Universal Makes Recording-Breaking Pandemic Profits as Disney Continues to Struggle - Inside the Magic

Comments for Universal Makes Recording-Breaking Pandemic Profits as Disney Continues to Struggle

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Credit: Universal

21 Comments

  1. Chris

    What Recordings did Universal break? Or did you mean Record Breaking? Does no one proof read these things?

    That being said, it shows that entertainment is a key factor, Disney has lagged behind the other theme parks in bringing it back and the money they have lost shows this.

    Of course, the reservation system isn’t helping Disney make money either, neither has the push for mobile ordering over ordering in person to the point that you often couldn’t get food without mobile ordering.

  2. JB

    It’s quite simple: masks. We canceled our trip to Disney and went to Universal instead and had a great time.. Except for an annoying message over the intercom system every hour or so, no one ever said a word to us. The people traveling to theme parks right now aren’t worried about it. The people still fretting and wearing masks aren’t going to theme parks anyway. So it makes no sense to require masks.

    1. Maris

      It’s obviously the mask situation. While the world is open at Universal their neighbor Disney won’t even let you go into their Disney store without a mask and if you don’t have one they require you to purchase one of their masks. $5 to look around your store while I can live freely next no thanks Universal take my money!!

    2. Jarvis

      The constant announcement just changed to asking the “unvaccinated” (you know, people whose money they take) to wear a mask indoors. No requirement though. Maybe in a few weeks that will be replaced with all music.

  3. Michael

    No Doubt Disney Badly Handled the Masks! Living here right next to Disney everywhere you GO DISNEY has “MASKS REQUIRED INDOORS” They still have NASTY CAST MEMBERS that act like Mask Police and I no longer go to Disney Springs nor some of the Resort Dining! No one needs the Disney harassment! Universal you can enjoy the Experience without the MASK BOLOGNA and people locally know it! Disney is hurting and GOOD! That arrogance and stupidity continues and Universal will destroy Disney in Money as International Travelers FLOCK to NO MASKS and NO VIRTUAL BOLOGNA LIKE DISNEY!

    1. S

      universal is raising the bar in a lot of ways imo, and the mask decision only helped them. if you’re vaccinated, you don’t need a mask. enforcing masks for the vaccinated implies that the vaccine doesn’t work, do these virtue signalers not understand that? and if you aren’t vaccinated? yikes, but take that risk i guess. i’m not worried about you getting me sick and if you get sick that’s on you. at this point only children under the vaccination age need masks. literally my partner worked at a busy park all through the mask era prior to the vaccine, he was fine bc the masks work. he got vaccinated and he still works there, no mask. never got sick once. i’m vaxxed and i have never worn a mask at my new job, also at a park. i have pre-existing conditions and guess what? i’m fine. the masks are uncomfortable in the heat here and maybe that’s “petty” but at this point they are not absolutely necessary. disney should hire some people with critical thinking skills.

    2. Jarvis

      Orlando has a terrible, low IQ mayor. Democrat thug. At least our governor keeps him and his Fauci freaks at bay.

    3. Sue

      Micheal you are right. We didn’t go for a long time Bc of the face diapers. We go now but not inside anyplace. We also love right by Disney so we know what is going on. Plus if you go Disney’s parks are way unkept the bath room are discussing. The food also sucks. Not the Disney from a year ago.

  4. Pete

    I moved our planned trip this year to avoid dealing with the masking issues. Should have kept my plans for the summer as that was the only time Disney stopped worrying about masks. We’re going to do a Disney then Universal stay, it will be intresting to do a direct comparison of the parks in regards to dealing with masks.

  5. may ly serrano

    First of all, Disney continues to raise its rates. No thank you. They charge for everything! It’s important to take care of yourself. We are vaxxed and still wear mask around crowds. Each to their own. That’s why Universal is kicking butts.

  6. Jarvis

    A few spelling errors in your stories my dear. Good coverage though. 👍

  7. Jarvis

    No acknowledgement or acclaim for governor Desantis who made all this possible by keeping Florida open and thriving while Democrat states tried everything to kill off their residents and businesses.

  8. J Riley

    Bigger than the mask issue is the fact that Disney is going all out to try and recoup some of the $ they lost last year. Charging to ride rides in addition to the increased daily park ticket? Really? The magic band was genius – now we’re expected to spend all day on our phones. No more Magical Express? Paying to park at the resorts? Boo, Disney. And that comes from a long-time repeat visitor. The Happiest Place on Earth has lost its magic. If I come back to Orlando it will be to visit Universal. And, unfortunately for Disney, I think there are lots of people out there who feel as I do.

    1. B J SUTHERLAND

      Well said.

  9. Middy

    We wanted to go to Disney, but went to Universal for 9 days instead. You basically need a mathematics degree to figure out how and what to book for Disney it’s ridiculous. You have to reserve dates for certain attractions, and they don’t guarentee you’ll ever get your requested day. If you enter during certain hours you can’t do certain thing. The Express pass system is overly confusing and doesn’t make sense.

    Everything about Universal was cheaper, easier to understand, and it was as simple as choosing my dates, choosing the hotel tier, and that was it.

    Disney kept suggesting a Disney planner for additional cost, and the stay was almost double.

  10. Ollie

    It’s not the mask policies. It’s that Disney has overcomplicated everything – requiring reservations for entry. Requiring reservations for lightning Lane. Charging for fast passes. At universal you can stay at a premier hotel and get express passes for almost all rides with no reservations.

  11. Tammy

    We purchased an Annual Pass for Universal back in March when they were having an amazing 15 months for the price of 12 deal. We’ve been to Universal parks multiple times this year and found great Universal resort room deals ($99-$124). We’re also DVC members and have stayed a few nights at Disney but did other things in the area instead of going to the parks. It’s just too expensive.

  12. Sandi Herrington

    Universal easily beat out Disney when it came to value, handling of covid protocols, ease of use. We have been die hard Disney fans and we are FL residents. But when covid hit, Universal led the way. We always felt completely safe but they out Disneyed Disney with their kindness and over the top care. Disney prices shot through the roof for way less. It is also ridiculously complicated just to set up a visit there. We are not impressed, which is sad because Disney has always been a favorite. We ended up buying Universal passes and have stayed onsite multiple times this year. Many friends and family have done the same.

  13. Gayle

    We’ve been going to Universal all during the pandemic. They handled things right and rarely did we feel uncomfortable there. We use masks when in tight quarters with people waiting in queue. Even though we are fully vaccinated for months now. Have not been to Disney since early March 2020. They’ve taken so much away, increased their prices and make you jump through so many hoops just to go there. Not sure when and if I will return. I’ve been a Passholder at Universal for about 12 years now and they treat us like we matter. We always have a good time every time we go.

  14. Christine

    We did not renew our Disney passes and got universal instead because we don’t want to deal with park reservations. Disney is making everything WAY too complicated.

  15. Julie

    We actually bought a season pass to Universal this year because we appreciate the way they handled the covid19 situation. They enforced the mask and 6 foot distancing policies all through the park. They also wiped down the rides in between guests and the crowds were limited. We stopped going when they opened for the summer to all the crowds.

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