We have been going for nigh onto 37 years. My son went his first time when he was just shy of 3 and has gone at least once every other year since, and some years he has been once a year. I was a single mom so it was a tradition for us. For the past 10 years, I take at least one solo trip a year (did have to skip a year for Covid).
Has it changed in 37 years, well of course but then so have I and certainly so has my son. Is it better or worse? Not for us, it's just different. We still love it, higher prices, masks or no masks, hard to get ADRs, long lines, makes no difference to us, we are at Disney. I went in April solo, my first trip back since Feb. of 2020 just before the close down and just about cried when I drove onto property. Then you had to wear a mask at all times even outdoors, it was fine. Lots of things weren't open and there were no shows, it was fine.
I was there again in Sept. with my son, his SO and their baby. It was my son's SO's first time at Epcot. Are there a lot of construction walls? Yes, did she mind? No. She fell in love with Epcot, she had only been to the other parks once and that was all in one day so obviously she hadn't done a lot. Did she get to ride a lot of rides? Of course not, we had a baby so could only be in the parks about 3 or 4 hours in the morning and a couple of hours early evening. She still loved it. We aren't planners, which helps right now so we just did what we could, did child swap a few times and I stayed with the baby a few times without child swap so they could ride rides I really didn't need to. It was hot, it was crowded, tempers may have flared between mama and daddy, the baby had one night when she was going to cry no matter what (I sent them to the hotel bar and stayed with her, standing in front of the TV with cartoons on since that was the only thing that semi calmed her for about a hour and half until I got her to sleep), things were closed, you had to wear a mask on rides in 90 degree heat. Did we have a good time? You betcha, she loved it, the baby loved riding Figment and CoP and the Safari and seeing the little parades.
I'm going back, solo, in December and even with all the challenges and changes, am still looking forward to it and know I will still enjoy myself.