ORLANDO—Samantha Cutrara visits Disney World in Orlando an average of four times a year. She says she loves the immersion of it all, the ability to live a life she wouldn’t otherwise — to get dressed up, dance at a concert or dine at a fancy restaurant.
And she loves how it feels safely separated from the outside world. “This is not Trump’s America,” she said. “This is the Disney bubble.”
To some, that bubble — one that Canadians have flocked to for decades, a connection so tight Florida sometimes welcomes nearly four times as many Canadian tourists than those from any other country — has finally popped.
Trips by Canadians to the United States are down by more than 30 per cent compared to early 2024, according to Statistics Canada, and the so-called happiest place on Earth is no exception. Canadian travel agencies specializing in Disney experiences say bookings have dropped substantially since U.S. President Donald Trump took office — a trend jump-started by his tariffs and threats of annexation, and magnified by immigration policies and the war in Iran.
For many, the Canadian connection to Disney is unbreakable, although some are now taking their trips in secret, worried about what friends might make of their travel. In interviews, there are travellers who say they won’t let the politics of the moment keep them from providing core memories for their children. Others say the Trump administration scares them, but they hold their noses and enjoy themselves.
For Cutrara, who hosts the Disney Solo Magic podcast and as an academic has researched the clash between Disney and politics, she believes Disney is the “most apolitical political place.” But she said she goes because of what a visit gives her.
“That isn’t ignorance,” the Torontonian said. “It’s a strategic choice … to choose joy and magic.”
Trips to Disney World down significantly
It’s a choice fewer are making. On one humid day last month, at the bustling Disney Springs shopping mall near the park, Canadians were hard to spot. Douglas Rodgers, visiting from just outside St. John’s, N.L., with his wife, friends and 13-month-old son, said he ran into Canadians practically everywhere when he last visited Florida 12 years ago.
Now, he said he’s struggling to spot any, an observation backed up by Florida tourism board statistics.
The hit to Orlando’s tourism market is large enough that the city’s tourism group has targeted Ontario, Quebec and Alberta families with TV, streaming and digital ads. And while Disney does not release attendance statistics, travel agencies specializing in Disney experiences have seen a drop-off.
“There was a huge, huge shift,” said Christine Fiorelli, owner of the GTA-based Fairytale Dreams and Destinations travel agency.
Sandra Pappas, who owns ClickTheMouse, a St. Catharines-based Disney travel agency, estimates her bookings are down about 10 per cent across the board, with people instead turning to Disney Cruises or Disneyland Paris.
“People are still seeking that Disney outlet,” she said, “but they’re doing it in a different way.”
Disney World did not respond to the Star’s request for comment.
Among those who are still going to the U.S., the reasons vary.
For Sarah Burnett-Murray, who lives near Hamilton, it wasn’t much of a choice. She found what was happening in the U.S. “really unsettling and problematic,” but her adopted son, who is seven, had just gone into remission for Stage 4 kidney cancer. When Make-A-Wish offered him a dream trip to Disney, she couldn’t say no.
She told those around her who were unsure of her taking the trip, “What would you do for your kid?”
Once at Disney, Burnett-Murray and her family stayed in the park’s bubble — so much so that she didn’t know a hurricane was approaching until they began their drive back. She bought her son so many stuffed animals, they couldn’t see out the back window of their car.
The Disney World ‘bubble’
For many who are going, it is that immersive bubble that makes them feel confident. The park is about 111 square kilometres, about one-sixth the size of Toronto and twice as large as Manhattan. For families staying at a Disney resort, their only interaction with the state of Florida is the Orlando airport and a shuttle or taxi.
“The minute you walk into those park gates, it’s like the outside world doesn’t exist,” Pappas said. “It’s like you’re entering a different world.”
Nathalie Charette, who lives in New Brunswick, made three trips to Disney World last year; she and her husband, both retired, are self-described Disney addicts. They have an annual pass to the park and rent a condo nearby, which saves them money on meals and housing.
Charette enjoys the rides, the Disney-themed gear and relaxing in the sun at their condo pool. She decided to forgo one Disney trip last year because she didn’t feel comfortable with travelling to the States. Eventually, she decided it “is what it is.” She and her husband keep a low profile, she said, not wearing Canadian logos or talking about politics.
That extends to social media. She doesn’t post pictures of her and her husband at Disney because of the backlash she anticipates.
“A lot of people are for, a lot of people are against,” Charette said. “I just don’t want the comments and I just don’t want to be bothered.”
Rodgers shared Charette’s rationale for visiting.
“Like, I’m not gonna deprive my family of coming down here just because of stuff that’s on the go,” he said while shopping at Disney Springs, a mall near the park.
Leanne Lebel, who lives just outside Peterborough, wanted to travel to Disney with her sons, ages four and two, before they got too old. She felt unsure about travelling to Florida and instead chose Disneyland in California.
The family flew back the day the U.S. began bombing Iran.
“We won’t be back until his administration is done,” Lebel said. “It’s too unpredictable. You just don’t know what’s coming next.”
Fiorelli, the Canadian travel agent, said she’s beginning to see an uptick in Canadians travelling to Disney again. The opposition to U.S. travel is quieter, she said. The most recent numbers released by Visit Florida, from the fourth quarter of 2025, showed a small increase in Canadian visitors, from 517,000 to 642,000. Visitors were still down 13 per cent from the previous year.
Cutrara said she plans to keep visiting.
“There’s something that draws us back because of the ways it helps us be ourselves in the world,” she said. “And the world right now is sh—-y.”
