How do you?

[Luv0fDisney]

How do you Keep the Magic Alive when you don't go to the parks yearly?
I think I lost the magic because I feel WDW is a 2nd home to me. Nothing feels like a vacation any more. I think it lost that "spark"

if you do go yearly, how do you keep from going bored with the same rides year after year? or practically the same pictures year after year?

For me nothing seems "new' any more. Not even things I have not done before. I just don't know.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I keep it alive by reading about it, seeing it on TV and stuff. It has been many years since I have been, but I will never forget my trips and I really hope to go again. Hopefully sooner than later.

 

[FayeW]

I don't even try. Orlando is our destination, not WDW specifically. We love the Universal Parks and Seaworld, so for us WDW is just something else that we do when we are in Orlando. We vacation in other places, too.

 

[disneychic2]

I go every year and it just stays magical for me. I guess when it stops, I will find another vacation destination. If it doesn't feel like a vacation any more, why not try somewhere else for a few years? Maybe that's all that's needed to spark interest again. Or try Disneyland or a cruise? The important thing is to find something that makes you happy again!

 

[Nayan]

Our last trip was out last trip. No more Disney for us for quite a number of reasons but yes it has lost the spark. Go other places and see other things. The world is a big place and who knows, you might find a new place that's magical to you and your family .

 

[Jeafl]

We felt like that too, and decided a few years ago that there is a whole word out there to see. It was the best decision we ever made. Now we go to WDW about once every five years, and spend the other years taking cruises, visiting national parks, renting beach houses on the coast, laying on the beach in Hawaii, touring other countries, etc.

There are so many magical places in this world that sometimes it seems silly to feel that watching adults walk around in furry costumes and riding rides is the most magical thing there is. Having said that, when we decide to visit WDW after being gone for several years, we feel that magic once again.

Maybe you should take a couple years off and try something else. Who knows, maybe you'll find something much more magical.

 

[Pakey]

I take a non-Disney vacation in between every Disney vacation. The non-Disney vacation has to be to somewhere we have never been before. I still enjoy WDW but if I had to choose, I'd always take the new adventure.

 

[ben1993]

When it's come to the point where you think you need to force yourself to feel the magic, I think you need some time away from it at another vacation destination! Try somewhere new that you've never been before one year, then go back to WDW and see how you feel then.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

How do you Keep the Magic Alive when you don't go to the parks yearly?
I think I lost the magic because I feel WDW is a 2nd home to me. Nothing feels like a vacation any more. I think it lost that "spark"

if you do go yearly, how do you keep from going bored with the same rides year after year? or practically the same pictures year after year?

For me nothing seems "new' any more. Not even things I have not done before. I just don't know.

Did you mean when you DO go to the parks yearly?


I do definitely think if we went to the same destination every year it would become stale after awhile - partially because of familiarity, but also because going there is keeping us away from any OTHER destination that might seem new & exciting.

 

[minkydog]

Sounds like it's time for y'all to do something else. There's a whole lot more to America than Disney World. Maybe you need to take a short road trip...or a long one. See a part of the country you've never been to before. Go see Yellowstone National Park! Run up to Maine and eat some lobster! Check out Mammoth Cave in Kentucky! Heck, fly to NYC and take in a show!

This doesn't mean you'll never go to WDW again. But you don't have to keep going back if the magic isn't there. I predict that if you take a 2-3 year break your love for all things Disney will return.

 

[korzmom]

we go every year and sometimes twice a year, each time we try to see something we havent seen before,just tryanother restraunt or go visit a new resort. there are so many different things to do, horseback riding or parasailing or go on a fish excursion, have you seen circ de solie? or maybe like others said, maybe its time for a change. good luck hope you find the magic again.

 

[low-key]

The Magic is dead

 

[Luv0fDisney]

If we do go this year
we are maybe going 2 stay at the contemporary or art of animation.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We went a lot in the last few years, and while I still have the "magic", my pocketbook does not. I will answer both ways since I am not sure what the OP wants.

Going more often or yearly, we keep the magic alive by staying at new resorts, trying new restaurants, and doing things we have missed before. There is always something new and many things we have never done. Like spending the day looking for Hidden Mickey's instead of going all out with rides. Always something we have not done.

Now how to go back to a regular vacation after a Disney vacation. This year we did again things we have never done. It was an all car driven vacation. Rented a nice car, gave the kids room to spread out. Went to places we have never been. Stayed at a B&B versus the hotel. Did tours of interesting places like a pretzel factory and candy factory. Think Cheesy - fun to be around the family stuff.

Funny DH came home from vacation and thanked me. He was really rested and felt revived. We still got away from home, but didn't have the after effects of a Disney trip.

Hope this helps.

 

[epcot.girl]

Sounds like it's time for y'all to do something else. There's a whole lot more to America than Disney World. Maybe you need to take a short road trip...or a long one. See a part of the country you've never been to before. Go see Yellowstone National Park! Run up to Maine and eat some lobster! Check out Mammoth Cave in Kentucky! Heck, fly to NYC and take in a show!

This doesn't mean you'll never go to WDW again. But you don't have to keep going back if the magic isn't there. I predict that if you take a 2-3 year break your love for all things Disney will return.

Agree with this, but at the same time OP don't limit yourself to just America. There's a whole WORLD out there! Those countries in World Showcase are just caricatures of the real thing - go see what they're actually like!

I love WDW, but there's so much more to see and experience in the world than some theme parks, and visiting other places and spacing our WDW holidays out is what keeps it fun for us.

 

[Pigeon]

It really lost the magic for me when I found out WDW charges extra for meals based solely on going at peak times. That to me was just over the top gouging and soured me on the whole thing. It's not a big part of the overall cost of the vacation, it just one bit of greed that completely disgusts me.

It's also been a huge eye opener to me that my kids rank WDW vacations below a number of other things we've done--a week in the Adirondacks, NOLA, Washington, DC, to name a few. Those things are all cheaper for us than WDW, so it's all good.

We may go again in a few years. But we have to go during peak season because my husband is a teacher. Next time, we'll stay off site and give Disney fewer of our dollars.

 

[epcot.girl]

It really lost the magic for me when I found out WDW charges extra for meals based solely on going at peak times. That to me was just over the top gouging and soured me on the whole thing. It's not a big part of the overall cost of the vacation, it just one bit of greed that completely disgusts me.

I did NOT know this! Wow, I know business is business but Disney is already quite gouging and that particularly sucks for families (such as yourselves) who can only go during peak time.

 

[Jeafl]

It really lost the magic for me when I found out WDW charges extra for meals based solely on going at peak times. That to me was just over the top gouging and soured me on the whole thing. It's not a big part of the overall cost of the vacation, it just one bit of greed that completely disgusts me.

It's also been a huge eye opener to me that my kids rank WDW vacations below a number of other things we've done--a week in the Adirondacks, NOLA, Washington, DC, to name a few. Those things are all cheaper for us than WDW, so it's all good.

We may go again in a few years. But we have to go during peak season because my husband is a teacher. Next time, we'll stay off site and give Disney fewer of our dollars.

I agree! We went over Christmas/New Years last year and the cost of food was ridiculous! Our family tradition is going to Boma so we made ADR's for one night. I was informed that there was a "holiday surcharge" which brought it up to around $40 a person! By the time my family of 5 walked out of there with tax and tip it was around $275 just for one meal! And let's be honest, it's still a buffet at a hotel--not 5 star dining. I realize it was our choice to go there, and we still enjoyed it, but the cost of food there in general was a huge expense for us. There were very few meals there that we thought were worth the money.

 

[cabanafrau]

It's been a handful of years now since we've been to WDW & we're really not ready to go back. We did DL last summer and we would like to go back there, especially with all the new stuff they've opened this year.

I've been doing some reading on another Disney site and it seems we're not alone. WDW is not really performing so wonderfully anymore, a fact corporate attempted to bury by featuring any and every other success story they could throw out there to hide WDW's underwhelming results. Seems like even lots of longtime fans are beginning to tire of WDW resting on its laurels, only throwing out meager, superficial "updates" and expansions. WDW's numbers are being propped up by DVC, a fact which finally seems to be attracting some serious attention. I only hope it truly results in some long-overdue TLC for a wonderful resort.

 

[meggiebeth]

We have been to WDW once, and it will have been a year since our holiday in two days. Can you tell I miss it? Lol.

Disney is special to us. Because we are from the UK a Disney holiday is a huge deal. It takes us two years to save up- having a smaller much cheaper holiday in the mean time.

Last year the holiday cost us $16,000. And this was a fairly modest holiday, nothing too extravagant. For this price, we could go anywhere really, California, Hawaii or Australia among other places. Sometimes I do wonder whether we are spending our money in the right place. We've been trying to do up the house for Years but WDW always gets prioritized. I do miss it terribly, but recently I have been noticing Disney seems to be getting too greedy.

The dining plan prices have soared. We have gotten a free regular DDP with our package at SSR this year. To upgrade to deluxe which we really wanted to do, would be £1200. However just two years ago in 2011 it would have been only £700 which is a HUGE amount less. This has made me feel a bit bitter towards Disney if I am honest.

How do I get through the years of waiting to go back? Watch Disney movies of course, along with going on the DISboards and talking to my family about it, despite the fact they sometimes get fed up of it. however its the best holiday we have ever had and I wish I could go back yearly. If I ever get fed up of it then I would love to visit someplace else. I would love to explore America and holidaythere. You guys are so lucky being so close to all the US has to offer