Harry Potter, Darth Vader and Disney princesses

The theme park war between Disney and Universal rages on, and the past five days have brought big announcements from both companies. Themeparkinsider.com reported in August that Disney's American parks saw attendance plateau while profits fell 19 percent; Universal, meanwhile, saw a drop in attendance but a 13-percent increase in profit, thanks to cost-cutting.

But neither company is cutting costs in their quests for money from you, the suburban traveler. Here's how each company intends to get that cash in the next few years:

Harry Potter and the Islands of Adventure:

Theme park enthusiasts have known about Universal's new Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP from here on out) for quite some time, but today the resort revealed detailed plans for the new themed area at the Islands of Adventure park in Orlando.

The new section of the park is scheduled to open in Spring 2010, and will feature re-creations of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley inspired by the films based on J.K. Rowling's books. Today's Web cast revealed WWoHP will boast three attractions: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a souped-up dark ride inside the Hogwarts castle that will depict famous scenes from the films; Dragon Challenge, a high-speed roller coaster based upon "Goblet of Fire's" Triwizard Tournament; and Flight of the Hippogriff, a family coaster. Hopefully Universal will actually open all of these attractions on the same day the entire "world" opens -- reports from a few years ago suggested the rides would not be ready for opening day, but today's Web cast makes no mention of that.

I have never visited Universal's Orlando resort, but Harry Potter will change that; my next scheduled visit to Orlando (assuming I can afford it) is in October 2010 for the Epcot Food & Wine festival, and I think I need to work in at least one day at Islands of Adventure now. IoA is home to what enthusiasts consider the best theme-park ride in the world, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, but I have shied away from Universal because I assume the theming and cleanliness are nowhere near Disney's standards. I've seen pictures of IoA that show a park cluttered with giant, flat cutouts of Marvel comic-book characters. You call that theming?

But the concept art I've seen of WWoHP suggests Universal has really raised its own bar, which will only make Disney follow suit. And so they have ...

A whole new World:

Disney's ambitious plans for its struggling California Adventure park have been widely publicized, but long-rumored changes to the Orlando resort were made public this past weekend at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim. Harry Potter will present Mickey and the gang with their stiffest competition yet, and Walt Disney World will respond with Darth Vader, Ariel, Belle and Dumbo.

The best news for nerdy, grown-up Disney fans like me was the official confirmation of Star Tours II, which I first wrote about back in May when there were rumblings of new footage being shot with Boba Fett and other characters from the original “Star Wars” trilogy. The first Star Tours opened in 1987 at Disneyland and was pretty much the coolest thing ever -- you board an intergalactic tourist bus that ends up right in the middle of a Death Star battle. The flight-simulator technology that was shiny and new back then has been done to death in the 22 years hence, but no ride really matched the adrenaline shot that Star Tours gives you. The new version of the ride will boast a 3D ride-film, and, judging by the footage shown at the Expo, will incorporate material from the dreaded prequel trilogy. But whispers on the Internet indicate the ride will either be much longer, and visit many “Star Wars” destinations, or there will be multiple rides now. Star Tours II is set to open in 2011 at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I can’t-freaking-wait.

But Disney’s most ambitious plans are reserved for the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. The park’s signature area will double in size, and will focus on the Disney princesses and your child’s chance to interact with them. It sounds like it’s going to cater to young girls, but there will also be new restaurants based on two locations from “Beauty and the Beast.” One, the Be Our Guest restaurant, looks to rely on Disney’s new interactive animatronic figures -- a concept drawing shows the living candlestick Lumiere talking to guests. Disney tested this concept at Epcot’s French restaurant last year with its Remy the Rat character.

But I’m guessing the most welcome change will be to the Dumbo ride. Believe it or not, Dumbo is pretty much the most popular attraction at Walt Disney World, and parents and kids have to wait forever to ride it. So Disney’s fighting the long wait by adding a second Dumbo carousel and supposedly eliminating the queue. Instead of waiting in line, you’ll enter a circus-themed area with games and performers. No specifics were offered, but I’m guessing each guest will be called to the ride by a pager or a number system. If this actually works, Disney guests might demand such a system for every ride. I think such a thing is unnecessary for most E-ticket attractions, as sometimes the queue is just as much fun as the actual attraction. (In the case of the overhyped Expedition Everest, the queue is better than the ride. At least, that’s what I think.) The Dumbo queue, however, has never had any theme at all, so this new system makes sense. If these Fantasyland changes work in Orlando, they might make their way to Anaheim -- but don’t bet on that happening anytime soon. The new Fantasyland opens in 2012, and all of the new attractions are supposed to be ready by the following year.

So who will benefit most?

Both. Disney continues to offer a singular experience in Orlando, and they are adding to it. Universal isn’t doing anything quite that ambitious, and I don’t think they need to. Not too many loyal Disney fans are going to ditch WDW altogether in favor of WWoHP, but more and more of them will add a day or two to their vacations to see it.

Of course, one big question remains: Can any of us here in the Midwest afford to go to Orlando anymore?!?!