How Common is stepping out of the mouse’s shadow to develop into the most well liked theme park

It might have been Walt Disney World that put Central Florida on the household trip map when it opened in 1971, however when Common Studios Florida (now Common Orlando Resort) opened lower than 15 miles down the highway in 1990, a Florida theme park rivalry was born.

On the time, Common was smaller and had fewer points of interest than Disney. It acted largely as an “add-on” park for guests planning a bigger trip. However during the last three many years, the once-fledgling park has grown right into a trip vacation spot unto itself — on par with Disney — that attracts weeklong guests all its personal.

Operating the numbers

Actually, in 2021 Common Studios Florida and Common’s Islands of Journey had greater attendance numbers than each park at Walt Disney World, apart from Magic Kingdom.

In response to the newest World Sights Attendance Report — printed by the Themed Leisure Affiliation and consultancy agency AECOM — Common Studios Florida got here in at 8,987,000 visitors and Islands of Journey at 9,077,000. Magic Kingdom had 12,691,000 visitors. Each different Disney World park acquired fewer than 8.6 million guests every.

For context, in 2019, neither of Common’s Florida parks outranked any Disney World park.

However whereas Common might have spent the final a number of many years enjoying within the mouse’s shadow, it is now quickly gaining stature and affect.

Common’s increasing footprint

In the identical week in January that Disney dropped a considerably random smattering of bulletins about free resort parking, complimentary on-ride pictures and less-restrictive park hopping hours, Common primarily mic-dropped the announcement recreation with an all-new year-round expertise in Las Vegas based mostly on its annual Halloween Horror Nights occasion and a wholly new theme park aimed toward households with youthful children that’s slated to be constructed outdoors of Dallas.

Oh, and it is also constructing an all-new theme park in Orlando and opening a brand new Nintendo-themed land imminently in California.

Benefits Common has over Disney

Current information and anthropomorphic character preferences apart, Common has just a few distinct benefits over Disney.

Value

In the beginning, visiting Common is, on common, inexpensive than visiting Disney. Utilizing Common Orlando and Disney World for example, one-day ticket costs begin at simply over $100 for each parks, however you begin to see important variations once you value out a full trip package deal.

A four-day, four-night hotel-and-ticket package deal for a household of 4 at Common totals $2,243.87 for a mid-April 2023 keep. An identical package deal at Disney World would run you $3,799.62. Each holidays embody the power to go to a number of parks in someday and a keep in a price resort, however you may pay about $1,500 much less for your loved ones to go to Common.

These further financial savings may simply cowl your different trip prices like eating, souvenirs and airfare.

Associated: Easy methods to use factors to save lots of at Common Orlando

Simplicity

Along with being inexpensive, planning a Common trip is simply simpler. At Common, you merely select the date you wish to go to, buy both a park-to-park or one-park ticket and present up in your chosen date.

If you wish to skip the standby line for rides, you possibly can add an Categorical Cross and benefit from the rides with little to no wait. And you may even e book lodges that embody Categorical Passes at Common.

At Disney, there are a mess of extra steps like making a theme park reservation for the park you propose to go to, ready till a sure time within the day to park hop, buying Disney Genie+ if you wish to skip the standby line and particular person skip-the-ride passes for some points of interest, to not point out spending a lot of the day in your cellphone managing Lightning Lane reservations.

For first-time or rare guests, planning a visit to Disney is usually a logistical problem that feels something however magical.

Common’s large strikes

But it surely’s not simply the logistical variations between the parks that give Common some benefits — it is their progress plans, too.

Since 2021, Common has debuted its Beijing park (Common Studios Japan) and opened the world’s first Tremendous Nintendo World. Common Studios Hollywood opened a darkish trip based mostly on “The Secret Lifetime of Pets” franchise, whereas Common Orlando unveiled its most bold coaster but, the Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

As talked about, in 2023 Common will open its first stateside model of Tremendous Nintendo World at Common Studios Hollywood, and there might be a brand new Minion-themed land at Common Orlando.

However that is solely the start.

Common’s Epic Universe

Since earlier than the pandemic, Common has been onerous at work on its third gate in Orlando, Common’s Epic Universe.

When it opens in 2025, Epic Universe will add its personal assortment of lodges, eating places, outlets, leisure and thrilling theme park rides to people who already name Common Orlando residence. Along with Florida’s model of Tremendous Nintendo World, it’s rumored that we may even see lands themed to common franchises like “Easy methods to Practice Your Dragon,” “Harry Potter” and Common Basic Monsters.

Common’s family-friendly park in Texas

On Jan. 11, in a transfer that nearly no theme park fan noticed coming, Common introduced plans to construct a theme park particularly designed for households with younger youngsters in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

Primarily based on what we all know up to now, the park could have a number of play areas, points of interest which can be designed in order that households can trip collectively, playful theming and fan-favorite characters that attraction to a youthful viewers.

In response to a press launch, Common bought 97 acres of land in Frisco on which to construct the proposed theme park.

Common additionally plans to construct a resort on the land it has secured for the mission. Given its smaller footprint and goal demographic, it is probably this park might be a one-day attraction for households to go to whereas vacationing within the space reasonably than a multiday trip vacation spot just like Disney and Common theme parks in Florida and California.

A timeline for the mission has but to be introduced.

Common’s year-round Halloween Horror Nights expertise in Las Vegas

For greater than 30 years, Halloween Horror Nights has been one of many world’s premier theme park Halloween occasions, boasting haunted homes based mostly on common film and TV franchises like “Halloween” and “The Haunting of Hill Home,” in addition to haunted home ideas of its personal creation.

The occasion sometimes runs between early September and Halloween at Common’s theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. Some horror followers go to nearly nightly throughout HHN’s two-month run.

Quickly, these followers will not have to attend for spooky season to get the pants scared off of them.

On the identical day that Common introduced plans for a kid-friendly theme park in Texas, it shared plans for a year-round expertise based mostly on Halloween Horror Nights on the Area15 leisure district in Las Vegas.

In response to a press launch, the immersive horror expertise will embody “a wide range of distinctive, immersive, incredible horror-centric experiences that encompass excessive power meals and beverage areas by day turned haunting bars and eateries by night time.”

A gap date has but to be introduced, however when it does open, it would mark the primary time Common has created a everlasting horror expertise outdoors of its theme parks.

What this implies for Disney vs. Common

In fact, we would be remiss to depart out the brand new tasks taking form at Disney parks.

Greater than 10 new points of interest and leisure choices are coming to Disney World this 12 months, together with the long-anticipated Tron Lightcycle Run coaster at Magic Kingdom.

At Disneyland, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and a reimagined Toontown will open early this 12 months throughout celebrations to mark the a centesimal anniversary of The Walt Disney Firm. And, by the top of 2024, Disney World and Disneyland will open their very own variations of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, a revamped attraction changing Splash Mountain.

Additionally coming down the pike are new Disney Trip Membership towers at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the Disneyland Lodge, a brand new Pixar theme for Disney’s Paradise Pier Lodge, a brand new cruise ship, and new lands and points of interest at Disney’s worldwide parks.

Most of Disney’s confirmed tasks are slated to be wrapped by the top of 2024 — in regards to the time Common’s lately introduced parks and points of interest (and Epic Universe) ought to be getting ready to open.

Even when Disney introduced one thing right this moment, comparable in scale to what Common has deliberate within the coming years, it is unlikely it will be able to open anytime quickly. That provides Common ample alternative to swoop in and declare the modern-day hottest theme park crown.

It isn’t solely the sheer scale of Common’s unprecedented growth that’s pushing it to the highest, it is what these tasks imply for the model. Branching out into new places and experiences can solely serve to bolster model recognition and loyalty for Common.

It’s focusing on not solely the youthful technology who can “develop up” together with Common’s kid-friendly park in Texas, the Nintendo-themed land in California and the Minions in Florida, however it’s concurrently going after the grownup demographic by increasing into the Las Vegas market.

Backside line

No matter what both model has deliberate to construct, reimagine or develop, it is onerous to think about a world the place the phrase “Disney” just isn’t synonymous with top-tier theme park holidays.

Some households spend years planning a visit that can deliver the magic of Disney’s basic movies and beloved characters to life for his or her youngsters, and that is not more likely to change anytime quickly.

For Common to win, although, it does not really imply Disney has to lose.

Actually, the true winners on this race to the highest between Disney and Common are the followers. When Common constructed a whole “Harry Potter”-themed land the place visitors may forged spells and fly by Hogwarts on broomsticks, Disney responded with a “Star Wars”-themed land the place visitors may fly the Millennium Falcon and construct their very own lightsabers.

Each parks are on a unending quest for our trip {dollars}, which advantages us as a lot because it does them. For those who desire “Harry Potter” and Tremendous Nintendo, you possibly can spend just a few days of their respective worlds at Common. For those who desire Disney princesses or “Star Wars,” you are able to do the identical at Disney.

Regardless of which you select on any given day, you may be handled to a world-class expertise and numerous trip reminiscences.

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