Guests are slowly returning to theme parks in Florida. Both Disney World and Universal are open, but which park is doing better? A new report, released this week, points to Universal seeing more guests. According to research analysts Bryan Kraft and Benjamin Soff, Universal is seeing an “uplift of guests,” while Disney isn’t bringing in as many.
Disney parks worldwide are operating at reduced capacity, and Disneyland isn’t opened. With that being said, it comes as no surprise, Disney is seeing an 80% drop in attendance compared to 2019. Surprisingly, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are seeing the most action out of the Disney World parks.
In comparison, Universal Orlando, though still seeing a drop in attendance, is only seeing a 64% drop. It’s best performing days are Saturdays. It is important to remember that Universal opened over a full month before Disney World did, which could have an impact on their numbers. Universal also sees more local traffic than Disney World.
Looking forward, it’s likely that the numbers at both parks will continue to improve. As Covid – 19 case numbers continue to decline, visitors are more confident in visiting. Disney World is one of the most traveled to parks in the world. This means that guests who are fearful of travel are not visiting the park this year. It is likely that when Disneyland opens, they will see an ample amount of local traffic.
For now, Universal is coming out on top in the attendance battle. If you were going to the parks right now, which would it be?