Disney World Beats Expectations While Universal Sees Softness

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort are both major players in Central Florida tourism, but heading through the second half of 2026, their executives are telling noticeably different stories about how business is going in Orlando.

At the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, Disney CFO Hugh Johnston acknowledged that the company's domestic parks outperformed what many had anticipated heading into the summer quarter. Combined attendance at Walt Disney World and Disneyland rose 3% over the summer, and Johnston credited the strength of Disney's intellectual property as a key driver. Johnston also noted that Disney Cruise Line demand is so strong the company currently can't keep up with it.

Universal's picture is more complicated. Epic Universe — the massive new theme park that opened in May 2025 with lands based on Harry Potter, Universal Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, and other properties — generated a strong surge of interest around its debut. But Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong confirmed that softer conditions in Orlando persisted through the most recent quarter, citing broader economic pressures including gas prices and airfare as contributing factors.

Armstrong was careful to put that softness in context, though. Compared with where Universal Orlando stood two years ago — before Epic Universe existed — the resort is up materially across attendance, per-capita spending, overall financial performance, and guest satisfaction. Armstrong described the new park as having "lifted all of Orlando" at launch and said Comcast remains fully confident that building Epic Universe was the right investment.

The contrast offers a candid look at how differently two theme park giants can experience the same market at the same moment — one pointing to stronger-than-expected numbers, the other openly discussing a soft patch while maintaining long-term confidence. This story was first reported by Inside the Magic.