Is attendance really down at WDW this or…

[UNCgolf]

I’m also speaking from personal experience. In the absence of actual data proving things one way or the other, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

ETA: I found quite a few old threads here discussing viewing spots:

Best Spot for Parades/Fireworks?

i love seeing all of the parades and fireworks that disney has to offer. does anyone have any suggestions of where the best place to sit is at each of the parks for the various parades and fireworks?

forums.wdwmagic.com

What is so great about Illuminations or Wishes?

To me they are just fireworks shows, but I saw in another post that people seem to get pretty emotional about them? So, what makes them so great? Maybe I just viewed them from the wrong area?

forums.wdwmagic.com

Best location to view the "Wishes" fireworks in MK

Well, the title pretty much says it all!! I know the top of the contemporary resort is a good place but we want to be in the park. This will be the first time that we see the fireworks. We would usually leave Clearwater at 6am (she was an early bird anyway) and the latest we ever stayed...

forums.wdwmagic.com

Excellent Fireworks Viewing???

From the Magic Kingdom times guide: "Wishes Nighttime Spectacular- Excellent fireworks viewing locations can be found in Frontierland, Liberty Square and Tomorrowland" Really??? Where is an "Excellent viewing location" in any of these places? Has anyone ever watched the show from one of...

forums.wdwmagic.com

"Wishes" viewing

What are some of the best prefered viewing locations for "Wishes", Inside or outside the park?:p

forums.wdwmagic.com

Other favorite Wishes spots

Hey all, I'm going for the first time with two little girls, so we will have a double stroller. Wishes is my favorite fireworks show, but with the stroller I'm looking to avoid seeing it with the other thousands of people in front of the castle. So what I'm looking for is a good place to...

forums.wdwmagic.com

Favorite Place to watch MK fireworks

What is your favorite place to watch the MK fireworks? We usually take a spot in front of the castle to watch the parade and wait for the fireworks, but are there some other, not so well-known places to watch and still get the show? How soon do you need to get there?

forums.wdwmagic.com

I feel like those back up my point -- some of them are pointing out other places to watch to avoid the crowds on Main Street. That's no longer an option if you want to see the full show, which is all I'm saying.

Again, I'm not suggesting that means they should eliminate projections. Just that the projections take the existing problem (of people wanting to see the fireworks from in front of the castle) and make it worse by removing other viewing options.

It's not that they created a wholly new problem; it's that they exacerbated an existing one.

 

[Lilofan]

I still prefer Main Street/hub, but sitting in an Adarondak chair on Poly Beach is a pretty close second.

Its somewhat safer now since walls were up beachside after the fatal alligator attack on the 2 year old guest at waters edge at Grand Floridian beach .

 

[Touchdown]

Its somewhat safer now since walls were up beachside after the fatal alligator attack on the 2 year old guest at waters edge at Grand Floridian beach .

It’s also extremely safe when you are with a couple dozen people making noise and well away from the waters edge.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

But...but the person agrees to disagree. So, what everyone else noticed must be not factual.

The difference is if you have 2,000 more people wanting main street's sweet spots due to projection facing...its a big difference. It does not take crowds ever being equally dispersed. Projection based shows just increased the demand.

You know what’s amusing?

When actual empirical data comes in on other subjects…the same people reject that too and claim “hidden numbers”

 

[Lilofan]

It’s also extremely safe when you are with a couple dozen people making noise and well away from the waters edge.

Some also let their guard down especially on vacation doing behaviors that at times result in illness, injury or death.

 

[LittleBuford]

I feel like those back up my point -- some of them are pointing out other places to watch to avoid the crowds on Main Street.

I actually felt the opposite! To me, they showed how strong the preference has always been for head-on viewing against the backdrop of the castle.

Anyway, I’m happy to agree to disagree.

 

[LittleBuford]

There doesn’t have to be definitive data when common sense applies

Why do people crowd Main Street…

…this really didn’t difficult

Your common sense and mine differ.

But...but the person agrees to disagree. So, what everyone else noticed must be not factual.

Even @UNCgolf, who has been characteristically civil throughout our exchange, hasn’t claimed that what he’s saying is factual. We’ve both acknowledged that we are trading subjective opinions. And that’s fine.

 

[JD80]

The problem with any of the alternative viewing spots is that they feel like alternatives. It’s cool seeing the fireworks from different perspectives, but they don’t line up as they should except when viewed head-on. It’s a very different matter from Fantasmic or (excepting Harmonius) the Epcot nighttime shows, which have typically been designed to be viewable from a range of angles.

When I say alternative I mean an additional viewing area with equal engagement. Something like another surface with just as good projection show to go along with the fireworks.

 

[LittleBuford]

When I say alternative I mean an additional viewing area with equal engagement. Something like another surface with just as good projection show to go along with the fireworks.

For the reasons I’ve already outlined, I don’t think it’s possible to create equal engagement from other viewing positions, but I agree it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have projections elsewhere.

 

[HauntedPirate]

How would they ever sell dessert parties and preferred viewing locations if you lost the projections and made it not castle centric?

The same way they do now.

 

[SamusAranX]

 

[TheMaxRebo]

When I say alternative I mean an additional viewing area with equal engagement. Something like another surface with just as good projection show to go along with the fireworks.

I don't think we can get equal - but we could get a solid alternative that provides a satisfying - but different - view ... especially for people who have seen the show before

Like build Malificent's castle and angle it so view it towards at least some of the fireworks, and maybe even launch some extra fireworks off the top - then add to the soundtrack something like the villains booing when good triumphs or something

Narrator: "Find your happily ever after"
Villains: "Boooooo"


Never going to not have the vast majority of people on Main St / the Hub, but even if you can more 15-20% of the people off of it, it would help

 

[DKampy]

I usually watch the fireworks a few times on vacations… but the first time has to be in front of the castle… first night….then later in the week poly

 

[JD80]

For the reasons I’ve already outlined, I don’t think it’s possible to create equal engagement from other viewing positions, but I agree it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have projections elsewhere.

Villains castle with their own show... people would flock there.

 

[LittleBuford]

Villains castle with their own show... people would flock there.

Indeed!

 

[GhostHost1000]

Villains castle with their own show... people would flock there.

That’s why it needs to be a 5th gate or an extension of Hollywood Studios but that won’t happen

 

[celluloid]

The best place to watch fireworks is on BTMRR

Fact. And it was timed really really well, Splash was a fav.of mine too.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Your common sense and mine differ.

Well that’s obvious…

Because this has been the year of arguing the success of unsuccessful movies (poor Hallee )

And now it appears we are suggesting that the street isn’t pack specifically due to the nonsense projections?

 

[LittleBuford]

Well that’s obvious…

Because this has been the year of arguing the success of unsuccessful movies (poor Hallee )

I merely called The Little Mermaid a box-office disappointment rather than an outright flop, of which I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that Disney has had several recently. If you choose to misinterpret and misrepresent my posts, that's on you.

And now it appears we are suggesting that the street isn’t pack specifically due to the nonsense projections?

I'm speaking for myself; there is no implied "we". Some of us refrain from assuming that our subjective impressions are facts that everyone else should subscribe to.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I merely called The Little Mermaid a box-office disappointment rather than an outright flop, of which I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that Disney has had several recently. If you choose to misinterpret and misrepresent my posts, that's on you.

Flop? No.
Loss? Absolutely
Failure to meet Disneys fairly obvious designs for it? No question

I'm speaking for myself; there is no implied "we". Some of us refrain from assuming that our subjective impressions are facts that everyone else should subscribe to.

Yeah…this one isn’t really worth debating. They made the front a focal point and that was DUMB