Now that we’ve discussed the things that Universal Resort Orlando does better than Disney theme parks, let’s look at the situation from the other perspective. The Walt Disney Company’s position of dominance in the theme park industry speaks for itself. Uncle Walt invented the concept, and his Imagineers have maintained that legacy for more than 60 years.
With so much experience and natural expertise, Disney theme parks are basically cathedrals for escapist entertainment. Any theme park tourist can enter a Disney park and immediately feel transported to a better place. There’s true beauty in this transformation, and several aspects of design work together to build the backbone of Disney infrastructure.
Universal, the new kid on the block, has mimicked Disney as best that they can, but they’re still the students. Despite decades of competition, Disney has effortlessly maintained its status as the teacher and leader of the theme park industry. Here are five ways that Disney dominates Universal in building a better vacation experience.
Better rides
Image: DisneyWhich is your favorite ride at Universal Studios? Is it the motion simulator for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man? Maybe it’s the motion simulator for The Simpsons Ride. Actually, I think most people would select one of the two Harry Potter dark rides, both of which are…motion simulators.
Universal Studios ride designers might have a type. Virtually everything they do has a degree of sameness to it. While some novelty exists with attractions like Jurassic Park The Ride, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and Revenge of the Mummy, most of Universal’s popular attractions fall into the same category. That’s unfortunate bordering on lazy.
Image: DisneyContrast the situation to Disney. A person who enters the park and walks down Hollywood Boulevard has the following options. They can go straight ahead and enjoy The Great Movie Ride, a masterpiece of narrated escapism that celebrates classic Hollywood. They walk past that section, turn left, and wind up at Toy Story: Midway Mania!, an interactive attraction with the feel of both a videogame and a carnival challenge.
Alternately, a theme park tourist could turn right on Sunset Boulevard. There, they’ll have a choice of the world’s greatest drop tower dark ride, The Twilight Zone of Terror, or the most kickass roller coaster in Orlando, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. And if someone is absolutely determined to ride a motion simulator, there’s always Star Tours. Disney even plussed it in a way that nothing at Universal can match. It has custom randomization built in, which allows it to offer a different ride every time.
Better theming
Image: DisneyLook, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is amazing, and Universal deserves a tremendous amount of credit for its success. Still, the reality is that they finally succeeded in doing something that Disney mastered all the back in 1955.
Walt Disney famously struggled to express his idea to friends and family members. He wanted a series of themed lands that provide the ultimate in escapist entertainment for families. Even his wife thought Uncle Walt was too ambitious, but he carried through with his vision. He created the Happiest Place on Earth, a location equally divisible among five lands. Each one would cause guests to feel as if they were swept away to a faraway land or time.
Disney themed lands have remained a huge deal since that fateful opening day in 1955. Places like Tomorrowland and Adventureland have name recognition everywhere on the planet. People automatically associate these concepts with specific parts of the park, and that speaks volumes about Disney’s success in theming.
Image: DisneyThe concept isn’t a surface level implementation, though. Disney cares so much about keeping themes authentic that even their FastPass queues and garbage cans must seem like a part of the attraction. Every single element must tie back to the themed area and the specific attraction. Otherwise, the illusion will shatter, and a person will remember that they’re at a theme park. Disney has had six decades to master the premise, and it’s the life’s blood of the Parks and Resorts empire.
Disney’s so good at theming that they’re held to a higher standard. When Disney California Adventure opened, critics assailed it for offering little new, which was unfair for a place that introduced the world to Soarin’. Cynics will likely hurl similar criticisms at Pandora – World of Avatar, but Disney’s already taking a victory lap for what they’ve accomplished with their latest themed land. Disney’s latest themed land offers tantalizing hints at what Stars War Land can do when it finally opens in 2019.
Better transportation
Image: DisneyDescribing Universal’s transportation options as comically inept is a little unfair. The parks don’t have the need for transportation that a larger campus would. The main concern from a theme park design perspective is taking guests from onsite hotels to the two gates. Since Universal resorts are by the water, the only real option is a boat.
One quirk exists. Hard Rock Hotel has rickshaws for some reason, but those aren’t free. Also, having someone carry your cart to a theme park feels equal parts creepy and lazy. Realistically, the largest innovation in Universal transportation is ride sharing via Uber and Lyft, neither of which has anything to do with Universal. So, people take boats, and the trip is dull since the company hasn’t added a lot of frills to the boat ride.
Image: DisneyContrast to Disney’s American theme parks. Both of them feature the transportation of tomorrow according to people who lived in the first half of the 20th century. While monorails haven’t spiked in popularity and instead become the inspiration for a mocking Simpsons song, they’re still cool. Their novelty differentiates them.
Monorails exemplify the moment when someone enters the Disney Bubble. Once a person boards, the next stop is something Disney-related, and so is the one after that. Monorails connect people to theme parks and connecting resorts, and they also offer style points. Anyone can ride a bus or a boat, but how many of your friends will ride a monorail this week? Exactly.
Image: DisneyAs for buses and boats, the latter is one of Disney’s strengths. Since Disney controls their waterways, they make certain that plenty of landmarks are visible. Lush landscape also decorates the backdrop for each journey. Buses aren’t as ideal, but a great bus driver can entertain the troops during/after a hectic day at the parks.
Plus, Disney is always looking into new ideas for how to improve traffic congestion. They’re now hiring for an Uber-esque service, and a gondola system is in the offing. Nobody attacks traffic problems like Disney. They’re the gold standard and have been since Uncle Walt’s fateful trip to Germany.
The food
Image: DisneyAs much as any category here, this is the one where Universal simply cannot hope to compete with Disney. At Walt Disney World alone, Disney has built hundreds of restaurants. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that the 25th best eatery at Walt Disney World would battle Mythos for the title of best restaurant at Universal Resort Orlando.
Let’s take a quick overview of the situation. The best food at Universal is up for debate. Many people tend to leave the parks when they’re hungry, choosing to eat at Universal CityWalk in the adjoining entertainment complex. The people who do eat inside a Universal theme parks either don’t want to go to the effort of traversing the park back to the front entrance or love Harry Potter/The Simpsons. Few people dine at Universal for the flavors.
Image: DisneyWalt Disney World is different. Foodies flock to the campus, visiting from around the world. While most of them are there for other reasons, people still take their Disney dining seriously. Entire websites, popular ones, focus on all the new and beloved cuisines available. Eater, one of the biggest foodie sites on the planet, does the same. They not only cover Disney restaurant changes on a weekly basis but also have an entire section of their site devoted to Disney dining. Eater culled the list of Disney eateries down to their 38 favorite locations. No such list exists at Universal. Why would it? Other than Mythos, nothing there is noteworthy unless you’re a fan of chain restaurants.
Disney trains and/or hires some of the finest chefs in the world. One of their restaurants, Victoria & Albert’s, is currently listed as the second best fine dining experience in the United States. That’s out of EVERYTHING, not just theme parks. Disney takes its food seriously, and the result is there in every bite.
Better extras
Image: DisneyLook, I’m in the tank for Disney. Statistics show that most people are. Still, the unbiased analysis of these two companies is that Universal’s been playing catch-up for a long time. While they’ve caught lightning in a bottle with Harry Potter and I expect Nintendoland to have the same kind of popularity, Universal’s still faaaaaaaaaaar behind Disney in some key areas.
As a movie lover, I happen to love the nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular. I would actually rate it ahead of Illuminations, which is the one that theme park voters generally pick as the best in the world. Personally, I’d still slot it behind Wishes and Fantasmic!, though. That’s what is amazing about Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Every gate comes with its nightly parades and fireworks.
Image: DisneyUniversal cannot touch Paint the Night or even Rivers of Light. They have no Main Street Electrical Parade. And Universal’s character meet and greets are not anywhere near the level of Disney’s princesses, furry friends, and the Mickey Mouse crew. These extras are HUGE competitive advantages that Disney still somehow finds new ways to upgrade.
I could also mention the vastly superior merchandise options at Disney (and the brilliant design of many of the stores) or go into greater detail about the Disney Bubble. These are the casual parts of a Disney trip that theme park tourists have come to expect so much that we may take them for granted. Universal’s definitely on the upswing right now, and they deserve all the credit in the world for their recent reversal of fortune. They’re still miles behind Disney in the overall theme park battle, though.
