Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[PerceptiveCoot]

I'm not sure what the presumed capacities are for each of the attractions, but the wait times feel right for an E-ticker heavy park that's opening for the first time.

I'll ancedotally add that the one time I've been to USJ the wait times for Yoshi were far higher than what I expected for a ride of that type (70 minutes on a Monday a few weeks after Golden Week). This was pre-DK, however, and I haven't kept up with how the Yoshi waittimes might have evened out in the aftermath.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

It's going to be Universal Orlando's Crush's Coaster. Decent, cute little coaster with some unique gimmicks that chronically carries excruciating queues. You gotta either be there right when it opens or be willing to wait at the end of the night.

Crush is also the only family coaster in the park, right? This would be one of three.

 

[Skipper Justin]

It says guests may not consume alcoholic beverages after getting the Darkmore Monster Make-up. This is crazy. Guessing it’s because you have to check IDs?

 

[GAcoaster]

Correct— it’s hard to verify someone’s ID in monster makeup. I have to wonder if it will screw with facial recognition for anyone leaving and re-entering.

 

[Clive]

I'm not sure what the presumed capacities are for each of the attractions, but the wait times feel right for an E-ticker heavy park that's opening for the first time.

I'll ancedotally add that the one time I've been to USJ the wait times for Yoshi were far higher than what I expected for a ride of that type (70 minutes on a Monday a few weeks after Golden Week). This was pre-DK, however, and I haven't kept up with how the Yoshi waittimes might have evened out in the aftermath.

Yoshi basically uses the Secret Life of Pets ride system, so the capacity is unfortunately far lower than it might initially appear.

Crush is also the only family coaster in the park, right? This would be one of three.

There's also the RC Racer, which is technically a coaster, so arguably two in that park... but the Paris Studio park also has a dearth of headliner attractions, period. Epic of course has way more, and while I agree the additional two "approachable" coasters should in theory help balance the load, I suspect the DK branding and gimmick will still make this the most popular of the coasters in the park - at least at open.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It's true that Crush is the only coaster at WDSP... but that park gets about half the attendance of a UOR park (5.7M in 2023 compared to 10M at IOA)

With UOR parks averaging 10M a year (not saying Epic will hit that this or next year, but certainly will attract more than WDSP in a single day), there will be more "pressure" at DK since there's more guests.

 

[Clive]

It's true that Crush is the only coaster at WDSP... but that park gets about half the attendance of a UOR park (5.7M in 2023 compared to 10M at IOA)

With UOR parks averaging 10M a year (not saying Epic will hit that this or next year, but certainly will attract more than WDSP in a single day), there will be more "pressure" at DK since there's more guests.

I think this is a good example of why you have to look at all known factors as much as possible when making these types of predictions.

Again, you're relying really hard on data... but there's more to the story here. Yes, Epic Universe is likely (hopefully!) to receive more guests per day on average than WDSP. However, Epic Universe arguably has more in-demand attractions than WDSP, which is limited to a handful of rides that aren't flats. (Epic has flats, too, of course, but I think it's fair to say its overall offerings are more robust).

I've been thinking more on Joe's point that Epic will have three visible "family" coasters at opening. Donkey Kong is arguably is the least visible of the three, as it requires entering not one but two portals before you can even see it. If you enter Berk or Dark Universe, you will see their respective family coasters pretty much immediately, but if you go into Nintendo, you have to travel through an additional tunnel before you can catch a real glimpse of Mine Kart Madness. How much is that going to influence crowd patterns? Furthermore, how much is DK being one of the only rides available for early entry going to affect its lines out of the gate?

The truth is, we don't know yet, and no amount of available data is going to give us the answer. We're just going to have to wait until the park opens and we see where things land.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I'm not sure what the presumed capacities are for each of the attractions, but the wait times feel right for an E-ticker heavy park that's opening for the first time.

I'll ancedotally add that the one time I've been to USJ the wait times for Yoshi were far higher than what I expected for a ride of that type (70 minutes on a Monday a few weeks after Golden Week). This was pre-DK, however, and I haven't kept up with how the Yoshi waittimes might have evened out in the aftermath.

The Yoshi USJ waits have basically not gone down at all, it still averages 50-60. ThrillData is reporting this week’s average wait at 74 minutes.

The capacity is just not at all what that park needed — it hopefully should be better at Epic, which will probably only be a third-to-half as busy, but these certainly won’t ever be Peoplemover lines.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I've been thinking more on Joe's point that Epic will have three visible "family" coasters at opening. Donkey Kong is arguably is the least visible of the three, as it requires entering not one but two portals before you can even see it. If you enter Berk or Dark Universe, you will see their respective family coasters pretty much immediately, but if you go into Nintendo, you have to travel through an additional tunnel before you can catch a real glimpse of Mine Kart Madness. How much is that going to influence crowd patterns? Furthermore, how much is DK being one of the only rides available for early entry going to affect its lines out of the gate?

The truth is, we don't know yet, and no amount of available data is going to give us the answer. We're just going to have to wait until the park opens and we see where things land.

To expand on my initial thought: Crush is one of the few types of rides for families at the park, so folks who'd normally balk or be offered a choice instead go, "well, I guess we'll wait". Simply offering choice would decrease wait times even with increased attendance from a second attraction.

Your last paragraph does touch on something I've been noticing for about a year now, this heightened anxiety around all aspects of Epic Universe as things wrap up. After years of feeling like folks "knew" the park now the realizationg is coming that they never had that control.

 

[Floridaguy34]

Team member previews extended to April 16

 

[saint.piss]

TM Family Preview got extended again, in addition to TMs getting 8 more tickets.

 

[tyro]

TM Family Preview got extended again, in addition to TMs getting 8 more tickets.

View attachment 25696

Epic after dark

 

[Speed]

1pm-10pm hours

 

[etherealyear]

1pm-10pm hours

That's really interesting...kind of surprised they aren't testing longer hours over just shifting the opening time. Must still be a lot of work to do.

 

[Ryuniversal]

1pm-10pm hours

Soo must be ready to test nighttime stuff then like the fireworks etc and we get to see darkmor at night

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Soo must be ready to test nighttime stuff then like the fireworks etc and we get to see darkmor at night

I don't believe they're doing fireworks for daily operations, just the fountain "shows".

 

[Rhian]

Correct— it’s hard to verify someone’s ID in monster makeup. I have to wonder if it will screw with facial recognition for anyone leaving and re-entering.

I'm surprised they don't put a special wristband on you for that. Some places do that so you don't have to keep pulling it back out.

 

[Ryuniversal]

I'm surprised they don't put a special wristband on you for that. Some places do that so you don't have to keep pulling it back out.

Then ever time you get a drink you get an x on your wrist band to keep Track

 

[Jake S]

Then ever time you get a drink you get an x on your wrist band to keep Track

the concern is that a wristband could be given to another guest, one who’s underage. i’m of the mind that americans are pretty hysterical about the prospect of someone under 21 drinking, but it’s prudent for Universal to actively avoid the fine that comes with improperly checking IDs.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Soooo. AP previews after Easter at the earliest now?