Is Universal Ready to Give Disneyland a Run for Their After Hours Event Money?

If Universal Studios Hollywood can deliver on what it's promised for Fan Fest Nights, it should definitely give Disney pause in terms of pricing.

I love Disney and I want them to succeed. That being said, I am also willing to call them out when they don’t meet the standards they are known for. Meanwhile, although I enjoy Universal, I often feel they don’t rise to the same level of creative and operational excellence that I expect from Disney. But, at times, Universal makes Disney look inadequate. One way that I feel that is true, is their run at after hours events.

Recently I attended Sweethearts’ Nite at Disneyland. While I enjoy being able to celebrate the love between myself and my husband at a place that means a lot to both of us, Disneyland did the absolute minimum. Changing the lighting and BGM along with hosting the world’s saddest cavalcade and limited entertainment offerings showed to me that they tried to do the absolute least that they had to while being able to justify charging $149.

Sure, some of the photo ops are inventive and I genuinely love the Miss Lilly review they had at the Golden Horseshoe, but the event lacked the scope that I would expect from a special Disney event. Long lines for the photolocations didn’t help. There were no fireworks, no parade, no full-scale shows. We ran out of things to do two and a half hours into the event.

Coincidentally, I recently attended a briefing for Universal Fan Fest Nights. While we will have to see how they execute, I could not be more excited to check out this event. Existing lands are having enhancements including new character meet-and-greets and nighttime projection and drone shows. Guests will be able to head to the Backlot to see a recreation of the iconic clocktower scene from Back to the Future, and they will be able to beam aboard the iconic Starship Enterprise. This is just some of the fun that is occurring during the event — and it is for under $80! If the event ends up being half as cool as they promised, it will make Sweethearts’ Nite look like highway robbery.

One of the great things about capitalism is that competition encourages creativity. Disney started pushing their efforts into immersive lands when Universal pushed boundaries with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I hope that Universal is able to show that they can push what an after hours event can be, not only so I can enjoy their event, but it will make Disneyland up their game.

I am aware that Sweethearts’ Nite sells out — and this results in Disneyland not finding ways to “plus” their efforts. But if Universal is able to cause some guests to make the switch through pushing the envelope, maybe Disneyland will be forced to deliver an innovative experience worthy of Disneyland’s legacy.

For an audio version of this article, be sure to check out the latest episode of the Laughing Place “On Balance” Podcast. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever you get your podcasts!

Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disneyland Resort travel planning
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