Epic Universe Ticketing Info, Advice, & Speculation

[Scott W.]

Once again, if you REALLY want a ticket, you can buy it now as a multi-day ticket package. If you’re a passholder you can buy one now. They’ve made a calculated decision here. I understand you may think it’s a miscalculation, but they apparently don’t or they would have panicked and put single day tickets on sale by now. The numbers they’re seeing must be meeting expectations or they would have changed course.

The whole point of building the third/(fourth) park is to sell a week long Universal vacation, not an add on day for Epic on your Disney trip. They are focused on getting people to do multiple days in all parks. Those one offs are a lower priority.

They've basically made a week long Universal trip with an add on day for Epic.

I'm still on the fence about visiting Orlando this year and my current plan if I do go is to buy only single day Epic tickets, skip the current resort and fly to Dollywood for a few days and probably save money.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Just for fun I looked with my BF about tickets. He’s never been to UOR but he’s been into the idea of our first vacation being Orlando, if not UOR specific. All I’ll say is he didn’t understand why purchasing tickets seem “complicated” in any way. He more seemed to want to do a general Orlando trip and not UOR if we can’t see this park as much.

Obviously I am attached here so we will be going at some point early next year, cause I’m pushing it. I’d say this new ticket process isn’t getting new vacation goers to this park, not right away at least. This is just one example obviously.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

They've basically made a week long Universal trip with an add on day for Epic.

Yes that’s what they want.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I have a hard time believing if Universal is seeing slow/problematic sales and saying “yeah - let’s hold steady”

Agree 1000%.

We are nerds and there is so much info we don't have access to.

 

[Jake S]

I would caution against assuming that a company must be acting rationally. We have scores of evidence to dispute that notion.

 

[Alicia]

I would caution against assuming that a company must be acting rationally. We have scores of evidence to dispute that notion.

Namely continuing to build Supercharged east after opening Supercharged west?

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I also don’t think the business case is super clear-cut. It’s easy to see a scenario where holding on might make sense financially — Uni thinks the demand for Epic is sustainable in the long-run but dire for the other parks.

There’s also the chance that demand in general for Epic is not that high, and the release of single-day tickets ultimately wouldn’t make a substantial difference. That’s kinda a doomer scenario but it’s always a possibility.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I would caution against assuming that a company must be acting rationally. We have scores of evidence to dispute that notion.

Which is why I think it's fair to question and discuss their choice in ticketing strategy. I want the parks to thrive, not relive mistakes from the past. The same company got capacity numbers wrong for Volcano Bay.

 

[Jake S]

Which is why I think it's fair to question and discuss their choice in ticketing strategy. I want the parks to thrive, not relive mistakes from the past. The same company got capacity numbers wrong for Volcano Bay.

I just don’t feel it’s all that interesting a discussion because there’s so much we don’t know. I feel confident saying this rollout has been lousy as a customer experience, but I have no real insight into whether or not this will translate into business success.

I’m skeptical of the wisdom of this policy, but I’m not sure what else there is to talk about that doesn’t rely on a lot of conjecture.

 

[DrStarlander]

I feel confident saying this rollout has been lousy as a customer experience, but I have no real insight into whether or not this will translate into business success.

I absolutely get what you are saying. Yet, for me, this kind of sums up what's wrong in the theme park industry (and maybe other industries): The separation of "customer experience" and "business success." Namely, the idea that any business success that comes at the expense of customer experience is worthwhile business success (sustainable, repeatable, accretive to brand value and positive sentiment...).

The idea that you can manipulate customers, hold them "hostage" so to speak, pressurize them, confuse them with bundles and options, and all these MBA-ish methods of extracting business success while knowing you are creating a bad customer experience and then...what? They go to the quarterly board meeting and tout the business success but never consider or are held accountable for the longer-term business and brand damage? Perhaps figuring that is "someone else's problem" (Whoever takes over in the next year or two while they move up or move on to another position, division, or company?) And just to be clear, I'm not reacting to your comment negatively, but rather the current business mentality you accurately cite.

 

[Brian G.]

I absolutely get what you are saying. Yet, for me, this kind of sums up what's wrong in the theme park industry (and maybe other industries): The separation of "customer experience" and "business success." Namely, the idea that any business success that comes at the expense of customer experience is worthwhile business success (sustainable, repeatable, accretive to brand value and positive sentiment...).

The idea that you can manipulate customers, hold them "hostage" so to speak, pressurize them, confuse them with bundles and options, and all these MBA-ish methods of extracting business success while knowing you are creating a bad customer experience and then...what? They go to the quarterly board meeting and tout the business success but never consider or are held accountable for the longer-term business and brand damage? Perhaps figuring that is "someone else's problem" (Whoever takes over in the next year or two while they move up or move on to another reposition, division, or company?) And just to be clear, I'm not reaction to your comment negatively, but rather the current business mentality you accurately cite.

I think it's just a matter of "odd man out". They have our money. We committed as soon as this park was announced without knowing one thing about it. They want the money from the people who don't know what the heck they want for a vacation - and I'm going to guess that makes up a large chunk of their demo target.

 

[Jake S]

I absolutely get what you are saying. Yet, for me, this kind of sums up what's wrong in the theme park industry (and maybe other industries): The separation of "customer experience" and "business success." Namely, the idea that any business success that comes at the expense of customer experience is worthwhile business success (sustainable, repeatable, accretive to brand value and positive sentiment...).

Oh yeah, to be clear I don’t care remotely about Universal’s business success and completely agree that this mindset has had a terrible impact on our daily lives. I’m just cognizant that’s the only thing Universal cares about — and it’s even more challenging to evaluate the “soft power” impact of things like this than it is the nuts and bolts of it all.

 

[belloq87]

Oh yeah, to be clear I don’t care remotely about Universal’s business success

I mean... we should care a little about Universal's business success, because if they're not successful, they won't be investing in theme parks for very long.

I think the larger point is that you can be successful and care about a high-quality guest experience. And at least in terms of this ticket roll-out thus far, Universal does not care the guest experience. If anything, their methods actually indicate they might want some potential guests to be frustrated enough to not visit (this year).