Disney Fatigue

Disney FatigueDisney … the most magical place on Earth, right? I mostly agree with that statement until what I refer to as “Disney Fatigue” kicks in. This usually happens around day two of being at the Magic Kingdom, before you’ve secured your FastPass for the 7 Dwarves Mine Train but after your 6th time on It’s A Small World. (Seriously though, is my kid the only one who wants to go on that ride over and over? And am I the only who who has an intense hatred for that ride?)

Disney fatigue is not only the absolute feeling of exhaustion after a day of walking close to 12 miles and standing during those times when you are not walking, it’s a mental state. It’s the sound of your kids begging for more stuff from the souvenir shop. It’s hearing the theme song for the fireworks (the same theme song they’ve had for years? Why won’t they change it?!?) at the end of every night. It’s pushing the gigantic stroller to try to get to your next reservation when all you really want to do is run over every slow walker in sight.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Disney. I love how excited my children get at the sight of Cinderella’s castle. My youngest daughter tells me how she wants to live at the hotel at Disney. And yes, the fireworks at the end of the night are magical. I love having days of “Yes,” meaning I generally say yes to any request the children have. Ice cream at 10am? Why not? A new princess dress? Sure! A third time on the carousel? Ok. But I just cannot stand all the people. And the people who walk in large groups, very slowly while staring at their phones, oblivious to the traffic they are causing. I would be willing to pay a large sum of money to go to the park before or after hours as an exclusive perk just to avoid the sea of humanity and germs. Andalso, I am just not a patient person. I do not want to wait more than 30 minutes for anything.

And our last trip there, a lot of Disney seemed to be broken without explanation. Filed under things that are not fun: being stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean for a half hour hearing an endless loop of “A Pirate’s Life.” Also not fun: explaining to your child that the Winnie the Pooh ride is not working after waiting in line for 40 minutes. Or having a reservation at Be Our Guest only to be told that, “There is a problem in the kitchen,” and that they have no idea when they will be able to seat me and my hungry kids. We were able to get past all of that and still have a great trip. But c’mon Disney. Get your act together!

I think what it all boils down to is my visions versus the reality. In my visions, everyone is smiling and laughing and holding hands while skipping through the Magic Kingdom. There are no tantrums or whining over wanting everything in sight. Reality is very different. It’s us pushing two strollers (a double and a single) through crowds, listening to the kids fight over who gets to sit in which stroller seat. It’s rushing to get to reservations, overtired kids, and overstimulation. It’s me just wanting it all to be magical and being disappointed when it’s not. Good thing I have about a year until our next trip to adjust my visions of the perfect Disney trip.  

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