When Walt Disney (DIS) reopened Disney World after its somewhat brief pandemic-related closure, things were not the same as they were before. Show
There were obvious pandemic-related conditions such as temperature checks, mask-wearing, and social distancing. It never felt exactly right to wait in a line spread out across the park because people needed to be six feet apart. Disney had cast members carrying signs about mask-wearing and rides either had plexiglass barriers or empty seats between passengers. Disney also made it so nearly all food was ordered via its app and cash nearly became useless once inside the parks. The biggest change, however, wasn't any of those things, many of which have gone away. Instead, it was that limited capacities forced Disney to go to a reservation system where in addition to a ticket, customers needed a reservation for the specific park they planned to enter. Now, it's possible that Comcast's (CMCSA) Universal Studios will do the same thing. A Look at Disney's Reservation SystemDisney has a reservation system that operates on its website and app. In order to make a reservation, a guest must attach a valid ticket or annual pass to his or her account. Once that's done, the prospective visitor can then check to see which parks have availability on the days their party plans to visit. It's a little more complicated than making a dinner reservation, because Disney has different buckets of availability for different types of admission. There was a pool of reservations for passholders and another one for people staying on the property, for example. Disney has never explained the breakdown of which reservations it makes available to which groups, but you can assume the company does not want people staying in its hotels to not be able to access its parks. It was a system that could be (and remains) frustrating. You might want to go to Hollywood Studios while only Epcot has reservations. It's sometimes possible to snag a reservation at a park that has no open slots by constantly refreshing the reservations web page, presumably because someone else canceled. The system was needed due to capacity limits, but it made planning a Disney vacation a bit harder for people coming in from out of town. It also made it more difficult, if not impossible, for local passholders to spontaneously visit the parks. Universal Considers ReservationsUniversal has quietly (as quietly as a survey sent to thousands of people can be) sent surveys to annual passholders with questions about a reservations system. That's not a guarantee it will add one: Feedback will likely be overwhelmingly negative, but it shows the idea is at least being considered. "With Covid-19 measures reducing as we look to a world where we "live with Covid" this seems like a strange time to be considering adding a park reservation system at Universal Orlando Resort. Not having a park reservation system has been a huge positive for Universal Orlando Resort since reopening and has pulled many guests towards the resort," wrote Theme Park Tourist, which first reported the news of the survey. At various times during the worst days of the pandemic (aside from when the parks were closed), Universal did have long lines of people waiting to get into its parks which needed people to leave before more could be admitted. If that's a recurring problem in the (sort of) post-pandemic world, a reservations system might make sense, even if guests (and most certainly passholders) don't like the idea. Listen, we’re not gonna lie to you — as much as we love Disney World, it can be HARD to plan a trip right now. Planning is complicated due to new features, heavy crowds, and unexpected challenges. These days, some guests are “ditching the mouse” to go down the road to Universal Orlando. Why would they do that? Well, today we’re sharing seven
reasons it’s easier to plan a Universal trip than a Disney trip right now. Let’s start with one of the big planning features, the Disney Park Pass Reservation System. This new system was put in place to manage attendance and control capacity when the theme parks reopened, but it has stuck around long-term. If you want to go to Disney World, you’ll need to reserve your park days in advance…and many times the popular dates fill up quickly! At Universal Orlando, you don’t have to deal with a park reservation system. That’s right, it’s as simple as walking up to the park on the day
of your visit and heading inside! Back when they had capacity limits, we would occasionally find a standby queue forming outside, but this hasn’t been an issue in a long time. At Disney World, you may not be able to
visit the park you want, and you’ll need to plan ahead to make sure you get your most desired reservations. At Universal Orlando, it’s easier to go with the flow or change your plans last minute. (As long as your ticket dates allow.)  See The Progress On Universal Orlando’s New Theme Park — Click Here!Park Hopping is EasierAs far as Park Hopping goes, it’s a lot more straightforward at Universal Orlando. If you need to get between the two parks, you can either walk, or you can ride the Hogwarts Express. You’ll still need a Park-to-Park ticket, but it’s much simpler than the process at Disney World. At Disney World, guests have to wait until 2PM before they can enter a second park for the day. You’ll be required to make a park reservation for your first park of the day AND scan into that park before hopping to your second. (You can’t just make a reservation for one park and then show up at the second one after 2PM without stopping by your first one.) But the big difference in Park Hopping is transportation. Whereas it may take you 10 minutes to walk between the two Universal dry parks, you’ll have to bus, monorail, boat, or Skyliner between the four Disney World parks. Sometimes, that transit time can take an hour of your day. (You can also walk between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios in about 20 minutes.) Click Here for 13 Things a Disney Fan Needs to Know Before Visiting Universal OrlandoNo Disney Genie+One of the hottest topics in Disney World right now is Genie+. The $15 per person, per day add-on will allow you to schedule times to use Lightning Lanes at a select group of attractions, but it comes with some complicated rules and several new additions to the My Disney Experience app that you’ll have to learn to navigate. However, over at Universal, you’ve got Express Pass, which while significantly more expensive (starting at $79.99), is a LOT easier to use. You simply pay for it, then have the card scanned when you enter the lines at the park. No booking, no app usage, no 120-minute rule, no waking up at 7AM to book your first selection. And if you stay at one of the Premier Resorts, it’s included with your package. Click Here to Find Out Who Has the Better Annual Pass Program: Disney World or Universal Orlando?Dining is SimplerAt Universal, dining reservations do book up for popular locations, but it’s not usually as far in advance as at Walt Disney World. At Disney, you’re pretty much stuck to that 60-day booking window for dining, but at Universal, you may be able to find what you want by just walking up to the restaurant that day, or booking it about a week in advance through the website. There are also TONS of dining options right outside the parks at CityWalk, and it’s much easier to get there than it is to get to Disney Springs (since there currently aren’t any buses running from the Disney World parks to Disney Springs). And at Universal, you’re not required to use Mobile Order at quick service restaurants, although it can save you some time at places where Mobile Order is available. Stop Saying Universal Orlando Has Bad FoodThe Crowds Aren’t So BadUniversal seems to be less crowded than Disney World these days, which may mean that you’re not as stressed about your planning. During your trip, the wait times will likely be lower at Universal Orlando and you won’t encounter quite as many long lines. (Whether it be for rides, restaurants, shopping, or even restrooms!) You may find it to be a little more leisurely vacation. Click Here to See Universal Studios Orlando’s NEW Planning WebsiteLess to Plan AroundThroughout the year, Disney World has a BUNCH of big events and popular offerings that you’ll need to plan around if you want to avoid the crowds. Things like runDisney race weekends and festivals make the parks busier and wait times longer. Universal Orlando has some events throughout the year, but many of them don’t affect crowds quite as much as Disney’s do, and those that ARE more popular are fewer and further between. DATES Revealed for Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2022 — Click Here!The Hotels Are More ConvenientAnd finally, let’s talk about the hotels! The Universal hotels are closer to the parks (some within walking distance), and they come with some great perks, like early park entry and complimentary Express Pass at the Premier Resorts. Disney hotels may have some of those same benefits, but they’re also much more expensive than accommodations at Universal. At Universal Orlando’s hotels, you can get a comparable stay to a Disney resort, but for a significantly reduced price. So there you go — those are seven reasons why it’s actually EASIER to plan a Universal Orlando trip right now. Whether you decide to visit Universal or Disney for your next vacation, make sure to do your research so that you know what to expect when you arrive! And for either location, stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news and updates. The Part of Universal That Has Disney World Completely Beat — Click Here!Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to get the free list ranking the Harry Potter Must-dos at Universal Orlando! Click here to get started!Which theme park giant are you visiting in 2022? Tell us in the comments! |
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