INCREDIBLE video Brayden. Your scripting and delivery are impeccable with graphics, illustration and editing being 100% top-notch. You are the very best at Disney analysis on UA-cam. Wow,...Love your work buddy!
Here's the thing, though. So, I just looked at a booking for Uni vs WDW, for early October. Staying 6 nights 7 days. Uni, with tickets, staying at the brand new Helios, with tickets to all 3 parks, comes out to $4240. A comparable "Deluxe" stay, I picked Polynesian (because of park access). With Parkhoppers, starting around $7224. Park View is $9606. The Poly Tower is a bit cheaper, but isn't done yet...but starts around $5800 with a parking lot view (yay). Now, we haven't gotten into lightning lane, dining plans, or any of the other upgrades. But, just at a base deluxe hotel stay level...Disney is nearly twice the cost. Uni has increased prices, indeed. But, they have added a lot of value for those price increases. WDW has not followed suit.
its sad how the parks inside of california are getting way better, with a better tiana's, better pirated, less rough rides, an identical rise of the resitance to not spend so much money in hollywood studios, + way less walking and tiredness, california adventure is bad but cars land beats the castle, grizzly bear peak is insane and defeats some parts of animal kingdom. So basically, go to the parks in japan and california, totally worth it. (Forgot to mention, the WAY better small world and they kept history inside there, such as walt disney's apartment without any damages yet, its a small world which walt made still standing there thriugh its yearly cycle without a trace, keeping good care for rides expect for one side of the matterhorn that breaks your back) in summary, just to the california oarks, less walking in less heat.
@@libertyko15 That only applies to Disney. The Universal Studios in Hollywood pales in comparison to Orlando's. The only thing really worth it there is the tram tour and maybe Kung Fun Panda. Although the new Fast n Furious Coaster may draw more visitors.
@@viking515066 @remy (also i cant click o nusers it recently broke for me) So for hollywood, im super close to, disneyland i prefer since its basically bigger and have better food thats cheaper.
I wish that someone with the love and passion for Disney that Brayden has was the CEO. At least they would be concerned with guests first instead of profits. Brayden for Disney CEO!!
More like the lack of imagination and creative vision with the new additions. Sure the petty cost cutting removing all the little perks annoys people, it's really disappointing new additions that upset people. Just look at the Epcot overhaul, that turned out to be a joke compared to the concept art.
@@0dylan As much as I hate the cost, I have unique perspective since I went to the parks over the summer for the first time in over 15 years. So there's a lot that was new and fresh to me.
@metallicnole4514 it’s a combination of things…. 1) Price increasing like clockwork 2) Perks changing/no longer offered 3) Ride closure of popular attractions 4) With said attraction closures, leads to more and more construction and not making it worth visiting a park that isn’t at it’s max potential 5) General attitude of the Disney company…acting high and mighty while hiding under it’s name as if that justifies any of their decisions (that haven’t been all that great in the first place) and turning their nose up actual innovention and competition
I totally agree . Disney has made a huge mistake by not preparing for the coming of the new Universal park. We plan on staying at Universal and staying within the Universal bubble. Not going to Disney. Not enough money left to do it all and there is nothing new to see or do at Disney.
I believe Disney knew of Epic roughly 10 years before construction started, which is why Disney started adding new attractions every year, like Tron and Guardian.
If this is the case I hope more park guest feel the same and not go to these parks. It's the only way company will realize it's faults and maybe do something about it
Excellent Braden! While Disney continues to feel that Epic won't be anything to worry about i hope Epic reaches all time record numbers across the board and shows Disney they are no longer the Main Theme Park in Florida. Hoping Disney guests will realize how they have all been misled and taken advantage of and finally not give in to all the price hikes and and failed promises. Epic Universe will be the eye opener for many people in what theme parks are supposed to do .offer more and not less.
Braydon great seeing you again! Great insight video. You should be considered to be part of the Disney organization! You truly understand Walt’s philosophy!Admiration and respect regarding your analysis on the financial situation of the company and getting a new CEO. I totally agree with you, they should get someone from inside that understands how the organization works, specially the parks and experiences. Keep up the great work! Happy Thanksgiving!
One factor is likely labor costs. With a project as large as Epic Universe happening right up the street, the cost of contractors and laborers (at least, those who can work on theme parks) is probably high in the central florida area right now. Disney knows this. Might as well wait for Epic to finish before moving forward with their own projects.
They need to get started now, otherwise instead of 5 to 10 years it will be more like 15 years before they bring things to guests. They are really far behind.
It’s still shocking to me they would get rid of the magical express. It made the guest enter the bubble starting at the airport. We came so many times and never went anywhere else. Once they got rid of that, we now rent a car, stay off property and go to other places for food and entertainment. I would love to see stats Brayden on guest spending etc after the removal of magical express.
Disney is banking on the element of its conceived concept that its historical Disney fan base will never jump ship and continue to pay its exorbitant tkt prices. I believe they will be sorely surprised to see that a large percentage of their fan base HAS JUMPED SHIP, and their Forcast numbers will be VERY short.
Many will stick around. Some people seemingly are so attached to Disney they won't take a break no matter what. But for the 90% that aren't super fans, they might consider only staying at universal for their next trip.
Delusional Disney doesn't realize that people who go to Epic and Disney will only be able to compare how lackluster one experience is from another and choose the one with more value for further vacations
As someone who works in Accounting/Finance, I am truly impressed with your analysis of the earnings call as well as the financials. Excellent work, Brayden! Revenues can be very deceptive (Operating Income is much more important), but I am happy that DTC is now a net positive and that CapEx is supposedly very high for the parks. Very interesting to see the CFO's comments about "historical Florida offerings" opening... as always, past performance is not indicative of future results.
I'm from the UK and usually do a 10-14 day trip to Orlando for both Disney and Universal with some resort days in between. I used to do 2 days at each Disney park but will likely need to start sacrificing Disney park days in favour of Epic Universe for the first time. A lot of people from the UK do 7 day package holidays and may have to drop a Disney park all together, to make time for Epic Universe. This is potentially the first time that a 7 day trip isn't enough to comfortably do all the available parks.
Agree with many here. You are truly a fantastic reviewer, linking financial reporting to announcements, maximizing historical data to make informed predictions! Keep it up ! Thank you!
I don't know one child in my entire extended family that doesn't have a Nintendo Switch and plays Mario Kart. On the other hand, not one of those kids during the Holidays mentioned Mickey, but almost every single one of them said they want to go to Epic Universe to see Mario.
A problem with the Rising Tide theory is that single day tickets for Epic are not available. Guests are commited to at least 3 days at Universal. They'll end up taking their off day at SeaWorld.
Disney and Universal lately have been absolutely PUNISHING single day or short stay visitors in favor of guests purchasing long trips and ticket packages. I think what this does is force more guests to pick either-or vs the historical openings Disney’s expecting this to be similar to. If you’re there for Epic Universe, it’s going to be a Universal vacation just based on how they both have pricing set up now
Great info. One important point you made, Iger and the leadership will be changing soon. These promises Iger is making are beyond his scope of control, so he can promise anything.
We want to go to Epic Universe next year, but we're not really considering Disney. By the time we spend all that money on Universal, we just don't want to spend MORE money on old Disney attractions.
You’re just exceptional at what you do, the research, the graphics, the animation of the graphics, it’s always a pleasure to watch your videos because they are at a much higher intelligence level than we’re used to. Keep up the good work!
I agree with you that Disney missed an opportunity. In addition to a visit to WDW after universal being cost prohibitive, Universal with Epic is much closer to being a week long vacation on its own (also adding Volcano Bay). That wasn’t true in 2010.
The dirty little secret is that all of them look down on people who enjoy going to the parks. So, they just want to squeeze as much money out of those “rubes” as they can.
@ that is not sustainable in the long run. Wealthy people don’t become long-term devotees. What built Disney to this point were all the average families who became Disney families and went regularly. Once that chain is broken, they will eventually run out of rich people who do big blowout trips.
@stooch66 didn't add my philosophy take to this but it works now for what they need clearly but branding it's not great. Id rather it not be cheap for everyone. I rather it not be six flags. I rather the standard of quality to be high as possible for park and guest. But capacity is the need with maintenance
i recently saw a video of a german theme park. their coasters blow disney out of this galaxy with the incredible theming while disney coasts on the excellent reputation disney built as a world class attraction. tommorrowland in disneyland looks like an abandoned strip mall with a methadone clinic and i wouldn't suggest going to california adventure as a meanspirited joke. meanwhile multiple parks have eaten disney's lunch with genuinely jawdropping rides that are both cutting edge and impressively detailed in a way disneyland used to be when i was a lad.
You probably saw phantasialand. But Europa park does pretty well too. I've been to phantasialand multiple times and I can say with certainty if you like roller coasters and theming combined then it's the best place in the world for it. Unfortunately they have a few areas in the park that look a bit old and run down that definitely need a replacement.
After doing a few other theme parks recently my son thinks Disney is for little kids since they don't have very many big thrill rides and even less inversion coasters(1?). He really like Universal and is now very excited about Epic.
I mean, what are they gonna say? That they’re scared shi*less of Epic? No, they can’t say that. They have to say they aren’t worried and they don’t care.
I’m a Florida resident who loved Disney. I’m of the opinion that the leadership at Disney has ruined the brand. From movies and shows, to park experience. I have a family of 4 and we used to go up to 7 times a year. Now it’s just not worth it and there seems to be no course correction happening. Walt would be ashamed !
Totally like me. Not going to Disney, will go to Epic Universe next Fall. My last Disneyland trip 5 top rides were down. That was unheard of when Walt was running the show. This management keeps raising prices but no better service.
The Bog Iger Corporation is VERY far behind the curve. They WILL be hurt by Universal for the foreseeable future. Iger still needs to be replaced at least 10 years ago.
@MickeyViews I totally agree with you on pick for company CEO. I don’t know what it is but I see something in Josh that I see in other Legends, imagineers, and creatives. Now whether it’s real or all just for show, remains to be seen. Still nervous about the “beyond thunder mountain” project.
I think what will hurt Disney is now that Universal is 3 days of a vacation, one day at Disney is already such an expense that people will only visit one day instead of 2 or 3 like they did when Harry Potter world opened. One day is $180 admission + $120 for food, merch and parking per person. Two days is $360 + 240 per person - really adds up quickly
It's not the money but the time. Those going to Epic Universe pay to go to Universal Parks for three days or more. They won't have time to visit Disney.
Just because hotel bookings are rising around the time Epic Universe is opening, doesn’t mean those people are going to spend money at Disney. They’re booking their hotel rooms with points and DVC points to go to Epic Universe and the fact Disney seems to think they shouldn’t bat an eye is extremely frustrating. They can’t even maintain the attractions and park maintenance to classic Disney standards shows what they think of their fans. Of course when a new park opens down the road they’ll get more visitors but bigger picture is retention. A whole new generation is now taking their kids to theme parks and that generation is much more dialed into Universal IP such as Harry Potter, Nintendo, etc. and what could happen is loyalty towards Universal. Factor in park ticket prices and value, Universal is ahead and Disney just thinks the negative PR they hide is enough but ignore how much it’s busting at the seams amongst their fans, esp with social media presence. We asked for innovation and we got water fountains themed to Moana and benefits for being deluxe ripped away. Disney greed will hit the ceiling and I think we’re almost there. Can’t even get a good movie with great story telling like Disney was good at. Now we get unhinged Snow White and bad rewrites.
I think they are referring when islands opened, which the big detractor is that universal is now too big to be a secondary destination to wdw in a single vacation
There’s something to be said about how the theming in Epic Universe translates well with Disney. But Island of Adventure definitely will bring in people and with the regular Universal Studios Orlando being right next door will probably result in Universal only trips. And obviously people’s budgets are only so big…
Interesting stuff here, particularly about Universal selling expensive vacation packages and Disney pricing out middle class families with their single day ticket prices.
Only people that can afford Disney now that are middle class is military/retired military. Even though those tickets are still reasonable enough, it's getting too expensive for military too.
I'm a disabled veteran. I previously qualified for the DAS. Now they've taken away the DAS for most disabilities. Any company that is so greedy that they alienate their disabled guests is not a company that I will further support. I let my family's APs expire and am instead spending $ at Universal. Universal is much more welcoming to guests with all disabilities.
DCL is Disney's pride and joy atm. Expect 80% of expenidure to go towards that and not parks. After all they want at least another 6 ships in the next 6 years.
EPIC Universe will create a new standard for Theme Park Experiences that Disney will fail to live up to. Universal Creative is mastering the storytelling aspect that Iger has failed to reinstate at Walt Disney Imagineering
Disney lost all of its design talent and it shows. Many of them belong to Universal now. Disney has as much chance against EU as an ice cube against a lava flow. Add to that the fact that they COMPLETELY have no idea how to be the Disney that fans of Disney want.
And the fact that they are actually listening to the opinions of park goers, makes a huge difference. I just did an extensive survey from Universal that asked very specific questions so I’m interested to see what comes out of it
I agree with you. In the 2010s, my kids were in elementary and middle school. We went to Orlando 5 years in a row. Universal was a 2-day experience tacked on to a Disney vacation. Universal will now be a full week vacation. If Epic Universe was open back then, I doubt I would have been able to drag my kids to WDW.
I visited Orlando for the first time last year, and I don’t understand the hate toward Walt Disney World. For me, the experience was incredible-the parks were gorgeous, the cast members were so nice to us, and any doubts or issues we had in the parks were resolved quickly. At the end of the trip, I spent four nights at Universal’s Cabana Bay, and it was a completely different experience. The park felt dirty, many workers seemed tired, young people were vaping inside the parks, and some staff members were even rude at times. I specifically remember riding the Rip Ride Rockit coaster, and the staff didn’t even check the safety restraints properly. In my opinion, Universal only stands out for a few attractions like VelociCoaster, the Harry Potter areas, and The Mummy. As someone visiting both resorts for the first time from Europe, I can confidently say that Universal is far behind Disney when it comes to the overall experience.
200% agree that Universal is far behind Disney!! While I do love universal parks, they are not worth Disney in terms of immersion, cleanliness, food quality etc... Crazy how many people forget that Disney DID invest over the last few years with Guardians, Tron, Journey of Water, Tiana (plus Zootopia-land in Shanghai, Frozen-land in Hong Kong...) Meanwhile Universal invested literally nothing for 5 years (2014 to 2019) in both Floridian parks but nobody talks about that !
I quite agree there's no way the Disney's going to get any financial support from epic universe I'm glad that people are taking it so well I really do hope that some sanity returns to Disney after all this time, but I'm not sure that's even possible.
I don’t think it can. The people coming to Florida to go to Epic Universe are probably not going to Disney World during their trip. I know my family won’t be.
When I visit Epic I’m pretty sure I’ll still be making a pit stop at Disney World. I just want to visit Epic and pass on the other Universal Parks and don’t like how they are trying to force those on me outside of Harry Potter and Velocicoaster those parks are meh 🫤.
There’s something to be said about how the theming in Epic Universe translates well with Disney. But Island of Adventure definitely will bring in people and with the regular Universal Studios Orlando being right next door will probably result in Universal only trips.
I'm hoping and guessing universal studios will be getting some new attractions/ updates after epic universe opens. It's their park that needs it most and doesn't compare to Disney right now. I wouldn't be surprised if they do a lot for it starting in 2026.
@@0dylanthere are a lot of rumors swirling around of what’s to come. The last universal survey I did asked very specific questions so I’m interested to see what comes out of it
Fantastic breakdown. The CEO discussion is interesting. I’d love to see it return to a dual role because we’ve seen that work well in the past. Obviously, it has to be the right combo though. Tom Staggs seems to be a Disney fan pick & we can certainly dream.
I think my all-time favorite Mickey Views moment is when Brayden said...."that's right everyone, Disney knew about Epic Universe way in advance and we got MOANA JOURNEY OF WATER!!!" LOL (what video was that, wouldn't mind watching that again?)
if Disney would stop removing beloved classic attractions and areas they would already be doing so much better than they have been I don't want to go to the Magic Kingdom I don't want to go to Disneyland anymore and it is sad
What they need is an above average 'Blue' collar worker running the things (Degree or not in Business) I can think of 20 things that need to be addressed off the top of head, many more if I think about it. Bringing in 'Hedge' fund managers and such is not the way to go!!! Go with your 'GUT'...Bring in people who will invigorate and new ideas!!!
Excellent analysis! You always deliver thoughtful, insightful, accurate information. I always look forward to your videos. I agree, Disney is over confident in their view of Universal and the continued price gouging is going to catch up with them sooner or later. It is getting longer and longer between our trips and we are spending way less in the parks to compensate for the increse in food and lodging.
Just gonna float this: Imagine if Universal used Disney's tactic against them and announced their own Magical Express from MCO to their property........
I think Disney believes they won’t lose any customers to Epic, and any they might lose will be made up from all the new people going to epic and tagging on some Disney days. Then in a few years when epic hype is dying, Disney will have the shiny new and bring people back.
Disney is treating it as if universal will just stop building after epic universe opens. I don't see that happening so some customers might just stick mostly with universal if they see new atrractions being added to their new favorite park.
Universal was very strategic in not opening up single day tickets for Epic Universe. From what I understand you have to buy a three day ticket in order to go to Epic. You’re totally right, people will not want to go to Disney World. Especially when many rides are closed (Thunder Mountain, Dinosaur, Test Track, Rock n Roller Coaster)…. Disney World can’t afford to be constantly redoing attractions. They need to ADD attractions. Animal Kingdom will still have hardly any attractions after the Tropical Americas, and now they will be down a very popular playground. They needed to add Tropical Americas somewhere else in the park with just the Encanto ride and Carousel. Keep everything in Dinoland including primeval whirl. Anyway… Disney has gotten arrogant and I think they are about to be very surprised.
I do think there is some weight to Epic universe bringing traffic to WDW. In particular for transatlantic guests. The only ticket package on offer to guests from the UK for universal next year is a multi-day ticket package, which includes a maximum of 1 day at Epic universe. This means for those investing in long haul travel to visit Epic, they'll only be able to spend a day there. With combined Orlando ticket packages available, i can see this being a driver for increased holiday traffic to WDW even without them having new unique parks offerings.
Exactly. I don't think Disney's projections are completely baseless, but I do think they are flawed. People coming to Orlando for Epic Universe may very well still visit Disney Parks, as well. But Disney has been focusing on per-guest spending as a major source of revenue, and with guests dining and buying merchandise at Universal, I doubt guests will be spending nearly as much at Disney. The Tokyo Disney Resort always has amazing, exclusive merchandise, while Disney's US parks are stuffed witt bland, generic merchandise. 😢
I'm planning a trip with my family to see Epic Universe this summer. I looked into spending another day or so at Disney and realized it would just be way too much for us. We're going the Universal route this time! I love Disney, but definitely can't do both.
CEO searches often include outside candidates. They usually don’t get the job but it’s a due diligence expectation that they develop a broad pool of candidates. They will almost surely choose an insider.
Disney has squandered the goodwill they had with guests. When even their long-time annual passholders and devotees are voting with their feet, you know you're in trouble.
Last week was my first time going to Orlando in 20 years and not going to a Disney park. We spent three days at Universal and only attended Disney Springs. We had an amazing time. I just felt I was tired of falling victim to the Disney corporate Price gouging. Our family had honestly one of the best vacations. We usually are there three times a year and due to the disability backlash Disney has created and the increased pricing we decided not to go.
I think I the fact that Universal is forcing people who want to go to Epic universe to get tickets for the other parks kind of cements that Disney is going to get minimal, if any boost from epic opening. While I don’t like that strategy, it’s genius when you have a park this hyped up and two other parks that are in rough shape since before this, I would say that the parks that would face the most consequences would be the other universal parks.
Great video, as always, Brayden. Thank you. If I were to be named the next CEO (yes, I know I won't even be interviewed) would be to ask Iger to clean his office out within a couple of weeks and vacate the building. Advisors to the company don't get to keep the CEO's office. Then have his access to company property changed to match other BOD members and advisors. Not to be mean or spiteful or anything like that. I think it is a very subtle but real notion to Bob that he is no longer in charge and that he needs to start living in his new role. Of the mistakes that he made in his brief tenure as CEO, I think not doing this was Chapek's biggest.
Disney logic: lots of people will come down to see Epic Universe, they will come check out Disney as well Reality check: people who are coming down for 7 days will be spending 2-3 days over at Universal, so that's 2-3 less days of tickets, food spending, merch spending, and possible even 2-3 nights off property that they COULD have been spending at Disney if there was something new (or Option B as you mentioned, their entire budget will be spent toward Universal, they can't even consider Disney's insanely high prices)
They should invest in maintenance too though. A lot of the current problems are in day to day operations. They constantly skimp on maintenance and staffing.
Not surprised they are focused on lounges and nighttime entertainment. It fits perfectly with what seems to be their target market -childless Disney adults. Not many family-friendly decisions lately.
INCREDIBLE video Brayden. Your scripting and delivery are impeccable with graphics, illustration and editing being 100% top-notch. You are the very best at Disney analysis on UA-cam. Wow,...Love your work buddy!
Stop commenting everywhere
@@ttttttttttttttttttt22t2t why?
Disney loyalist for over 20 yrs, but i’m spending three days at epic Universal this coming May. Can’t wait!
How? I can only book 1 day. Are you booking several different weeks this summer? Genuinely curious.
I have never gone to Universal in Florida, but I can't wait to go this may. But I will still stay at POR at least one night.
Better check your reservation bro. You're getting 3 days at Universal but only one of them for Epic Universe
Here's the thing, though.
So, I just looked at a booking for Uni vs WDW, for early October. Staying 6 nights 7 days.
Uni, with tickets, staying at the brand new Helios, with tickets to all 3 parks, comes out to $4240.
A comparable "Deluxe" stay, I picked Polynesian (because of park access). With Parkhoppers, starting around $7224. Park View is $9606. The Poly Tower is a bit cheaper, but isn't done yet...but starts around $5800 with a parking lot view (yay).
Now, we haven't gotten into lightning lane, dining plans, or any of the other upgrades. But, just at a base deluxe hotel stay level...Disney is nearly twice the cost.
Uni has increased prices, indeed. But, they have added a lot of value for those price increases. WDW has not followed suit.
I used to go to Orlando and spend 4 days at disney and two at universal, now I will spend 4 at universal and visit relatives now
I'm only interested in epic universe. I really don't care about the other 2 parks. I will wait until single day tickets to epic open
@@metallicnole4514 Epic seems like a solid 2-day park with the other Universal parks being single day parks at best.
its sad how the parks inside of california are getting way better, with a better tiana's, better pirated, less rough rides, an identical rise of the resitance to not spend so much money in hollywood studios, + way less walking and tiredness, california adventure is bad but cars land beats the castle, grizzly bear peak is insane and defeats some parts of animal kingdom. So basically, go to the parks in japan and california, totally worth it. (Forgot to mention, the WAY better small world and they kept history inside there, such as walt disney's apartment without any damages yet, its a small world which walt made still standing there thriugh its yearly cycle without a trace, keeping good care for rides expect for one side of the matterhorn that breaks your back) in summary, just to the california oarks, less walking in less heat.
@@libertyko15 That only applies to Disney. The Universal Studios in Hollywood pales in comparison to Orlando's. The only thing really worth it there is the tram tour and maybe Kung Fun Panda. Although the new Fast n Furious Coaster may draw more visitors.
@@viking515066 @remy (also i cant click o nusers it recently broke for me)
So for hollywood, im super close to, disneyland i prefer since its basically bigger and have better food thats cheaper.
Outstanding reporting as always! Thanks for the update, Brayden.
Thank you for all of your special insights. Have a great Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.
I wish that someone with the love and passion for Disney that Brayden has was the CEO. At least they would be concerned with guests first instead of profits. Brayden for Disney CEO!!
Are people complaining about the lack of free stuff or the high cost?
More like the lack of imagination and creative vision with the new additions. Sure the petty cost cutting removing all the little perks annoys people, it's really disappointing new additions that upset people. Just look at the Epcot overhaul, that turned out to be a joke compared to the concept art.
@@0dylan As much as I hate the cost, I have unique perspective since I went to the parks over the summer for the first time in over 15 years. So there's a lot that was new and fresh to me.
@metallicnole4514 it’s a combination of things….
1) Price increasing like clockwork
2) Perks changing/no longer offered
3) Ride closure of popular attractions
4) With said attraction closures, leads to more and more construction and not making it worth visiting a park that isn’t at it’s max potential
5) General attitude of the Disney company…acting high and mighty while hiding under it’s name as if that justifies any of their decisions (that haven’t been all that great in the first place) and turning their nose up actual innovention and competition
I totally agree . Disney has made a huge mistake by not preparing for the coming of the new Universal park. We plan on staying at Universal and staying within the Universal bubble. Not going to Disney. Not enough money left to do it all and there is nothing new to see or do at Disney.
But Disney DID build TWO NEW LOUNGES!! You mean that's not enough to pull you over?? Lol
I believe Disney knew of Epic roughly 10 years before construction started, which is why Disney started adding new attractions every year, like Tron and Guardian.
@@gc4644Yeah who needs epic universe? Those two new lounges should be enough 😂
I see people visiting epic, but not caring about the other 2 universal parks. Especially when single day tickets are available
Exactly. Very well said! 👍
The parks will continue to take a back seat to cruise ships. Broken rides, long lines, dirty parks, unhealthy food. Walt would be sad.
I can’t even eat the food at the parks anymore without getting sick from it. They’re using ultra processed cheap ingredients.
Walt would be mad.
The parks didn't look dirty when I went over the summer
@@metallicnole4514 people that say that haven’t actually been to the parks and are just parroting what they’re reading on Facebook.
If this is the case I hope more park guest feel the same and not go to these parks. It's the only way company will realize it's faults and maybe do something about it
Excellent Braden! While Disney continues to feel that Epic won't be anything to worry about i hope Epic reaches all time record numbers across the board and shows Disney they are no longer the Main Theme Park in Florida. Hoping Disney guests will realize how they have all been misled and taken advantage of and finally not give in to all the price hikes and and failed promises. Epic Universe will be the eye opener for many people in what theme parks are supposed to do .offer more and not less.
Great analysis Brayden! The work you put in makes you second to none.
Thank you, my man. This was brilliant reporting!
Braydon great seeing you again! Great insight video. You should be considered to be part of the Disney organization! You truly understand Walt’s philosophy!Admiration and respect regarding your analysis on the financial situation of the company and getting a new CEO. I totally agree with you, they should get someone from inside that understands how the organization works, specially the parks and experiences. Keep up the great work! Happy Thanksgiving!
One factor is likely labor costs. With a project as large as Epic Universe happening right up the street, the cost of contractors and laborers (at least, those who can work on theme parks) is probably high in the central florida area right now. Disney knows this. Might as well wait for Epic to finish before moving forward with their own projects.
Holy cow! I never considered this!
They need to get started now, otherwise instead of 5 to 10 years it will be more like 15 years before they bring things to guests. They are really far behind.
Disney has their own contractors and specialized tax system through reedy creek so I doubt this is the reason
It’s still shocking to me they would get rid of the magical express. It made the guest enter the bubble starting at the airport. We came so many times and never went anywhere else. Once they got rid of that, we now rent a car, stay off property and go to other places for food and entertainment. I would love to see stats Brayden on guest spending etc after the removal of magical express.
They're building like 9 new cruise ships at roughly $1 billion each. That's a large part of the money that has been promised.
Don’t forgets hotels and ride maintenance are part of the $60 billion too.
And who is even going on cruises these days? Not that many people.
@@josiahgoes9633apparently a lot of people. 2023 saw record revenue and 2024 is forecast to break that record.
Disney is banking on the element of its conceived concept that its historical Disney fan base will never jump ship and continue to pay its exorbitant tkt prices. I believe they will be sorely surprised to see that a large percentage of their fan base HAS JUMPED SHIP, and their Forcast numbers will be VERY short.
Many will stick around. Some people seemingly are so attached to Disney they won't take a break no matter what. But for the 90% that aren't super fans, they might consider only staying at universal for their next trip.
Exactly. Disney freaks are delusional. They over hype it. It’s sad to see and frankly a little weird.
Outstanding coverage
Great video and information, Brayden.
You've earned a subscriber. Incredibly insightful information, bringing current news, and placing it in context to previous details
Delusional Disney doesn't realize that people who go to Epic and Disney will only be able to compare how lackluster one experience is from another and choose the one with more value for further vacations
Thanks!
As someone who works in Accounting/Finance, I am truly impressed with your analysis of the earnings call as well as the financials. Excellent work, Brayden!
Revenues can be very deceptive (Operating Income is much more important), but I am happy that DTC is now a net positive and that CapEx is supposedly very high for the parks.
Very interesting to see the CFO's comments about "historical Florida offerings" opening... as always, past performance is not indicative of future results.
I hereby formally nominate Brayden of Mickey Views to succeed Bob Iger as the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company! 😊
Love the update, high quality as usual!!
Your presentation was outstanding. I appreciate all of the effort you put in to your production, well done!
👍 Braden is always knowledgeable, articulate, entertaining and easy on the eyes! 😉
Thank you as always for the insightful and professional reporting!! Your hard work does not go unnoticed!
Imagine if Universal added a dark ride to Super Nintendo Land called Luigi's Mansion. Now that would be epic!
I'm from the UK and usually do a 10-14 day trip to Orlando for both Disney and Universal with some resort days in between. I used to do 2 days at each Disney park but will likely need to start sacrificing Disney park days in favour of Epic Universe for the first time. A lot of people from the UK do 7 day package holidays and may have to drop a Disney park all together, to make time for Epic Universe. This is potentially the first time that a 7 day trip isn't enough to comfortably do all the available parks.
I am so impressed with your insights. Well done!
Excellent video!!! Keep the content coming Brayden👍
Thank you Brayden! Excellent work and info and hopefully good news for the US parks.
Brayden. Exceptional work! Great analysis! Thank you!
Staggs wasn't ousted because of poor results.
He was ousted because he was a potential rival to Iger.
Agree with many here. You are truly a fantastic reviewer, linking financial reporting to announcements, maximizing historical data to make informed predictions! Keep it up ! Thank you!
I don't know one child in my entire extended family that doesn't have a Nintendo Switch and plays Mario Kart. On the other hand, not one of those kids during the Holidays mentioned Mickey, but almost every single one of them said they want to go to Epic Universe to see Mario.
Great report, worth the wait.
Welcome back Braydon and Happy Holiday 🎉🎄!
A problem with the Rising Tide theory is that single day tickets for Epic are not available. Guests are commited to at least 3 days at Universal. They'll end up taking their off day at SeaWorld.
Disney and Universal lately have been absolutely PUNISHING single day or short stay visitors in favor of guests purchasing long trips and ticket packages. I think what this does is force more guests to pick either-or vs the historical openings Disney’s expecting this to be similar to. If you’re there for Epic Universe, it’s going to be a Universal vacation just based on how they both have pricing set up now
Great info. One important point you made, Iger and the leadership will be changing soon. These promises Iger is making are beyond his scope of control, so he can promise anything.
You nailed it with this report 👏 👌!!! Totally agree with you 👍
We want to go to Epic Universe next year, but we're not really considering Disney. By the time we spend all that money on Universal, we just don't want to spend MORE money on old Disney attractions.
A stellar breakdown Braden - great work 👍
Great work! Thank you
You’re just exceptional at what you do, the research, the graphics, the animation of the graphics, it’s always a pleasure to watch your videos because they are at a much higher intelligence level than we’re used to. Keep up the good work!
I agree with you that Disney missed an opportunity. In addition to a visit to WDW after universal being cost prohibitive, Universal with Epic is much closer to being a week long vacation on its own (also adding Volcano Bay). That wasn’t true in 2010.
The dirty little secret is that all of them look down on people who enjoy going to the parks. So, they just want to squeeze as much money out of those “rubes” as they can.
Simple answer don't go
If we all stop going maybe they'll do something about it
@ my family quit
Dirty little secret is people with money will spend and they don't have to bump capacity and attendance. Less capital needed and same revenue
@ that is not sustainable in the long run. Wealthy people don’t become long-term devotees. What built Disney to this point were all the average families who became Disney families and went regularly. Once that chain is broken, they will eventually run out of rich people who do big blowout trips.
@stooch66 didn't add my philosophy take to this but it works now for what they need clearly but branding it's not great. Id rather it not be cheap for everyone. I rather it not be six flags. I rather the standard of quality to be high as possible for park and guest. But capacity is the need with maintenance
i recently saw a video of a german theme park. their coasters blow disney out of this galaxy with the incredible theming while disney coasts on the excellent reputation disney built as a world class attraction. tommorrowland in disneyland looks like an abandoned strip mall with a methadone clinic and i wouldn't suggest going to california adventure as a meanspirited joke.
meanwhile multiple parks have eaten disney's lunch with genuinely jawdropping rides that are both cutting edge and impressively detailed in a way disneyland used to be when i was a lad.
You probably saw phantasialand. But Europa park does pretty well too. I've been to phantasialand multiple times and I can say with certainty if you like roller coasters and theming combined then it's the best place in the world for it. Unfortunately they have a few areas in the park that look a bit old and run down that definitely need a replacement.
After doing a few other theme parks recently my son thinks Disney is for little kids since they don't have very many big thrill rides and even less inversion coasters(1?). He really like Universal and is now very excited about Epic.
Tokyo Disney has much better rides too. They need to bring that team to America
I mean, what are they gonna say? That they’re scared shi*less of Epic? No, they can’t say that. They have to say they aren’t worried and they don’t care.
Universal and Epic being located around the I-Drive corridor is a win in itself
It’s serious! Brayden pulled out the suit! Get settled in. As always, Brayden with facts and truth. Love it.
I’m a Florida resident who loved Disney. I’m of the opinion that the leadership at Disney has ruined the brand. From movies and shows, to park experience. I have a family of 4 and we used to go up to 7 times a year. Now it’s just not worth it and there seems to be no course correction happening. Walt would be ashamed !
Totally like me. Not going to Disney, will go to Epic Universe next Fall. My last Disneyland trip 5 top rides were down. That was unheard of when Walt was running the show. This management keeps raising prices but no better service.
The Bog Iger Corporation is VERY far behind the curve. They WILL be hurt by Universal for the foreseeable future.
Iger still needs to be replaced at least 10 years ago.
@MickeyViews I totally agree with you on pick for company CEO. I don’t know what it is but I see something in Josh that I see in other Legends, imagineers, and creatives. Now whether it’s real or all just for show, remains to be seen. Still nervous about the “beyond thunder mountain” project.
I think what will hurt Disney is now that Universal is 3 days of a vacation, one day at Disney is already such an expense that people will only visit one day instead of 2 or 3 like they did when Harry Potter world opened. One day is $180 admission + $120 for food, merch and parking per person. Two days is $360 + 240 per person - really adds up quickly
It's not the money but the time. Those going to Epic Universe pay to go to Universal Parks for three days or more. They won't have time to visit Disney.
Universal now has 4 parks counting the water park. It has now become a true destination worthy of a week long stay
The four Universal parks are around €500 for 14 days in 2026, excluding parking. Disney is still almost €100 per person extra for the same 14 days...
Just because hotel bookings are rising around the time Epic Universe is opening, doesn’t mean those people are going to spend money at Disney. They’re booking their hotel rooms with points and DVC points to go to Epic Universe and the fact Disney seems to think they shouldn’t bat an eye is extremely frustrating. They can’t even maintain the attractions and park maintenance to classic Disney standards shows what they think of their fans. Of course when a new park opens down the road they’ll get more visitors but bigger picture is retention. A whole new generation is now taking their kids to theme parks and that generation is much more dialed into Universal IP such as Harry Potter, Nintendo, etc. and what could happen is loyalty towards Universal. Factor in park ticket prices and value, Universal is ahead and Disney just thinks the negative PR they hide is enough but ignore how much it’s busting at the seams amongst their fans, esp with social media presence. We asked for innovation and we got water fountains themed to Moana and benefits for being deluxe ripped away. Disney greed will hit the ceiling and I think we’re almost there. Can’t even get a good movie with great story telling like Disney was good at. Now we get unhinged Snow White and bad rewrites.
I think FY ‘26(10/25-9/26) will tell the tale about impacts of Epic Universe on Disney attendance and merchandise.
I think they are referring when islands opened, which the big detractor is that universal is now too big to be a secondary destination to wdw in a single vacation
CAN'T WAIT FOR EPIC UNIVERSE!
Wall Street Brayden - Love It - Happy Holidays Man!
Can’t wait for “EPIC UNIVERSE “ next year…the top theme park for 2025 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
There’s something to be said about how the theming in Epic Universe translates well with Disney. But Island of Adventure definitely will bring in people and with the regular Universal Studios Orlando being right next door will probably result in Universal only trips.
And obviously people’s budgets are only so big…
Interesting stuff here, particularly about Universal selling expensive vacation packages and Disney pricing out middle class families with their single day ticket prices.
Only people that can afford Disney now that are middle class is military/retired military. Even though those tickets are still reasonable enough, it's getting too expensive for military too.
I'll believe the parks investment when I see it. Disney talks a big game while Universal builds things (quickly).
I'm a disabled veteran. I previously qualified for the DAS. Now they've taken away the DAS for most disabilities. Any company that is so greedy that they alienate their disabled guests is not a company that I will further support. I let my family's APs expire and am instead spending $ at Universal. Universal is much more welcoming to guests with all disabilities.
Definitely not more welcoming
SO EXCITED FOR EPIC UNIVERSE!
DCL is Disney's pride and joy atm. Expect 80% of expenidure to go towards that and not parks. After all they want at least another 6 ships in the next 6 years.
EPIC Universe will create a new standard for Theme Park Experiences that Disney will fail to live up to.
Universal Creative is mastering the storytelling aspect that Iger has failed to reinstate at Walt Disney Imagineering
Disney lost all of its design talent and it shows. Many of them belong to Universal now. Disney has as much chance against EU as an ice cube against a lava flow. Add to that the fact that they COMPLETELY have no idea how to be the Disney that fans of Disney want.
And the fact that they are actually listening to the opinions of park goers, makes a huge difference. I just did an extensive survey from Universal that asked very specific questions so I’m interested to see what comes out of it
I agree with you. In the 2010s, my kids were in elementary and middle school. We went to Orlando 5 years in a row. Universal was a 2-day experience tacked on to a Disney vacation. Universal will now be a full week vacation. If Epic Universe was open back then, I doubt I would have been able to drag my kids to WDW.
Excellent video, Brayden.
I visited Orlando for the first time last year, and I don’t understand the hate toward Walt Disney World. For me, the experience was incredible-the parks were gorgeous, the cast members were so nice to us, and any doubts or issues we had in the parks were resolved quickly.
At the end of the trip, I spent four nights at Universal’s Cabana Bay, and it was a completely different experience. The park felt dirty, many workers seemed tired, young people were vaping inside the parks, and some staff members were even rude at times. I specifically remember riding the Rip Ride Rockit coaster, and the staff didn’t even check the safety restraints properly.
In my opinion, Universal only stands out for a few attractions like VelociCoaster, the Harry Potter areas, and The Mummy.
As someone visiting both resorts for the first time from Europe, I can confidently say that Universal is far behind Disney when it comes to the overall experience.
200% agree that Universal is far behind Disney!! While I do love universal parks, they are not worth Disney in terms of immersion, cleanliness, food quality etc... Crazy how many people forget that Disney DID invest over the last few years with Guardians, Tron, Journey of Water, Tiana (plus Zootopia-land in Shanghai, Frozen-land in Hong Kong...) Meanwhile Universal invested literally nothing for 5 years (2014 to 2019) in both Floridian parks but nobody talks about that !
I don’t see how epic universe can help disneyworld.
More people in central FL = more people visiting Disney...basic math
I quite agree there's no way the Disney's going to get any financial support from epic universe I'm glad that people are taking it so well I really do hope that some sanity returns to Disney after all this time, but I'm not sure that's even possible.
I don’t think it can. The people coming to Florida to go to Epic Universe are probably not going to Disney World during their trip. I know my family won’t be.
@ same. I’ve been to Florida to go to Disney and I’ve been to Florida to go to universal. Never both on the same trip.
When I visit Epic I’m pretty sure I’ll still be making a pit stop at Disney World. I just want to visit Epic and pass on the other Universal Parks and don’t like how they are trying to force those on me outside of Harry Potter and Velocicoaster those parks are meh 🫤.
There’s something to be said about how the theming in Epic Universe translates well with Disney. But Island of Adventure definitely will bring in people and with the regular Universal Studios Orlando being right next door will probably result in Universal only trips.
I'm hoping and guessing universal studios will be getting some new attractions/ updates after epic universe opens. It's their park that needs it most and doesn't compare to Disney right now. I wouldn't be surprised if they do a lot for it starting in 2026.
@@0dylanthere are a lot of rumors swirling around of what’s to come. The last universal survey I did asked very specific questions so I’m interested to see what comes out of it
Speaking for me and my 3, we have 6 days planned at Universal parks in June. 0 days planned for Disney.
I truly believe Tom Staggs as CEO would have been like Eisner… unfortunately we’ll never know now 😢
LMAO all of those dirt pit shots year after year 😂😂😂
Fantastic breakdown. The CEO discussion is interesting. I’d love to see it return to a dual role because we’ve seen that work well in the past. Obviously, it has to be the right combo though. Tom Staggs seems to be a Disney fan pick & we can certainly dream.
I think my all-time favorite Mickey Views moment is when Brayden said...."that's right everyone, Disney knew about Epic Universe way in advance and we got MOANA JOURNEY OF WATER!!!" LOL
(what video was that, wouldn't mind watching that again?)
if Disney would stop removing beloved classic attractions and areas
they would already be doing so much better than they have been
I don't want to go to the Magic Kingdom
I don't want to go to Disneyland
anymore and it is sad
Chapek wasn't a mess, is was a scape-goat.
No, he was a disaster.
@@byronmoore3Why not both?
@@byronmoore3 Which one of Chapek's policies have they gotten rid of?
You are so smart and knowledgeable
I honestly hope the CFO eats his words about seeing Epic Universe's opening as beneficial for Disney
Disney Board: "Hey, which is the most evil gaming company? EA? Ok, let's get their CEO in for an interview".
What they need is an above average 'Blue' collar worker running the things (Degree or not in Business) I can think of 20 things that need to be addressed off the top of head, many more if I think about it. Bringing in 'Hedge' fund managers and such is not the way to go!!! Go with your 'GUT'...Bring in people who will invigorate and new ideas!!!
Excellent analysis! You always deliver thoughtful, insightful, accurate information. I always look forward to your videos. I agree, Disney is over confident in their view of Universal and the continued price gouging is going to catch up with them sooner or later. It is getting longer and longer between our trips and we are spending way less in the parks to compensate for the increse in food and lodging.
Just gonna float this: Imagine if Universal used Disney's tactic against them and announced their own Magical Express from MCO to their property........
I think Disney believes they won’t lose any customers to Epic, and any they might lose will be made up from all the new people going to epic and tagging on some Disney days.
Then in a few years when epic hype is dying, Disney will have the shiny new and bring people back.
Disney is treating it as if universal will just stop building after epic universe opens. I don't see that happening so some customers might just stick mostly with universal if they see new atrractions being added to their new favorite park.
Universal was very strategic in not opening up single day tickets for Epic Universe. From what I understand you have to buy a three day ticket in order to go to Epic. You’re totally right, people will not want to go to Disney World. Especially when many rides are closed (Thunder Mountain, Dinosaur, Test Track, Rock n Roller Coaster)…. Disney World can’t afford to be constantly redoing attractions. They need to ADD attractions. Animal Kingdom will still have hardly any attractions after the Tropical Americas, and now they will be down a very popular playground. They needed to add Tropical Americas somewhere else in the park with just the Encanto ride and Carousel. Keep everything in Dinoland including primeval whirl. Anyway… Disney has gotten arrogant and I think they are about to be very surprised.
I do think there is some weight to Epic universe bringing traffic to WDW. In particular for transatlantic guests. The only ticket package on offer to guests from the UK for universal next year is a multi-day ticket package, which includes a maximum of 1 day at Epic universe. This means for those investing in long haul travel to visit Epic, they'll only be able to spend a day there. With combined Orlando ticket packages available, i can see this being a driver for increased holiday traffic to WDW even without them having new unique parks offerings.
Exactly. I don't think Disney's projections are completely baseless, but I do think they are flawed. People coming to Orlando for Epic Universe may very well still visit Disney Parks, as well. But Disney has been focusing on per-guest spending as a major source of revenue, and with guests dining and buying merchandise at Universal, I doubt guests will be spending nearly as much at Disney. The Tokyo Disney Resort always has amazing, exclusive merchandise, while Disney's US parks are stuffed witt bland, generic merchandise. 😢
I'm planning a trip with my family to see Epic Universe this summer. I looked into spending another day or so at Disney and realized it would just be way too much for us. We're going the Universal route this time! I love Disney, but definitely can't do both.
CEO searches often include outside candidates. They usually don’t get the job but it’s a due diligence expectation that they develop a broad pool of candidates. They will almost surely choose an insider.
Disney has squandered the goodwill they had with guests. When even their long-time annual passholders and devotees are voting with their feet, you know you're in trouble.
Last week was my first time going to Orlando in 20 years and not going to a Disney park. We spent three days at Universal and only attended Disney Springs. We had an amazing time. I just felt I was tired of falling victim to the Disney corporate Price gouging. Our family had honestly one of the best vacations. We usually are there three times a year and due to the disability backlash Disney has created and the increased pricing we decided not to go.
I think I the fact that Universal is forcing people who want to go to Epic universe to get tickets for the other parks kind of cements that Disney is going to get minimal, if any boost from epic opening. While I don’t like that strategy, it’s genius when you have a park this hyped up and two other parks that are in rough shape since before this, I would say that the parks that would face the most consequences would be the other universal parks.
Great video, as always, Brayden. Thank you. If I were to be named the next CEO (yes, I know I won't even be interviewed) would be to ask Iger to clean his office out within a couple of weeks and vacate the building. Advisors to the company don't get to keep the CEO's office. Then have his access to company property changed to match other BOD members and advisors. Not to be mean or spiteful or anything like that. I think it is a very subtle but real notion to Bob that he is no longer in charge and that he needs to start living in his new role. Of the mistakes that he made in his brief tenure as CEO, I think not doing this was Chapek's biggest.
Disney logic: lots of people will come down to see Epic Universe, they will come check out Disney as well
Reality check: people who are coming down for 7 days will be spending 2-3 days over at Universal, so that's 2-3 less days of tickets, food spending, merch spending, and possible even 2-3 nights off property that they COULD have been spending at Disney if there was something new
(or Option B as you mentioned, their entire budget will be spent toward Universal, they can't even consider Disney's insanely high prices)
They should invest in maintenance too though. A lot of the current problems are in day to day operations. They constantly skimp on maintenance and staffing.
Not surprised they are focused on lounges and nighttime entertainment. It fits perfectly with what seems to be their target market -childless Disney adults. Not many family-friendly decisions lately.
How do you make your graphs? Tableau?