We recently spent a few days at The Campsites at Disney’s Wilderness Resort to break up our drive from the Florida Panhandle to Key West. The park is stunning and lush (Starlink there, not so stunning and lush. Be warned.) We love amusement parks, but it has been a while since we've been doing anything bigger than a Legoland ride (which only scaredy cats count). We bought our passes onsite (like true amateurs, I know)— roughly a thousand bucks for two days' worth of park hopping. Not exactly chump-change, but thems the breaks if you want to experience Disney in 2024. We swallowed our bitter pills and moved on to hoping the last decade didn’t secretly saddle us with new, unknown middle-aged stuff that would preclude us from enjoying all the parks have to offer. 

Turns out many of the offerings weren’t available to us, period. Our first day, with visits to Epcot and the United Kingdom, was such a bummer that we vowed never to return. (Dramatic, I know.) Changes to the Lightning Lane Pass system have happened since we last went, and scheduled times are needed to get on almost all the most popular rides. It’s an additional expense, and none were available for purchase when we bought tickets. Old-fashioned waiting in line isn’t even possible! Big time bummer. With not a lot to do, we turned to people-watching. It didn’t take long to realize how unhappy so many looked (and sounded). A visiting alien might wrongfully infer that Disney is the most miserable place on earth. Maybe somewhere we send people for punishment? Yet, with some of the biggest crowds I’ve seen anywhere, Disney seems more appealing than ever. What keeps everyone coming back, including us? (I should hang my head in shame as I admit we’re going back in January for another round, hopefully better prepared). 

The thing is, I was ready to add Disney to our Never Again list, but then a few Lightening Passes opened up for our second day, and we were able to schedule a handful of rides. With our first one under belt, we felt our resolve never to return evaporate. Poof. Gone. Exhilaration is hard to come by in everyday life, and  I hate to admit it, but Disney allows for so many moments of delight. So many opportunities to belly laugh, look in awe and wonderment, feel kid-like, and feel exhilarated. It may sound trite, but feeling like a kid helps us stay young. Who couldn’t use a day or two of that? Colan and I certainly can, which explains our Disney love-hate relationship and why we already have our 2025 spot booked at Wilderness. And more importantly, calendar reminders set to buy every Lightning Lane Pass we can get our hands on. 

Hope to see you out there!

-CL