(Wealth of Geeks/AP) — Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled its first wave of its upcoming third theme park, Epic Universe. It is slated to open to 2025. Es the hotel’s largest expansion in years. It also signals a major change in the theme park landscape in Orlando, Florida.
According to Universal’s announcement, plans for Universal Epic Universe include more than 50 experiences across five themed worlds. In a stunning video, Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations and Experiences, emphasizes the immense growth Epic Universe brings to Universal Orlando. “This gives us the opportunity to bring people to Universal Orlando for an entire week of the most incredible experiences they could imagine,” he explains.
That milestone – attracting visitors for an entire week – is a feat matched only by Universal’s largest competitor, Walt Disney World. Experts agree Epic Universe is a giant leap forward for Universal Orlando in drawing more people to its parks longer. While the impact has yet to be measured, Epic Universe marks another chapter in a decades-long back-and-forth between Universal and Disney.
Universal to a week-long destination
Woodbury adds, “Universal Epic Universe adapts everything you thought you knew about Universal Orlando Resort. “
So far, Disney World has been the only theme park giant enough to serve as an exclusive week-long vacation destination. When families spend their vacations at Disney World, they regularly consider Disney World to be their key destination. On the other hand, vacations at Universal Orlando are shorter and include trips to other theme parks, such as SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Disney World.
Universal Studios Orlando will no longer be perceived as a two- or three-day pit stop.
Lindsay Brookshier, chief content officer at Mickey Visit, notes that once Epic Universe opens, “you’ll be able to seamlessly build your entire vacation around Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando already has two major theme parks, a water park, a downtown-style mall, grocery stores and restaurants, and a host of on-site hotels.
Mikkel Woodruff, editor-in-chief of Sometimes Home, with Brookshier. ” Many visitors wonder if they’re worth spending a multi-day vacation at Universal beyond a day or two. Now, extending beyond a few days is a no-brainer with the announcement of Epic Universe. This will open more visitors’ eyes to the glorious features presented through Universal Orlando Resort in Central Florida as a week-long destination.
Despite the benefits Universal gets from opening some other theme parks, hurdles remain. Assets, as they exist lately, are passable and autonomous. Epic Universe is just a few miles from the other parks and across Interstate 4.
Theme park journalist Megan duBois explains that navigating the parks in the future will be more difficult than it is now. “[Universal] will be challenging to get around thanks to the resort now being split up over multiple parts of Orlando and not self-contained like Disney.”
More than a decade of rival growth
Universal’s quest for a week-long vacation destination hasn’t been without its opponents. Its main competitor, Disney World, has tried to maintain its dominant share of the market. In 2010, Universal Orlando opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Since then, the two resorts have come and gone when it comes to sprawl, and each new charm and new terrain is likely to seek to outdo the other.
This rivalry benefits the enthusiasts,” said duBois. The tennis-like festival between Disney and Universal has led both resorts to invest more money in the parks,” he says. “When one park announces a new theme field, the other responds with its own theme field. While it might seem like a rollercoaster ride of what resorts can do to outdo each other, the big winners are theme park enthusiasts with new reports to try.
Woodruff adds: “When one park comes up with a surprising new charm that overcomes the barriers of generation and innovation, the other theme park temporarily sees the need to ‘outdo’ them in the next creation. New projects create jobs, since “many personnel working on structural projects oscillate between the two parks. When Disney has projects in the works, Universal can’t, and vice versa. These happen where the jobs are.
If the expansion of Universal Orlando and Disney World is akin to a tennis match, as DuBois describes, then eyes will turn to Disney to see its next move. Brookshier hopes this new park will push Disney to capitalize on long-term projects “and move faster. ” by expanding the parks with new Disney attractions. It’s no secret that Walt Disney World is slow when it comes to construction. Brookshier casts TRON Lightcycle/Run at Magic Kingdom. It took Disney five years, unlike the VelociCoaster, which Universal took just over two years to build.
A fifth theme park is on Disney fans’ most sensible wish list. However, this wish is impossible to achieve, as Disney World has already talked about possible expansion of its theme parks in the coming years. Disney World has the infrastructure of 4 theme parks, two water parks, a shopping and dining district, and two dozen hotels.
A not unusual economic argument is that a fifth park would cannibalize existing profits from the other four. Additionally, a theme park with a new logo also increases operating costs. Lately there is more room for expansion of Disney World’s existing park.
There is no doubt Epic Universe needs to be a slam dunk for Universal. As duBois mentions, expectations are high whenever industry leaders like Disney and Universal announce new rides and lands, let alone entire theme parks.
duBois notes, “With the new treats, questions arise like, ‘Will the park look like the artist’s depiction?'”Can the park accommodate other people operationally?” “How long will it be before the rides continually break down and the park fails?” consumers the experience they paid for?and “What does a new park do about pop-up ticket prices?»
As Universal reaches the coveted one-week destination threshold, you’ll possibly notice that you’ve reached capacity as well. But for now, the race to expand with Disney will continue to push any of the resorts to grow and offer even better reporting for Orlando guests.
This article was produced through Media Decision and distributed through Wealth of Geeks.