What is "The Magic?"

[poeticdiabetic]

So I was reading a bunch of responses and I've kept seeing that some people are excited because they are going to experience "The Magic" of WDW. Then, there are some that says that with the recent changes in the FP system and/or the crowds, that "The Magic" is gone. Then they have said that WDW NEVER had "The Magic." Oh, and to a wider point; some say that WDW has "The Magic", but US/IOA doesn't.

So this is what I would like to ask everyone: What is "The Magic" to you? Now I know, "The Magic" is actually a relative term. Everyone will have a different definition of "The Magic." I think that WDW has "The Magic", so I will go first:

To me, the great Poeticdiabetic (name is that I need to write poetry like a diabetic needs insulin… not that I am a diabetic, btw) would describe "The Magic" as that feeling of when you first step into the parks. Take Magic Kingdom, for instance. "The Magic" of walking down Main Street- the smells of fresh ice cream cones, the carnival sounds, looks of the buildings like some idyllic era that have hints of the early 20th Century. And then, you see that big, majestic castle! MAGIC!

Or when you go to EPCOT and that serene music that is pumped in the parks. The flowers and scenery. The fact that you can "walk" around the world and get that small sampling of the cultures. To me, that's "The Magic."

Or with Hollywood Studios, where you feel like you've stepped into the 30s and 40s. They have the players out there acting like they're making a movie. Or the look at the little kids when they get the opportunity to see the characters from their favorite TV shows. That's Magic!

Or Animal Kingdom. Personally, AK is my favorite because I LOVE the international feel of the place. The queue for EE is so authentic! Riding the "Safari" where you're guaranteed to see the animals. Or seeing that huge tree. Or seeing those shows. They are magical.

They are all magical. What's magical about WDW to you and what would stop "The Magic" from flowing at WDW?

 

[bumbershoot]

what would stop "The Magic" from flowing at WDW?

Constant irritation while walking around. Not being able to tour how I want to tour. Lines that are long that I don't recall being long previously. Constant irritation. Oh, and irritation.

Also, now, for us, going in winter and having it be colder there than it is at home. (or on one day in Jan, colder than it was in Fairbanks AK) And ending up sick for months. Being sick in Disney takes away the magic like you wouldn't believe. And there's nothing that gets me sick like the stress on my body caused by the temperatures fluctuating wildly like it can in the winter.

So I'll go for warmer months now. And see if that lowers the level of irritation that I've experienced with the "testing", the MBs, and the FP+s (or more specifically the lack of the old FPs).

 

[Kingdome8]

"The magic" to me is the whole experience. From planning the trip til we leave and come home.

The excitement it brings my family just talking about our disneytrips is priceless.

We enjoy everything at disney and my kids get excited about all the rides and shows but the one thing that tops "the magic" for us is fantasmic.
We love Mickey and to me that is the best.
When he pops up at the end on top of the mountain as Sourcerer Mickey my kids go nuts.

My kids always quote him and say.
"Some imagination huh?" Or " this is my dream"

I don't think anything could ruin disney for us.
They eat Mickey pb&j's everyday at school. Lol

 

[Karbase8]

The magic for me is the walk down Main Street, seeing the castle, hearing the Disney songs, seeing Philharmagic, the planning of the trip, the immersion in WDW and being sheltered from the outside world, the atmosphere of DHS, the feeling of Hollywood, seeing young children's faces light out meeting their favorite character, spending quality time with my DS now 14, that's the Magic.

OUr last trip the loss of Magic, was sitting in middle to last rows on attractions such as POTC and seeing people's Iphones and cameras instead of the attraction, rude guests pushing and butting in line and not saying excuse me, having my tip stolen from the maid out of the Contemporary without cleaning the room first, MK looking a little run down and not as clean as usual, seeing a skimping of food at the buffets with rising prices.

But despite all the complaints, changes, I would love to be their in a heartbeat right now!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Also, now, for us, going in winter and having it be colder there than it is at home. (or on one day in Jan, colder than it was in Fairbanks AK)

I've actually went to US/IOA when it was about 20 degrees during Spring Break. It was terrible, but we had as much fun as we possibly could. We did a lot of indoor activities!

But I do want to talk about what prevents me from getting into "The Magic". Impatience. I was in AK one day and I saw this parent just yelling at this kid while they were talking. I mean, the kid was crying and the parent just blew this kid up!

Another one is when I see adults act like they want to fight each other while in line. Or when I see adults yelling at CMs. That's bad.

 

[k_hase]

My Magic is the insulated feeling I get while there. The knowledge that if anything goes wrong, someone will fix it; that the joy you extend is returned to you; that I don't have to drive if I don't want to!! No where else is a character going to kneel down in front of my son and allow him to be in awe, as if we were the only people he had to see that day.

So many little things make me return. Atmosphere, service, consistency--all things I don't see on other trips. Don't get me wrong I like other places too, going to the Amalfi Coast is outstanding, but when sh!t goes sideways there, nothing gets done!! Even with the changes, I find these things to be true.

I think some of this is the attitude people bring as well. Entitlement won't get you magic, but receptivity will. I go with the idea that speed isn't important, that we get done what we get done, and someone will carry my bag, take my picture, bring me my food, and clean my room. I guess that can happen at any resort, but I think at Disney they do a better job of immersing you in your vacation.

Things change and I'm cool with that. Generally I find Disney course corrects and the changes don't make my trips less magical; sometimes the magic comes in different ways. I've also found that as my view of what is magical changes, Disney meets that--before kids was one kind of magic (FWF, Sig Dining, Spa) and after kids its another.

 

[DisDayz]

To me "The Magic" is being able to see Cinderella holding my sound asleep 3 year old DD while we wait for our ADR at the Royal Table, (even though she is now 20 years old and expecting a child of her own). It's watching my 16 month old hold on to Minnie's nose and try to give her a kiss while dining at Liberty Tree (even though she is now a teenager that still loves Minnie). It's the amazement in my 7 year old DS's eyes at the fact that he gets to "drive" the monorail (even though he's now ready to drive the car). It's looking at my 9 year old on IASW and having the same picture of the two of us when she was 7, and 5 and 4 and 2 and 10 months. It's the Black & White picture of me and my DW hanging above the bed that was taken at Epcot during the F&W festival, knowing how at that moment all of the trivial things in life and even at WDW didn't really matter.

It's family; it's the memories we've made and the promise of the ones we are yet to make; it's the laughs we share waiting in line; it's the tears we shed watching the fireworks on the last night before we head home; it's the lonely feeling of that last ride back to the resort; it's the air we breathe when we enter our resort for the start of our stay; it's buying autograph books on the first day for all of the kids and many of the adults.

I could go on and on and on about so many things "The Magic" is but I guess when all is said and done it is simply something inside of each of us. It's something we all experience in our own unique way and something that, if we aren't careful, we seem to lose along the way.

 

[Winnowill]

The Magic for me? My five-year old's smile and her excited giggles when we talk about it (and, of course, more of the same when we're actually there.) As long as nothing happens to make those go away, WDW will be magical to me.

 

[W.E.D.]

The magic of WDW for me is the way I totally forget about the "real" world once I'm on-site. Seriously, I leave everything behind and am all about the experience of being there.

It would take something very significant (more than a change in FP policy) to ruin that for me. I can't really say what that might be at this point.

 

[Ozzygirl]

To me "The Magic" is being able to see Cinderella holding my sound asleep 3 year old DD while we wait for our ADR at the Royal Table, (even though she is now 20 years old and expecting a child of her own). It's watching my 16 month old hold on to Minnie's nose and try to give her a kiss while dining at Liberty Tree (even though she is now a teenager that still loves Minnie). It's the amazement in my 7 year old DS's eyes at the fact that he gets to "drive" the monorail (even though he's now ready to drive the car). It's looking at my 9 year old on IASW and having the same picture of the two of us when she was 7, and 5 and 4 and 2 and 10 months. It's the Black & White picture of me and my DW hanging above the bed that was taken at Epcot during the F&W festival, knowing how at that moment all of the trivial things in life and even at WDW didn't really matter.

It's family; it's the memories we've made and the promise of the ones we are yet to make; it's the laughs we share waiting in line; it's the tears we shed watching the fireworks on the last night before we head home; it's the lonely feeling of that last ride back to the resort; it's the air we breathe when we enter our resort for the start of our stay; it's buying autograph books on the first day for all of the kids and many of the adults.

I could go on and on and on about so many things "The Magic" is but I guess when all is said and done it is simply something inside of each of us. It's something we all experience in our own unique way and something that, if we aren't careful, we seem to lose along the way.

beautifully put and absolutely correct

 

[sethschroeder]

The magic of WDW for me is the way I totally forget about the "real" world once I'm on-site. Seriously, I leave everything behind and am all about the experience of being there.

It would take something very significant (more than a change in FP policy) to ruin that for me. I can't really say what that might be at this point.

Bingo, had my cell phone last trip but only used it for checking ride times. Been a lot of other places but never have I ever checked out of work like when I was at Disney. I always find myself checking emails any other time.

 

[Kingdome8]

And the workers there have best customer service.
I always say even the guy who sells ice cream in 100 degree weather is always happy and that is a direct result of the culture of the disney company

 

[ArwenMarie]

The magic is the escape.

What kills the magic is overcrowding.

 

[bhwhiz]

To me "The Magic" is being able to see Cinderella holding my sound asleep 3 year old DD while we wait for our ADR at the Royal Table, (even though she is now 20 years old and expecting a child of her own). It's watching my 16 month old hold on to Minnie's nose and try to give her a kiss while dining at Liberty Tree (even though she is now a teenager that still loves Minnie). It's the amazement in my 7 year old DS's eyes at the fact that he gets to "drive" the monorail (even though he's now ready to drive the car). It's looking at my 9 year old on IASW and having the same picture of the two of us when she was 7, and 5 and 4 and 2 and 10 months. It's the Black & White picture of me and my DW hanging above the bed that was taken at Epcot during the F&W festival, knowing how at that moment all of the trivial things in life and even at WDW didn't really matter.

It's family; it's the memories we've made and the promise of the ones we are yet to make; it's the laughs we share waiting in line; it's the tears we shed watching the fireworks on the last night before we head home; it's the lonely feeling of that last ride back to the resort; it's the air we breathe when we enter our resort for the start of our stay; it's buying autograph books on the first day for all of the kids and many of the adults.

I could go on and on and on about so many things "The Magic" is but I guess when all is said and done it is simply something inside of each of us. It's something we all experience in our own unique way and something that, if we aren't careful, we seem to lose along the way.

Wow man, that's beautiful. Nailed it.

 

[SuperRob]

The "magic" for me has always been the sense of wonder and awe I get at seeing what one man's dream (and the hard work of thousands) was able to accomplish. It's the little details that someone cared enough to add, even though a tiny fraction of people would ever notice. It's carefully weaving a story, however subtle, into everything they do. And mostly, it's seeing the look of pure joy on my wife's face.

The one thing that takes me out of it is other people. Probably doesn't help that I'm introverted and claustrophobic, but jockeying for position with people sucks the energy right out of me. And nothing quite like a stroller wheel to the ankle to cap it off. I hate seeing parents yelling at their kids because they're stressed out, the kid is unhappy, and what the hell did we spend all that money for if you're just going to cry? People get incredibly selfish when there are lines, bad weather, impatience, things not going according to plan, and spending a premium on all of it ... that surely isn't magical for most.

But as I see it, sometimes, you have to make your own magic. I go with a positive outlook, and if things aren't going quite right, I do something to turn it around for us. Never fails to put us right back into the spirit.

 

[GotLabradors]

The meaning of the magic has changed as I have grown up. As a child on my first trip in 1980, the magic was getting to meet Mickey and riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, HM, & CoP. As I grew up, the magic was about being a little kid at heart and enjoying time with my family. Now that I'm grown and have kids of my own, the magic will be about the wonder in my kids' eyes as they get to experience Disney for the first time next year.

IMHO, those who are complaining that FP+ has ruined the magic, may never have really understood the magic of WDW at all.

 

[disnut8]

For me, The Magic changes every trip and I have about 60 under my belt. It has been seeing my new granddaughter, at the age of five (she was already made and loved when my son married her mother and became that little girl's father), learning she was AT Disney World when we passed under the first purple sign. It has been seeing a child, not even remotely related to me, taking some tentative steps in Epcot while his parents cheered. It has been getting a "special tray" at a counter service place at The Studios and getting a free dessert. It has been sharing space at Illuminations with a small child and her grandmother and making sure they could see from what we call "our perfect spot" and watching the child just erupt with joy with everything.

It's been sharing special moments with my family. And I've shared moments with all of them. It's going back after some of my family have passed and remembering their reactions or saying to my husband "your dad would do..." and probably on my next trip, "my dad would say....."

It's been exploring different resorts. It's been seeing the little things. It's been loving the natural wildlife.

It's been just exploring the moment and not caring about anything else. It's been not caring about work, cell phones, or when the next bill is due.

But every time, every single time, it's been about a wonderful place where worries can be left behind.

 

[DaisyNY]

After twenty odd trips the magic is in the memories we have made...from when our children were babies and toddlers and kissed Mickey on the nose...to now when they range from 18 to 27 and we are able to enjoy MK until 1am and ride BTM multiple times in a row, running off and rejoining the line as quickly as we can, laughing all the while!

It's the moment when you see Main Street USA once again...dressed up for holidays or not...it's sitting on one of the benches enjoying an ice cream and enjoying watching others experience Disney...

For me, and us, I don't think that will ever go away! Can't wait to experience the magic again on our March 1 trip!

 

[Networth]

IMHO, those who are complaining that FP+ has ruined the magic, may never have really understood the magic of WDW at all.

+1 The magic is the total package. It's being in a place where pirates live, animals roam free, "subways" are 20+ feet in the sky, where fireworks happen every night, where countries of the world can be traversed by simply walking a few miles, Yeti's/Dinosaurs/and ghost exist, a place where children can see their favorite characters come to life, where you can sleep in a Victorian era room after eating in the Fiji islands for dinner. If people don't understand that is Disney, not FP legacy or plus they are missing the point of it all.

 

[AJ1983]

I think all these posts could be the next series of Disney commercials that makes me cry