Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

[Alicia]

While I appreciate Alicia’s preview, it’s still a preview and not final concept. Just pump the breaks here.

Yea these videos our like our halfway check in. There’s still a lot we don’t know.

 

[OrlLover]

Yea these videos our like our halfway check in. There’s still a lot we don’t know.

I appreciate your posts and insights so much Alicia. Thank you for being a wonderful light in this community.

 

[mainejeff]

I agree. The shops, eateries, and theming look great, but the land seems to lack a cornerstone, full-immersion ride of the type the other three lands feature. Perhaps the show will fill that gap, but theme park shows are tricky for a variety of reasons. It seems like a Splash level flume would have fit perfectly and would really have filled a gap in the parks overall offerings. Even a small dark ride might have helped. As is, it seems like at least two of the three rides in this more family-oriented land will have fairly high height restrictions, continuing an issue with the resort as a whole.

Agreed. I would have liked to see a Splash Mountain type attraction but with larger boats and more immersive/technologically advanced animatronics and effects. With 3 other coasters on opening day including 2 family friendly ones....I think something different would have worked well for this land's feature attraction. That being said....this coaster looks fun and I'm sure park guests will love it.

 

[Killer Klown]

It’s kind of funny that HTTYD is viewed as the kind of “kiddie land” of the park yet it seems like you could make an argument for two of the land’s rides being more “thrilling” than any of the rides in the other lands (not counting hub coaster since it’s not technically in a land).

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It’s kind of funny that HTTYD is viewed as the kind of “kiddie land” of the park yet it seems like you could make an argument for two of the land’s rides being more “thrilling” than any of the rides in the other lands (not counting hub coaster since it’s not technically in a land).

With the exception of the Sky Fly the rest of the offerings are all family-focused. The coaster will be a more thrilling/faster "universal" version of Slinky Dog Dash.

 

[Alicia]

With the exception of the Sky Fly the rest of the offerings are all family-focused. The coaster will be a more thrilling/faster "universal" version of Slinky Dog Dash.

Yoshi is a kiddie ride and the Splash Battle is a kiddie ride. Dragons coaster and DK are both going to be family friendly coasters. So it's hard to call either SNW or Dragons a kiddie land, (yet I've gotten plenty of comments calling Dragons that word all the time).

Seuss Landing is a kiddie land. This park just doesn't have any one land that is wholly kiddie. It's kinda neat actually.

 

[Killer Klown]

Yoshi is a kiddie ride and the Splash Battle is a kiddie ride. Dragons coaster and DK are both going to be family friendly coasters. So it's hard to call either SNW or Dragons a kiddie land, (yet I've gotten plenty of comments calling Dragons that word all the time).

Seuss Landing is a kiddie land. This park just doesn't have any one land that is wholly kiddie. It's kinda neat actually.

Yeah I didn’t mean it as “wow the dragon coaster is so thrilling and intense”. Just that even with the coaster being like Hagrid level it’s still seemingly more “thrilling” than basically any of the other lands rides and of course the sky fly is the one of two rides that invert in the park even though the inverting is optional. So to see it being labeled the “kiddie land” has been kind of hilarious.

 

[jarmor]

I just wish the park invested in more flat rides. I would love to see this in the hub. . .

 

[MakoMania]

Too big a visual spectacle and crowd drawer for the capacity that it has. Bigger flats are inappropriate for universal level parks for this reason, unless they are willing to build multiple.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Yoshi is a kiddie ride and the Splash Battle is a kiddie ride. Dragons coaster and DK are both going to be family friendly coasters. So it's hard to call either SNW or Dragons a kiddie land, (yet I've gotten plenty of comments calling Dragons that word all the time).

Seuss Landing is a kiddie land. This park just doesn't have any one land that is wholly kiddie. It's kinda neat actually.

I disagree that Seuss is a “kiddie” land. It’s certainly family oriented, but it features at least two rides that are enjoyable for all ages. Similarly, I don’t feel either Mario or Dragon can legitimately be called “kiddie” lands, and Yoshi and the water battle are better labelled “family” rides. My understanding of a “kiddie” land or ride is one that caters SOLELY to children, like Kidszone or it’s replacement. I’d argue the Orlando resorts should heavily favor “family” lands (as EU is doing) and eschew “kiddie” lands.

 

[jarmor]

Too big a visual spectacle and crowd drawer for the capacity that it has. Bigger flats are inappropriate for universal level parks for this reason, unless they are willing to build multiple.

Yes, it is a spectacle for sure but to say it doesn't have the capacity. . . it has nearly 4 times the capacity of one of the sky fly they are installing in the HTTYD land so theoretically, it has double the capacity of what they are already installing. Also, they both have 48" height requirements so how could this it not work but the sky fly's will, with half the capacity?

 

[MakoMania]

Yes, it is a spectacle for sure but to say it doesn't have the capacity. . . it has nearly 4 times the capacity of one of the sky fly they are installing in the HTTYD land so theoretically, it has double the capacity of what they are already installing. Also, they both have 48" height requirements so how could this it not work but the sky fly's will, with half the capacity?

Simply because it is about 4 times the size of the sky fly rides, meaning it will be seen as a "big" ride, drawing a larger crowd. I'm still somewhat concerned about the sky fly rides though, as even regional parks with a fifth or less of a universal park's attendance struggle to get people through on them, so even though there are two it will be interesting to see how things go.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It'll be interesting to see the capacity/demand of the Sky Flys. They have a similar capacity to Doctor Doom, but that sees low ridership due to its intensity.

For perspective, 90 sec load/unload and 90 sec of ride time gives it a total capacity of 480 (for both dueling sky flys combined).

Doctor Doom's entire load/ride time is about 4 minutes (which is as fast as I've seen them run it) giving it a capacity of 480.

We're looking at some Dumbo (pre-dueling Dumbo) related waits, probably more.

 

[captainmoch]

I think my one gripe with HTTYD is that one of the biggest draws of the films is the amazing flight scenes and I'm not sure if the coaster can really replicate that. There's still the nitpicky part of my brain that wants "Flights of Passage but Dragons" instead. If the coaster has on-ride audio playing the fantastic film score, it could maybe scratch that itch, though.

That said, the land at least feels like it's scratching every niche that a viking-themed land needs; viking battle boat ride, dragon-riding coaster, thrilling catapult-type attraction, practical effects-filled stage show, and dragon AAs and puppets populating the land. I know some have questioned the use of HTTYD as one of the park's core IPs, but the general concept of vikings and dragons are so timeless that it could honestly be this park's Pandora. Still based on an iconic and beloved film, still a land that will please the fanbase, but also something recognizable and appealing to just about anyone. It'll compliment a spooky European village, a magical 1920s Paris, and the Galilean sci-fi hub quite well.

Wizarding World is probably the biggest wildcard of the park for me. I'm fatigued on Potter for many reasons and think the mix of 1920s Paris and modern day Ministry of Magic sounds kind of nonsensical and forced, but I'm hoping that Universal Creative can find a way to tie things together cohesively. Even I can appreciate Diagon and if they can recapture an iota of that energy, it could be decent. (I think my personal pitch would be to theme the land as a "Wizarding World Fair" that brings in several unique wizarding countries. Paris is the host with its own beautiful theme, the Ministry attraction is framed as the UK's part of the fair where they whisk you away to their country's capital, the stage show could be a performance from some other wizarding country or that French school from the books. It'd feel less like an assortment of Fantastic Beasts leftovers and a cut Diagon expansion and more like an interesting extension of the worldbuilding that Hogsmeade and Diagon began. Just spitballing, though.)

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I think my one gripe with HTTYD is that one of the biggest draws of the films is the amazing flight scenes and I'm not sure if the coaster can really replicate that. There's still the nitpicky part of my brain that wants "Flights of Passage but Dragons" instead. If the coaster has on-ride audio playing the fantastic film score, it could maybe scratch that itch, though.

That said, the land at least feels like it's scratching every niche that a viking-themed land needs; viking battle boat ride, dragon-riding coaster, thrilling catapult-type attraction, practical effects-filled stage show, and dragon AAs and puppets populating the land. I know some have questioned the use of HTTYD as one of the park's core IPs, but the general concept of vikings and dragons are so timeless that it could honestly be this park's Pandora. Still based on an iconic and beloved film, still a land that will please the fanbase, but also something recognizable and appealing to just about anyone. It'll compliment a spooky European village, a magical 1920s Paris, and the Galilean sci-fi hub quite well.

Wizarding World is probably the biggest wildcard of the park for me. I'm fatigued on Potter for many reasons and think the mix of 1920s Paris and modern day Ministry of Magic sounds kind of nonsensical and forced, but I'm hoping that Universal Creative can find a way to tie things together cohesively. Even I can appreciate Diagon and if they can recapture an iota of that energy, it could be decent. (I think my personal pitch would be to theme the land as a "Wizarding World Fair" that brings in several unique wizarding countries. Paris is the host with its own beautiful theme, the Ministry attraction is framed as the UK's part of the fair where they whisk you away to their country's capital, the stage show could be a performance from some other wizarding country or that French school from the books. It'd feel less like an assortment of Fantastic Beasts leftovers and a cut Diagon expansion and more like an interesting extension of the worldbuilding that Hogsmeade and Diagon began. Just spitballing, though.)

I hear your concern, but I think the “awe” of the fly scenes will come with the general scenery in this land. I think they’re aware there is no “flight of passage” for lack of a better word, and are building the land to its fullest instead.

 

[belloq87]

If the coaster has on-ride audio playing the fantastic film score, it could maybe scratch that itch, though.

"Test Drive" from the first film's score is just sitting there, waiting to be used.

 

[SkiBum]

I think my one gripe with HTTYD is that one of the biggest draws of the films is the amazing flight scenes and I'm not sure if the coaster can really replicate that. There's still the nitpicky part of my brain that wants "Flights of Passage but Dragons" instead. If the coaster has on-ride audio playing the fantastic film score, it could maybe scratch that itch, though.

That said, the land at least feels like it's scratching every niche that a viking-themed land needs; viking battle boat ride, dragon-riding coaster, thrilling catapult-type attraction, practical effects-filled stage show, and dragon AAs and puppets populating the land. I know some have questioned the use of HTTYD as one of the park's core IPs, but the general concept of vikings and dragons are so timeless that it could honestly be this park's Pandora. Still based on an iconic and beloved film, still a land that will please the fanbase, but also something recognizable and appealing to just about anyone. It'll compliment a spooky European village, a magical 1920s Paris, and the Galilean sci-fi hub quite well.

Wizarding World is probably the biggest wildcard of the park for me. I'm fatigued on Potter for many reasons and think the mix of 1920s Paris and modern day Ministry of Magic sounds kind of nonsensical and forced, but I'm hoping that Universal Creative can find a way to tie things together cohesively. Even I can appreciate Diagon and if they can recapture an iota of that energy, it could be decent. (I think my personal pitch would be to theme the land as a "Wizarding World Fair" that brings in several unique wizarding countries. Paris is the host with its own beautiful theme, the Ministry attraction is framed as the UK's part of the fair where they whisk you away to their country's capital, the stage show could be a performance from some other wizarding country or that French school from the books. It'd feel less like an assortment of Fantastic Beasts leftovers and a cut Diagon expansion and more like an interesting extension of the worldbuilding that Hogsmeade and Diagon began. Just spitballing, though.)

If the rumors hold true, the flying part will be a Phase 2 ride. I think Alicia's video suggested that. I know that those are guesses at this point but I hope that they hold true.

 

[OrlLover]

If the rumors hold true, the flying part will be a Phase 2 ride. I think Alicia's video suggested that. I know that those are guesses at this point but I hope that they hold true.

Yep that big piece of empty land that’s prime for a nice dark ride.

 

[Alicia]

If the rumors hold true, the flying part will be a Phase 2 ride. I think Alicia's video suggested that. I know that those are guesses at this point but I hope that they hold true.

I technically said there were no current plans for a simulator. And then in the following segment talked about expansion space within the land. If you drew any conclusions about what could go within that space based on the previous segment that is completely by coincidence.

Ain’t I a stinker?

 

[HHN Maddux]

I technically said there were no current plans for a simulator. And then in the following segment talked about expansion space within the land. If you drew any conclusions about what could go within that space based on the previous segment that is completely by coincidence.

Ain’t I a stinker?

From the patent, I feel like that simulator would be wayyyyyy too similar to Flight of Passage anyway.