I guess one point I could make on F! is why don't they have it every night of the year anyway? Yes, I have a DD that shakes at the sight of the dragon (and I'm slowly trying to build up her fortitude), but I've always wondered why F! doesn't run every night like it does at WDW. There aren't any loud fireworks that would disturb the neighborhood, so that's not a problem. It would keep the weekend showings from being such a zoo. Plus it would make DLR more of a worldwide destination instead of a park that seems geared for locals.
Because, in the end, DLR is still a park geared for locals. DLR is a worldwide destination, it just has a larger percent of its visitors that are "local". I don't know why they don't run F! nightly, but my guess is that it's the most expensive of the night time shows to mount, so it's a cost-benefit calculation. The non-summer/non-holiday crowds probably aren't high enough to warrant having F! run nightly, especially when WoC is available (which I bet is a cheaper show because there are no live performers or large prep-crews, nor are there major equipment/set pieces to maintain).
As for Disney getting back to me, I'm actually surprised I've only received a voice mail from them. When I called back, I left a message and I never got a call back. I've sent a few emails and haven't seen anything in writing.
I don't think you'll get anything written back either. I've always received a call back.
Getting back to fireworks, though, I get the whole "placeholder vs nothing" argument. Yes, something is better than nothing. It's just that the placeholder is pretty weak, and people pay the same amount for tickets in Feb as they do in June. Ticket holders expect value for the price they pay. They don't want to pay for something knowing that someone else will pay the same price and get way more. I think that 's the problem of the OP and folks who'll be visiting over the next few months. If fireworks are a major part of a Disney trip (like it is for us), then ill will for a 4 minute barrage is a valid complaint.
I don't know that I agree with this argument. By the extension, you can say that you expect the parks to operate on the same hours in February as June and have the same amount of entertainment, etc. That's not how it is and that's not how it's ever been.
Fireworks are a big part of my trip as well, and I'm going to use this chance to see fireworks from somewhere different (maybe Frontierland or again by Small World) because this time, I won't be missing much by not seeing the castle. It's lemon and lemonade...I'm going to make the best of the situation and I plan to have a good time.
I guess it comes down this this, I am going this spring and I know that there will be ride closures and less evening entertainment offerings, but I accept that and I'm not going to go the parks expecting to have an awful time because of all of these closures. I am not going to focus on only the negatives, because there are still lots of things to do, see, and experience.