Some of the magic is lost for me now... what are your feelings?

[sarah4770]

If you have ever watched the local news in your hotel in Florida, you will realize that violence and accidents are a part of every day life in a city of this magnitude. Disney is not immune.

 

[Ziggie]

Lucky! I was born in August 1971, and I can't remember a time when I didn't want to go to Disney World. The first movie I ever saw was Fantasia (our local repertory theatre played it when I was about three - mom says I laughed like a drunken sailor all the way through). I used to collect Disney vacation flyers from travel agencies when I was a kid, and dream about going. But I didn't manage to get there until 2005.

I'd love to hear what your first trip was like! I can only imagine how absolutely thrilling it must've been for you!

 

[TAX GUY]

I am more practical. If I were heading to the GF, I'd simply add "keeping an eye out for gators (where necessary)" to my list of things to watch out for - and would enjoy my vacation as planned.

This is us. We're headed to the GF in 2 weeks. My wife said the boys (our 13 year old son and his 13 year old friend) need to be aware of where and what's going on. Prior to this accident, it was more about "stranger danger"..... now its to include wild animals (snakes and gators).

We aren't canceling our trip. While it will sad to be at the location where this happened, it will be a reminder to me that life is far too short. Enjoy your time, your family and friends and take nothing for granted.

 

[CPanther95]

My first trip, the Pirates of the Carribean wasn't completed yet. My last trip was the year that the Portofino Bay was built over at Universal - been going there since.

 

[Ziggie]

If you have ever watched the local news in your hotel in Florida, you will realize that violence and accidents are a part of every day life in a city of this magnitude. Disney is not immune.

I'm a Floridian, I live in this state. Also, this isn't about violence...it's about a lack of Disney spirit.

 

[Ziggie]

This is us. We're headed to the GF in 2 weeks. My wife said the boys (our 13 year old son and his 13 year old friend) need to be aware of where and what's going on. Prior to this accident, it was more about "stranger danger"..... now its to include wild animals (snakes and gators).

We aren't canceling our trip. While it will sad to be at the location where this happened, it will be a reminder to me that life is far too short. Enjoy your time, your family and friends and take nothing for granted.

I appreciate your post TG... very true words. Especially "take nothing for granted". Have a fabulous vacation!

My first trip, the Pirates of the Carribean wasn't completed yet. My last trip was the year that the Portofino Bay was built over at Universal - been going there since.

Exciting!

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

This might be kind of dumb, but what about trying to do something to really help get you in the mood for Disney? For example, in our house, we would wake up Saturday morning and make Mickey waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, just like they serve at WDW. We'd go around the table and each say exactly which park we would go to that day if we were at Disney. We'd talk about what rides and shows we'd want to do and where we'd want to eat. We'd end up sharing some of our favorite memories, as well, and then pull out the vacation planning DVD (probably from this year, but not necessarily) and watch that. WE might even head to the zoo and listen to our Jammin' Jungle Parade CD on the way. That always works for getting us into the Disney spirit and excited for an upcoming trip.

 

[nugov2]

The bloom has been off the rose for me for a couple years. Disney just isn't what it used to be, my kids and dh would rather go anywhere but there(my dd picked Freedom Trail/Boston over wdw). I mean we will definitely go again, but nobody cares and I feel they have changed so much it isn't as desirable as it once was. These incidents are horrible and tragic, but it wouldn't change my view on the destination.

 

[disney world dreamer]

You wrote: if my parents felt the way you are i probably never would have gone to disney world and that would be sad.

You can't be serious, right? Have you read my sig?

i'm not seeing your point.

 

[Magpie]

I'd love to hear what your first trip was like! I can only imagine how absolutely thrilling it must've been for you!

We were driving down from Canada to visit my relatives in Mississippi, and my husband said, "Why don't we swing by Disney World on our way back? I know you've always wanted to go."

We stayed for five days, off site. That first day, we got to the gates just before opening. I remember walking up Main Street and thinking how clean and beautiful everything was, compared to every other park I'd ever been to. There was hardly anyone else there and (following my touring plan), we turned to the right to head toward Tomorrowland. As we crossed the bridge, I simply recall stopping and looking up and thinking, "It's like a dream!" It was the strangest feeling... like I'd stepped out of my life and into some childhood fantasy, only realer and more vivid than I could ever have imagined.

That first time, my husband was doing it just for me, but after... oh, something like 11 visits, he's got the bug now, too. He calls Disney his "happy place" and has every trip planned out for the next five years.

These are some of my favourite pictures from that 2005 trip...

My son is all, "Baloo is my best friend!" and my daughter is pretty clearly, "Please don't make me hug the strange man in a bear suit." (She was a lot happier when we ran into Mary Poppins, later that day.)

But my daughter got her own back a few days later...

She's all, "I'm riding a PONY!" and my son is just fried, like an egg on the sidewalk.

 

[Ziggie]

This might be kind of dumb, but what about trying to do something to really help get you in the mood for Disney? For example, in our house, we would wake up Saturday morning and make Mickey waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, just like they serve at WDW. We'd go around the table and each say exactly which park we would go to that day if we were at Disney. We'd talk about what rides and shows we'd want to do and where we'd want to eat. We'd end up sharing some of our favorite memories, as well, and then pull out the vacation planning DVD (probably from this year, but not necessarily) and watch that. WE might even head to the zoo and listen to our Jammin' Jungle Parade CD on the way. That always works for getting us into the Disney spirit and excited for an upcoming trip.

It's not dumb, you're lovely Your enthusiasm and positive attitude are wonderful!

The bloom has been off the rose for me for a couple years. Disney just isn't what it used to be, my kids and dh would rather go anywhere but there(my dd picked Freedom Trail trip over wdw). I mean we definitely go again, but nobody cares and I feel they have changed so much it isn't as desirable as it once was. These incidents are horrible and tragic, but it wouldn't change my view on the destination.

In all honestly, I think I helped clip the bloom off the rose by going to Disney so many times (and so often!) We'd go on a Friday, stay through Monday... go home.. and do the same thing all over again the following weekend (and so on and so on and so on). My daughter used to say "anywhere but Disney Mom, please!" Maybe we got over-involved? She used to go there and study at the Disney Institute (when she was younger... it was a different setup back then). We'd go for tapings of live TV shows... go home, turn around and go back in a few days.

 

[Ziggie]

i'm not seeing your point.

I've been to DisneyWorld over 550 times (we stopped counting). Does that sound like someone who didn't take their child there?

 

[Ziggie]

We were driving down from Canada to visit my relatives in Mississippi, and my husband said, "Why don't we swing by Disney World on our way back? I know you've always wanted to go."

We stayed for five days, off site. That first day, we got to the gates just before opening. I remember walking up Main Street and thinking how clean and beautiful everything was, compared to every other park I'd ever been to. There was hardly anyone else there and (following my touring plan), we turned to the right to head toward Tomorrowland. As we crossed the bridge, I simply recall stopping and looking up and thinking, "It's like a dream!" It was the strangest feeling... like I'd stepped out of my life and into some childhood fantasy, only realer and more vivid than I could ever have imagined.

That first time, my husband was doing it just for me, but after... oh, something like 11 visits, he's got the bug now, too. He calls Disney his "happy place" and has every trip planned out for the next five years.

These are some of my favourite pictures from that 2005 trip...

My son is all, "Baloo is my best friend!" and my daughter is pretty clearly, "Please don't make me hug the strange man in a bear suit." (She was a lot happier when we ran into Mary Poppins, later that day.)

But my daughter got her own back a few days later...

She's all, "I'm riding a PONY!" and my son is just fried, like an egg on the sidewalk.

I'm smiling from ear to ear Magpie ~ what a terrific post!! Thank you so much for sharing your memories and photos with me (((hugs!)))

 

[disney world dreamer]

I've been to DisneyWorld over 550 times (we stopped counting). Does that sound like someone who didn't take their child there?

ok now i'm really confused.
what does that have to do with what i said.
i just said had my parents felt like you are feeling now (feeling like you should not go due to a tragic incident) then i may never have gotten to go to disney world.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I feel the same way I guess. Of course, I don't have to face those feelings like you are, because I don't have a trip planned in the near future. But the nightclub shooting and the alligator death are making me feel like maybe Orlando isn't the safe, fun, happy family place that I thought it was.

 

[luvflorida]

t

Please.. I apologize... I don't mean to be doom and gloom.. but it's a feeling I just can't shake. I was just wondering if anyone else was having reservations about going to Disney this summer? Has anyone felt, even for a moment, like me?

I understand how you feel right now. I am having a hard time with an unsettling, uneasy feeling. The horrific attack at the GF has shaken me to the core. What happened to that precious little boy could have happened to any child.

I have some photos I took on my recent trip to WDW that I love...but I have a hard time looking at them now. My family and I stayed at the Beach Club Resort in May. I took a set of photos of my three grandchildren sitting on the beach enjoying Mickey Bars. When I first viewed the pics, they made me smile. The grandkids are holding their Mickey Bars, laughing and watching a nearby duck. They have ice cream on their faces and ice cream dripping onto the sand. When I look at the pictures now, all I see is the water behind them (they weren't close to the water's edge, but they're sitting with their backs to the water). In other pictures, I see where we moved into the shade and all I see is the tall, overgrown weedy grass almost touching their backs, and beyond that I see the water. I'll never look at those pictures now without getting an unsettling feeling. I even deleted a photo of my two-year old grandson sitting by himself in the sand with his back to the water, smiling for the camera. It made my heart race, and I just didn't want to look at it.

So, I get where you're coming from. Some of that "happiest place on earth" feeling has faded for me with this week's tragic accident. Having said all that, it won't keep me from going back to WDW. We will still vacation there and still have a wonderful time. But I can guarantee, I'll be more aware of my surroundings and more cautious around areas where wildlife may be present.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It will come back eventually. We are in the process of planning for next summer. We are saddened by what has happened but it's not going to get us down. Give it time and try what some of the other posters have mentioned.

 

[gotomu212]

I think maybe you are just sad in general about these events and it's hard for you to imagine having fun based on how you're feeling right this minute. I completely get it. The Pulse shooting has affected me deeply this week and a few times I found myself just sad. I was suppose to go to a mom's gathering Tuesday night and just didn't feel up for having drinks and celebrating while feeling this way.

I think that's a perfectly valid feeling and short term reaction when you feel affected by tragedy. It's a form of mourning (not to the extent you mourn a family or friend death but still). These feelings will probably fade with time though and by August you probably won't feel it as strongly. I personally wouldn't cancel my trip but I understand what you're trying to say.

I remember taking a vacation 6 days after 9/11. I wasn't scared or worked about my safety, but it felt weird to be happy and excited for a relaxing trip when the rest of the world (and myself) were still coming to grips with the attack.

 

[MickeySP]

Our next trip to Disney is this August where we have reservations for a 1 bedroom villa at The Boardwalk (our home hotel. so to speak). But in light of everything that has happened recently (Pulse, Grimme, GF sadness), I'm just "not feeling" it. I find myself sitting here wondering if I should just cancel the entire trip. I think a big majority of it is tied to Disney itself (is the bloom off the rose for me just a little bit?) because I feel an accumulation of incidents has adversely affected my Disney spirit ... Children drowning at AofA and Pop Century, the Contemporary death 3 months ago, the boy losing his life in the bus incident... all of it seems to be getting to me.

Please.. I apologize... I don't mean to be doom and gloom.. but it's a feeling I just can't shake. I was just wondering if anyone else was having reservations about going to Disney this summer? Has anyone felt, even for a moment, like me?

I haven't read the whole thread. But no, accidents happen, tragedy happens, whackos happen. Do I feel WDW is tarnished, no. No more than I think NYC was tarnished after 911, no more than San Bernadino is tarnished, no more than I feel my own hometown, Boston was tarnished - & I was working the Marathon so had a front row seat. WDW is a city, the population may change every week but with a population of that size things will happen.

So would I like to be in Disney this summer - heck yes!! I will not incidents, accidents or whackos take away a place I love.

 

[Poohforyou]

Seriously? Please don't make this tragedy about you. Do you know how many other children died the same day as that little boy? I can assure you there were plenty. Do you feel the magic is gone because of those other deaths?

For goodness sakes, disney is a business in the real world. It isn't an actual fantasyland.