It is now clear to most Disney fans that Epic Universe caught the company off-guard. Despite the announcement in 2019, Disney World didn’t start working on its answer to the newest Universal Orlando park until late last year.
It wasn’t until Epic Universe started taking shape that Disney finally realized that this park was going to be something extraordinary, and it needed something to keep guests coming to its parks. But Disney fans would argue that the company’s answers have been underwhelming and devastating to some in the Disney community.
Disney’s removal of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island has drawn universal condemnation from Disney fans, so much so that they’ve started petitions to save the attractions. Disney fans have also complained about the removal of Muppet Vision 3D for a Monsters, Inc. Land.
Despite fans’ anger over those two projects, Disney fans also have Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom and Encanto Land coming to Animal Kingdom, two projects that are mostly loved by fans.
However, those projects are still years away, while Epic Universe is only weeks away from opening. And even the most die-hard Disney fans would say that these projects are not nearly enough to counter what’s coming to Universal Orlando.
But Disney fans don’t work for the company, and Disney’s brass is making the press rounds to convince guests that what’s coming to the parks is even better than what Universal has.
Jason Kirk, senior vice president of operations, told Fortune:
If you look at what we’ve done here over the past decade and what we’ll be doing in the next decade, it adds up to the equivalent of a new theme park.
Disney also laid out its strategy of appealing to families with young children who would find less to do at Universal. Disney plans to make this the summer of children at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney is opening new “Kids Zones” with meet-and-greets at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Goofy will greet children at EPCOT, and Stitch will greet them at Magic Kingdom.
Disney World also has two new stage shows, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After and The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure, coming this summer. There is also the reopening of Test Track at EPCOT.
Alison Armor, vice president of resort operations, said:
One of the things our cast has told us for years is one of the best-kept secrets of staying at a Disney resort is all the activities. We call it ‘recreation beyond the pool.’ But we don’t make it easy for guests to know exactly what’s out there, so we’re going to create programming so they can plan their day at the park and their day at the resorts and prioritize what’s important to them.
Will this be enough to counter the enthusiasm for Epic Universe? Probably not, but at least Disney World has realized that there is serious competition in its neighborhood. Better late than never.
Do you think Disney’s announced projects are enough to counter Epic Universe?
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