Some of the best moments of my childhood were spent at Walt Disney World:“ TheMost Magical Place On Earth”. Every two years my family and I would excitedly pack our things onto a plane down to Orlando. These trips were truly the highlights of my childhood, and at that time, Disney was my favorite place in the world. However, following the quarantine that ruined our scheduled trip in 2020, we haven’t been back.

Since then, I’ve longed to return back to the where I made so many memories. In the years following our last trip, I had heard about all of the new changes to the park, including the additions of a Star Wars themed area in Hollywood Studios and a new Guardians of the Galaxy ride in Epcot. These two movies series are my favorites of all time, and they added to the anticipation for my next vacation there.

In addition to these two changes, Disney is much different now than it was in 2018. There’s new rides, a mobile app, and much more. With these changes also came a heavy increase in tickets and food. The main reason we hadn’t returned in so long is really because of how expensive Disney World has become.

However, even though Walt Disney World has undergone change, I’ve changed even more than the parks. It’s been 13 years since I first went as an innocent 5 year old with my whole life ahead of me. Now I’m a senior in high school and legally an adult that’s preparing to leave for college. My life as I know it is about to change forever, and I am leaving the life as I know it behind.

I am no longer the person I was when I last went, and this fact worried me more than changes to Disney. Had I grown up too much for Disney? Would I even enjoy it when we go back? Was my love for the park just me being a kid?

These questions made me hesitant to want to even go back to the place where I made so many memories. I would rather leave Disney where it was than face the realization that it’s just another amusement park.

Then back in December when my parents told us that we would be going back for Spring Break of this year, I was extremely excited but also nervous. Would it really be like I remember?

Now that I’ve returned from my trip, I can say for certain that Disney is still a very fun place to travel for me but with some caveats. If you don’t want to read my full analysis, then my short answer is that Disney is great but very expensive. There are definitely aspects of the parks that are geared towards kids, but for the most part, Disney is accessible to all ages. While I had a great time with my family, it might not be the best vacation spot for teenagers, especially if you didn’t grow up on Disney like I did.

With this answer established, I want to dive into what I recommend most, as well as what I didn’t enjoy as much. While I had a great time at every park, I loved some more than others.

Overall, I would say that my time at Disney was much better than I had originally expected. I absolutely loved it as a kid, and this love was luckily retained through my teenage years. While I personally love the parks, I am aware that Disney is not necessarily for everyone, especially older audiences. If you are looking for a place to quickly have a good time for cheap, Disney is unfortunately not the place for you. However, if you wish to make memories that will last a lifetime, regardless of who you travel with, Disney is undoubtedly somewhere you should consider.