I would bet my life there were over 100k people there.

 

[ColinP29]

Yes so our original plan was to leave mid way through the fireworks. Obviously we couldn't as it was gridlocked. Then my little nephew fell on a pavement he couldn't see, and we were lucky the mass crowd behind us also leaving weren't too close to allow him that split second to get up quickly.

It's so dangerous that you could loose little ones.

It got so bad, that they opened up a side entrance just to the side of main street - which looked awful and really ruined the illusion (lol), but it was all they could do.

If they want to persisit with a Main Street model then they have no option but to widen that road and move the shops back. A simpler option would be simply to put another lane in, like the exit route we took.

Ok the crowds can be huge most of the time, but if you manage to lose a kid in the crowd then no one to blame but yourself. if it's busy, you keep a hold of kids right next to you. If your nephew fell and had to get up himself, I blame however was supposed to be looking after him

 

[King Panda 77]

To the OP,

How would you propose to ease the congestion problem ?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Ok the crowds can be huge most of the time, but if you manage to lose a kid in the crowd then no one to blame but yourself. if it's busy, you keep a hold of kids right next to you. If your nephew fell and had to get up himself, I blame however was supposed to be looking after him

Yeah...

But...if Disney was under the “jurisdiction” of anyone but “Reedy Creek” ...then they probably would have had the fire Marshalls so far up their butts it would have been solved years ago.

They did two stupid things: fill in the lagoons for fastpasses and then go to a one vantage point projection show.

The key to Disney park operations - they have always been the best - has always been about directing crowds to different points using tricks and gadgets so they balance as best as they can. They’ve forgotten that.

Don’t believe me? Wait until mgm is open.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

To the OP,

How would you propose to ease the congestion problem ?

Running more shows spread out over longer intervals is the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” standard

 

[DarleneBurrows]

The Magic Kingdom is never that crowded in total outside of Christmas and other peak holidays.

.

It would be great if you didn't speak as though what you say is facts. Over the past 3 years i've done first week of May, first week of December (that pre 2006 used to be the quietest weeks), and i've also done October, February, and now August - let me assure now there is only INSANE BUSY and VERY BUSY. You get no quiet periods at all anymore. The usual quiet times now have so many marked up events, festivals, Christmas times, Halloween events that it keeps the parks VERY busy.

Alot of it may well be that Hollywood Studios isn't sharing the burden at this moment.

Furthermore i am not arguing for more landspace around Main Street, but the parks in general.

 

[DarleneBurrows]

I believe that the incorporation of the castle projection to HEA has increased the numbers of those watching on Main Street. If you want to get the complete show, you almost have to be facing the castle directly. If the projections are not a priority for you, areas like New Fantasyland is an option. If Main Street viewing is a must for you, then hanging back afterward is a pretty good strategy.

The projection on the castle show has definately been a factor in the numbers on main street at that point.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It would be great if you didn't speak as though what you say is facts. Over the past 3 years i've done first week of May, first week of December (that pre 2006 used to be the quietest weeks), and i've also done October, February, and now August - let me assure now there is only INSANE BUSY and VERY BUSY. You get no quiet periods at all anymore. The usual quiet times now have so many marked up events, festivals, Christmas times, Halloween events that it keeps the parks VERY busy.

Alot of it may well be that Hollywood Studios isn't sharing the burden at this moment.

Furthermore i am not arguing for more landspace around Main Street, but the parks in general.

I didn't that the Magic Kingdom is not busy. I meant it's not as busy as some were describing (literal gridlock, potentially dangerous situations) outside of parade / fireworks time.

 

[DarleneBurrows]

But its also hardly worth people losing their flipping minds over too.

Depends. If this is your one time big vacation to Disney, or one every ten years or so - then yes people will attempt to get as much as they can for the high expense they pay, and the fireworks is a big part of the experience.

If your an annual pass holder, goes a few times a year or even once a year - then yeah sure you can miss them, or see them for different vantage points.

 

[raven]

Still would LOVE for them to create a fireworks/nighttime show that can be viewed from anywhere in the park. Each land would have their own digital mapping on surrounding buildings and would feel like a different version of the same show. Crowd levels would then spread out around the park instead of just in the Hub and on Main Street.

 

[DarleneBurrows]

And seriously - what's the rush to run out of the park as soon as they're over? You could wait 20 minutes on the bridge for instance and hundreds and hundreds of people will have left Main Street already. Wait 30 -40 minutes and thousands of people have left. And where did all those people rush off to anyway? To pack themselves into the transportation lines? It just doesn't make any sense. Last week on our last day, the park closed at 11. We stayed until close to 12. Walked out practically alone down Main Street and then right onto a bus with no line. If you don't want to stay that late, then even say 11:30 and you'd still cut out the stampede. I remember doing this with three little kids as well. They're in the stroller, more than likely asleep already and that 30 minutes won't exhaust them anymore than they already are and you increase your safety quotient and aggravation quotient substantially.

1) Families with small children - who may well be tired, hungry.

2) Only in Orlando for a limited time (i stay a week, and travel from the UK), so i'd rather get back to hotel early and get some sleep and be fresh for the morning, rather than getting back in at 1am and waking up late.

3) Also it's that mentality, get out quick and you will be the first away and avoid queues.

 

[DarleneBurrows]

Ok the crowds can be huge most of the time, but if you manage to lose a kid in the crowd then no one to blame but yourself. if it's busy, you keep a hold of kids right next to you. If your nephew fell and had to get up himself, I blame however was supposed to be looking after him

It's Disneyland. Multiple small children. Big huge mass pool of people like sardines. Nightime.

So yeah blame the parent if by chance something goes wrong like the fall over, and you lose their hand, or they just accidentally wonder away in that split second.

It's Disneyland. Not Baghdad.