Why do we get emotional?

[WDWmazprty]

Yup, definitely nostalgia for me mainly. I grew up going to Disney World (80's and 90's) and those memories just stay with you. Things were different then. Your priorities were different and so were you. Disney World became a big part of my life and i'm glad to say it was a good part. Now, as a parent myself, I never forget those good times I had at the World as a kid, and how my kids see it too. They love it just like I did and have their own memories and feelings that they will never forget.
We are going back later in the fall this year and I can't wait to get back there; but I'm also slightly sad of the changes that I know have been made. Its not MY Disney from when I was a kid. I'll enjoy it either way, but I think everyone who can relate to what I've said understands my feeling.
I will always be a Disney kid...going as many times as I did, it's a part of my life that, whether I like it or not, formed a part of who I am.

 

[MAGICFLOP]

How about this exchange from Walking Distance, where a man revisits his childhood only to be told by his dad that you only get one chance to truly be young before you need to move on? Can't tell if it's informing me to move on from Disney or to make sure my kids feel the same way I did as a kid...

Yeah, that episode was good too... during the that era, there was a lot of stress Nuc war etc and it was reflected in many Zone episodes

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

ummmm - because WDW used to be worth visiting? We loved it - I get emotional seeing it crater .

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Yup, definitely nostalgia for me mainly. I grew up going to Disney World (80's and 90's) and those memories just stay with you. Things were different then. Your priorities were different and so were you. Disney World became a big part of my life and i'm glad to say it was a good part. Now, as a parent myself, I never forget those good times I had at the World as a kid, and how my kids see it too. They love it just like I did and have their own memories and feelings that they will never forget.
We are going back later in the fall this year and I can't wait to get back there; but I'm also slightly sad of the changes that I know have been made. Its not MY Disney from when I was a kid. I'll enjoy it either way, but I think everyone who can relate to what I've said understands my feeling.
I will always be a Disney kid...going as many times as I did, it's a part of my life that, whether I like it or not, formed a part of who I am.

This is really enlightening. It's not that I've not heard this argument before, whether about WDW or anything in life, but maybe I was just at this moment ready to accept the information in this context. I really miss the WDW of the 90s and earlier 00s. Today's WDW is not my Disney, but perhaps I can come to terms with that at some point, and accept it for what it is. It won't stop me from occassionally commenting about their failures and my disappointment, but maybe I need to accept the change and move on. Adapt. I don't want to, but for those of us who miss our favorite version of WDW, maybe once quality standards return we can enjoy a newer version of WDW.

The current version is a money grab with low standards, but maybe I need to let go of the things I miss and hope to find new things to like almost as much. For example, I really miss Soarin' Over Cali, and TT1.0. Maybe at some point when general quality returns (like cleaning standards), I'll give it another try. I mean, it's only been almost 13 years since I started boycotting. I still am, but I try to keep an open mind. If they change both ToT and RnRC tho... I don't know if I'd ever recover.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Yup, definitely nostalgia for me mainly. I grew up going to Disney World (80's and 90's) and those memories just stay with you. Things were different then. Your priorities were different and so were you. Disney World became a big part of my life and i'm glad to say it was a good part. Now, as a parent myself, I never forget those good times I had at the World as a kid, and how my kids see it too. They love it just like I did and have their own memories and feelings that they will never forget.
We are going back later in the fall this year and I can't wait to get back there; but I'm also slightly sad of the changes that I know have been made. Its not MY Disney from when I was a kid. I'll enjoy it either way, but I think everyone who can relate to what I've said understands my feeling.
I will always be a Disney kid...going as many times as I did, it's a part of my life that, whether I like it or not, formed a part of who I am.

I can relate. Heck, I didn't have a wife, I didn't have children and I didn't have a mortgage when I first started going. I have all of those things which are far more important than a Disney World trip of course. So yes our priorities do change over time. The sun will rise tomorrow, and I still have a phone bill to pay as well as car insurance. With that being said, there is the incentive to work hard and save enough money for these fun times.

I liken it to something such as visiting a place like Fenway Park. I am a huge sports fan, always have been and always will be. When I was a kid I certainly had more time to learn about every player out there. As an adult I don't have that same time, but my love for sports has never changed. It just...............matures maybe? I'll watch the Super Bowl today because we are NFL fans 4 months of the year, not just Super Bowl Sunday...............however, I have to work at 6am on Monday. Like I said, priorities.

But back to Fenway Park. For me visiting a place like that was a lot like visiting the original Disneyland. This is where so much history started. I went up the Green Monster at Fenway and tried to touch the foul pole (I couldn't reach it) because of that is where Carlton Fisk hit that famous home run in the 1975 World Series. You felt something in that place. I don't know what it is. But being the oldest ballpark in baseball has that allure. Babe Ruth played here. Ty Cobb visited here tons of times. Ted Williams played his whole career here. The bricks, the seats, the aromas................all seem just that more unique there. I'm a historian, so I love that sort of thing.

We are heading back to Disney World in 2023 as well. My first trip was 1991. I am not the "change for the sake of change" type of guy. But I don't mind some changes at least, if it improves the overall experience. However, nothing beats the original rides I went on in 1991. Those are still the most special to me. They have memories. If it becomes a place that is virtually unrecognizable then that will be a disappointment.