Disney Parent Shares Disney World Struggle: “After Spending Thousands…How do I Actually Enjoy it?”

The Walt Disney World Resort is supposed to be “The Most Magical Place On Earth,” where guests can escape their daily lives and visit “The Land of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy” at Magic Kingdom, walk around the world–and even leave it–at EPCOT, step into the Star Wars Universe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and go on a real-life safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

But for the parents who are making often unseen sacrifices to make magical vacations happen for their children, it is hard to feel the magic when they are the ones feeling the thousands of dollars being spent and then having to maintain expectations by navigating massive crowds and long lines.

In the leading days up to her daughter’s birthday trip, one woman asked fellow Disney fans the blunt question, “After Spending Thousands on My Trip, How do I Actually Enjoy it?”

The mother explains, “I want this to be a trip of a lifetime, because I’ve saved for it, but y’alls are scaring me off with Lightening Lanes and Genie pluses, and I feel if I don’t ‘buy in’ further to the magic, we won’t get on any rides. And it’ll be like a feeding frenzy all around us for our five day stay, based on current reports.”

She says that she wants her mother-daughter girls’ trip to be fun and flexible and not five days where everything is scheduled to the T with Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane, and it becomes a case of survival of the fittest.

The onset of the digitization of Disney World vacation planning continues to be an issue among lifelong fans, with many declaring that you need a major in Disney to master the new systems. The supposed requirement to secure Lightning Lanes before the parks even open has also resulted in entire Disney days being ruined and standby lines getting longer.

The virtual queue system currently in place for the latest rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON: Lightcycle/Run has also been argued as creating new levels of inaccessibility.

But many fans tried to give the Disney mom some peace, reassuring her that Disney Genie+ is not a truly mandatory part of the day and that they should only use it for the high demand rides such as Avatar Flight of Passage.

Other tips, such as hitting those high-profile attractions at “rope drop” and during fireworks, were also shared. One Disney fan also tried to tell her, “Stop focusing on the amount of money you paid. If you keep doing that, you’ll lose sight of the emotional and experiential value while you’re trying to justify the prices.” But, of course, that part is always easier said than done.

For any readers planning on experiencing the theme parks any time soon, we advise you to reach out to the Walt Disney Travel Company or your Disney-Approved Travel Planner.