Disney World still creating magical memories?

[Stefien Quix]

Hey everyone, in 2018, I basically lived here on disboards.com in preparation for our trip to WDW. This site played a crucial piece in our preparation for our trip and I'm overwhelmingly grateful to everyone here for all the assistance everyone created. I had fully planned on kickstarting everything again in preparation for our next trip. But I have to admit with all the changes happening I'm a little worried that our next magical trip will be well, not very magical.

My concerns are:

• That now that FastPass+ has gone away and this new Pay-to-Play replacement is in place, that our budget needs to be way higher than it was.
• The changes that Gov. DeSantis have implemented stripping WDW of its special status are going to either a) result in even higher costs or b) subpar park experiences or c) both
• The park seems to be more crowded than ever before with days completely selling out that never did in the past
• And of course, the one that never seems to have changed, but still has to be factored in, the annual monster bump in the parks tickets.

Are people who are still managing to preserve the magic? Are there additional strategies that you've adopted other than "have more money" lol? Very curious what peoples experiences are and expectations for the future are.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[PalmettoPath]

We roll with it. We have been twice since covid (August 2021 and March 2022) and have three more booked (two more in 2022 and then March 2023). We generally visit for three weeks each year (and have done so since WDW opened). Yes, there is a lot of complaining from many people about literally anything at all that Disney changes. It's hyper focused on these boards because these boards have generally very active Disney travel people. So it's understandable.

For us, it's still very magical, even if we don't like things like G+ etc. But we don't let that ruin the magic for us because the magic for us is not all about Disney rides and so on. So for us, it's just as magical as ever even though we do not love this current management and Imagineering crew for that matter. It has ebbed and flowed for 50 years and will continue to do so. But the magic lives on for us. I can understand how it may not for others, but for us and our outlook Disney vacations continue to be very magical.

 

[gharter]

We roll with it. We have been twice since covid (August 2021 and March 2022) and have three more booked (two more in 2022 and then March 2023). We generally visit for three weeks each year (and have done so since WDW opened). Yes, there is a lot of complaining from many people about literally anything at all that Disney changes. It's hyper focused on these boards because these boards have generally very active Disney travel people. So it's understandable.

For us, it's still very magical, even if we don't like things like G+ etc. But we don't let that ruin the magic for us because the magic for us is not all about Disney rides and so on. So for us, it's just as magical as ever even though we do not love this current management and Imagineering crew for that matter. It has ebbed and flowed for 50 years and will continue to do so. But the magic lives on for us. I can understand how it may not for others, but for us and our outlook Disney vacations continue to be very magical.

We have cut back from 2 trips a year to once a year. However, I agree that the magic is still there. We still enjoy our trips.
Clearly, WDW is not the same as it once was. I think a big part of that is the attitude you have.

 

[Stefien Quix]

We roll with it. We have been twice since covid (August 2021 and March 2022) and have three more booked (two more in 2022 and then March 2023). We generally visit for three weeks each year (and have done so since WDW opened). Yes, there is a lot of complaining from many people about literally anything at all that Disney changes. It's hyper focused on these boards because these boards have generally very active Disney travel people. So it's understandable.

For us, it's still very magical, even if we don't like things like G+ etc. But we don't let that ruin the magic for us because the magic for us is not all about Disney rides and so on. So for us, it's just as magical as ever even though we do not love this current management and Imagineering crew for that matter. It has ebbed and flowed for 50 years and will continue to do so. But the magic lives on for us. I can understand how it may not for others, but for us and our outlook Disney vacations continue to be very magical.

We have cut back from 2 trips a year to once a year. However, I agree that the magic is still there. We still enjoy our trips.
Clearly, WDW is not the same as it once was. I think a big part of that is the attitude you have.

So I guess my question to both of you is if its not the rides, thinking back to your last WDW vacations, where did you find your magical moments and/or how did you frame the vacation in your mind so your attitude wasn't impacted by giant lines, crowded parks, or a limited budget? Please know I'm asking this from a genuine place. I think @gharter is likely onto something about having the correct attitude, so I feel like the best way not to be frustrated or disappointed would be to know what people did to keep the magic alive for their visits.

 

[Marionnette]

Hey everyone, in 2018, I basically lived here on disboards.com in preparation for our trip to WDW. This site played a crucial piece in our preparation for our trip and I'm overwhelmingly grateful to everyone here for all the assistance everyone created. I had fully planned on kickstarting everything again in preparation for our next trip. But I have to admit with all the changes happening I'm a little worried that our next magical trip will be well, not very magical.

My concerns are:

• That now that FastPass+ has gone away and this new Pay-to-Play replacement is in place, that our budget needs to be way higher than it was.
• The changes that Gov. DeSantis have implemented stripping WDW of its special status are going to either a) result in even higher costs or b) subpar park experiences or c) both
• The park seems to be more crowded than ever before with days completely selling out that never did in the past
• And of course, the one that never seems to have changed, but still has to be factored in, the annual monster bump in the parks tickets.

Are people who are still managing to preserve the magic? Are there additional strategies that you've adopted other than "have more money" lol? Very curious what peoples experiences are and expectations for the future are.

Thanks in advance!!

• Your budget only needs to be higher if you want a similar experience to the one you had when you went in 2018. Things like evening magic hours are a thing of the past at AK and HS and cannot be bought at any price. MK and Epcot extra evening hours are only for Deluxe resort guests and only on limited nights. You will pay for G+ and ILL$ if you want anything close to FP+. And dining will cost much more with smaller portions than in the past.
• No one knows how the Reedy Creek special district situation will play out.
• Parks sell out because Disney sets an artificial cap on each park's attendance in an effort to more evenly distribute customers between the 4 theme parks. They feel more crowded than before because entertainment is limited (but slowly returning), attractions seem to break down more often than in the past and some attractions are not being operated at full capacity.
• The cost of tickets hurts even more with shortened park hours and long standby waits. Plus, there aren't any good packages that make the overall cost more affordable.

There are still magical moments that can be found. Most of the time, it's a little something that a CM does that was above and beyond what you expected. But I miss those little magical moments when you happened upon PUSH or the Streetmosphere performances just by chance.

Unfortunately, the best advice for feeling the magic is to go with low expectations. When you do, anything that exceeds the low bar that you set will feel magical.

 

[whitney37354]

We were there two weeks ago and the magic is not totally gone, but it is fading away, for us anyway. We visit WDW every two to three years, except 2021 and 2022, when we made up for a cancelled by Disney 2020 trip. Even our 17 year old daughter agreed that after her shorter graduation trip next year, it may be a few years before we want to return. If you want any magic or pixie dust you'll need to create it yourself. DH made magic for a few kids by giving them pins to start pin trading when they were interested in his lanyard of pins he wore each day. Only a handful of the CM's we interacted with seemed to care about their jobs.

 

[lugnut33]

Here's a big 48 page thread about the magic:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/no-the-magic-isn’t-gone-but-it’s-at-25.3885211/

 

[FastPasser.]

I regret to say that going to WDW is no longer in my future in any significant way. As a Disney retiree, the only reason I visit now is to get family and friends into the parks or to take advantage of the resort or merchandise discounts. I stay for an hour or two and leave. For me, the magic is gone.

 

[gharter]

So I guess my question to both of you is if its not the rides, thinking back to your last WDW vacations, where did you find your magical moments and/or how did you frame the vacation in your mind so your attitude wasn't impacted by giant lines, crowded parks, or a limited budget? Please know I'm asking this from a genuine place. I think @gharter is likely onto something about having the correct attitude, so I feel like the best way not to be frustrated or disappointed would be to know what people did to keep the magic alive for their visits.

For us, we go into the vacation with the attitude that we are going to enjoy it and have fun. Does everything go perfectly? Not even close. Sometimes it a performance at a festival, sometimes its an amazing server at one of the restaurants, or a CM that goes out of their way. Often it is resort staff. Our last trip, we had awesome servers at CG, Flying Fish and Topolinos. Had a fun interaction with the first order on Rise.
We love going into the parks, sitting and soaking in the atmosphere. And the rides are fun. We've also been there enough times, that if a line a ridiculously long, passing by isn't painful. If it was our only trip, that would have a much larger impact. With the changes that Disney has made, it has made things more difficult to find magical moments, but they are still there.

 

[loves to dive]

I go often, have been 4 times since the parks re-opened and have a trip planned for August.

I was there April of 21 (solo) when Covid was still a pretty big deal and you had to wear a mask everywhere. There were limited restaurants open, not fully staffed parks and limited things in shops. I loved every minute of it.

I was back in Sept. that year with my son, his SO and their 5 month old daughter. It was the SO's second time ever being there, her first was as a teenager with only 2 days there and she never stepped foot in Epcot. We all had park hoppers, it was hot, it was rainy, it was crowded, you still had to wear masks indoors, Epcot was (and is to some extent) under serious construction. Because of the baby we had limited time in the parks and they really couldn't ride a lot of rides. She fell in love with it and they have a trip planned for this Sept.

I was back in Dec. (solo) for a shorter trip, 5 nights. Masks still required indoors, things opening up a bit more, still crowded and under staffed. Loved it.

I was back this last April (solo) no masks required except on transportation and that stopped mid-trip. Still crowded and understaffed. I caught a cold on Wens so Thurs and Fri. I spent most of the time in my room and masked up when I went out. Still loved it.

Each trip had it's challenges, the trip in April seemed to be my trip for everything to go wrong. In addition to the cold, 3 rides broke down after I stood in line for a hour waiting. On Easter Sunday there was a massive storm and MK was like wading through a creek. After the storm, the booths at Epcot couldn't scan the little wrist gift cards they sell, I had spent $300 on one but after the first day, they did figure out how to key in the number.

Even with all that, there were pockets of experiences which made up for it. Little things like when I arrived early to check in at the resort, the CM took her time and found me a room that was ready in the preferred section that I hadn't paid for. I staked out a spot for the show at Epcot and a family with 3 youngish boys arrived about 10 min. before the show. I told their parents the kids were more than welcome to stand in front of me. The sheer joy on their faces as they sang along with the songs and exclaimed over everything was worth it. Despite feeling like crap I wanted to see the parade at MK since I hadn't seen it since it had been back. I double masked (yes outdoors but I wasn't taking any chances on anyone catching what I had) found a spot where no one could stand on one side of me and turned facing that side and cried my eyes out when Tinkerbell came by. I sat for a hour at Nomad Lounge in AK just enjoying the day with a waiter who knew exactly when to ask me things and when to leave me alone. Got to AK early on a coolish morning and all the animals on the safari were out and doing their thing - lion was walking around and roaring, baby rhino was frolicking around jumping and running, two young male elephants were play fighting. Rode SDD one night with a family of two parents and a young boy. Despite waiting in line for a hour, the boy was so excited. He sat in the car in front of me with Dad and Mom sat with me. The boy was laughing and throwing his arms up, Mom was halfway scared and halfway having a blast, screaming one minute and laughing the next. I did not buy Genie +, I have the advantage of going often and have never needed to ride all the rides. I did wait in some long lines but I was o.k. with that, between having park hoppers (an AP) and going early morning and late afternoon, I rode every ride I wanted to. I saw lots of shows, I took my time and just let the atmosphere soak in.

 

[ZellyB]

We've been twice post-covid and are going again in January for Marathon weekend. We still love it there. I still get such a sense of happiness when we drive through the welcome gates. Like some others, we've been often enough that if we miss a ride here or there, we are usually okay about that. We do early entry and rope drop which helps us to hit some of the more popular rides. We like a lot of rides/attractions that don't get long lines as well, like CoP or Hall of Presidents or Philharmagic. We get as much enjoyment out of those as we do many of the rides. There is still nothing that compares for me to see Main Street and the castle the first time. We love to get hot dogs and stake out a great spot for fireworks early where we sit and talk about our favorite parts of the day. I've had some of the best talks of my life with my teenage kids during those moments. I never get those same moments at home. I treasure them and our shared love of Disney.

I'm really happy that the character meets are coming back per normal. My runners love to get pictures with them with their medals. We have certain restaurants that we frequently go to and we really enjoy those as well (hoping Crystal Palace breakfast buffet is back by the time we go). I was a fan of FP+ and wish they still had it, but it hasn't ruined the love I have for the parks. Not by a long shot.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We have cut back from 2 trips a year to once a year. However, I agree that the magic is still there. We still enjoy our trips.
Clearly, WDW is not the same as it once was. I think a big part of that is the attitude you have.

So I guess my question to both of you is if its not the rides, thinking back to your last WDW vacations, where did you find your magical moments and/or how did you frame the vacation in your mind so your attitude wasn't impacted by giant lines, crowded parks, or a limited budget? Please know I'm asking this from a genuine place. I think @gharter is likely onto something about having the correct attitude, so I feel like the best way not to be frustrated or disappointed would be to know what people did to keep the magic alive for their visits.

We spent time in the parks, but not waiting in long ride lines. Limited ride time or only short lines. Enjoying the ambiance of the parks, snacking, etc. EPCOT time in World Showcase is another example. Disney Springs meandering...with some outdoor dining. Disney magic for us is being surrounded by the ambiance. We resort hop, we played foot golf at Oak Trail. Things like that. We go a lot so it's not the same mindset as those who go less frequently and haven't done rides as much as we have over time. I have two sisters who also visit frequently (it's a family thing, lol), and they didn't enter a park for five years, but still enjoy their Disney vacations. Pool time, lunches, shopping, horseback riding and so on. Last August was actually the first time in over 100 weeks spent at Walt Disney World that I did not go on one single ride. But I had a great week and loved being there nonetheless. It is mindset to some degree. Disney vacations for us are more than rides. I love the detail of the parks and resorts.

 

[Fastpassminus]

We were there in February and had a BLAST. Both my kids got the " Disney Stomach Bug" and puked. We are still laughing about it and calling it " The BRUNO incident" ( Because we don't talk about it). We did Genie Plus and loved it in most parks, tried the Wookie Cookie and Gideons for the first time. Saw the new MK fireworks from Poly Beach and loved Harmonius so much we had to watch it TWICE. Did both the late night deluxe hours, spent almost a full day in Storm Along Bay. Made friends with Cast Members. My 5 year old daughter crashed so HARD on Smugglers Run ( we WALKED on at park close) that we are still all joking about it. We saw a goose that looked like Candace from Phineas and Ferb. Basically even when things didn't go perfectly we MADE the magic ( like the family of turtles I watched from our balcony at Beach Club while my son was sick in the bathroom. We named them after our family members and had to say goodbye before we left) and found all the good times. Sure we had a few really REALLY bad moments ( adult temper tantrums, bad cast interactions etc) but we rolled with it and the magic was still there. We are planning a trip for next July.

 

[Jennasis]

As the song from Enchantment likes to point out...YOU are the magic. Meaning, Disney isn't supplying it. BYOM. We do and we have a good time.

 

[DaviVascaino]

If you have time, read my report.

We will be back again in few months. Magic is still there, just need to understand that things changed and unfortunately not for the better

https://www.disboards.com/threads/f...way-after-getting-home.3875870/#post-63849920

 

[R&RsMom]

My family went in October and had a blast. We used Genie + in all the parks, rode everything we wanted, got ressies we wanted, and generally enjoyed it all. We are going back this December for a weekend just to see the holiday stuff. We did Universal in the same trip, and while we enjoyed it, we found the Disney experience better. I will say, the ticket bump for this upcoming trip hurt a bit, but I figure it is what it is.

 

[danceintherain]

I had already shifted to preferring DLR to WDW before COVID. WDW is just A LOT. Now that it costs more....I guess we'll see how that goes. Our next trip is planned for next spring, and while I'm optimistic, it's more because I'm taking my kids and they've always surprised me.
I do think we'll vacation elsewhere more, but that could just be a byproduct of my kids getting older. They love Disney, but they love a lot of other things too, and those other things are a lot more accessible than they used to be.
When I started to prefer Disney as an adult, it was largely due to the fact that information was easy to come by for it, and not so much for a lot of other places. Now, other places are catching up, so it's less daunting to plan.
That said, I only noticed minor differences at DLR, and I can't imagine those will be so much more marked at WDW that it ruins it for me. But only time will tell. My parents went a few months ago, and it seems like they had their best trip there ever. They didn't even stay on the property.... So I do think a lot of it is what you make it, and managing expectations all around.
I feel a lot worse for people who have been saving for years for once in a lifetime trips. There are simply too many things that can go "wrong," and too many minor planning mistakes that can make things less magical.
For me....we'll still go. Just maybe not as frequently, and we may stray off property, or at least into Shades of Green for more space.
I just paid over $400 for a hotel room in Seattle for before an Alaska cruise next month, so I fully expect ALL travel to be expensive. Disney has its pros and cons just like everywhere else. It always has.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

We have been going with our kids about every two years and each time it's been magical for us in different ways. The toddler age trips were fun & magical for them, then the primary age trips were another level of fun & magical, and the last trip was right when it reopened and still magical for us. Actually even with the limitations it was one of our favorite trips. We tried restaurants that we wouldn't have had if all were open. We stayed at two resorts we wouldn't have tried. But I think their age made a difference for that one to still be magical. They had a better appreciation of what it meant to be able to take that trip. We are all looking forward to our upcoming trip, arriving in two weeks. It'll be different but we'll be having fun and experiencing new magic.

 

[godfather927]

We went in April and we all had a blast, kids can't wait to go back, so we're already planning another trip for January. Yeah it's expensive but so is everything these days. You can always stay at one of the cheaper value resort sfor part of the stay to save money.

 

[dreynolds1982]

I think you will enjoy at Disney trip as much as you let yourself enjoy it. Me and my entire family have been huge Disney fans since I was a baby. I've been a CM on both the frontline and corporate sides, my sister is a Disney TP, etc. I have been to the parks more times than I could ever count. My wife and I still go whenever we can, and we have a blast every single time. As does my sister and her family. Do I miss certain things from the past? Sure. Am I happy with every recent decision they've made (or every past decision)? Absolutely not. Can they improve? You bet. But for us, the magic is still there. But hey, for others, maybe it isn't. That's a decision each person has to make for themselves. If you don't like the way the parks are now, best way to show Disney you're not happy is to spend your money elsewhere.

FWIW, the single biggest thing that I've noticed over the years that increasingly negatively impacts my enjoyment of WDW isn't any management/operation thing WDW has done, it's simply people. Old man rant here for a sec (even though I'm just 40), but people have gotten worse and worse and worse over the years. Inconsiderate, selfish, obnoxious, rude, etc etc. "Vacation brain" has always been a thing, but now it's just flat gotten almost unbearable IMO. People feel more entitled than ever, and it shows, especially during the busier days in the parks (which are more and more). It's unfortunate, but now we just try and go to the parks with the right mindset, less pressure/planning, and just take things as they come and enjoy ourselves. It has made a HUGE difference for us.