Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[velocicoasterswife]

Does Monsters Unchained just have an insanely good ops team? I get that it's a little easier to manage than Stardust and Ministry but according to Queue Times, in the last week it's had less downtime than Constellation Carousel.

 

[Mad Dog]

As you said, it's all brand new and technologically advanced (even the carousel). And you smartly anticipated what we are seeing now and planned your visit 6 months after opening. Things are improving, slowly. And not on a day to day basis. They still have some rough days and some good ones.

Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine in November since I watch the posted waits so much that I'll be able to maneuver regardless of breakdowns..For instance, evenings settle down...My main concern is that the general public, unaware of what we know about the park, is getting a bad taste in their mouth from their visits, especially those with families. Perhaps Universal should drop their daily ceiling on tickets from that 25,000 plus figure back to the mid/high teens until they get Epics various capacity issues under control. I don't think they have a very high presale of tickets, short of Christmas week and a couple HHN time dates, so that should be a relatively easy matter....BUT, we know they want the cash and probably wouldn't consider that.

 

[UNIrd]

I just think we also have to remind ourselves and whoever is visiting is that they did not build the highest capacity attractions in this park. Even on its best day, a good chunk of these attractions are going to have long lines. These are not a bunch of people eaters unfortunately, as much as some should be (Yoshi's? Come on...).

 

[Mad Dog]

I just think we also have to remind ourselves and whoever is visiting is that they did not build the highest capacity attractions in this park. Even on its best day, a good chunk of these attractions are going to have long lines. These are not a bunch of people eaters unfortunately, as much as some should be (Yoshi's? Come on...).

Yes, we always knew this park was going to be a capacity problem, but the general public doesn't know that stuff so they're bound to be disgruntled.

 

[Jake S]

Yes, we always knew this park was going to be a capacity problem, but the general public doesn't know that stuff so they're bound to be disgruntled.

Right, there's no discount on tickets because the park is still getting on its feet. I appreciate the nuance we're bringing here, and I think it's important. I also understand why guests who paid a lot of money to go to a brand new park may be frustrated by the experience.

 

[Patrokls]

Yes, we always knew this park was going to be a capacity problem, but the general public doesn't know that stuff so they're bound to be disgruntled.

I wonder how much of the disgruntle is the Florida weather? I planned my trip for November as well. I was sure I couldn’t give the park a fair assessment with the heat and humidity.

 

[Mad Dog]

I wonder how much of the disgruntle is the Florida weather? I planned my trip for November as well. I was sure I couldn’t give the park a fair assessment with the heat and humidity.

That heat might be one reason the ride times decrease after 7:30 PM. People may be worn out from standing in the hot sun all day, and leave early.
Also, the lack of shade in Epic is a complaint from most I've read, so I'm sure that heat is an issue. I though Universal was going to try to rectify the lack of shade problem, but I haven't seen any follow up on that....Yeah, its hot. I was at WDW in June and we left Epcot's hot concrete early twice because of the sun and heat. Concrete will reach 120 degrees F in the sun if it's in the 90's F ( in the shade ,where high temps are measured. Most people don't know that)

 

[UNIrd]

Epcot's been feeling like the hottest Disney park lately, more than even Animal Kingdom. Climate change, I guess.

 

[Alicia]

Epcot's been feeling like the hottest Disney park lately, more than even Animal Kingdom. Climate change, I guess.

Epcot and Epic are the only parks I have gotten bad sunburns at. I can usually get away without sunblock at all the rest. But people underestimate the amount of uncovered walking needed for all of Future World and while walking around World Showcase.

 

[HandsomePete]

That heat might be one reason the ride times decrease after 7:30 PM. People may be worn out from standing in the hot sun all day, and leave early.

Even at a park like Magic Kingdom that has substantially more to do than Epic, the average length of stay is like 7-8 hours. The ticketing structure of one day at Epic causes everyone to show up at rope drop then there’s no afternoon arrivals, so it’s essentially heavy load in the morning that burns off well before close.

It’s a bit of an oxy moron, but it seems like the park is at a point where the rides are good but the overall experience is mid.

 

[Mad Dog]

Even at a park like Magic Kingdom that has substantially more to do than Epic, the average length of stay is like 7-8 hours. The ticketing structure of one day at Epic causes everyone to show up at rope drop then there’s no afternoon arrivals, so it’s essentially heavy load in the morning that burns off well before close.

It’s a bit of an oxy moron, but it seems like the park is at a point where the rides are good but the overall experience is mid.

Yep......and.....guests hate long lines at any park....that's a sure way to get a bad review

 

[Skipper Justin]

Epcot and Epic are the only parks I have gotten bad sunburns at. I can usually get away without sunblock at all the rest. But people underestimate the amount of uncovered walking needed for all of Future World and while walking around World Showcase.

Please wear sunblock every time! Even when cloudy.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

We are going in mid September for the first time for 2 days - 1 of those days with Express. I'm curious how guest service handles things, particularly in regards to express passes, if most rides are down throughout the day and it can't be used.

 

[JonsMovies]

We are going in mid September for the first time for 2 days - 1 of those days with Express. I'm curious how guest service handles things, particularly in regards to express passes, if most rides are down throughout the day and it can't be used.

From what I've seen, you have a good case in that situation to get a refund. I'd say consider going to guest services in the middle-later part of the day (not the very end) if you decide you definitely want a refund and you'll likely get one.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine in November since I watch the posted waits so much that I'll be able to maneuver regardless of breakdowns..For instance, evenings settle down...My main concern is that the general public, unaware of what we know about the park, is getting a bad taste in their mouth from their visits, especially those with families. Perhaps Universal should drop their daily ceiling on tickets from that 25,000 plus figure back to the mid/high teens until they get Epics various capacity issues under control. I don't think they have a very high presale of tickets, short of Christmas week and a couple HHN time dates, so that should be a relatively easy matter....BUT, we know they want the cash and probably wouldn't consider that.

I just think we also have to remind ourselves and whoever is visiting is that they did not build the highest capacity attractions in this park. Even on its best day, a good chunk of these attractions are going to have long lines. These are not a bunch of people eaters unfortunately, as much as some should be (Yoshi's? Come on...).

As of last night, Epic Universe has dropped to a 3.9 rating on Google Review. Let me be clear, reading through the comments the park is a creative success, very little discussion on any issues with the park's theming/attractions. The vast majority of issues are related to attraction reliability, wait-times, and food service running slow. A lot of these issues should be expected during the first few months of operations.

It's very early in Epic's life, and I hope that future additions take capacity into consideration.

Does Monsters Unchained just have an insanely good ops team? I get that it's a little easier to manage than Stardust and Ministry but according to Queue Times, in the last week it's had less downtime than Constellation Carousel.

It just has good reliability & capacity. Don't get me wrong, Ops team is fantastic, but the ride was designed from Day 1 to be a capacity monster. Can't say the same for Mine-Cart.

Epcot and Epic are the only parks I have gotten bad sunburns at. I can usually get away without sunblock at all the rest. But people underestimate the amount of uncovered walking needed for all of Future World and while walking around World Showcase.

People call DAK the hottest because the majority of rides are outdoor, but that tree canopy throughout the park is fantastic. World Showcase can feel like a sauna, same with pretty much all of DHS with its bare paths and USF with it's asphalt

 

[TheCodeMan95]

As of last night, Epic Universe has dropped to a 3.9 rating on Google Review. Let me be clear, reading through the comments the park is a creative success, very little discussion on any issues with the park's theming/attractions. The vast majority of issues are related to attraction reliability, wait-times, and food service running slow. A lot of these issues should be expected during the first few months of operations.

I've mentioned it before - but Volcano Bay had VERY low ratings in the beginning due to the same types of issues. I don't expect the rating to stay that way for a very long time

 

[Mad Dog]

I've mentioned it before - but Volcano Bay had VERY low ratings in the beginning due to the same types of issues. I don't expect the rating to stay that way for a very long time

Yes. When the weather cools and operations get fully staffed, the guest experience will improve....and the ratings will rise. The tech issues
should also have some incremental progress.

 

[Steptwice]

I think people need to treat Epics opening as a restaurant opening but on a much larger scale. Usually you need to give any restaurant 2-3 months to truley work out all its kinks, get the front of house, back of house and management all on the same page consistently. Imagine opening a theme park that hold 40k+ with state of the art rides, dining and entertainment. Yea we have to give Epic probably around 6-8 Months to tryley be running smoothly on a consistent basis. Thats just the way it is. Cheers

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think people need to treat Epics opening as a restaurant opening but on a much larger scale. Usually you need to give any restaurant 2-3 months to truley work out all its kinks, get the front of house, back of house and management all on the same page consistently. Imagine opening a theme park that hold 40k+ with state of the art rides, dining and entertainment. Yea we have to give Epic probably around 6-8 Months to tryley be running smoothly on a consistent basis. Thats just the way it is. Cheers

I'm expecting Epic Universe to only improve from now on. Reading the reviews, the park is a major creative success, but operationally, it is suffering.

I only brought it up to show that the general public is seeing Epic Universe from a very different perspective than what influencers/initial guests did with reduced crowd levels.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I think people need to treat Epics opening as a restaurant opening but on a much larger scale. Usually you need to give any restaurant 2-3 months to truley work out all its kinks, get the front of house, back of house and management all on the same page consistently. Imagine opening a theme park that hold 40k+ with state of the art rides, dining and entertainment. Yea we have to give Epic probably around 6-8 Months to tryley be running smoothly on a consistent basis. Thats just the way it is. Cheers

Agreed, the problem with these review aggregator sites, though, is that once you dig yourself into a large enough hole it’s all but impossible to come back out. I once had a client who was concerned about his TripAdvisor score, and when reaching out to TripAdvisor learned that in his specific case, there was such a massive volume of negative reviews from the onset that the algorithm would not allow it to climb back into his target score (I think 4/5?) in our lifetimes. For a restaurant getting a handful of reviews a day in those first few months, not a problem. For a theme park hosting 20k each day, it’s a little more alarming.