Capturing the magic a second time around? Tips and tricks, anyone?

[Zombie]

So we were first-time on-site Disney vacationers last year. We had a superb experience. Loved our resort (CRS). Loved our room at the resort. Loved the convenience of the buses from our resort -- always got a seat in both directions from the park. Loved ME -- and got on the bus quickly and to our resort first drop-off. Had the 'free" DDP. Loved all our TS. Enjoyed our time in the parks. LOVED TL. LOVED our morning at DTD. Basically ... the running theme is ... we loved our whole trip and we got it at a really reasonable price.

We want to go back this summer because we loved it so much. We're still in the planning and watching for the right deal for us stage. But with the Canadian dollar and the deals we're looking at right now -- we're fairly certain that to start ... it's definitely going to cost more and that we're probably going to have to pay for DDP, even if truly want it again.

OK. Let's put that aside. Even though it's an initial "Hmm ..." pause.

Is it really possible to recapture the magic on a second trip? Or do all trips pale in comparison to your first?

How do you maintain the excitement and keep expectations in check for your second trip?

We certainly know we can't except everything to be the same. That it's a different trip and a different experience and there's a whole host of things that could make this a better (or worse) experience from last time.

We're just looking for ways to keep things in perspective. To maintain the excitement. To manage any expectations (or disappointments) when we get there.

Or any thoughts of on if you really should put more than a year between trips if you don't want to be comparing too much?

How do you keep each trip its own? How to you capture magic? Or find new magic?

Tips, tricks, thoughts, ideas. All appreciated.

 

[MrsHull]

Disney is so massive that there is always so etching new to try. We always try to strike a balance between repeating what we love and trying new things, or even new times of year. This time, we are going right after Thanksgiving to see the Christmas decorations and attend the party. So, many things will be brand new.

 

[Zombie]

We're debating between going at the end of August like we did last year or waiting until into September, which might be a bit quieter and we might potentially be there during the start of Food and Wine Expo at Epcot, which might be nice. Though, we were thinking we wouldn't try Epoct again this time. We enjoyed it but found it kind of dated and we aren't big eaters and have a health issue and dietary restriction in our family to be dining around the World Showcase.

We aren't too sure how cool it would be in September, though, and being able to spend time in the pool and go to the water parks is a big thing for our family and an important part of the vacation.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We have been quite a few times, and every time is magical for us. In a way, it gets more magical each time. I agree that doing something new and special each time is important. Stay at a different resort. Make a reservation at a restaurant (or 5 restaurants) you have always wanted to try. Do at least one really special thing (like attending a special event or tour, if you can afford it, or watching fireworks from a beach with a special drink in hand, if that fits your budget better). Read lots and lots about the special history of the parks and rides before you go, or read a Walt Disney biography. Read the many technology and business articles about Magic Bands and how they were developed. Read as much as you can about the rides, shows, food, and activities and create a list of things you absolutely MUST try (I've got to have a Dole Whip! I want to eat a Zebra Dome at AKL! I've got to try that Grapefruit Cake! We must meet Talking Mickey! etc.). I definitely would not intentionally put a year or more between vacations just so it will feel special. Lots of people go 2, 3, 4, or more times per year and still find magic every time.

Be realistic about expectations. It will be crowded. It will be hot. It might rain. You might have to wait to be seated, even with an ADR. The monorail might break down. Everything will not be perfect. But almost all CMs will treat you like you are special. Almost everything will be sparkling clean. And if you experience a problem, you will probably get better customer service there than any other business on the planet. Focus on the things that do seem perfect. And keep smiling! You're on vacation!

 

[DisneyJillian18]

I've been to Disney quite a few times now, my first trip, I actually didn't like! Granted I was eight, but still. As I've gotten older, it's my obsession! It's my obsession because everytime I go, I find something else about Disney that I fall in love with. My advice is, if financially if you can go, do it! Plan the best you can for you and your family and just stay positive, you'll have a great time!

 

[Doug Means]

my family has been many times. even having Florida resident annual passes for the short time i lived in FL. with that being said we still have not done everything at all the parks. we have our favorite things that are must do's and we try to hit different stuff every time we visit. as our kids got older the stuff we want to try on trips just changes. now, as i plan my next trip we have a new daughter-in-law and grandson who are 1st timers. we're swinging back into the things we loved when our kids were 1st timers and very young. the excitement is always there. and even though there maybe some people who complain or have had some bad experiences, i have found that Disney tries hard to do things at a higher level than other themed parks. i also enjoy reading the message boards and catching up when its been a few years between trips (my last trip was in 2013). Anyway, i hope this help a little, we love Disney!

 

[loves to dive]

I've lost count of how many times we've been, I'm guessing over 20 under 30 and each trip is good for us. Having been so many times, we know what to expect and just go with the flow. It's going to rain, we take a poncho/rain jacket/umbrella or get wet and play in the rain. There are going to be lines, we look for hidden mickey's, people watch, just enjoy being together. We might not get to ride the rides we wanted to (is Space Mountain ever running) we find new rides or sit and watch the shows or find new little hidden areas. We might not get the ADRs we wanted, we find somewhere new to check out, we snack around the world. It's going to be hot, we are from Georgia, it's not hot unless its in 3 digits so we are good to go and hey, it's gonna rain and we will get wet and that will cool us off. We might not like the room we got, oh well, it beats the heck out of staying at a Holiday Inn off site. One of us might get mad at the other or be grumpy or be sad, ummmm that's pretty normal. Just know it's not going to be perfect but there is always something new around the corner and (for us at least) the fun is in finding the new stuff.

 

[hops&dreams]

Totally understand where you're coming from, OP. We also had a completely magical experience on our first trip. I think it was a trifecta of DD being the right age/maturity, DH and I needing breaks from the stress of our jobs VERY badly, and the phenomenal deal that we were able to score.

We had decided we were going to wait 2 years for the trip, and we did just that - 2 years and 2 weeks later, we were back. Same hotel, about 60% of the same TS meals... and while it was not AS great, it was still pretty darn great. I LOVED the hotel we had been at (WL) and the ease of the DDP. DD was still a good age, but old enough the 2nd time to start to question the magic. While we thought this would make us sad, we realized she was just growing up, and it turned it into a different kind of trip. She saw everything with new eyes, and was quick to keep up the magic for those around us, whether it be handing out glow-in-the dark necklaces to kids around us while we waited for the Electrical light parade, or giving up her seat on the boat to a smaller kid so they could sit by their parent.

In the end, we did pay more, but kept it fresh by:
2nd trip:

• stayed in same hotel, but got different view (and then got upgraded to the view we had before). It was still different, as the 1st time we had a balcony, but 2nd time, we were 1 floor down and had a patio.
• Ate at many of the same TS restaurants, but also tried a few new ones. The ones we'd already been to, we adjusted the times to suit us better, where as the first time around, we just took whatever times we could get- Didn't matter that we were eating at Ohana at 9:30 at night after an entire day at the parks (DD fell asleep during that meal, and didn't touch more than 3 bites of food!) On our 2nd trip, we scheduled fewer buffets, and liked that much better.
• Tried new things - the parks are always changing, evolving. There's always SOMETHING new or changed since your last visit, especially if there's 2 years between visits.

3rd trip:

• Stayed in different hotel, which DH thought was fine, but I really didn't like. We've come to an understanding that next time, we'll be back at WL. Since I do all the planning, I've decided it's my call
• New rides - the New Fantasy land was done, and we got to check it all out. We rode 7DMT at least 3 times, and ate at Be Our Guest, and made a pit stop in "Rapunzel's bathroom" (I LOVE Tangled!). Test track was also newer since we had been there last, and Thunder mountain had been refurbed. (it was undergoing it's overhaul during our 2nd trip)
• New restaurant - we had so many TS meals we wanted to repeat from our previous 2 trips, we only had 1 new meal, and I decided it should be very different. So we ate at Boma. I really thought we'd LOVE it, but we just didn't. Maybe it was the crowd that was around us (there was a very large, loud, disrespectful family close to us), or the fact that the lobby was underwhelming because it was largely under construction/refurb, but we just weren't wowed by the place like we thought we would be. Even the Zebra domes, which I had read so many good things about didn't wow me.
• trying different snacks, different CS meals. We just like to try new things. If we happen upon a show, we'll stop to watch. We try to make it to rides or attractions we haven't seen yet.

There's so much always changing at Disney, and everything is rather diverse. There's always a resort to see, a new snack to try, a new or interesting shop to look in. Just keep your mind open. I think a big trap many people fall in to is that they try to re-create that first time. Enjoy the differences. Embrace the different perspective, whether it be because a child is getting older, your interests have changed, or your focus is on something different (maybe you'll go during F&W, or SWW). Maybe before you loved to ride rides, and now you want to see all the shows.
Just go back - you'll be sure to have a splendid time!

 

[Saralyn]

hops&dreams makes excellent points. I've been to WDW 33 times (not counting DCL, HHI, and Aulani), and it never gets old. Our touring style has changed over the years from when I was a kid to when my kids were small to now that they are teens. During those early years we were on the go all day doing everything we could. Now we take it easier, leaving the park in the early afternoon for some relaxation at the resort and maybe going back to the park in the evening or maybe not. If a ride has a really long line, we skip it and don't sweat it because we know we can catch it next year. Since you've only visited once so far, I can guarantee you haven't seen everything yet, so change it up and enjoy. Some Disney trips are more magical than others, but they are all better than any other vacation. I can't even count the hundreds of times that my hubby and I have been at an amusement park, water park, restaurant, cruise ship, etc., and one of us has said to the other, "This sure isn't Disney!" Disney is the top of the line!

 

[Zombie]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm hopeful that things will be the same but different and that we still have as magical trip as the first.

Some of the things we think we're going to do the same:
-Stay at CSR again
-Would like to eat at Rainforest Cafe AK and T-Rex Cafe at DTD again
-Would like to do water park again
-Would like to get DPP again
-Will visit AK and MK again (I'd like to return to DHS and EPCOT again but other decision-maker isn't as excited about those two parks. More willing to entertain doing DHS again than EPCOT).

Things that we're talking about doing differently:
-Getting tickets for fewer days at the parks (3 days rather than 4 days)
-Spending at least one day off-site at either US, IOA or SW
-Doing BB this time instead of TL (I loved TL and the family loved our water park day so much I'd like to consider doing both parks)
-Doing one of the mini-putts (probably BB, if we're over at that water park anyways)
-Going to one of the dinner shows (probably the one at Poly)
-Taking some time to resort hop/explore and possibly visit Disney Boardwalk too
-Seeing the electric floating/water parade
-Going to MK in the morning rather than the evening for EMH (we didn't see much of MK last trip it was so crowded and dark with us doing late-afternoon and evening EMH)

There's some restaurants I'd really like to try but our family situation (health issue that means we're spending a lot more time on the resort than in the parks and have lots of dietary restrictions to combat) means we're pretty awful about ADR. So I'm not sure that will happen at all.

We're debating about the timing too. End of August might technically work best for us but into September is possible as well, which could open up the possibility of Food and Wine and/or MNSHP too.

 

[dprincessmom]

If you changed your park days to 3 could you add water parks and more option? you could do TL, BB and mini park for the cost of entry into one of the water parks.

We keep it different by trying at least one new thing each trip - sometimes those are great, others we decide we are glad we did it but it is one and done.
This time we will be at a new resort (not going to lie, a little nervous but can't wait to give it a try).

The other thing I would say is don't compare every aspect of the trip to your first one. IMHO you will only be setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

[Zombie]

I'd like to add the Water Parks and More Option because it's only $10 more than a day at one water park and I favor doing both water parks. But the other decision maker feels we'll only have time for one water park. They want to have at least one day off-site (US, IOA or SW) -- with the possibility of two days off-site (US/IOA and SW).

If we only do one Water Park day, the WP upgrade option isn't really worth it because the MYW package includes admission coupon for the mini-putt and DQ already.

Other decision-maker also wants to reserve one-day of the vacation as a 'quiet' day to just do something like just the mini-putt or just go and explore some other resorts or even just stay in the resort pool.

Guess we'll see. I almost feel like we should downgrade to 2 park days and then do two water park days with the Water Parks and More option. (Or my ideal would be to add one or two days extra to our vacation so we could have time to fit a bit more in! -- but budget and vacation time allowances combined with the awful state of the CDN $ right now, that's not likely going to be an option this time around).