Universal’s Great Movie Escape

[DodgsonHere]

Quick thoughts...Will have a full in-depth in our review tomorrow.

Fun, but I don't know how replayable it is for locals.

BTTF is a bit more challenging but my preferred of the two.

Wish there was more score-based info. Wasn't sure if we succeeded or if we "succeeded", especially at the end.

Do you think BttF is worth a one time visit for a party of 2 assuming you’d be accompanied by strangers? Huge fans of the movie for context.

 

[Alicia]

Do you think BttF is worth a one time visit for a party of 2 assuming you’d be accompanied by strangers? Huge fans of the movie for context.

I think so.

 

[Jwhee]

So far this attraction only has 13 google reviews. Not quite enough to get an accurate rating, but it does currently have an average of 1.8 stars, out of 5.

 

[Clive]

So far this attraction only has 13 google reviews. Not quite enough to get an accurate rating, but it does currently have an average of 1.8 stars, out of 5.

Oof. As I mentioned in my trip report, I would recommend waiting to try the Back to the Future experience until they can tweak the clues/timing. Right now, it's a bit too frustrating a bit too often.

 

[SpyderDan]

Really bummed to hear the negative buzz surrounding these rooms. I was hoping it would be worth trying. Kind of a spoiler question but how do they simulate time travel in the BTTF room? I assume there is no DeLorean.

 

[Alicia]

Really bummed to hear the negative buzz surrounding these rooms. I was hoping it would be worth trying. Kind of a spoiler question but how do they simulate time travel in the BTTF room? I assume there is no DeLorean.

It’s pretty well done actually.

for me, (having only done BttF so far, JW will be next month) I think the theming and effects are pretty good, sound design is great, video integration wonderful, and the story decent enough (especially for fans of the property.)

Most complaints seem to be from fans of escape rooms. Some of the challenges are not great. Some are really clever. There’s not much physically you can move/remove/replace so button mashing becomes a seemingly lazy fallback. But a few that aren’t just button mashing really impressed me.

I enjoyed it as a themed entertainment fan and a BttF fan. And I think most of us would. But it’s not the best “escape room”.

If you think of it as an interactive Tribute Store segment, you’ll be happily impressed.

 

[Magic Feather]

If you think of it as an interactive Tribute Store segment, you’ll be happily impressed.

Which is all great and fun, but for the price and marketing surrounding it, it needed to be more.

I'd argue one of the biggest mistakes made in this entire venture was including the word "escape" in the name. It automatically sets an expectation that, with their capacity constraints in mind, simply couldn't be met.

 

[GadgetGuru]

Is the JW room not open yet? Or does it just have dramatically less hype than the BttF room?

 

[Alicia]

Is the JW room not open yet? Or does it just have dramatically less hype than the BttF room?

Some friends who’ve done both said they liked JW better! They both opened same day.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

So far this attraction only has 13 google reviews. Not quite enough to get an accurate rating, but it does currently have an average of 1.8 stars, out of 5.

I'm not saying this doesn't mean anything, but I'm pretty sure Volcano Bay was sitting at like 2/5 for a solid 6 months after opening. It is now at 4.5/5.

 

[Mad Dog]

Internet reviews/opinions by hyper fans aren't worth the paper they're not written on.....Myself, I only pay attention to those on true Insider sites like IU, and even then only when they're reviewed by the more reputable
posters like @Alicia, and a handful of others.

 

[baconwhiskers]

I did the BTTF room last Friday and my thoughts are it's cute and there's some cool stuff for a fan, but not worth the high price tag. I had a kinda glitchy experience and I didn't find some of the puzzles to be great, specifically the one that gets repeated in two different rooms during it. I could only say really one room felt plucked straight out of the movies in a nearly screen accurate way (and maybe one other if done a little closer, but it is from a movie) and it had one of the better puzzles. Also the rooms themselves aren't big scale wise. They did have a scoring system and some tier thing like MIB ranks the day I did it, however you have to talk to them to know that info since it's not on some screen. I would only really feel compelled to check out the other escape room on some other trip if the price was lower.

 

[TheGentTrent]

Internet reviews/opinions by hyper fans aren't worth the paper they're not written on.....Myself, I only pay attention to those on true Insider sites like IU, and even then only when they're reviewed by the more reputable
posters like @Alicia, and a handful of others.

I'm going to have to push back on that a little bit. Hyper fans, yes I'm not really interested in what they have to say. But internet reviews from the general public I think hold a lot of weight since they represent what an average guest thinks compared to us Insiders who are inclined to like anything Universal does. And if the GP isn't really digging these Escape Rooms, then I'd expect to see an overhaul soon.

 

[UNIrd]

I'm going to have to push back on that a little bit. Hyper fans, yes I'm not really interested in what they have to say. But internet reviews from the general public I think hold a lot of weight since they represent what an average guest thinks compared to us Insiders who are inclined to like anything Universal does. And if the GP isn't really digging these Escape Rooms, then I'd expect to see an overhaul soon.

Eh.. we can also be the most hypercritical. Just depends what we're talking about. Ultimately, money will talk and it depends on how much traffic this venue gets.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

As a vacationer who goes to UOR once a year, this seems like a perfect end to a few nights of my 5-7 night vacation. Great addition.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

As a vacationer who goes to UOR once a year, this seems like a perfect end to a few nights of my 5-7 night vacation. Great addition.

That's what I'm thinking. I'll probably do at least one of them this year. I'm thinking of it less an escape room, and more like a longer attraction.

 

[Mad Dog]

A pure Escape Room concept is something I would never consider doing. Heck, the only board game, as a child, I ever hated, was 'Clue'. . But this is something less objectionable to me. I think it's a
decent quasi attraction concept, and could get many who wouldn't want to do the pure Escape Room concept, to do as a vacation add on in City Walk like the miniature golf does. And, it'll get some of
those Escape Room fans too. The cost though seems a tad too high, and perhaps needs adjusted a bit downward.

 

[Journey_On]

We played the JW one and had a good time. As many have mentioned, it’s not your traditional escape room, and escape room enthusiasts (like myself) should not go into it thinking it is one, which I already knew prior. Think of it as a well-themed theme park experience.

They have recently added a point system. Our group of 5 got out with 15 out of 20 points. The highest score that any group had gotten was 18 (as of 1/1/23). On average, groups got around 9 points (point stats were all for JW, can’t speak for BTTF yet).

 

[wutisgood]

I'm not saying this doesn't mean anything, but I'm pretty sure Volcano Bay was sitting at like 2/5 for a solid 6 months after opening. It is now at 4.5/5.

Volcano bay's problem was the insane pent up demand for new things to do in the resort and Orlando in general plus the fact that a maxed out waterpark every day is a terrible experience. We also have seen two new waterparks in the area since it was built and no expansion so there is more competition.

I thought about booking the back to the future room but decided to book another room at the bureau. I think that is the right balance for me between theme, puzzles, and entertainment. Honestly I am looking foreword to it the most on my next trip based on my past experience.

 

[Evan]

Intriguing @Alicia