Express Pass
Whether we call this the FastPass or Universal Express, the concept is still the same. A theme park tourist enjoys the special benefits of walking to the front of the line, thereby skipping the regular wait. Someone who employs this express system should get to ride a lot more attractions, and that’s true of both iterations. Universal’s is far better, though.
Disney introduced the FastPass to gain more control over crowds. With it, they can predict daily lines better. To maintain that control, they don’t give guests complete autonomy over the system. A hard limit in the system prevents visitors from stacking more than three FastPasses prior to the day of admission. Similarly, the best rides at some gates are in tiers, preventing guests from booking rides like Soarin’ and Test Track on the same day.
Universal’s system has no such restrictions. Any attraction available on Universal Express is accessible. You simply show your pass, and you gain entrance near the front of the line. It’s also better than Disney’s version in this capacity. Disney’s FastPass queue is sometimes quite long, particularly at attractions like Kilimanjaro Safaris.
At Universal, anyone with an Express Pass will wait less than 10 minutes for anything, even on the most crowded park days. The better version of Universal Express, the unlimited one, is free to guests staying onsite. And it gives such visitors free run over both Universal gates. With this pass, you can ride anything you want as many times as you want. The closest Disney analog is the VIP Tour, and it costs hundreds of dollars per hour. You can buy the Universal Express Unlimited for about $90 per person per day.
The reality is that Universal’s better about front-of-line passes than Disney because that’s how Disney wants it. They have chosen to create several tiers of waiting in line. The regular lines are for virtually everyone. The FastPass lines are to improve throughput. VIP Tours are an upsell with a massive profit margin. There’s even a tier above VIP. Celebrities can skip the lines entirely in order to avoid creating crowd chaos. Universal simply wants the guests who stay onsite or pay the $90 fee to receive an optimal guest experience. Until Disney chooses to compete, Universal will ALWAYS win this category.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Even though I’ve mentioned new rides and better theming as Universal advantages, those statements still aren’t large enough to encompass the greatness of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This one expansion by Universal has singlehandedly changed the way that all major theme park operators view their industry.
By acquiring this huge franchise, Universal fundamentally changed the fortunes of Universal Orlando Resort. It became a destination vacation spot due to the shared love pop culture fans have for the collective works of JK Rowling. They built a themed land that even Walt Disney would appreciate, one that feels more immersive than anyone else on the planet today.
While Disney execs will never admit it, their acquisition of the Avatar license was a direct response to Potterland. Then, they recognized that Avatar wasn’t popular enough. So, Disney doubled down on the premise by buying Star Wars and the rest of Lucasfilm in 2012. Disney is now constructing two entire worlds similar to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and that tells you the whole story. Disney wasn’t formerly in the business of imitating competitors. Over the past decade, Universal has become the leader in innovation thanks in large part to Muggles who love to fantasize that magic is real.
Comments
Just wanted to point out that Skull Island is a pos. It does not in any way come close to being a thrill ride. Also Disney attractions are timeless, yes they need more and even plussing the existing ones CONSTANTLY. Imitating is not what they do, I really feel it is Universal that has a Disney manual at hand. Comparing FPs with Universal Express is not right at all. Disney has much more guest per park per day any day than Universal has. Disney parks as we all know come at a premium. If not for the boy who lived Universals numbers would not be that great. I love Escape from Gringotts and do believe it to be one of the best rides ever. I greatly enjoy express and do take advantage of it. But when ride as Rockit has been down and goes back operational the lines are crazy long even for Express.