Where are you getting your dose of magic? Lost magic

[JenboJambo]

For me, the magic of Disney World has been eliminated. The removal of perks and increased costs have finally taken their toll. I’m not going to spend time listing each gripe because they’ve been talked about exhaustively on message boards. I spent this last year acting like I had broken up with a lover (who was actually just Disney World). I know, I know. I’m pathetic that I would base so much of my happiness and joy around traveling to a theme park, but I did! I went through anger and resentment and depression. It wasn’t pretty. How did I even get to this place of being hooked on Disney? Remember back in college (I’m talking early 2000’s) when it was frowned upon to be a fan of Disney? Let’s face it, even though it wasn’t cool to like Disney in my late teens and early 20’s, everyone my age (millennial) always held a torch for the golden years of animated movies like Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. But for a long time, anything that held the Disney name was dead to me. Then around 2009 Disney animation was resurrected with movies like Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Frozen, and Brave. Animated movies started improving and Disney got some credibility back. Then the parks came into my life when I took a trip to Disney World, paid for by my in-laws, in 2012. It was my first time at Disney World since I went as a 10 year-old in 1995, and WOW! I was hooked. The magic I felt, from the moment I was whisked away from the airport by Magical Express to the beauty and cleanliness of Coronado Springs resort, was indescribable. I felt pure joy. The parks and rides amazed me. I felt that something that was missing in my life had been found! Since that trip I spent years telling family and coworkers how a Disney World vacation was expensive, but worth it because of how much was included! There were no worries from arrival to departure! I was all in. I bought DVC and have been to Disney World 15+ times since that 2012 trip. Now I’m here, venting about my broken heart on a message board. So if you’ve even made it this far in my rant….

What are you all doing to get your dose of magic right now? Is it still Disney for you? Have you found something new? I’m asking out of curiosity and I guess desperation to recapture the feeling that only Disney has given me the past 10 years and is now lost.

 

[MillauFr]

Isn't the obvious answer Disneyland? The magic is still there and improving.

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, I totally understand how you feel. I was late in going to WDW. I was a divorced mom (age 45), with 2 sons, in 2000, when I planned our 1st vacation there. That is when I found this board and learned everything I could. We had a wonderful trip and went many times after. Back then, there were so many perks of staying on property. I went to WDW at least once a year from 2000-2019 and a couple times 2 & 3 times a year! Up until that time I felt Disney was a good value. Then Covid-19 happened and my 2020 WDW trip, which was scheduled for the end of May, got cancelled. I decided to wait, rather than reschedule, my trip. I could see that things were getting cancelled that prevented me from experiencing the same WDW trips of the past, while the prices increased! I am not okay with any of the changes to the WDW parks since 2020 and, as such, I am free to go other places! I’m glad I experienced WDW when it was the Happiest Place on Earth, because, IMHO it isn’t now.

TC

 

[TwoMisfits]

I'd suggest novelty in anything you like to do.

Since you like Disney, I assume you like travel, so I'd go somewhere you've never been and do something you'd never done. Normally newness brings magic as much as nostalgia does.

 

[Cheburashka]

I've migrated to Disney cruises. I don't like what I've read about their newest ship, but their first four ships are very nice.

 

[slo]

I understand your frustration with what you mentioned in your post, but for me, the magic of Disney/WDW has never been the perks - they were just a bonus.

My first trip to WDW was in 1976 and I’ve been many many many times since then. As a child the magic for me was the place and everything that came with it - the characters, the music, the smells, the rides and etc. I was transported to this wonderful place - my life at that moment couldn’t of been any better

As a mom to young children the magic came from watching them feel as I felt as a child. Watching their joy and excitement was the magic for me. My girls have had so many magical moments throughout the years that I don’t have the time to list them all. Their squeals in delight, smiles, laughs and etc was the best magic ever for all of us - the perks have nothing to do with this

Now as a mom of adult children, my DD19 and I still share our love of Disney/WDW and we have an absolute blast when we go to WDW. The experience with an adult child is very different than with a young child and we have lots and lots of magical memorable moments. We laugh, and we have absolute joy, that no perk could ever be responsible for. I miss the perks, they were definitely good to have, but in no way do they create the magic, my DD and I create the magic when we are there, and since we go in with that attitude, the magical moments come.

Has WDW changed over the years - yes, without a doubt
Have my DD19 and I kept an open mind to change with it - yes
Everything is what you make of it - regardless where you’re at or what you’re doing.

*My DH enjoys WDW, but not as much as DD19 and I, which I why I didn’t include him much with my post. WDW is not a very relaxing trip and at this point in his life he prefers more relaxing trips, which is ok, so WDW is now mine and DD19’s thing.

 

[BrianL]

I went to WDW recently and I actually felt like the magic is coming back - it was much improved over my last couple of visist. Yeah, the costs are getting unweildy and that's an issue, but CM morale seemed up and things just felt more like the old days. It's maybe not there yet, but it's a good sign.

 

[cvjw]

We don’t go to the parks anymore and we used to visit at least 3 weeks per year. We have sold all but one of our dvc contracts. We now cruise DCL. Just enough Disney magic without the hassle of the parks.

 

[Brian Noble]

What are you all doing to get your dose of magic right now?

DW's happy place is anywhere on the coast with palm trees. The ocean is rejuvenating for her. Hawaii is her favorite, but both OBX and FL Atlantic coast work too. We are going to give CA Pacific coast a try next spring to see how that works.

Me? Hiking in the mountains. In the past 3-4 years, I've hiked Great Smoky NP, Rocky NP, and the Wasatch in UT, plus the first segment of Kalalau on Kauai. I had a trip planned to Yellowstone NP, but that was cancelled due to \waves-at-all-of-this. I'm thinking hiking parts of Vail Valley in late spring this year. DW and DS drove west for his move to LA, and they stopped at Arches NP and Zion NP, and they are now on my list. (I've been to ZNP, but it has been nearly 30 years.)

 

[Darcy03231]

We branched out into different vacations and found that we've had just as much (or even more) fun than our last couple of WDW trips. There's a big world out there to explore. We've done cruises, all-inclusives, a dude ranch, Orlando area theme parks (Universal, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, etc.) and different cities/countries tours. Haven't had a disappointing trip yet since we stopped doing WDW.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

My most recent trip to WDW was last month and I’ve told everyone who asks that it was my best trip as an adult.

But I should note that I’ve never been a WDW “regular”. I probably average 2 1/2 to 3 years between visits (although I am going back in December). I’ve never been in a position where the magic could rub off.

That said, I have been in your shoes. There have been other amusement parks and other places that I have visited annually or more often and found that each of them had lost their own magic. It’s natural. Add in the WDW price increases and changes and the loss of magic is certainly understandable.

My suggestion is to not try to “replace” the magic but to try to find new magic. It’s likely that nothing will compare to your best memories at WDW so just go make new ones. Then, when you’re ready Disney will be there for you and hopefully a fresh set of eyes will bring that magic back for you.

Have fun in whatever you do.

 

[jvalic33]

For me, the magic of Disney World has been eliminated. The removal of perks and increased costs have finally taken their toll. I’m not going to spend time listing each gripe because they’ve been talked about exhaustively on message boards. I spent this last year acting like I had broken up with a lover (who was actually just Disney World). I know, I know. I’m pathetic that I would base so much of my happiness and joy around traveling to a theme park, but I did! I went through anger and resentment and depression. It wasn’t pretty. How did I even get to this place of being hooked on Disney? Remember back in college (I’m talking early 2000’s) when it was frowned upon to be a fan of Disney? Let’s face it, even though it wasn’t cool to like Disney in my late teens and early 20’s, everyone my age (millennial) always held a torch for the golden years of animated movies like Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. But for a long time, anything that held the Disney name was dead to me. Then around 2009 Disney animation was resurrected with movies like Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Frozen, and Brave. Animated movies started improving and Disney got some credibility back. Then the parks came into my life when I took a trip to Disney World, paid for by my in-laws, in 2012. It was my first time at Disney World since I went as a 10 year-old in 1995, and WOW! I was hooked. The magic I felt, from the moment I was whisked away from the airport by Magical Express to the beauty and cleanliness of Coronado Springs resort, was indescribable. I felt pure joy. The parks and rides amazed me. I felt that something that was missing in my life had been found! Since that trip I spent years telling family and coworkers how a Disney World vacation was expensive, but worth it because of how much was included! There were no worries from arrival to departure! I was all in. I bought DVC and have been to Disney World 15+ times since that 2012 trip. Now I’m here, venting about my broken heart on a message board. So if you’ve even made it this far in my rant….

What are you all doing to get your dose of magic right now? Is it still Disney for you? Have you found something new? I’m asking out of curiosity and I guess desperation to recapture the feeling that only Disney has given me the past 10 years and is now lost.

Wow, I went through something similar.

I'm disappointed with Disney for all you wrote and more and last year, I decided to sell off DVC. I cried like a baby.

My trips were similar. As a young girl I dreamed of Disney. My rich childhood friend who's dad was a literal criminal went every year and we couldn't afford it. I didn't make it there until I was 17. Was it the same meeting Cinderalla and Genie as if I were 10, not really, but I made it be such! Then Disney movies stunk for a few years (it was the lack of music I think) and then like you, I had children, watched Tangled and the Princess and the Frog and Toy Story and found they got their groove back. It was magical again and we had the money to take our kids.

As our family grew DVC made total sense and we bought in and have gone probably 15 times as well, but things started to change, the crowds, the magic of the nighttime parties were not the same because they were overfilled (had I never been years prior I wouldn't have cared) but I was and I saw the difference. One of the first years we were DVC members we had these awesome annual pass discounts that just made me feel smart for buying in.

I wouldn't say the lack of perks was expected, but it sealed the deal somehow.

Even during COVID, and wearing stupid masks, we had a great trip because there were less people, but as the crowds grow and things get back to normal, we're returning to the chaos again. In addition, people are just different overall these days, dare I say unhappy and angry, and when parks get more expensive and things don't go right you have to complain. I.E. Genie plus, when you pay an extra 200/day because you are in a large group and the circle just spins and spins at 7am, and you got up extra early to make your selections, you kinda of have no choice but to get angry and then spend an hour resolving it and talking to managers while your breakfast is now ruined because you were on the phone the whole time and don't even remember what you ate.

Anyway, one of our contracts is gone and we're considering unloading the rest. Not sure where else we can go where so many different things that suit everyone is all in one place, but they are destroying the innocence of a Disney vacation and I don't want the realities of life shoved in my face, I want fairytales and magic and if Disney doesn't get back on course, we just can't support them financially any longer.

 

[Moliphino]

I think we're replacing WDW with southern Spain. Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba were all fantastic and I'm dying to get back and see even more of the region. We did two weeks there last fall and may be going back for two weeks this upcoming spring.

One great thing about Andalucía is it's cheap. Granada, especially, was ridiculously inexpensive. Cute boutique hotel for under $100/night, drinks were 2-4 euro and came with a free tapa. It was fantastic.

 

[easyas123]

What are you all doing to get your dose of magic right now?

Honestly, Disney was never a huge vacation destination for us. We really used to enjoy it, we took a long weekend there every year as a winter break but we wouldn't spend a week or more there - we "vacationed" elsewhere. In fact, we are finally headed back to Europe in 3 weeks. We aren't going to WDW this year. I feel like the Genie system is a huge PITA (and yes, we've used it) and the long weekend of relaxing and not over planning is long gone. We'll take our winter break somewhere else this year. I'm sure we'll go back eventually, but for right now it feels more of a hassle than something to look forward to.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I actually think doing a SoCal/DLR trip helped reignite some magic (tho my Oct 2019 trip was worse than the Sept 2021 trip to the world in an odd twist of fate). Plus actually considering and researching the cruise, as well as hopefully spending a weekend in Williamsburg VA (BGW is a happy place for us as we vacationed there so much more than Disney!). Also we did not enjoy staying on property for UOR in 2021 even though we still loved the parks which I also think helped.


Basically? Getting out and seeing other parts of CA besides DLR as well as seeing how the other coast lives in terms of theme parks was helpful.

I also read a lot, and I recently read Disney Wars by James Stewart (the author not the late great actor) and it was EYE opening about what went on when I was a kid holy smokes-and some stuff I knew cuz I’m a nerd and an avid reader!


Basically it can always be worse, and while I have my issues, the magic is still there as long as you attempt to do something different

 

[RamblingMad]

I haven't been to Disney since the pandemic started. I mainly go to National Parks, but I don't go to the same park over and over and over again. I think, if you want any magic from Disney, you need to limit your frequency. You went a lot in a short period of time. I do find the price gouging ridiculous.

 

[MJJME]

It's a good analogy, like breaking up with someone...........As much as it makes you upset at first, you eventually realize you're better off without and move on..........We are already at that phase.........We were upset at first but then realized that there's Bahamas, Hawaii, Europe and a ton of other awesome places to attend for equal or less of a cost. Disney lost us, permanently...........

But like looking at ur ex's FB posts just to check in, i'll always follow these threads!

 

[Smugpugmug]

I haven't given up on going to WDW yet but after my upcoming December trip with my family, I don't think I'll be back for a while. I also cancelled my plans to go to Disneyland next year - I don't think it's worth the money for flights, hotel, tickets, etc. right now. I feel sad about no longer going, but I don't regret the decision.

Instead, I'll be branching out to other places and saving money to go back to Tokyo Disneyland, the Disney resort that I strongly feel is the best one and absolutely worth the money. Last year I did a long weekend trip to Rehoboth beach, Delaware and maybe I'll do that again next year. It was super relaxing and enjoyable.

 

[MillauFr]

I do find the price gouging ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous is the number of people who will pay those prices without any care whatsoever.

 

[Kennywood]

The only magic left with Disney their continuing ability to reach into people's wallets without consequence.