Burnout

[Loneknight]

All of us love Disneyland...after all, why would you be here if you didn't enjoy it? I'm just as much a fan of the parks and of the history of Disney as most of you, but lately something has changed...

My last trip to Disneyland was....well, ok. I mean, maybe it was the dissapointment of not seeing the fireworks shows (high wind advisory cancelled the performance), or that people were unbelievably rude and didn't seem to care that my wife was in a wheelchair (you've never really seen people at their worst when you see them blatantly NOT care for someone with ailments, trust me).
The biggest thing for me was when we arrived, I wasn't all that excited. Sure, I hadn't been to the park for several months, the holiday decor was out and I was looking forward to seeing it all, but I wasn't thrilled about it. Then, when we got into the park, I didn't feel that sense of nostalgia wash over me like it usually does (the only time I felt anything was when we were standing near Walt's apartment, and I just stared up at it and let my mind wander).

Now it sounds odd coming from someone like me to not have any immediate interest in returning to the park, but then I was shopping at Vons last night, and they have the Twofer tickets on sale at the register. I looked at them, expecting to have some kind of "Hey, let's go to Disneyland!" feeling come over me...nothing.
To add insult to injury, I haven't felt an urge to continue reading more on Walt, or to look into more of the history of the parks, company, or the people responsible for it. This has been going on since December.

I think it's just being burned out on Disney. The draw for me to anything Mouse related is slim (however I did enjoy Daddyb's update), and I'm hoping that a break and shift in interest will restore that nostalgia I miss in walking through the gates to the Magic Kingdom.

Who else is feeling burned out? Or rather, what do you do when you're Disney'd out?

[garbagepixie]

I got yelled at by people while waiting for the fireworks. That really killed it for me. I was flagging down a friend and about to sit down. The fireworks are in the sky, so that was super rude and annoying. I was nice about the whole thing, but i really wanted to be rude and scream back.

[disneylover]

I noticed you have not been around for awhile Loneknight. I guess this explains why. I know for me I get really upset when people are rude to me at DL. I mean, its' the happiest place on earth, how can you be so mean? I found myself starting to get really agrivated on my last trip in December. When I realized I was letting these rude people ruin my day, I decided I was going to have a great day no matter what. No one can take the feeling of love that I have for DL away. It was very difficult to do, but I took everything that happened with a grain of salt.

As for when I start to feel Disney'd out, I usually look at some photos of trips to the park and remember all the fantastic memories I have there. I try to remember what it is like to be a kid again, and how exciting it was to go to DL. When you used to write your trip reports, you would bring tears to my eyes with your passion and love for the park and what the park represents. I would hate to see that love for DL leave you. Good luck and I hope you can find your Disney spirit soon!

[Loneknight]

Thank you for your kind words, Disneylover.

I've been around, but posting on topics lately hasn't really been appealing to me, either because a lot of these topics are re-hashes of previous discussions, or (and this is just my point of view) I've been seeing a lot of topics that revolve around the park in, for lack of better terms, negative connotations. All of this "Disneyland used to be this" or "Disneyland used to be that"....I realize that the park has changed, but topic after topic gets kind of old....although, if they do end up changing POTC the way the rumors are going, I'll be livid...off-topic, sorry.

As far as my last trip goes, what concerned me was when I just had very little enthusiam when entering the parks. Like I said before, I would usually act like a little kid upon entering the gates. This last time though, I was very low-key about everything.

I want to say that it was attributed to the recent biography I read on Walt, and how I had this expectation that after i finished reading the book, I would go back to Disneyland and have a much more profound respect for what Walt did. I do have a lot more respect for Walt than ever since I read that book, but maybe it was a trade-off? Maybe now I revere the park not as an amusement facility, but as a gathering for family, friends, and a place to just let your imagination roam, and I think it was disheartening to see that ideology put aside for marketing gimmicks, etc.

I admit the crowds kind of added to my "funk", but that was the least of my concerns. Again, why I'm like this all of a sudden is beyond me. I still love Disney, don't get me wrong. Walt will always be one of my top three heroes, in my book (next to my Dad). I think I just need to lower my Disney intake a bit. Since my last trip, coming here is about as much as I'd like to have.

And since Daddyb is starting up his updates again, that's a great perk!

[kodiak]

what has happened to you, my friend is a very sad thing. But I have your solution. When I go, I find that the great part of my joy and enjoyment come from enjoying the happiness of those around me. I love taking family and friends and especially introducing someone to dl for the first time. I experienced something similar to what you felt, but only for a moment. it was when I saw the joy of those I cared about that I felt energized again.

[RU42]

Kodiac said something that I was going to say - go with a group or friends or something along those lines.

I met up with Chris, daddyb, cavemandon or the holidays and it was a fantastic day. Being able to laugh, chat, and share with others brought a freshness to the day.

RU

[Mickey Man]

I agree with kodiak, when you go with someone who hasnt been before or is really young, it makes the whole expierience so much better. if you dont want to lose your love for Disneyland then you should probably not go for a while. soon enough you will probably start missing it and will do anything to go back. try something new next time that you have never done. anything to get back in the groove!

[linklewtt]

^^i know what you mean...it's very fun to show around an "inexperienced"; it really does give you a sense of leadership and knowledge over your companion. It's a really good feeling and a perfect therapuetic tool for you.

Man, thinking of that really makes me wish I had kids (don't worry, I'm gonna wait a while!). I can't wait till the day comes when I take my children to Disneyland for the very first time in their lives. They will be raised Disney magic, that's for sure!

[RankoAnime]

I was burned out from Disneyland a while ago. I had an absolutely horrible experience with a CM and had no interest in going to Disneyland. I took some time to distance myself from Disneyland and I think that helped a lot. I let my dissatisfaction of my last trip fade into the past. By the time Christmas rolled around, I wanted to return to Disneyland. Although I wasn't completely enthusiastic, I enjoyed myself.

What really brought back the spark was when I went to Disneyland in the beginning of January for my birthday. It was such a magical and memorable experience! Also, ever since the stress of school has started up again, I'm eager to return to Disneyland, where I can just relax and be happy.

[Fantasmic_Freak]

I was also feeling disney'd out, i get so once a year or so, i went with friends and the thing i do is just slow down, people watch and talk to the guy next to you about nothing and take it easy, or go with a big group of friends and goof around! Im almost Disney'd out again, yet im going with dare i say it, micechatters yah! on sunday and then with tech team on friday, its a perpetual cycle.

[Ratty12345]

I guess I never feel burned out about going to Disneyland, probably because I only go every 5 years or so (the anniversay celebrations).

[Robert Fuller]

I've had similar feelings of burnout, but I just attributed them to the fact that I have an annual pass and use it perhaps a bit too often. When I was a kid, a trip to DL was an event, you know? I only went once or twice a year, always on my birthday, and I would actually get severe bouts of depression the following day, because I knew I wouldn't be going again for awhile. Now, I can go anytime, and so it doesn't seem so special anymore. It's almost becoming mundane.

Plus large crowds get me down. I can usually only get that "special" feeling on days when there's very few people in the park. That's when the Disney experience becomes blissful again.

[dctrdez]

I know how ya feel loneknight. I got pretty burned out about Disneyland when I went down for the eveninga year ago to see my brother's band perform in the Disneyland Hotel. I got a free ticket to go into the Park with some friends, but I just didn't enjoy myself as much as I had in the past. The experience was very hollow...

But I discovered how to gain back that magical spark from being at Disneyland. You see, for the past several years now I had only gone to Disneyland with assorted friends, each experience being a little bit different because of who I was with. Last summer, however, I went with my immediate family for the first time in years because they wanted to see the 50th anniversary (and my mother turned 50 in December, so it has extra meaning for her). Being with my family, it was just like old times; the experience was so much more familiar than when I went with friends (who grew up experiencing D-land their own way), and I saw Disneyland in a way that brought back my childhood, being with my mom and dad and sisters and brothers. I felt like a kid again. It all just made sense to me.

Following that, we returned to attend the Halloween event at DCA. The same thing happened, and a bonus--my family had never been to DCA before. I was able to share a new experience with them.

I guess we need to remember Walt's idea for Disneyland, that it be a place where everyone can be a kid again, children and adults alike.

P.S. it also helps to not attend for a while...trust me, you'll miss it, and when you do, continue to deprive yourself of it for good measure. Then when you go, you'll have a blast. It's important not to deaden your mind to something by experienceing it too much.

[tnicnat]

I felt the exact same way last summer when I went - I was all hopped up on going, and went, but didn't stay in the parks like I used to and tended to avoid certain crowds and my sleep was more important. BUT I also was seeing my Mom alive for the last time so I believe that, that had more to do with it. It's been over a year now and I"m back to the disney loving self again. I look forward to going and seeing the old haunts - BUT now I'm getting more keen on going to WDW, since I'm on the east coast, I'm thinking why the heck not. Looks like I could be at the parks during the first weekend of May, don't know yet, will know more next week.

Don't feel bad, I think most go through it - you will snap back to a better place when you start to get over the burn out

[kodiak]

I must say, I am sort of priveleged in a way. living so far away from the park, I cant go as often as I would like to and maybe that is a good thing. the excitement and the anticipation is alot bigger. naturally, the satisfaction is great as well. I will talk about my most recent trip for years until I can make another. there is a time when I know that I'm "in season". That means that the craving comes for a trip. I start dreaming about it every night.... looking for rides... finding new rides that dont exist. I become kinda obssessed. I guess thats a great blessing of living so far away and having limited funds!