Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, made headlines this week for expressing supreme confidence in Walt Disney World’s staying power — even in the face of the most ambitious theme park expansion in decades: Universal’s Epic Universe.
But as much as D’Amaro wants to spin the competition as a benefit, reality suggests otherwise. With Universal preparing to shake up the Orlando tourism market in 2025, Disney may be standing at the edge of a cliff while pretending it’s just another ride.
The five themed lands of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe – YouTube, Universal Orlando Resort
“We’re always on the offensive… We’re constantly investing for the long term, fortifying each one of our theme parks,” D’Amaro said at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference this week. “If something is built new in Central Florida, like Epic Universe… that draws new visitors to the region, that tourist is going to have to visit the Magic Kingdom.”
Really? The’re going to have to? Why?
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro via Disney Parks YouTube
In the past, Universal played second fiddle to Disney. But this time, Epic Universe is the main event. It’s not just about adding rides — it’s about offering a new, cutting-edge experience that makes Disney feel stale by comparison. Unless D’Amaro is banking on nostalgia, there’s no compelling reason for a tourist who flew in to see Mario, Harry Potter, and classic monsters to spend thousands more at Disney — especially when Genie+ and hotel prices are climbing.
Let’s be blunt: that’s wishful thinking.
Universal’s Strategy Is to Break the Disney Bubble
For years, Disney has maintained dominance through what insiders call “the Disney bubble”: a fully self-contained vacation experience where guests fly into Orlando, check in to a Disney resort, and rarely, if ever, leave Disney property. Everything from food and lodging to shopping and transportation is controlled. It’s a fortress of revenue.
But that fortress has cracks — and Epic Universe is a siege engine.
Super Mario World with Bowser’s Castle at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park – Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
Universal has announced that access to Epic Universe will be exclusively bundled with three-day or longer multi-park tickets, forcing guests to visit Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure as well. This is a brilliant move. It shifts the entire vacation framework from a one-day detour to a multi-day Universal resort stay.
That means fewer days at Disney, fewer meals at Disney restaurants, fewer Genie+ and Lightning Lane upcharges — and ultimately less revenue per guest. If the average vacationer used to spend 7 days inside Disney’s ecosystem, and that shrinks to 3 or 4, the impact will be massive.
D’Amaro’s Optimism Ignores the Competitive Reality
Universal is throwing everything at this park: Super Nintendo World, Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and a Lovecraftian horror land called Dark Universe — all packaged inside a 750-acre park that opens in a week. That’s next year.
The archway at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Epic Universe – Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
Meanwhile, Disney’s most tangible announcements are Blue Sky “what-ifs” and an Abu Dhabi project that’s years away from opening.
“We’ve only scratched the surface in terms of the stories we can tell,” D’Amaro said. “Josh, we’ve gotta turbo-charge this business,” he recalled CEO Bob Iger saying when he returned. Yet despite promises of $60 billion in investment over a decade, we still have no confirmed opening dates for major Walt Disney World expansions.
Even Disney’s Abu Dhabi Park Feels Like a Distraction
To sweeten the investor mood, D’Amaro shifted focus to the recently announced Disney resort in Abu Dhabi. He described it as:
“The most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio… The setting will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways.”
Concept art for the new Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi – Disney
That’s great for fans in the Middle East — but for families planning their next Florida vacation, it does nothing. Despite the best marketing Middle Eastern money can buy, places like Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia have not become hot tourist destination for U.S. families.
This does nothing more than signal that Disney’s attention may be looking outward at a time when it desperately needs to reinforce its position at home.
Bottom Line
The pressure is building, and Epic Universe isn’t just another new park — it’s a nuclear option aimed directly at Disney’s wallet. And if early interest and ticketing strategy are any indication, it’s going to work.
Bottom line: Josh D’Amaro may be selling confidence in the face of Epic Universe, but fans and analysts alike should be watching Disney’s next moves carefully. If Epic Universe can successfully lure guests out of the Disney bubble, the entire Orlando market could shift — not just in attendance, but in dominance.
The portal to Super Nintendo World at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park – Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
And that tourist D’Amaro assumes is “going to have to visit the Magic Kingdom”?
They might not — and that should scare Disney more than they’re letting on.
How do you feel about these Josh D’Amaro comments on Epic Universe? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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As Disney continues to increase prices and decrease the quality in their parks, the more people will turn to Universal and other parks in the Orlando area. Disney got too complacent and now it’s bitting them in their key source of revenue for the entire company.