5 Things Disney Still does Better than Universal

Epic Universe has fans speculating that Universal Orlando Resort is about to give Walt Disney World a run for its money. While Universal is coming up in the world, there are still some areas where Disney continues to reign. Here is a list of 5 things Disney still does better than Universal.

Disney vs. Universal

Everyone is talking about Epic Universe. And, as Universal Orlando Resort’s new park approaches its May 22nd opening date, speculation continues to mount on how its presence will affect Walt Disney World.

After all, Universal is Disney’s chief competitor in the theme park space. However, Universal historically has not been competition per se. In fact, many families add a few days at Universal to an existing Disney trip. In the past, Disney has expressed the opinion that the parks aid one another in drawing more visitors to Florida. What is good for one theme park is good for both.

Universal, on the other hand, seems to be trying to get a bigger piece of the pie. The company has stated that the hope is that Epic Universe and other efforts, such as the creation of DreamWorks Land will serve to make Universal Orlando Resort a week-long vacation destination for families. And, Universal has really stepped up their game in terms of family-friendly attractions and, in my (Kate’s) opinion, customer service.

Still, Disney remains largely unbothered by the whole thing despite speculation. Whether Disney should be unbothered is up for debate.

But one thing that remains certain is that there are still some things that Disney just does better than Universal. Here is a rundown.

1. Photo Services

One thing that Disney does much better than Universal is photo package add-ons. My family has tried both the photo package at Universal Orlando Resort and Memory Maker at Walt Disney World Resort. There is no comparison.

Memory Maker at Walt Disney World Resort provides Guests with ride photos, photos at character meets, and opportunities for photos at more than 100 locations around the parks. Universal’s photo service includes ride photos, and while there are a few photographers around the parks, they are much fewer and farther between.

At Universal, you will find photographers primarily at the park’s entrance and exit points. There is also generally one near the Universal Globe. You can take photos with ET or at the photo studio in Universal Studios. There may be a few at key points here and there, like Hogwarts Castle. But there just aren’t nearly as many.

Plus, Walt Disney World’s Service is extremely easy to use, especially if you have MagicBand+. Photos simply pop up in your app. Or, you can use a card to link photos.

Getting your ride photos is tougher at Universal Orlando Resort. You must spend time collecting your ride photo after just about every ride that has a photo spot. It can be pretty tedious and aggravating, depending on the day and the crowd levels.

I should note, the photographers and photo team are great at what they do. It is the process itself that is difficult. We are hoping Universal’s experiments with facial recognition software eventually make picking up photos faster.

Regardless, this is one area where Disney World almost always has the upper hand. And, on top of the availability and ease of use, delightful Magic Shots also give it an edge.

2. Character Meals

Another area where Disney World shines is its character meals. If you want to dine with characters, no one does it better than a Disney park.

For one thing, there is a large variety of consistent character meal offerings at Walt Disney World. You can select from:

• The Crystal Palace
• Topolino’s Terrace-Flavors of the Riviera
• Cape May
• Garden Grill
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Storybook Dining at Artist Point
• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• 1900 Park Fare
• Chef Mickey’s
• Hollywood and Vine
• ‘Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurantant

Universal Orlando Resort, on the other hand, typically offers just the Marvel Character Dinner. This offering is located in Universal’s Islands of Adventure at Cafe 4. You can dine with Captain America, Spider-Man, and some of the X-Men.

During the holiday season, there is also a Grinch Breakfast. However, that has not been announced for 2025.

The bottom line is if you want to enjoy a character meal, Walt Disney World is the place to be. Universal has not leaned into it and is missing some potential. Can you imagine the popularity of a Mario meal or a Dreamworks dinner?

3. Quick Service Efficiency

Next, Disney generally has the edge on efficiency when it comes to quick-service dining. Efficiency doesn’t equal flavor. For this comparison, I am only talking about the quickness with which large crowds of people are cycled through counter-service restaurants.

At Disney, the lines are often long, but they move quickly. Moreover, Mobile Ordering allows Guests to order food and have it ready quickly once they are ready to pick it up.

Of course, sometimes things go wrong, and now and then Guests may have lengthier waits than anticipated. But nine times out of ten, Disney gets people fed quickly.

While Universal also has plenty of quick-service meal locations, the efficiency typically just isn’t the same. Most of the counter service restaurants and snack carts move along relatively slowly.

The exceptions to this are generally the Butterbeer carts and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, and the Starbucks locations, which are almost always pretty quick.

This is by no means the fault of the Team Members. The majority of the time, the fact is that Universal simply does not have the quick service places staffed to handle crowds at the same level of efficiency that Disney offers.

4. Rides for the Whole Family

It is true that Universal Orlando Resort is taking steps to become a week-long family vacation. And, there are child-centric areas in both Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. There are also some child-friendly areas planned for Epic Universe. However, there are still proportionately fewer attractions that the whole family can enjoy than there are in Walt Disney World.

Universal has lots of thrill rides, and they do an excellent job with them. They even have some family coasters. However, even those may be too much for the thrill-adverse.

But, where they are especially lacking is in the number of dark rides, boat rides, and omnimovers that have timeless appeal for guests of all ages. There are relatively few attractions with no height requirements. They are limited to rides like: Hogwarts Express, Caro_Seuss-El, One Fish, Two, Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and Storm Force Acceleration. (Even the Cat in the Hat has a height restriction).

Walt Disney World has many attractions that anyone from 0 to infinity and beyond can ride and enjoy. There is a timeless appeal for many of these attractions and enough variety to tap into many interests. From Kilimanjaro Safaris to Peter Pan to Small World to Frozen Ever After, Disney still has the market cornered on family entertainment.

5. Fireworks

While Universal has tried to step up its game in terms of nighttime spectaculars, Disney still has them beat in that area, too. First and foremost, Disney offers nightly spectaculars in EPCOT, the Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, barring a major weather situation or some other form of emergency.

Universal offers evening entertainment seasonally. There are currently no nightly shows that run every evening throughout the year. You might be able to see one of the projection shows at Hogwarts, for example.

Universal recently introduced CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular. This show was impressive with water projections, some pyro, and drones. Unfortunately, Universal pushed pause on the impressive drone displays when one fell and endangered guest safety. You can read about that HERE. In its full form, the drones, and projections, and music were great.

But, in general, even in seasons when Universal does offer fireworks, the fireworks are so sparse that they are more of a garnish than a draw. Disney maintains the fireworks edge.

Honestly, any theme park would be hard-pressed to top Disney World’s fireworks. The perfect timing of the pyro to music that already tugs at our heartstrings sets the stage for a tremendously impactful show.

You just can’t top fireworks at Walt Disney World.

We can’t wait to see what Epic Universe brings in terms of nighttime entertainment. Hopefully it will be-well- EPIC.

Is there anything you think Disney does better than Universal? And, conversely, is there anything you think Universal does better than Disney? Be sure to let us know!