Universal taking Disney Market Share

I might be alone in this (and if there are any Canadians, please confirm I am not nuts!) but butterbeer tastes like a Royal Crown Cola vanilla ice float?

The last time I was in Florida, I went for HP and Jurassic Park and that was it. (It was for work and we got a free pass as part of the conference.) I enjoyed both and then left immediately afterwards.

With my wand.

And a slytherin tie.

And a robe.

I went with my parents last year when I took them to Disney. My dad's not a fan of theme parks in most ways, but gamely, he came on as many rides that he dared too - mostly cos my mum just followed me onto virtually everything (in her mind, if I can do it, she'll be able to...except for the Tower of Terror and Rock'n'Roller Coaster)

During a break from Disney, I took my parents to Universal...after traipsing around for a lot of the day - since I was the only one really riding a lot of the stuff, my parents spent a lot of time waiting and looking around. It was the one comment my dad made that made it stick - 'It's not Disney, is it...' When I asked him what he meant, he responded 'people are drinking alcohol, smoking, swearing, spitting, dropping litter and it's not logically laid out...'

So, whilst Universal is taking a little bit of the market share, I'd attribute all of it to Harry Potter as they closed the tram tour and Jaws in order to accommodate the wizard. Having said that, my parents did enjoy Harry Potter quite a bit including the butterbeer...they enjoyed the rides I took them on but just not the getting lost bit!

This. My BFF and I went to Orlando last year with the express purpose of going to Universal and even she was bored. So this year we are going to WDW and she is already more excited.

Universal is good to go once or when something is new for a day.

Hopefully something besides more Ana and Elsa... they can let it go already.

Ana and Elsa are already descending on Paris and the cruise line, can they squish them in anywhere else? Maybe put some reindeer in AK for the Sven experience? Or make a little Sven doll for IASW?

So today ANOTHER Frozen sequel was announced at the shareholder meeting. *headdesk*

Probably didn't help that Will Ferrell lip sync'd Let It Go on Jimmy Fallon recently either...!

I love both Disney and Universal for entirely different reasons, so I am happy when both are doing well. As for the argument over Magic Bands and E-ticket attractions. They each work for the parks in which they were intended.
I actually have a love-hate relationship with the Fastpass+ because I have noticed that the stand-by lines are longer than ever. Yes, I know that thee numbers within the parks have gone up, which is also driving up the length of the lines. I can understand making a last minute trip to Disney and wanting to "do it all", which isn't always possible with the advent of the new system.
The biggest issue is in the parks where they make you choose between their E-Ticket attractions.... Epcot, you have to choose between Soarin' and Test Track and in Hollywood Studios, you have to choose between Toy Story Midway Mania and Rock n Rollercoaster. The redeeming factor is that both Test Track and Rock n Rollercoaster have single rider lines.
As for the new E-Ticket ride per year at Universal, they are catering to their audience, which is a bit more "adventurous" in their choice of attractions. Also, if you are staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific Resorts, you can use your room key to take the Express pass lines. This works on ALL of the attractions and shows, so there is no choosing between favorites.
I am thrilled that both Disney and Universal are doing well and hope they continue to do so with their new plans for the future.

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In the past few years there has been a huge noticeable improvement in the Universal Parks. The parks are clean, the people working there are nice, friendly and accommodating and the attraction upkeep has been terrific. When guests see this, it inspires them to also elevate their behavior. Unfortunately, drinking alcohol, smoking and the like are not exclusive to the Universal parks. You will see just as much, if not more going to Disney during the Food and Wine, Star Wars, Flower and Garden, Holidays around the World, etc. And after going to the parks the other day, we noticed there are many more opportunities to purchase alcohol. Kiosks have sprung up every few steps in all of the Disney parks with the exception of the Magic Kingdom. Alcohol sales bring in big money.... not only for each drink, but for the fact that drinking makes one hungry and less anxious about buying keepsakes.

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I think in my dad's eyes, it was less obvious at the Disney parks over the Universal one. Certainly at Disney, he noticed it less but perhaps he got used to it as we spent more time there than at Universal. Mind you, at Universal, it's a much more adult crowd and maybe this is what he was trying to get across.