WDW and Universal. Who wins?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Nobody wins the superbowl and says they're going to universal.

To be fair that whole thing is because Disney approached the NFL with this idea. So yeah you're not going to hear Universal...

 

[bryaalre]

To be fair that whole thing is because Disney approached the NFL with this idea. So yeah you're not going to hear Universal...

If Universal wanted to, they could probably pay more than Disney does for this right but Disney probably has some leeway as it's pretty synonymous that the MVP says I'm going to Disney World.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If Universal wanted to, they could probably pay more than Disney does for this right but Disney probably has some leeway as it's pretty synonymous that the MVP says I'm going to Disney World.

I mean yeah maybe they could pay more (and I get your point) but I don't think it's a good case for a Disney vs Universal point. Just because Disney does something doesn't mean Universal has to and vice versa or should even be interested in. From what I understand it's basically a thing between Disney and NFL during the Eisner days so the reason someone says that phrase doesn't have to do with popularity but a marketing strategy Disney came up with.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

To be fair that whole thing is because Disney approached the NFL with this idea. So yeah you're not going to hear Universal...

Yeah I realize that but it's still an apples/oranges comparison. Our extended families abroad have no idea what universal even is so there you go, nothing to do with what the NFL is paid or not paid to say and more about being one of the most recognizable brands on the earth.

 

[bryaalre]

I mean yeah maybe they could pay more (and I get your point) but I don't think it's a good case for a Disney vs Universal point. Just because Disney does something doesn't mean Universal has to and vice versa or should even be interested in. From what I understand it's basically a thing between Disney and NFL during the Eisner days so the reason someone says that phrase doesn't have to do with popularity but a marketing strategy Disney came up with.

I wasn't saying Universal needed to do it or not but that they could technically do it if they really wanted to.

It was a great marketing strategy by Disney years ago to go to both quarterbacks and pay them a fee that if they won they would say the phrase.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah I realize that but it's still an apples/oranges comparison. Our extended families abroad have no idea what universal even is so there you go, nothing to do with what the NFL is paid or not paid to say and more about being one of the most recognizable brands on the earth.

Okay then I'm not sure why even bring up that phrase as if it's due to everyone just thinking of Disney first. It's purely a marketing ploy Disney came up with in the past and has nothing to do with familiarity. Disney World has familiarity for completely different reasons. For that matter there are people who have no clue about the MVP/NFL/Disney World phrase or don't really get what it's all about.

There are a lot of people who don't know much about Disney parks, from ones that think Harry Potter is in Magic Kingdom to those that call Magic Kingdom Disney World. To all sorts of other things.

To be clear there's Disney as a company that is recognizable and well known and then there is actually knowing enough about Walt Disney World and those aren't the same things.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Okay then I'm not sure why even bring up that phrase as if it's due to everyone just thinking of Disney first. It's purely a marketing ploy Disney came up with in the past and has nothing to do with familiarity. Disney World has familiarity for completely different reasons. For that matter there are people who have no clue about the MVP/NFL/Disney World phrase or don't really get what it's all about.

There are a lot of people who don't know much about Disney parks, from ones that think Harry Potter is in Magic Kingdom to those that call Magic Kingdom Disney World. To all sorts of other things.

To be clear there's Disney as a company that is recognizable and well known and then there is actually knowing enough about Walt Disney World and those aren't the same things.

Agreed, people think there's only 1 theme park in ORL and it's all called magic kingdom....lol. I hear it all the time.

I brought up the NFL comment as a reference to brand awareness and what the world knows of disney but not to substantiate how BIG disney is but rather to share that the phrase would just sound weird saying you're going to Universal since it's been 'going to disney' for so long. Smart marketing is what that is.

The disney brand is synonymous with the movies and the parks and for the last however many years is in the top 10 most recognizable brands in the world, not even sure Universal makes it into the top 25. The OP didn't ask for specific data on what's necessary for Universal to overtake Disney so we can interpret it as attendance, brand recognition, movies, subsidiaries/ownership, revenues; these are all fair measures of what it would take to surpass Disney of which Universal is not even close, even with EU coming down the pike.

Even just talking locally and park revenue, I think it's more fair to compare Universal Orlando to Cedar Fair parks, their revenues are closer ~$2b CF and ~7b UO, disney world parks ORL ~$28b, again, not even close. And Disney has 7 of the top 10 most popular parks in the world. Brand recognition isn't always correctly attributed to the correct IP but it clearly works.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Agreed, people think there's only 1 theme park in ORL and it's all called magic kingdom....lol. I hear it all the time.

I brought up the NFL comment as a reference to brand awareness and what the world knows of disney but not to substantiate how BIG disney is but rather to share that the phrase would just sound weird saying you're going to Universal since it's been 'going to disney' for so long. Smart marketing is what that is.

The disney brand is synonymous with the movies and the parks and for the last however many years is in the top 10 most recognizable brands in the world, not even sure Universal makes it into the top 25. The OP didn't ask for specific data on what's necessary for Universal to overtake Disney so we can interpret it as attendance, brand recognition, movies, subsidiaries/ownership, revenues; these are all fair measures of what it would take to surpass Disney of which Universal is not even close, even with EU coming down the pike.

Even just talking locally and park revenue, I think it's more fair to compare Universal Orlando to Cedar Fair parks, their revenues are closer ~$2b CF and ~7b UO, disney world parks ORL ~$28b, again, not even close. And Disney has 7 of the top 10 most popular parks in the world. Brand recognition isn't always correctly attributed to the correct IP but it clearly works.

When you think about it though isn't that a compliment to Universal? If you don't think they are in the top 25 of recognizable brands and yet they can still command attendance, be the MAIN competitor to Disney even though Sea World many people are familiar with (some due to controversies to be fair) plus Busch Gardens nearby, then Lego Land and yet Universal whom you feel doesn't make the cut much is Disney's biggest competitor.

Frankly I think that speaks highly of Universal...do they have to rely on their name alone...doesn't seem to be that way whereas I think the attitude that is filtering through over the past several years is Disney is relying mostly on their name to coast through, it's why they think they can take years and years to build a walk through attraction not to mention all the other things and that's not to say they aren't right, they can coast along purely in their name, but I'm not thinking that's admirable in my books

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

When you think about it though isn't that a compliment to Universal? If you don't think they are in the top 25 of recognizable brands and yet they can still command attendance, be the MAIN competitor to Disney even though Sea World many people are familiar with (some due to controversies to be fair) plus Busch Gardens nearby, then Lego Land and yet Universal whom you feel doesn't make the cut much is Disney's biggest competitor.

Frankly I think that speaks highly of Universal...do they have to rely on their name alone...doesn't seem to be that way whereas I think the attitude that is filtering through over the past several years is Disney is relying mostly on their name to coast through, it's why they think they can take years and years to build a walk through attraction not to mention all the other things and that's not to say they aren't right, they can coast along purely in their name, but I'm not thinking that's admirable in my books

You said it, disney takes way too long to build things and UO does far surpass Disney in that regard. Maybe it's red tape, I don't know but Disney does lallygag for sure.

 

[sipnride]

I feel like people compare disney and UO all the time because they're both in Orlando and both theme parks but they really could not be more different. Yes they both have rides and some theming but that's about where the similarities end.

The number of attendees across all disney parks far outpaces Universal and even with EU, it will still not be in the same category. A family can visit UO and do the parks in 2 days, you can't even scratch the surface of WDW in 2 days. I enjoy Universal but it's a completely different dynamic. Nobody wins the superbowl and says they're going to universal. Pretty sure as bad a place disney is in, they're still going to rule the world when it comes to theme parks, overall attendance and lasting fan base. I don't give a rip for disney's politics, business practices or what they're board/corporate offices are doing and I'd venture to guess that there are millions of people around the world don't either.

I mean, the prices definitely draw comparisons. Universal is the only other theme park brand with the audacity to charge as much as they do. Also, they're both ran by companies that are, first and foremost, media conglomerates. Finally, they each have two domestic locations: SoCal and Orlando.

Until very recently, Universal has been in the business of mimicking what Disney does while incorporating a few of the more standard then park practices (like express passes). They improve some things, but completely miss the ball on others. Even Hogsmeade, as innovative as it was at the time in terms of detail, was still borrowing heavily from what could be observed at the world showcase, the key distinction of course being the IP (which was, conveniently, set in England).

The past couple years sees Universal really pushing into its own unique space, from the completely immersive Diagon Alley, to the super attractions Gringotts and Hagrids, and maybe especially the park hopping hogwarts express. Following that up with Super Nintendo World and Epic means they're really pushing to be contenders.

All that's to say they are meant to be compared to each other, like a Bordeaux from France is to be compared to a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa.

My take is just that Universal has less to work with IP wise and hasn't yet developed a culture that is notable, plus it's coming from behind to begin with, so while they absolutely should be compared I'd say Universal has a long, long way to go before they can truly rival Disney.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You said it, disney takes way too long to build things and UO does far surpass Disney in that regard. Maybe it's red tape, I don't know but Disney does lallygag for sure.

So frustrating too. I occasionally ask for updates about Epcot's front part from my local DISer friends and it's basically been the same "it's a mess". I forgave Tron for a bit but it was clear they were still taking way too long even accounting for parts issues. I've heard Tron is pretty fun if not a bit short but the Moana thing not optimistic about that one and Epcot is probably my favorite park too.

 

[starlite_]

Yeah that part is a concern, but I grew up watching some of those films so there’s still a bit of a nostalgia draw from what I watched as a kid.

Granted I also was basically Harry’s age throughout the HP book releases and those were a whole scene, but have also had some of that nostalgia pull wane every time JK Rowling speaks lately.

Same, I was so excited for that land when it came out. A decade later, I couldn't care less.

 

[Smugpugmug]

You said it, disney takes way too long to build things and UO does far surpass Disney in that regard. Maybe it's red tape, I don't know but Disney does lallygag for sure.

Subtracting the elephant in the room (Covid), it's ridiculous how long it's taking to build a Moana themed water playground.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

So frustrating too. I occasionally ask for updates about Epcot's front part from my local DISer friends and it's basically been the same "it's a mess". I forgave Tron for a bit but it was clear they were still taking way too long even accounting for parts issues. I've heard Tron is pretty fun if not a bit short but the Moana thing not optimistic about that one and Epcot is probably my favorite park too.

Tron is DEFINITELY way too short. It's fun but short. The front of epcot is a mess and at while I won't give up just yet, I will reserve judgment for when the walls are down and we can really see it for what it is, besides a former version of a much better original plan that was scrapped. But epcot has gotten better from what it was in 2021 and even last year, fewer and fewer construction walls.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Subtracting the elephant in the room (Covid), it's ridiculous how long it's taking to build a Moana themed water playground.

Yeah they could probably have found a way to open it without needing to complete most of the Communicore area, but c’est la vie

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yeah they could probably have found a way to open it without needing to complete most of the Communicore area, but c’est la vie

They should've rebranded it as a DVC tower, then it would've been completed in a year.

 

[HokieRaven5]

You said it, disney takes way too long to build things and UO does far surpass Disney in that regard. Maybe it's red tape, I don't know but Disney does lallygag for sure.

It’s also a bit of Disney still doing it the way Walt did it and advertising themselves well in advance and while it worked in his day, it doesn’t play as well in the social media world we live in.

Some of what happened with Tron was Covid, structural/foundational issues, etc.

Ratatouille was done months before it opened.

Similarly we don’t know what restrictions they put on contractors during Covid while working inside.

The Communicore area took a back burner during Covid while the parks were bleeding $$ and so did Moana as a part of it.

It was all a mess where they stretched themselves for the 50th then shut downs hit and they came back at a snails pace.

 

[sipnride]

I think Disney is smart for rolling things out the way they do. They just need one or two brand new attractions across all 4 parks in a given year and they become a draw for the whole scene. Meanwhile, it reduces the pace by which old attractions get retired, which I see as a good thing. I want some of those older attractions to have a longer shelf life. I'm not saying forever, but when you're on the six flags out with old in with the new cycle year after year you toss out a lot of memories in favor of the latest thrill.

Jaws wasn't even that old, when you think about it, but now it's gone. Shrek is even more current, with a generation of fans who are still pretty young - gone. But hey, at least we got Fast and Furious and Jimmy Fallon to lean on for the next, uh, 2 years? LMAO

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I could careless who is on top, all I know is that my family thinks that both parks are fun and great.

 

[Tigger's ally]

for comparing WDW and USO in terms of being laid back not when you have Genie+/ILL, park reservations (until next year for date based tickets), angry people in much greater numbers, high expense, and long long waits (especially if you don't do Genie+/ILL).

Not sure what Genie+ and ILL's has to do with not being laid back. I use both, they are super easy if your attitude is laid back. Super easy. And I am old. I just click, click and have another ride set up.

And please show me where this "angry people in much greater numbers" stat is kept? Is, it because WDW has a higher attendance?