Does the "magic" still exist at WDW?

[MikeWhitis]

Hope this doesn't come across like a troll or anything, but am generally curious if you folks still feel the magic at WDW. I haven't been since my honeymoon 10 years ago . While I felt it at that time (as well as all of my previous visits), my bride mot certainly did not, which was most disheartening.

Coupling that with a lot of the negative posts that I've been reading on all of the disney related boards, and I'm just wondering if the magic is still alive or have things gone down hill so much. I'm planning my first trip for myself and kids (8,6,5) for this fall, and am hoping that there's still magic to be found, especially for the little ones. I know I fell it just by watching my planning DVD and buying my yearly copy of the Unofficial Guide , but am hoping that there's still plenty there for them to fall in love with, as I did when I was their age.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Mike

 

[MrNonacho]

The magic is alive and well, in my opinion. Folks online tend to exaggerate and harp on the negative. I feel the parks are in a better state now than they were just a few years ago (and it's not like things were horrible then, either).

 

[Rcoaster809]

In my opinion, YES. The magic is still alive at WDW. Many of the negative things pointed out on these boards the average visitor will not notice. WDW is still a place where you can escape life and just have a good time. If your wife didnt have a good time 10 years ago, try some different things. When the parks are crowded, I love heading to a resort and having a nice meal. Your kids should really enjoy themselves. It will be great fun!

 

[lawyergirl77]

First things first, while there are some negative posts on the boards, if you look past them, you'll find that they are the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, people tend to harp on the bad stuff and not talk about the positives (witness the number of complaints to positive feedback ratio in most "customer service" departments).

That being said, I think that the main reason why people on these boards (and on other Disneyphile boards) are often negative is because we know how the Magic can (and should) be. I don't think I'm being overly presumptuous when I say that we all have pretty high standards to which we hold WDW and subequently, TWDC (or at least I do). Some of the standards are unrealistic, even by WDW's standards and as such, it would be hard for ANY company to live up to them! The fact that WDW is able to do so on a regular basis is no small feat...

Bottom line? HECK YEAH THE MAGIC IS STILL THERE!!! :sohappy: Yes, there are some problems with WDW and the TWDC (*coughEisnercough*), but the good still HEAVILY outweighs the bad on any given day. We're just picky, that's all!

 

[mhead]

Well my wife and I just returned form our first trip to Disneyland and you want to talk about magic missing! Let me tell you, we both had the same assessment of it that we were glad we went, we were glad to experience the nostalgia factor, but that it just doesn't have the "magic" of WDW. It has made us appreciate WDW much more.

 

[mickeysaver]

I still feel that WDW has magic. I do however feel that magic is best obtained during Value Season when the crowds are low and the CM's are not as stressed. Maggie

 

[Pongo]

Like beauty, magic is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Connor002]

Yes, magic will never die as long as there is still imagination left in the world.

The magic just dosen't apply to their buisness practices anymore...

 

[ImagineAtl23]

Definitely !!!

I still feel the magic at WDW, i do now and i did for the past 16 years (im 16 yrs old) and hopefully i will 4 ever. (some things have declined in quality though.)

 

[MommytoMJM]

Do a search on my username and read some of my posts, you will see that the magic is most assuredly alive and well.

 

[billybluenose]

magic

yes, it does.

maybe not 100% of the time, but even jesus was not christlike every moment of his existence.

the key is to enjoy wdw for what it is and not to look for peeling paint and "bad cast members."

... and not believing every grumpy post you read on these boards.

:animwink:

-billy

 

[Gepettotrevor]

Hope this doesn't come across like a troll or anything, but am generally curious if you folks still feel the magic at WDW. I haven't been since my honeymoon 10 years ago . While I felt it at that time (as well as all of my previous visits), my bride mot certainly did not, which was most disheartening.

Coupling that with a lot of the negative posts that I've been reading on all of the disney related boards, and I'm just wondering if the magic is still alive or have things gone down hill so much. I'm planning my first trip for myself and kids (8,6,5) for this fall, and am hoping that there's still magic to be found, especially for the little ones. I know I fell it just by watching my planning DVD and buying my yearly copy of the Unofficial Guide , but am hoping that there's still plenty there for them to fall in love with, as I did when I was their age.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Mike

All the magic is even better now in my opinion. The negative just seems to just stick out more and it gets more talk

 

[slappy magoo]

yes, it does.

maybe not 100% of the time, but even jesus was not christlike every moment of his existence.

-billy

Now that the Baptists have stopped their boycott of WDW, it's OK to make statements like that. :lol:

A vacation is what you make of it-even at WDW. WDW gives you a buttload of stuff to see and do, and it's up to the individual to appreciate it as "magical."

I've had some down times on each of my trips, but the positive always outweighs the negative. It makes it harder if you enjoy it but are traveling with someone who doesn't appreciate it on the same level. The company you keep plays a major part in it, IMHO.

Vacations are a little like weddings. Some people get wrapped up in the importace and/or the expense of the event and consider it a failure if not every detail goes according to plan. Some people understand that no matter what, you pays your monies and takes your chances, and those types of people tend to enjoy themselves more, because they don't look at a vacation as a quest to be tackled but an experience to be savored.

Then again, I'm a convicted car thief so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Morwen]

A vacation is what you make of it-even at WDW. WDW gives you a buttload of stuff to see and do, and it's up to the individual to appreciate it as "magical."

I've had some down times on each of my trips, but the positive always outweighs the negative. It makes it harder if you enjoy it but are traveling with someone who doesn't appreciate it on the same level. The company you keep plays a major part in it, IMHO.

I absolutely agree! I think that the magic will always be there as long as you let it be... Disney most defintely provides the opportunity for a magical vacation, but in the end, it's up to the individual to make the most of it.

 

[CaptainMichael]

Does the Magic still exist at WDW??? Hmmmmmm.................IS THE SKY BLUE?!!!!!(on a sunny day of course)

 

[MusicMaker]

Yes! There is Magic!

I've been to Disneyland a couple of dozen times (I'm from Seattle, WA) and always felt that there was magic there, but we made our first trip to WDW as a family (wife, daughter (6) and myself) this year in April.
It was magical from the first time that we stepped inside of the Magic Kingdom. Looking at WDW through my daughter's eyes made it even more magical. We took forever to get past Main Street because she had to look at all of the flowers! All of the CMs there make the magic happen, and they operate at a high standard.
To further illustrate the point -- since we were in Orlando for 2 weeks, we made a one day trip to Universal Studios. While the rides were fun, the ride operators as well as the employees there did NOT play their parts. The ride operator in Spiderman kept on joking about hooking up his Playstation to the screens to play. The operators also "booed" the riders as the ride just got going by poking their head into the "car" to scare them.
I have NEVER encountered anything like this at any Disney park that I have been to. As a high school student, I remember a couple of friends and myself "hitting" on Snow White, and she never broke character. (We were asked by some undercover security people to layoff of Snow White or leave though! )
The bottom line, the memories about our trip to WDW with my family will stay with me until the day that I die, and the Magic stays with us even after we came home in our hearts.
That being said, we are planning on going back hopefully for X'mas!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Of course the magic is still there...and I feel that a lot of the negative views towards WDW are either pre-conceived or people are just starting to hold their standards too high.

In a day where people are up in arms about the decisions of the CEO on all counts, people start to pick on every little thing. I think the magic is still there, but I also don't look at a Dirty window and say "That tyranical Michael Eisner". I feel that some people are starting to hold Disney to such a high standard that they are starting to cross that line of fantasy and reality. .

Think about it...You can only expect so much. With a place that employees 60,000 people, you are bound to find one CM that isn't happy all the time. They are people, and they are entitled to have their bad days as well as anyone else. I don't think anyone can say they go in to work happy every single day, no matter what your job may be. You also have to understand that Disney is a company and can't make everything perfect all at once. I will agree that it might not be the most "Walt Visions" place, but I don't think that they are doing such a horrible job. Certain things are truly unmagical (Seasonal attractions) but one bad thing doesn't kill everything.

Sorry for what seems to be a rant, but I think that people really need to look past the tiny things and realize that the company is as great as it has ever been. Take the magic as it is, and don't try to make it what it can't be.

 

[lucyanna girl]

Yes!

Look at the face of a 4 year old when she sees the castle for the first time or a little boy when he meets Micky Mouse and you tell me if the magic is still there.

 

[snoopi_grl]

The magic is alive and well, in my opinion. Folks online tend to exaggerate and harp on the negative. I feel the parks are in a better state now than they were just a few years ago (and it's not like things were horrible then, either).

i agree. magic is still alive!

 

[barnum42]

If there was not no magic I would not still be wanting to go back. Yes, many of the little things have been axed by the bean counters and maintenance was allowed to slip to pay for director's bonuses but the whole survives despite that.