Disney World Lays Out Its Epic Response

A new theme park is opening a short drive from Disney's (NYSE: DIS) globally dominant Disney World resort in less than two months. The House of Mouse understands the assignment. Comcast's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Epic Universe will turn heads when it officially unlocks its turnstiles to visitors on May 22.

There's no single searchlight that anyone can shine into the sky to pull focus from the first major theme park to open in the U.S. in more than 25 years. All Disney can do is turn things up a notch this summer to make sure it can take advantage of the influx of visitors that will pour into Central Florida in a couple of months. It has a plan, and it's probably going to work.

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Today is a good day to try

Universal Orlando's Epic Universe will be special, but it has a lot to do in the next eight weeks to get there. It's been offering previews to resort employees that it calls "team members and their families" for a couple of weeks, and there are still lots of bugs and downtime issues to figure out. One of the biggest attractions is the Ministry of Magic land -- the only actual ride in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- and it has yet to be made available to preview visitors, reportedly because it can't get enough vehicles cycling through the experience at the same time.

The one attraction that has generated the most raves as a potential industry bar raiser is "Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment." It has also had a problem operating consistently in recent days. When you have a new gated attraction opening with just a dozen actual rides, you can't afford to have two signature experiences unable to operate consistently once the paid guests start arriving.

Don't bet against Comcast to get things right -- or at least right enough -- by May 22. It will be a spectacular addition to the already brimming Central Florida theme park landscape. With Disney and Comcast both reporting sluggishness lately at its domestic theme parks, Epic Universe is a catalyst that should drive the industry higher this summer and in the years to come.

Image source: Disney.

To infinity and beyond

Disney will give Comcast its moment to shine on May 22. It will give Epic Universe the entire Memorial Day holiday weekend that follows.

However, on Wednesday, Disney announced a lot of new deals, experiences, and debuts that will slide into place on May 27. It even announced a major upgrade for a popular ride at the world's most visited theme park.

Here are just some of the things that Disney will be introducing five days after Epic Universe opens, making sure that it continues to fill its parks and resorts with happy guests.

• "The Little Mermaid -- A Musical Adventure" returns to Disney's Hollywood Studios after closing when the COVID-19 crisis shuttered the attraction in March 2020. The live musical show, based on the popular animated classic, will be updated with new sets and visuals.
• "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" is debuting at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Several of the most popular Disney villains will star in the show, giving guests another place to rest and cool down heading into the warm summer season.
• Disney will begin giving parents of young families a 50% discount on kid tickets for guests between the ages of 3 and 9 for purchases of at least three days.
• Iconic Disney characters will set up camp across the theme parks in new kid zones filled with games, whimsy, and interactions. Goofy will take over the recently introduced Communicore Hall at EPCOT. Stitch -- just days after Lili & Stitch hits theaters over the holiday weekend -- will be up to no good at Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom. There also will be other areas across the gated attractions.

Disney also announced new offers for discounted lodging, three-day tickets, and free dining plans that will run for different periods in the spring and summer of this year. It also has two new attractions, a pair of lounges, and nighttime celebrations that will open later this year.

Disney is making enough noise in 2025 to make sure it's not forgotten. Given the capacity constraints and Comcast's decision not to offer annual passes to the new destination as long as it can fill it up with folks buying single-day admissions, visitors will have to find places to go when they can't get into Epic Universe without busting their travel budgets.

Comcast will be the prime beneficiary of Epic Universe, but there'll be plenty of the increased foot traffic to go around for all players that aren't asleep at the wheel. Meanwhile, Disney is getting ready to embark on a major expansion that should pay off in 2026 and beyond.

This week, it announced that "Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin" will close in August for an overhaul of the gaming experience. New blasters, interactive targets, in-vehicle monitor screens, and a new support bot character will be part of the upgrade when it reopens next year. It's not Epic Universe on its own, but it's one tile in a much larger mosaic.

Disney has a lot of new lands and attractions coming in the next five years. It would've been enough to open a new gate -- like Comcast is doing in May -- but instead, it's investing in carving out new spaces and updating existing experiences to increase the capacity of its four Disney World theme parks.

Purists may cringe at losing some older attractions, but change is necessary. Change is the first step of something evolutionary -- if not revolutionary.

Change can misfire, but the absence of it is worse. Nostalgia can feed the soul, but stagnancy doesn't pay the bills.

Nobody travels across the world to visit a time capsule over and over again. Comcast and Disney can both be winners here.

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Rick Munarriz has positions in Comcast and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.