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, a cluster of kingdoms grew, each created to offer respite and pleasure for families from around the world.
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 based on individual rides, ranging from free to A-E ticket-priced attractions. It was much more like a county or state fair, giving patrons access to restaurants, attractions and gift shops while allowing their wallets and appetites for rides to determine how much they spent each day.
When Disney World opened in the early 1970s, general adult admission was $6.50, and an E-ticket attraction cost 90 cents.
Over the intervening decades, Uncle Walt’s playground gained competition as Anheuser-Busch expanded its Florida amusement park holdings from Busch Gardens in Tampa to SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica along Orlando’s International Drive tourism and convention corridor. Universal Studios perhaps mounted the strongest challenge to the growing Disney park dynasty, with a family of parks and resort hotels taking on the House of Mouse.
As my first-born daughter, Barclay, reached school age, I quickly became a Disney Dad. Regular pilgrimages to the Magical Lands of ‘Lando often included cousins and close friends — and even her competition dance team once, when we followed them 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 multigenerational 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.
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 noticed the watches and jewelry on wrists next to the MagicBands, as well as the attire of many adult park visitors.
This was an upscale crowd.
We planned to spend July 4 at Universal Studios, my favorite of the parks. Unfortunately, my favorite restaurant there, an Irish pub in the New York City section of the 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 rarely left Fantasyland, home to the bulk of Disney’s princesses and villains. We visited all our old favorites and chatted briefly with Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle. The latter gave Olivia a now-treasured bookmark, as both of 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-oriented 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 far 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. The first full sentence Olivia spoke to me during a walk at around age 2 came when she began singing the lyrics to “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 phone out fast enough to capture it on video, but we did get a few more magical photos and memories.
And we wish the same for you and your family during this hot summer of 2026.