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Credit: Sarah Larson, Inside the MagicFor years, Universal Orlando Resort has positioned itself as Walt Disney World’s biggest competitor, investing billions of dollars in new attractions, immersive lands, and an entirely new theme park.
The opening of Epic Universe in May 2025 was supposed to mark a turning point in that competition. Universal finally had three major theme parks, giving visitors another reason to spend more of their Orlando vacations outside Disney’s property.
However, a troubling admission from Universal’s parent company suggests that building another theme park isn’t necessarily enough to close the gap.
Now, with executives warning that attendance challenges could continue into 2027, Universal faces some difficult decisions about its future.
And unless the company addresses several weaknesses in its overall vacation experience, Disney World could maintain its advantage for years to come.
Universal Orlando Admits Disney Responded Faster
Just recently, Comcast executives acknowledged during the company’s third-quarter 2026 earnings call that Universal Orlando was slower than its competitors to recognize and respond to declining demand.
“We believe competitors were quicker to anticipate and recognize softness in demand and adapt their marketing strategies,” the company stated.
Although Comcast didn’t specifically name Disney World in that statement, the resort is Universal’s most significant competitor in Central Florida.
Executives pointed to several factors contributing to the slowdown, including economic uncertainty, geopolitical challenges, marketing decisions, and ongoing operational difficulties at Epic Universe.
Perhaps most concerning, Comcast expects these challenges to continue through the first half of 2027, with conditions potentially improving during the second half of the year.
The company also emphasized that Universal Orlando’s attendance, guest spending, and financial performance remain significantly stronger than they were two years ago.
Still, the admission raises an important question.
If Universal wants to become a true alternative to a full Disney World vacation, what needs to change?
The answer goes far beyond opening another roller coaster.
1. Universal Orlando Needs to Make Vacations More Affordable
One of Universal Orlando’s biggest opportunities involves the overall cost of visiting its parks.
Disney World certainly isn’t inexpensive. Between admission tickets, resort accommodations, dining, and Lightning Lane purchases, families can spend thousands of dollars on a single vacation.
That means introducing more aggressive ticket promotions, affordable multiday admission packages, and vacation bundles that make visiting all three Universal parks easier.
Epic Universe has added another major expense to the vacation planning process, particularly for families hoping to experience everything Universal Orlando offers.
Instead of making guests feel like they’re paying a premium for every additional experience, Universal could offer more attractive three-park packages and discounts for longer stays.
Comcast has already indicated that promotional packages and three-park passes are part of its strategy.
That’s a promising start, but Universal needs to make affordability a consistent selling point rather than something it addresses only when attendance softens.
2. Epic Universe Must Become More Reliable
Epic Universe represents one of Universal Orlando’s most ambitious investments, but impressive attractions mean little when guests struggle to experience them.
Comcast acknowledged that the park continues facing capacity and operational challenges.
Executives explained that Epic Universe’s advanced technology has made it difficult to achieve consistent attraction performance and efficient guest loading.
That’s particularly concerning for visitors who spend significant amounts of money to experience the park.
When guests encounter repeated attraction downtime, lengthy waits, or limited opportunities to experience major rides, their vacation can quickly become frustrating.
Universal needs to prioritize reliability, improve loading procedures, and increase the number of guests its attractions can accommodate throughout the day.
The company has already identified these issues and is working to improve operations.
The experience needs to deliver consistently, especially as more guests consider making it part of their annual vacations.
3. Universal Needs More Attractions for the Entire Family
Universal Orlando has built an impressive reputation for thrilling attractions.
Jurassic World VelociCoaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, and other high-intensity experiences have helped distinguish Universal from Disney.
However, that emphasis on thrills also creates a challenge.
Disney World appeals to families with children of nearly every age, offering attractions that grandparents, parents, teenagers, and younger children can experience together.
Universal has family-friendly experiences of its own, including attractions throughout SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe. But its height requirements are still much more stringent than Disney’s.
Nevertheless, the resort could benefit from significantly expanding its collection of gentle rides, traditional dark rides, and attractions without restrictive height requirements.
Families traveling with toddlers or younger elementary-aged children need enough activities to justify spending multiple days at Universal.
A new family-friendly dark ride might not generate the same excitement as a record-breaking roller coaster, but it could encourage an entirely different audience to visit.
Universal doesn’t need to abandon its thrill-focused identity.
It needs to become a destination where everyone in the family feels included.
4. Universal Hotels Need Stronger Vacation Perks
Disney World’s biggest advantage isn’t necessarily its attractions.
It’s the way the company has built an entire vacation destination around its theme parks.
Disney resort guests have access to complimentary transportation, early theme park entry, and other benefits that encourage them to remain on Disney property throughout their vacations.
Universal offers valuable hotel benefits as well, including Early Park Admission and complimentary Universal Express Unlimited access at select premier hotels for participating parks.
However, Universal could make its accommodations even more appealing through additional benefits, better vacation bundles, and incentives for longer stays.
Imagine more affordable hotel packages that include multiday admission to all three theme parks, dining discounts, or exclusive experiences.
Universal could also explore additional benefits that reward guests for booking an entire vacation rather than simply visiting for one or two days.
The goal should be straightforward: Give families enough reasons to stay at Universal that they don’t feel the need to spend most of their vacation elsewhere.
5. Transportation Between Universal’s Parks Needs Improvement
One of Universal Orlando’s biggest logistical challenges became more noticeable with the opening of Epic Universe.
Unlike Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, which sit next to one another, Epic Universe occupies a separate location several miles away.
That distance makes transportation an important part of the guest experience.
Universal provides transportation between its properties, but the resort could benefit from faster, more frequent, and more convenient connections.
Disney World has spent decades developing a transportation network that includes buses, boats, monorails, and the Disney Skyliner.
Universal doesn’t necessarily need to replicate that entire system.
However, it should consider additional transportation options that make traveling between Epic Universe, its original parks, CityWalk, and resort hotels feel more seamless.
Improved transportation could also encourage guests to visit multiple parks during the same day, making multiday and park-to-park admission more attractive.
If Universal wants visitors to treat its properties as one complete vacation destination, moving between those properties needs to feel effortless.
6. Universal Needs More Reasons for Guests to Return
Universal Orlando already has one of the country’s most recognizable seasonal events in Halloween Horror Nights.
The annual celebration attracts horror fans and gives visitors a reason to return during the fall.
However, Universal has an opportunity to develop a more extensive year-round entertainment calendar.
Disney World regularly uses festivals, holiday celebrations, nighttime entertainment, and limited-time experiences to encourage repeat visits.
Universal could take a similar approach without simply copying Disney.
More seasonal festivals, expanded nighttime entertainment, character experiences, and exclusive events could help create excitement during traditionally slower periods.
Epic Universe also offers opportunities for themed celebrations across its different lands.
The park’s first full holiday season in 2026 is already bringing decorations and seasonal experiences to areas including SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk.
Universal could build on that foundation by introducing additional annual celebrations that become traditions for returning visitors.
The company also needs to ensure that guests have compelling reasons to return even when a major new attraction isn’t opening.
A successful theme park destination shouldn’t depend entirely on its next expensive expansion.
Disney World Still Has an Advantage Universal Cannot Ignore
Universal Orlando has made tremendous progress over the past decade, and Epic Universe represents a major expansion of what the resort can offer.
Comcast is also taking steps to address its current challenges, including new leadership appointments, additional marketing investments, promotional packages, and improvements to Epic Universe operations.
A new Fast & Furious roller coaster is also expected to arrive in Orlando in 2027, giving Universal another major attraction to promote.
However, adding more rides won’t automatically solve the resort’s biggest competitive challenge.
Disney World has spent more than five decades building a vacation experience that extends beyond its four theme parks.
Its combination of resort hotels, transportation, dining, entertainment, family-friendly attractions, and recognizable characters gives visitors reasons to return year after year.
Universal has many of those ingredients, but it needs to bring them together more effectively.
And with Comcast expecting demand challenges to persist into the first half of 2027, the company may not have the luxury of waiting several more years to make meaningful improvements.
Universal doesn’t have to surpass Disney World in attendance to succeed. Both destinations can thrive while offering different experiences.
But if Universal genuinely wants to compete for the same families planning weeklong Orlando vacations, it needs to offer more than impressive roller coasters and expensive new attractions.
It needs to deliver a complete vacation experience that families consider just as convenient, affordable, and rewarding as Disney World.
Otherwise, Epic Universe could remain an extraordinary theme park within a resort that still struggles to convince some families to make Universal their primary Orlando vacation destination.
