Universal Vs Disney Vs Sea World in 5 years (Orlando, Hollywood: how much, hotels)

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Transformers Ride is coming to Universal next to Mels Drive In along with Harry Potters London world or whatever (I don't follow the broom boy) where Jaws was as well as a New Resort Cabana Bay

Antartica, Penguins encounter is coming to Sea World with some other attractions around it

Disney just bought the Star Wars franchise and have the rights to Avatar and Marvel. The less anticipated expansion of Fantasyland


What do you older people who have been around before me to see the parks start from scratch or near scratch make of these changes?

Will Universal be the new number one destination in Orlando and Disney be the "Day After" place to visit?

Will Sea World be able to hang?

IMO Sea World will Hang. I think It will do fine because it has grown and gaines traction especially with some of the hotel mergers or cooperation.

Universal seems as though it's on a track for success. I notice each time Disney does something Universal has always come with a counter. I could only imagine the type of theme park created if the two were to combine or share ideas and concepts.

Anyhow, Universal is good at what it does. Bringing the movies to people. I know theme parks are frowned upon especially you people from up north but, lets take a look at what it has a chance to do for Orlando and the theme park brand across the world. We are talking about several one of a kind attractions being constructed in the matter of 5 years or so at our parks here. Im just amazed at the big boomm IF you ask me I've noticed very little recession in Orlando. Downtown is growing , buildings are popping up all over, and the tourist industry is expanding. Look at Legoland, Fun Spot, And I Drive Live. Coming out of no where.

This tells me people enjoy theme parks no matter how much one may try to say otherwise. IF theme parks are a way for people to escape reality for a day or two, they will continue to capture the money and time people are willing to spend for the trade off of excitement, relaxtion, or being in thier favorite movie.

I Just see our parks, in 5 years or so still being the top destination in the world with Universal well leading the way. What do you all think?

[chopchop0]

Will continue to be a power struggle between the top tier ones, Disney and Universal. I'd put Sea world and Legoland in the 2nd tier and I-drive/Fun Spot at the bottom.

[FloridaKash]

I prefer Universal but I think Disney will always be the front runner. Universal has got to do something with some new technology. I hear Transformers is very similar to the Spiderman ride. Saw the new SeaWorld TurtleTrek attraction 2 weeks ago.... that was pretty impressive and something new.

[Pete C]

SeaWorld has really starting swinging at the fences in the last few years after being relatively complacent for several decades. They realized they had to start offering more to compete with Disney and Universal. They have consistently expanded and upgraded the awesome Discovery Cove, and the addition of Aquatica made the entire complex worthy of the name "resort". However, they still need a signature themed resort hotel to complete the package. I loved TurtleTrek and can't wait to see what they do with Antarctica. SeaWorld will still be #3, but their innovative new attractions will make sure they never fall behind.

Universal is really kicking it into high gear these days gunning for #1. Uni has the distinction of being the most attractive park to teens and young adults with their more in-your-face attitude, thrilling attractions, concerts, and Halloween Horror Nights. They look to keep appealing to that market with their upcoming attractions as well. Their #2 spot is just being further cemented.

Disney will still be #1 for the foreseeable future. 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, countless themed resorts, and that "Disney Magic" (emotional music, happy characters, theme) that makes families tingle with joy as they walk around the parks make it almost impossible to think they will ever be toppled. They are adding just enough over the next few years to keep people coming back.

Legoland is a distant 4th. It does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as SeaWorld on any level. It will take several years and a boatload of capital expenditure for it to get even close to where SeaWorld is right now.

[Granny Sue]

I still think it all depends on the age of the children involved. 9 and younger, I think Disney is best.
Older than that Universal I think has the leg up.
Sea World with always be an extra Day thing.
I have no interest in Lego Land so don't have an opinion on that one.

So I don't think these changes will really shake the demographics up.

[lowry075]

Disneyland will always be a sentimental favorite. I never hear anyone talk about fond memories of Universal Studios as a child. It's not called the Magic Kindom for nothing. Disney's prices are ridiculous though; not what Walt invisioned for families.

I think Universal appeals to older kids and will continue to draw in teens and adults more than little kids... and Sea World is not in the same range to me. It is great, but with the animals, it's not the same as the other two. It is smart for the price option for locals, something like buying a day and getting a year free. (Universal may do that too, I am not sure).

All this said though, I don't care if I ever go to Universal again, but I'd be sad to never go to Disneyland again.

[NeverBeingBoring]

Orlando is synonomous with DisneyWorld - no doubt about it. If Disney was not there, there would be significantly less traffic and tourism. Therefore Disney is and will remain #1. And the recent acquisition of LucasFilms will prove to be a tremendous growth factor. With over 20 hotels and 4 theme parks, Disney is the powerhouse.

Universal has strong potential not only as a Dis alternative but as the thrill park. They need to do something different from the same old thing. The new coaster is okay but the Mummy, Hulk and WWoHP are pretty great. There is room for growth and polishing of existing attractions. CityWalk could use some sprucing up, too.

LegoLand and SeaWorld are solid contenders, too. SeaWorld has a niche market and is nationally recognized with its other locations. LegoLand has pull because it is new and has laid claim to a new area for theme park tourism. Sadly, Cypress Gardens left the landscape.

[Hesky]

As someone who is a huge fan of Disney World, I love how much Universal is investing in improving its parks. It forces Disney to keep up. That said, when you look at annual attendance to the Magic Kingdom and Universal parks, and how it has changed in the past 10 years, you can see that it's a very, very steep uphill climb for Universal.

2011
Magic Kingdom: 17.2 million visitors
Epcot: 10.8 million visitors
Animal Kingdom: 9.7 million visitors
Hollywood Studios: 9.6 million visitors
Islands of Adventure: 7.6 million visitors
Universal Studios: 6 million visitors

Five years is not nearly enough time to revert this trend.

Disney is expensive, this is true. But there are many reasons why I think families will continue making Disney World their main reason for vacationing in Orlando: a) Disney is perceived as being more family-friendly (and the bulk of people spending their vacations in Orlando have young kids); b) There are so many parks, four main theme parks and additional water parks and; c) Pricing is structured in such a way that the more time you spend is Disney World, the lower your per-day price will be. So it makes sense to spend a lot of time in Disney World, because there is a lot to see, all of it is family-friendly and the more time you spend there the more bang you get for your buck.

But as I said before, Disney fans benefit from Universal becoming more and more competitive. And Universal fans benefit from the popularity of Disney World. It's a win-win for everyone.

[mongoslade223]

I don't know what makes the OP think that Norheasterners aren't into theme parks. One of the best in the country (Six Flags Great Adventure) is located in New Jersey, which has some of the top rollercoasters iin the country (Kingda Ka, El Toro, Nitro) And I'm sure that a greal deal of visitors to the Orlando parks are northeasterners as well.
Growing up in Queens, I didn't even consider Disney World as a true theme park, having been used to Great Adventure, but after my first visit to the Mouse I was hooked

Having said that, as much as I enjoy Universal for because of the greater number of thrill rides, I cannot see them touching Disney World in the forseeable future.

[runback22]

Just finished visiting Orlando and Universal really let me down. Their express pass system is a great way to make you feel like a second class citizen for not buying it. It was really frustrating especially considering the price of regular admission.

Heres the thing, I really dont mind people going to the front of the line if they choose to pay for it. The problem is the execution. The employees would literally make you wait until the very last second to get on a ride. For instance, on one of the Dr Seuss rides they had the rails where you could line up for each individual cart of the ride. There would usually be about 4 riders lining up for each cart. They wouldnt let the regular guests line up at all. We only were able to go when there was no one lined up and the the ride car was ready to go.

Numerous times there was only 1 person waiting for the next cart and they would not let us line up. It was to the point that we were only able to line up when it was sure no express pass people were coming and its either send the ride empty or let us on.

I was totally put off by that and ended up doing 2 extra days of Disney instead of Universal. Plus the size of the park is so small we saw everything in under a day. Their ticket price at the gate was the same as Disney which was very surprising. I do have to admit though that the Harry Potter ride was absolutely amazing and its probably the best ride I've ever been on.

Disney has its problems, but when you have young kids, Universal isnt in the same league.