Thankfully, Disney Hasn’t Lost the Magic
For the body of five years, I’ve lived with a singular fear.
After my most recent trip to a Disney theme park, I’m relieved to say that the fear is finally gone.



Magic Kingdom
Thankfully, Disney hasn’t lost the magic.
A World Without Magic
I remember my trepidation during my second visit to Walt Disney World in 2020.
My family had attended the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts in January, and the experience proved unforgettable.


2020 Festival of the Arts
We had the best time interacting with friends and loved ones, and EPCOT seemed to have figured out what fans want from festivals.
Alas, the flight home hinted at what was about to come, as word had already circulated of a growing threat in Asia.


2020 Festival of the Arts
At the airport and on our flight, we noticed a handful of (unforgivably rude) guests shunning a few Chinese passengers.
Defiant as ever, I helped them get their bags from the overhead compartment and received a shining smile of gratitude in return.


Airplane
Still, I couldn’t shake the notion that something had changed in the world.
Later that week, Disney announced the closure of Shanghai Disneyland. Two days later, Hong Kong Disneyland followed suit.


Photo: Disney
We’d barely even unpacked our bags before society went on hiatus for a period of several months.
Many of us have that story about what we were doing the night the world shut down.


Photo: WHO
My wife and I were missing the social aspects of Disney, so we attended a Marvel Trivia night at a local restaurant and bar.
We were sitting in a packed crowd when we read the news that social distancing was strongly encouraged. It was a…terrifying moment.


Photo: Orlandomagazine.com
As someone with historically terrible lungs, the thought of COVID-19 frightened me personally, but it bothered me more professionally.
My job involves writing about Disney vacations for a living. Suddenly, nobody was taking those.
I spent every day obsessively researching the potential ramifications of COVID the entire time Disney was closed.
Throughout this era, my overriding fear was simple. Would Disney ever be the same?
The Forgotten Years at Disney
We have this unspoken agreement in society. For whatever reason, most of us avoid talking about the pandemic.
Collectively, we act as if it never happened in all but a small section of our community.


COVID warning
Whenever I go to the doctor’s office, it’s readily apparent that the staff hasn’t forgotten and probably couldn’t.
In May, I spent a few days in the hospital. I later noticed the memorial on the elevator near my room.


Disney World during COVID
As fate would have it, I was staying in the former COVID wing of the hospital. They’d honored every COVID-related death with this plaque.
Disney will never have a plaque like that because management prioritized the well-being of guests over any public backlash.


Credit: atlantaurgentcare.com
When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020, guests discovered a vastly different experience.
Park officials set up attraction line queues to conform to social distancing policies, and guests always wore face coverings.


Social Distancing floor markers
While the rules lessened in restrictiveness over time, many social media users and media critics assailed Disney for being different.
For my part, my family visited the parks three times during the pandemic.


Social Distancing
As I’ve stated, we found Disney to be a breath of fresh air, as our county had one of the highest COVID rates in the country.
We lamented that our hometown wasn’t as disciplined and forward-thinking as Disney.


Disneyland social distancing
Whether that’s a majority opinion is up for debate – I’ve had a lifetime of minority opinions – but we didn’t mind the changes.
A modified Disney vacation was better than the suddenly very real possibility of no Disney at all.
The Differences at the Park and Lost Magic
Still, a couple of issues were impossible to overlook. The first was that the Cast Members seemed…edgier than in the past.
Obviously, rules enforcement was tough on them. People work at Disney so that they can inject magic into tourists’ lives.


Social Distancing
Nobody wants to say, “Pull up your mask” or “Please stand back a few feet” to a stranger.
Alas, that was the job assignment for a while to maintain the safety of everyone…and it took a toll.


COVID-19 sign
Then, they were the guests, who acted grumpier and frankly less civil. And those were the in-park issues.
Beyond the parks, Disney’s then-CEO, Bob Chapek, made his feelings perfectly clear to all.


Photo: Playbill
The executive viewed his customers as ATM machines and little else.
He raised theme park prices whenever he needed more money for his business. The actions bordered on a compulsion.


Masks on
When I returned to the parks immediately after the reopening, Chapek was living on borrowed time…and rightfully so.
Still, the little changes, like the end of Magical Express and the introduction of what we now call Lightning Lane, created a vibe.


Past Mask Sign
During that visit, I was thinking too much about the negatives and still worrying whether Disney had permanently taken a turn for the worse.
Thankfully…
A month ago today, I was at Walt Disney World. It was my first visit in two years due to a wild run of bad luck with my health.
Before leaving, I worried about everything. Would my back hold up? Could I eat literally anything right now with my strange diet?


Cinderella Castle
What would I do if I started suffering chest pains at the park? I mean, it’s been happening all year (I’m fine.).
Frankly, my worst fear was ending up on that Theme Park Injuries report we cover every quarter. That would have sucked.


Magic Kingdom
Then, something funny happened. We arrived at my resort, Disney’s Old Key West, and I picked up my Muscle Milk and water.
The Chinese couple in front of us was also doing a grocery pickup, but they didn’t speak English.


Disney’s Old Key West Resort
I watched in amazement as the Cast Member kept saying “water” in other languages until he finally guessed right with Mandarin.
He then proceeded to speak multiple sentences in the language, sheepishly explaining to me later that he’d take rudimentary lessons for just that circumstance.


Old Key West Buildings
The following day, I reached the park and learned that a Cast Member on the phone in February 2024 had fixed my annual pass.
I paid for the pass in 2022 but immediately blew out my back (I’m fine).


Disney World Annual Pass
When we arrived at the park, we expected to spend half an hour fixing the problem at Guest Services.
After all, annual passes are supposed to be used at the parks within a year of purchase. It even says so in the fine print.


Annual Passholder Button
The fault was our own, yet that Cast Member set us up so well that we just tapped our MagicBands and entered the park.
Disney Hasn’t Lost the Magic
Guest Services had checked and told us everything was fine.
We wondered whether that meant our annual passes had already been activated and may expire in February 2025.


Timon & Pumbaa Annual Passholder Magnet
That wasn’t the case, either. Within ten minutes of our tapping in, the activation showed on My Disney Experience, with an expiration 12 months later.
Those three examples showed us that Disney customer service remains the gold standard.


Entrance at EPCOT
Several other instances during our visit reinforced this fact, as Cast Members seemed especially on their game.
While I realize that’s luck of the draw to an extent, we were blown away.


Cast Members in front of Roundup Rodeo BBQ
I met a server with 17 years of experience. She had transitioned to Rodeo Roundup BBQ and provided some of the best service we’ve ever had.
We, like, would have befriended her if we’d lived in town. The bond was that strong and immediate.


Roundup Rodeo BBQ
Every step of the way, Disney stepped up in providing a magical experience, and that includes park improvements.
As someone who adores EPCOT, I couldn’t believe how much CommuniCore Hall & Plaza and World Celebration Gardens improved the atmosphere.


“Walt the Dreamer” at Dreamers Point in EPCOT
Tomorrowland looks totally different at night now that Tron Lightcycle / Run has opened.
Also, now that the crowds at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have slowed down, it’s such an immersive place to explore.
Final Thoughts
Disney’s decade-long plan to improve every park has paid dividends, with each gate markedly better than in 2014.
Somehow, the whole place still feels like Disney, though. It’s as if the bad stuff never happened or has somehow been swept away.



Magic Kingdom
Most importantly, everyone seems happier. We know that Disney can survive anything and come out strong on the other end.
Nobody should ever forget Disney in 2020 and 2021. Instead, we should celebrate that Disney aced the biggest test in its history.


EPCOT
As we enter 2025, I’m more appreciative than ever that the magic remains during every Disney theme park visit.
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