How Universal Orlando’s Newest Theme Park May Impact Walt Disney World

When Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, opens May 22, 2025, it will change the landscape of theme parks in Orlando, Florida, forever. The incredible new park will feature five worlds, dozens of restaurants, an attached hotel and more. While theme park fans are excited about the new theme park, the impact of a new park opening will be felt throughout Orlando, including at Walt Disney World. But should The Most Magical Place on Earth be concerned with a new theme park opening just minutes away from Cinderella Castle?

“When new attractions open at Universal or Walt Disney World, they bring guests to Orlando. Walt Disney World is synonymous with Orlando and when guests are planning a visit they at least consider a visit to Walt Disney World,” says Gavin Doyle, founder of MickeyVisit.com.

For consumers, a new theme park brings Orlando to the top of the must-visit list this year. “In a normal year, our theme parks are always evolving, introducing new attractions and updating existing ones, giving visitors plenty of reasons to revisit and see what’s new. A year with an entirely new theme park is something very special,” says Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.

While the new theme park may be seen as a perfectly good reason to visit Orlando, the con for some travelers is that they will have to make choices on how to maximize their time in the city. For many, that will mean spending more time at Epic Universe or Universal Orlando Resort as a whole, versus other destinations like Walt Disney World.

According to Visit Orlando, international guests stay for an average of almost nine nights, while Florida residents from cities like Miami, Tampa or Jacksonville often travel to Orlando up to four times a year. In 2023, the destination welcomed 74 million visitors. Of those 74 million, nearly 68 million were domestic visitors, and 6.13 million were international travelers.

Even more interesting, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was the most visited theme park in the world in 2023, welcoming 17.7 million people. In 2023, Universal’s Islands of Adventure was ranked number 11 in the world for the most visited park in the world, bringing in 10 million guests. Both parks were ranked number one and number five, respectively, for most visited in the United States. These numbers are likely to change in 2025 with the opening of Epic Universe and more Universal Orlando Resort hotels allowing people to stay on-site and commit to a certain amount of days in the theme parks through packages and promotions.

Disney’s plan to draw people in this year

“This year, Disney knows that Epic Universe will be bringing lots of theme park fans to Orlando,” says Doyle. “They are doing a kind of counter-programming strategy. While Disney doesn’t have any major new attractions debuting this summer, they do have a large slate of summer offerings.”

These new offerings include a new nighttime parade called “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” at Magic Kingdom, a refreshed and updated show retelling the animated classic The Little Mermaid and an all-new show featuring Disney villains called “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

More family-friendly theme parks

While Walt Disney World’s four theme parks are synonymous with family-friendly fun, Universal Orlando’s theme parks have often been thought of as a place for families with older kids or adults traveling together. Very recently though, Universal has made a huge effort to bring more offerings for families with younger children to its parks. This started with the new DreamWorks Land that opened at Universal Studios Florida and will continue with Epic Universe’s How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and SUPER NINTENDO WORLD.

“All of these are coming together to make Universal Orlando more of a family destination. These changes could be a tipping point for families to consider an Orlando vacation based at Universal vs based at Walt Disney World,” says Doyle.

The future of theme parks in Orlando

There’s some competition between Universal and Disney to create the best offerings for its guests. With Epic Universe, Universal creatives are pushing the boundaries of what a theme park can be, from its attractions and shows to dining and hotels.

“Universal is trying out some very exciting technology with this new theme park that will continue to up guest expectations. Having a brand new park will drive Disney to deliver that much more with all of the new Disney World rides that they are beginning construction on,” says Doyle.

While Disney World doesn’t have brand new rides opening this year, the future is bright for the theme park resort. The Walt Disney Company is investing $60 billion in its Experiences segment over the next decade. In 2024, the Central Florida Tourism and Oversight District and Disney approved a $17 billion investment by Disney into its Florida resort.

The investment details include a 15-year development agreement for nearly 17,000 acres of land currently owned by Disney. “Disney is currently planning up to $17 billion of capital investments within the district in the next 10 to 20 years, with a commitment of $8 billion in the next 10 years,” says Katherine Luetzow, manager of planning and engineering for the district.

Disney has already announced new lands coming to the Magic Kingdom. One themed to the Cars franchise will take over the current Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, while another themed to Disney villains will be a new development behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, DinoLand U.S.A., is currently being developed into a new tropical Americas-themed space with attractions themed to Indiana Jones and Encanto.

“I think what we see is that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Matej. For many businesses around the city, this sentiment rings true. A new theme park is going to bring in thousands and thousands of visitors, who are going to stay in hotels and resorts across the city, dine in local restaurants, and enjoy other experiences in the area. “Everyone wins when something new comes along. Plus, a little healthy competition drives innovation,” Matej continues.