Disney Headlines for April 2nd, 2025
This week in Disney Headlines, I surely won’t talk about politics. Nobody wants that.
So, that leaves a rather subtle choice as the story of the week.
Did you notice that Disney tipped its hand in the Theme Park Wars? Well, they did! Let’s discuss.
The Disney Discounts
Photo:seoclerk.com
Due to an upcoming working vacation, I’m typing this in late March, but you’re reading it in early April.
That means the summer theme park season unofficially begins in about seven weeks, which is Memorial Day Weekend.
Generally, the holiday marks the start of the annual family rush to Disney. It’s a summer vacation ritual.
Due to the popularity of Walt Disney World, many would-be tourists long ago scheduled their vacations.
So, park officials currently possess a strong working knowledge of expected attendance this summer.
As a reminder, the summer of 2025 comes with a fair amount of intrigue due to the arrival of Universal Epic Universe.
Photo: Universal
For the first time in ages, Disney World won’t be the clear-cut choice as the best theme park option this year.
Sure, attendance at Disney World will dwarf that of Universal Orlando Resort, as always happens, but it’ll be closer this time.
Universal is adding a third theme park, which automatically boosts attendance by 50 percent.
Also, there’s the novel ticketing strategy of forcing guests to purchase admission for at least three days to visit Epic Universe once.
Photo: Universal
That tactic has forced many early adopters to hedge their bets on summer vacations.
Tourists must either swallow the loss on the non-Epic Universe days they’ve paid for or spend less time at Disney World.
Image Credit: Universal Orlando
This was Comcast’s brutally efficient tactic to cut into Disney’s incomprehensibly large advantage in the marketplace.
So, we’ve debated two questions for a while now. The first is whether Universal would blink on its ticket pricing strategy.
Photo: Universal
Then, we have the debate of whether Epic Universe would impact Disney World bookings enough to force discounts.
Well, we finally have our answer on both fronts, and it’s…confusing.
Everyone Loses
Folks, I’ll level with you that I have no idea what’s going to happen with summer tourism anywhere in the United States.
As someone who has written about this very topic for decades now, I hate to admit that, but it’s true.
photographer)
Anyone who tries to tell you that they do know is lying because the summer of 2025 evaluation is virtually impossible.
Recent multi-country tariffs are undeniably impacting travel plans.
Photo: Universal
I’ve studied some worrisome data about other North/South American countries and their willingness to travel to the U.S.
Simultaneously, Disney World is facing this unprecedented competition from Universal Studios.
Photo: Universal
It’s as if your smaller sibling suddenly got buff, and now you’re not quite sure how to behave around them.
Finally, we have a struggling economy with some indicators that seem to hint that nothing will turn around soon.
Memorial Day Weekend Crowds 2023
That’s why I’ve been monitoring the Disney tea leaves carefully, as well as the Universal ones.
Well, I wrote in February that if Universal didn’t sell single-day admission for Epic Universe until May, it was doing well.
Photo: Universal
Conversely, if Comcast switched to single-day admission in March, that’d be a sign that the tactic proved too ambitious.
Sure enough, as of late March, you can now purchase one-day tickets to Epic Universe…and you should do that. It’s fantastic!
Photo: Universal
Somehow, this news isn’t great for Disney, though, as the company just announced several Disney World discounts.
The worrisome part isn’t that Disney is offering such deals; it’s the timing.
Photo: Universal
Some of the discounts start as soon as May 27th, and that timing shouldn’t be lost on you.
It’s the same week that Epic Universe opens. So, that’s a sign of weakness for Disney…and Universal.
What Is Happening???
Photo: Playbuzz.com
I don’t think that’s a coincidence. What I strongly suspect is that the recent tariffs have negatively impacted theme park bookings.
So, this isn’t a Disney thing or a Universal thing inasmuch as it’s a disposable income thing.
This is a relatively late date for Disney World to toss out some summer discounts.
For you as a consumer, that’s phenomenal. You can and should speak with a MickeyTravels agent to find yourself a deal.
MickeyTravels
Several are available…and unusually good ones at that. But the underlying implication is that some cancellations have occurred.
Disney officials have said during fiscal earnings calls that they felt good about summer attendance at Disney World.
These executives based their comments on early bookings information.
Now, Disney is fretful of disappointing numbers during the summer.These discounts will fill the parks with clever bargain hunters like yourself. It’s a tactic Disney uses as needed.
The problem is that it’s apparently needed.
Photo: Universal
Similarly, I didn’t expect Epic Universe to blink on its pricing strategy until late April at the soonest.
By switching to single-day admission two full months before park opening, Universal’s acknowledging that sales could be better.
Disney vs Epic Universe
If Epic Universe were forecasting to sell out repeatedly, we wouldn’t get single-day admission tickets this summer.
The top two theme park companies in North America are both showing signs of weakness, and that’s not good for anybody.
What Does It Mean?
Photo: Disney
That’s up for debate at the moment. A lot of this could prove overblown if various politicians behave reasonably.
If not, well, I don’t think our Canadian or Mexican friends are as enthusiastic about visiting America as usual.
Photo: Disney
Since everyone on the planet knows and loves Mickey Mouse, that’s a loss in potential summer customers for Disney.
Thankfully, park officials have confidently stated that there’s a factor of eight more demand for the parks than Disney can meet.
Photo: measureupgroup.com
So, various snafus like this one shouldn’t automatically impact the bottom line, at least not by a significant amount.
Still, you can glance at Disney’s recent stock movement to identify Wall Street’s (lack of) confidence level in the company.
Photo: Bank rate
Analysts continue to list Disney as a good investment, with 22 out of 30 describing it as a buy in a recent report.
Only one analyst from that group lists it as a sell, which means 97 percent of investors would at least suggest holding it.
But a sluggish summer at Disney theme parks could change that.
Through no fault of Disney’s own, it’s facing tourism/disposable income challenges this summer.
Then, we have Epic Universe, which will remain a persistent obstacle from now on.
Thus, the summer of 2025 provides a great deal of intrigue at Disney parks.
You’re the beneficiary since Disney is finally offering some great deals again, though.
So, the Theme Park Wars are fantastic for you as a Disney fan looking to travel this summer.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Feature Photo: Disney
