Rivalries are a time-honored tradition -- but social media has upped the entertainment value of rivalries between celebrities, sports teams, and even big-name brands. That’s been the case when it comes to two of the worlds’ most beloved theme parks, who regularly engage in the not-so-subtle art of subtweeting one another. After Disney World made a new announcement regarding park amenities, Universal Studios couldn’t help but throw a little shade.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Disney World has made many changes to the way the park is run in order to keep guests safe. Over the past few months, it's slowly begun to reintegrate some park services that were put on hold. Now, Disney Parks’ official Twitter account has announced that the trams that shuttle guests from the parking lots to the park entrance will be returning to Magic Kingdom soon, with the other parks to follow suit in the future.
While this is likely happy news for Disney patrons, it also seems to have given one of the park’s biggest competitors an excuse for some good-natured trolling. Shortly after the news broke, Universal Studios tweeted something that was probably a bit too on the nose to be coincidental:
Trams? Where we're going, we don't need trams.December 3, 2021
Any day is a good day to quote Back to the Future, but this tweet definitely seemed to be more than just a fun pop culture reference. Universal Studios’ own methods of getting guests to and from the parking lot involves a series of escalators and walkways and a central transportation hub. The park's tramless transportation hub seems to be a point of pride - at least, when it comes to comparing itself to its competitor.
This isn’t the first time that the social media team has poked fun at The Most Magical Place on Earth. At the beginning of the year, when Disney announced it was canceling its Annual Pass system, Universal tweeted out its appreciation for the park's own Annual Pass holders. When country singer Jason Aldean was caught without a mask at Disney World, Universal Studios’ Twitter account referenced one of his songs when reminding fans to wear their masks. And when fans shared their frustration at the cost of staying at the Star Wars-themed Galaxy's Edge, the rival park once again engaged in some light trolling -- all the while referencing a long-standing inside joke with its own attendees.
Of course, Disney has done its share of trolling Universal, too -- and there’s nothing wrong with some friendly competitive spirit. If nothing else, the back-and-forth trolling is a sign that both social media teams have a good grasp on how their core audience uses the Internet and what keeps them engaged.
Disney Parks says the trams will be returning to Magic Kingdom later this month. They’re expected to be up and running for Epcot and the other parks later in 2022.
