Why Universal is not actual competition to WDW, a theory...

[lebeau]

Jimmy Thick- good at arguing, but not good at getting facts correct.

Not even good at arguing really.

The silly part about this thread is that Universal really isn't in competition with Disney World in Orlando. They aren't on the same scale. But The Thick One presented the wrong arguments to make his case. It has nothing to do with IP.

More importantly, the idea that Universal is or is not direct competition for Disney World is irrelevant. Universal is stealing away Disney's market share. That is why Universal is celebrating and Disney is frustrated. Universal doesn't need to compete with Disney. They just need to keep slipping dollars out of the Mouse's wallet as more and more people include Universal in their Orlando vacation plans.

That's what's got to keep the Disney folks up at night. Little by little, tourists are discovering their are other things to do in Orlando besides visiting the same tired, stale, neglected Disney parks year after year. That's a trend that's going to be difficult to reverse. Especially since Disney does not appear to be trying.

 

[lebeau]

Wotta load of bollox, Jimmy. Potter is genuinely popular and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I see it in people's eyes, in the way they talk about Potter, in their excitement when a new book came out. Potter genuinely resonates with its fans. The way Star Wars does, that other indestructible cultural phenomenon.

You don't need more than seven novels to sustain a young adolescent book series. Seven books is exactly long enough to grow with your readers from youngster to adoslescent. And have them for life.

Also Tolkien and Narnia have been around for about three quarters of a century now, and next month watch The Hobbit II take the movie charts by storm. Books have amazing longevity.

That's because books play out in the reader's imagination. They don't have dated special effects or stars who were a big deal 10 years ago. Good books stay fresh indefinitely.

 

[danlb_2000]

Not even good at arguing really.

The silly part about this thread is that Universal really isn't in competition with Disney World in Orlando. They aren't on the same scale. But The Thick One presented the wrong arguments to make his case. It has nothing to do with IP.

More importantly, the idea that Universal is or is not direct competition for Disney World is irrelevant. Universal is stealing away Disney's market share. That is why Universal is celebrating and Disney is frustrated. Universal doesn't need to compete with Disney. They just need to keep slipping dollars out of the Mouse's wallet as more and more people include Universal in their Orlando vacation plans.

That's what's got to keep the Disney folks up at night. Little by little, tourists are discovering their are other things to do in Orlando besides visiting the same tired, stale, neglected Disney parks year after year. That's a trend that's going to be difficult to reverse. Especially since Disney does not appear to be trying.

But isn't that the very definition of "competition"? Competition doesn't have to mean one company pushing another out of the market.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I think Disney looks at Uni as competition but Uni does not see it that way quite so much. Disney has farther to fall and Uni is still on their way up. Let me follow up with the fact that I have not visited Uni but going off of attendance and gross dollars and not any sort of fanboy attitude.

 

[mahnamahna101]

The fact that TDO isn't postponing the already-delayed Pandora to 2017-2019 with nothing else planned for ANY of the other parks...

While Universal is flipping between 3-5 great attraction concepts as their next pursuit after Potter 2.0...

Yeah Comcast isn't ANYTHING... Iger can sleep merrily to the tune of a miraculous attendance decline in EPCOT, DHS, and AK while USO magically sees USF and IOA become the 3rd and 4th most attended theme parks in the US by 2025

Jimmy Thick - Beyond delusional

Figures you're in the Illuminati

 

[lebeau]

But isn't that the very definition of "competition"? Competition doesn't have to mean one company pushing another out of the market.

Universal Studios Orlando isn't direct competition for Walt Disney World because they aren't on the same scale. Direct competitors would be like Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi will likely always be the #2 soft drink. But they are always nipping at Coke's heels. And if Coke gets too complacent, they could conceivably fall behind.

Universal still depends on Disney World to draw vacationers to Orlando. They just want to capture a piece of Disney's pie. That's their goal. So, no. They are not direct competitors. But sure, they are competing for the same dollars.

You might consider it splitting hairs. I think the entire discussion misses the point. It's not about whether or not Universal is Disney's competition. The fact remains that Universal is gaining market share. And while they may never overtake Disney, Disney is (and should be) worried about the trend.

I have specifically heard Universal execs say that overtaking Disney is not their goal. They just want to keep increasing their slice of the pie. They can see that Disney isn't stopping them. So they are going to keep helping themselves to bigger and bigger slices.

 

[spacemt354]

People on this site have always had very strong and obvious bias towards their favorite locations.

If Uni didn't make noise, and if they were irrelevant, then these types of arguments, Uni vs Disney, wouldn't dominate the headlines around here. Throughout these discussions the only "fact" I can garner is that Uni is not the park it was 5 years ago. It has upgraded its features, added relevant new rides, and attracted new guests. End of Story.

The "Uni is better than WDW because A,B,C" arguments are frivolous. But you know what is also frivolous? The "WDW can do no wrong because A,B,C" arguments.

Overzealous bias clouds reality and skews perception to fit a certain mindset. People who like Uni will see what they want to see. When new Uni attractions open (like this upcoming summer), they will see a success and will dismiss the naysayers till kingdom come to defend their viewpoints. How dare someone say that they thought something Uni produces was overrated or a dud?! that's blasphemy and false! It's funny how the same people who rush to Uni's defense will then criticize WDW with the accusations that they just proved "false" five miles down the road. And then vice versa will occur and the cycle will continue.

Why does one have to be "better" than another? What is "better"? Is there an almighty grading rubric that I'm not aware of? And is it possible to enjoy both Uni and Disney for different reasons?

These are the questions I ask myself when I read threads that argue back and forth about this. Here's my opinion on the matter.

What is "better"?
If Uni fits you more, good for you. If you like Disney, that's fine too. But that doesn't make the one you like better than everyone else's. I think people get too offended when they run into different opinions. People can't back away from defending their beliefs when someone posts a negative comment about the place they enjoy more. So what if someone doesn't like Uni? So what if someone doesn't like Disney? Who cares? What are we trying to prove defending our beliefs to anonymous people on the internet? I get that we are all passionate, but when this place begins Uni vs Disney arguments, I feel like I'm reading Youtube comments...

And yes, I think it's quite possible for someone to enjoy both parks without issue. I do. Sure, I've been to Disney more often. I've gone since I was young. It has a nostalgia for me that still brings out the kid inside me. And there is much much more to do there for my family and I, since we have a lot of family members who cannot ride Uni's most popular attractions due to motion sickness. We go to Disney because the rides they cannot ride are replaced with resort aspects Uni doesn't have or is lacking in.

So Disney fits us "better." But that doesn't make the WDW resort "better" than the Uni resort. And that doesn't mean that we won't visit Uni on occasion. And that doesn't mean we won't enjoy ourselves when we go the Uni resort. There doesn't need to be this argument. What is the point really?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Not even good at arguing really.

The silly part about this thread is that Universal really isn't in competition with Disney World in Orlando. They aren't on the same scale. But The Thick One presented the wrong arguments to make his case. It has nothing to do with IP.

More importantly, the idea that Universal is or is not direct competition for Disney World is irrelevant. Universal is stealing away Disney's market share. That is why Universal is celebrating and Disney is frustrated. Universal doesn't need to compete with Disney. They just need to keep slipping dollars out of the Mouse's wallet as more and more people include Universal in their Orlando vacation plans.

That's what's got to keep the Disney folks up at night. Little by little, tourists are discovering their are other things to do in Orlando besides visiting the same tired, stale, neglected Disney parks year after year. That's a trend that's going to be difficult to reverse. Especially since Disney does not appear to be trying.

I fly in from Europe. We usually get some great package deal that includes two or three weeks in a nice off-site hotel including plane tickets, at a total price well below the price for just the stay at a discounted WDW value.
So we have got plenty of time. But with MyMagic+ turning off-siters into second class citizens, the temptation to spend time elsewhere is greater than ever. On top of UNI investing heavily and offering new product.

Universal Studios Orlando isn't direct competition for Walt Disney World because they aren't on the same scale. Direct competitors would be like Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi will likely always be the #2 soft drink. But they are always nipping at Coke's heels. And if Coke gets too complacent, they could conceivably fall behind.

Universal still depends on Disney World to draw vacationers to Orlando. They just want to capture a piece of Disney's pie. That's their goal. So, no. They are not direct competitors. But sure, they are competing for the same dollars.

You might consider it splitting hairs. I think the entire discussion misses the point. It's not about whether or not Universal is Disney's competition. The fact remains that Universal is gaining market share. And while they may never overtake Disney, Disney is (and should be) worried about the trend.

I have specifically heard Universal execs say that overtaking Disney is not their goal. They just want to keep increasing their slice of the pie. They can see that Disney isn't stopping them. So they are going to keep helping themselves to bigger and bigger slices.

I can see a paradigm shift. Where 'going to Disney' turns into 'going to Orlando'. The way one goes to Vegas. A collection of theme parks and a collection of casinos, with 'collection of' being the defining identity of the place.

Uni doesn't have to knock WDW of it's perch. It only has to be seen as an equal to win.

If this happens, WDW could be in trouble. Because pound for pound, it is not offering the best value at the moment. The gap looks set to close even narrower still in the coming years. WDW relies too much on magic and nostalgia. Sentimental music piped through your speakers to nostalgic visitors only goes so far.

 

[George]

If you follow the trends and analytics closely, I think you'll find that Circus World is in line to crush everything its path.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

If you follow the trends and analytics closely, I think you'll find that Circus World is in line to crush everything its path.

I still miss that place. And B&B.

But not as much as the Mystery Fun House!

 

[luv]

I couldn't even read the very long original post.

Geez, Jimmy.

I like theme parks. I like all of them.

Disney is taking the Apollo Creed stand toward Uni as a competitor, especially where hotels are concerned. We shall see how this works out for them.

 

[englanddg]

I couldn't even read the very long original post.

Geez, Jimmy.

I like theme parks. I like all of them.

Disney is taking the Apollo Creed stand toward Uni as a competitor, especially where hotels are concerned. We shall see how this works out for them.

VERY good analogy.

Disney does have something up it's sleeve, but it isn't WDW...it's the Cruise Line...