Have you ever not felt the magic?

J_Carioca

J_Carioca

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Got back yesterday from a weeklong trip with my husband. We've gone about once a year for the past 6 years and it's something that we have REALLY enjoyed together. Our house is a museum of attraction posters, we have every obscure Disney CD available and our wardrobes consist of a crazy amount of WDW tshirts. You get the picture.

Before this recent trip, our last visit was in August 2013 and it was ruined by me being incredibly sick pretty much the entire time. I was totally miserable, as well as devastated that the holiday I'd looked forward to for so long was ruined. It was a disaster. So I was very nervous about this trip, fearing that the same thing would happen.

Well, it didn't. I was in good health, the weather was fantastic, we had no travel hassles, got good room in a resort we really like...all in all, everything was good (well, except for the ****** FP+ system, but that's another post). But here's the problem: my husband didn't really have fun. I started noticing a couple of days in that he was being quite critical. The FP+ system was the first thing that really got to him. I totally hated it too, I think it is a huge mistake and absolutely horrible, but I figured out early on that it was just going to frustrate us, so I pretty much gave up on using it. I resent the intrusion of so much technology into what is supposed to be a magical world...but I tried to set aside my resentment and just enjoy the trip. Husband...not so much. He complained bitterly about it. He complained about a couple of less-than-ideal customer service moments, despite the fact that we also had some truly over-the top fantastic customer service moments. But the most upsetting thing was that he said he didn't feel the magic, or feel immersed in that wonderful Disney world/feeling/atmosphere. And now that it's over he basically summed up the trip as being "okay". "Okay"?????!!!

I don't know if I'm being silly but I feel really hurt. I think of it as a special place for us, once where we each have unique interests and favorites, but something that we both truly love. And now I feel almost betrayed by his reaction. Don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who can't stand any criticism of WDW; I fully admit that there are things that could be improved and things that kind suck about the place. But that doesn't stop me from loving it! I'd go back today if I could. But now my husband is saying that he wants to go other places on holiday and I'm getting a little freaked out. Of course I want to visit other places but WDW will probably always be my happy spot, and I was so grateful to have a spouse that felt the same way. I am really sad that that may not be the case now.

Has anyone here ever felt that they lost the magic? Can you get it back?
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
J_Carioca said:
Has anyone here ever felt that they lost the magic? Can you get it back?
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I'm with Uncle Doug, I think it is Disney more than your husband who has lost some of its magic.

I was bored in some areas of EPCOT. Which is a bitter thing to say, because once I considered EPCOT the most magical and special place on the entire planet. But if you spreadsheet it, you really can undo it. It weighs up in the end, all those little declines. I resented the closures, I resented the imbecile cartoon and celeb layovers everywhere, I disliked the food and the tight planning needed. I guess WDW attracted a new audience that enjoys that sort of stuff, but if you've known EPCOT Center then unless you are drunk or a hillbilly EPCOT has lost much of its lustre, of its magic. The same holds true for much of the rest of WDW. Magic, it turns out, requires a lot of effort.
 
OSUgirl77

OSUgirl77

Well-Known Member
Went back in April for my first week long trip since 2007. (Went for a weekend in 2013, but it was too fast for me to notice everything). For the first time in my life, I did not feel the "magic" while at WDW. I remember actually saying so while I was there. That trip was actually the reason I started reading, and eventually joining, this forum. I didn't realize there were others out there that felt WDW just wasn't the same as it used to be.

Don't get me wrong, I still felt it when I rode certain rides, and while watching Wishes, etc. But, overall, I found myself feeling bummed. Particularly at DHS and Epcot, and also because of FP+. Going to head back to DL next year, hopefully I will get that magical feeling back during the 60th. :)
 
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Clamman73

Clamman73

Well-Known Member
The whole magic band/fastpass thing got me a little crazy with having to make sure I was at a certain place, at a certain time which made me a little unsure about the whole process of just being at The World and on vacation.
This past trip, a few times I treated myself to a root beer float from the ice cream parlor and found a quiet spot at Tomorrowland Terrace that I could just relax for a moment and try not to think about how crazy it's gotten. It was nice for a moment...
 
copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member

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FettFan

FettFan

Well-Known Member
unkadug said:
Your husbands reaction is becoming more and more common. Unfortunately i think it is Disney who has lost the magic and not your husband. Hopefully a new regime of leadership will remedy the situation.
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This. One million times over. THIS.
I mean have you SEEN what replaced Off Kilter over at Epcot? It's as exciting as microwave instant grits.


In fact, the current crop of WDW "leadership" is the reason I fantasize about winning the lottery and building my own park.
 
J_Carioca

J_Carioca

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks everyone for the replies so far. I know that the place isn't perfect. There are things that bug me too...but I really try not to let them get me down. It's a huge place with a million different components that feed into the experience, and it's not always going to be exactly the way we want it. But despite those things, I still adore being in WDW. Actually I was probably happiest when on the buses, riding along and looking at the top of the Dolphin, driving past Blizzard Beach and seeing Summit Plummet. Just being there. It still gives me that happy, full of expectation Disney feeling. I really want to believe that my husband can get that back!
 
J_Carioca

J_Carioca

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Clamman73 said:
The whole magic band/fastpass thing got me a little crazy with having to make sure I was at a certain place, at a certain time which made me a little unsure about the whole process of just being at The World and on vacation.
This past trip, a few times I treated myself to a root beer float from the ice cream parlor and found a quiet spot at Tomorrowland Terrace that I could just relax for a moment and try not to think about how crazy it's gotten. It was nice for a moment...
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Yes. We definitely felt this way. It was terrible to see everyone madly clicking away at their phones instead of enjoying the bus ride or the queue or even, for crying out loud, dinner with their family.

My husband and I are not planners. The most planning we'll do before a trip is to scan crowd calendars and develop a vague idea of which parks we might do on the first days of our vacation. I might make one or two ADRs but that's it. So having to book FP+ and having "appointments" at certain times was a definite bummer. For the last few days of our trip I just wrote down our FPs on a piece of paper and we left the blasted phone at the resort.
 
B

baggienath7

Well-Known Member
J_Carioca said:
For the last few days of our trip I just wrote down our FPs on a piece of paper and we left the blasted phone at the resort.
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Now my girlfriend and i are 24 & 25, and this is something we even did. We hate taking our phones while in the park it just seems too 'normal', as its something you do when your back at home, not something your meant to be using all the time while on holiday. WDW is an escape for many people, but bringing in FP+ makes that escape a little more difficult.
 
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scoobygirl39541

scoobygirl39541

Well-Known Member
I experienced the lack of Disney magic just once ever and it was during our last trip. It was our first day at MK and had ADR for the Plaza. We walked up, they gave us the buzzer and we waited. No problem. However we were the only ones waiting, the restaurant was half empty, and they were turning away several other families who didn't have ADR.

At least 15-20 minutes later, we're still waiting... And that's the moment I felt the magic leave for that moment. I go to look at the castle and all I see are construction walls.

After we finally ate, the magic returned, but that magic-less place was not a fun place to be in.
 
BrerJon

BrerJon

Well-Known Member
J_Carioca said:
My husband and I are not planners. The most planning we'll do before a trip is to scan crowd calendars and develop a vague idea of which parks we might do on the first days of our vacation. I might make one or two ADRs but that's it. So having to book FP+ and having "appointments" at certain times was a definite bummer. For the last few days of our trip I just wrote down our FPs on a piece of paper and we left the blasted phone at the resort.
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Don't worry, the magic will come back, but I think it's all about managed expectations.

Most people's first visit post Fastpass+ is a disappointing one and it can be a bit of a shock how much MyMagic has actually become LessMagic - more crowds, longer lines, worse Fastpass system... I'm definitely in that boat too. But once you know to expect that, your vacation can still be magical.

I would say next time pretend advance booking doesn't exist, and just use standby lines. Sure they may be long, but you've done the rides many times and it won't matter one year if you miss some. Many of the smaller or more tucked away attractions still have short lines and are absolute gems - I'd take Living with the Land over Soarin' anyday - and at the water parks and resorts there is no Fastpass to worry about.

If before you even get to Orlando you know lines will be long, crowds will be large, and focus on things on the edges like the resorts, or visiting Universal, or relaxing at Fort Wilderness (nothing like renting boats on Bay Lake to rekindle the magic), and you will have a much better trip next time.

And has been said above, also consider Disneyland next time - a change of scenery might do the trick, your husband may just have WDW fatigue. Disneyland still has magic in abundance, and will give you your 'fix' while also making WDW feel fresh again the next time.
 
P

ParkMan73

Active Member
BrerJon said:
Don't worry, the magic will come back, but I think it's all about managed expectations.
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I think this is often very true.

I feel like I'm about where your husband is. I like to go to WDW, and have been there many times. But, when I go now, it's become less magical for me. When I think back to earlier visits, I often think about the "fun" I had. It was my wife and I, we'd spend all day in the parks, roaming around, riding what we wanted to. I've not been in the FP+ world, but to be honest, from everything I hear now I don't think it would have bothered me back in the "earlier times" when the magic was there.

Because I've now been many times, there's is little that's new to me now. I know the rides, I know the restaurants, I know the stores. Now it's kind of like going back to an old haunt. When I go to a restaurant, I remember that time something special happened. But every time cannot be a special time, so when it's "normal", it's hard to live up to the expectations.

Of course, now when I go, I do have to plan ahead more than before. I spend weeks trying to get just the right reservations. I'd spend 30 minutes a day on the website checking for cancellations as we tweak our plans. With that up front effort, it's even harder to live up to the expectations.

As a result, I now need a larger break between visits. Does that mean that magic isn't there - no, not really. It just means I need to spread it out a bit more to foster it. I've augmented my Disney magic with a love for the National Parks. Our "off Disney" years are now trips to some new national parks, monuments, and historic sites. We will take a week or two, visit a few we've never been to. There are 400 of them, so they don't have a problem needing to add more attractions :)

Finally, I suspect that the real magic on your earlier trips wasn't really WDW. It was enjoying WDW together. My recommendation is to listen to your husband - take a year or two off. Go somewhere else that is new and exciting that you two can enjoy together.
 

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