Help! I've lost my Disney Magic!

[kathy884]

We've done a lot of extended family trips. They went well, but in this case everyone was just more excited about being together than anything else. My brother and I put out a written itinerary of what a core group of us would be doing each day, departure times, etc. and told everyone they could join for all or part or just do something on their own. It worked well. We've done at least five or more of these.

I've also done one on one trips with my son. DH is not a huge Disney fan and stayed home. As much as I love seeing the extended family, there is just something magical and so easy having just you and your kid doing Orlando together. On the big group trip I'm an organizer, helping with coordination, logistics, explaining plans, etc. On the little trip I'm just enjoying seeing my son smile and laughing with him.

 

[adelaster]

I don't know about others, but I definitely did for a long time - the booking process is so easy and I always knew what I was getting, which I don't feel is a guarantee going anywhere else. We went to Curacao last June for our Honeymoon, which was a perfect example of why I always went to Disney; booking was somewhat complicated, and then when we got there we found that tourist season didn't start for three more months, so very few things were open. None of the reviews we read had that thought though, so we didn't know until the locals told us people don't start showing up until late summer. We probably should have used a travel agent, but neither of us particularly like working with agents of any kind.

Despite this though, it also exemplified why traveling outside of the Disney company was so exciting and fresh for us. We didn't feel any pressure to go out and do as much as we can, we didn't have to deal with crowds or tired CMs (though we did notice Curacao does not have a high opinion of Americans), we got to actually relax! I enjoy the fun of Disney World, but I've never really considered it relaxing. We wouldn't go back to Curacao for a full vacation, but we've started considering cruises (which we've decided would not be through Disney unless we're going with children, which we do not have yet) and we'd like to stop in Curacao for a day on a cruise.

Since you don't like theme parks, crowds, or roller-coasters, why do you like going to Disney World? Have you considered going to one of Disney's non theme-park resorts, like the Hilton Head, Vero Beach, or Aulani?

I'm so sorry about your honeymoon! Hopefully you were still able to enjoy it!

Most of my travel is actually non-disney. I'm not in a place financially to travel to Hawaii or internationally, but if I was it wouldn't be to disney, with the exception of the Japanese parks, which look incredible, but are technically not designed by Disney.

What I like about what I've seen/experienced is the history, the idea behind the properties, and the level of detail/ingenuity for the time things were created. I do enjoy the dark rides-disneyland was a delight! As a child I was inspired by the films to read the stories behind them, and was enamored by the music and animation. I feel like there is a shadow of that spirit still, even in the corporate trappings. We stayed on property last year for the first time and really enjoyed the convenience of not driving, riding boats to Disney Springs, and enjoying the non-park entertainment options. I will also say, they mix their drinks strong, which doesn't hurt. I have a pretty intense job, so it's a nice escape from the kind of trip I would normally take-focused on seeing a lot in a short time on a small budget. Disney doesn't have museums or parks or architectural must-visits, or even a ton of dining that I am excited about, so it enables me to relax in a way I usually don't. Character meals and fancy ADRs hold no allure, so when you strike that away, it's a pretty relaxing place if you can avoid rude crowds. I don't have huge must-visit lists that I have to pare down, which is usually the case everywhere else I go. It sounds weird, but somehow it works? Doing "just enough" is easier, but I don't get bored or feel limited either.

Compared to planning for other things, it's much simpler for me. I am not a "stay at a resort" person- we mostly airbnb & try to experience places like locals. Disney is stupid complicated for what it is, but it does have mostly known/controlled variables and is fairly predictable once you learn it, so it seems. As you mention, distance planning through online reviews can be a challenge for many places. Disney has such a following and a consumer base that it lessens the risk of unknowns. Safety is also a perk, and the company tends to be supportive of ADA related needs, which I appreciate.

I can't say the hotels or grounds are much nicer than elsewhere-they're not- but the thought put into things often is. As in, a lot is old and in disrepair, but you can tell the design was very intentional, and I appreciate that. I'm also a sucker for cute things, and there is much cute. I'm hoping to visit the parks during some events- holidays, festivals, etc. to get a better experience of what the properties might offer. In short, I view it as a unique experience, offering things I could not get condensed like that anywhere else. The happy ducks and the flowers, the smells, the sense of being somewhere else than where you really are (a swamp in Florida)-that's impressive. I don't know if we'll return repeatedly, but for this time and place it's a needed distraction from reality. Right now the national parks I want to visit are under threat, the countries I want to visit are dealing with trauma and uncertainty, and upon returning I don't know what I would face. So even if I had the money & leisure time for international travel I might still choose Disney in this moment. I hope that changes, and in the meantime I am trying to explore what I can of America and have fun. Disney, aside from some poor customer service, organization, and disrespectful/ignorant people, is fun. Or at least so absurd in its tangled complexity that I am allowing myself to become engrossed in it for the moment.

 

[slduck]

I completely understand. We have gone to Disney almost every year since 2005. This past year (Thanksgiving 2016) was a breaking point. Between lines, long waits for buses, declines in services/food, and cost increases the magic was not there. We are taking a long break and visiting other places. Hopefully Star Wars Land will be a game changer.

I have visited Universal for the first time since then. They have somes great ideas such as "virtual lines" and "express passes" that Disney needs to research. I don't want to spend my vacation in line I'd rather climb at mountain, visit a museum, or lounge in the sun with a drink in my hand. I LOVE Disney but I'm done for now.

 

[Nicole Ennis]

Hi everyone!

I need some help, I've lost that special feeling in my heart when I think about Disney. I'm wondering if this has happened to any of you and how you got it back.

I've waited a few months to write this to let feelings settle and see if I'd feel better about Disney over time, I don't.

So we went to WDW in April. The whole family, me, my wife and young daughter and both sets of grandparents. We had been at WDW twice before (and DLP once) and had fantastic experiences, even negative interactions were very well recovered by WDW. I expected the same this time, not everything was Disney's fault but they didn't recover any of their negative interactions well.

A lot of my favourite parts of Disney were tainted by one thing or another.

I didn't get to ride Haunted Mansion because a cast member forgot me (I skipped the stretching room with my daughter, they brought us through to a spot near the exit where they said another CM would take us to the loading area). The CM in the loading area told the rest of my family to get on the ride or leave and wouldn't send someone to get me. When a CM finally realized what happened, the rest of the family was coming off the ride and we had an ADR to get to outside the park so we didn't have time to ride again. They offered FPs that ended up in the garbage because we were leaving the park (we had told them that when they gave them to us).

My wife and I didn't get to ride Soarin'. We split the party up because my daughter can't ride. We had Fastpasses and the first group scanned their MagicBands and entered the FP queue (and yes they went in the FP queue, I walk them there). Somewhere (I never got this part straight) in the queue, a CM pulled them out of line and placed them in another line (I'm guessing the Standby queue). Two hours later they come out. The rest of our FP are expired, when I explained what happened the CM got defensive, denied they pulled the grandparents from the FP queue and accused us of trying to scam FP.

A CM on Pirates mocked me. The first part of the queue wasn't set up correctly and a section of rope was missing. Some despicable guests were jumping the queue at that spot. I mentioned it to the CM where the line splits before the bridge, after I moved on, he looked at my parents (I don't think he realized we were together) and said "What does that idiot expect me to do?" and rolled his eyes. Obviously, I was quite upset and didn't exactly enjoy the ride.

Some personal things happened on the trip as well. We missed our Expedition Everest FP and didn't get to ride because a family member forgot to pack diapers and we had to turn around and go back to the condo. Another family member had a meltdown at Epcot and we missed the Flower and Garden food kiosks (which was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most). We missed the Star Wars fireworks because of other circumstances at HS. We got separated after Wishes on our last night and took over an hour to find everyone again, and then tempers flared.

Sorry to make this sound so whiny, I just wanted to get into what spoiled Disney for me.

I'm sure some of you have had bad experiences at WDW before, how did you make it feel better?

I seriously need some pixie dust because months later I still don't want to hear about WDW nor would I consider another vacation. This is from someone that is such a Disney fanatic that people tease me about going so often and talking about Disney constantly.

Help!

 

[Nicole Ennis]

My husband and I bought Disney Annual Passes even though we live in NW Florida(5.5 hours away) we go at least once a month when we feel stressed out from work and it really helps but lately it's been kinda disappointing. We usually go for 3 days and will stay at the moderate hotels and Pop Century. It seems like the bus drivers the past few months have been very rude. This past weekend we had 2 bus drivers that were very rude screaming and yelling at people to go to the back of the bus since it was standing room only, but the screaming was stressful and and made everyone uncomfortable. When we stay at the moderate hotels we don't get yelled so it's kinda annoying. But we went on our way and moved on.
In order to change things up we pick a different restaurant we haven't been to each time. We also have started riding different rides we haven't been on or go to a different attraction we usually pass on. Also some rides are different at night than they are during the day. I used to get really upset when I got run over by a stroller but I've learned it's gonna happen everytime. I also have come to realize that we are not gonna get to ride on "Every" ride each time. We've started going as soon as the parks open and when we do, we can really get on lots of rides. We went to MK Sunday morning at opening and we were on Snow White Mine Train in less than 20 mins and we were on at least 8 rides before noon.

 

[momimouse27]

To the OP, that sounds like some awful stuff you had happen. And for those of us who love it so much there, having a carefully planned and long awaited trip not go so great can really bum you out.

Several years ago, when my son was around 4 or 5, we decided to try out 'baby swap' since my autistic son was just not going to get on some stuff we love and we thought it would be easier to just split up and ride with each of our older girls. Well, we had never done it before and our first time was at Splash, which at the time was my favorite ride. The first CM(at the entrance) said for all of us to go through the line-which actually was a fairly short 20 minutes-and tell the person loading the vehicle we wanted to switch off. We proceeded through the line, and did exactly what she told us to. The CM loading looked at us, rolled his eyes, muttered something rude and said "Well, you should have told the person back there". I told him we did, and repeated what she told us to do. He was highly aggravated and huffed and said very shortly for us to just 'go over there til my husband was done riding'. At that time, I had never had a CM be so rude and mean before. I was almost in tears at that point(silly, I know) but it ruined the magic for me. I rode Splash and spent most of the morning down in the mouth. At some point during the day, I decided I was not going to let someone else's crappy attitude ruin my day. I decided that no vacation was perfect and I needed to chill. Not everything went awesome, but I was ok with that.

Fortunately, we didn't have another nasty CM that trip. But our last trip was not as happy as I wanted it to be, but only because I was going through some personal stuff. I just try to remember that every trip won't be perfect. Remember to enjoy the little things that matter, like moments with your family.

 

[Mattimation]

I'm so sorry about your honeymoon! Hopefully you were still able to enjoy it!

Most of my travel is actually non-disney. I'm not in a place financially to travel to Hawaii or internationally, but if I was it wouldn't be to disney, with the exception of the Japanese parks, which look incredible, but are technically not designed by Disney.

What I like about what I've seen/experienced is the history, the idea behind the properties, and the level of detail/ingenuity for the time things were created. I do enjoy the dark rides-disneyland was a delight! As a child I was inspired by the films to read the stories behind them, and was enamored by the music and animation. I feel like there is a shadow of that spirit still, even in the corporate trappings. We stayed on property last year for the first time and really enjoyed the convenience of not driving, riding boats to Disney Springs, and enjoying the non-park entertainment options. I will also say, they mix their drinks strong, which doesn't hurt. I have a pretty intense job, so it's a nice escape from the kind of trip I would normally take-focused on seeing a lot in a short time on a small budget. Disney doesn't have museums or parks or architectural must-visits, or even a ton of dining that I am excited about, so it enables me to relax in a way I usually don't. Character meals and fancy ADRs hold no allure, so when you strike that away, it's a pretty relaxing place if you can avoid rude crowds. I don't have huge must-visit lists that I have to pare down, which is usually the case everywhere else I go. It sounds weird, but somehow it works? Doing "just enough" is easier, but I don't get bored or feel limited either.

Compared to planning for other things, it's much simpler for me. I am not a "stay at a resort" person- we mostly airbnb & try to experience places like locals. Disney is stupid complicated for what it is, but it does have mostly known/controlled variables and is fairly predictable once you learn it, so it seems. As you mention, distance planning through online reviews can be a challenge for many places. Disney has such a following and a consumer base that it lessens the risk of unknowns. Safety is also a perk, and the company tends to be supportive of ADA related needs, which I appreciate.

I can't say the hotels or grounds are much nicer than elsewhere-they're not- but the thought put into things often is. As in, a lot is old and in disrepair, but you can tell the design was very intentional, and I appreciate that. I'm also a sucker for cute things, and there is much cute. I'm hoping to visit the parks during some events- holidays, festivals, etc. to get a better experience of what the properties might offer. In short, I view it as a unique experience, offering things I could not get condensed like that anywhere else. The happy ducks and the flowers, the smells, the sense of being somewhere else than where you really are (a swamp in Florida)-that's impressive. I don't know if we'll return repeatedly, but for this time and place it's a needed distraction from reality. Right now the national parks I want to visit are under threat, the countries I want to visit are dealing with trauma and uncertainty, and upon returning I don't know what I would face. So even if I had the money & leisure time for international travel I might still choose Disney in this moment. I hope that changes, and in the meantime I am trying to explore what I can of America and have fun. Disney, aside from some poor customer service, organization, and disrespectful/ignorant people, is fun. Or at least so absurd in its tangled complexity that I am allowing myself to become engrossed in it for the moment.

I did have a nice time, actually! My husband got really sick (stress of the wedding got to him once it was over), and he was disappointed there wasn't anything to do, but we had a very nice time just sitting on the (fake) beach by the infinite pool. This resort also mixed their drinks strong, so that helped a lot. We're thinking a second honeymoon will be in order sometime next year.

I totally get the appeal of being immersed in a "magical" other world like Disney, and you're totally right - there really isn't anywhere else like it, and it's an escape like nothing else. That's another big reason why I kept coming back for so long, to escape the trappings of real life, but those are getting harder and harder to avoid (which is both a good and bad thing - not all real life stresses are bad) which is maybe also why I don't feel the need to go to WDW right now. If it's where you go to unwind because you do the simpler things (I love the dark rides too, my favorite ride is a dark ride), then I think it's perfect because you won't find that level of immersion across a whole resort anywhere else. For me right now, unwinding sounds like relaxing on a beach, which I can do at Disney World...but don't need to.

 

[101Pongo]

Just to report back, I did get a call from Disney, it was ok. A lot of apologies, it didn't feel terribly sincere but I am thankful they at least took the time to call.

I am blown away that @WebmasterPete talked about my post on the show. Hearing the team discuss how they keep the magic alive was amazing! Thanks Pete!!!

 

[disneydreamer781]

Just to report back, I did get a call from Disney, it was ok. A lot of apologies, it didn't feel terribly sincere but I am thankful they at least took the time to call.

I am blown away that @WebmasterPete talked about my post on the show. Hearing the team discuss how they keep the magic alive was amazing! Thanks Pete!!!

Yes! A lot of that discussion hit home and there were many excellent tips too. BTW, now you're famous!

 

[poppinspenguins]

I haven't read all the replies, so maybe someone has said something similar.

We have gone once, sometimes twice a year for about the last 5. We usually stay 7 to 8 days. We have NEVER done,more than 4 park days. And that is seldom. We usually do 2 or 3. We have found that it really helps make it more enjoyable. We go all day those days, but we chill mostly on the other days. Pool, mini golf, maybe waterpark, and almost every trip we head to the beach. Plus, it helps make it more of a vacation, whereas full speed disney for a week makes you need a vacation to recover.

So we kind of think of disney as home base, and then go do different things.

So even though we have been 3 times in the last 2 years, we have only had 7 park days total. Helps keep the burn out and prices down. We can't imagine doing a full week of parks, I think we would end up hating it. By the day, yes it's more expensive, but is still less in total cost. Why buy the buffet if we just really want an appetizer?

It doesn't help with rude cm or the like, but absence makes the heart grow fonder I guess and we look forward to our 2 or 3 days.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I haven't read all the replies, so maybe someone has said something similar.

We have gone once, sometimes twice a year for about the last 5. We usually stay 7 to 8 days. We have NEVER done,more than 4 park days. And that is seldom. We usually do 2 or 3. We have found that it really helps make it more enjoyable. We go all day those days, but we chill mostly on the other days. Pool, mini golf, maybe waterpark, and almost every trip we head to the beach. Plus, it helps make it more of a vacation, whereas full speed disney for a week makes you need a vacation to recover.

So we kind of think of disney as home base, and then go do different things.

So even though we have been 3 times in the last 2 years, we have only had 7 park days total. Helps keep the burn out and prices down. We can't imagine doing a full week of parks, I think we would end up hating it. By the day, yes it's more expensive, but is still less in total cost. Why buy the buffet if we just really want an appetizer?

It doesn't help with rude cm or the like, but absence makes the heart grow fonder I guess and we look forward to our 2 or 3 days.

We have AP so that's not an option for us. Not everyone can go every year either, let alone twice so most would want to have as much park time as possible.

 

[poppinspenguins]

We have AP so that's not an option for us. Not everyone can go every year either, let alone twice so most would want to have as much park time as possible.

Im definitely not suggesting for all. Many people it is once in a lifetime. But, a lot of readers are in the same boat, once a year or so. It is just something that has helped us keep enjoying our trips.

 

[Amy&Dan]

For sure as a family who has done a Disney trip every year since 2003 (all years but two years we did more than one trip in a year), we've had our moments that had us wondering why on Earth we spend our time and money going lol.

The expense, cut backs Disney has done through the years, and other factors have quite often made us feel like maybe it's just "done" for us. But then I will get a Facebook notification of what I was doing on a particular day x years ago and often it's a Disney memory. And it all comes back as to why we keep going back. Several times we have decided to take a break only to realize we aren't ready for that after all. So we book a trip lol.

When we are actually there if we start derailing for whatever reason we find switching parks, heading back to the resort, checking out another resort or just sitting somewhere out of the crowds can recharge us.

I remember in April of 2013 my son was graduating from Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. My husband and I treated our daughter to a couple of days at Disneyland before we headed down to San Diego to see our 18 year old son we hadn't seen in 13 long weeks. We got to Disneyland and it was packed. It was hot, late afternoon, we were tired and I really regretted being there. It was one mishap after another. I was about to lose my you know what lol. We ended up getting on the train, and I saw this little boy who looked exactly like my son had looked at that age right down to the glasses and the big green "Goofy" hat that my son always wore on our Disney trips when he was little. I teared up and suddenly a flood of memories of my son and all our trips came rushing over me and I was so glad we were there.

Disney trips for me are similar to Christmas time. Every Christmas as the month wears on, I get sick of all the hoopla, money, work, exhaustion and togetherness, and suddenly I will hear Nat King Cole singing on the radio and it comes back to me how magical it all is. Likewise at Disney I'll be sitting on hard pavement with a gazillion others waiting for fireworks wondering why I am but then the lights go down and the music starts and I realize I am right where I want to be.

I get my magic back at home when I see photos of my family at Disney all around the house. I get it back in the parks when I ride Splash Mountain and remember all the times my father in law who is no longer with us rode it with us and how he'd be laughing the whole time. Every time I am at Magic Kingdom I remember the trip we took with my mom before she died and how she loved it.

I also try to plan each trip to be different and unique. Which is pretty easy given that Disney keeps adding things, changing things up a bit. It's only been seven months since our last trip but in a few weeks we'll experience Pandora as well as Happily Ever After.

So far I keep getting the magic back. And that makes me happy because in spite of it all I love Disney and I'd be sad if I stopped wanting to go.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

Take a break. We took 4 years off because we felt like there were other things to see in this great big world. I'm not saying that a lot of your troubles were self-inflicted, but it kind of sounds like you were seeking out negative experiences to "add to the pile."

Regardless, take a break, and in a few years go back alone or just as a couple. You'll see things through a different lens.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

DH, DD (now 20) and I have gone to WDW every year (except for 3 years) from 2000-2016 and we are going back again this year. While we haven't lost the magic we've found that our trips are just starting to blend together and we can't tell one from the other. We stay in the same resort (our beloved Polynesian) and while we try to eat somewhere new each trip we tend to return to old favorites. You know how when you drive to work in the morning and get to your office and don't even remember the drive because it's become so routine? That's how our trips had become.

But something happened this year that changed that. Last month was my birthday. The Big 5-0. To celebrate just DH & I went to WDW. But it was a completely different kind of WDW trip because there was so much we had never done before. That's what I wanted for my birthday: a new and exciting Disney experience.
> We stayed only 3 nights instead of our usual 7 nights
> We stayed at a new resort for us: Beach Club (Epcot area) instead of the Polynesian (MK area)
> We went at a time of year that we've never been before: Flower & Garden Festival!
> We ate at 2 new restaurants: Flying Fish (after watching the DIS review video) and Yachtsman Steakhouse
> We did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at MK. Then went on a monorail resort lounge tour.
> We only visited Epcot & MK and did very few rides. It was all about taking it slow, really noticing the details, and enjoying each other's company.

It was the best trip ever and DH said he would never forget it. We now plan to do Disney in smaller doses - 2 smaller trips each year instead of 1 longer one - and have a new theme to each trip. It's got us excited to think about/research what kind of things we can do that we've never done before.

That being said --- While we still love WDW it is not what it used to be. My DSIS, DBIL, DNiece are going to WDW for the first time this October. They - especially my DSIS - are so excited for the trip and doing lots of planning. We used to go to WDW in October all the time and I know how over the years it's gotten so crowded and busy due to MNSSHP and F&FW. I want them to have a wonderful vacation and come back super excited about Disney. I hope they don't have a bad experience (crowds, rude guests, unmagical CMs) that kills the magic for them before it even starts. I want them to love it as much as we do.

Oh, and like other posters have said --- traveling with an extended group of people is hard. Our worst Disney trips were when we traveled with my ILs. And they are wonderful people. It just changed the whole family dynamic.

 

[Denise K W]

So far we have not lost it. We have said that unless something happens we will probably not come back for 3 years till my son graduates high school. Want to wait for Toy Story land and Star Wars land to be completed.

 

[dis_guy]

We've become "constructioned out" on our Disney trips. We've been going since 2008 and it seems like there has always been some major construction on nearly every trip; CBR pool closed for updating, New Fantasyland, the MK hub, bridge construction at CBR, Pandora, all of the recent HS work, and now a good chunk of CBR is undergoing demolition, er, sorry, "reimagining". Our solution is to get out of the way for a few years, let them get on with it, and come back to experience all the new stuff and see it like it was the first time again. Heck, by then, even the new terminal at MCO should be done too!

 

[disneyholic family]

the easiest way to get your disney magic back is go to WDW with just your wife and daughter...
leave the grandparents at home...

when a disneyholic person takes others on their trip with them, the disneyholic person becomes so bogged down in trying to make everyone else's experience great that they forget to worry about themselves...and often it's a losing battle, since you really can't put pixie dust in other people's eyes...

so next time, either tone down your expectations before you get there or go nuclear....nuclear family that is....you, the wife and daughter only.....no need to be a tour guide for everyone else.....

.

 

[disneynutz]

There are several things going on here.

Bill's law of "more". The more people in your party, the more resort stays, the more Disney vacations, the more fast passes, the more CM's that you interact with, the more your odds of having a negative issue.

Greed, Disney has gone from Walt's ideas and goals, to a greedy company who what's to make billions in profit. They hire low wage part time people and people from collages and foreign countries. While many care and try to do an excellent job, some aren't invested and know that they won't be working there very long. Many of the policies, processes, and property have been modified to process as many guests as they can in the shortest amount of time. Quality is suffering due to a focus on quantity.

Brain washing, we have been taught that Disney is a magical place, we see TV commercials, we know the history, we expect something extra special. In reality Disney is a for profit company that may or may not continue to make us fell the magic.

Plan for the worse and hope for the best.

Bill

 

[hawkeyesparks]

I've been there. The catalyst for mr was the buses from the resorts. It's not the same. For me, I'm not sure that WDW has changed so much as I have. I've gotten older. So I still the magic, buts it's now in my kids more so than me. So now I feel like more of a facilitator of the magic.