What is your Disney "Breaking Point"?

[azcavalier]

Honestly, i'm not even sure what i'm asking...

I was thinking about a thread I was reading the other day where a poster was talking about how they hadn't been in a few years, and even though they love WDW, they weren't sure when they were coming back. And it wasn't really a money issue. It was an apathy issue.

I've been going to WDW for 14 years. I just got back from a short trip last weekend. We're going back for 8 days in September, and already are planning to return in the fall of 2016 with some friends, and we're possibly heading down in February to see my daughter perform in her marching band when they go down for a workshop. I'm still excited when we go, even though I've done everything more than once. I've probably ridden on Haunted Mansion 50 times, at least, and I'm still excited to do it.

But at what point do you stop? Many posters on here are upset with Park management for concentrating on what they think are the wrong issues, creating interactive queues when they should be creating new attractions (in their opinions). Many have stated that Universal is/has surpassed Disney in innovation for all that they have done with Harry Potter, Transformers, Jurassic Park, and now the Nintendo deal, while at the same time dismissing Disney's partnership with James Cameron and Avatarland. We know that Disney bought Marvel and Lucasfilm, and so has HUGE (I cannot possibly make those capital letters big enough) potential to knock it out of the park, if only they'll spend the $$$ to do so. There has been a lot of people here in Intercot that have expressed displeasure at the directions the parks have taken....half finished parks, renovations changed due to budget cuts, a loss in vacation dollar value through extra admission prices for special events and the raising of regular prices, whole buildings and areas of parks empty or shut down with no definite plans for future use, etc. So, not a few people have decided that while they love Disney and all of the memories, they've had enough.

I haven't had enough...yet. Honestly, I can see the day when I tell my wife, "You know what? Let's skip Disney this year and go see (insert National Park here)." Or maybe we save up and go to Europe and be tourists. Or Hawaii. I've never been to Hawaii. Or take a train across Canada (as Martin Short would have us do). It's a big world out there, and no matter how cool Epcot is, maybe i'd just rather go visit the beaches of Mexico on vacation.

But not quite yet.

[BrerGnat]

I'm not there yet either. I probably won't ever get there, to be honest. I just don't let myself get all worked up about the little things. I go to the parks, and I base my opinion on MY EXPERIENCE only, and often don't encounter even half the negative things I read about. It is still a very enjoyable experience for me and my family.

We do other stuff too. We visit other amusement/theme parks, other destinations, we cruise, etc. Disney is just a very special kind of fun for us and while we enjoy our other trips, they are nothing like going to Disneyland or WDW. As long as Disney continues to deliver the experience we have been enjoying for years, we will continue to go.

In fact, we just spent the weekend in Williamsburg and visited Busch Gardens. It was a nice time, and BG was an enjoyable well kept park with fun rides and friendly employees. We saw the historical sites as well. But you know what? I have no desire to ever go back. It was fun, but a "once and done" for us. I never stop wanting to go back to a Disney park.

We are moving next month and will be Disneyland "locals" again, and I couldn't be more excited! I will gladly keep handing over a couple thousand to Disneyland every year for my family to have annual passes because it is still totally worth it.

[Maddie]

Well, I am not sure I will ever hit a point where I do not want to return. I grew up going to Disney World, every year since I was a baby. Its about more than the newest attraction to me. They can never open another attraction and I will continue to go back. It is about the atmosphere and the memories I have gained. I can just spend time in the hotels and eating at the restaurants and have a good time. I love the excitement of lining up in the morning to get into the park. I don't need to sprint to the newest attraction, I just want to stroll down main street and feel happy!

[RBrooksC]

What I noticed with my wife and me, is that during the past four years, we have been to WDW in some way. We have been there with our kids and just as a couple.

The last couple of times, even though lines were short, we rarely rode anything more than once.

One afternoon, we left the parks and went to DTD and played putt-putt.

So, while it is depressing to think we won't be back for a while, it is nice so that the next time we go, the attractions will be fresh again.

It felt weird to just leave the park when lines were short and things were walk-on, but that is what we did.

[Priority Four]

Our family does not have a breaking point. We have two year breaks between years when we go four times. As stated above, it keeps it fresh for us. Disney trips make up about half of our vacations

I have never seen a Harry Potter movie (I do not live under a rock) and our kids did not grow up with video games (we are outdoor types) so Universal is not appealing to our family on that level.

Forums seem to sort of generate discontent sometimes by putting the subject under a microscope. I have been disappointed in the magic bubble before but I have never felt like a CM wasn't doing everything they could to help me fix it nor have I felt that a park was half finished or wished there was more to do.

[DANAM]

I don't think I would ever get to the point of no return. I mean that would take a lot. But I can tell you we have black listed several restaurants because of poor service. There are some hotels I probably wouldn't stay at for one reason or another. But collectively as a whole none of these things are so bad that I would never return. I guess at some point my kids may get tired of going but my DH and I have a bucket list of what we would do in the world without kids. So, I don't ever imagine myself not going. I've been coming my whole life its in my blood.

[Sylvia]

DITTO!!!!!

I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. No complaining or negativity - just many posters who appreciate the overall experience. Thank you azcavalier for starting this thread.

I've been a Disney fanatic since childhood and will be one forever. Everything that has already been written in this thread could have been written by me. I'll never reach the point of "never again". For me, WDW and DLR always have been and always will be my favorite vacation places. In just about 3-1/2 months I'll be heading back to WDW; and yes, I'm working on plans for the next trip in Spring 2016. Watch out for me. When I'm not visiting one of my favorite attractions, enjoying one of my favorite performers, or riding one of my favorite rides, I'll be relaxing on a bench, enjoying a Mickey bar, listening to the sounds around me, and people-watching somewhere in WDW and loving life.

[IloveJack]

They can never open another attraction and I will continue to go back. It is about the atmosphere and the memories I have gained. I just want to stroll down main street and feel happy!

Yes, this. Exactly.

[MNNHFLTX]

No wall for me. That said, I do find some of the recent changes at WDW a bit off-putting. Time will tell whether they grow on me or not.

[RunDMV]

My first trip was in 1989. I was deployed in Korea and my wife was stateside. upon my return, she planned a trip to WDW and we stayed at the Poly. I was hooked. we returned every year from 1989 to 2012, most years twice.

We watched the value for our dollar drop, but we still went. Our last trip was a computer disaster. the day we arrived was a day Disney changed over to a new computer system. we had pre-paid everything. upon our arrival, they could not find our reservations.

what was their solution? we had to pay OOP for 2 and a 1/2 days until they could find our reservations! we had to waste a lot of time when we first arrived and then again when they found our reservations. luckily for us, I have been truly blessed financially and I could afford to pay OOP. others may not have been so lucky.

shortly after this fiasco, the fp+ started. add that to the diminishing value and our computer fiasco, we have not returned to WDW and we don't plan to.

[dnickels]

I suppose it would have to be something financial-related for me. If it got to the point where I could only afford to go to Disney to the exclusion of some of the other places I'm fortunate enough to visit I might cut back or look elsewhere. Similarly, if I was running up debt to afford a trip or cutting back on saving for retirement and things like that then I'd have to re-evaluate. I enjoy Disney a ton but I'd rather be financially independent and able to do whatever I want by the time I hit 50 than have to work into my 70s because I gave all my money to the Mouse. Since I live nearby most of the year I kind of get the best of both worlds, frequent visits at low cost, a $480 AP renewal is my cost to visit, not $4,000-$7,000 for a family trip including airfare + hotel + tickets + meals. There are things I wish Disney would change but overall I have fun when I go.

Granted, we're pretty much a Disney obsessed group seeing as how we've specifically joined a website dedicated to being a Disney fan. I've seen some people on here that REALLY have no breaking point, people that are...
-behind on rent, have no money to pay the next month's rent but still have a Disney vacation planned and paid for...
-selling off personal items they say they didn't want to sell because their daughter would only be a 'sophomore in high school once' and they just HAD to go back...
-people swearing off Disney due to a price increase and less than 48 hours later posting about the great deal they just got on another upcoming trip.
Those are way beyond my breaking point, but to each their own.

[kakn7294]

My family hasn't reached that point yet either. Sometimes we skip attractions because they're not a favorite or there's no time and sometimes we don't ride things more than once per trip but we always feel sad when we leave and can't wait to begin planning the next big adventure.

I don't feel that Disney needs to compete with Universal. They are two completely different things - Disney is more family-oriented and classic where Universal is more thrilling and contemporary. I prefer Disney. I'd never go to Universal ever if it wasn't for Marvel.

[JanetMegan]

Great question and discussion...I'm also not at that point but I do have to say the kind of massive planning that needs to be done these days is a little off-putting. I mean don't get me wrong, I am a natural "planner" kind of person but the thought that I have to put into securing ADRs, Fastpasses etc is a bit much sometimes. It takes some of the fun out of it. It will be interesting, we have two trips planned in the next approx. 18 months. One just DBF and me (the 52 yr old who has never seen a Disney movie) this Fall and then an extended family trip including little ones next Fall. I would say that probably after that we will take a little break and do something else for awhile.

[dpamac]

I think it's important to remember that what causes a negative experience is completely subjective. There are hundreds of reasons why one person could be souring on the WDW experience while another is finding their reasons to go increasing.

I think most of us would all agree that the main reason we go is that "feeling." Call it magic, call it an escape from reality, call it fantasy...the Disney experience calls a certain group of people back again and again because it makes us, well, happy. For some of us it makes us feel as though we're kids again. Others find it relaxing. Some find it thrilling. Some love watching their kids experience the magic. Others find luxury. There's no one thing that makes the place special. It's not a tangible thing you can point out. It seems to be a feeling.

When that feeling starts to fade, it's not a pleasant feeling because you really do feel as though you're losing something special. It doesn't just happen over night. It takes time. A few trips don't quite do it. A few changes may directly impact what that "thing" is for you. You stop planning your next trip before your current trip is over. You stop listening to ride music at work. You find yourself in the middle of a trip and just not feeling amazed and delighted. It's not as magical.

It may be you. It may be the park and changes. Who knows? But when your special place no longer feels special your first instinct is to try and get it back. It might come out on message boards as being negative, constant complaining, never being happy because that's all you can focus on. You want it back, so you shout to the mountain tops, pleading for it to return. People who are complaining about changes aren't complaining because they are bitter. They're truly upset because they feel they've lost something special. Maybe it was the closure of a quick service restaurant that finally tipped them to the point where they want to rally others to help them get it back. Some people are better at complaining politely than others (it's those others that tend to start flame wars).

I'm one of those people who has been feeling the magic waning. My kids are sill excited, and planning constantly. For me? My last few trips have not been filled with Disney magic. I don't know why. Luckily I had wonderful people who made the experiences magical. (Friendship is magic! Sorry. I don't know why I felt the need to say that.)There are things I certainly don't like that have changed over the years, but there have also been many things that have changed that I genuinely love. Could be the parks. Could be the business decisions. Could be me. Could be all three. Something has changed for me.

And that makes me sad. I don't mean to sound negative about the things I complain about. I certainly don't complain about them online (though I might crack some jokes). But those complaints are really made with a deep love for something. It certainly doesn't help me feel better when I do talk to my friends and, rather than listen and discuss it, they chide me for being negative. Nor, I'm sure, would like like me calling them Pollyanas because they have a more positive outlook. We each have our own experiences and should be able to share them.

I don't know if I have a breaking point because I always have hope for what's around the corner. But I can say that I've been enjoying things a lot less and I can't point to several things that contribute to that. As it stands, I don't have any plans to return to WDW in the near future. I'm sure I will. I always do. But I'm not planning a trip--even a pretend trip that is for the sole purpose of daydreaming. That's odd.

I wrote a lot. Sorry.

[azcavalier]

I think it's important to remember that what causes a negative experience is completely subjective. There are hundreds of reasons why one person could be souring on the WDW experience while another is finding their reasons to go increasing.

I think most of us would all agree that the main reason we go is that "feeling." Call it magic, call it an escape from reality, call it fantasy...the Disney experience calls a certain group of people back again and again because it makes us, well, happy. For some of us it makes us feel as though we're kids again. Others find it relaxing. Some find it thrilling. Some love watching their kids experience the magic. Others find luxury. There's no one thing that makes the place special. It's not a tangible thing you can point out. It seems to be a feeling.

When that feeling starts to fade, it's not a pleasant feeling because you really do feel as though you're losing something special. It doesn't just happen over night. It takes time. A few trips don't quite do it. A few changes may directly impact what that "thing" is for you. You stop planning your next trip before your current trip is over. You stop listening to ride music at work. You find yourself in the middle of a trip and just not feeling amazed and delighted. It's not as magical.

It may be you. It may be the park and changes. Who knows? But when your special place no longer feels special your first instinct is to try and get it back. It might come out on message boards as being negative, constant complaining, never being happy because that's all you can focus on. You want it back, so you shout to the mountain tops, pleading for it to return. People who are complaining about changes aren't complaining because they are bitter. They're truly upset because they feel they've lost something special. Maybe it was the closure of a quick service restaurant that finally tipped them to the point where they want to rally others to help them get it back. Some people are better at complaining politely than others (it's those others that tend to start flame wars).

I'm one of those people who has been feeling the magic waning. My kids are sill excited, and planning constantly. For me? My last few trips have not been filled with Disney magic. I don't know why. Luckily I had wonderful people who made the experiences magical. (Friendship is magic! Sorry. I don't know why I felt the need to say that.)There are things I certainly don't like that have changed over the years, but there have also been many things that have changed that I genuinely love. Could be the parks. Could be the business decisions. Could be me. Could be all three. Something has changed for me.

And that makes me sad. I don't mean to sound negative about the things I complain about. I certainly don't complain about them online (though I might crack some jokes). But those complaints are really made with a deep love for something. It certainly doesn't help me feel better when I do talk to my friends and, rather than listen and discuss it, they chide me for being negative. Nor, I'm sure, would like like me calling them Pollyanas because they have a more positive outlook. We each have our own experiences and should be able to share them.

I don't know if I have a breaking point because I always have hope for what's around the corner. But I can say that I've been enjoying things a lot less and I can't point to several things that contribute to that. As it stands, I don't have any plans to return to WDW in the near future. I'm sure I will. I always do. But I'm not planning a trip--even a pretend trip that is for the sole purpose of daydreaming. That's odd.

I wrote a lot. Sorry.

Don't apologize. This is *exactly* the kind of response I was hoping to get. Even I am surprised at the overwhelming positive responses on this thread. But you eloquently stated just what I was wondering. I still love WDW, and admittedly am still excited to go back every time we do, but not quite as excited. Maybe because it's not new, or we've overdone it in the past few years...I don't know. But this last time, as I found myself riding the Gran Fiesta Tour, looking at the (dated) video of tourist Mexico, I found myself thinking, "Man, i'd rather be in Mexico." And I then spent the rest of the weekend thinking about going to someplace tropical on vacation. Which is something that doesn't interest my wife *at all*. She loves WDW. And she is the breadwinner and has a high stress job. So, if it keeps her happy, I'll keep going. Because she needs the vacation more than I do. And it's still her happy place. I'd say that my tipping/breaking point for it being "magical" is much closer than hers is.

[Christine]

This is a GREAT topic and have loved seeing the insight from everyone. Clearly we moved across the country to be here at WDW, so I haven't reached that point, but as someone else stated, some of the things happening right now are a big off-putting. #Frozen

[SandmanGStefani24]

I think most of us would all agree that the main reason we go is that "feeling." Call it magic, call it an escape from reality, call it fantasy...the Disney experience calls a certain group of people back again and again because it makes us, well, happy. For some of us it makes us feel as though we're kids again. Others find it relaxing. Some find it thrilling. Some love watching their kids experience the magic. Others find luxury. There's no one thing that makes the place special. It's not a tangible thing you can point out. It seems to be a feeling.

.

Well said!

It would take very much for me to hit the point where WDW doesn't fit into my life anymore. I guess if you took away Spaceship Earth, the World Showcase, Space Mountain, the view of the castle from Main Street, Haunted Mansion, the Carousel of Progress, Splash Mountain, the TTA, and Big Thunder Mountain, maybe I'd stop coming.

The whole process of getting away from the real world, meaning, the flight, MCO, the drive to WDW, the feeling of going through the gates at MK for the first time, being at a WDW resort, driving up to Epcot, these are all things that I don't get anywhere nor can I put a price on. Not much else makes everything else go away like WDW. Even a message board or youtube video can do the trick on a bad day. Breaking point?

This guy is far from it. And is proud of it.

[Stu29573]

Since I'm a lifelong resident of Texas, and not especially wealthy, my trips are pretty few and far between (as you can see by my signature). Actually, though, this fact is somewhat of a blessing. I think if I went multiple times a year, or even once a year, I might get burned out. The way it is, however, I'm always excited about that next trip because it's such a BIG DEAL. Its a tradition that started at Disneyland with my grandparents, continued at WDW with my daughter, and is now further continuing with my grandchildren.
I have memories of my grandmother getting off the Matterhorn and taking a "stress pill," my daughter walking down Main Street U.S.A at night with the lights on her sneakers adding to the lights on the buildings, and my wife looking at me on Big Thunder Mountain with what she said was the "look of fear!" All these memories are years, even decades apart, and all are part of "The Magic." ...and there are hundreds more.
So will I ever get tired of Disney? I really don't think so. Because Disney isn't really a place for me, its an ideal. Its a feeling. And for me, its pretty rare.

[Airblue1]

When quality decreases

[missymouseworld]

But at what point do you stop?

I am hoping this never happens and our family continues to enjoy WDW. As our children are growing up, the dynamic of trips continues to change......