Disney “Responds” to Universal’s Epic Universe
Since Universal Orlando announced its third theme park, fans have been fans have been anxiously awaiting an answer to this question: how will Walt Disney World answer Epic Universe? Well, Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro have provided that response. Fair warning: this is not going to be even remotely satisfying to most fans. (Updated May 14, 2025.)
The latest development comes via a question-and-answer session that Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro participated in at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference on May 14, 2025. During that, the head of Parks & Resorts once again addressed the competition posed by Epic Universe, and how the opening of Universal Orlando’s new theme park has impacted bookings at Walt Disney World.
D’Amaro pointed to new additions at Walt Disney World over the last several years, and basically reiterated the “rising tides lifts all ships” thesis that’s been advanced by CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston over the last several earnings calls (and beyond). D’Amaro drew attention to TRON Lightcycle Run, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and more, saying, he could “almost guarantee” that new tourists coming into the market are not going to miss any of those attractions.
He pointed to Walt Disney World’s strong results for the last quarter, as well as the forward-looking forecast, which we discussed at length in Walt Disney World Bookings Are Up for Rest of 2025. As the title suggests, bookings are outpacing last year for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. During Disney’s latest earnings call, CFO Hugh Johnston expressed enthusiasm for the Experiences segment, indicating it performed better than expected for the fiscal quarter.
Johnston also revealed that bookings for Walt Disney World are trending up 4% in the third quarter, are up 7% for the fourth quarter, and even early 2026 is outpacing the prior-year. As a result, the Experiences segment should outperform Disney’s original guidance. D’Amaro pointed to these year-over-year bookings–that the strong numbers speak for themselves and underscore that Walt Disney World’s “strategy is working.” D’Amaro reiterated that Walt Disney World isn’t seeing any signs of attendance cannibalization from Epic Universe.
Finally, D’Amaro made clear that the company’s is not sitting back in a ‘wait and see’ position. Disney continues to invest heavily in its “turbocharged” growth plan, and is “always on the offensive,” as will be demonstrated by the 10-year plan that’ll be revealed in the future. (What we have thus far is essentially Walt Disney World’s 5-Year Plan.)
All in all, not really much new ground covered. In fact, this is so eerily similar to what was said before, that it felt like D’Amaro was reading from the same script that CEO Bob Iger used last year at the same conference, albeit updated with fresh forecasts on bookings. Here’s what was previously shared by the CEO at last year’s event, along with our commentary to that from last year so you can assess for yourself how well our perspective has aged…
For his part, Bob Iger participated in at the MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit on May 15, 2024. During that, Disney’s CEO once again addressed the competition from Universal’s Epic Universe, expressing confidence in the strategic investments that Walt Disney World has made over the last 5 years and the company’s portfolio of intellectual property.
More to the point, Iger said this: “As we’ve seen in the past, when Universal has expanded, it brings more visitors to Orlando. That’s fine. We’ve had competition from them for a long time. I’m mindful of what they’re doing, but I’m confident. I like our hand. I’m confident in what we’ve built and I’m confident in what we’ll continue to build. It’s not something that should be distracting to us or anxiety-provoking.”
In discussing what Walt Disney World has already built, Iger pointed to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle Run, and other additions. He also talked up the record-setting attendance and growth Disney’s Parks & Resorts have achieved post-pandemic, as well as their multi-generational appeal.
“The experience that we deliver, whether it’s at a park or on a cruise ship, is an extraordinary experience that I think where the value is not going away. It’s showing no signs of ebbing at all,” Iger said. He also commented on the parks’ resiliency, indicating that investments in Walt Disney World and other parks are smart as a result–echoing comments he’s made previously.
During the same conference, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts discussed Universal’s Epic Universe and called it the “absolute, state-of-the-art, best-in-the-world theme park.” High praise. Roberts continued to hype up Epic Universe and the state of the art technology it’ll use both on attractions and throughout the park as a whole. Epic Universe is “going to redefine the park experience,” he added.
Roberts noted that Universal has taken several years to build Epic Universe, and that it’s one of the most ambitious construction projects in the United States. “There’s more dirt that’s been moved, steel brought in [to build] hotels, restaurants, retail. I don’t think there’s been anything quite like Epic Universe in the country.”
Prior to this, an article in the Wall Street Journal addressed the threat Epic Universe poses to Disney. It was mostly grievances from fans, but there was one tidbit from Disney in the article: “Epic [Universe] is Universal playing catch-up on a decade of nonstop development at Walt Disney World,” said a Walt Disney World spokesperson.
The company indicated that it has been offering a steady stream of new and reimagined attractions, pointing to popular rides that have been added or updated in the last decade. This is also nothing new, and echos what CEO Bob Iger said recently about Epic Universe during the annual shareholder meeting.
During that, Iger was asked why Disney hasn’t prepared anything or placed more than just a handful of attractions in the pipeline to be ready in 2025 at Walt Disney World in response to Epic Universe?
In response, Disney CEO Bob Iger said “that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve been aware of Universal’s plans for a new park for more than a decade. We have a sophisticated approach to analyzing the needs of all our businesses, and strategically deploying capital.”
Iger pointed to a laundry list of additions at Walt Disney World during this same period: Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom; Toy Story Land and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios; TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. Finally, the multi-year, multi-billion dollar transformation of EPCOT, which included Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Journey of Water Inspired by Moana, and the great Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
“By staggering these major new launches, we’ve been able to commercially and operationally optimize our new offerings over time rather than all at once. Based on the guest feedback we’ve heard about through all of these additions I’ve mentioned, we know they’re extremely popular and serving our guests very well,” added Iger. “As we’ve discussed regarding our $60 billion capital expenditure plans, there’s so much more coming to our parks around the world–including Walt Disney World in Florida,” he concluded.
At least in part, we know what Iger is saying is true about Disney’s preference for staggering openings because we lived through this happening–in a bad way.
Remember everything that was supposed to debut “in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary?” Now remember when all of that actually opened? Walt Disney World took projects that were supposed to all debut by 2021 and spread them out into 2022 and 2023.
They didn’t do that primarily due to pandemic-induced construction delays, labor shortages, and so forth (although that undoubtedly played a contributing factor). They did it because slow-rolling the opening of attractions was strategically advantageous, especially because they shelved several other projects that were supposed to open in the years after 2021.
That approach has been a sore subject with this blog, but at least from a financial perspective, Disney played its cards well. Well, mostly. I still maintain that it was short-sighted to reduce the scale of the original EPCOT Festival Center and to delay that project for years instead of fast-tracking it. I think this viewpoint has been vindicated by EPCOT attendance and crowds since the World Celebration construction walls have (mostly) come down, but that’s another topic for another day.
One thing not to expect as part of that $60 billion investment plan is a fifth gate, despite many fans wanting a new theme park. Our view on that remains unchanged–it absolutely won’t happen. (Here’s Why a 5th Theme Park Will NOT Be Built at Walt Disney World in the Next Decade.)
Honestly, I don’t want a fifth gate to happen anytime soon. This isn’t because I think Walt Disney World is perfect as-is or that another park wouldn’t be cool. Quite the contrary! It’s mostly because 3 of the 4 existing parks need a lot of help (Magic Kingdom doesn’t, but is getting it anyway). That $17 billion would be far better spent improving what’s already there rather than sinking billions into new infrastructure and other things that aren’t new or reimagined rides.
In reality, Disney won’t have any official answer to Epic Universe beyond the above comments about Universal playing catch-up. They won’t acknowledge the project as a threat. These are all words we’ve written before in previous posts, most notably Is Universal “Beating” Walt Disney World? (Likewise, what follows is commentary reiterating what we wrote there.)
This lack of an “answer” to Universal’s Epic Universe is probably a big part of why disillusioned Walt Disney World diehards are now claiming that Universal is “winning,” “going to destroy,” or “beat” Disney. Fans are frustrated at Walt Disney World’s seeming complacency or arrogance, and want to see them “punished” for it as a result.
I can understand where many disenchanted Walt Disney World fans are coming from and agree with plenty of that sentiment. As a longtime fan, one of my fears for a while has been that Disney is inflicting long-term brand damage for short-term gain. There’s a laundry list of complaints about Walt Disney World. Not to mention Disney’s falling reputation, which is based on all of the above plus other issues.
I don’t agree with all of the complaints. Citing high crowds as a reason for Disney’s downfall is basically a Yogi Berra quote expressed unironically. I also don’t agree with the volume or intensity of the frustration. But there’s a reason guest satisfaction scores have been down, and also why Bob Iger is working to undo damage and lure back former fans.
With that said, a lot of the above is wishful thinking on the part of disillusioned Disney fans. We’ve been down this road before, and these types of predictions or sentiment have been wrong time and time again. This time is different. Except, it never is. Reports of Disney’s demise are, and always have been, greatly exaggerated.
Looking back to the last time Universal Orlando debuted a game-changing addition is instructive to this point. When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) opened at Islands of Adventure in 2010, the fan dynamic was similar to what it is now, just dialed back since it was before social media.
Starting in 2007 when WWoHP was first announced, there was a constant drumbeat from fans about an “answer.” The key distinct then was that Walt Disney World hadn’t really done anything in the decade prior. Fans at the time were starved for new attractions, as the period between the 9/11 tourism slowdown and the Great Recession had been pretty dark.
There was a much more rational basis in those expectations, as Walt Disney World was struggling and could use new additions. Consequently, there were high hopes for a “Potter Swatter,” and radio silence from Disney for almost two years.
Then Disney finally announced New Fantasyland. For many fans, that wasn’t enough. It didn’t originally include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train–and instead had a bunch of next generation meet & greets (like Enchanted Tales with Belle, but more of them). It was also slated to open after the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
In the lead-up to WWoHP, Walt Disney World’s public position was that “a rising tide lifts all boats” — that a stronger Universal was beneficial to Disney because it attracted more people to Central Florida. In actuality, Universal Orlando’s attendance soared by 1.7 million guests the opening year of WWoHP, with Islands of Adventure seeing 30% growth. Three of Walt Disney World’s parks dropped by 1-1.5%, while Animal Kingdom increased by 1%.
The following year (2011), 3 of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World were up by 1% each, while EPCOT was flat. Islands of Adventure once again surged–another 29% increase–but both Universal Orlando parks had lower overall attendance than any Walt Disney World park. In 2012, Walt Disney World’s parks each increased by ~2.2%. (New Fantasyland began opening on December 6, 2012–too late to have a meaningful impact on that year’s numbers, especially since all 4 parks were up fairly evenly.)
Walt Disney World’s rising tide thesis was correct: Universal had significantly increased its attendance by attracting an entirely new audience to Central Florida, which in turn benefited both. Fast-forward over a decade, and both Universal and Disney have experienced tremendous growth, to the tune of millions of guests per year each. The market for theme parks in Central Florida has gotten larger.
A new analysis from Wall Street analyst MoffettNathanson concludes that Epic Universe could cause Walt Disney World attendance to decline by about 1 million visitors in the two years spanning 2025 and 2026. Conversely, it could boost overall attendance at Universal’s three parks by more than 8 million. Note that this last number includes Epic Universe, meaning that–at least in theory–the new park could cannibalize attendance from both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando’s existing two gates.
Also note that these are some of the same big brains that suggested both Disney and Comcast should go all-in on streaming back in 2020 because it would take travel at least 5 years to recover. Prevailing wisdom on Wall Street at the time was that travel may never reach the same post-pandemic heights as it had in 2019, and that streaming was the future. Leisure travel recovered in 2 years, and investors soured on streaming in that same span of time. So not like these dudes have crystal balls (working ones, at least).
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was “only” one land back then, but it was a revolutionary one with a massive built-in audience. Epic Universe is an entirely new park, so the scale and scope is different–bigger. Disney has probably concluded that the only way to “win” is to not play the game–to fall back on the “rising tide lifts all boats” mantra. Iger’s comments take this a step further, suggesting that Disney already played the game, but did it over the last decade and as they strategically saw fit.
Regardless of whether that’s spin, the simple fact remains that no new ride or land is going to meaningfully compete with a brand-new theme park. Sitting out this round of the theme park wars and conceding the spotlight for a year might be the best hand that Disney can play. No Disney fan wants to hear this, but might be the smarter move than trying to steal Epic Universe’s thunder. Nothing Disney can do will top Epic Universe.
As fans, it’s also important to have self awareness. We are not the only type of guests who visit Central Florida’s theme parks. If anything, we are outliers. For theme park fans or frequent visitors (like readers of this blog), there’s a better chance that blockbuster new additions are the most compelling draws–a brand-new theme park is going to be of more interest to you than ones that are unchanged and you’ve experienced several times before.
That brand-new park would trump just about anything for you, and that includes a new land at Walt Disney World. If your time is limited, you’re still allocating it towards the new park over whatever Walt Disney World would add.
But for most average guests, the new additions from a single year or two do not exist in a vacuum. They aren’t the only selling points of the theme parks. Most people visiting in 2025 aren’t going solely on the basis of what’s brand-new.
Even for fans who visit semi-frequently, there are a lot of other recent, new-to-them additions. Everything from Hagrid’s and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will still be “new” to some fans in 2025. That’s a wide range of offerings spanning several years, but not everyone visits annually. Most people–even those who would self-describe as enthusiasts or fans–do not.
Then there’s the biggest demo of all: first-timers. For this group, everything at every theme park in Central Florida is necessarily new. When choosing which parks to visit, they aren’t simply picking the brand-new additions, although those probably are granted more weight thanks to marketing. They’re looking at the full menu, and what looks most appealing.
It shouldn’t be contentious to say that Walt Disney World is the more established and time-tested theme park complex. Even after Epic Universe, Walt Disney World still has one more park, a dozen-plus additional resorts, and more recreation.
Regardless of how you feel about recent movies, it also shouldn’t be controversial to contend that the Disney’s stable of characters created and acquired in the last ~100 years is more popular and enduring. Universal has made tremendous strides with popular character intellectual property in the last couple of decades, but they’re still not on level playing fields.
This is where things get more interesting in terms of competition for 2025 and 2026. Both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have been aggressively adding in the last decade. Many of Universal’s newest attractions are fantastic–Hagrid’s and VelociCoaster are two of the best roller coasters anywhere. Despite this, Walt Disney World has inarguably spent more money on new attractions and lands in the last decade.
It’s undeniable that the bump will disproportionately benefit Universal Orlando. It may be true that a rising tide lifts all boats, but it does not do so equally. Percentage growth for Universal Orlando as a whole will outpace Walt Disney World as a whole in 2025-2026.
If history repeats itself, Disney’s parks could see slight decreases–but the losses will not be commensurate with the growth at Universal. Stated differently, Super Nintendo World and Epic Universe as a whole will grow the audience for Central Florida theme parks, even if theme park diehards (like you!) visiting Universal and skipping Disney leads to a slight drawdown in attendance.
However, I wouldn’t necessarily bet on Walt Disney World seeing a drop in 2025. Epic Universe has all-ages appeal, but I’d hazard a guess that the park’s main draws (Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter) skew towards families. Not only that, but they do so to a far greater degree than Universal’s two existing gates.
The argument could be made that, as a whole, Walt Disney World does a better job of catering to this crowd than does Universal Orlando. On the basis of new additions, I think you could reasonably argue that Universal has been chasing Disney’s demographics over the last decade and Disney has been chasing Universal’s.
Nevertheless, the reputation still exists that Universal is the place for teenagers and thrill seekers, and Walt Disney World is more family-friendly. Accordingly, I would hazard a guess that many of the families planning 2025 trips to see Universal’s “new Nintendo and dragon park” will also include visits to “Disney World” (Magic Kingdom) and “Star Wars and toy park” (Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
Definitely not more than they visit Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida–convenience is huge, as are vacation packages–but possibly enough that at least those two parks and maybe even EPCOT don’t lose attendance at all in 2025. On the other hand, the situation is only going to get worse before it gets better for Animal Kingdom. No denying that one. Tropical Americas should be fast-tracked in the same way Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been.
Ultimately, my view is that Disney and Bob Iger are doing a bit of posturing and a bit of truth-telling. In reality, Walt Disney World won’t have a direct response to Epic Universe because they already did over the last decade, but also because they can’t have a meaningful one. The streaming boondoggle, among other things, sort of took most options off the table.
Even so, Walt Disney World won’t have no response to Epic Universe whatsoever. While our above commentary is somewhat dismissive of diehards and theme park regulars, they (we!) do exist in meaningful numbers, and not just at the margins. It’s impossible for Walt Disney World to “beat” Epic Universe next year (both as a matter of timing and significance), but it is still possible to debut marketable additions to lure locals, theme park fans, and other fence-sitters to Walt Disney World. That will be an important indirect response even if it (fair warning) amounts to a lot of stuff that gets scorned or ridiculed. (E.g. “Universal is opening a whole new park and Disney is only doing [insert small scale thing] in response?! SAD.”)
As we’ve said before, Universal is not “beating” Walt Disney World or vice-versa. That won’t change in 2025 even as the former further comes into its own as a bona fide theme park destination resort. There’s space in the Central Florida market for both to continue growing and thriving. That’s (somewhat sadly) especially true when expansion is centered around intellectual properties–like Mario, Harry Potter, Star Wars or Marvel–that expand the audience for theme parks, rather than reallocate the existing pool of guests.
My expectation is that Epic Universe is fantastic and envelope-pushing. I hope it grows the audience for Orlando theme parks even further and erodes a little bit of Walt Disney World’s market share. (Not too much to give them cold feet about that $17 billion!) In my view as a long-term Disney and theme parks fan, that’s the best of both worlds. It puts Disney back on their heels and feeling the need to be more competitive, while also justified to invest because it demonstrates that there are ways to grow the pie–not just fight over the same sized one. Competition like that is good for everyone, especially us fans.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about Disney CEO Bob Iger’s “answer” to Epic Universe? Think what Disney has opened in the last decade counts for the average guest, even if it doesn’t for you personally? Will the opening of Epic Universe in 2025 will lead to the “demise” of Disney? Or do you generally agree with the perspective that a rising tide lifts all boats? Think growing the market for Central Florida theme parks is an ‘everyone-wins’ best case scenario? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any other thoughts or commentary to add? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I think that even though Disney is playing it cool publicly, they are being reactionary with how quickly they’re “moving dirt” on the big projects they announced just last year—considering their usual glacial pace with major projects that have large capital investments on their part.
I think they’ll definitely take a hit, but I don’t expect Universal to unseat them—however I’m glad Universal is giving Disney a run for their money. We went to Epic during previews and it is stunning! We kept joking that they “spared no expense” because it honestly really looks AND feels like it! (But as Tom had said in his Epic review it’s definitely a BYO-Shade park.) Also, there is the usual drawback with Universal parks that many commenters (and Tom of course) have mentioned regarding the primary audience of the rides. In some respects, Disney and Universal aren’t really the same product—despite both being big theme parks—they’re just not really reaching for, or appealing to, totally the same audience. I’m an adult and I’m not even able to ride everything at Universal—the high-speed jarring experiences and/or screen-based motion issues often present issues for me.
As an aside I do find it somewhat galling that Disney is bragging about bookings being strong (or up) considering the number of levers they’ve pulled this year: Very aggressive discounts for this year (and early next) on hotels and park tickets, add-ons etc to boost the lagging numbers, including opening both water parks concurrently during the free day offer right now and reviving other less “costly” perks like suitcase transport to the airport.
Of course, even if they are wildly panicked, they’re surely not going to announce it to the public 🙂
I agree that everyone isn’t going to suddenly abandon Disney, but to the higher-ups I’d say: “Don’t get cocky kid!”
There’s going to be A LOT of construction going on in several of Disney’s parks for a while—including in the heart of the flagship one—so even without new fierce competition (U.S. economy woes notwithstanding), I see folks being hesitant to SPEND BIG on views of construction walls and noise this next year or so.
You are absolutely right in that Disney’s “good” results this year are undoubtedly due to aggressive discounting and the “illusion” of bringing back some things that got cut (although most are at an additional cost!). The big thing that Disney is missing, in my opinion, is that long term, loyal, repeat guests are going to start to gradually go away and/or not come as often. Plus, fewer first time guests are going to turn into long term repeat guests due to the price gouging and nickle and diming for everything. Yes, there are some new rides and attractions in recent years, but the overall guest experience continues to decline, while at Universal it continues to improve. We used to travel to Disney World every 18 months or so (from Seattle). We will now do it every three or four years and fill in with Universal. This is where I believe Disney is at risk. And like the proverbial frog sitting in a pan of water on the stove, by the time they realize it I fear it will take years, if ever, to recover to their previous glory. Just my opinion, of course. Your milage may vary.
Both Disney and Universal will benefit financially since going to one of their parks costs just under $200 for the day. The challenge for the theme park fan is getting full value for their day ticket if they only want to experience a couple of attractions in each of the seven parks (4 at WDW and 3 at Universal Orlando). If this is your first time visiting, then you may not have a problem spending an entire day in one of the parks. If you are a frequent visitor, then having to buy a ticket to experience three or four attractions is an expensive day. In addition, some people will buy Lightning Lane and Universal Express so they get what they want accomplished in a few hours. This type of spending by park visitors will keep Disney and Universal profitable for the coming years.
So they’ve decided on delusion as a strategy. Bold move.
Having been to two Epic previews, I’ll never go to Orlando again without visiting that Park. It is truly spectacular. But – I visited the other Universal parks for the first time along with Epic, and other than the Harry Potter lands (which were terrific, especially the Hagrid rollercoaster), they didn’t impress, especially OG Universal Studios. Just a lot of tired IP and a ton of screen-based motion simulators that were basically all the same ride. That said – I can see myself scrunching Epcot and Hollywood Studios into a single day instead of individual days to make room for an Epic day. And also probably moving to a Universal hotel to get early entry for Epic. So Epic is likely to cost Disney a little of my money, but not my loyalty.
AK is always a full-day park for me, and I’m excited for Tropical Americas. But that park needs an expansion badly. Disney should focus on making it their ‘4.5th gate.’ And I really hope that Villains land is built with the same ambition as Harry Potter and Galaxy’s Edge – though that level of immersion almost feels out of place at MK?
For fans, it’s only great news that the bar has been raised so high for both Disney and Universal. If Epic is going to really hurt anyone in Orlando it’s going to be Seaworld, which I hope has a lot of local fans.
Have to chuckle to myself that after years of Tom saying “The only real answer to a new theme park is another theme park,” that’s exactly what Disney ended up doing. It’s not in Florida and definitely not actually related to Epic Universe, but I still find it amusing 🙂
Abu Dubai is not a Disney-owned park. It is just Disney IP in a rich area of the world, which appeals to Iger.
The resort will be owned and operated by the Miral Group under a license from The Walt Disney Company, which will design the resort and its various attractions through its Imagineering research and development arm.
Oh I’m well aware. That’s why it’s amusing to me; it wasn’t Disney led (although they could have said no) and has nothing to do with Epic in any way, shape, or form, but functionally they still ended up announcing a new theme park right before Epic’s grand opening.
As an overseas visitor. Every child I know wants to visit DisneyWorld. For some its an annual vacation, for others, it’s once in a lifetime. And you can almost guarantee that every booking will include DisneyWorld, but not necessarily Universal. As big as America thinks it is, A lot of people this side of the water still don’t know what Epic Universe is and wouldn’t even think this article makes any sense. They want to take the kids to Disney, and to them, Florida is DisneyWorld…
I don’t see how Disney can lose here …… know several families (first timers from California) who are planning a trip next year to Epic , who are adding in WDW to their trip . One of the families has already added more days to WDW than Universal.
They must be loaded!
Amazing what a college education can get you teach your children
I mean, Comcast owns Universal so it’s not surprising to me that the Comcast CEO would praise Epic Universe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Let’s see a truly independent person offer the same praise. Similarly, I’d expect Iger (or whoever runs Disney) to be publicly very positive about how things are going with the company. and their projects. I think the bigger statement will be what kind of development happens in the next several years – the actions will speak more loudly than their words.
“ We have a sophisticated approach to analyzing the needs of all our businesses, and strategically deploying capital”. I find that statement amusing considering the capital spent on the Starcruiser and the Harmonious Barges. Not to mention the decision to retheme splash, but not touch Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination. But my favorite is how the “deployment of capital” was dragged out for half a decade to finish a roller coaster (Tron) and the new Epcot gardens and paths.
There are a number of negative things I could point to about how Disney has handled things during and post COVID but the main thing that has caused us to only go to the parks once every 2 years post-pandemic versus multiple times per year pre-pandemic is Disney’s proclivity for charging more and providing less. I have perusing all of the resort menus lately and it quite telling to see, particularly on the quick service menus, the same exact offerings at different locations. This is clearly a cost saving measure that comes from the fallout of the pandemic. This was not always so. Many of the QS menus were much more diverse prior to the pandemic. Believe it or not there was once a time when the meal plan made some sense. In the late 2000s you got an appetizer, main course and desert, plus 2 snack per day. They continue shave away things for guests and go up on the prices. The only concession they’ve made is the resort parking fee but that is something they had added and was not historically charged prior to its implementation. I believe the parks are the only thing now keeping Disney profitable. They have basically destroyed the MCU to the point that I don’t care. They’ve made the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises worse in my opinion (I’m not alone on this). If they do not make some changes to how they operate I believe Universal will make some very deep cuts into their share. We will definitely consider making the switch to Universal if Disney continues on this trajectory. Disney’s biggest mistake was bringing back Iger. They will continue to pay for that poor decision if they don’t start listening to their customer base. And enough with all of the tranny garage. No one wants to go to a theme park and see evil queen trannys and bearded princesses.
I really hope that Disney starts opening both water parks like it used to be before Covid. I am a huge Disney fan and together with my family we travel all the way from Europe every year but we never managed to go to Blizzard beach in the past 3years:(
If it takes 7 years to build the Tron roller coaster (which uses electrical tape to mark the test seats with no signage whatsoever saying where the tape needs to be lined up in order to be fitting and it took less than a year for universal to make the velocicaster which is a thousand times better by the way and epic universe is going to be done in less time than it took Disney to make one roller coaster those actually expecting Disney to do anything good should probably avoid holding their breath! at this point in time anyone with common sense who has been paying attention can see that everybody within the decision making realm of Disney needs to be fired and replaced immediately! that includes decisions in the parks online movies etc! no matter what aspect of Disney requires decision making those people need to be replaced! All the way up to and including the CEO!
Looking forward to Iger’s departure. Hope his team goes along with him.
Careful what you wish for. The devil you know, and all that.
“Epic [Universe] is Universal playing catch-up on a decade of nonstop development at Walt Disney World,” said a Walt Disney World spokesperson.
Yep, a decade of nonstop development, capped by almost half a decade now of nickle and diming guests by taking away benefits and/or replacing them with paid – and inferior – replacements (I’m looking at you Genie+, virtual queues, Individual Lightening Lanes, cancelled Magical Express, cancelled luggage handling, charging for magic bands, etc, etc). I’m sure it’s temping for Disney to say these changes were necessary to pay for all the development. But this doesn’t hold water because room, ticket, and food prices have all increased considerably faster than the rate of inflation.
The bottom line for us long term Disney fans is that profit is now the number one priority for Disney – not guest experience. If Universal wakes up to this and combines the opening of Epic Universe with included, or at least superior, benefits similar to what Disney has abandoned, I believe they will significantly shift loyalties from Disney to Universal. Can you even imagine how full the resorts at Universal would be if they instituted a “Magical Express” service, along with luggage handling, resort check in, and the equivalent of Disney’s previous Fast Pass system?
It’s all well and good to add new attractions, but that isn’t what will bring my family back to Disney from Seattle more frequently. How we’re treated and the benefits of staying on site will. Sadly, this is what Disney has been methodically gutting. It’s getting harder and harder to love Disney and easier and easier to love Universal. At some point in time, the shift in loyalty will be complete for many long term guests.
Islands of Adventure is one of our favorite parks because of the Harry Potter/Jurassic Park combo. But that cartoon land is like hell on earth in the summer, guaranteed to spark family melt downs while listening to an overhead speaker call out “Blondie” every 30 seconds. Best to stay out of that area of the park. I think ultimately, Epic is going to pull guests from its own parks, especially Universal Studios. My kids are big coaster/ride fans, and we are huge Potter fans, but they don’t like Studios because of the over reliance of screens. But we will definitely be going to Epic when it opens, and we also plan to go back to IOA for Hagrids and Velocicoaster as well.
As WDW fans who like Universal, I can tell ya that Uni will be getting our vacation dollars for the foreseeable future.
We are tired of all the deteriorations within the WDW experience.
The nickel & diming is absolutely exhausting too.
Going to Universal is soooo much less stressful, their employees treat guests with respect, & we feel like we get our money’s worth at Universal. (We no longer feel this way at WDW.)
I think that the opening of Dreamworks land this year as well as EPIC next year is going to give them plenty of new family friendly experiences for the littles. They also offer some great budget friendly accommodations for families with the Dockside & Surfside resorts. Their new Stella Nova & Terra Nova resorts will also be budget friendly for families.
It feels like Universal is listening to the concerns from their guests as well as WDW’s guests & giving them what they want.
We’ll be heading there & not doing any Disney park days.
I think you’ve all forgotten that Disney add a lot over the last few years. There’s a Target, multiple chain restaurants, a few random hotels, AND a Walgreens! Does Universal have a Target? Nope! Don’t forget that Disney is also adding an apartment complex. Universal doesn’t have that!
I seriously hope you’re being sarcastic
Oh my gosh that’s great! Well done!
In South Florida all the Targets are getting rid of their Disney store section.
“Citing high crowds as a reason for Disney’s downfall is basically a Yogi Berra quote expressed unironically.” T.B.
This is why I read this blog! Sure, your splendid scribing has made the multiple trips to Disney for my family and I far more efficient, additionally opening my eyes to the wonderful and whimsical detail of both the parks and resorts, but throwing in quips referencing legendary Yankees lore is simply the icing on the cake!
As far as the younger readers out there who may think Yogi Berra is Disney animated IP, do a search for the beloved Yankee catcher whose quirky quotes have become firmly entrenched in Americana. Keep up the great work Tom!
I am so happy to see the responses that say Disney is on top of this in the Reply section. I love how they have expanded all of the parks and I am sure will continue to do so vs. opening a fifth park. Great job Disney with Galaxy’s Edge, TRON, Space 220 and so much more. yes park prices are up, but I am loving it. Especially when parks are still hitting capacity. I simply wished I lived closer… lol
It’s not just a reputation – when we went to Universal five years ago, we did not ride a single ride that our daughter (then 4) could have ridden. We did see a few rides she would have liked – very few. Like three. So we left her with her grandparents. But when we went to WDW when she was 2, she came and had an amazing time. Likewise, when we went to WDW when she was 7 and DL when she was 8. Guaranteed fabulous time. When she’s 11 or so, we’ll take her to Hogwarts and she’ll love it. But those parks are NOT designed for little kids – lots of scary stuff. This addition of theirs is brilliant.
yep, despite Harry Potter, not enough “magic”, particularly for little ones and older adults who don’t want to throw out their necks. universal will succeed when they finally realize it’s not ALL about fast and scary.
I think the same is true for adults. I cannot ride anything at Universal and therefore, I really hate going and it’s extremely rare. We only make a stop there if our group (usually 12-16 annually) includes folks who’ve never been and who will not have another chance to visit. We WILL be making the trip over to Epic Universe in 2025 only to see if they’ve improved, and while staying at a WDW DVC. The Disney bubble is the only thing that holds me together at the end of a Universal day.
I hope to be able to ride the “Viking water blaster” in Isle of Berk and take in shows while walking the new lands. As I believe Universal is a patchwork of vendors and designs, it will be interesting to see if they achieve the “immersive storytelling” they tout. I just don’t know that anyone can beat Disney in this, IMO. (Maybe I’m biased)
Personally I think it’s clever that Disney isn’t really bothering with 2025 and just letting Universal get on with it. Epic Universe will no doubt be awesome from a theme park perspective, but Universal have a track record of flooding their parks and attractions with way too many guests and ultimately unable to provide guests with the experience they expect due to overcrowding.
Disney World will probably market itself as a better overall experience thanks to the lower wait times for attractions, which will ultimately lead to people returning again in the future.
Who comprises the demographic constantly crying for a 5th gate? I feel like first timers and occasional visitors are already overwhelmed with the planning and vacation days required for visiting the existing parks. Hardcore fans have to be painfully aware of the shocking amount of dead space and underutilized lands/pavilions at Epcot, DHS, and Animal Kingdom. I am one of the all-in Disney fans that lives too far from Orlando to visit more than every 1-2 years. I would not prefer to have to work in another park into my precious few vacation days at WDW. Just the thought of another route being shoehorned into existing resort bus stops makes me shudder. I’d far rather see a MK nighttime parade, replacements for the Imagination and Wonders of Life pavilions, a well-executed Dinoland, an exciting, attraction-based redevelopment of the Animation Courtyard, a redux of the Great Monster Sound Show, and a surge of streetmosphere/World Showcase entertainment than any kind of 5th gate. It’s not like we can just trade up out of our crumbling starter houses – these parks are our parks, and every demographic would be better served by the existing 4 firing on all cylinders.
I totally agree! Thank you for summing it up so well. They are doing the right thing building out the parks they already have.
I agree with you 100%. They should focus on improving what’s already there and adding back the little touches that made Disney so popular and special.
I think the people wanting a 5th gate think that the total amount of visitors in a day to WDW would remain the same but would be spread among 5 parks instead of 4, so the crowds would be lower. A nice fantasy, but if they ever did build a 5th gate the total amount of visitors would also rise so the crowds would likely remain the same – like how induced demand means that bigger roads = more people driving so traffic stays just as bad as before
Epcot (11 rides), Hollywood (9 rides), and Animal Kingdom (8 rides) combine for less less than half the rides at Disneyland which is smaller than all three of these parks. 100% agree that before a 5th park is built, they need to add a lot more rides in each of these parks, especially Hollywood and Animal Kingdom. Not half a billion dollar virtual queue rides, just some nice high capacity continuous load rides. And yes, it’s beyond irritating that we no longer have beautiful night parades and that the awful Imagination ride is still the way it is.
Don’t forget how much the mega Hub at MK sucks now since they enlarged it so many times, taking out the planters and such to make room for crowds to view the fireworks. Yeah, it’s great for that and STILL a pain to get a good spot without waiting a long time, but the rest of the day it’s terrible. Even though I am a civil/structural engineer, I don’t want to see the whole world paved!
I visited Universal for the first time in 2018 on a kid free trip to WDW for the Star Wars race (RIP). My husband and I were underwhelmed. Other than the HP areas and the Hulk coaster everything was lackluster. Most of the rides were screen based which cannot compete with animatronics. Pirates holds up better than the Fast & the Furious ride they were previewing at the time. We did not ride anything in the “kiddie” areas but they were lacking the shine and overall appeal of Fantasyland. We will be taking our kids to Universal when they turn 11. But I would rather go to WDW or DL. I have nostalgia for both and I am sure others do for Universal. However CMs and the cleanliness of Disney properties will always win out for me. There really is a Disney Difference, no matter how many things they take away.