Will WDW be able to Compete Against Universal

[Mr. Pusskers]

I do like all the news that is going to happen starting 2025, WDW is going to expand all around. Truly glad to hear this and will have a lot to look forward too.

Now my question, Once Disney is completed with all the FLA additions, Will they be able to compete with Universal FLA?

My honest feeling is Disney should have done this long ago, and that Universal with their new park opening with a new Harry Potter Ministry of Magic and really cool other lands will still be light years ahead of Disney.

Last question, what will the price increase for ticketing be like for Both WDW and Universal in the long run?

I can tell you that I use to do WDW for 10 days and go to Universal for a day or two. Now it's got me thinking one or the other and one is skipped that trip for a nice stay.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I fully agree that Disney should have been on the ball and countered Unis play but for either financial reasons or because of arrogance that they didnt need to because they are "Disney", or Iger and the directors couldnt agree on what should be done, nothing came until now. And thats just the announcement. We still have no idea whats really going to come of this build. Disney has in the past scaled back plans, altered decisions, or just plain abandoned projects. Until we actually see what comes about, we wont know how much Disney can counter Uni. And how the lands and attractions please their guests will determine the flow of paying customers. Dis will initially hurt from Uni having the new park up and running.

As far as pricing, who has the crystal ball. No one knows how the economy will run or how Dis or Uni can push the cost of tickets up. Prices all across the board for cost of living has not decreased. A failing economy, recession or depression, possible wars, will alter the ability for families to expend income on vacations. Or a change for the better for the country which puts more money in the pocket of wage earners will allow prosperity from top to bottom and bring luxury spending.

Who knows what the future of Uni, Disney and all of us will be.

 

[John park hopper]

Not the way Disney is going

 

[TalkToEthan]

Once Disney is completed with all the FLA additions, Will they be able to compete with Universal FLA?

Let’s check some recent grades:

Fantasyland Expansion ‘D’……. over hyped and no E ticket to justify this project; squandered opportunity.

World of Avatar ‘A-‘…….overall it’s considered well done by most

Toy Story Land ‘F’……….a cheap embarrassment with no E ticket—-an abysmal effort; best to never talk about it again.

Galaxy Edge ‘C+’ many came away disappointed considering the expectations, budgeting and marketing

Epcot “overhaul” ‘D-‘ …one hot mess of overhyped changes; way too much down time for such a pathetic delivery.

With a grade point average looking like that based on the last approx 10 years then, ‘no’, Disney won’t be able to answer Universal’s Epic new park.

Universal is gearing up to drop an atomic weapon and Disney will continue to drive around in Sherman tanks

 

[Skibum1970]

The difficult part of this is how people relate to Disney. The IP's are inherently popular with people and the parks have a massive draw by virtue of being Disney. Universal's parks, while growing in popularity still lag behind, especially the Magic Kingdom. Epic will be a big improvement but it also will open without a huge amount of rides. Islands of Adventure is supposed to be replacing Lost Continent with Zelda, Universal Studios will probably get something new, and Epic will probably have one or two rides added and all of this could happen before Disney opens any of the promised rides.

The above summation of Disney's most recent expansions is spot-on in my opinion. I hope that Disney will learn from the OLC and do better. I think that these new rides will all be wildly popular and that both Disney and Universal will continue growing but UNI has a seemingly better chance of outgrowing Disney.

 

[FutureCEO]

Let’s check some recent grades:

Fantasyland Expansion ‘D’……. over hyped and no E ticket to justify this project; squandered opportunity.

World of Avatar ‘A-‘…….overall it’s considered well done by most

Toy Story Land ‘F’……….a cheap embarrassment with no E ticket—-an abysmal effort; best to never talk about it again.

Galaxy Edge ‘C+’ many came away disappointed considering the expectations, budgeting and marketing

Epcot “overhaul” ‘D-‘ …one hot mess of overhyped changes; way too much down time for such a pathetic delivery.

With a grade point average looking like that based on the last approx 10 years then, ‘no’, Disney won’t be able to answer Universal’s Epic new park.

Universal is gearing up to drop an atomic weapon and Disney will continue to drive around in Sherman tanks

D- is really pushing it for the Epcot overhaul

 

[networkpro]

Good question in a tight labor market is which company can actually meet their headcount requirements to staff it all ?
We've had years of construction walls in various Florida Disney parks already, none worse than EPCOT IMHO, but now they're going all in for 4 parks which will make the wall builders happy. Just for that inconvenience factor alone the other vendors will be gaining lost Disney patronage. We'll be doing other parks when the construction gets underway.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

D- is really pushing it for the Epcot overhaul

The only reason Epcot overhaul should get a passing grade was the expansion in France. Cosmic Rewind is a good coaster, but it has the same problem as a lot of projects from Iger in terms of not belonging from a theme standpoint.

Disney really damaged Epcot pretty bad to the point that I can't called Epcot my favorite theme park of WDW anymore.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Let’s check some recent grades:

Fantasyland Expansion ‘D’……. over hyped and no E ticket to justify this project; squandered opportunity.

World of Avatar ‘A-‘…….overall it’s considered well done by most

Toy Story Land ‘F’……….a cheap embarrassment with no E ticket—-an abysmal effort; best to never talk about it again.

Galaxy Edge ‘C+’ many came away disappointed considering the expectations, budgeting and marketing

Epcot “overhaul” ‘D-‘ …one hot mess of overhyped changes; way too much down time for such a pathetic delivery.

With a grade point average looking like that based on the last approx 10 years then, ‘no’, Disney won’t be able to answer Universal’s Epic new park.

Universal is gearing up to drop an atomic weapon and Disney will continue to drive around in Sherman tanks

I mean, crazy as I am, I think Toy Story Land is pretty decent… especially at night.

Anyways, how on Earth does Toy Story Land get an F while the planters at Epcot get a D-?!?! Am I just out of touch? I don’t include Remy in the Epcot overhaul because it’s a different part of the park and all.

 

[ULPO46]

It’s like comparing peanuts to pecans, it’s hard to see. But as a standpoint from seeing so many execs, managers, and imagineers jump I-4 Eastbound, it’s going to affect us.

Good question in a tight labor market is which company can actually meet their headcount requirements to staff it all ?
We've had years of construction walls in various Florida Disney parks already, none worse than EPCOT IMHO, but now they're going all in for 4 parks which will make the wall builders happy. Just for that inconvenience factor alone the other vendors will be gaining lost Disney patronage. We'll be doing other parks when the construction gets underway.

Don’t even get me started on this. Disney Aspire can entice all they want but shaving hours and offering the same wages as Universal makes it tough to bring the “right stuff” back to WDW. But times change guest are ruder, could care less about CM’s working doubles or anything else. I’m proud of what’s been announced but I’m not naive and I know all to well Epic will take some but not all business away. What shames me is management still uses the “But We’re Disney” card and honestly that’s why I’m not looking forward to the future “corporate restructuring” aka layoffs that will come from Epic Universe taking some business away.

 

[TalkToEthan]

Anyways, how on Earth does Toy Story Land get an F while the planters at Epcot get a D-?!?!

You’re right…….you just convinced me Epcot “overhaul” failed……F!!

 

[Ldno]

Villains land is years off, maybe by the end of the decade.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

Plus after EU comes online, Universal apparently has plans to address USF with a F&F HRRR replacement and Pokemon by 2030, and both expansions could be fast tracked even earlier depending on how much EU causes USF attendance to crater.

 

[FutureCEO]

Villains land is years off, maybe by the end of the decade.

I really doubt it gets built to be honest...no timeline, just blue sky. And yes, I know he said everything was in development. But Villain's is a knee jerk reaction to Dark Universe.

 

[V_L_Raptor]

Everything major announced at this just past D23 will only be beginning construction at best by the time Epic Universe opens, so no, Disney won't be ready to compete. That's just math.

In terms of talent and capacity to expand beyond all of those wonderful, freewheeling designs that were designed for other parks but shuffled around to WDW instead... Yeah, no. Disney can't compete. What that means in the long run will be interesting to see.

 

[donnylambb]

Ultimately, the theme park landscape is dynamic, and both WDW and Universal will need to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. While Universal's recent successes have made the competition more intense, Disney's legacy and resources give it a strong foundation to build upon.

 

[Andrew25]

Yes, Disney will be able to compete... after 2027. For the next 2 years, Universal will be the "gold standard" in theme park experiences because of Epic Universe. However, WDW as a whole will hold up to UOR overall since USF at the moment is dragging down the resort unfortunately.

However, we all know a night parade is a serious investment/addition for the resort next year. Not at a level of a whole new park, but certainly not a minor addition.

Let’s check some recent grades:

Fantasyland Expansion ‘D’……. over hyped and no E ticket to justify this project; squandered opportunity.

World of Avatar ‘A-‘…….overall it’s considered well done by most

Toy Story Land ‘F’……….a cheap embarrassment with no E ticket—-an abysmal effort; best to never talk about it again.

Galaxy Edge ‘C+’ many came away disappointed considering the expectations, budgeting and marketing

Epcot “overhaul” ‘D-‘ …one hot mess of overhyped changes; way too much down time for such a pathetic delivery.

With a grade point average looking like that based on the last approx 10 years then, ‘no’, Disney won’t be able to answer Universal’s Epic new park.

Universal is gearing up to drop an atomic weapon and Disney will continue to drive around in Sherman tanks

You can say the same about Universal (and I tend to defend Universal on here a lot). While I don't agree with everything in New Fantasyland, grading it a D is just a bit too harsh, it's a solid B in my book.

Skull Island - C... just ok experience, I'd grade it an F if it weren't for the impressive facade/queue
Fallon - C... just ok, but uses the same tricks as every other simulator.
Fast & Furious - F... obvious
Hagrid's Motorbike - A+... spectacular work
VelociCoaster - A+... spectacular work
Villain-Con/Minion Land - D... I'd give it an F if it weren't for the uniqueness of the experience. The Minion IP deserves better
Minion Cafe - A...
DreamWorks Land - C..... just barely passed the class. There's still hope for a dark ride in the expansion area
Cinesational - A+...
Mega Movie Parade - B... has some quality issues

 

[Quietmouse]

I don’t really buy the whole competition aspect. Yes they compete to an extent, but the core audiences are wildly different.

A young family with young children (who is the core audience for Disney) aren’t going to go to universal studios because by and large they don’t meet the height requirement for many of the rides and the kids aren’t familiar with the ips.

From the age of 2 - kids are familiar with Anna, Elsa , Mickey , Minnie , etc.

Universal is great for what is is, and has its own portfolio of ips that are great and exciting and I love they have a heavier mix of thrills thrown in.

That said, I don’t think Disney will ever be in the forefront to capture the teenage market that is seeking thrill experiences and that’s okay, because while you will win the teenage sub market you will lose out on a lot of younger families.

 

[NickMaio]

I mean, crazy as I am, I think Toy Story Land is pretty decent… especially at night.

Anyways, how on Earth does Toy Story Land get an F while the planters at Epcot get a D-?!?! Am I just out of touch? I don’t include Remy in the Epcot overhaul because it’s a different part of the park and all.

Our little guys adore Slinky and midway....TS land was clearly made for their demographic.

I think it's a solid B....all the huge toys and props around make us feel like toys.
Could use way more shade though.

GE , as huge statwars fans, is also a solid B+.
Rise is the dark ride I have been waiting WDW to build for a loooooong time.

Seeing the Falcon for the first time was a mind bomb. We took so many pictures.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I do like all the news that is going to happen starting 2025, WDW is going to expand all around. Truly glad to hear this and will have a lot to look forward too.

Now my question, Once Disney is completed with all the FLA additions, Will they be able to compete with Universal FLA?

My honest feeling is Disney should have done this long ago, and that Universal with their new park opening with a new Harry Potter Ministry of Magic and really cool other lands will still be light years ahead of Disney.

Last question, what will the price increase for ticketing be like for Both WDW and Universal in the long run?

I can tell you that I use to do WDW for 10 days and go to Universal for a day or two. Now it's got me thinking one or the other and one is skipped that trip for a nice stay.

I personally do not agree with a lot of what TWDC does but WDW still does and will remain to have a strong, loyal customer base, many who dislike Universal for no other reason than its not Disney

Those folks will never go any other place but WDW.

Look at SeaWorld Orlando! Three new coasters in three years! There are folks who hate SeaWorld for the unfair hit piece, Blackfish.

A lot of folks say WDW will remain on top because of all the Hotel rooms they have, and if Disney is smart, they will continue to give perks to folks staying on site.

Who knows? Maybe Disney will bring back the Magical Express in response to EPIC, to force folks to stay in the bubble!

Naaaa, thats TOO SMART, TOO LOGICAL for them to do knowing they have a loyal fan base.