I am a little disappointed when I heard that the Black Stone Group wanted to sell their stake in Universal Studios Orlando. Why is this news disappointing? Well, the Black Stone Group just purchased controlling interest in SeaWorld Orlando a little more than a year ago, and I was hoping that they would figure out a way to combine the two parks together into one huge park. By merging the two theme parks together, visitors would be able to visit 3 theme parks and a great water park. In addition, by combing both theme park marketing dollars they would be able to hopefully rival Disney World.
I am a firm beliver that competiton makes for a better customer experience, and while Universal Studios and SeaWorld are great theme parks they don’t really compete with Disney World in regards to yearly admissions and number of attractions. I was hoping that through the Black Stone Merger of Universal Studios and Sea World, Disney World and the Black Stone Group would get into a theme park arms race. This arms race would ultimately attract more guests and provide an even better overall experience.
