Disney Is Making a BIG Mistake...How Epic Universe Will Change the Game
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- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2024
- Epic Universe is Universal's newest theme park opening in Orlando, FL in 2025, but just HOW will that change the tourism industry here in Orlando and more specifically, how will Disney be impacted? Disney has been on top of the theme park mountain for decades, but with Universal's current two parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) climbing the ranks in terms of attendance and a world-class theme park set to open in a year, will that change? Is Disney currently asleep at the wheel while their biggest competitor has made huge strides to close the gap between them? I believe they are and I believe Disney is totally underestimating the impact that Epic Universe will have on market share. Visitors typically visit Orlando for an average of 7 days and now with Epic Universe coming, the amount of time spent at Disney will likely decrease for the average family. How will Disney respond? WILL Disney respond? Fans have been waiting for something to sink their teeth into when it comes to Disney World lately and Disney has not delivered, outside of some "blue sky" ideas that may or may not happen. Buckle up, it's going to be an interesting next few years here in the theme park capital!
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What are your thoughts on Disney and Epic Universe?
I’m sure the price will be crazy but it can’t be crazier than what Disney has been doing for years. I hope Universal Studios takes that into consideration. Overall I think Epic Universe is a great idea and it will definitely put Disney on notice.
Do you really want to know? I think Disney is Fd. Only boomers are keeping the parks alive at this point
I can’t wait for Epic Universe’s Opening Day! I will be there, and I will make an absolute beeline for The Wizzarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic!
The main difference between Universal and Disney, when the House of Mouse does these announcements it's what you call blue sky plans. Meanwhile when Universal lays out plans they follow through.
Definitely is the case as of the last couple of years. Very hard to put stock in anything Disney says these days from a Parks perspective.
I agree I feel like Disney's blue sky talks are probably more about judging how the audience reacts then anything actually solid a coco land and dark ride could win me back though I am a sucker for coco
I kind of hope Disney flops and scrambles to actually have to deliver and not just phone it in and expect people to just accept it
I think those days are coming. Epic is going to flip the typical Orlando vacation on its head and Disney will have to do something within the next few years to get people back.
@@MattAndAlexVlogshopefully it cheapens ticket prices this shit is almost unaffordable now
I think they will do something once epic opens and they see what’s successful about it, and then try to copy it
There's something disney has that universal doesn't, a worldwide rabid almost cult like multigenerational fanbase that have been indoctrinating kids into the disney brand. As great as universal is, they don't have the diehard fanbase that disney has.
Disney canncelled more projects than they followed through. So even if they announce something, there is always a chance it will be cancelled. Just like Star Wars Movies.
Good point
Disney keeps raising prices (often sharply), while slashing value. The parks are full of construction walls that never seem to go down... imagine saving for years for this supposed once in a lifetime trip, and your entire experience is nothing but closed rides and a warren of plywood walls. Still, as long as they keep packing the park, they won't be motivated to do anything different. I doubt they'll even finish the new area in Epcot before Epic opens... sad that they can't even refurb two buildings in the time it's taken Universal to build an entire five land park and three hotels.
A part of me wonders if it's on purpose. A certain 'businessman' operates by running businesses he's bought way into the red and golden parachuting out, leaving his investors with an unrecoverable dumpster fire... almost makes me wonder if the same thing is happening with Disney...
I used to be a huge fan of the Disney parks, but I just am not interested in them anymore. They're too complicated to navigate, on top of forcing visitors to rely on tech that distracts heavily from the ability to enjoy a vacation, drowning people in scheduling headaches and reservations and nickel and diming every action they make with extra charges. Plus the parks aren't as pretty as they used to be thanks to being overrun with strollers and never-ending construction... I just don't have any interest anymore. Hell, I'd rather go to Knotts and have a pleasant, enjoyable park day that I don't have to spend fighting my phone all day for, and at a fraction of the price and hassle...
Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts. It really is amazing how slow Disney construction moves. Makes you think, even if they announce something at D23, we’re not seeing that for probably another 5 years at best.
@@MattAndAlexVlogs It's true. Between Epic... and then the foray into non-Orlando parks on Universal's part (the Texan 'kids park' and Vegas HHN experience), Disney is looking to lose market share in a big way all because they refuse to branch out beyond the coasts. I think Texas is a 'proof of concept' park, and if it does well, there'll be more popping up in other places Disney can't be bothered to reach, like Colorado or the northeast. Nothing massive, but enough to bleed off chunks of revenue over time that's going to amount to a huge impact down the line especially with families with young children.
@vectorwolf I wholeheartedly agree with your final paragraph. When we took our first disney trip in 2001 (family of 7), we planned/reserved NOTHING of our park experience; we didn't need to. This relaxing, " wing it" vacation has been whittled away year by year, so a Disney vacation is now an exercise in detailed time management. Unfortunately, this extensive planning does not guarantee an enjoyable, fulfilling trip. If our first trip had been like our last one, i dont think we would have ever returned to disney. Nostalgia kept us returning even when the experience was less enjoyable, but the price for that is now too high. We haven't taken a "big vacation" to disney for many years. I am surprised at how well-attended the parks still are with the absolute plummeting value.
Same, 100%
Sadly Disney is too preoccupied with the losses in its streaming business, box office failures, board succession and obligations to its theme park partners (The Chinese government and Oriental Land in China and Japan) to properly concentrate on its prime assets in the USA. Until there is proper board oversight, a return to quality and the proper maintenance of existing attractions and an understanding that guests are becoming dis-satisfied with a lack of new product, removal of previously free add ons and ever increasing prices, Disney cannot recapture its declining visitor numbers. Disney must act not throw ideas in the air and then fail to carry them through if it is to succeed in this newly competitive market. I am sure Universal are delighted with Disney's acquisition of Hulu from their parent Comcast and I wonder how much of this money has actually helped to fund Epic Universe!
Well said.
One thing I really noticed about the Epic Universe video was the change in the way Universal marketed it compared to their other two parks. Whereas Universal used to pride themselves on being the more “teenage” counterpart to Disney, Epic was marketed as being more “magical” and a “tribute” to their history, i.e more Disney-like. It looks like Universal is really trying to win over those families who are still Team Disney atm but otherwise are not hardcore Disney fans/are disappointed with the direction the parks have been going. This is also in keeping with their other recent decisions, such as the new Dreamworks area in Studios and the kids park in Texas.
I totally agree.
Disney is rebuilding and re-theming lands, while Universal is creating a whole new Universe. Disney is being left in its own pixie dust. ✨️
And none of those re-themes are officially confirmed yet either 😂
@@MattAndAlexVlogsmaybe they are talking about the Disney parks here in Southern California. As a local I notice we keep getting cheap lame re themes like Pixar pier and San fransokoyo. And terrible rides like web slingers (which is just a clone of Toy Story midway mania)
Disney is done. No kid will pick Mickey over Mario Kart.
As someone who has supported universal for so many years, I always thought universal was better. Disney has been lacking in enjoyment, employee treatment, guest treatment, prices. Disney is honestly just throwing words instead of actions, they aren’t moving anywhere and are moving their mouths faster than their hands. “Keep it coming, nobody can touch us”. Wait till they take another 6-7 years to respond to epic universe just like they did with Harry Potter. I can safely say Disney has given an entire country of length for universal to catch up, and universal has planned so well, they aren’t stopping. Cant wait to see what universal has coming with their other 70-ish percent of land left. Good luck Disney, seems like your really falling down this time, Mario is 1-up’ing the kids away from disney😂 and it sure as hell seems like everyone is “so excited” for Tiana adventure to prepare for Mardi Gras at Disney, it’s gonna be “so fun”.
Definitely will be an interesting few years!
Epic is intended to grab as many visitors coming to the World Cup too.
Disney Needs to catch up with Building 5th Theme park in 2028 Opening Day.
Just found your channel, subbed. Really nice vid. Great comments. I agree with all your points. Particularly about families needing to make a decision about which parks get the bulk their time now. Young kids really love Mario & adults like the classic monsters.
Appreciate you clicking on the video! Certainly going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
I love Disney, grew up in Florida and went all the time. But I am sooo excited about Epic Universe. I would plan a tip around that park before I would plan a trip around Disney parks. 🤔
Epic is going to be a game changer! Can’t wait for it!
We spent four days at Universal over spring break. Didn't even consider going to Disney. Too expensive. Had a great time.
Universal is so much fun! Glad you had a good time!
I don’t know why people don’t realize one of the more profitable things at Disney parks is timeshare for Disney. I consider a timeshare company.
Disney lost A LOT of money with the Galactic Starcruiser. And the EPCOT overhaul was expensive and STILL didn't address any of the problems at that park. So unfortunately they don't have the cash for major projects. What the need to do is sell of their unprofitable revenue streams so the money the parks being in can be used for major projects.
They should have sold the TV networks by now, but they keep hanging on. The business continues to shrink and can be an easy way to shed some dead weight for the company.
If the rumors that Pokemon will replace the Simpsons and offer a way to catch and import mons into the games are true Disney WILL be dethroned in terms of attendance. I don't think people realize just how massive the property is.
That would be huge
Whenever I visit Orlando, all I care about is Universal and Sea World. WTF is a Disney 😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
I think Universal also has an opportunity with tickets they offer - the most expensive day at a theme park is the first one, so if Universal keeps doing those multi-day ticket deals including epic (maybe limiting the epic days vs other park days to spread out guests), it will make more financial sense for families to just visit Universal longer instead of splitting their stay.
Very intersting analysis. 👍
Thanks for watching!
This is a conversation I've had many times - will it be worth continuing to do a Disney vacation and visiting Universal or start doing the opposite of a Universal vacation and visit Disney. It took 4-5 years to get a pre-existing - not even NEW concept - ride to open in MK, so even if they announce expansion plans for any park who's to say it won't take another 4-5 years for it to open. The real question is it too little too late from Disney or do they have some secret up their sleeve ready to be revealed during D23 to reverse the consumers flocking to Universal/Epic Universe? It will for sure be an interesting few years in Central Florida - I'm thankful for you and Alex giving us the play-by-play for all of these changes!
Whatever is announced at D23, we won’t see for years. For their sake, they better have something to announce. But until people speak more with their wallet, Disney will likely continue to do the bare minimum.
I agree my main problem with Disney is how slow they are Phantasialand built rookburgh a themed land hotel and restaurants and a fly a unique rollercoaster in less time than tron in magic Kingdom took a cloned ride Europa Park are currently building Voltron at a rapid pace yet again another unique rollercoaster with epic theming I don't understand it smaller European parks should not be beating Disney with build times and new attractions but they do Disney should be embarrassed
That’s a great point and actually what we just did on our last trip. We were at Universal for most of it and took an uber for 1 after hours event at MK.
I agree with your analysis, Matt. My kids are grown, but if Universal gets Kids Zone right they could gain market share. I’ve heard many people say Universal isn’t worth it for families with small children.
I would have to agree with that. It’s definitely more geared towards tweens/teens and above. BUT, kids love Mario, so Super Nintendo World is going to be a huge draw for Epic.
I think this is mostly a concern for the domestic market since as an international traveler, my 3 trips to Orlando were planned to spend 2 weeks more or less and visit both resorts parks.
May have to extend to closer to 3 weeks next time to accommodate everything or cut back on Disney days, that usually I’d repeat a park or two and now may resort to a single day on each park.
Correct, this is more impactful for domestic travel.
I can’t wait for the Grand Opening of Universal’s Epic Universe! I bet the place will be absolutely jammed! I plan on being there on Opening Day and making an absolute beeline for The Wizzarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic!
Can’t wait!
Wife and I did no renew our Disney annual passes this year . Not feeling Disney at the moment . Maybe next year.
Totally understand that. We’ll be dropping to the lowest tier when our renewal is up.
2025 will be a great time to visit Disney World: Crowds will be low and lines will be short since everyone will be at Universal instead.
It takes Disney 5 years to build a so so roller coaster (Tron) while Universal builds a complete park in the the same time period.
Amazing, isn’t it?
Disney has lost the magic and many fans unfortunately myself included. Great video!
Thanks for watching!
My grandsons have loved Universal from a very young age (dinosaurs, Spiderman) but the girls in the family still go to Disney. Wonder if they realize the difference in gender appeal?
I hope they do overtake Disney. And if they do get that no. 1 spot, don’t repeat the same mistake and take your customer base for granted and start pricing us out.
I saw How to train your dragon as an adult. And I was very surprised at how good that movie was. So much that I ended up watching the 2nd one. Haven't been able to bring myself to watch the 3rd yet
I’ve heard they’re great!
Yes they really are great from a storytelling perspective. I would put the 2nd Movie right up there with the first as far as quality. Im 34 now But based on the first two i'm thinking about watching the 3rd one@MattAndAlexVlogs
I have a fair number of friends that have "Pooh sized" bodies and they like Disney more than Universal because Disney ride vehicles tend to be more accommodating to larger people. I understand the difficulty for both companies to accommodate every body size. It just isn't always possible. I am hoping Universal takes this into consideration with Epic. If Universal does more to accommodate larger people they are going to draw a good number of people away from Disney that only go to Disney today. Great point about more smaller kid areas in Epic. It's the same kind of thing.
Disney also made everything more expensive while offering less service! No more free airport shuttle no more free fast passes! It’s a mess!
Certainly is. Need some changes, no doubt about it.
The bottom line is profit, not attendance.
I honestly think Universal has already overtaken Disney. Universal is on a sleep upward trajectory while Disney is on a steady Decline. Disney does what it wants despite what fans ask for, meanwhile Universal listen to customer feedback and responds appropriate. I just don't foresee Disney changing course, in fact they seem to be weirdly doubling down on everything that's been hurting them.
Speaking for me and all my family watching, we are sick of Disney. We have been taking vacations to other places we haven’t touched Disney since 2019 and my kids don’t miss it. 4 years ago I was a full on Disney adult and I’ve fallen out of love with Disney. They have lost touch they are boring and never really have anything interesting going on.
Well it looks like I found a real life example of the stats I used comparing 2019 to 2022! We definitely understand that.
UK enthusiasts have been talking about epic universe but I would say the talk about the potential universal great Britain is taking up most of the conversations since we don't have a Disney or universal park here so it's way more exciting for us then Americans who all ready have multiple world class theme parks universal great Britain if it happens will be game changing
Yes! That will be huge if that comes to fruition. Will impact travel to WDW as well as Disneyland Paris. I know a lot of people from the UK head there as well. Exciting times!
@@MattAndAlexVlogs rumor has it that universal great Britain will not just be a cloned park but UK IPs like doctor who,James Bond ect are expected to be used so it doesn't stop people in the UK who want to visit the US parks
I am a lifelong WDW-goer, former DCP participant & DVC nepo baby 🤣 I didn’t renew my AP. There’s simply nothing new for me to experience. I went to WDW 4 times in 2023 (from NJ) & spent most of my time leisurely enjoying dining etc… you hit the nail on the head - so many perks gone, & I’m not one to entertain Genie+. Not the WDW experience I’ve grown up with or am willing to dedicate time to… totally not leisurely. WDW execs need to seriously BRING IT! My next visits will mostly be (DVC) resort stays…
It’s a shame, but so many others feel the same way. I can’t blame you!
The mere concept of Genie+ existing makes my blood boil. Went to the parks for a family vacation last year and we had to spend our days micromanaging every second of our schedule and checking that stupid app instead of just enjoying ourselves, because the only other option was waiting in line for 3 hours to get on even D ticket attractions. Happiest place on earth my ass, honestly until they get some new people at the wheel or make some big changes i am not going back.
Hope this new epic universe park will be xcheaper and those pull down overall theme park prices so it be affordable to go.
I wouldn’t count on that. Epic will be more expensive than the other 2 parks once it opens given it’s so new and everyone will flock to it. Unfortunately, prices typically won’t decrease until a park faces attendance issues, which hasn’t been the case.
Then may all theme parks go bankrupt.
Universal hasn’t opened a park since 90s?? Forget about volcano bay it’s a water park
I’m talking just theme parks
I'm not going to either one of them think about it
Frankly kids grow up fast. I hope universal doesnt change too much. Let disney keep most of the stroller crowd. And our kids are only older elementary.
Im nearly 50 and im a huge HTTYD fan. Youre missing out
We’re definitely going to sit down and watch them all soon. Heard good things!
What CAN Disney do? The "House of Mouse" will not be able to "reimagine itself" or "diversity hire" out of getting its butt thoroughly kicked by Epic Universe-AKA The Disney Killer. A TON of former imagineers are now working at Universal and are behind the great rides/attractions that are being built at Epic. Also looked how they have mangled "Splash Mountain" or how long it took to clone The "Tron Coaster". Plus Disney does not at all have the FUNDS to even begin to compete at this point.
Get Woke-GO BROKE!! Disney R.I.P. 2019......
Who else here is excited about Universal’s Epic Universe? Do I have any fellow Potterheads here in this Video’s Comments?
Disney has sucked for 12 years
Tiana's Bayou adventure looks really cheap especially compared to their concept art. Not only is Disney not really adding anything significant, but what they are putting in more budget friendly than customer friendly.
To be fair, we haven’t seen much in terms of what Tiana’s will look like on the inside. The animatronic they shared the other day looks amazing, so hopefully the rest is just as good. They’re simply re-skinning an existing attraction, so we’ll see what it’s all about once it opens. After that happens, what else is there to look forward to? That’s the big question.
Evermore news?
Disney should have bulldozed Hollywood studios and put Star Wars, avatar, guardians and tron all in the same park. Instead they have all this nice new stuff spread out amongst their rotting garbage
That’s just not realistic at all
@@MattAndAlexVlogs all I’m saying is Disney is run down and it smells awful everywhere. It sucks that I have to experience all that mess just to enjoy a single attraction
Nope. Disney is doing fine. With Epic Universe, Universal will have 3 parks. Disney still has 4 parks. And golf courses, and 2 water parks, and a much larger entertainment district, and cirque du Sol, and more resort hotels, and a campground with horseback riding…and…People still go to Central Florida for Disney first. Epic Universe won’t change that. If anything, people visiting Epic Universe will skip Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios…not Disney.
It’s not about the size of the two resorts, clearly Disney is larger. It’s about how people will be spending their money while vacationing here in Orlando. How does the opening of Epic impact how people vacation at Disney? Does Disney go from a week long destination down to a 3-4 day destination? Those are the impacts that will be seen/felt.
@@MattAndAlexVlogs I think Disney will be fine. Disney isn’t building a new park but in the last few years they will have opened Tron, Cosmic Rewind, Ratatouille, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new Bear Country attraction, and a new Zootopia show. Go back a little further and in the past 10 years they have also opened Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Toy Story Land. Disney has been improving its parks. Cosmic Rewind was $450 million alone. It’s wrong to suggest Disney has been asleep.
All Disney needs to do is a 5th park their stock is the highest in 4 yrs very high movementun with Deadpool and kingdom of the planet of apes films this year they are in a good place in my opinion …a 5th park for villians and marvel will do it
It would be great, but I highly doubt that happens anytime soon. Until Disney starts to feel major pressure/see financial impact, I doubt they make that investment with many of their other branches of the company struggling big time right now.
WDW is not ready for a 5th park. A 5th gate would take attendance away from their 4 current parks which need to be greatly improved and have capacity added to them before Disney can even consider building a 5th park. And with their low wages, where are they going to find the staffing necessary for a 5th park?
Disney has a loyal multigenerational fan base. No matter what universal does or how complacent Disney gets, it’s not gonna affect Disney’s attendance.
That’s simply not true. Disney’s attendance already has been impacted by the increase in Universal attendance. I agree that there will always be a draw to Disney, but to say their attendance won’t be impacted is not true.
@@MattAndAlexVlogs The wait times say otherwise as they are still astronomical. And no matter how expensive disney gets people are still shelling out the dough to go there. In fact, I think epic universe may even help disney in the long run as it's going to draw more people to visit orlando. But in no way is it going to affect disney in a manner that they would even be remotely worried. Disney's following is almost cult like.
@@metallicnole4514
In 2009, Disney's (MK) attendance clocked in at 17.3 million.
In 2010 (The year of WWoHP), it dropped to 16.8 million.
MK: 17 million in 2009, 17 million in 2023.
Every single year since WW (Minus COVID), IOA's attendance has gone up.
Are you seriously telling us that Disney's numbers aren't affected by US....Especially as of late? That's not even remotely accurate.
When EU opens, forget about it.
Silly reservation system, no more FastPass, the addition of Genie+, guests now have to reserve a slot to ride certain rides, or have no shot of riding, disappearing perks, treating AP holders like a freshly sprayed hippo dung, once great restaurants have turned to crap, effectively killing Splash Mountain, I mean, I could give you so much more. But, it might bring YT's servers down.
Sure, people will always go to Disney. Hell, I'm one of 'em. But if you think for one minute, that Disney won't be affected by EU, you're living in a fantasyland (see what I did there?)
Why don't you discuss in September Disney will be investing $60 billion world wide into all their theme parks. The window has NOT closed b/c when u least suspect it their will be announcement coming in the future about a 5th gate at DisneyWorld opening up.
Trust me, I’d love to see a 5th gate, but nothing so far has lead to that being a potential possibility. I’ll believe it when I see it
Lol universal doesn't have a capacity problem. This means when they open up Epic universe, one of the parks is gonna suffer (spoiler alert, it's not islands of adventure) When Disney opened Animal Kingdom, attendance dropped. People were torn as to where to spend their three Park tickets. Universal is gonna have this issue, people don't go to Universal for 3 days, Universal Studios Orlando isn't a full day park and that's not gonna change.
I agree that people who have been before can probably do both Islands and Studios in a day, but for those who haven’t visited, they typically do 1 day per park. Especially once the new nightttime show opens later this year along with the new daytime parade, Studios is easily a full day park. Factor in seasonal events like Mardi Gras and Christmas and you’re easily doing one day, minimum. Of course attendance at the current two parks will likely drop, especially at the beginning, BUT people will be spending more time and money overall at Universal as a whole, so their bottom line will definitely not be hurting. You can’t try and spin them opening a world-class theme park into a negative for the brand.
@@MattAndAlexVlogs I'm not spinning it as negative at all, I'm a UAP holder, I'm excited about the new park. But it's not gonna be without its hiccups. That's all I was saying. Don't put the cart before the horse.
@@Ner0sys7 Fair enough! 🤝
If Universal sticks to family values, and stays COMPLETELY AWAY from politics (rascism and LGBTQ support, just shut up about it) I could see Universal overtaking the current Disney EASILY
Universal openly supports LGBTQ rights, however they aren't political about it the way Disney is.
Universal Studios and IOA will suffer with the opening of Epic Universe not Disney. The majority of people go to Orlando for Disney and that won’t change. WDW is still a superior resort by a wide margin.
Will their attendance drop, most likely. But Universal won’t sweat that with the massive uptick in revenue coming from Epic. With Universal now being a 3 park plus 1 water park destination, people will no longer be coming just for Disney. That’s happening already and epic isn’t even open yet.
Actually when Epic Universe hits capacity, people will be directed over to USF and IOA so actually they will get a boost in attendance as well.
And "Superior" is a subjective option. One could argue that Universal is a superior resort since their deluxe hotels come with free Universal Express passes, you don't need reservations to visit their parks, and you can walk to any destination and don't need to wait 20+ minutes for a crowded bus. Plus Universals rooms are half the price of Disney's with more perks.
When Disney went woke it went broke. I boycotted Disney as long as I could but I love the classics too much to stay away forever. However my other friends are not so forgiving. I don't know another Christian family right now that has Disney+ or is planning a trip. Yeah, their creativity has definitely cratered but until they get back to what they're good at - creating NEW, non partisan or controversial story lines, they're other businesses will continue to drag down the parks and Disney won't be able to expand. This new land in Universal will be the nail in Disney's coffin.