Disney has LOST IT's MAGIC and I Don't Know How To Get It Back - Sunday Sofatime 2023

The Disney Theme Parks in Florida are Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. After years of coming here, staying on property, and losing myself in the world if fantasy, I've found the effect hast worn off. What can I do to get it back? #disneyworld #orlando #themeparks

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[VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

DOH! I did it again! The year is 2023!

[dearmepa]

Morgan, you’ve really got it figured out and now you’re realizing a bit of grief. I live in Florida and was a former pass holder. Covid completely destroyed my experience and I haven’t regained that magic in visiting Disney. I’m older now and the crowds are horrible even with reservations. I can’t tolerate hours in line for a 2-3 minute experience. I don’t think I’ll ever feel the same about Disney.😢On a better note🎶, I really enjoy your honest reporting and vlogging. I like your humor and your sharing of knowledge without yelling at your camera too! Keep up the good work! Have fun at the gathering this week!😘

[steveericson]

Morgan, for the past 36 years I have been a Theme Park Master Planner, Chief Creative Officer, and Immersive Entertainment Producer. I, too, worked for The Mouse. You hit the nail on the head. Yes, the experience and atmospheres of the parks have changed. Yes, our electronics addictions have rewired our brains. Yes, we have been over saturated with entertainment to the point we feel numb. Yes, Disney (and others) forgot a lot about creating actual theme park magic. And yes, you are not alone in the way you feel. My job is to create the magic for other companies these days. If you would like to share more, I will be on the transatlantic with you beginning March 9th.

[windyfetterly]

Thank you for verbalizing how I feel about the parks. I took an 11 year break and still feel the magic is gone.

[southerncaladygolfer]

I am truly “old school”. When I first started going to Disneyland they still had ticket books. I show my age when I refer to “E” tickets but many remember them and the days when the parks were still a Walt Disney experience. I can remember my first visit to Disneyland. We had just moved to California and were living in a hotel just outside of Disneyland while looking for a home to buy. We went on Thanksgiving day and the park was almost empty. The highest entry….the one that included 11 ride tickets was $5.50 for adults plus $.50 for parking. Boy, have things changed!

[Silverine]

Staying at Disney hotels has changed as well. A lot of the hotels have been or are in the process of being neutralized. Disney has been redecorating all the hotels with neutral colors and removing themes. It’s sad :(, but don’t worry - they are of course still raising prices to stay at them.

[judydale]

Makes me so sad that Disney has seemed to have lost its magic. I keep hearing this over and over!!! We used to love going. I just can’t get excited about going now. 😢

[MatthewFiereck]

We just did 5 days of universal and 4 days of Disney over 2 weeks and we feel the same that Disney has cut so much that the magic is gone and it's no different than a six flags. Universal was way less stressful and much more enjoyable without having to plan every last thing.

[rdwoolf]

My family is one of those that have gone a bit sour on Disney Parks lately and are taking an extended break. Instead of going to Walt Disney World we are saving money and seeing the actual world. And it’s been very enjoyable. Also, I suspect the next time we stay in Orlando, instead of staying at a WDW on-property hotel, we will be staying at a Universal resort and spending more time at the Universal Studios parks (something we haven’t done before).

[stellawiltshire]

Spontaneity! Is a big part of what's missing...having to plan every minute of everyday...and even monitoring it on your phone is not conducive to making magic...I was an annual passholder and even maintained my pass during covid. Dreaming of the days when we were free to go back...back to our childhood, back to the moments of carefree personal enjoyment, back to just roaming where your heart takes you. One of my favorite memories was my first Mickeys not so scary with my 2 children...they had both dressed up and we were wandering the Magic Kingdom, the parade was starting and we decided at the last minute to go ride the Haunted Mansion but we had to run to beat the parade. So, I ran. a 40+ year old non athletic female, ran...and we laughed, and laughed...the pure joy that bubbled up from inside me was better than champagne. When I think about that night I still smile.

[sandrarose]

I'm from Australia and have been to the California and Florida parks many times over the years. Now the logistics are way too much for me to contemplate going again in the foreseeable future. Not only do I have to tee up international and local flights, holiday time and hotels, I now have to juggle them with available Disney days. Disney is now in the - 'way too hard' basket. Plus, I hate the idea of being glued to the phone, just to have to go on rides. It's a hard NO for me. America has so many beautiful national parks, so I'll be going to those instead.

[bethcoddington]

It's sad but very true. Feels more like an amusement park than our beloved theme park. The disney difference, pixie dust etc just isn't present.

[lisaanderson]

I think what you're searching for is an "immersive" experience. All the scheduling, pre planning, and phone staring takes out out of the moment. And thus, out of the Magic. I get it. But as you mentioned, the parks are always full, so... There's not much incentive for Disney to change.

[pamelaschumacher]

Once it's done, it's done. The magic cannot be recreated. But we have our memories <3

[TheRealTomGreen]

I hope you're all having a good time!

I can certainly understand that persepective, on our last trip I was a little moody the first day and not feeling the Disney magic but I was having a great time by the second day. To me it has to do with great cast member interactions and just being in the Disney bubble. Not having to drive there, worry about how we're going to get back to the room, etc. just unwind and really enjoy the environment and time together. We lowered our expectations with the crowds and just did the things we loved and enojoyed the atmosphere.

But I do hate being on the app all the time as well, that is one of the things i enjoy least about the "new" Disney.. in the past when we could prebook fastpasses and things I could generally plan the day more in advance and not have to rely on my phone (and Disney Wifi) as much as we do now. Honestly park reservations, park hoping start times, genie+.. I love none of these things. I used to like having a little more flexibility in our day as sometimes we'd book our fast passes for the evening and play the morning park by how we felt.. you don't really get the flexibility to do that anymore. So until things change for the better (in my view) it can be hard to find that exact same kind of magic you once did.

[debsterlee]

Disney started losing it's magic for me a few years ago when I discovered Universal. I can't even imagine what it is like now with all the planning (and I am a planner!). We enjoyed staying on site at Universal for less money and the Harry Potter experiences were more our preference. I did go to Disney Springs last year after a cruise but when I couldn't go buy a cookie without a reservation (they wanted me to come back 3 hours later when I would already be back at the airport), that was it.

[richandkimallen]

I'm with you Morgan the magic is missing. We were at the Yacht club in October for 4 nights and my biggest issue was the lack of cast members. The interaction with the friendly cast is no longer. Everything must be incredibly planned in advance including food. And the fact that I needed to use my phone app so often was so stressful it just was not the magic and I miss it .

[sandrasmith]

We are going this summer and I keep saying it is probably going to be our last time. We have a Disney Visa and we will be getting rid of it and getting a different credit card so we can use our points elsewhere. It’s kinda sad because we have pictures of our kids growing up in front of the castle over the years, but like you said, Disney has lost its magic. 😢

[lasallemom]

I love just being on property, I go with the flow and just resort hopping is great if you are not pressed for time. I hate having reservations for rides, dinner, and parks. I am with you that the park reservation needs to go, but I am not sure that is going to happen. I moved to Florida in September 2021 and have visited Disney Springs about 9 times mainly for hopping resorts and trying out food. We have stayed on property once and that was great. This last time our children were old enough to be on their own so that was awesome for them and my husband and I. Next year my sister and her friend are joining me for a week on property to just resort hop, eat, and shop. The plan includes a possible day in EPCOT but nothing carved in stone other than that for parks.
The parks go in and out of magic for me. You can't really just forget about things because everything is so expensive that you need to stay grounded in reality on the money part. If you go with a large group don't focus on always being together take time for your little unit, don't be the martyr then blast everyone for not being grateful (I have heard that fight go down), if you are going with small children it is about them not you, take days off..if that means only 3 park days in your 5-6 day trip that is still cool.
When I was growing up Disney World was an every 3 yr vacation for me then I had a long break and back to frequent short vacations since 2009 with my family of 6. It can be very difficult to keep the budget low but we have managed all but once in 2016 and with what happened the following year after that I am so happy I did push for that trip.

[cathyw]

Staying on property is what does it for me. I wake up in the Disney magic and I don't leave the property. It really helps me with the Disney magic feeling.