Once upon a time, there were several magical places in the Land of 1,000 Lakes. In the central region of Florida, far away from the beaches and their bugs grew a cluster of kingdoms, each created to offer respite and pleasure for families the world over.
My first trip to Orlando was in 1974. The paint was still drying at Disney World, where there was a minimal park entry fee, and attraction charges were per ride, ranging from free to A-E ticket priced rides. It was much more like a county or state fair, giving patrons access to the restaurants, attractions, and gift shops, but allowing their wallet and ride appetites to determine their “spend” for each day.
When DisneyWorld opened in the early 1970s, General Adult Admission was $6.50 and an E-ticket attraction cost 90 cents.
During the interim decades, Uncle Walt’s playground gained competition as Anheuser-Busch expanded its Florida amusement park holdings from Busch Gardens in Tampa to Sea World, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica along the International Drive tourism/convention corridor in Orlando. Universal Studios perhaps mounted the strongest challenge to the growing Disney park dynasty with a family of parks and resort hotel properties to take on the House of Mouse.
As my first-born daughter, Barclay, reached school age, I became a Disney Dad quickly, and regular pilgrimages to the Magical Lands of ‘Lando would often include cousins, close friends, and even her competition dance team once, while following there for a performance.
Those regular visits paused for slightly more than a decade until her younger sister arrived. But perhaps my most enjoyable park visit to date — despite requiring a second mortgage to finance — was the first trip a couple of years ago with the grand-twin Mighty Mites, both their parents (Barclay and Cody), as well as their Aunt Olivia. I still find magic in those multi-generational family gatherings.
Olivia and I just returned from the Kingdoms again, where we celebrated our nation’s 250th birthday at Universal Studios, followed by three days at Disney and one at Aquatica. We enjoyed parts of each place, space, and day — but now with a half century invested in making these treks, I feel compelled to share some troubling observations, as the Land of Happiness seems to be evolving more into a Land of Plenty and a lesser land of have-nots.
At Disney World, I noted the watches and jewelry on the wrists next to the Magic Bands, and in the attire of most adult park visitors — this was a very upscale crowd.
We planned our July 4th at Universal Studios, my favorite of the parks. Unfortunately, my favorite restaurant there, an Irish Pub in the New York City section of that park was closed for rebranding and refurbishment. Olivia’s favorites, an E.T.-themed ride and a Live Animals On-Set stage show had retained most of their charm.
By far, Olivia’s favorite is the Magic Kingdom at Disney. Our day there truly was magical, and we almost never left Fantasyland, home to the bulk of Disney princesses and villains. We visited all our old favorites as well as chatted briefly with Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle. The latter gave Olivia a now-treasured bookmark, as both my daughters love to read.
Again, by comparison, the Disney parks were whiter than I had ever seen them, with more Rolexes and mothers clad in Lululemon. The Universal and SeaWorld parks were much more teen-aimed and reflected a more mid-market and diverse customer base.A large segment of America has long been priced out of an “on property” Disney Resort stay, but recent and coming price increases may make the dream of even a park visit become only a fantasy for all too many.
A final, magical moment came during our day at EPCOT. Princess Aurora, better known as Sleeping Beauty, was walking through France in EPCOT’s World Showcase area. The first full sentence Olivia spoke with me was during a walk at around age 2, was when she began to sing the lyrics of “ Once Upon a Dream,” from Sleeping Beauty.
I shared this with Aurora, who was clearly touched. She took Olivia’s hand, and they began to walk and sing the tune together. I couldn’t get my mobile out fast enough to capture that on video, but we did get a few more magical photos and memories.
And we are wishing the same for you and your family this hot summer of 2026.
