Why Has Disneyland Stopped fireworks during the week.

[mummabear]

You live where you can afford to sometimes

And when you do this you do so accepting the conditions that made it affordable

 

[SMD]

Since DCA doesn't have fireworks it is irrelevant.
DLR has had year round operations since 85, I would bet a large proportion of those currently residing in Anaheim bought their houses after that.
When you buy a home it is up to you to do your due diligence about potential "issues" whether you are next to a school, bar, airport, train track or theme park.
Does that mean fireworks should be every night? Not nessecarily, but I do take issue with residents that move into an area which was largely created off the back of Disney, who for many the property value of their home and possibly employment is either directly or indirectly stems from Disneylands success then complains about Disney being a nuisense.

DCA has pyrotechnics as part of WOC. They also had fireworks as part of that show during their Lunar New Year preshow and have done it in the past on holidays, grad nights and lease events. You make take issue with people who complain about Disney, but the case law relating to the quiet enjoyment of their home is on their side. Disney, can't, for example, decide to flip the entrance to their parking lot and reroute all of their traffic into the neighborhood behind the resort. Many operational changes for any business will impact its neighbors, require approval from local municipalities and public notice of the hearing given. Disney doesn't get to operate in a bubble, even if what they do only impacts people who came after them.

 

[Westcoastwild]

And when you do this you do so accepting the conditions that made it affordable

You do realize how far 15 miles is right? Where I live, an urban/suburban sprawl like LA, that's a whole different city. Even there- I stayed 7 miles away from Disneyland, in Fullerton, and that is not at all "Disney's neighborhood". It's absurd to say that people 15 miles away should consider Disneyland when they purchase. It's like saying people who live 15 miles inland should consider tsunamis when they purchase. It's like saying that people staying in...I don't know, Upper West Side, should be worried about car break ins in Brooklyn. I mean, a mega tsunami might hit some day. The car break in gang might migrate on the subway to the upper west side. But chances are neither is even remotely likely. Would not even cross my mind if I was 5-10 miles away from the local theme park that it would have a considerable impact on my quality of life. Completely unfair to say that it's the homeowner's problem anyway. If Disney fails to manage trash or traffic or noise, that's on them. The residents have the right to expect Disney to be a good neighbor.

Not only that. Maybe not this year, but every other year I've been in California, fire is a huge issue. It's in the middle of a urban area. If the wind is blowing too much or the wrong way, they aren't going off. Because the amount of damage a fire could cause could be devastating. Fire marshal has final say and I'm honestly surprised that they go off as often as they do. I'm sorry...but safety and community rights trump tourism and theme park dollars.

 

[DLgal]

It is funny that some people think that houses are more "affordable" closer to Disneyland because It's louder.

Affordability in OC is heavily related to the safety and quality of schools in any given area. Disneyland's presence has no influence on home prices.

 

[mom2rtk]

No.

Nightly fireworks are not a right tourists have. There is no reason that fireworks need to be going off nightly anywhere. 3 times a week is plenty.

Not everyone lives close by and can just choose another night to visit. Some visitors only have a few days which may or may not include one of those nights they are going off.

 

[disneychrista]

Since DCA doesn't have fireworks it is irrelevant.
DLR has had year round operations since 85, I would bet a large proportion of those currently residing in Anaheim bought their houses after that.
When you buy a home it is up to you to do your due diligence about potential "issues" whether you are next to a school, bar, airport, train track or theme park.
Does that mean fireworks should be every night? Not nessecarily, but I do take issue with residents that move into an area which was largely created off the back of Disney, who for many the property value of their home and possibly employment is either directly or indirectly stems from Disneylands success then complains about Disney being a nuisense.

If you bought knowing Disneyland had fireworks during certain periods and days then they changed the schedule how is that your fault.

 

[miamimi]

Prior to purchasing my home I visited the neighborhood at various times of the week and various times of the day. It was my responsibility to find out as much as I could prior to my purchase. Isn't that the responsibility of everyone who purchases a home?

 

[gsrieff]

I have family that live in Fountain Valley (they are absolutely NOT disney people. at ALL.), and its a 25 minute drive to Disney from their house. You can very clearly hear the fireworks. They hate it. They were so relieved when I told them the nightly 60th fireworks were coming to an end. I don't think its fair to ask them to move from there home so tourists can get a better chance at seeing a castle show. It is definitely important to realize it is a much larger area of people affected by it than you would think. I'm glad that the city comes to the residents side in this case.

 

[GatorChris]

I'm not sure why people feel it is needed to have them daily.

That's easy. My 7 trips to WDW had Wishes, Illuminations, and Fantasmic! every night of the year, no matter when I showed up (June, Dec, Jan, Feb). When I switched my vacations to DL because I no longer would spend the enormous amount of money to fly to Orlando from CA, I wanted a Disney resort that resembled the awesomeness of the Orlando resort. I realize wind limits the fireworks for safety reasons and that's fine, but I got used to nightly shows during my Disney vacations. It's part of what made Disney more than a Six Flags. At least WOC goes nightly...except on our last trip when it was being refurbished.

It saves Disney lots of money.

People will certainly disagree with this point by citing city regulations and safety. HOWEVER, I think this quote of yours is applicable to Fantasmic!. This is a show where the fireworks have low report, so they aren't a fire danger to surrounding homes. Also, they replaced the report launchers years ago, changing them from explosive-based launchers to air-based launchers, thus removing the boom factor from the show. So why doesn't this show happen 365? It's certainly not about safety or sound regulations. So what could it be? This is where your quote fits right in.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't blame them. Just staying in a local hotel can be annoying, and that is just a few nights. We were at HOJOs once and were in bed on our arrival day getting well rested for our morning visit when suddenly, BOOM! And it lasts a good while.

It's scary, too, because it doesn't sound like fireworks. And it echoes and "hits" buildings in weird ways so you're getting more sound than when you're in the parks.

Part of choosing to live in Anaheim.

Blocks around the park, sure. One doesn't expect to hear them miles away.

Residents don't really have a right to complain about Disneys noise-they have moved into the area knowing Disney is there, that is like moving next to a train track and complaining about the noise from the train.

Obviously they DO have the right, and the right has been upheld.

When you buy a home it is up to you to do your due diligence about potential "issues" whether you are next to a school, bar, airport, train track or theme park.

"Next to". Does miles away count?

We lived downtown for years. One day our neighbors complained to the city enough about the big trees blocking their view (of the port of Tacoma? Just sayin'...almost no port is pretty) and the city topped the trees. Then one morning the bar way down the hill had a morning run event. With a dj. And music. And we could hear it starting at 6am on a Sunday like the dj was in our room. It was a change no one could have thought ahead to wonder about. And it was like this for those run events for as long as we lived there, not just that day. It also meant that their occasional "party" nights could be heard.

Having a house miles from fireworks means you're not even thinking of it.

Year round fireworks only occurred during the 50th and 60th anniversaries.

Thank you for the info!

The city has limited the permit for fireworks since the beginning.

Yep!

Prior to purchasing my home I visited the neighborhood at various times of the week and various times of the day. It was my responsibility to find out as much as I could prior to my purchase. Isn't that the responsibility of everyone who purchases a home?

No I don't think what you did is reasonable or what most people do. We lived in the basic same smallish town for a long time. I've been here off and on since '87. And when we were looking at homes, a two year process for us, we thought we had a handle in the different areas. We'd been living downtown and had trains going by all the time, doing their crashing smashing noises all night, cars, ambulances (our street was the exit from the freeway to the hospital), etc. we thought that anywhere we would move would be quieter.

Within a month of moving we discovered that you can hear the trains as they pass a different part of town, and even though it's not just down the hill it's still audible. When looking at homes you can't time it for when the train is going by. And neighbors freak out if you're sitting there at random times. And who has the time to do that? You're looking at houses in the middle of the day generally, or the weekend, when everything is different than when you will be home.

We bought our house last year April. Moved in in May. Managed to miss something due to that timing. This April, on opening day for the local baseball team, they had fireworks after the night game. Dh was away and son and I had already gone to sleep. It scared us so badly! Fireworks sound like gunfire when you're asleep. Gunfire in your backyard.

We are 3.5 miles from the ballpark. And there was no way we expected to hear the fireworks, and it was literally impossible to find out if that could be heard. Saw the house in march and moved in after opening day last year. No fireworks. And I'm imagining sitting there at 10pm in a neighborhood, listening... And how fast the cops would be called.

Also discovered that we can hear the local high school games. Not the games. The cheering. It's weird. Oh and apparently there's a gun club about 5 miles away. Didn't know it, didn't know we could hear it. Knew there's a bunch of military 10 miles away. Didn't know we couldn't eat their stuff. This quiet little neighborhood is way different to live here vs coming by to see it at 1pm on a Saturday and driving by at 5:30 on a Wednesday.

For a homeowner miles away from Disneyland, it's hard to imagine how much the fireworks would be heard. I know I ever expected them to be heard as far as we are from our ballpark! Glad they aren't every night. And I'm glad anaheim has their residents' collective backs.

 

[Westcoastwild]

It's scary, too, because it doesn't sound like fireworks. And it echoes and "hits" buildings in weird ways so you're getting more sound than when you're in the parks.



Blocks around the park, sure. One doesn't expect to hear them miles away.



Obviously they DO have the right, and the right has been upheld.



"Next to". Does miles away count?

We lived downtown for years. One day our neighbors complained to the city enough about the big trees blocking their view (of the port of Tacoma? Just sayin'...almost no port is pretty) and the city topped the trees. Then one morning the bar way down the hill had a morning run event. With a dj. And music. And we could hear it starting at 6am on a Sunday like the dj was in our room. It was a change no one could have thought ahead to wonder about. And it was like this for those run events for as long as we lived there, not just that day. It also meant that their occasional "party" nights could be heard.

Having a house miles from fireworks means you're not even thinking of it.



Thank you for the info!



Yep!



No I don't think what you did is reasonable or what most people do. We lived in the basic same smallish town for a long time. I've been here off and on since '87. And when we were looking at homes, a two year process for us, we thought we had a handle in the different areas. We'd been living downtown and had trains going by all the time, doing their crashing smashing noises all night, cars, ambulances (our street was the exit from the freeway to the hospital), etc. we thought that anywhere we would move would be quieter.

Within a month of moving we discovered that you can hear the trains as they pass a different part of town, and even though it's not just down the hill it's still audible. When looking at homes you can't time it for when the train is going by. And neighbors freak out if you're sitting there at random times. And who has the time to do that? You're looking at houses in the middle of the day generally, or the weekend, when everything is different than when you will be home.

We bought our house last year April. Moved in in May. Managed to miss something due to that timing. This April, on opening day for the local baseball team, they had fireworks after the night game. Dh was away and son and I had already gone to sleep. It scared us so badly! Fireworks sound like gunfire when you're asleep. Gunfire in your backyard.

We are 3.5 miles from the ballpark. And there was no way we expected to hear the fireworks, and it was literally impossible to find out if that could be heard. Saw the house in march and moved in after opening day last year. No fireworks. And I'm imagining sitting there at 10pm in a neighborhood, listening... And how fast the cops would be called.

Also discovered that we can hear the local high school games. Not the games. The cheering. It's weird. Oh and apparently there's a gun club about 5 miles away. Didn't know it, didn't know we could hear it. Knew there's a bunch of military 10 miles away. Didn't know we couldn't eat their stuff. This quiet little neighborhood is way different to live here vs coming by to see it at 1pm on a Saturday and driving by at 5:30 on a Wednesday.

For a homeowner miles away from Disneyland, it's hard to imagine how much the fireworks would be heard. I know I ever expected them to be heard as far as we are from our ballpark! Glad they aren't every night. And I'm glad anaheim has their residents' collective backs.

The port of Tacoma thing made me crack up. Maybe your neighbors wanted to airbnb their house and advertise a "water view"

The seasonal thing is a good point. Also the trains. I moved from a place where trains almost never use the tracks...to a place where the trains roll through 3-4 times a day, one of which is at 2 or 3 am. One of the "fancy" Hotels in town is literally right above the train tracks and that is the number one complaint they get on yelp. I thought that was pretty funny- until I moved across town and can still hear the trains. It had not occured to me to come back at 3am before signing a lease, and you know, after living here for a few years, it would not occur to warn potential neighbors about it. Of course partly that is that the real noise happens Friday nights when the college students get drunk and cut down the back alley...

 

[ddwlms]

Not everyone lives close by and can just choose another night to visit. Some visitors only have a few days which may or may not include one of those nights they are going off.

True, but the disappointment of missing the FWs should still not trump local school kids regularly getting to sleep at a decent hour, correct?

 

[tiffjoy]

This thread makes me

Residents in the area absolutely have rights that are not outweighed by any company, including Disney. It's silly to think that tens of thousands of residents have zero rights simply because there is a large business in the area. Noise pollution is a very real issue, and no, Disneyland cannot just do whatever they please with no regards for the tens of thousands of people living in the area. The very idea that tourists (visitors) to the area think that they have more rights than residents is silly to me. No, we don't. We are visitors. We don't have rights to nightly fireworks displays.

I would add that it's not like Disneyland hoodwinks people, either. They publish their calendar where they show nightly entertainment...

ETA- oh, and I'm wondering if the person who said you should spend a ton of time checking out a house before you buy it has ever bought a house in California. Yeah, no. We don't get that luxury out here. Sometimes, there are upwards of 30 people bidding on a single house, going way over asking, and waiving all contingencies, and that happens within hours of the house going on the market. We just bought our house, and there was a couple who put a bid in for it, sight unseen. No way could we have gone multiple times, at different times of day, before bidding. We would never have made it- we had to bid after seeing it once. We were very lucky to get it. California housing markets don't play by the rest of the nation's rules.

 

[mom2rtk]

I would add that it's not like Disneyland hoodwinks people, either. They publish their calendar where they show nightly entertainment...

The same could be said about people being hoodwinked into buying a home in the area.

 

[maltdizzy]

It is a combination of reasons.

• There is a give and take with Anaheim government and it is also a financial decision of when to use fireworks. It's been a delicate balance for a long time, with both residents and the tourist industry having allies in local government and committees. And no one is giving up any time soon because Prop 13 means staying put for long-term owners
  
• It does save budget costs for DLR

But it is the way Disneyland has done it for decades, since even before they were open 7-days a week (they used to be closed Mondays), it is mentioned in travel literature and that is reinforced with their season entertainment press releases and blogs about their nighttime entertainment. Exceptions, while recent, are also rare. People should be well aware.

DL is run very different (by completely different management) than WDW. DLR's key demographic are those that visit at least 3 times a year.

 

[SMD]

This thread makes me

Residents in the area absolutely have rights that are not outweighed by any company, including Disney. It's silly to think that tens of thousands of residents have zero rights simply because there is a large business in the area. Noise pollution is a very real issue, and no, Disneyland cannot just do whatever they please with no regards for the tens of thousands of people living in the area. The very idea that tourists (visitors) to the area think that they have more rights than residents is silly to me. No, we don't. We are visitors. We don't have rights to nightly fireworks displays.

Based on the population of Anaheim and the surrounding cities it's hundreds of thousands of residents, maybe even a million.

 

[tiffjoy]

The same could be said about people being hoodwinked into buying a home in the area.

Ummm... What? DLR currently doesn't run the fireworks year round, with two exceptions already noted. people know this. What wouldn't be known would be a change to year round always every night fireworks, as asked in the OP. That's not hoodwinking someone who bought a house under the previous circumstances.

And the idea that going to a place to vacation a couple days is on par with a home purchase of the value of these homes is ridiculous. It's not even apples and organges. That's apples and watermelons.

 

[Malcon10t]

ETA- oh, and I'm wondering if the person who said you should spend a ton of time checking out a house before you buy it has ever bought a house in California. Yeah, no. We don't get that luxury out here. Sometimes, there are upwards of 30 people bidding on a single house, going way over asking, and waiving all contingencies, and that happens within hours of the house going on the market. We just bought our house, and there was a couple who put a bid in for it, sight unseen. No way could we have gone multiple times, at different times of day, before bidding. We would never have made it- we had to bid after seeing it once. We were very lucky to get it. California housing markets don't play by the rest of the nation's rules.

CA housing market is nuts. A friend just sold her house (we are 6 hours north of LA.) In 6 days, she had 21 people walking thru it, and it sold for $50K ABOVE asking price.

 

[Malcon10t]

That's easy. My 7 trips to WDW had Wishes, Illuminations, and Fantasmic! every night of the year, no matter when I showed up (June, Dec, Jan, Feb). When I switched my vacations to DL because I no longer would spend the enormous amount of money to fly to Orlando from CA, I wanted a Disney resort that resembled the awesomeness of the Orlando resort. I realize wind limits the fireworks for safety reasons and that's fine, but I got used to nightly shows during my Disney vacations. It's part of what made Disney more than a Six Flags. At least WOC goes nightly...except on our last trip when it was being refurbished.

This is one of those points where Disneyland and WDW are different. It was a reason why Walt wanted WDW to be its own place, and not in the middle of a busy area. Until 2005, fireworks had been limited to Fri-Sun during the school year, and daily when school was out. And from 1958-1999, they had Fantasy In The Sky, the 7 minute show. Heck, I've been down in June when school wasn't out yet, and no fireworks during the week. Disney negotiates with Anaheim to get what permits they can for fireworks. They pay, not just for fireworks, but for the permits to be allowed to set them off. But it is set in the middle of SoCal, where families live, and not out in the middle of the desert here. (Swamps there...) I think of it like I would not want the same fireworks going off nightly at John Thurman field.

 

[miamimi]

If I'm spending $ 600,000 or more on a house, I think it's my responsibility to investigate the neighborhood. If people don't choose to to do this, it's their fault.