When I go to Universal, I can get in lines and get on rides. At Disney, I have to download an app, wake up early to maybe get a spot in a digital queue, get to the rides at a specific time, and pay extra to even get a chance to get on certain rides. I will not (and have not for 6 years) go back to Disney until I can go and escape the stress of daily life. Also, Hotel Mira Costa is over a thousand dollars a night, and Helios is a tenth of the cost. I can stand some show buildings for a one of a kind experience in the US.
Bingo. You are us. We used to go to Disney every two years. Went to both Disney and Universal in 2018 and have never gone back to Disney since - and it's gone downhill since then!
Hotel Miracosta is not over a $1000 a night… I have stayed there a few times and have pay way less than this (~$400-500)… Of course if you want to stay in a suite or concierge room then yes, those are more expensive… but your statement is misleading as you can get much cheaper rooms there….
I booked a vacation package at Universal for $2800 for my family of four. 4 nights/5 days at Cabana Bay, park hopping for three days between Islands, Universal, and Volcano Bay, and then one day at Epic. Compare that to Disney's $3,500 vacation package (same dates) at Art of Animation 4 nights/5 days and 4 days of park hopping. I'm sorry but it's just a better deal... Cabana Bay is superior to AoA too...
Neither company is perfect imo. The landscape of both Disney and Universal has changed dramatically just in the past decade in terms of offerings and value. As a theme park fan with no “allegiance” to one company, I for one am super excited for Epic Universe and whatever Disney has in store for us in the future! Either way, we as fans win.
We can't wait to be open and be able to visit. However, there's no way we'll go until we can visit for more than one day within a vacation package purchase. There are a lot of things at Disney we think are better than Universal and things at Universal that are better than Disney. Both have a lot of positives for us and that provides good alternatives for vacation planning.
Feel like Tom is defending a Disney that no longer exists. I’m a lifelong Disney fan and truthfully I have not been to the parks in 7 years. In that time I’ve been to Universal 5 times. Between Disneys prices and needing a spreadsheet to plan a day I’m not sure when/if I’ll ever be returning. I certainly hope this new park helps break down Disneys current prices and treatment of the average visitor. But I doubt it. I’m happy with the idea of the passes have one day access. It will lower the amount of people at Epic without me having to make reservations 6 months out like I’m trying to get into some ultra exclusive restaurant. Maybe I’ll tack a Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios day onto my son’s first trip but I’m doubtful. He’s got more interest in Mario than Mickey or Star Wars.
I went to the Disney parks over the summer for the first time in over 15 years and had no issues planning my day or using both versions of the lightning lanes. It was fairly easy for me
@@metallicnole4514 do you have the money to buy your way onto the “good rides” at Disney? Because that’s my problem with Disney. I’ve never had an issue getting on all the rides at Universal without planning every day and having to pay for access to the new rides in park.
I think everyone who loves Disney is in a world that no longer exists. All i ever hear is Disney is a theme park, not amusement park. Yet, all anyone talks about are ride lines and food. They keep killing all the actual theme things and replacing it with window dressing, and in some cases, cheap window dressing. The rides aren't good enough to be in a conversation with any of the ride focused parks and other than meeting Cinderella or Snow White, it's just running on memories.
Every build/re-build Disney does now is at a snail's pace. Even small projects, like the current re-do of the Woody's Lunch Box seating area, take a ridiculous amount of time. Is it really so hard to plan a project, put it on an ambitious schedule, put all necessary human and other resources in place to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and get it done in a reasonable amount of time? I can't think of a worse project than Tron. 5 years, a huge investment, the use of a large piece of precious MK real estate, and what we got was a ride that looks cool but is over before you know it. It's a huge disappointment as far as I'm concerned. No one needed the Barnstormer on steroids.
@@WDWNTas someone who is a BIG fan of old EPCOT and therefore Spaceship Earth, being stuck with the only BAD version of SSE for 18 years is kind of a big deal.
@@mylessmith8059 people cared about his Disney rants because they actually have a passion for the Disney parks. He went off on small world and Disney saw that and made change. Disney always had a higher standard as why vacation were built around them and other parks such as Uni was a add on. Disney is now becoming like these other parks and true Disney fans are outraged and don't want to see Diseny park become mediocore. TOM, I thought had the same passion, but now seems to go along with what ever Disney does no matter if its right or wrong. He needs to hold them accountable like he did in the past.
@@lele-vu1cr he can hold Disney accountable and universal accountable, while also calling out the double standard that social media has for Disney and universal. Just because he criticizes Disney, doesn’t make universal perfect.
That's because he's back on the media list and wants to stay there. You can't be honest if you're getting perks or kickbacks from the company you're supposed to call out.
People who aren’t aware of the HP staying power have no idea that the books are still dominating the Amazon children’s best sellers list. Nor that the fanfics are currently the most read content on the internet. The world has taken on a mind of his own and lives in its own ecosystem on the interwebs. Take the whole Marauders branch.
Several Points I would like to hear Tom’s reasoning for. I’m not “for Universal” or “for Disney,” but wish to have more clarifications on these topics. 1. His rebuttal for Tron taking so long is that he points to the fact that it took 10 years for Universal’s partnership with Nintendo to lead to a ride. But, that was for Japanese parks, with US lands coming later. So the actual time from announcement to completion will be ~4 years, still less than Tron. 2. Eric (correctly) pointing out that if Disney tried to force people to buy multiday tickets. Single day passes are being released in a couple of days, so I don’t really see the problem. And anyone without a seasonal pass will most likely want to go to all 3 parks. 3. Disney has so many unkept promises and budget cuts, it’s hard to enjoy lands you know should be much better. Universal didn’t even announce EU until ground was already broken. 4. Sightlines at modern Disney rides are just as bad as Universal. Many new Disney attractions blatantly disregard sightlines. While you probably didn’t mean to do this, it sounded like you were downplaying this fact. 5. Tom says that EU lacks a consistent theme and is just a bunch of IP tunnels around a central land, but is starting to apply to the Disney parks as well. HS no longer feels like a movie park, but a random assortment of IP rides. EPCOT has lost a lot of its educational aspect, instead adding rides like Frozen and the bland central hub retheme. I don’t really see how the Tropical America land will tie into the theme of conservation and natural beauty, nor do I see Cars land’s tie into themes of exploration. I do not think you’re a “shill,” and waited until the end to comment, but would love to hear your reasoning behind these claims on the podcast. I am excited for EU because it will bring the best out of both Disney and Universal, helping consumers in the process.
The reason why so many people are hating Disney right now is because it seems like almost every major expansion has had major issues. Frozen - needed to replace Maelstrum (no idea how to spell it), but the ride mostly banks on IP recognition and the projection faces are terrible Toy Story Land - cheap, unneeded, and no areas for shade Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - amazing themed land and RotR is technologically incredible. But based on the failed sequel trilogy, so no Luke, Darth Vader, Han, Chewbacca, or Leia. Also the phased opening for the land made it not as impressive Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway - replaced one of the best rides at HS. Feels kinda tacky in my opinion with the abundance of projections Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure - haven’t rode it, but seems good from all accounts I’ve heard Galactic Starcruiser - based in the sequel trilogy. Extremely expensive Guardians of the Galaxy - massive blue building killing sightlines everywhere in the park Journey of Water - seems like imagineers went above and beyond to try and fit into the educational aspects of the park, but shouldn’t be in EPCOT EPCOT transformation - super cheap, didn’t fulfill what was promised. By some accounts, made the area worse Tron: Lightcycle Run - took 5 years to build, and you can see the massive box from the Barnstormer area Tiana’s Bayou Adventure - don’t want to get into the political side, but SM was objectively better. So much dead space, not enough animatronics, and convoluted storyline The only land I have not included in here is Avatar because it IS an incredible land. So in my opinion, Universal is not catching up to Disney, it’s seems like Disney is lowering itself down. Added to this is Universal is now throwing large amounts of money into projects like HP and Epic Universe. People are biased against Disney because modern Disney hasn’t lived up to past expectations. Most of the expansions listed have at least one fundamental problem with their conception. While Universal has many of the same problems, people are willing to overlook these issues because (1.) Disney is running out of goodwill and people are turning away from them and (2.) new Universal seems to have that passion for storytelling. While many rides of Universal past are terrible (I’m looking at you Jimmy Fallon), many new Disney expansions seem soulless. TLDR people are looking for a way to let out their frustrations with Disney, and that is driving them to Universal
Let’s see Tom, Universal builds and entire park from scratch (infrastructure, dining, shopping, lodging and 12 attractions plus a new road to get there and does it in 5 years, but you’re ok with Disney taking the same amount of time to build ONE attraction that they copied from a different park? I think the pixie dust that Disney has been using on you for the past year now is starting to seep deeper in your brain! If you hate Universal so much (which you flat out said, stay the hell away from the parks! There are plenty of vlogs out there to cover them OBJECTIVELY. Just be a good little shrill for Disney and move on. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Let’s see, I didn’t bring up TRON here and definitely made fun of that process, but you don’t know that because you’re just here to defend an uneducated opinion, for which the only rebuttal you have to valid arguments is “you’re a shill” (which you don’t even know how to spell). You obviously didn’t take the time to watch this, because your argument makes zero sense against everything stated here.
@@WDWNTTom, your argument makes zero sense as well, and again, just comes off as a cringy Disney adult whining. Universal is gonna eat Disney's lunch for years to come. Better get with the times, Tom. Annie does a much better job covering and critiquing Universal than you ever could.
@@WDWNT my apologies for the typo. Sorry I’m not as obviously perfect as you are! 🙄🤣. And since you didn’t address the point of construction time, you must not have an answer to that. As I said, just keep drinking Bob’s Kool-Aid and I’m sure you’ll still get your free cookies. 🤣🤣🤣
Wow, moaning about epic universe. Yet happy with over $450 for premier LL. Moaning about how universal have done in their parks. But yet Dinosaur with Indiana Jones skin, Tron took forever to build, Tiana isn't an improvement. So bias! used to love watching Tom now at times it's painful. It's as if he is on the media list now 🤔.
Seriously when he defended the new LL I was dumbfounded. I’m done. I’ve been unimpressed with the universal coverage since Annie left. And the Disney news is mostly clickbait with the all the crime stuff.
@@WDWNT As of two months after D23, they have reportedly moved dirt to create an area for construction management trailers about 500 yards away from the future Tropical Americas. I have heard of no report of dirt moving related to new attractions anywhere near where guests would go in any of Disney's six US theme parks. As a Disney shareholder, this is concerning given the 3 to 5 year timeline to complete any additional attractions once construction begins.
Tron: Announced July '17, open spring 23. 6 years. Epic Univ: Announced summer 2019, opening latest summer 2025. 6 years. Took Disney nearly the same amount of time to build one single coaster (an exact copy of Shanghai’s) as it will take Universal to build a park. Disney is not the company we once knew and loved.
Yea I sure do enjoy the “Play Pavilion!” Oh, wait, never mind. Well certainly there’s the new Spaceship Earth about storytelling?! Right?!! The new two story festival place with a garden?! Certainly those green construction walls meant big things! No, not that either?! And no Mary Poppins!!! Like WTH Disney?! Talk about false promises!
My wife and I are huge Disneyworld fans and I do follow WDW regularly. I love the coverage of news, information and entertainment they provide and in practically all instances, I find agreement with Tom on his opinionated commentary. However, in this case, it's classic bury your head in the sand. Epic Universe will have a significant impact on the Orlando Disney parks, likely to a greater exent than even surmised. Will they "destroy" Disney? absolutely not. Will they have a profound effect on the spending and mindset of traditionally Disneycentric fans? Yes. As to the Parks future plans, Disney is now in reactionary mode but it's too little, too late at this point. Universal is now playing the Long Tail, something Disney used to do 30 years ago. With Potter they saw the light and haven't looked back.
I call BS on your theory that Universal got a light touch over the packaging of their tickets for Epic. I personally think it makes perfect commericial and logistical sense
I agree. If either company is willing to drop ~$6 billion in a single tranche they are justified in taking some cream off the top as far as I'm concerned. I want them motivated -- in Wall St. terms -- to take big risks and do big projects. The guests that want to do a one-day snipe will get their chance, and probably won't have to wait too long.
If Disney opens a new park and says it's only available in a 5 day, 5 park pass for the first year id be ok with it. The only people who are mad about this are Orlando locals who have been to the parks more times than they can count. I live in Massachusetts and have been to universal 3 times in the past 3 years now and being told i have to buy a 3 park ticket is like being punished by having to go to my room... Where all my toys are.
I agree, this is an issue only for a very entitled group of locals who treat theme parks like their local mall. When Disney launches a new cruise ship and "forces" guests to go on the cruise-ship for several nights, where's the complaining "They don't have a one night cruise!" This is dumb. Before long, things will calm down and these people will settle into going to Epic after work and every weekend and we'll not have to hear them whine.
I like both Universal and Disney. Competition is great for both of them to keep pushing the envelope. Hopefully Universal will turn there attention to all the dead space at the other parks they have.
Q: Is there a single day option for guests wanting to visit Universal Epic Universe? A: During this initial phase of Universal Epic Universe-inclusive tickets, we are currently only offering multi-day tickets for 3-Days or longer that include one-day admission to Universal Epic Universe. Additional product offerings -- including single day for Universal Epic Universe -- will be launched at a later date before the park opens.
$6 billion to build Epic Universe. First new theme park to open in North America during the social media era. I don’t blame Universal for charging what they can and trying to limit/manage attendance.
@@DrStarlanderDisney just keep increasing their prices whilst reducing what you get for it. Magic Kingdom is going to be a construction zone for years, and they have put up the price of their annual passes.
@@thegermanassassin9652 They are supposedly going to spend $60 billion over ten years which includes all expenses for their experiences division, including cruise ships, and upgrading all the parks they have an ownership interest in around the world (e.g., not Tokyo). How much will be spent in Orlando? An estimate based on recent reported costs of similarly scaled attractions (*noted down below) would be: $500 million -- Monstropolis suspended coaster and reskin of existing buildings at DHS $500 million -- 2 Cars attractions at MK $500 million -- Encanto dark ride and reskin of Dinosaur as Indy, etc. at AK $1.2 billion -- Villains Land at MK $100 million -- Muppets re-theme of RRC at DHS (today's news) So right now we are looking at ~$2.8 billion being projected to be spent at WDW over the next 5 years. It's possible -- and I hope -- a similar amount could be spent from 2030 to 2035 completing the back half of the 10 year timeframe of the stated investment. In total, that would be ten years from now and at $5.6 billion, shy of the $6 billion. *Cost Comparisons: Fantasy Springs = $2.1 billion Cars Land = $1.1 billion New Fantasyland = $600 million World of Avatar = $500 million
Sight Lines: As a designer, I care, Tom cares. When I’m at Parks, people walk into me about every 5 minutes because they are looking down INTO THEIR PHONES!!! Today’s generation could care less about sight lines they never look up. ITS SAD!
It's because its required now. I can't stand being on my phone every second, but as mom I am the designated "tour guide" who books everything. Totally ruins everything for me to be "booking" and scheduling in every line and while eating.
It’s mostly Disney forcing people to be on phones. With their 3 different ways to skip lines, dining reservations, line times, checking menus, virtual queues, and much more, guests are forced onto their phones for a lot of the day. On my previous trip to Disney, when RotR had virtual queue, the whole park would stop for 10ish minutes to try and get boarding groups. You could legit see the majority of families find a spot to sit down and constantly refresh their phone until time came. This is not the fault of “younger generations” but of a Disney that can treat guests like this.
OK. I'll tell you when something you've said is an opinion and not a fact. You started this whole thing by stating that you were "forced" to buy a "park hopper" style ticket when IoA opened. Sir, you were not forced. You could have chosen to forego the visit entirely. You also could have simply waited until single or multi-day, IoA tickets were available as many of us are planning to do with Epic. What's the point of this entire rant?
I’m impressed at how Tom could spend two hours addressing the strength and weaknesses of both theme park giants. His passionate tone sure inspired me to go on a rant inside my General Statistics class today on how the students aren’t putting in the work that’s needed in response to an exam where no one scored an 80!
The quality of Universal is increasing at a time where the quality of Disney world is staying the same or getting worse. Having gone on trips to both in the past three years, I was pleasantly surprised with Universal’s quality. The Jurassic Park/Harry Potter areas are as good as WDW. Universal is just a simpler, cheaper experience, but WDW is the top dog still
Just got home from Disney. Tomorrowland is gross. So dirty, chipping paint everywhere. Have you ridden space mountain lately? Way worse than rip ride rocket. Pretty much every big ride had breakdowns or animatronics that weren’t working. The concrete is all stained and dirty, paint chipping everywhere. I used to be okay paying premium for Disney but it’s not really providing the value. Tom just bought back in after Disney repaired the relationship. Now drinking koolaid.
Neither company is perfect but Jesus, what is this pixie dust you’re snorting for copium my friend?? I love plenty of Disney’s offerings but Universal EPIC is going to put wdw in trouble and they need to execute their D23 unveilings perfectly (which they seldom do) to come even close to the scale of release but long long after. Universal is making a major vie for “visit Orlando for us and two days in disney”and not visa versa as I’d argue is the current pattern of FL tourism for amusement park You also have to be high if you don’t recognize that the wizarding world and its animatronics FINALLY lit a fire under imagineering’s ass to replace things like the completely and utterly cursed original animatronic that released with the Snow White and the seven dwarves THIS CENTURY new ride release. Her terrible melted silicon face with completely random motors was EMBARRASSING beyond belief whist universal was touting film accurate gringots goblins animatronics… how embarrassing this is something you fail to recognize in the bigger track record for our beloved company, Tom. Please live in reality you can be a fan of whatever franchises but universal has big Nintendo partnership - Universal Japan also has Pokemon theming, which isn’t in the cards for epic but lets use our foresight here - if deployment in the west kicks off with a nicer Mario land than in Cali do you really think the worlds most profitable IP, Pokemon isn’t going to be seeking amusement park deployment in a western land they generally are poor at localizing to..? Disney could be in trouble, but as always I’m excited to see what they have planned in rebuttal.
@WDWNT yes,but nintendo was not their own ip like tron is to disney. So it's more technicals for the approved designs. I still think disney it's taking for ever with anything to build plus I really hope they will step their game because the new plans from d23 kinda suck 😕
To be fair. The Uni/Nintendo partnership was announced in 2015. The land was announced in 2016. Construction for Japan began in 2017. That opened late 2020. The US parks were announced but were given dates far out in the future. So SNW did only take 4 years for construction. Galaxys edge also took 4 years, so it was the same timeframe. Tron was just a CF for many reasons
@@WDWNTyes announced but they didn’t start making it like Disney did with tron and it took them that long. Also they made Nintendo Japan and Nintendo Hollywood and now finishing Nintendo Orlando. 3 whole lands with multiple rides in 10 years. Seems pretty good to me. Mind you I enjoy Disney, I love it but you need to accept that universal when it comes to construction they are miles ahead
It makes sense what Universal is doing with Epic. To prioritize people who are spending more money by going multiple days deserve the opportunity to go to Epic first, versus the people who just want to go one day. (I.e spend less money) I don’t see an issue.
Exactly. Universal needs to pay back the $6 billion and if they don't, we won't get *any* cool new parks, lands, or attractions. I want this to be a good business for them so they invest more.
@@WDWNT If Disney spends $6 billion on a new US theme park and the very first tickets available are only available in a 3-day or more multi-park pass, I promise to withhold criticism. Disney, your move.
Look - I don't mind a little commentary during news if it's about something the parks could be doing better. Like, if there's some maintenance issue, or if cast is being mistreated, then sure - go to town. But I'm sorry - I had to bail halfway through this thing. Is this really just two hours of "here's why people on Twitter are wrong"??? Wow. I plan to keep watching news because I want to know what's going on in the parks - but I think I'm done with the podcast, at least when it's solo.
The rat’s reign over themed entertainment will be over soon. A new universe awaits those that can break free of the mouse’s modern mediocrity. Come on Tom I know you feel it in your bones. Disney peaked creatively with the Japanese bankrolled DisneySea in 2001 and hasn’t taken an Epic Universe sized risk domestically since Animal Kingdom in 1998. Since then we’ve seen nothing but mediocre IP money grabs preceded by budget cut, unprofitable copy-and-paste castle parks in China. Disney’s last great achievement in this space came in 2017 with Pandora at Animal Kingdom and was the last great Imagineer Joe Rhode’s swan song before being unceremoniously fired in 2020 along with what little creative talent Disney had left. We also got to witness needless destruction of original creative masterpieces like Great Movie Ride and Splash Mountain. Themed entertainment that Disney made an art form has been dying but now we have Universal taking a big risk with a new original high budget domestic park which Disney hasn’t done since Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. As someone that still enjoys Disney for its historical significance and few remaining masterpiece attractions like Pirates and Mansion, it’s clear that our future as theme park fans, is Universal.
I wish it was, but they have fallen short of great attractions consistently. Universal is your theme park Plan B because you’re all unsure if you want Disney right now.
@@WDWNT I think Universal will actually become Plan A when Epic opens and will become the new standard for domestic theme parks in the way may of us previously viewed Disney. I guess its more exciting to root for a company that is trying harder to innovate and advance the art form of themed entertainment than a company that constantly cheapens and budget cuts what they already have. Comcast is taking big risks with big investments in their parks which Disney hasn't done since the 1990s. Universal has had as many hits and misses as Disney over the recent years but when you compare Disney's best recent attraction Guardians (mostly projections), with Universal's Hagrid (real sets, animatronics/actual story coaster), it's plain to see who is really innovating. When Epic opens, Disney's Orlando parks are going to look even more tired and second rate, especially if visitors are going to both in the same trip. Hopefully EU forces Disney to compete again like how they responded to Harry Potter with Avatar land and Universal Studios with MGM.
@@ralphpootawn6772 At the very least, hopefully Epic Universe will spur Disney to give MK's Fantasyland the thematic make-over Disneyland got 40 years ago. And to replace the ugly 1970s pink concrete throughout the park, and add brick to Main St. town square, sidewalks and trolly tracks, to bring it up to the other castle parks. These plans and materials all exist, they could all be in process right now.
We were disappointed at universal when we went in the spring. Yes, it was very busy but we went on 4 rides total over 2 parks, 5 if you count the train between the parks. We spent most of our time waiting in line. The HP lands were gorgeous, but that was the highlight. It ended on a bad note because after waiting all day for lines to go down at Gringotts, only for it to go down and not be opened back up 45 min before closing. Forget even getting in Hagrids. Disney was just as busy, but I felt easier to manage with the now gone genie +.
Glad to hear someone else thinks Disney needs to update and or add on to their existing gates before opening a new one. I hope they start to find ways to add the perceived value back into the WDW experience.
Disney's virtual queues and when they are forcing people to make park reservations are the same thing as Epic Universe only allowing one day with a multipass. Both are meant to control capacity to maximize the guest experience and both suck.
Both are in the business of making money as publicly traded companies, they have to...One makes money and controls capacity while also using its advantage of the moment to get its competitors customers to spend more time at their parks. The other makes money by selling ILL and causing unnecessary scarcity with virtual queues long after they should have been retired. i don't begrudge either for it. But....As a long time WDW park visitor/DVC member, I am disappointed with the total guest experience after 2019 compared to how we are treated when visiting Universal. I am willing to pay more for a superior product but WDW is no longer the superior product. Reduced maintenance, no Magical Express, ill trained cast members that yell at guests, unnecessarily complex systems, Animal Kingdom still closes at 6pm, Trams taking years to return....need I say more@@WDWNT
That's what older millennials and gen z's are gonna sound like to younger generations when they complain about the rivers of america and tom sawyer island when the cars land opens lol
Was mid typing a comment about seeing Tron Lightcycle Run from Barnstormer….and you promptly addressed that. Good day sir 😂. All great points in your video.
Loving Disney doesn't mean you have to hate Universal, Tom. It's not pie, you can have both. It's really confusing tuning into UNT to hear the quality reporting your company produces, coming from someone who really seems like they love finding something to down about Universal more than they like universal. Like..... it'd be awesome to have a Universal fan deliver that news. Unless hey, this is about clicks? Then...if it means we still get to have any news reporting about universal then, clicks win.
Universal is the best thing that has happened to every Disney fan even if they never go to a Universal Park. Competition of Daigon Alley lead to Galaxy's Edge. Im not a Potter fan but Universal did such an incredible job of creating such an immersive experience that Disney had to step up their game. Its no surprise that as Epic Universe gets closer to opening day Disney announces a major update to Disney Parks.
The only reason i see people okay with this ticketing system is because you're getting 3 parks a day (1 being new) for $559 a person. I know that because that's what i paid. Compare that to Disney's $400 skip the line pass, and it makes Universal's option look better. I like Disney and Universal. But people are willing to pay what it costs to experience this new theme park. Especially If they're fans of the IPs. Though the ticketing system is shady. It definitely benefits tourists in my eyes. They're the ones staying for multiple days anyway
@@DrStarlander - $6bil is the bare minimum to build a world class theme park. Plus, a huge chunk of that budget went to the road that connects to the park.
I always loved Animal kingdom from day 1. But Tom is right so many people walked in for 2 hours and left. My friends hated it . I still love it to this day.
My favorite thing is value really Disney’s value hotel is $300 a night. That’s not a value that is a rip off their moderate 475 to 600 give me a break. Some of the deluxe rooms are 795 a night that is outrageous for the average family so DISNEY doesn’t get it at all. Value hotel is now priced the same as universal epic universe inside the park for 300 bucks a day so worth it people see value in that something they can give to their kids and their family without feeling like they are on a low budge vacation. There’s nothing wrong with that hats off to universal
Disney is sucking so much ass these days, I pray Universal will kick their ass and wake them up. Competition may bring Disney back to life. Right now, they've lost all their talent, all their initiative, the rides are all broken down, the parks are dirty, there are no perks anymore, no magic, and the cost is skyrocketing. Disney needs humbled. Badly.
Studios desperately needs a new land. Yes, Marvel is dated, but Studios has become a 2-3 hour park for us. Islands could be sustained with new stage shows in the Toon and Lost Continent theaters for a few years. Studios needs more.
Only thing i will say is when it comes to Disney & Universal is this : Creatives & cast members care, Financial people / C-suite's do not. Until the people are heard, we all lose out.
Why wouldn’t you talk about the quality of California Adventure when it opened? You just spent how long talking about the quality of IOA when it opened?
Interesting fact: Disney changed the annual pass for California Adventure very quickly- like in a couple of weeks! And they had a pass holder preview day as well the day before opening. But to tell the truth my friends and I just love going there on Friday nights that first year when there so few guests you stay on many of the rides and just go again if you wanted to!
Thanks for answering my question, Tom! (Bring back 5 menu items) Still not over losing the shumai at the Canteen, so right there with you! As a Wilderness Lodge fangirl, I also miss the mushroom soup and cobbler from Artist Point. 😭
54:13 thank you. I’ve been saying this about the rollercoasters for years. I can ride roller coasters all over the world, if I’m in Florida, I want something more impressive.
What has WDW or Disneyland in the past 10 years that is on the level of what Universal is doing with Epic U today? I don't know just yet but from I have seen today?... Yeah, Epic U. "seems" to be the most high tech and most immersive park in the US. (or will be) I'm off to Tokyo in two days so I'll get my first taste of a non-US Disney park. I'll then have more to compare Epic U. with. I dunno,...so far,..Epic U. is looking extremely bad-ass.
@@WDWNT - Woah,...that is true. You got me on that one. It's a damn shame that Joe Rhode is gone now. We need him more then ever today. I think Joe was the last of the "old school" Imagineering greats to leave the company. The day I read that he left,...I KNEW that Imagineering was in a tail-spin. Disney has no more Joe Rhode's left. He was the very last one. Ironically, Universal scooped up some excellent Disney people. Tom,...I REALLY wish that Joe Rhode and Tony Baxter were 100% free to tell us what they think of Imagineering and Burbank management today. They can't but I with they could talk freely about this. I feel like Burbank hates this company today and has zero respect for it's amazing history. They seem to be Hell-bent on canceling Disney's history in a thousand different ways. Burbank is not a loyal steward of Walt Disney and the company's culture and history. All they care about is knocking it all down and building the company in "their" image designed for "modern audiences" (A total fallacy,....something that does NOT even exist!!!)
I’ve been waiting for this one. I needed this Tom honest breakdown and I’ve been hoping and waiting for it no thoughts yet bc I’m waiting to be free to listen but this is the video I’ve been waiting for bc I knew this man had thoughts and I’m so excited to hear his two hour breakdown!! The time has come and I’m here for it.
I agree about the sightlines and the fact that it won't de-throne Disney World. I agree that it won't be the greatest park ever built. I agree that Universal has problems with food (not as good as Disney across the board), ride quality (highest highs and disastrously low lows). But I believe that Epic Universe will still have a lot of stuff I've never seen in a theme park and I'm mainly referring to the LOOK of Celestial park and the LOOK of the portals and just the look and atmosphere of the lands. I think the anchor attractions like the Harry Potter ride and main Dark Universe ride will make the park well worth coming too with various really well made regional park-caliber rides sprinkles in to make it a kinetic and full experience. Even though it won't surpass Tokyo Disney or the original EPCOT, It's still a solid addition and I have faith that it will earn it's place and eventually be a large part of a family's trip to Orlando. I agree that people shouldn't hype up a carousel as that much more than a carousel, and yeah the ticket structure is messed up. Let's just wait and see, though. We may be making too many declarations about the park's quality before it's even open.
Being a teenager with IoA opened, it was certainly my favorite park at the time. Dualing Dragons is one of my favorite rides, and I am sad it's gone. It always had a fairly short line for being such a major attraction. I didn't care for Hulk as much, but it's still a good ride. Rollercoasters are a huge park of themeparks, and there are only so many ways to hide the track, and in most cases that ends up in a compromise in the layout, and I think Disney has a patent on putting a coaster in a mountain anyways /s.
If EU would have sold single tickets - people would buy 3 or 4 single day tickets - and other people wouldn't have the chance to get in at all. Sure it gives them more money - but mainly it's a form of load balancing.
The same amount of people will eventually go, this is just squeezing money. It only benefits those willing to do more days, it won’t make their days less crowded. You’re simply delaying visits of those who won’t pay the extra money, not giving anyone an extra chance. I don’t understand this logic.
@@WDWNT lets say the park maxes out at 50K - then 50K new people can visit every day. If you sell day tickets - then most people would buy 2 tickets (or more) - just for EU. Meaning only 25K "new" people would be able to visit every day before it hits capacity. Imagine the same thing but with annual passes. Say you open a new park and in the preview week let every pass member visit one time. But what would be if in this preview week you let pass members visit as many days as they like. It would be a disaster. At the end of the week you would have people who visited 3, 5, or 7 times - and others who couldn't get in a single day because the park was full every day with "repeating offenders". Same thing.
(Someone tell me if this is in my head or something I was told as a kid). Some of this “ must buy several days “ is almost a universal trade mark. For years when we have been going to Disney I always wanted to try Volcano bay. Because I know, I know that Bay, is the superior water park. And to get a day at volcano bay u used to have to buy at least 2 days worth of theme park tickets. Before u could even add bay as an option. But I never really needed to go into the theme parks. ( unless a new land opened, and it’s been at least a year to hammer out the kinks.) meaning I had to buy tickets to them parks without wanting to go and a no!!
What a smug and unappealing video. After watching this chann for years i think im done. So very unpleasant. I really wish we had a kinder and more open minded host for all these shows.
I honestly think it would be better if Tom worked behind the scenes and let Eric and Nick be the public faces, because you're very right about the smugness. This whole video was very unprofessional (not that I could even hear most of it, since he was either mumbling or shouting). There was one video recently, about people panicking because they mistook a popped balloon for a gunshot, and the way he chuckled over that was so disgusting. WDW is crammed with families, children were crying and parents were frightened. But let's just laugh at the dummies who couldn't tell the difference between a balloon and a gun, right Tom?
I stopped watching regularly a very long time ago. In general I am completely off theme parks now. I don't need a day at a theme park to feel like a damned job and cost a fortune.
A lot of good points Tom, i just wish your love for Disney wouldn't go so much against Universal. I really think Epic will destroy sales for Disney parks. I love them both but when i visit Orlando i always prioritize Universal before Disney cause its easier and i always have more fun . Also im sorry to hear that majority of the rides affect you, maybe that takes away from your joy . P.s. Harry potter is way better in my opinion that any area at Disney including Avatar.
He clearly doesn't like thrill rides that much, but he clearly has a Disney bias. If Disney had an attraction similar to Twister, it would have a Disney fanbase and he would understand and likely be part of it and selling stuffed cows or something, but because it's Universal he craps all over it.
Yes and no. If it were just my son and I, we are there. If its me with also mom or dad or daughter or hubby, then no. They are not thrill ride people, both age and temperament. I asked darling daughter if we were to get a pass to go do anything at WDW for a whole day, what would it be? She listed no roller coasters except for TRON. Teacups, small world, muppets, the bird show, the safari, jungle cruise, etc all rank high on her list. So, you do you, but I will go see the back side of water again.
@@mushieslushieThey did. It was in the Walt Disney Studios park of Disneyland Paris. It was themed around Armageddon, another dated but popular back then disaster movie, which I guess made sense, being that Aerosmith’s rocking roller coaster was near it.
I am curious as what is a "theme coaster". I dont get the chance to ride a lot of coaster and i am looking forward to how to train your dragon. With toothless launching us and at the second launch having the baby dragon i thought this would be under the "theme" section. Could you give a suggestion of a theme coaster? Also i would like to say this pod cost is a really good one and hopefully you guys can do another like this again.
The TV ads for Kong teased National Guardsmen leaping across the rooftops. Tom-my personal experience with Universal and Disney tracks with your own. Universal just hasn’t stayed what it was.
In the haunt industry, the sets/backdrops come in a distant third behind jump scares and actors. Sightlines are the same way, most park goers don't care. And the argument against sightlines is Disney's own weenie, kids see Nintendoland peaking over the top and it draws them in, it keeps people moving rather than stopping/clogging up a specific area; in theory it keeps the Harry Potter kids from just all hanging out at Hogsmead all day.
Gotta love the Disney shill trying to bad talk the park that is going to decimate Disney. Hopefully the chickens come home to roost for Tom. Shameful to let Annie go as well.
@@supersanic1254 most? Based on your amazing 19 likes? That means “most” to you? See this is the problem. You literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Nobody has been more critical of Disney over time than Tom. To call him a shill is just plain dumb. The kind of dumb that thinks 19 likes means “most people”… New park is gonna decimate Disney? Haha. Like the existing two parks decimated Disney? Clueless people like you said that exact same thing when universal opened. Then again when islands opened. There are 6 parks there. Universals are ranked 4 and 5 for attendance per year. We found the shill. Hint - It’s not Tom….
57:56 “just a fresh coat of paint” I mean Tiana too but add in diminished capacity with how often it’s been down recently, less figures, more screens and projections (yes universal has a problem with how many screen based attractions they have, yet Disney is removing rides and figures to replace them with screens. One thing I do like is the Elsa figure being switched to a physical animatronic head rather than the glow face projections) and universal is actually adding very smooth figures, I literal definition, catching up with Disney. And they are adding areas FOR their classics (Japan got their new area, but management actually seems to care there.) again they should be on the same pedestal, totally agree with you there. It just really seems one is trying to care here and one is just scrapping by with their new additions, I’ll let you decide.
Universal is getting better while Disney is getting worse. As a theme park fan there's a lot to look forward to with Epic Universe and really nothing to look forward to at Disney. The only reason to go to Disney is to enjoy the existing attractions before they're replaced with something worse. I probably rode Splash Mountain 20 times the year before it closed and will try to do the same for Dinosaur. In Orlando, Universal is getting 12 brand new attractions next year and Disney is getting -4 with Dinoland and the most scenic area of Magic Kingdom being removed for what appears to be half baked shoehorned IP.
I’m looking forward to villains land, even more so than dark universe. The universal monsters are cool and all but the Disney villains strike a deeper chord with me
@@ronmartin2277 A lot of the disney villains aren't "goofy". Taken as a whole, the villains are one of the best rogues gallery compared to the likes of comic book characters. And while most people are familiar with the classic universal monsters, most have never even seen the classic universal monster movies. Whereas the disney villains have a lot more context behind them since most have seen the movies they're in.
@@metallicnole4514 - Dark Universe looks great, except for the slingshot kiddie coaster. However, I am worried the “Monsters Unchained” dark ride will cause severe motion sickness, for even the biggest thrill enthusiasts.
@@ronmartin2277 - Have you ever read the books that inspired Dark Universe? The monsters generally always loose. Also, the “Curse of the Werewolf” coaster is for small children. Even “Hiccup’s Winged Glider” and the “Donkey Kong” coaster are meant to be more intense than it. Universal spent the money on the dark ride, and budget-cut the roller coaster.
When I go to Universal, I can get in lines and get on rides. At Disney, I have to download an app, wake up early to maybe get a spot in a digital queue, get to the rides at a specific time, and pay extra to even get a chance to get on certain rides.
I will not (and have not for 6 years) go back to Disney until I can go and escape the stress of daily life.
Also, Hotel Mira Costa is over a thousand dollars a night, and Helios is a tenth of the cost. I can stand some show buildings for a one of a kind experience in the US.
Exactly!
Bingo. You are us. We used to go to Disney every two years. Went to both Disney and Universal in 2018 and have never gone back to Disney since - and it's gone downhill since then!
Well kind of hotel is Helios? Is it a value hotel?
Hotel Miracosta is not over a $1000 a night… I have stayed there a few times and have pay way less than this (~$400-500)… Of course if you want to stay in a suite or concierge room then yes, those are more expensive… but your statement is misleading as you can get much cheaper rooms there….
Check the website, they are literally ¥230,000 a night for resort facing rooms. It there are other ones, they aren't on the reservation platform.
I want a separate podcast called Tom argues with the audience. That would jump to the top of my podcast rotation every week. This is a lot of fun.
Tom never recovered from Back to the Future closing and this slanted rant is proof of that! 😂
I booked a vacation package at Universal for $2800 for my family of four. 4 nights/5 days at Cabana Bay, park hopping for three days between Islands, Universal, and Volcano Bay, and then one day at Epic. Compare that to Disney's $3,500 vacation package (same dates) at Art of Animation 4 nights/5 days and 4 days of park hopping. I'm sorry but it's just a better deal... Cabana Bay is superior to AoA too...
Tom stop defending a Disney that no longer exists
And stop blaming Chapek when Iger has played a bigger role dragging down Disney.
Neither company is perfect imo. The landscape of both Disney and Universal has changed dramatically just in the past decade in terms of offerings and value. As a theme park fan with no “allegiance” to one company, I for one am super excited for Epic Universe and whatever Disney has in store for us in the future! Either way, we as fans win.
Completely balanced, said perfectly.
We can't wait to be open and be able to visit. However, there's no way we'll go until we can visit for more than one day within a vacation package purchase.
There are a lot of things at Disney we think are better than Universal and things at Universal that are better than Disney. Both have a lot of positives for us and that provides good alternatives for vacation planning.
Feel like Tom is defending a Disney that no longer exists. I’m a lifelong Disney fan and truthfully I have not been to the parks in 7 years. In that time I’ve been to Universal 5 times. Between Disneys prices and needing a spreadsheet to plan a day I’m not sure when/if I’ll ever be returning. I certainly hope this new park helps break down Disneys current prices and treatment of the average visitor. But I doubt it. I’m happy with the idea of the passes have one day access. It will lower the amount of people at Epic without me having to make reservations 6 months out like I’m trying to get into some ultra exclusive restaurant. Maybe I’ll tack a Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios day onto my son’s first trip but I’m doubtful. He’s got more interest in Mario than Mickey or Star Wars.
I went to the Disney parks over the summer for the first time in over 15 years and had no issues planning my day or using both versions of the lightning lanes. It was fairly easy for me
@@metallicnole4514 do you have the money to buy your way onto the “good rides” at Disney? Because that’s my problem with Disney. I’ve never had an issue getting on all the rides at Universal without planning every day and having to pay for access to the new rides in park.
@@oosyxx515 I can easily spend $25-$30 for lightning lanes
I think everyone who loves Disney is in a world that no longer exists. All i ever hear is Disney is a theme park, not amusement park. Yet, all anyone talks about are ride lines and food. They keep killing all the actual theme things and replacing it with window dressing, and in some cases, cheap window dressing.
The rides aren't good enough to be in a conversation with any of the ride focused parks and other than meeting Cinderella or Snow White, it's just running on memories.
The old Disney and universal is gone. Say hello to the buckle and dime Disney/universal for the foreseeable future.
5 years to build Tron. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.
Exactly
I can trump that, 8 years to build World of Frozen at DLP 😂
Every build/re-build Disney does now is at a snail's pace. Even small projects, like the current re-do of the Woody's Lunch Box seating area, take a ridiculous amount of time. Is it really so hard to plan a project, put it on an ambitious schedule, put all necessary human and other resources in place to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and get it done in a reasonable amount of time? I can't think of a worse project than Tron. 5 years, a huge investment, the use of a large piece of precious MK real estate, and what we got was a ride that looks cool but is over before you know it. It's a huge disappointment as far as I'm concerned. No one needed the Barnstormer on steroids.
Disney should never have announced the Tron Lightcycle, because there was still an exclusivity clause on it.
Meanwhile OLC with Fantasy Springs haha.
One problem with Disney is what they announce and what we Eventually get are two different things, just look at Epcot.
A indoor playground and an indoor tea cup ride are probably not huge losses
@@WDWNT thank you for your reply and time, you are correct about that.
@@WDWNT what about the festival building? Comuunicore hall is embarrassing compared to what was proposed.
@@WDWNThmm what about spaceship earth renovation? 😂
@@WDWNTas someone who is a BIG fan of old EPCOT and therefore Spaceship Earth, being stuck with the only BAD version of SSE for 18 years is kind of a big deal.
I don’t remember Tom doing a Disney rant about their new money laundering lightening lane scheme.
Tom got popular because of his multiple rants on Disney, but now when it’s the other way people got a problem 😒
@@mylessmith8059 people cared about his Disney rants because they actually have a passion for the Disney parks. He went off on small world and Disney saw that and made change. Disney always had a higher standard as why vacation were built around them and other parks such as Uni was a add on. Disney is now becoming like these other parks and true Disney fans are outraged and don't want to see Diseny park become mediocore. TOM, I thought had the same passion, but now seems to go along with what ever Disney does no matter if its right or wrong. He needs to hold them accountable like he did in the past.
@@lele-vu1cr he can hold Disney accountable and universal accountable, while also calling out the double standard that social media has for Disney and universal. Just because he criticizes Disney, doesn’t make universal perfect.
That's because he's back on the media list and wants to stay there. You can't be honest if you're getting perks or kickbacks from the company you're supposed to call out.
@@mylessmith8059Tom got popular when he was not on the media list and was honest.
People who aren’t aware of the HP staying power have no idea that the books are still dominating the Amazon children’s best sellers list. Nor that the fanfics are currently the most read content on the internet. The world has taken on a mind of his own and lives in its own ecosystem on the interwebs. Take the whole Marauders branch.
Several Points I would like to hear Tom’s reasoning for. I’m not “for Universal” or “for Disney,” but wish to have more clarifications on these topics.
1. His rebuttal for Tron taking so long is that he points to the fact that it took 10 years for Universal’s partnership with Nintendo to lead to a ride. But, that was for Japanese parks, with US lands coming later. So the actual time from announcement to completion will be ~4 years, still less than Tron.
2. Eric (correctly) pointing out that if Disney tried to force people to buy multiday tickets. Single day passes are being released in a couple of days, so I don’t really see the problem. And anyone without a seasonal pass will most likely want to go to all 3 parks.
3. Disney has so many unkept promises and budget cuts, it’s hard to enjoy lands you know should be much better. Universal didn’t even announce EU until ground was already broken.
4. Sightlines at modern Disney rides are just as bad as Universal. Many new Disney attractions blatantly disregard sightlines. While you probably didn’t mean to do this, it sounded like you were downplaying this fact.
5. Tom says that EU lacks a consistent theme and is just a bunch of IP tunnels around a central land, but is starting to apply to the Disney parks as well. HS no longer feels like a movie park, but a random assortment of IP rides. EPCOT has lost a lot of its educational aspect, instead adding rides like Frozen and the bland central hub retheme. I don’t really see how the Tropical America land will tie into the theme of conservation and natural beauty, nor do I see Cars land’s tie into themes of exploration.
I do not think you’re a “shill,” and waited until the end to comment, but would love to hear your reasoning behind these claims on the podcast. I am excited for EU because it will bring the best out of both Disney and Universal, helping consumers in the process.
Tom I love you man! Thank you for saying these things. I’ve been screaming about this topic for months now!
Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s are two of the best (if not THE best) rides in Orlando so yeah HARD disagree.
I JUST got back from my first UO trip (like…yesterday), and those two rides blew my mind!! Incredible achievements in design.
My 2 faves as well!
Query whether Tom fits on those rides?
Middle ground take here. We should all be excited about getting new experiences no matter from who.
Not if they’re both not doing all they can
@@WDWNTDisney is giving away a theme park to their competitor due to lack of expansion. I think Disney could have done more.
The reason why so many people are hating Disney right now is because it seems like almost every major expansion has had major issues.
Frozen - needed to replace Maelstrum (no idea how to spell it), but the ride mostly banks on IP recognition and the projection faces are terrible
Toy Story Land - cheap, unneeded, and no areas for shade
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - amazing themed land and RotR is technologically incredible. But based on the failed sequel trilogy, so no Luke, Darth Vader, Han, Chewbacca, or Leia.
Also the phased opening for the land made it not as impressive
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway - replaced one of the best rides at HS. Feels kinda tacky in my opinion with the abundance of projections
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure - haven’t rode it, but seems good from all accounts I’ve heard
Galactic Starcruiser - based in the sequel trilogy. Extremely expensive
Guardians of the Galaxy - massive blue building killing sightlines everywhere in the park
Journey of Water - seems like imagineers went above and beyond to try and fit into the educational aspects of the park, but shouldn’t be in EPCOT
EPCOT transformation - super cheap, didn’t fulfill what was promised. By some accounts, made the area worse
Tron: Lightcycle Run - took 5 years to build, and you can see the massive box from the Barnstormer area
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure - don’t want to get into the political side, but SM was objectively better. So much dead space, not enough animatronics, and convoluted storyline
The only land I have not included in here is Avatar because it IS an incredible land.
So in my opinion, Universal is not catching up to Disney, it’s seems like Disney is lowering itself down. Added to this is Universal is now throwing large amounts of money into projects like HP and Epic Universe. People are biased against Disney because modern Disney hasn’t lived up to past expectations. Most of the expansions listed have at least one fundamental problem with their conception.
While Universal has many of the same problems, people are willing to overlook these issues because (1.) Disney is running out of goodwill and people are turning away from them and (2.) new Universal seems to have that passion for storytelling. While many rides of Universal past are terrible (I’m looking at you Jimmy Fallon), many new Disney expansions seem soulless.
TLDR people are looking for a way to let out their frustrations with Disney, and that is driving them to Universal
Let’s see Tom, Universal builds and entire park from scratch (infrastructure, dining, shopping, lodging and 12 attractions plus a new road to get there and does it in 5 years, but you’re ok with Disney taking the same amount of time to build ONE attraction that they copied from a different park? I think the pixie dust that Disney has been using on you for the past year now is starting to seep deeper in your brain! If you hate Universal so much (which you flat out said, stay the hell away from the parks! There are plenty of vlogs out there to cover them OBJECTIVELY. Just be a good little shrill for Disney and move on. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Let’s see, I didn’t bring up TRON here and definitely made fun of that process, but you don’t know that because you’re just here to defend an uneducated opinion, for which the only rebuttal you have to valid arguments is “you’re a shill” (which you don’t even know how to spell). You obviously didn’t take the time to watch this, because your argument makes zero sense against everything stated here.
@@WDWNTTom, your argument makes zero sense as well, and again, just comes off as a cringy Disney adult whining. Universal is gonna eat Disney's lunch for years to come. Better get with the times, Tom. Annie does a much better job covering and critiquing Universal than you ever could.
@@WDWNT my apologies for the typo. Sorry I’m not as obviously perfect as you are! 🙄🤣. And since you didn’t address the point of construction time, you must not have an answer to that. As I said, just keep drinking Bob’s Kool-Aid and I’m sure you’ll still get your free cookies. 🤣🤣🤣
@@charlesravert8781 All these Disney vloggers are the same.
Tom point out on Gertie where universal touched you
Wow, moaning about epic universe. Yet happy with over $450 for premier LL. Moaning about how universal have done in their parks. But yet Dinosaur with Indiana Jones skin, Tron took forever to build, Tiana isn't an improvement. So bias! used to love watching Tom now at times it's painful. It's as if he is on the media list now 🤔.
Seriously when he defended the new LL I was dumbfounded. I’m done. I’ve been unimpressed with the universal coverage since Annie left. And the Disney news is mostly clickbait with the all the crime stuff.
Disney said "dirt is already moving" months ago and yet not a single shovel of dirt has moved,.
They’ve started on Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom tho
@@WDWNT As of two months after D23, they have reportedly moved dirt to create an area for construction management trailers about 500 yards away from the future Tropical Americas. I have heard of no report of dirt moving related to new attractions anywhere near where guests would go in any of Disney's six US theme parks.
As a Disney shareholder, this is concerning given the 3 to 5 year timeline to complete any additional attractions once construction begins.
Tron: Announced July '17, open spring 23. 6 years.
Epic Univ: Announced summer 2019, opening latest summer 2025. 6 years.
Took Disney nearly the same amount of time to build one single coaster (an exact copy of Shanghai’s) as it will take Universal to build a park. Disney is not the company we once knew and loved.
Well said
Nintendo was announced for Orlando like a decade ago lol
@@WDWNTand they have opened 1.5 versions of it around the world in that time.
Mary Poppins ride at Epcot was announced 5 + years ago. A very simple cheap ride. It has not been built yet. Both are guilty of the same thing.
Yea I sure do enjoy the “Play Pavilion!” Oh, wait, never mind. Well certainly there’s the new Spaceship Earth about storytelling?! Right?!! The new two story festival place with a garden?! Certainly those green construction walls meant big things! No, not that either?! And no Mary Poppins!!! Like WTH Disney?! Talk about false promises!
My wife and I are huge Disneyworld fans and I do follow WDW regularly. I love the coverage of news, information and entertainment they provide and in practically all instances, I find agreement with Tom on his opinionated commentary. However, in this case, it's classic bury your head in the sand. Epic Universe will have a significant impact on the Orlando Disney parks, likely to a greater exent than even surmised. Will they "destroy" Disney? absolutely not. Will they have a profound effect on the spending and mindset of traditionally Disneycentric fans? Yes. As to the Parks future plans, Disney is now in reactionary mode but it's too little, too late at this point. Universal is now playing the Long Tail, something Disney used to do 30 years ago. With Potter they saw the light and haven't looked back.
Note to Eric Morton: you are a talented, funny guy. Run away. Fast.
I call BS on your theory that Universal got a light touch over the packaging of their tickets for Epic. I personally think it makes perfect commericial and logistical sense
I agree. If either company is willing to drop ~$6 billion in a single tranche they are justified in taking some cream off the top as far as I'm concerned. I want them motivated -- in Wall St. terms -- to take big risks and do big projects. The guests that want to do a one-day snipe will get their chance, and probably won't have to wait too long.
If Disney opens a new park and says it's only available in a 5 day, 5 park pass for the first year id be ok with it. The only people who are mad about this are Orlando locals who have been to the parks more times than they can count. I live in Massachusetts and have been to universal 3 times in the past 3 years now and being told i have to buy a 3 park ticket is like being punished by having to go to my room... Where all my toys are.
I agree, this is an issue only for a very entitled group of locals who treat theme parks like their local mall. When Disney launches a new cruise ship and "forces" guests to go on the cruise-ship for several nights, where's the complaining "They don't have a one night cruise!" This is dumb. Before long, things will calm down and these people will settle into going to Epic after work and every weekend and we'll not have to hear them whine.
The problem is the other parks don’t have enough in them for a whole day
This feels like he is just getting his stress out 😂
I like both Universal and Disney. Competition is great for both of them to keep pushing the envelope. Hopefully Universal will turn there attention to all the dead space at the other parks they have.
They will need to. Epic will definitely highlight the weaknesses of the other 2 parks, especially studios
Thumbnail is priceless. Enjoy your Tiana's Bayou Adventure merchandise buddy.
Q: Is there a single day option for guests wanting to visit Universal Epic Universe?
A: During this initial phase of Universal Epic Universe-inclusive tickets, we are currently only offering multi-day tickets for 3-Days or longer that include one-day admission to Universal Epic Universe. Additional product offerings -- including single day for Universal Epic Universe -- will be launched at a later date before the park opens.
$6 billion to build Epic Universe.
First new theme park to open in North America during the social media era.
I don’t blame Universal for charging what they can and trying to limit/manage attendance.
Yep. That's the reward they get for dropping an investment like that. If Disney steps up with $6 billion, I'll give them a pass too.
Not to mention the money that universal made off Disney from the Hulu deal just the a little bit of that money already paid for epic universe
@@DrStarlanderDisney just keep increasing their prices whilst reducing what you get for it. Magic Kingdom is going to be a construction zone for years, and they have put up the price of their annual passes.
@@DrStarlanderlol there dropping almost 60 billion lol
@@thegermanassassin9652 They are supposedly going to spend $60 billion over ten years which includes all expenses for their experiences division, including cruise ships, and upgrading all the parks they have an ownership interest in around the world (e.g., not Tokyo). How much will be spent in Orlando? An estimate based on recent reported costs of similarly scaled attractions (*noted down below) would be:
$500 million -- Monstropolis suspended coaster and reskin of existing buildings at DHS
$500 million -- 2 Cars attractions at MK
$500 million -- Encanto dark ride and reskin of Dinosaur as Indy, etc. at AK
$1.2 billion -- Villains Land at MK
$100 million -- Muppets re-theme of RRC at DHS (today's news)
So right now we are looking at ~$2.8 billion being projected to be spent at WDW over the next 5 years. It's possible -- and I hope -- a similar amount could be spent from 2030 to 2035 completing the back half of the 10 year timeframe of the stated investment. In total, that would be ten years from now and at $5.6 billion, shy of the $6 billion.
*Cost Comparisons:
Fantasy Springs = $2.1 billion
Cars Land = $1.1 billion
New Fantasyland = $600 million
World of Avatar = $500 million
Sight Lines: As a designer, I care, Tom cares. When I’m at Parks, people walk into me about every 5 minutes because they are looking down INTO THEIR PHONES!!! Today’s generation could care less about sight lines they never look up. ITS SAD!
It's because its required now. I can't stand being on my phone every second, but as mom I am the designated "tour guide" who books everything. Totally ruins everything for me to be "booking" and scheduling in every line and while eating.
I'm sure you mean Disney"s actions when you say "today's generations" because they demand you be on the phone, right? 😊
It’s mostly Disney forcing people to be on phones. With their 3 different ways to skip lines, dining reservations, line times, checking menus, virtual queues, and much more, guests are forced onto their phones for a lot of the day.
On my previous trip to Disney, when RotR had virtual queue, the whole park would stop for 10ish minutes to try and get boarding groups. You could legit see the majority of families find a spot to sit down and constantly refresh their phone until time came. This is not the fault of “younger generations” but of a Disney that can treat guests like this.
OK. I'll tell you when something you've said is an opinion and not a fact. You started this whole thing by stating that you were "forced" to buy a "park hopper" style ticket when IoA opened. Sir, you were not forced. You could have chosen to forego the visit entirely. You also could have simply waited until single or multi-day, IoA tickets were available as many of us are planning to do with Epic. What's the point of this entire rant?
I’m impressed at how Tom could spend two hours addressing the strength and weaknesses of both theme park giants. His passionate tone sure inspired me to go on a rant inside my General Statistics class today on how the students aren’t putting in the work that’s needed in response to an exam where no one scored an 80!
The quality of Universal is increasing at a time where the quality of Disney world is staying the same or getting worse. Having gone on trips to both in the past three years, I was pleasantly surprised with Universal’s quality. The Jurassic Park/Harry Potter areas are as good as WDW. Universal is just a simpler, cheaper experience, but WDW is the top dog still
Just got home from Disney. Tomorrowland is gross. So dirty, chipping paint everywhere. Have you ridden space mountain lately? Way worse than rip ride rocket. Pretty much every big ride had breakdowns or animatronics that weren’t working. The concrete is all stained and dirty, paint chipping everywhere. I used to be okay paying premium for Disney but it’s not really providing the value. Tom just bought back in after Disney repaired the relationship. Now drinking koolaid.
Neither company is perfect but Jesus, what is this pixie dust you’re snorting for copium my friend?? I love plenty of Disney’s offerings but Universal EPIC is going to put wdw in trouble and they need to execute their D23 unveilings perfectly (which they seldom do) to come even close to the scale of release but long long after. Universal is making a major vie for “visit Orlando for us and two days in disney”and not visa versa as
I’d argue is the current pattern of FL tourism for amusement park
You also have to be high if you don’t recognize that the wizarding world and its animatronics FINALLY lit a fire under imagineering’s ass to replace things like the completely and utterly cursed original animatronic that released with the Snow White and the seven dwarves THIS CENTURY new ride release. Her terrible melted silicon face with completely random motors was EMBARRASSING beyond belief whist universal was touting film accurate gringots goblins animatronics… how embarrassing this is something you fail to recognize in the bigger track record for our beloved company, Tom. Please live in reality you can be a fan of whatever franchises but universal has big Nintendo partnership - Universal Japan also has Pokemon theming, which isn’t in the cards for epic but lets use our foresight here - if deployment in the west kicks off with a nicer Mario land than in Cali do you really think the worlds most profitable IP, Pokemon isn’t going to be seeking amusement park deployment in a western land they generally are poor at localizing to..? Disney could be in trouble, but as always I’m excited to see what they have planned in rebuttal.
in the UK we have a min number of days we have to book for a Disney hotel
5 years to build Tron same as Epic. 😂
Nintendo was announced like 10 years ago
@WDWNT yes,but nintendo was not their own ip like tron is to disney. So it's more technicals for the approved designs. I still think disney it's taking for ever with anything to build plus I really hope they will step their game because the new plans from d23 kinda suck 😕
@@WDWNT But from construction beginning to ending, the time is the same.
To be fair. The Uni/Nintendo partnership was announced in 2015. The land was announced in 2016. Construction for Japan began in 2017. That opened late 2020.
The US parks were announced but were given dates far out in the future.
So SNW did only take 4 years for construction.
Galaxys edge also took 4 years, so it was the same timeframe.
Tron was just a CF for many reasons
@@WDWNTyes announced but they didn’t start making it like Disney did with tron and it took them that long. Also they made Nintendo Japan and Nintendo Hollywood and now finishing Nintendo Orlando. 3 whole lands with multiple rides in 10 years. Seems pretty good to me. Mind you I enjoy Disney, I love it but you need to accept that universal when it comes to construction they are miles ahead
14:43 I remember being stunned by how good the Poseidon thing was when I first hit islands of adventure.
They are making you buy the 2 park tickets so those parks are not empty when Epic opens
Yeah, selling you something you don’t want and charging you more
@@WDWNTGo outside and touch grass, Tom. And do a little exercise while you’re out there…
It makes sense what Universal is doing with Epic. To prioritize people who are spending more money by going multiple days deserve the opportunity to go to Epic first, versus the people who just want to go one day. (I.e spend less money) I don’t see an issue.
Exactly. Universal needs to pay back the $6 billion and if they don't, we won't get *any* cool new parks, lands, or attractions. I want this to be a good business for them so they invest more.
If it was Disney, you wouldn’t defend this
@@WDWNT If Disney spends $6 billion on a new US theme park and the very first tickets available are only available in a 3-day or more multi-park pass, I promise to withhold criticism. Disney, your move.
@@WDWNT You’re right! I have no problem saying I want Disney to fail!
@WDWNT but you would 😅
Look - I don't mind a little commentary during news if it's about something the parks could be doing better. Like, if there's some maintenance issue, or if cast is being mistreated, then sure - go to town. But I'm sorry - I had to bail halfway through this thing. Is this really just two hours of "here's why people on Twitter are wrong"??? Wow. I plan to keep watching news because I want to know what's going on in the parks - but I think I'm done with the podcast, at least when it's solo.
Same.
The rat’s reign over themed entertainment will be over soon. A new universe awaits those that can break free of the mouse’s modern mediocrity.
Come on Tom I know you feel it in your bones. Disney peaked creatively with the Japanese bankrolled DisneySea in 2001 and hasn’t taken an Epic Universe sized risk domestically since Animal Kingdom in 1998. Since then we’ve seen nothing but mediocre IP money grabs preceded by budget cut, unprofitable copy-and-paste castle parks in China. Disney’s last great achievement in this space came in 2017 with Pandora at Animal Kingdom and was the last great Imagineer Joe Rhode’s swan song before being unceremoniously fired in 2020 along with what little creative talent Disney had left. We also got to witness needless destruction of original creative masterpieces like Great Movie Ride and Splash Mountain.
Themed entertainment that Disney made an art form has been dying but now we have Universal taking a big risk with a new original high budget domestic park which Disney hasn’t done since Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. As someone that still enjoys Disney for its historical significance and few remaining masterpiece attractions like Pirates and Mansion, it’s clear that our future as theme park fans, is Universal.
I wish it was, but they have fallen short of great attractions consistently. Universal is your theme park Plan B because you’re all unsure if you want Disney right now.
@@WDWNT I think Universal will actually become Plan A when Epic opens and will become the new standard for domestic theme parks in the way may of us previously viewed Disney. I guess its more exciting to root for a company that is trying harder to innovate and advance the art form of themed entertainment than a company that constantly cheapens and budget cuts what they already have. Comcast is taking big risks with big investments in their parks which Disney hasn't done since the 1990s. Universal has had as many hits and misses as Disney over the recent years but when you compare Disney's best recent attraction Guardians (mostly projections), with Universal's Hagrid (real sets, animatronics/actual story coaster), it's plain to see who is really innovating. When Epic opens, Disney's Orlando parks are going to look even more tired and second rate, especially if visitors are going to both in the same trip. Hopefully EU forces Disney to compete again like how they responded to Harry Potter with Avatar land and Universal Studios with MGM.
@@ralphpootawn6772 At the very least, hopefully Epic Universe will spur Disney to give MK's Fantasyland the thematic make-over Disneyland got 40 years ago. And to replace the ugly 1970s pink concrete throughout the park, and add brick to Main St. town square, sidewalks and trolly tracks, to bring it up to the other castle parks. These plans and materials all exist, they could all be in process right now.
We were disappointed at universal when we went in the spring. Yes, it was very busy but we went on 4 rides total over 2 parks, 5 if you count the train between the parks. We spent most of our time waiting in line. The HP lands were gorgeous, but that was the highlight. It ended on a bad note because after waiting all day for lines to go down at Gringotts, only for it to go down and not be opened back up 45 min before closing. Forget even getting in Hagrids. Disney was just as busy, but I felt easier to manage with the now gone genie +.
Glad to hear someone else thinks Disney needs to update and or add on to their existing gates before opening a new one. I hope they start to find ways to add the perceived value back into the WDW experience.
Disney's virtual queues and when they are forcing people to make park reservations are the same thing as Epic Universe only allowing one day with a multipass. Both are meant to control capacity to maximize the guest experience and both suck.
One actually controls capacity, the other makes more money while allowing the same number of people in as they would have with 1-day tickets
Both are in the business of making money as publicly traded companies, they have to...One makes money and controls capacity while also using its advantage of the moment to get its competitors customers to spend more time at their parks. The other makes money by selling ILL and causing unnecessary scarcity with virtual queues long after they should have been retired. i don't begrudge either for it. But....As a long time WDW park visitor/DVC member, I am disappointed with the total guest experience after 2019 compared to how we are treated when visiting Universal. I am willing to pay more for a superior product but WDW is no longer the superior product. Reduced maintenance, no Magical Express, ill trained cast members that yell at guests, unnecessarily complex systems, Animal Kingdom still closes at 6pm, Trams taking years to return....need I say more@@WDWNT
Dude moaning about multiday tickets when single day go on sale tomorrow😂😂😂
Old man yells at clouds
😂🤣
That's what older millennials and gen z's are gonna sound like to younger generations when they complain about the rivers of america and tom sawyer island when the cars land opens lol
@@metallicnole4514 - I am an “older” millennial and already think anyone complaining about a useless island and man-made river sounds like that.
@@metallicnole4514im a millennial and couldn't not care less about those. I'm all for change.
@@metallicnole4514when Cars Land opens in 2034 😅
I hope one day universal gets you on the media list so you can be their cheerleader
We were on the list and I wasn’t, that’s why we’re off
@@WDWNTIs that why the rant happened now?
@@remysdoghouse6595he’s ranted before lol
I see from the comments that Tom is still shilling. Thanks for saving me the runtime, everyone.
Haha - I actually know what Fizzbin is. Old STAR TREK reference.
Was mid typing a comment about seeing Tron Lightcycle Run from Barnstormer….and you promptly addressed that. Good day sir 😂. All great points in your video.
Loving Disney doesn't mean you have to hate Universal, Tom. It's not pie, you can have both.
It's really confusing tuning into UNT to hear the quality reporting your company produces, coming from someone who really seems like they love finding something to down about Universal more than they like universal. Like..... it'd be awesome to have a Universal fan deliver that news. Unless hey, this is about clicks? Then...if it means we still get to have any news reporting about universal then, clicks win.
I’m not the entire company, there’s people passionate about Universal, and if your takeaway is I hate them just to hate them, you aren’t listening
@@WDWNT That's wrong! We weren't put here to hate!
Something tells me Tom doesn't skimp on pies.
To each their own, we are still a Disney family including my adult children and their friends.
the kong issues, poseidon closing, and the kidzone “re theme” are all pretty fair points ngl
Universal is the best thing that has happened to every Disney fan even if they never go to a Universal Park. Competition of Daigon Alley lead to Galaxy's Edge. Im not a Potter fan but Universal did such an incredible job of creating such an immersive experience that Disney had to step up their game. Its no surprise that as Epic Universe gets closer to opening day Disney announces a major update to Disney Parks.
The only reason i see people okay with this ticketing system is because you're getting 3 parks a day (1 being new) for $559 a person. I know that because that's what i paid.
Compare that to Disney's $400 skip the line pass, and it makes Universal's option look better.
I like Disney and Universal. But people are willing to pay what it costs to experience this new theme park. Especially If they're fans of the IPs.
Though the ticketing system is shady. It definitely benefits tourists in my eyes. They're the ones staying for multiple days anyway
Universal is forcing guests to buy that, Disney is not.
@@ChienaAvtzon Umm....not true! Disney is forcing you! Universal isn't. Universal would say: Suck It!!!
@@ChienaAvtzon Disney didn't just drop $6 billion. If and when they do, they can force whatever tickets on guests, and you absolutely know they will.
@@DrStarlander - $6bil is the bare minimum to build a world class theme park. Plus, a huge chunk of that budget went to the road that connects to the park.
I always loved Animal kingdom from day 1. But Tom is right so many people walked in for 2 hours and left. My friends hated it . I still love it to this day.
You have to appreciate animal life first. 😉
My favorite thing is value really Disney’s value hotel is $300 a night. That’s not a value that is a rip off their moderate 475 to 600 give me a break. Some of the deluxe rooms are 795 a night that is outrageous for the average family so DISNEY doesn’t get it at all. Value hotel is now priced the same as universal epic universe inside the park for 300 bucks a day so worth it people see value in that something they can give to their kids and their family without feeling like they are on a low budge vacation. There’s nothing wrong with that hats off to universal
Disney is sucking so much ass these days, I pray Universal will kick their ass and wake them up. Competition may bring Disney back to life. Right now, they've lost all their talent, all their initiative, the rides are all broken down, the parks are dirty, there are no perks anymore, no magic, and the cost is skyrocketing. Disney needs humbled. Badly.
Studios desperately needs a new land. Yes, Marvel is dated, but Studios has become a 2-3 hour park for us. Islands could be sustained with new stage shows in the Toon and Lost Continent theaters for a few years. Studios needs more.
Only thing i will say is when it comes to Disney & Universal is this : Creatives & cast members care, Financial people / C-suite's do not.
Until the people are heard, we all lose out.
thank you
ZERO offense to Eric and Nick, but I kinda dug the 2 hour Tom rant.
Why wouldn’t you talk about the quality of California Adventure when it opened? You just spent how long talking about the quality of IOA when it opened?
Because the topic was Universal, plus we’ve talked about how bad DCA was a million times and it’s well-documented.
Got dang, Tom's replies to comments here are hilariously passive aggressive.
Tom gets hot 44 minutes in and it was worth it 😂
Wow I never would’ve expected a Virtual Boy reference from Tom.
I'd be on a flight tomorrow from Scotland if they built something related to Back to the Future (I still can't believe they moved Simpsons in instead)
“Not in a million years.” 😂 Nothing can match Disney in my eyes and yes to the Back to the Future idea! Take all my money!
Interesting fact: Disney changed the annual pass for California Adventure very quickly- like in a couple of weeks! And they had a pass holder preview day as well the day before opening. But to tell the truth my friends and I just love going there on Friday nights that first year when there so few guests you stay on many of the rides and just go again if you wanted to!
Thanks for answering my question, Tom! (Bring back 5 menu items) Still not over losing the shumai at the Canteen, so right there with you! As a Wilderness Lodge fangirl, I also miss the mushroom soup and cobbler from Artist Point. 😭
54:13 thank you. I’ve been saying this about the rollercoasters for years. I can ride roller coasters all over the world, if I’m in Florida, I want something more impressive.
What has WDW or Disneyland in the past 10 years that is on the level of what Universal is doing with Epic U today? I don't know just yet but from I have seen today?... Yeah, Epic U. "seems" to be the most high tech and most immersive park in the US. (or will be) I'm off to Tokyo in two days so I'll get my first taste of a non-US Disney park. I'll then have more to compare Epic U. with. I dunno,...so far,..Epic U. is looking extremely bad-ass.
Pandora opened in 2017
@@WDWNT - Woah,...that is true. You got me on that one. It's a damn shame that Joe Rhode is gone now. We need him more then ever today. I think Joe was the last of the "old school" Imagineering greats to leave the company. The day I read that he left,...I KNEW that Imagineering was in a tail-spin. Disney has no more Joe Rhode's left. He was the very last one. Ironically, Universal scooped up some excellent Disney people. Tom,...I REALLY wish that Joe Rhode and Tony Baxter were 100% free to tell us what they think of Imagineering and Burbank management today. They can't but I with they could talk freely about this. I feel like Burbank hates this company today and has zero respect for it's amazing history. They seem to be Hell-bent on canceling Disney's history in a thousand different ways. Burbank is not a loyal steward of Walt Disney and the company's culture and history. All they care about is knocking it all down and building the company in "their" image designed for "modern audiences" (A total fallacy,....something that does NOT even exist!!!)
@@CLIFFLIX I've had dinner with Tony twice and had long talks. Tom would KILL to hear what I've heard.
@@tulinfirenze1990 - So would I !!
I’ve been waiting for this one. I needed this Tom honest breakdown and I’ve been hoping and waiting for it no thoughts yet bc I’m waiting to be free to listen but this is the video I’ve been waiting for bc I knew this man had thoughts and I’m so excited to hear his two hour breakdown!! The time has come and I’m here for it.
I agree about the sightlines and the fact that it won't de-throne Disney World. I agree that it won't be the greatest park ever built. I agree that Universal has problems with food (not as good as Disney across the board), ride quality (highest highs and disastrously low lows). But I believe that Epic Universe will still have a lot of stuff I've never seen in a theme park and I'm mainly referring to the LOOK of Celestial park and the LOOK of the portals and just the look and atmosphere of the lands. I think the anchor attractions like the Harry Potter ride and main Dark Universe ride will make the park well worth coming too with various really well made regional park-caliber rides sprinkles in to make it a kinetic and full experience. Even though it won't surpass Tokyo Disney or the original EPCOT, It's still a solid addition and I have faith that it will earn it's place and eventually be a large part of a family's trip to Orlando. I agree that people shouldn't hype up a carousel as that much more than a carousel, and yeah the ticket structure is messed up. Let's just wait and see, though. We may be making too many declarations about the park's quality before it's even open.
Being a teenager with IoA opened, it was certainly my favorite park at the time. Dualing Dragons is one of my favorite rides, and I am sad it's gone. It always had a fairly short line for being such a major attraction. I didn't care for Hulk as much, but it's still a good ride. Rollercoasters are a huge park of themeparks, and there are only so many ways to hide the track, and in most cases that ends up in a compromise in the layout, and I think Disney has a patent on putting a coaster in a mountain anyways /s.
The waffles at Sleepy Hollow. Especially the one with Nutella, strawberries, and bananas. 😢
disney sea is jaw dropping I went there for two days and rode no rides and just walked around and took pictures
We can’t wait to visit
Absolutely miss the Timekeeper at Magic Kingdom! Never mentioned in discussions about lost attractions. Miss Le Visionarium in Paris too
If EU would have sold single tickets - people would buy 3 or 4 single day tickets - and other people wouldn't have the chance to get in at all.
Sure it gives them more money - but mainly it's a form of load balancing.
The same amount of people will eventually go, this is just squeezing money. It only benefits those willing to do more days, it won’t make their days less crowded.
You’re simply delaying visits of those who won’t pay the extra money, not giving anyone an extra chance. I don’t understand this logic.
@@WDWNT lets say the park maxes out at 50K - then 50K new people can visit every day.
If you sell day tickets - then most people would buy 2 tickets (or more) - just for EU. Meaning only 25K "new" people would be able to visit every day before it hits capacity.
Imagine the same thing but with annual passes. Say you open a new park and in the preview week let every pass member visit one time.
But what would be if in this preview week you let pass members visit as many days as they like. It would be a disaster. At the end of the week you would have people who visited 3, 5, or 7 times - and others who couldn't get in a single day because the park was full every day with "repeating offenders".
Same thing.
@@WDWNT btw: for 2026 you can buy "4 parks for 14 days unlimited access" tickets already 😮
(Someone tell me if this is in my head or something I was told as a kid).
Some of this “ must buy several days “ is almost a universal trade mark. For years when we have been going to Disney I always wanted to try Volcano bay. Because I know, I know that Bay, is the superior water park. And to get a day at volcano bay u used to have to buy at least 2 days worth of theme park tickets. Before u could even add bay as an option.
But I never really needed to go into the theme parks. ( unless a new land opened, and it’s been at least a year to hammer out the kinks.) meaning I had to buy tickets to them parks without wanting to go and a no!!
What a smug and unappealing video. After watching this chann for years i think im done. So very unpleasant. I really wish we had a kinder and more open minded host for all these shows.
Yep. This channel in general is just going massively downhill.
I honestly think it would be better if Tom worked behind the scenes and let Eric and Nick be the public faces, because you're very right about the smugness. This whole video was very unprofessional (not that I could even hear most of it, since he was either mumbling or shouting).
There was one video recently, about people panicking because they mistook a popped balloon for a gunshot, and the way he chuckled over that was so disgusting. WDW is crammed with families, children were crying and parents were frightened. But let's just laugh at the dummies who couldn't tell the difference between a balloon and a gun, right Tom?
I stopped watching regularly a very long time ago. In general I am completely off theme parks now. I don't need a day at a theme park to feel like a damned job and cost a fortune.
Ever think there's a difference between working on rides in an open and operating park vs working on rides in a park that is still being built.
What’s the difference? I’d love to know
A lot of good points Tom, i just wish your love for Disney wouldn't go so much against Universal. I really think Epic will destroy sales for Disney parks. I love them both but when i visit Orlando i always prioritize Universal before Disney cause its easier and i always have more fun . Also im sorry to hear that majority of the rides affect you, maybe that takes away from your joy . P.s. Harry potter is way better in my opinion that any area at Disney including Avatar.
He clearly doesn't like thrill rides that much, but he clearly has a Disney bias. If Disney had an attraction similar to Twister, it would have a Disney fanbase and he would understand and likely be part of it and selling stuffed cows or something, but because it's Universal he craps all over it.
I literally praised the thing it replaced, sorry you missed it
@WDWNT you mean the subtle mention over the big complaining. No we heard it.
Yes and no. If it were just my son and I, we are there. If its me with also mom or dad or daughter or hubby, then no. They are not thrill ride people, both age and temperament. I asked darling daughter if we were to get a pass to go do anything at WDW for a whole day, what would it be? She listed no roller coasters except for TRON. Teacups, small world, muppets, the bird show, the safari, jungle cruise, etc all rank high on her list. So, you do you, but I will go see the back side of water again.
@@mushieslushieThey did. It was in the Walt Disney Studios park of Disneyland Paris. It was themed around Armageddon, another dated but popular back then disaster movie, which I guess made sense, being that Aerosmith’s rocking roller coaster was near it.
I am curious as what is a "theme coaster". I dont get the chance to ride a lot of coaster and i am looking forward to how to train your dragon. With toothless launching us and at the second launch having the baby dragon i thought this would be under the "theme" section. Could you give a suggestion of a theme coaster? Also i would like to say this pod cost is a really good one and hopefully you guys can do another like this again.
The TV ads for Kong teased National Guardsmen leaping across the rooftops.
Tom-my personal experience with Universal and Disney tracks with your own. Universal just hasn’t stayed what it was.
In the haunt industry, the sets/backdrops come in a distant third behind jump scares and actors. Sightlines are the same way, most park goers don't care. And the argument against sightlines is Disney's own weenie, kids see Nintendoland peaking over the top and it draws them in, it keeps people moving rather than stopping/clogging up a specific area; in theory it keeps the Harry Potter kids from just all hanging out at Hogsmead all day.
Thanks, Tom, for a great video!
Original Epcot hid the show buildings in plain sight in distinctive architectural statements. I love that Epcots icon (SE) IS a show building.
Gotta love the Disney shill trying to bad talk the park that is going to decimate Disney. Hopefully the chickens come home to roost for Tom. Shameful to let Annie go as well.
Dumbest take ever. WOW.
@@Meatball2022Nah, just the most accurate one. Seems like more are in agreement with my take than yours. Whoops.
@@supersanic1254 most? Based on your amazing 19 likes? That means “most” to you?
See this is the problem. You literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Nobody has been more critical of Disney over time than Tom. To call him a shill is just plain dumb. The kind of dumb that thinks 19 likes means “most people”…
New park is gonna decimate Disney? Haha. Like the existing two parks decimated Disney? Clueless people like you said that exact same thing when universal opened. Then again when islands opened. There are 6 parks there. Universals are ranked 4 and 5 for attendance per year.
We found the shill. Hint - It’s not Tom….
@@Meatball2022Whatever you say, Mr one like troll😂😂😂
How many attractions did Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom have upon their original opening ?
Dreamworks land…”Fresh coat of paint” Dinosaur reskin brilliant idea! Innovative!
Can't wait Epic to open soon
Disney is trash now
Can’t wait for epic but your bigot if you think Disney is trash
57:56 “just a fresh coat of paint” I mean Tiana too but add in diminished capacity with how often it’s been down recently, less figures, more screens and projections (yes universal has a problem with how many screen based attractions they have, yet Disney is removing rides and figures to replace them with screens. One thing I do like is the Elsa figure being switched to a physical animatronic head rather than the glow face projections) and universal is actually adding very smooth figures, I literal definition, catching up with Disney. And they are adding areas FOR their classics (Japan got their new area, but management actually seems to care there.) again they should be on the same pedestal, totally agree with you there. It just really seems one is trying to care here and one is just scrapping by with their new additions, I’ll let you decide.
Universal is getting better while Disney is getting worse. As a theme park fan there's a lot to look forward to with Epic Universe and really nothing to look forward to at Disney. The only reason to go to Disney is to enjoy the existing attractions before they're replaced with something worse. I probably rode Splash Mountain 20 times the year before it closed and will try to do the same for Dinosaur.
In Orlando, Universal is getting 12 brand new attractions next year and Disney is getting -4 with Dinoland and the most scenic area of Magic Kingdom being removed for what appears to be half baked shoehorned IP.
I’m looking forward to villains land, even more so than dark universe. The universal monsters are cool and all but the Disney villains strike a deeper chord with me
@@metallicnole4514 I get they may be branded better, but whats the appeal of goofy not scary villains who lose at every turn?
@@ronmartin2277 A lot of the disney villains aren't "goofy". Taken as a whole, the villains are one of the best rogues gallery compared to the likes of comic book characters. And while most people are familiar with the classic universal monsters, most have never even seen the classic universal monster movies. Whereas the disney villains have a lot more context behind them since most have seen the movies they're in.
@@metallicnole4514 - Dark Universe looks great, except for the slingshot kiddie coaster. However, I am worried the “Monsters Unchained” dark ride will cause severe motion sickness, for even the biggest thrill enthusiasts.
@@ronmartin2277 - Have you ever read the books that inspired Dark Universe? The monsters generally always loose. Also, the “Curse of the Werewolf” coaster is for small children. Even “Hiccup’s Winged Glider” and the “Donkey Kong” coaster are meant to be more intense than it. Universal spent the money on the dark ride, and budget-cut the roller coaster.
I would definitely pay a couple of super chats questions on a debate type of podcast between Tom and Devin
We need a regular "Tom only" show like this. Like once or twice a month. Could be called "Rant a Tom" or so 😂
More like Biased Tom.
Obviously, everyone in this damn place hasn't seen any news of the European theme parks and how they do innovations versus the Big 2.
My daughter loves the shows, especially the bird show. We always do the animal trails too, the zoo part, every time. We skip Rafiki planet watch.
You are missing a trick at Rafiki with the Animation classes. These are great fun. Also if you go early you can see real vets treat real animals
11:46 2nd time I went on JP river adventure, the dinosaurs rubber skins had holes in them.
Rip ride rock it is awesome. Strengthen your core and your back won't hurt tom
Yeah, my core is the problem… go read up on it lol