Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[Rhian]

If they need more people, they should let TMs in for free again.

It's not like TMs weren't spending money on merch, food, and drinks! Plus the short notice on rollouts for the family previews didn't help, and had there been more advanced notice it would've been smoother for everyone involved.

If it's numbers they needed for testing they should've continued TM family previews and add pass holders to the fray instead of ending one and starting the other.

I hear ya. IDK what the purpose of last week's extension was if today's news was planned from the beginning, though I still think there would have been angry APs. One thing to keep in mind is that exclusivity was never promised, just first dibs - but I can understand the implication that low crowds come with that.

"Passholder previews" as a phrase comes with some implication of exclusivity, even if it was just TMs and APs. That "first dibs" phase should have lasted the entire date range announced. I can certainly see where someone expecting a certain level of crowds be disappointed with this announcement knowing it will now be busier and the perk of having a pass for this moment feels diminished.

Overall the preview rollout has been a bumpy one.

 

[Tbad556]

.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Good to see I’m not the only one complaining about UOR’s horrendous communication.

Universal Creative gets an A+ for Epic.

Operations, Admissions, Marketing… still figuring it out.

 

[Brian G.]

It's not like TMs weren't spending money on merch, food, and drinks! Plus the short notice on rollouts for the family previews didn't help, and had there been more advanced notice it would've been smoother for everyone involved.

If it's numbers they needed for testing they should've continued TM family previews and add pass holders to the fray instead of ending one and starting the other.


"Passholder previews" as a phrase comes with some implication of exclusivity, even if it was just TMs and APs. That "first dibs" phase should have lasted the entire date range announced. I can certainly see where someone expecting a certain level of crowds be disappointed with this announcement knowing it will now be busier and the perk of having a pass for this moment feels diminished.

Overall the preview rollout has been a bumpy one.

For the record, it was never labeled "Passholder Previews" because the group also included hotel guests, military personnel, and VISA cardholders. It was only marketed as "Previews" without any exclusivity. APs get the same number of allotted, and "discounted", tickets. The only difference now is that your day will also include GP.

Despite that, I agree with the frustration with communication.

I disagree about the inclusion of the GP. That's all.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

When the dates were initially billed as AP Previews, only to open it up to everyone, people are rightfully questioning the rollout method. It all depends if this step coincides with Universal increasing the number of tickets they’ll sell for the remaining days, or if they’re just trying to sell the remaining tickets they’ll already allocated

Clearly, as has been stated ad nauseum on these boards, the low capacity of the previews has made for a great park experience before the crazy crowds on May 22 forward.

But at the end of the day, when the product is ready and done, will people complain about the previews? Is this an actual issue or is this a perceived slight? I'm leaning towards the later.

The flawless communication continues. Does it start today or May 9th? Not joining a 30 min queue to verify which is true.

View attachment 26221

And what kinda gibberish answer is this?

View attachment 26222

Tickets are on sale now for the general public for previews today, and visits start on May 9th. I am not seeing the issue here at all.

 

[Rhian]

For the record, it was never labeled "Passholder Previews" because the group also included hotel guests, military personnel, and VISA cardholders. It was only marketed as "Previews" without any exclusivity. APs get the same number of allotted, and "discounted", tickets. The only difference now is that your day will also include GP.

Despite that, I agree with the frustration with communication.

I disagree about the inclusion of the GP. That's all.

You're likely right but I think this points to Universal being annoying in how they've presented this and how they've been wording things. It's become a reality vs. expectation situation where the consumer doesn't feel great and has no choice but to begrudgingly go along with it.

I'm with you on the GP access which is the root of the current angst.

 

[Tbad556]

Tickets are on sale now for the general public for previews today, and visits start on May 9th. I am not seeing the issue here at all.

The issue is this isn't true. The visits seem to start today, not just the ticket sales.

Notice how the communication is so bad that even you got it wrong? That's what we're talking about here. It's a mess when all it should take is a simple "Universal Epic Universe previews are now open to the general public! This public soft opening will occur from today, April 29th through May 19th."

 

[Mad Dog]

The flawless communication continues. Does it start today or May 9th? Not joining a 30 min queue to verify which is true.

View attachment 26221

And what kinda gibberish answer is this?

View attachment 26222

When Universal's ticketing decisions agitate one of their most loyal, almost always supportive, USO fan/guest like you, that should signal to Universal mgt. that they're not doing this Epic ticketing, both previews and post opening, correctly. Who ever is making these decisions, needs to step back and reevaluate. And, most important, start getting it right. They really don't seem to have a clue. Kind of chaotic.

 

[Rikku]

Sooooo are we expecting still more limited capacity haha I know redundant at this point but just stressing as this weekend is my first time and all the hype around low wait times and lesser crowds got me jazzed now I am worried. I am also in the camp of selling to the general public isn't the worst thing but hopeful the capacity is still lower....

 

[JohnHammondsCane]

Sooooo are we expecting still more limited capacity haha I know redundant at this point but just stressing as this weekend is my first time and all the hype around low wait times and lesser crowds got me jazzed now I am worried. I am also in the camp of selling to the general public isn't the worst thing but hopeful the capacity is still lower....

Unfortunately we don't know at this point.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

 

[OLSinFLA]

Good to see I’m not the only one complaining about UOR’s horrendous communication.

Universal Creative gets an A+ for Epic.

Operations, Admissions, Marketing… still figuring it out.

Wouldn't be a Universal park opening without it being screwed uo

 

[vgp]

Sooooo are we expecting still more limited capacity haha I know redundant at this point but just stressing as this weekend is my first time and all the hype around low wait times and lesser crowds got me jazzed now I am worried. I am also in the camp of selling to the general public isn't the worst thing but hopeful the capacity is still lower....

I'd be very surprised if someone attending preview this weekend had a different experience than those who went last weekend.

 

[Acandrews12]

I, for one, am glad they are testing the park with more people during the previews. Hopefully that will lead to less issues during the opening weeks.

 

[Jake S]

At the very least, agitating your most loyal customers isn’t “good.” I don’t think this will cause endless cancellations, but I do think the relationship between fans and corporation is always fragile.

 

[Mad Dog]

Seems we're getting comments indicating Potter and Monsters as the best new attractions in the park. And, perhaps Stardust Racers right after them. Sooo, of you who have sampled all three (taking into consideration that they are still adapting scenes)....which is the best Epic attraction?

 

[Alicia]

Guest previews have always been open to general public. I’ve heard of folks who booked a cheap endless summer room for one night, checked in, put as many family on their room as possible, and bought preview epic tickets for two weeks later. Never even stayed in the room.

It may be cost prohibitive for most people, but a $100 room you don’t need is cheaper than a 900 annual pass you don’t want.

Either way, these were never officially called Passholders Previews. They were Guest Previews. And now they’re just available without a paywall.

 

[johnathanm]

This isn’t a major complaint from me as I would have kept my pass regardless, but it is interesting that effectively nothing truly UOAP-exclusive has been offered in relation to Epic, right?

As mentioned, the previews weren’t exclusive. Maybe one could argue the 1/2 weeks of access post-grand opening were, but:

(1) That could be circumvented with the multi-day ticket method, and;
(2) Much of the allure of opening week no doubt is being among the “first to see,” which has since been cheapened/negated by the number of people that have attended through previews.

Probably not the optimal way to ingratiate existing fans in a vacuum, but oh well. More important things to be worried about

 

[amar831]

I feel there’s also a point to be made about the fact that the parks are owned by a corporation. Thinking from a business standpoint, this conversation about the tickets has made me think they were trying to ask 3 main questions. How much more are annual passholders willing to pay to go to Epic Universe for one day? How many more people are willing to pay for a hotel stay to go to Epic? How much will the general public be willing to pay to go to Epic Universe?

Many have mentioned that the preview ticket prices have felt excessive since they’re pretty much the same as previously released post opening prices. But they’re being very open about the park not being fully operational and obviously there are those that still choose to spend the money.

This soft opening period is of course a time of examining and perfecting park operations. But there’s a big chance that someone higher up is using all of this as a way of monitoring spending habits and gauging the popularity of certain things vs. others, whether that be rides, food offerings, or merchandise items. Captain Cacao has blown up so much because of previews filled with employees and APs, but will the general public care enough to buy the merch?

 

[OrlLover]

I feel there’s also a point to be made about the fact that the parks are owned by a corporation. Thinking from a business standpoint, this conversation about the tickets has made me think they were trying to ask 3 main questions. How much more are annual passholders willing to pay to go to Epic Universe for one day? How many more people are willing to pay for a hotel stay to go to Epic? How much will the general public be willing to pay to go to Epic Universe?

Many have mentioned that the preview ticket prices have felt excessive since they’re pretty much the same as previously released post opening prices. But they’re being very open about the park not being fully operational and obviously there are those that still choose to spend the money.

This soft opening period is of course a time of examining and perfecting park operations. But there’s a big chance that someone higher up is using all of this as a way of monitoring spending habits and gauging the popularity of certain things vs. others, whether that be rides, food offerings, or merchandise items. Captain Cacao has blown up so much because of previews filled with employees and APs, but will the general public care enough to buy the merch?

You make some great points.

There has to be some higher up taking despite this roller coaster of a tick rollout.