What is "The Magic?"

[dachsie]

When I took my first trip to Disney with my niece and nephew, I got the phone call from my current job and my response was "Disney is a magical place!" so it will always be magical to me

 

[Disney_dreamer]

I first visited Disney World (MK and Epcot) at age 13 in 1982 and I will never forget the feeling the place gave me - since at that time, everything about life pretty much stunk (not really, just to me) and spending time with my family was the last thing I would ever want to do. But it was so pretty and perfect, the people were so nice, it was so clean, and how did they come up with this stuff?!! pirates, space mountain.... it amazed and delighted me.... and at that time, NOTHING DID.

Now as an adult I have a much better outlook on life, but Disney continues to always just DELIGHT me. I think for a large part it is just simply the creativity, the attention to detail, the pride of the folks who work there, the cleanliness, all in a place that is trying to bring imagination to life.

So I guess to me the magic is the hope I feel when I am in a place where "dreams" have been made into "reality".

Or maybe it's just the subliminal messaging that is piped into the park....

 

[NewmanFamily6]

It is leaving the real world and spending precious time with my children for a week. Time in a place we all love doing things we can do together that we enjoy.

 

[jade1]

WDW Magic?

It takes a lot in this world to get me choked up. Absolutely nothing at US/IOA does (still fun), but many things at WDW do-and it's not riding TSM (or anything) over and over.

 

[pharaoh]

For me, the magic is in the happiness and joy that others around me are experiencing. Whether its with my friends having their own magical moments, watching my best friend's young son completely lose it with excitement over meeting Buzz, or seeing other people and families create their own cherished memories. I love it.

I don't have kids of my own but I love seeing how excited other peoples' kids get over the magic. So cute.

The magic, for me, is also in the nostalgia of the parks and reliving my own memories on each visit. To this day on every visit, I have to ride the Peoplemover, Pirates, and HM, because those rides specifically remind me of my very first WDW visit with my long departed grandma when I was 4. She passed when I was 5 so those Disney memories are some of my most vivid memories of her and it's magical for me to re-experience them even all these years later.

 

[kelsmama99]

Love reading about all the different ways people experience the magic

 

[DaisyNY]

Okay...I have already chimed in but just thought...it's the moment you land in Orlando...take that Disney-like monorail to the main terminal and jump on the ME bus to your Disney resort...watch the video on the bus...and enter the MK arches...enough said! All the moments in between...queing on rides, enjoying great meals, character interactions, parades, fireworks and more...can't wait to leave in two days!!!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

If I could pick one park that most clearly depicts our vacation style, its Discovery Cove. Its easy. Its relaxing. Its beautiful. Its all-inclusive. It includes 14 days admission to both SeaWorld and Aquatica (two other parks we adore). It includes unlimited food and beverages (including alcohol) for the day. We get the amazing opportunity to swim with dolphins. We get a souvenir photo to take with us. And its less than the price of a 3-day Disney ticket. And its the park that we will talk about for years after our vacation ends. That's the magic for us.

Edited to add....we are not anti-Disney. In fact, we are hoping against hope that the rumor is true and a MNSSHP will be held on August 29th, so we can squeeze in a Disney visit during our next trip (otherwise, its a mostly Disney-free vacation....again). But this is something that can be enjoyed without Fastpasses, without an ADR, without massive crowds (we hope) and while staying in our beloved offsite location. We love the Disney experience when the other factors are not killing the "magic" for us.

I hear you. Even though Fastpasses, crowds or anything else like that wouldn't kill the magic for me, you have to be ready for it. Also, you must see the value in it or else you will not have fun.

But I was reading your email about "Magical" vacations, and have you ever thought about getting outside of Florida? See, we normally go on two vacations per year- our "Big" vacation and our "little" vacation. Our Big vacation is normally more expensive and will be about 6-7 days, while our Little vacation is normally cheaper and may be as long as 5 days. For instance, this year WDW will be our Big vacation.

Well last year, we went to Riviera Maya in Mexico for our Big vacation. We stayed at the Grand Palladium resort- Riviera. It was fantastic! It was open and had animals roaming free. It was carved out of the jungle and was very nice.

Oh, and the food! The food was great! They had about 7 or 8 restaurants on the property and they were superb. The breakfast buffet had everything you want out of breakfast- including fruit and vegetable smoothies and champagne.

Oh and lastly- if you ever go, you just MUST go to Xcaret and/or Xplor. They are on the same property and is a very large ecological theme park! That means you can swim in this underground river that runs through a series of caves. You can zip line on the highest zip lines I've ever seen! They have a large aquarium, zoo and other attractions. You can swim with dolphins in Xel-ha, dive off of these high cliffs there, as well (Xel-ha is their ecological water park!)

Oh, and Grand Palladium is all-inclusive- all food, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) non-motorized water vehicles, etc. We had a lot of fun! If you want to know more about it, just google search what I've said!

 

[SuperRob]

Oh and lastly- if you ever go, you just MUST go to Xcaret and/or Xplor. They are on the same property and is a very large ecological theme park! That means you can swim in this underground river that runs through a series of caves. You can zip line on the highest zip lines I've ever seen! They have a large aquarium, zoo and other attractions. You can swim with dolphins in Xel-ha, dive off of these high cliffs there, as well (Xel-ha is their ecological water park!)

Our April 2015 cruise has a stop in Cozumel, and I think some of those are port excursion options. I've heard pretty mixed reviews, but you recommend them? Curious to hear more. Feel free to PM me if you want to take it out of your thread.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

It depends on what you want to do. If you are a thrill seeker, Xplor is the best way to go. Plus, you can go all-inclusive there are eat and drink as you please. And lastly, you can be over and done in 3-4 hours.

Xcaret is different. There's more to do there, plus you will miss the night show. The show is incredible, but you may have to get on the boat before it even starts. I've never been to Xel-ha but if you are water-people, you may want to look into that.

BTW, all of these parks have a website. You can just Google search them, but they are fun!

 

[Dis703]

The Magic for me is the whole package. It's just an incredible place where we can be completely immersed in everything Disney. A place where it's all about joy and wonder and happiness.

The Magic is that gush of emotion I get every time when I step onto Main Street or while watching Wishes or Illuminations. As well as when I watch my child's face as he is absolutely beaming during an interaction with Mickey Mouse.

It's all the special touches from the incredible CMs. Like Cinderella who got down on her knee and talked to my scared 4 year old about dinosaurs to relax him and coax him into a photo with her, making him feel like he was doing her a great honor.

Or the chefs who go out of their way to provide a safe meal for my kids with severe food allergies. Not just something they can eat, but something they will truly enjoy. Like last year when we dined at CP and the chef had a fresh batch of safe cookies made for my son because he can rarely eat any of the desserts. And he even packaged a bunch of them up for him to eat during MVMCP because he wouldn't be able to eat the cookies they handed out with the cocoa.

Even the guests add to the magic. I find people in general much more open, kind, outgoing, etc. We even had an experience last year where a guest at our resort gifted my 3 children with books and toys for no reason other than to pass along a little pixie dust. Where else does that happen?

And the customer service I've found to be phenomenal.

It's my happy place.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

But I was reading your email about "Magical" vacations, and have you ever thought about getting outside of Florida? See, we normally go on two vacations per year- our "Big" vacation and our "little" vacation. Our Big vacation is normally more expensive and will be about 6-7 days, while our Little vacation is normally cheaper and may be as long as 5 days. For instance, this year WDW will be our Big vacation.

We have vacationed outside of Florida on many occasions, but for now......Orlando is our go-to location. It just seems to hold that "thing" that keeps us coming back,and checks so many boxes on the vacation list. Its affordable. Its warm and sunny. Its a place where we can relax or run our butts off depending on what we are seeking on that particular getaway. Its always changing and never fails to offer something new on each trip. Its in the middle of the action with all the theme parks, but an easy drive to the ocean if we want to have a beach day. It offers fabulous shopping. Non-stop flights are easy to come by from our general region, and reasonably priced. And Orlando is familiar . It just feels good to be there. Like home.

We own two weeks at SVR, so our timeshare will offer us flexibility when the time comes that we yearn to travel elsewhere instead. I am sure that time is on the none-too-distant horizon, especially as our lives are entering a transition period (DS begins college this fall). Mexico holds zero appeal for our family, so that's an absolute no-go. But places like Hawaii, California, and Jamaica? Definitely on the bucket list . But probably for a "couples" trip vs. a family trip. When the kiddo still LOVES to travel as a family to Orlando, we'll soak up those opportunities as often as they present themselves. Those trips may have a Disney component but its no longer a priority for us. We are finding our "magic" in a stress-free vacation, both in the planning process and in the actual enjoyment of our time there.

We have found the magic at Disney on previous trips (and I treasure every one of those moments!) but we've also found it at Universal (Marge Simpson squeezing my just-turned-16-year-old DS's muscles and giggling in delight), SeaWorld (I find it hard to hold back the tears during One Ocean), Discovery Cove (how many people can say they've been kissed by a dolphin? Or held onto their fin while they pulled you around a tropical lagoon?) or even on an airboat ride through the Florida swamp (where we could have reached out and touched the nose of an alligator as he lounged in the sun). Or just sitting by one of the resort pools, in a quiet moment, recognizing that we are so blessed to enjoy the privilege of such awesome family experiences in a world where so many are suffering physically, emotionally or economically. Now THAT's magical.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

The Magic for me is the whole package. It's just an incredible place where we can be completely immersed in everything Disney. A place where it's all about joy and wonder and happiness.

The Magic is that gush of emotion I get every time when I step onto Main Street or while watching Wishes or Illuminations. As well as when I watch my child's face as he is absolutely beaming during an interaction with Mickey Mouse.

It's all the special touches from the incredible CMs. Like Cinderella who got down on her knee and talked to my scared 4 year old about dinosaurs to relax him and coax him into a photo with her, making him feel like he was doing her a great honor.

Or the chefs who go out of their way to provide a safe meal for my kids with severe food allergies. Not just something they can eat, but something they will truly enjoy. Like last year when we dined at CP and the chef had a fresh batch of safe cookies made for my son because he can rarely eat any of the desserts. And he even packaged a bunch of them up for him to eat during MVMCP because he wouldn't be able to eat the cookies they handed out with the cocoa.

Even the guests add to the magic. I find people in general much more open, kind, outgoing, etc. We even had an experience last year where a guest at our resort gifted my 3 children with books and toys for no reason other than to pass along a little pixie dust. Where else does that happen?

And the customer service I've found to be phenomenal.

It's my happy place.

Well said!

 

[kidd_freeper]

Cool.
I opened a post like this, but this one has a lot of replies.