The Walt Disney Company has used the reservation system at Disney World to great success from a business point of view. The company is easily able to determine park demands by requiring that all potential guests place a reservation for their party prior to entrance into the parks. Though this has been of benefit to the financial and logistical aspects of the company, the consumer experience has been made less convenient. As a result, some vacationers to the Orlando area have found it difficult to grab impromptu Disney reservations… and instead they sometimes wind up at Universal Studios Orlando where reservations are not part of the process.
Universal Studios may be getting ready to switch over though. A full change is not likely, however.
Universal Orlando seems to be thinking about requiring reservations to go to their parks. A recent survey sent to annual passholders asked them how they feel about it.
— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) March 17, 2022
According to Attractions Magazine on Twitter, Universal Studios has been sending out survey questions to annual passholders asking their opinions on various reservation issues. What is probably not happening is Universal questioning other guests about reservations, and that’s likely due to the fact that they make a nice chunk of change off of guests that wanted to go to Disney but were stymied by the reservation system. However, annual passholders might be a demographic that the theme parks could switch to a reservation system in order to manage crowd levels as well as predict park needs. In essence, Universal might be aiming for the best of both worlds.
Our friends at Bioreconstruct (who take all those incredible Orlando-area photos) seem to agree with that sentiment:
Many guests arrive in Orlando without plans. If Disney doesn't want their money without prior reservation to spend, Universal should continue to welcome them.
Think of how a cruise ship works. Almost whole time you just wander, no plans, and have a blast.
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) March 17, 2022
So far, the reservation system for Disney World has not in any way dampened attendance. That doesn’t mean its popular with theme park aficionados, and Universal Studios seems to have a larger percentage of their guests who are A) local and B) repeat attendees. Do I completely rule out that they would switch to a reservations-for-all type system? No, but it doesn’t seem to be the wisest move they could make. Don’t be surprised if reservations are required for all guests going to Epic Universe in its first year, though… demand is likely to far surpass capacity.
Either way, we’ll be here when news breaks about which way Universal decides to go.
For all the latest news, rumors, and leaks that should be fun, keep coming back to That Park Place. And drop a comment below if you feel strongly one way or the other about theme park reservation systems.
