It’s official: The theme park wars are well and truly underway.
For years, Universal Orlando has been dumping dollar after dollar into its property in what looked like a foolish desire to topple the king of the Central Florida tourist sector – Walt Disney World. Disney had a 20 year head start over Universal. Disney had square mile upon square mile to build on, while Universal had what looked like a parking lot in comparison. Disney had the backing of a multi-billion dollar corporation, while Universal has changed hands among a handful of corporations since its launch.
How could this ragtag park ever hope to compete with the big bad mouse? And yet, they tried – launching The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010. That began a six-year process which has led us, as theme park fans, to this moment.
Countless attractions and a couple hotels later, and Universal has finally done it.
At the end of May, the Themed Entertainment Association released its report on 2015 theme park attendance. They found that, compared to 2014, Disney’s market share declined from 70.9 percent to 70 percent. Meanwhile, Universal’s market share rose from 22.8 percent to 23.8 percent.
Yep – Universal stole market share from Disney.
Is it a lot? No. But, it’s a start, and it’s a sign that Universal is doing something very, very right. In fact, they’re doing quite a few somethings very, very right.
Let’s look at five strategies Universal is using to push their resort to the next level, and try to topple Disney in Orlando.
1. Rapid expansion
When Walt Disney World grew into the behemoth it is today during the Disney Decade of the 1990s, there was always something new on the horizon for the resort. Whether it was a new hotel, a new theme park, a new land, or even a few new rides, they made sure that guests wanted to come back every year to try the new big thing. Eventually, the rapid pace of expansion died down, and Disney became content largely with what they already had.
Universal, for most of its lifetime, seemed similarly content with its station. They’d bring in a new attraction every couple of years, and even once tried to totally remake itself with the “Universal Escape” expansion of the late 1990s – one which brought CityWalk and Islands of Adventure. But, really, Universal was what it was for most of its existence.
That all changed in 2010. When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened to such great acclaim, Universal had a taste of success and wanted more. In the six years since, we’ve seen the opening of Transformers: The Ride, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, the Springfield expansion, Diagon Alley, Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and the Sapphire Falls Resort. That is an absurd amount of new attractions and hotels, and that doesn’t even touch on the culinary overhaul happening at CityWalk.
Ultimately, the past six years have seen Universal Orlando completely remake itself in a way Disney has been reluctant to do for a long time. And now, according to attendance figured, they’re being rewarded for it.
2. Equally rapid construction
Universal’s rapid construction
Image: jared422, Flickr (license)
But announcing lots of thrilling new attractions isn’t enough to get people into your park – you also have to build those attractions. That’s a fact Disney has struggled with in recent years, with everything from Pandora: The World of Avatar to the infamous Disney Springs parking garages taking far longer than anyone expected.
Universal has adopted a different approach. Their goal seems to be to reduce the amount of time between the announcement of a new project and its opening as much as possible. It’s possible, but only because Universal has committed to building rapidly – a commitment Disney no longer shares.
Consider the positives of this approach: Each new attraction opening brings an energy and momentum with it, one which is compounded by the next opening and announcement.
While everyone is still thrilled about the opening of Skull Island, Universal releases more plans and images about its forthcoming Volcano Bay water park. While everyone is still thrilled about Volcano Bay, Universal opens Sapphire Falls Resort.
And, there’s still more on deck: We know Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is on the way, along with Fast and Furious: Supercharged. We know Volcano Bay actually will open in the near future. We know another hotel is forthcoming.
And, we think we know there’s still more coming after that – Universal was confirmed to have bought a very large parcel of land on the other side of I-4, and it’s pretty obvious they didn’t buy that land to build a subdivision.
To sum it up, Universal has been aggressive, and guests are rewarding that aggression with their money.
3. Using proven external IPs
The Simpsons
Image: osseous, Flickr (license)
This has always been a fascinating point of tension between Disney and Universal. Disney nearly always keeps its attraction ideas in-house – choosing to tell stories they already own, or have created themselves. The result is things like Fantasyland: attractions based on classic Disney films and characters. Universal, on the other hand, doesn’t own many intellectual properties themselves. And, what they do own, isn’t the kind of proven success of something like The Little Mermaid.
What to do? Well, Universal decided to go a different route. Rather than creating stories themselves, they’d license IPs that they knew were already popular – things with built-in fanbases that would be sure to flock to the parks. And after some trial and error, they finally hit on one that really worked: Harry Potter.
The rest is history, of course. But the question still remained: Where to go from there?
Enter Nintendo.
Universal’s partnership with Nintendo has yet to yield anything concrete stateside, but it’s the kind of partnership that gets theme park (and video game) fans salivating. Perhaps that potential third gate at Universal would be Nintendo themed. But, it would be foolish to think that’s all Universal has planned.
They’ve gestured at other popular IPs — from Lord of the Rings to Star Trek to Sherlock Holmes – and the success they’ve had in this area clearly will push them forward. They’ll keep searching out the next hot IP, and when they find it, they’ll make sure people know about it.
4. Having no sacred cows
RIP Jaws
Image: larkyn, Flickr (license)
Disney can sometimes find itself in a bind. Because they aren’t just selling a vacation – they’re also selling nostalgia and memories – there are some things they simply aren’t allowed to do. The Carousel of Progress, for example, rarely gets large crowds. And yet, if they tried to close it, fans would chain themselves to its front gate. “Walt loved this attraction! It’s the only one he designed here at Walt Disney World! You can’t get rid of it!”
They have land to build new parks and expansions, yes, but that can sometimes be pricier than replacing something older. Yet, due to the ineffable nature of their product, they have some attractions they simply cannot remove.
Universal, on the other hand, is largely free from this restriction. They’ve remade themselves so often in their lifetime, there truly is not much left at Universal that inspires much nostalgia. And, to that point, they aren’t selling you on a nostalgic trip. They’re selling you on the newest and best adventure you can have.
That’s why, yes, there were frowns when Universal closed its Jaws attraction to make way for Diagon Alley, but few tears. That’s why, when Universal closed Disaster! to make way for Fast and Furious: Supercharged, a few people said goodbye, but there weren’t mass protests. Universal has always been a park of change.
Perhaps the one exception to this edict is E.T. Encounter – one of the last vestiges of Old Universal. And, frankly, its uniqueness only serves to make it feel more special. The rest, however: Universal has no sacred cows. And, because of it, they’re able to keep the parks feeling fresh and new.
5. Broadening their audience
Seuss Landing
Image: Jeremy Keith, Flickr (license)
While I believe that there truly is something for everyone at Walt Disney World, the perception remains that it is truly a place designed for families. If two adults say they’re traveling to Disney, they’re often asked, “But why? Isn’t that place for kids?” Sure, there are amazing places to eat and drink, and yes, The Hall of Presidents is probably not something little Timmy will seek out on his own, but the audience isn’t meant to be young adults, surely?
Universal, on the other hand, seems to have the other problem.
For years, its reputation has been that the parks are largely for rowdy teenagers and twenty-somethings. That reputation was bolstered by the offerings at Islands of Adventure – large roller coasters, thrilling simulator attractions, and terrifying dinosaur plunges.
However, Universal is slowly adding more on offer to appeal to all kinds of travelers. While the attractions in both Wizarding World sections are pretty intense, there are less-intense rides as well. And, the Harry Potter theming is so immersive, they worlds are largely attractions unto themselves. Kids, obviously, are enamored with Harry Potter, giving Universal a bit of extra standing with children.
Additionally, the old hotels at Universal Orlando were seen as a bit too elegant for families. Portofino Bay and the Hard Rock Resort in particular had high costs and the class to go with it. However, with the opening of Cabana Bay and its family suites, Universal gave families another option to stay on property – opening the door to a broader age range.
And, to top it all off, it seems very likely that the likely forthcoming third theme park will feature family-oriented entertainment in some capacity. Truly building something all ages can enjoy will give Universal an even larger push toward Disney.
Now, none of this is to say that Universal is “better” than Disney, or that Disney is truly “threatened” in any sort of an existential way. But still, they’re likely taking note: Universal has taken some of their guests from them. And, unless they do something about it, that trend will continue. With the upcoming Star Wars Land still seeming years away, Universal has its chance to win big – and it’s taking it.
