Do you think Walt Disney World will see a low rise in park attendance due to Epic Universe now that Epic Universe is open?

[AquaDame]

I don't think WDW will see a rise in attendance but I think that some Disney folks will also go to Universal more so than in the past.
However I also think that Universal is overall not a return visit for most people so in the long term WDW will still thrive more.

We're about to see how many Nintendo nerds like me there are out there... I was always mid about Universal but this really does change everything. Esp if they end up doing a Zelda expansion, or start doing some of the anime tie ins that they do at the Universal Osaka (hey a girl can dream! I wanted that Nezuko popcorn bucket).

 

[DodgerGirl]

In many ways, Epic won't change much at WDW. EU looks amazing, and we're certainly going to check it out at some point. But the restrictions and requirements to get into EU at first won't lead people to be making a special trip there just to do that park. The one area I think it definitely has impacted Disney, is they really need to pick up the pace on expanding their current offerings (which they've done a bit), and perhaps even finally get on that 5th park!

What requirements are needed to get into Epic Universe? Does it require park reservations like Disney Parks do? On Youtube there was a ton of videos promoting Epic Universe's grand opening and the people that went say they were impressed with it a lot

 

[DodgerGirl]

They also mentioned that on one of the videos mentioned about Epic Universe that because of this Magic Kingdom will be receiving the most park attendance of Walt Disney World parks because Disney expects to see a major expansion to Magic Kingdom most likely in a few years. I also learned on that same Youtube video that some people were given sneak peeks of Epic Universe the day before it actually opened to the public. Was this their soft opening and how did it affect Walt Disney World's attendance?

 

[hardcorestitch]

We're about to see how many Nintendo nerds like me there are out there... I was always mid about Universal but this really does change everything. Esp if they end up doing a Zelda expansion, or start doing some of the anime tie ins that they do at the Universal Osaka (hey a girl can dream! I wanted that Nezuko popcorn bucket).

As someone who uses StreetPass a lot with my Nintendo 3DS, I do expect to see crowds spill over across Disney and the other parks too. I successfully got a tag in DHS on my last full day there back in 2024.

 

[Minnie1222]

What requirements are needed to get into Epic Universe?

A paid ticket.

Does it require park reservations like Disney Parks do?

No reservations needed.

On Youtube there was a ton of videos promoting Epic Universe's grand opening and the people that went say they were impressed with it a lot

We went to the preview earlier this month. The park is impressive.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

What requirements are needed to get into Epic Universe? Does it require park reservations like Disney Parks do? On Youtube there was a ton of videos promoting Epic Universe's grand opening and the people that went say they were impressed with it a lot

What I was referring to is the current situation where people need to buy multiple day tickets for the parks, and only one of those days gets you into EU. I expect those limitations will change over time, but the newness of EU will make it more challenging to enter for a few years until the newness wears off a bit.... We're hoping to experience EU next year - looks amazing.

 

[SkyGuy]

What requirements are needed to get into Epic Universe? Does it require park reservations like Disney Parks do? On Youtube there was a ton of videos promoting Epic Universe's grand opening and the people that went say they were impressed with it a lot

I went to a preview day in which things were running reasonably smoothly after a morning of rain, so crowds were low and most rides were walk-ons. I was impressed; it’s very immersive and beautiful to see. I have zero interest in returning anytime soon, and if I do, it will be one day out of my Disney trip. Just because I was impressed doesn’t mean I’m a convert. My Disney AP and I are staying put.

 

[rstevens333]

The Nintendo and Dark Universe sections look compelling, but I am loathe to pad J.K. Rowling's pockets any further. Maybe if it had a counterpart to Living with the Land.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

We're about to see how many Nintendo nerds like me there are out there... I was always mid about Universal but this really does change everything. Esp if they end up doing a Zelda expansion, or start doing some of the anime tie ins that they do at the Universal Osaka (hey a girl can dream! I wanted that Nezuko popcorn bucket).

I grew up on SNES and have probably 30 games but I'm not that interested.
My family enjoyed Universal in the 90's but found it went downhill after that so we've stopped going and I don't think we will ever return.

 

[SL6827]

I think people will venture over for one day, then back to Disney.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Much like when Disney opened AKL the first impact Epic will have is a reduction as USF and IOA (Epcot, MK, and DHS all saw early drops). Eventually it will increase attendance for all the parks and Disney will for the most part benefit from the existence of Epic.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Now that Memorial Day is over i'm just curious to see how Epic Universe attendance was compared to Walt Disney World's attendance that day? Because when new theme parks open they usually get packed around holiday weekends. But the strange thing about Epic Universe is that there has been NO commercials advertising Epic Universe's opening except on gaming apps like Candy Crush. But I think Walt Disney World will see a rise in ticket prices being lowered when the fall comes and Epic Universe will have their own fall deals to compete with Walt Disney World

 

[KPeterso]

Now that Memorial Day is over i'm just curious to see how Epic Universe attendance was compared to Walt Disney World's attendance that day? Because when new theme parks open they usually get packed around holiday weekends. But the strange thing about Epic Universe is that there has been NO commercials advertising Epic Universe's opening except on gaming apps like Candy Crush. But I think Walt Disney World will see a rise in ticket prices being lowered when the fall comes and Epic Universe will have their own fall deals to compete with Walt Disney World

As I understand (based on this thread), attendance is capped for Epic right now, so they are only allowing so many guests in at a time.

And I am surprised you are not seeing commercials for Epic. I am in southern CA and seeing every day for Epic or for the 4 parks of Universal Orlando. Not changing my opinion though as I have zero interest. I went to Universal Hollywood 2 years ago and feel no need to ever go back again as I did not particularly care for most of the rides.

 

[jkh36619]

$35 for parking maybe.

 

[DodgerGirl]

The very first commercial I saw for Epic Universe's opening was in the Candy Crush app and when I saw this commercial I thought "Epic Universe will be destined to make Walt Disney World drop it's attendance and more people will visit Epic Universe more than Walt Disney World" But in my eyes this is the park that Universal Studios Florida dreamed of one day developing to compete with Walt Disney World. But I can tell you once Christmas comes in December Epic Universe will have special Christmas deals once December arrives and in November as it gets closer to Thanksgiving we will see Epic Universe have Black Friday specials while Walt Disney World might lower prices for the holiday season

 

[Cfabar1]

Come to Florida... the Epic Universe ads have been everywhere... for months...

 

[Nayan]

Neither park is going to lower prices, especially during the holidays.

 

[noonew]

There was an Epic Universe commercial during the Super Bowl, the most expensive and most watched advertising time slot.

I don't know about the app or online ad, but I've seen many Epic Universe TV commercials for months, and I'm in Missouri.

 

[Joanna71985]

I don't see WDW lacking in crowds (even due to Epic)