I got bored with Disney World after 300 visits — now I’m going here 5 times a week instead

Alex Mitchell
·2 min read
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A Disney-loving family is moving on from the house of mouse for another theme park.
A Disney-loving family is moving on from the house of mouse for another theme park.

Even the happiest place on Earth gets old, apparently.

A millennial superfan who has visited Disney World a whopping 300 times — and even moved hundreds of miles to Orlando to be closer to the theme park — is shockingly shifting her loyalty a few miles down the road.

“Leaving Disneyland really took it out of me, emotionally and mentally,” Holly Cole — the 30-year-old who in 2022 relocated from Nashville, Tenessee, to Auburndale, Florida — told South West News Service.

Now Cole, her husband Cody and daughter Willow are adventuring to nearby Universal Orlando — with the plan of going a good five times per week.

The mom of one, a Navy veteran and former merchandise employee at Disney, lamented that although the “pure joy and happiness” of the theme park saved her marriage, it “became very monotonous for us after a while.”

But things are looking more magical now.

A Disney-loving family is moving on from the house of mouse for another theme park. TNS
A Disney-loving family is moving on from the house of mouse for another theme park. TNS

“The first time I went to Universal, I sobbed and bawled,” she said of visiting there in November 2023, adding that the choice to get $200 unlimited season passes was made after a single visit.

She said the move saved her from “a really low point” in her life.

The Cole family is no longer spending their days at Disney but instead visiting Universal in Central Florida. Holly Cole / SWNS
The Cole family is no longer spending their days at Disney but instead visiting Universal in Central Florida. Holly Cole / SWNS

Cole, a “Harry Potter” diehard who makes a new living as a part-time personal shopper, would go to the park sporting her own witch’s robes and would wisk through the wizarding world section.

Willow also loved “to meet Spiderman all the time” and enjoyed “E.T.” and Dr. Suess-themed attractions as well.

Cole found herself emotionally in awe at Universal. Holly Cole / SWNS
Cole found herself emotionally in awe at Universal. Holly Cole / SWNS

“But I had a blast — despite having a really simple day, I do feel like it saved me from a really low point in my life,” Cole recalled of the emotions she felt no longer working at Disney.

“It was exactly what I needed to get into the right headspace,” she said.

And Cole — who gets discounted passes for veterans — still looks back fondly on her initial excursion to Universal Orlando.

“I breathed and I people-watched — that’s all,” she said of her costumed visit. “I had my robes on, I had human contact —- I was at peace.”