I would argue that a fair share of the "magic" (whatever that means) is still there. It is possible to be totally and utterly cognizant of WDW's cutbacks but still be able to enjoy your vacation.
That said, as a Spirited friend has told me, the easiest way to "protest" is vote with your dollars. If you perceive WDW to be an inferior product, then don't go. Or don't stay onsite, don't buy their merchandise, don't eat on property, etc. When people stop spending at (and visiting) the property en masse, Disney will be forced to do something eventually. We're beginning to see this with what is being discussed in the News and Rumors section, as WDW management reaches a fever pitch as visitation at the parks is way down and guests realize that Disney is hacking away at offerings and details and not adding more to its parks.
The problem with doing forms of protest at the Parks is that WDW is private property. When visiting WDW, you are a guest. Protesting in front of the castle would be "trespassing" just as much as protesting outside the EPCOT entrance plaza. Disney can and will find any excuse to remove you or suppress any movement on their property. This is different than, say, Occupy Wall Street, where folks occupied private land that, under an agreement with New York City, had to be open for the public at any given time. We don't have that sort of agreement at Disney. They can just as easily kick you off the property and "banish" you as I can from someone on my private property.
I never visited WDW in its prime. My first visit was in 2000 and I didn't start regularly visiting until 2004. Even now, I know the parks that I experienced are not the same as the parks in the 70's and 80's. It is saddening to know that, as much as I love the parks as they are now, they offered so much more when I was never around (or alive!) to visit. Even as I've visited over the past eight years, Disney has continued to cut. Disney in 2004 is much different than Disney in 2012. This makes me disappointed and less willing to shell out the money that we do to go to WDW, when I know that with each subsequent visit, more is being cut back but prices continue to increase.
So we go on vacation to different places. Our family loves Disney World, but we're taking a break from visiting for a few years. If you really want to send a message to Disney, do the same. They'll realize (if they haven't already) that a veritable exodus of a demographic Disney had taken for granted means that changes are going to have to be made. And hopefully this means the magic comes back.
