Disney has been surpassed long ago. It's the reliance on the brand recognition of both Disney and the various IP's that sustains them. Having 25,000+ acres smack dab in the middle of the state of Florida helps.
I say this as an AP of both parks. I still love Disney. But I'm starting to warm up to Uni more and more each year. Uni has been eating Disney's lunch for years on rides. MIB far surpasses Toy Story Mania. They are also miles ahead in the "thrill ride" category. Their hotels offer better accommodations at a more reasonable (even if they are still overpriced) rate. The immersive quality of Potter surpasses anything Disney has done in a long time. ET (a 20 year old ride) is still better than Pan. The only thing I can give the nod to Disney in - is the true dark ride category.
But Uni along with SeaWorld and all other attractions in the area have one basic problem - space. Something Disney has in abundance. So they can build out entertainment districts, have places like a FW, and numerous resorts.
The one thing Disney always had that was head and shoulders above everybody else was Service and Entertainment. Somewhere they forgot about CM interaction with the guest. Things like the World Showcase Players, The CMs at Adventurers Club, people like Yeeha Bob - It was an area where Disney was pretty much untouchable. But that was a long time ago. Now it's "Let's see what we can charge people and incur the lowest amount of cost on - in order to give people a satisfactory experience". They should actually change their mission statement to this.
I say this as an AP of both parks. I still love Disney. But I'm starting to warm up to Uni more and more each year. Uni has been eating Disney's lunch for years on rides. MIB far surpasses Toy Story Mania. They are also miles ahead in the "thrill ride" category. Their hotels offer better accommodations at a more reasonable (even if they are still overpriced) rate. The immersive quality of Potter surpasses anything Disney has done in a long time. ET (a 20 year old ride) is still better than Pan. The only thing I can give the nod to Disney in - is the true dark ride category.
But Uni along with SeaWorld and all other attractions in the area have one basic problem - space. Something Disney has in abundance. So they can build out entertainment districts, have places like a FW, and numerous resorts.
The one thing Disney always had that was head and shoulders above everybody else was Service and Entertainment. Somewhere they forgot about CM interaction with the guest. Things like the World Showcase Players, The CMs at Adventurers Club, people like Yeeha Bob - It was an area where Disney was pretty much untouchable. But that was a long time ago. Now it's "Let's see what we can charge people and incur the lowest amount of cost on - in order to give people a satisfactory experience". They should actually change their mission statement to this.