Universal Orlando May Be Taking A Page From Disney When It Comes To Lines (And I Am Not A Fan)

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The theme park world is huge, with many fantastic options beyond Southern California and Florida. However, Disney and Universal are by far the largest and most influential companies in the industry.

Disney is the clear leader in the theme park industry, so other companies naturally watch their decisions when planning their own strategies. However, a recent test at Universal Orlando has me worried that the second-largest theme park company might be making some questionable choices based on Disney’s example.

Disney World and Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Isn’t The Most User Friendly System

Disney wasn’t the first theme park to offer a way to skip lines for an extra fee. For years, Disneyland and Walt Disney World had a free service called FastPass. However, when the pandemic forced parks to close and changed how things operated, Disney decided to start charging for a similar service, now known as Lightning Lane.

Disney revolutionized how theme park visitors skip lines. Unlike most parks which have a simple, all-access pass system – you either pay for line skipping on all eligible rides or you don’t – Disney’s approach is different. While other parks might vary the price based on usage, that’s generally the extent of their options.

Disney World and Disneyland offer two types of Lightning Lane access. One option covers many of the park’s popular attractions, but for the most sought-after rides, like Rise of the Resistance, you’ll need to pay an additional fee each time you want to skip the line. Alternatively, you can purchase the newer, and quite costly, Lightning Lane Premier Pass to bypass those lines as well.

Universal Is Testing An Express Option That Looks Like Disney’s Lightning Lane Single Pass

Universal Orlando usually offers two types of Express passes: one lets you skip the line once per ride, and the other offers unlimited line skipping. But recently, Universal has been testing a new option called Universal Express Single Attractions Access. As the name suggests, this allows guests to pay a fee – currently $25 per ride – to skip the line at a single attraction just once, according to a report from Orlando Theme Park Zone.

Thanks, I hate it.

I’ve accepted that skipping lines at theme parks now costs extra, but I don’t like how everything is priced individually. Universal and Disney are becoming increasingly expensive, and while I currently feel Disney World is still worth the money, that might change if every single ride and attraction has its own separate price.

Universal Orlando is currently testing a new option, and may not make it permanent. However, even if they do, it could be better than Disney’s system. If the popular rides offering this single-ride skip are also included with Universal’s regular Express Pass, guests will have more choices and can save money – it’ll be much cheaper than buying a full Express Pass if they only want to quickly experience a few attractions.

Other theme parks can learn a lot from Disney, which constantly finds new and exciting ways to entertain guests. When creating advanced characters and attractions – like Disneyland’s famous audio-animatronics – Disney is a great example to follow. However, when it comes to finding new ways to encourage spending, other parks might want to consider a different approach.

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2025-10-21 03:08