Disney World Lays Out Its Epic Response
Disney knows May 22 is coming but has May 27 circled on its calendar, instead.
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.
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.
