Extremely true! No company is on top forever. Just look at Sears, Macy's, Blackberry, etc. These were companies that were on top and over time they fell behind and some of them went out of business, while others are barely surviving and don't have nearly the same brand recognition they once did. No one is too big to fail.
I just think that universal is finally upping their game and I think it’s about time that they want to be considered a weeklong vacation destination instead of just something you do in addition to visiting Disney World.
The Haunted Mansion gift shop at Disneyland is the "watershed moment" when a broader audience of Disney theme park fans realize that the uber-critics who have been sounding the drumbeat about Disney's creative decline (Avenger's Campus, Epcot, Tiana, Hungry Bear Restaurant...) were not wrong. There is a real problem at Disney. And this opens an opportunity for Universal. Disney needs to do a full portfolio review at Imagineering -- basically, everybody there needs to apply for their jobs again -- and clean house. Then open up positions, bring back talent they laid off, and re-staff Imagineering with a focus on demonstrated talent and experience.
Universal creative is run and consists of former imagineers. They stepped up when Comcast NBC Universal said let's do Harry Potter. They've kept going...and will prove to be a thorn in Disney's side. Disney's problem is that they don't have qualified people to replace those they've lost or fired. That's why many famous imagineers have shyed away from helping them in later projects. Will Disney be toppled? The answer is undoubtedly... eventually. Epic Universe will be a deciding factor. The first year it opens will only be a partial year. Beyond that I believe it will be closer than most people believe to pass Magic Kingdom in attendance... down to the last body.
Even if Universal doesn't end up taking away Disneyworld's top spot in the Orlando theme park market, Disney's own poor decision making and lack of long term ideas will end up doing that part just as fine. It's only re-enforcing the reality about how no empire and company even Disney is immune to downfalls especially if they're the self inflected downfalls.
Disney is its own worst enemy. If they were working at their peak and firing on all cylinders, there's literally nothing universal could possibly do to even think of overtaking them when it comes to park attendance.
4:14 grinch is the official mascot of universal when it's the holidays. if you don't believe me, check out the meet & greet waits otherwise, it's blue, and the deatheaters. come to think of it, does universal have just one mascot? i don't think so. i think they have several.
The last time I've been to Disney is 2024 before now it was 2006. From 06 to 24 I've been going to Universal. Universal does have nostalgia. They reference their extinct attractions during the holidays. There's ornaments of Jaws, Kongfrontation, Twister, Xena & Hercules, I Love Lucy, Dueling Dragons, Alfred Hitchcock, Ghostbusters, and Poseidan. This year they've referenced Earthquake. To say Universal doesn't have nostalgia is lying. Universal has more than Woody Woodpecker as a mascot. The Grinch, Earl the Squirrel, Jack the Clown (basically all the HHN icons), King Gator, King Julian, The Minions, Spongebob, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter.
I love amusement parks (non-FL resident)! I used to love & hold Disney as the king they should be (no kids), but for the money you pay and experience you actually get, Disney would need to pay me to go back 💯 Disney fans are living off of Nostalgia of how things used to be & is still perfect for mild thrill seekers but to your point it'll take years before most fans wake up and realize the magic is gone and the corporate greed is here to stay sadly
I want to cordially disagree with Attraction Ideas on Woody Woodpecker because he’s somewhat underestimating him. I agree that Woody Woodpecker is no Mickey Mouse, but that’s not to say he can’t get a long line. When I went to UOAP Nights back in August, and mind you, these were two nights where only UOAP Holders had Universal Studios Florida to themselves for an entire night, Woody & Winnie Woodpecker made meet and greet appearances during the event (both nights) and the line got long enough, especially for an event like UOAP Nights which targets little to no wait times, that the line for each time they appeared had to be capped off every single time that they did and they didn’t allow anyone else to line up until their next appearance. Just something I wanted to share. Anyway, I do agree that Universal needs to step it up with character meet and greets and the Nintendo characters at Epic Universe will certainly be high in demand for meeting and greeting, I’ve no doubt about that. And even if Universal doesn’t topple Disney, Disney’s poor decision making will only hurt Disney themselves that much more in the long term.
Universal taking Disney's spot will have more to do with how successful Disney is with their new projects. If Disney starts rolling out amazing experiences, they will be able to stem the tide.
Universal’s rise when Disney is declining. This doesn’t happen in isolation. We just noticed a similar trends in other industries. Airbus rises as Boeing declines. AMD rises while Intel declines. These things are years in the making. It won’t happen overnight, but the tipping point already happened. Disney’s tipping point occurred in their movies and their wholesale makeover of their theme parks and rides. The decline is irreversible from Epcot’s disastrous makeover and the destruction of Splash Mountain.
When it comes to attendance, I don't see epic beating magic kingdom. I also don't see universal overtaking disney as the king in orlando. Disney's fanbase is way too massive and loyal and disney has much more broader 4 quadrant appeal for a worldwide audience. But universal is really stepping up their game with epic. Unfortunately, the studios park is a shell of its former self and epic is really gonna highlight how weak it is. If universal wants to be a greater contender, all 3 parks need to be firing on all cylinders. Also, something needs to be done about the lost continent in islands. It's been sitting lifeless for way too long. People keep theorizing pokemon and zelda, but that's all speculation and blue sky at best right now. Disney does have the ability to move quickly on their projects but it's up to them to make it happen. Disney has everything they need to easily establish continuous dominance in the orlando theme park arena. But it's up to them to make the best decisions. I'm not going to speculate how disney is going to move forward beyond 2025. I'll just wait and see.
When Disney started to harvest they also threw away valuable people that where their cogs into the machine to be successful. As a result their movies have more flops than wins and most stuff they do in their theme park looks wrong or is at least below the standard they used to have. Disney took the best of the people Disney willingly send off and is surpassing Disney in every way or form.
Uni got orange county to basically pre approve any permits for future projects on the rest of the land in the area of epic. And there is a lot of land to still work with enough for 4 or 5 more hotels another full park and a water park. As well as a shopping district. There are a lot of this uni is going to continue to work on.
I'd love to see seaworld come in and take a bite out of universal's thrill market lol I've actually been enjoying seaworld. They are the true underdog in the orlando market.
For many years now, there's been this lingering question, "Can Universal ever beat Disney?" I'm gonna give you my thoughts on it. I feel like Universal has been better for a long time already. THE ONLY thing Disney has over Universal is Nostalgia, and unfortunately for them, that's fading fast. The problem is as big as Disney is, as long as they've been there, and as much loyalty as they've built up with their base over the years... They've been pissing that all away for WELL over a decade. They're constantly raising prices, adding hidden prices, all while continually taking away things that we love about disney and replacing them with new woke bulls#!t that's not even as good creatively as what they had before. The guest experience at Disney gets worse every year... and when you leave Disney you feel like you spent WAY too much money, for WAY too little. The last time I visited BOTH properties for like two weeks was back in like 2004 or 2005. Disney was twice as much as Universal then... and to be honest, Disney was still a lot better then than it is now guest experience wise and price wise, but EVEN BACK THEN, me and my family had a MUCH better time at the Universal parks than we did at the Disney parks. We came home feeling like Disney didn't do anything but rip us off... and even worse for them, We felt like Universal SAVED our vacation. Had we only done the Disney parks, we would have came home very, very, disappointed. Now days, it would be even worse... Because Disney has been throwing beloved attractions away, taking away complimentary things, adding more hidden costs that you HAVE to pay if you want to make sure you get to do the attractions you want to do, and the ticket price just keeps climbing. Now days at Disney, it's very possible for a family to show up, buy their ticket thinking they can then just go in and ride what they want, only to find out that No, you're gonna have to spend a lot more money that you can't afford if you want to make sure you get those big E ticket attractions. I'll never go back to disney... for all the reasons that I have said, and ALSO because that company has turned so far away from the classic vision of Walt Disney, that it OUGHT to be called the "Woke Disney World" instead of WALT Disney world. So, all that rant over... Any time I go back to Florida, it's for Universal and Busch Gardens Tampa, I'll never cast a shadow on Disney World property again. Not even if they offered us a complimentary, all expenses paid trip. I have a feeling, that even though Disney has already been taking a hit in attendance, once Epic Universe opens, they're gonna feel it HARD. UNIVERSAL FOREVER!
Can Universal overtake Disney? Perhaps, one day. But Disney will remain king for a while based on sheer capacity alone. 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. TWENTY THREE hotels…Even with Epic, Universal won’t be able to numerically beat Disney, no matter HOW much better the quality is, until they open at least one more park. I don’t know what other property Comcast/Universal own (heard some things about owning the land just W/NW of Epic?), but even if they have land, permits and are ready to break ground, we are still probably a decade before another park will open, since Universal doesn’t open a park that isn’t complete day one (Animal Kingdom vs. Islands of Adventure anyone?). But I totally agree with Capture the Magic in that market share is key. Epic’s opening will cause Universal to cut a major chuck of Disney’s attendance. Disney’s PR states that they believe that it will INCREASE their numbers. Lord, I hope they don’t actually believe that in the boardroom; that delusion is bordering on insanity. This is NOT Universal opening another attraction in an existing land, like Wizarding World. Those did, to an extent, help Disney as Universal was still the add-on. Better attractions at Universal could tip the scales for people thinking about coming to Disney as it would enhance their overall vacation. But this is a new park, and Universal has not been shy about stating they are wanting to make Universal a DESTINATION, a week-long experience. I think people will now have to decide about their main destination (Disney vs. Universal) and then decide their add-ons. Maybe Disney starts becoming the add-on, staying at Universal but going to Magic Kingdom for a day. Or, for the more budget conscience (avoiding Disney’s price gouging), adding on Sea World or LegoLand instead. Universal’s innovation, investment, and speed will ultimately beat Disney, as long as they keep doing what they are doing. D23 is the last weekend in August in 2025, after a full summer of Epic. They will HAVE to announce something regarding their parks, updates on their new lands they’ve announce or even something new. What Universal needs to do in September is make an announcement of their own. This would show 2 things. Foremost, it would demonstrate to their fans that they’re not just sitting back on their laurels but are continuing to innovate and expand. Second it would totally deflate any momentum Disney would have from D23. D23 would be a response to Epic and Universal immediately following with something new (a “response-to-your-response” if you will), would be, well, epic. They don’t need to announce a new park this soon, but maybe officially announce the Pokémon and/or Legend of Zelda lands. Or, even better, let those rumors stew and announce something new, like what they will put in place of the admin buildings in their current lands that will be vacated due to new digs near Epic. And, honestly, with how quickly Universal moves vs. Disney, it would be in the realm of possibility that those new Universal attractions open at the same time, or even earlier, than what Disney has going on for their response to Epic (Villain Land, etc.).
I just watched the latest areal video of Epic Universe from Bioreconstruct, and what became completely apparent to me is that Universal's theming is now better than Disney's. Comparing any of the new lands with Galaxie's edge proves it. The comparison toTiana's Bayou is laughable. Added to the fact that Disney is broke and Universal is not, it seems to me that Universal will be crushing Disney within the next decade.
I don't see UO beating WDW, but they don't have to. UO can be very successful just slowly gaining a little attendance. Disney's worst enemy will be itself. It's creating its own problems, it's just that Universal is rubbing salt in the would with Epic Universe. EU is going to put a dent in WDW's attendance though, but how much remains to be seen. I think of it in terms of tech with Apple. Apple doesn't need to be on top to succeed and boy have they succeeded even though they're not on top in terms of sales of Macs and iPhones. They're not even close in most markets. I think they're a better company for not being on top and I think Universal will be the same way. They don't need to be on top in terms of attendance to succeed and I think it will benefit them to not be. Sometimes you can do things better and have more opportunities because you're not on top and you don't have these continuous high expectations (or over expectations that Disney fans have). This may not be a popular opinion, but if Disney doesn't get their act together I don't think WDW can really support 4 parks anymore if more and more people start going to UO more days instead. AK is going to take a huge hit and IDK if what they're doing is going to change that. I think AK already operates at a loss (or barely making a profit) for WDW because it's very expensive to run a zoo which is essentially what AK is. It's just a themed zoo in the end with some attractions and shows and there isn't a hell of a lot to do there. It's a 1/2 day park at best. We'll see what happens. I could be completely wrong and I don't mean that AK is closing in the next 2-4yrs either. This is very long term thinking. I also say this because there's only so many people to go around and there's only so many days people have for an Orlando based vacation and everyone is trying to pull in as many guests as possible. And it's more than just UO and WDW. It's SeaWorld, ICON Park, surrounding beaches on both coasts, Kennedy Space Center, etc. If WDW gets too expensive, perhaps they will go to some of these more affordable things one day. That's 1 less day at WDW and guess which park they're not going to....AK!
Woody woodpecker? Brah.... universal has the Grinch. Hell even Guy Diamond... he use to fart glitter. Hotels? Disney needs the hotels cus there's nothing next to them. Universal has Idrive
In my opinion yes I really do hope universal can be thrown Disney and let them fool let them learn that sanity is always the best policy and customers say what customers mean
A good reputation is slow to build, but quick to destroy.
Extremely true! No company is on top forever. Just look at Sears, Macy's, Blackberry, etc. These were companies that were on top and over time they fell behind and some of them went out of business, while others are barely surviving and don't have nearly the same brand recognition they once did. No one is too big to fail.
I just think that universal is finally upping their game and I think it’s about time that they want to be considered a weeklong vacation destination instead of just something you do in addition to visiting Disney World.
The Haunted Mansion gift shop at Disneyland is the "watershed moment" when a broader audience of Disney theme park fans realize that the uber-critics who have been sounding the drumbeat about Disney's creative decline (Avenger's Campus, Epcot, Tiana, Hungry Bear Restaurant...) were not wrong. There is a real problem at Disney. And this opens an opportunity for Universal.
Disney needs to do a full portfolio review at Imagineering -- basically, everybody there needs to apply for their jobs again -- and clean house. Then open up positions, bring back talent they laid off, and re-staff Imagineering with a focus on demonstrated talent and experience.
Universal creative is run and consists of former imagineers. They stepped up when Comcast NBC Universal said let's do Harry Potter. They've kept going...and will prove to be a thorn in Disney's side. Disney's problem is that they don't have qualified people to replace those they've lost or fired. That's why many famous imagineers have shyed away from helping them in later projects.
Will Disney be toppled? The answer is undoubtedly... eventually. Epic Universe will be a deciding factor. The first year it opens will only be a partial year. Beyond that I believe it will be closer than most people believe to pass Magic Kingdom in attendance... down to the last body.
Even if Universal doesn't end up taking away Disneyworld's top spot in the Orlando theme park market, Disney's own poor decision making and lack of long term ideas will end up doing that part just as fine. It's only re-enforcing the reality about how no empire and company even Disney is immune to downfalls especially if they're the self inflected downfalls.
Disney is its own worst enemy. If they were working at their peak and firing on all cylinders, there's literally nothing universal could possibly do to even think of overtaking them when it comes to park attendance.
4:14 grinch is the official mascot of universal when it's the holidays. if you don't believe me, check out the meet & greet waits
otherwise, it's blue, and the deatheaters.
come to think of it, does universal have just one mascot? i don't think so. i think they have several.
I want to see how fast permits get filed for the parking garages at the South Campus. That'll tell us a lot about Universals plans.
Already in the works and pending approval!!!
@@marcuswelby921 You have a link to it? Not doubting you just wanna see it.
Maybe the 22-23 drop has something to do with the recession the we're "not" in.
Your points are spot on! The quality difference between Epic and the dirty, unmaintained Disney parks will be stark.
The last time I've been to Disney is 2024 before now it was 2006. From 06 to 24 I've been going to Universal. Universal does have nostalgia. They reference their extinct attractions during the holidays. There's ornaments of Jaws, Kongfrontation, Twister, Xena & Hercules, I Love Lucy, Dueling Dragons, Alfred Hitchcock, Ghostbusters, and Poseidan. This year they've referenced Earthquake. To say Universal doesn't have nostalgia is lying.
Universal has more than Woody Woodpecker as a mascot. The Grinch, Earl the Squirrel, Jack the Clown (basically all the HHN icons), King Gator, King Julian, The Minions, Spongebob, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter.
I love amusement parks (non-FL resident)! I used to love & hold Disney as the king they should be (no kids), but for the money you pay and experience you actually get, Disney would need to pay me to go back 💯 Disney fans are living off of Nostalgia of how things used to be & is still perfect for mild thrill seekers but to your point it'll take years before most fans wake up and realize the magic is gone and the corporate greed is here to stay sadly
I want to cordially disagree with Attraction Ideas on Woody Woodpecker because he’s somewhat underestimating him. I agree that Woody Woodpecker is no Mickey Mouse, but that’s not to say he can’t get a long line. When I went to UOAP Nights back in August, and mind you, these were two nights where only UOAP Holders had Universal Studios Florida to themselves for an entire night, Woody & Winnie Woodpecker made meet and greet appearances during the event (both nights) and the line got long enough, especially for an event like UOAP Nights which targets little to no wait times, that the line for each time they appeared had to be capped off every single time that they did and they didn’t allow anyone else to line up until their next appearance. Just something I wanted to share. Anyway, I do agree that Universal needs to step it up with character meet and greets and the Nintendo characters at Epic Universe will certainly be high in demand for meeting and greeting, I’ve no doubt about that. And even if Universal doesn’t topple Disney, Disney’s poor decision making will only hurt Disney themselves that much more in the long term.
Universal taking Disney's spot will have more to do with how successful Disney is with their new projects. If Disney starts rolling out amazing experiences, they will be able to stem the tide.
Universal’s rise when Disney is declining. This doesn’t happen in isolation. We just noticed a similar trends in other industries. Airbus rises as Boeing declines. AMD rises while Intel declines.
These things are years in the making. It won’t happen overnight, but the tipping point already happened. Disney’s tipping point occurred in their movies and their wholesale makeover of their theme parks and rides. The decline is irreversible from Epcot’s disastrous makeover and the destruction of Splash Mountain.
When it comes to attendance, I don't see epic beating magic kingdom. I also don't see universal overtaking disney as the king in orlando. Disney's fanbase is way too massive and loyal and disney has much more broader 4 quadrant appeal for a worldwide audience. But universal is really stepping up their game with epic. Unfortunately, the studios park is a shell of its former self and epic is really gonna highlight how weak it is. If universal wants to be a greater contender, all 3 parks need to be firing on all cylinders. Also, something needs to be done about the lost continent in islands. It's been sitting lifeless for way too long. People keep theorizing pokemon and zelda, but that's all speculation and blue sky at best right now. Disney does have the ability to move quickly on their projects but it's up to them to make it happen. Disney has everything they need to easily establish continuous dominance in the orlando theme park arena. But it's up to them to make the best decisions. I'm not going to speculate how disney is going to move forward beyond 2025. I'll just wait and see.
When Disney started to harvest they also threw away valuable people that where their cogs into the machine to be successful. As a result their movies have more flops than wins and most stuff they do in their theme park looks wrong or is at least below the standard they used to have. Disney took the best of the people Disney willingly send off and is surpassing Disney in every way or form.
Uni got orange county to basically pre approve any permits for future projects on the rest of the land in the area of epic. And there is a lot of land to still work with enough for 4 or 5 more hotels another full park and a water park. As well as a shopping district. There are a lot of this uni is going to continue to work on.
Very true. It seems at every turn Universal is thinking ahead and executing their plans efficiently
I'd love to see seaworld come in and take a bite out of universal's thrill market lol I've actually been enjoying seaworld. They are the true underdog in the orlando market.
We've been to SeaWorld a few times. It's not a park that I particularly have enjoyed but they do have some good coasters
@@capthemagic I think I like seaworld more than the universal studios park. I enjoy coasters more than lame screen based rides.
I love competitive theme park designing!!!
For many years now, there's been this lingering question, "Can Universal ever beat Disney?" I'm gonna give you my thoughts on it. I feel like Universal has been better for a long time already. THE ONLY thing Disney has over Universal is Nostalgia, and unfortunately for them, that's fading fast. The problem is as big as Disney is, as long as they've been there, and as much loyalty as they've built up with their base over the years... They've been pissing that all away for WELL over a decade. They're constantly raising prices, adding hidden prices, all while continually taking away things that we love about disney and replacing them with new woke bulls#!t that's not even as good creatively as what they had before. The guest experience at Disney gets worse every year... and when you leave Disney you feel like you spent WAY too much money, for WAY too little. The last time I visited BOTH properties for like two weeks was back in like 2004 or 2005. Disney was twice as much as Universal then... and to be honest, Disney was still a lot better then than it is now guest experience wise and price wise, but EVEN BACK THEN, me and my family had a MUCH better time at the Universal parks than we did at the Disney parks. We came home feeling like Disney didn't do anything but rip us off... and even worse for them, We felt like Universal SAVED our vacation. Had we only done the Disney parks, we would have came home very, very, disappointed. Now days, it would be even worse... Because Disney has been throwing beloved attractions away, taking away complimentary things, adding more hidden costs that you HAVE to pay if you want to make sure you get to do the attractions you want to do, and the ticket price just keeps climbing. Now days at Disney, it's very possible for a family to show up, buy their ticket thinking they can then just go in and ride what they want, only to find out that No, you're gonna have to spend a lot more money that you can't afford if you want to make sure you get those big E ticket attractions. I'll never go back to disney... for all the reasons that I have said, and ALSO because that company has turned so far away from the classic vision of Walt Disney, that it OUGHT to be called the "Woke Disney World" instead of WALT Disney world. So, all that rant over... Any time I go back to Florida, it's for Universal and Busch Gardens Tampa, I'll never cast a shadow on Disney World property again. Not even if they offered us a complimentary, all expenses paid trip. I have a feeling, that even though Disney has already been taking a hit in attendance, once Epic Universe opens, they're gonna feel it HARD. UNIVERSAL FOREVER!
Can Universal overtake Disney? Perhaps, one day. But Disney will remain king for a while based on sheer capacity alone. 4 theme parks and 2 water parks. TWENTY THREE hotels…Even with Epic, Universal won’t be able to numerically beat Disney, no matter HOW much better the quality is, until they open at least one more park. I don’t know what other property Comcast/Universal own (heard some things about owning the land just W/NW of Epic?), but even if they have land, permits and are ready to break ground, we are still probably a decade before another park will open, since Universal doesn’t open a park that isn’t complete day one (Animal Kingdom vs. Islands of Adventure anyone?).
But I totally agree with Capture the Magic in that market share is key. Epic’s opening will cause Universal to cut a major chuck of Disney’s attendance. Disney’s PR states that they believe that it will INCREASE their numbers. Lord, I hope they don’t actually believe that in the boardroom; that delusion is bordering on insanity. This is NOT Universal opening another attraction in an existing land, like Wizarding World. Those did, to an extent, help Disney as Universal was still the add-on. Better attractions at Universal could tip the scales for people thinking about coming to Disney as it would enhance their overall vacation. But this is a new park, and Universal has not been shy about stating they are wanting to make Universal a DESTINATION, a week-long experience. I think people will now have to decide about their main destination (Disney vs. Universal) and then decide their add-ons. Maybe Disney starts becoming the add-on, staying at Universal but going to Magic Kingdom for a day. Or, for the more budget conscience (avoiding Disney’s price gouging), adding on Sea World or LegoLand instead.
Universal’s innovation, investment, and speed will ultimately beat Disney, as long as they keep doing what they are doing. D23 is the last weekend in August in 2025, after a full summer of Epic. They will HAVE to announce something regarding their parks, updates on their new lands they’ve announce or even something new. What Universal needs to do in September is make an announcement of their own. This would show 2 things. Foremost, it would demonstrate to their fans that they’re not just sitting back on their laurels but are continuing to innovate and expand. Second it would totally deflate any momentum Disney would have from D23. D23 would be a response to Epic and Universal immediately following with something new (a “response-to-your-response” if you will), would be, well, epic. They don’t need to announce a new park this soon, but maybe officially announce the Pokémon and/or Legend of Zelda lands. Or, even better, let those rumors stew and announce something new, like what they will put in place of the admin buildings in their current lands that will be vacated due to new digs near Epic. And, honestly, with how quickly Universal moves vs. Disney, it would be in the realm of possibility that those new Universal attractions open at the same time, or even earlier, than what Disney has going on for their response to Epic (Villain Land, etc.).
Walt intended Disney world to be a city.
Disney's cultish devotion to DEI, is killing them and has been for quite some time
I just watched the latest areal video of Epic Universe from Bioreconstruct, and what became completely apparent to me is that Universal's theming is now better than Disney's. Comparing any of the new lands with Galaxie's edge proves it. The comparison toTiana's Bayou is laughable. Added to the fact that Disney is broke and Universal is not, it seems to me that Universal will be crushing Disney within the next decade.
If I were Disney, I'd be way more concerned about Universal Studios Great Britain.
I don't see UO beating WDW, but they don't have to. UO can be very successful just slowly gaining a little attendance. Disney's worst enemy will be itself. It's creating its own problems, it's just that Universal is rubbing salt in the would with Epic Universe. EU is going to put a dent in WDW's attendance though, but how much remains to be seen. I think of it in terms of tech with Apple. Apple doesn't need to be on top to succeed and boy have they succeeded even though they're not on top in terms of sales of Macs and iPhones. They're not even close in most markets. I think they're a better company for not being on top and I think Universal will be the same way. They don't need to be on top in terms of attendance to succeed and I think it will benefit them to not be. Sometimes you can do things better and have more opportunities because you're not on top and you don't have these continuous high expectations (or over expectations that Disney fans have).
This may not be a popular opinion, but if Disney doesn't get their act together I don't think WDW can really support 4 parks anymore if more and more people start going to UO more days instead. AK is going to take a huge hit and IDK if what they're doing is going to change that. I think AK already operates at a loss (or barely making a profit) for WDW because it's very expensive to run a zoo which is essentially what AK is. It's just a themed zoo in the end with some attractions and shows and there isn't a hell of a lot to do there. It's a 1/2 day park at best. We'll see what happens. I could be completely wrong and I don't mean that AK is closing in the next 2-4yrs either. This is very long term thinking. I also say this because there's only so many people to go around and there's only so many days people have for an Orlando based vacation and everyone is trying to pull in as many guests as possible. And it's more than just UO and WDW. It's SeaWorld, ICON Park, surrounding beaches on both coasts, Kennedy Space Center, etc. If WDW gets too expensive, perhaps they will go to some of these more affordable things one day. That's 1 less day at WDW and guess which park they're not going to....AK!
The changes Disney is making will just make it worse.
Woody woodpecker?
Brah.... universal has the Grinch.
Hell even Guy Diamond... he use to fart glitter.
Hotels? Disney needs the hotels cus there's nothing next to them. Universal has Idrive
As much as Disney needs to prove itself now, no, I don't think they can beat Disney, there too far ahead
The numbers would show the gap is narrowing even in a time before Epic Universe opens so it depends on the timeline of things when looking at it
In my opinion yes I really do hope universal can be thrown Disney and let them fool let them learn that sanity is always the best policy and customers say what customers mean
Woody woodpecker is not the mascot anymore. It’s minions trolls and Harry Potter.