Disney "Money Grab" and the future of Universal

[ClapYourHands]

Dining at the food court type venues was an issue over Memorial Day weekend. We had better luck with City Walk restaurants (had reservations) and dining at places in the park at Mythos (also with reservations). If you want to be spontaneous, you will stand in line unless you eat at off-peak times. We are going back to Universal in January because the kids like it better than Disney now.

Tip: If you want butterbeer, just use mobile ordering at The Three Broomsticks. When you go inside, just let them know you have a mobile order. It was much faster than standing in the butterbeer lines, and I had a butterbeer every day!

I think the food situation has gotten better. We were there in August, and while it was a long line to order at the Simpsons, it was better than when we went in April. I think those who went in the early summer encountered the perfect storm of capacity being significantly expanded much faster than TMs could be hired and trained. We found the lines were better, but there was no way to skip them because the mobile ordering that was the mainstay of the spring had gone away (it was very limited and only for a few City Walk restaurants). No idea what the future of mobile ordering will be.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I am curious to see if this causes more people who used to visit WDW on a regular basis to try Disneyland in California. Do you think people who used to go to WDW but have never been to Disneyland would try it once? For many people it would be a longer flight/drive, but Disneyland is a smaller park, so people would need fewer days (and pay for a shorter hotel stay) so that the cost might balence out for some families (maybe 4 nights at the hotel near Disneyland instead of 7 nights or more at WDW).

 

[TommyJK]

I am curious to see if this causes more people who used to visit WDW on a regular basis to try Disneyland in California. Do you think people who used to go to WDW but have never been to Disneyland would try it once? For many people it would be a longer flight/drive, but Disneyland is a smaller park, so people would need fewer days (and pay for a shorter hotel stay) so that the cost might balence out for some families (maybe 4 nights at the hotel near Disneyland instead of 7 nights or more at WDW).

This is exactly what I'm doing the next time I want to visit Disney. Will make a longer trip out of it so I can also check out Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal out there too.

 

[maverik85]

I am curious to see if this causes more people who used to visit WDW on a regular basis to try Disneyland in California. Do you think people who used to go to WDW but have never been to Disneyland would try it once? For many people it would be a longer flight/drive, but Disneyland is a smaller park, so people would need fewer days (and pay for a shorter hotel stay) so that the cost might balence out for some families (maybe 4 nights at the hotel near Disneyland instead of 7 nights or more at WDW).

I've only been once but it was a long time ago, so I want to go back. It is a much smaller resort but makes it easier to get around to everything. I'd likely stay longer and do other stuff around the area like Knott's, beach, etc. with 2 or 3 days at Disney. Part of why I haven't gone back though is, as you sated, the cost balances out. When I looked before (especially if staying onsite) a 3-4 day trip to Disneyland was equal to a week or so at Disney World. So I always felt made more sense to spend more time at a place with more to do for the same cost.
Disneyland's Halloween offerings though look great and the overlays seem fun, plus want to check out Knott's Scary Farm too and their park as a whole so think it is worth another trip out. Plus can hit some of the new WDW stuff I haven't done yet there with Galaxy's Edge too.

 

[disneyseniors]

I am curious to see if this causes more people who used to visit WDW on a regular basis to try Disneyland in California. Do you think people who used to go to WDW but have never been to Disneyland would try it once? For many people it would be a longer flight/drive, but Disneyland is a smaller park, so people would need fewer days (and pay for a shorter hotel stay) so that the cost might balence out for some families (maybe 4 nights at the hotel near Disneyland instead of 7 nights or more at WDW).

I am curious to see if this causes more people who used to visit WDW on a regular basis to try Disneyland in California. Do you think people who used to go to WDW but have never been to Disneyland would try it once? For many people it would be a longer flight/drive, but Disneyland is a smaller park, so people would need fewer days (and pay for a shorter hotel stay) so that the cost might balence out for some families (maybe 4 nights at the hotel near Disneyland instead of 7 nights or more at WDW).

I can answer that with a big YES! We are not planning on a WDW trip at all, not the way things are going. But we have never been to DL and we are planning a trip next Spring. We can't wait to experience DL as Walt built it. The smaller footprint is enticing too.

 

[Kit Jackson]

This is exactly what I'm doing the next time I want to visit Disney. Will make a longer trip out of it so I can also check out Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal out there too.

I do think you have the right idea of Disneyland with some other stuff.

maverik85-I would suggest 3 days at Disneyland, especially if you want to Webslingers. 4-5 days are ideal you want to go slowly and ride things multiple times or are not someone who wants to do rope drop to close. Some people are rope drop to close and others are not. There isn't a right or wrong, just what works better for you and the people you are with.

 

[Kbrb]

Well I’m converted I moved my 14 night pop century stay to 10 nights at all star. The money I saved paid for 5 nights at endless summer and most of the tickets .

Direct result of Disney’s current direction

 

[tony67]

So now that Pokemon is coming to Universal Japan - there are even more assumptions that it will be part of Epic Universe

For those folks that argue Mario is not as big as Mickey - there is no doubt that the Pokemon franchise is is bigger than both Mickey Mouse and Star Wars.

• Pokémon – $92.121 billion (over 100B now BTW)
• Hello Kitty – $80.026 billion
• Winnie the Pooh – $75.034 billion
• Mickey Mouse & Friends – $70.587 billion
• Star Wars – $65.631 billion
• Anpanman – $60.285 billion
• Disney Princess – $45.187 billion
• Mario – $36.143 billion
• Shōnen Jump / Jump Comics – $34.117 billion
• Harry Potter – $30.871 billion
• Marvel Cinematic Universe – $29.128 billion
• Spider-Man – $27.078 billion
• Gundam – $26.457 billion
• Batman – $26.448 billion
• Dragon Ball – $24.031 billion
• Barbie – $24.003 billion
• Fist of the North Star – $21.818 billion
• Cars – $21.794 billion
• Toy Story – $20.743 billion
• One Piece – $20.515 billion
• Lord of the Rings – $19.937 billion
• James Bond – $19.900 billion
• Yu-Gi-Oh! – $19.848 billion
• Peanuts – $17.428 billion
• Transformers – $17.220 billion

To be fair of the top 25 Disney has quite a few - but Universal has grown vs Disney with Harry Potter - and that is only number 10.

Adding a new park with Mario and Pokemon seems pretty big.

Also what is the story with Hello Kitty? Should Universal do more with that? Can They?

 

[Kbrb]

The trick is to use IP people will travel for even if they dont really care for the rest of the park. IE harry potter, Star wars.

In Japan Nintendo is huge its a no brainier to add it to a park. It would be insane to make new lands/rides in Japan and not add it to the new park. The hard work in designing and teething issues will be taken care of.

Japans Mario/donkey kong/Pokemon will be a huge hit.

Universals new park could be real game changer for the flow of people in Orlando. More so if Disney keep the current business model of cut cut cut while increasing prices

 

[DuskKodesh]

If Orlando universal adds Pokemon I'd honestly vacay nowhere else. That would be a HUGE draw for me and everyone I know in my age group.

Honestly if it didn't involve country hopping (And mad wads of money) I'd have traveled already for Gundam and Transformers themed stuff in Japan.

 

[patster734]

As a non-Floridian, DW and I have owned APs to both UO and WDW for the past several years. We’ve maintained our UOAP, but the great WDW AP rate increase in 2019 caused us to stop buy the WDW AP. Our last AP to WDW expired in 2018, which was the last time we visited WDW until last month. Last month, we purchased a 1-day ticket to Epcot for F&W, and we used Uber/Lift to get there from PBH.

Although we spent money drinking and eating around the world, nobody purchased souvenirs. In the past, I’d typically buy at least 1 F&W shirt and 1 Brews Around The World shirt (I don’t think Disney even had this one this year). So Disney lost out on that money. And because we stayed at PBH at UO, Disney lost out on a resort stay money.

Our next Universal trip is the week after Thanksgiving at RPR. We were thinking about visiting Disney on another 1 day ticket for the Candlelight Processional, but as Disney hasn’t revealed the speakers for it, perhaps we’ll visit SeaWorld instead on that day.

 

[maverik85]

If Orlando universal adds Pokemon I'd honestly vacay nowhere else. That would be a HUGE draw for me and everyone I know in my age group.

Honestly if it didn't involve country hopping (And mad wads of money) I'd have traveled already for Gundam and Transformers themed stuff in Japan.

I'm betting it will either be a future expansion to Nintendo at Epic Universe or a new area at one of the other parks. Wouldn't mind seeing it take over the Kidzone in UO as that park can use some updating for more immersive areas.

 

[susustudios]

Ha: been on these forums a long time. I've seen this movie before. Thousands will complain, raise their fists high, state emphatically that they are "done"...this is the "last straw"... aaaand they'll be posting excitedly about their next trip before long.

WDW knows that. Their senior mgmt team is probably laughing hysterically every time the forums erupt with outrage and indignation.

As for us, we did vote with our wallets. I went from 3-4 WDW trips/year to zero. UO gets all my money now. I may do an occasional after-hours party, just to enjoy the parks at night, but that's about it for us. High prices weren't the issue - lack of value was.

Yeah I really don't understand people like that. They obviously don't mean what they say. We do, we know we're done with disney forever. It's primarily the cutbacks for us too. With the per day cost being tough to get a decent deal on, we would've been willing to go the annual pass route. But ended up just getting a refund last year on the ones we had. Going to Universal is like how going to disney used to be, and we appreciate that. It's more fun, more reasonable. Universal tries harder. Surprised that more people haven't realized that yet but won't complain as that keeps crowds down

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

We had APs to Universal starting in Jan 2020, and then didn’t get to go back due to Covid and having a new baby in there. I’ve been planning a 2 week long trip in Dec to WDW but all of this Genie+ and just the general devaluation of what Disney offers for the price has me rethinking about switching to UO. My only issue is that UO/IOA is not really great for the younger set (baby will be 1 in Dec), whereas there is just more for him to do at WDW.

That being said, my husband and older 3 kids would rather do Universal, so now I’m thinking of changing.

I know a previous poster said there is nothing for a baby to do either park, but I disagree. We took my oldest to WDW (MK and Epcot) a few weeks before his 1st birthday, and he loved the sights. He recognized Winnie the Pooh and friends from decor in his room at home and loved the ride so much that he cried when it ended. He loved watching the Small World characters, the fountains, aquarium, and model train in Epcot, and playing on the Dumbo playground (he could crawl and pull to standing but wasn't walking independently yet). But, he was our only child at the time, so aside from my rundisney marathon and dining/strolling around World Showcase, we could focus a lot of the trip on his needs.

I just returned from Universal with a 5 yr old and a 3 yr old, and while it was visually appealing, some of the characters weren't as recognizable to my kids, because they are from shows/movies with an older target audience. They loved the parade with Minions and Dora the Explorer (we appreciated all the live entertainment that we have been missing from Disney) and my son loved meeting the Autobot Transformers (which he knew from Rescue Bots), though the ride would have been too intense for him. It was my husband's first visit to Universal (it had been 18 yrs since I had gone to Universal). My husband felt that the simulators made him motion sick, and opted to skip many of the rides. But if you had Universal APs, you are probably a lot more familiar with the rides there than I am. But anyways, there are pros and cons to both parks and I would definitely keep a couple of Disney days for the little one. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Stubbzilla]

We haven't been back to WDW since our last trip in 2016, after going about every 18 months prior to that. It had become so much more expensive and stressful by that time, and now it's gotten even worse. We're headed to UO pretty soon. We chose UO over WDW because of having older kids now, and all the price increases at WDW since 2016, and so much of WDW still being shut down. The kids are older and want HP and roller coasters now, and the price at WDW is so much higher than it used to be, even with renting Disney timeshare points. When I was making touring plans for WDW parks there were only about two good rides each (for my kids) at Epcot, HS, and AK. Those parks aren't even worth going to anymore for us the way they are.

Disneyland is not comparable to WDW. I grew up going there, have been back as an adult many times, and it's not the same experience at all. We skipped going in 2019 even when we were in the area because it would have cost about $1000 for 6 of us for one day. Just not worth it. We can afford it but the value for the day is just not there. Back in the 1980's it was $100 total for our family of 5 to get in for one day. We ate PB&J at a picnic bench in the parking lot because we were poor, but at least we could still go to DL.

Thanks for the memories, Walt.

 

[JakeAZ]

I think the big flaw with relying on the "one and done crowd" is that they aren't loyal --- something shinier comes along, another pandemic/security issue happens and those are the first bailers.... You alienate the core guest and you have no resiliency when the next shock hits.... it's a strategy but a very short-sighted one. I guess that is the Disney-view of things now. I guess time will tell if it works for them.

While I agree...I think Disney's current model is turning people into "one and done".

Our first trip with our kids to Disney is next month. We assumed it would be the first of many with them. We even discussed looking into DVC. But, nothing Disney has done recently has made me want to go through this nonsense again. It's just too much work to give them so much money.

We haven't even got there yet and Disney has made me feel like we haven't spent enough.

 

[Pooh's World]

Bob Eiger and Chapeck ruined disney.

 

[tony67]

Bob Eiger and Chapeck ruined disney.

You mean Cheapek...totally agree he has squeezed every bit of joy out of the parks for me.
Eiger spent far too much on properties that they then ruined. How do you mess up Star Wars it was so simple - but no let K Kennedy do whatever she likes. Yeah lets base a land on a character\movie no one cares all that much about and that sells almost zero product compared to the original trilogy. *(&^ the fans this is what we want.

While I agree...I think Disney's current model is turning people into "one and done".

Our first trip with our kids to Disney is next month. We assumed it would be the first of many with them. We even discussed looking into DVC. But, nothing Disney has done recently has made me want to go through this nonsense again. It's just too much work to give them so much money.

We haven't even got there yet and Disney has made me feel like we haven't spent enough.

Be very careful with DVC - do not buy well you are there - Ive had too many friends buy in while they were there and then regret it. The COVID situation and the way Disney handled it did not help things. Most of my friends who bought in the last 4 or 5 years are trying to get out now.
I almost bought in myself way back when it first started - Im glad I did not because within a few years Disney was on the road to what it is today and I started going less and less. Back then you got free Disney tickets with DVC up until 1999 I think - and still after adding it all up and the fees - it was cheaper to book trips when you want to go with the various deals you can get.

If you are going to buy do the research and look into the secondary market - Im no expert but do your due diligence - sounds like you get that - but I figure its worth mentioning for others that might read this.

 

[Kbrb]

It amazes me that universal have not offered all the things Disney is taking away.

If I was universal as soon as Disney removed the magic express I’d offer free airport transport.

Disney is happily showing them where and his to steal guests

 

[tony67]

It amazes me that universal have not offered all the things Disney is taking away.

If I was universal as soon as Disney removed the magic express I’d offer free airport transport.

Disney is happily showing them where and his to steal guests

I was always surprised they did not add this when Disney did.
They do have the superstar shuttle - and it 15 each way per person - and it seems to be very underutilized.
I have also had issues with it - like waiting 2 hours at 11PM before they put me in a taxi to get to the hotel.

I think because of the size of Universal and location people prefer to rent a car or Uber - if it was free they might take advantage of it - but I think with Universal there is less of a bubble.
This is coming form someone who does 10-12 day trips to Universal and rarely leaves property.