I have a question, I haven't read the whole thread, but I've read enough.
Is the magic defined by how many rides you can get on for you? My wife and I aren't pros like everyone here, we went to WDW as a kid, then
disneyland in 2011, then world again in in 2021, and 2022. We have also had a few single day trips here and there while we were traveling in the Orlando area. Also have a few universal trips in there as well.
Disney to me still has something special. We have traveled many places, my wife and I even lived in an RV full time for a year and a half traveling and seeing the country. One of our favorite places to vacation is Disney.
Is it different than it was? Yes. Do we like the extra money for G+ and ILL no.
For us Disney is not all about rides. If we wanted to do just rides, there are plenty of other theme parks and amusement parks we could go to, but the overall experience at disney is something special, still. My wife and I own our own business, and we take one real vacation a year where we turn things off completely , last couple of years it has been to Disney. To us the something special is the ability to go in one location and get all the different experiences you can get at WDW. You get the amusement parks, but you also can get world class dining and restaurants, you also get the experiences at the different resorts. For us rope dropping and doing some of our favorites rides is fun, but its also fun to walk around animal kingdom lodge and check out the animals. Seeing shows is just as important to us as eating at the different restaurants and eating things we normally wouldn't eat at home. The ability to do all of those things in one location is amazing. Plus that extra Disney touch, while it is going away in places, but it is still there in others.