Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[Mad Dog]

Monday...the no go day. Tuesdays, most of the time, are real dicey too.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Monday...the no go day. Tuesdays, most of the time, are real dicey too.

Well my days are

Monday, 9/15 - with express
Thursday, 9/18 - no express

Fingers crossed!

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I was thinking of going one of those days too, but figure everyone here for HHN with an Epic visit will pick those days too. I've been a few times already and don't want to spring for express, so probably just take relax days from HHN all week.

 

[Mad Dog]

Well my days are

Monday, 9/15 - with express
Thursday, 9/18 - no express

Fingers crossed!

May Good Fortune accompany your journey

 

[PenguinCowboy]

A few questions a week out from my first visit:

Is Oak and Star Tavern opening during early entry? I know they do breakfast, but wasn't sure when that started!

Are all the ride lockers in the park still utilizing facial recognition? It's been a concern of mine with mobile tickets!

Oak and Star breakfast was an absolute highlight of the trip for us (I still wake up in cold sweat at night calling out for the bbq bacon)! We wandered out of Dark Universe at 10:27, and they switch to the lunch menu at 10:30, so while I can't say for certain, I would surmise that they would have to run it for longer than 30 minutes, haha. I didn't happen to notice it during early entry though, we were kind of head down to get through things fast.

Second answer, yes the park lockers still use facial recognition!

 

[Mad Dog]

and....don't forget....almost all evenings have lower lines....except for Donkey Kong, It's either broke down or has very long lines, even in the evening. . Bad enough it has bad capacity, but it also has really bad reliability.

 

[Alicia]

Also, be careful as Ministry has been closing early many days. There will be a sign up in front of the attraction entrance to let you know all day if they are planning to close early. In my experience this means it could close 2 to 3 hours before park close! So plan accordingly.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Also, be careful as Ministry has been closing early many days. There will be a sign up in front of the attraction entrance to let you know all day if they are planning to close early. In my experience this means it could close 2 to 3 hours before park close! So plan accordingly.

A TM told us that the scenario is when the wait time exceeds the time left that the park is open then that is when it closes. A 3 hour wait at 7pm will cause a closure to new people entering the queue.

 

[GAcoaster]

The closest Walmart to Epic (JYP & Sand Lake) has just reset their shelving/departments to increase the size of their local/park merchandise. They added a whole new section of JUST Universal related merchandise separate from the Disney stuff. They’re featuring all the Epic properties as well as the stuff from the other parks:

 

[Alicia]

A TM told us that the scenario is when the wait time exceeds the time left that the park is open then that is when it closes. A 3 hour wait at 7pm will cause a closure to new people entering the queue.

What I’m talking about is different, where it’s planned to close early from the start of the day. This sign was out last week starting at early entry in the morning for example.

 

[Fire & Ice]

What I’m talking about is different, where it’s planned to close early from the start of the day. This sign was out last week starting at early entry in the morning for example.

View attachment 27854

It was up Thursday and Sunday. We thought it had closed around 5:00 one day but was back up within an hour. I could swear that both days it was still running (with low wait times) after 9:00 on both days.

 

[Magistra]

That's why I've been adamant about indoor experiences.

Ignore the increasing heat index, people realize it's not worth the hassle to visit during thunderstorm season either when there's a chance of it raining during your very expensive vacation.

I keep wondering why Epic doesn't have more areas like Knockturn Alley, especially in the Dark Universe. Seems like covered, air-conditioned areas with a faux night sky would be a no-brainer for the land, both for its thematic appeal and as a cooling area for guests who are tired of being roasted alive in Celestial Park and Nintendo World. Universal put a lot of thought, and money, into thematically rich lands but very little thought into shading techniques that would make spending time just enjoying the beautiful theming semi-bearable.

 

[GAcoaster]

I keep wondering why Epic doesn't have more areas like Knockturn Alley, especially in the Dark Universe. Seems like covered, air-conditioned areas with a faux night sky would be a no-brainer for the land, both for its thematic appeal and as a cooling area for guests who are tired of being roasted alive in Celestial Park and Nintendo World. Universal put a lot of thought, and money, into thematically rich lands but very little thought into shading techniques that would make spending time just enjoying the beautiful theming semi-bearable.

I had the same thought-- it seems like it would have been a no brainer to put a roof over all the streets with Wizarding Paris/Place Cache in perpetual twighlight and keep it cool and dry all the time. Even if it was just the hidden area where Goblet Noir is it would have been an improvement. Also being closest to the sewer plant it would have sheilded it from the wind is blowing the wrong direction.

 

[Mad Dog]

Perhaps all the creatives that worked on Epic were born in Alaska and had no idea Florida is hot, steamy, uncomfortable, and rainy
most of the year.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

What I’m talking about is different, where it’s planned to close early from the start of the day. This sign was out last week starting at early entry in the morning for example.

View attachment 27854

According to the TM who we had a lengthy discussion with waiting at rope drop, among lots of HHN talk, this is the same thing. They don't have a specific time, they just don't want the workers having to stay past 1AM by guest getting into a 3 hour line at 10PM. We visited on a Sunday and the sign was out in the morning, but it never closed because the wait was under 30 minutes for most of the evening.

Always just best to ask a TM at the entrance if they know about a closing time though.

 

[Alicia]

According to the TM who we had a lengthy discussion with waiting at rope drop, among lots of HHN talk, this is the same thing. They don't have a specific time, they just don't want the workers having to stay past 1AM by guest getting into a 3 hour line at 10PM. We visited on a Sunday and the sign was out in the morning, but it never closed because the wait was under 30 minutes for most of the evening.

Always just best to ask a TM at the entrance if they know about a closing time though.

Gotcha. Key point for anyone reading, you can never count on just riding this at the end of the night assuming the line will be short. They can and do cut it off, and understandably so. TMs gotta sleep eventually!

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I keep wondering why Epic doesn't have more areas like Knockturn Alley, especially in the Dark Universe. Seems like covered, air-conditioned areas with a faux night sky would be a no-brainer for the land, both for its thematic appeal and as a cooling area for guests who are tired of being roasted alive in Celestial Park and Nintendo World. Universal put a lot of thought, and money, into thematically rich lands but very little thought into shading techniques that would make spending time just enjoying the beautiful theming semi-bearable.

The lack of a real Knockturn Alley-like place is one of my biggest gripes with Epic. In general I think the park’s sense of exploration or discovery is pretty weak — there aren’t any particularly interesting pathways or moderate surprises. Epic just feels very “what you see is what you get.”

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

The lack of a real Knockturn Alley-like place is one of my biggest gripes with Epic. In general I think the park’s sense of exploration or discovery is pretty weak — there aren’t any particularly interesting pathways or moderate surprises. Epic just feels very “what you see is what you get.”

I'd argue that Nintendo is the exception to that because a lot of stuff is hidden beneath that bustling/cramped exterior and even the stuff on the surface requires more than a cursory glance for those who are actually adventuring the land as it was intended to be interacted with(via power-up band). Put this up against HP and their wand, and you can still do a single pass from left to right and not really miss anything in that single sweep. BUT 1/5 lands isn't exactly disagreeing with your point, either

 

[Magistra]

The lack of a real Knockturn Alley-like place is one of my biggest gripes with Epic. In general I think the park’s sense of exploration or discovery is pretty weak — there aren’t any particularly interesting pathways or moderate surprises. Epic just feels very “what you see is what you get.”

I think the portals were supposed to make entering each land feel like a new discovery, but it definitely looks like there's way too much that's wide open to both the sun and the guests' line of vision. And when it's not, it seems like an odd choice, like having the Wizarding World portal open into another bare concrete area (aside from a couple of metro maps and a kiosque) facing a brick wall and a set of stairs leading to the big gate/porte that is the actual entry into Paris. Seems like a hot waste of space.

I guess it's supposed to look like you're coming out of the métro, but it doesn't. If you want to block the view there, maybe go for some trees and a crêpe stand or shady magical fountain to one side, like you're passing through a Parisian garden to enter Place Cachée. Also, a fake metro train line overhead like you see over Diagon Alley could have provided shading while enhancing the theming.

 

[GA-MBIT]

Islands of Adventure has all of these extraneous, unfrequented areas off the main thruways that are still really well-themed and enjoyable. I'm thinking about all of the areas around the Lagoon like the Popeye bridge areas or the Zax Bypass; the sprawling caves and paths of Camp Jurassic or the Pre-Velocicoaster Discovery Center shoreline. If the main paths are ever too much bustle, it's nice to be able to walk away from it all and enjoy some quiet.

If Epic ever had any of these kinds of areas, it feels like they were all completely cut from the plans and streamlined until only the major paths were available. More compact lands like Paris or SNW at least have little side paths like the Painting Alley or the underground level, but it's especially weird in a giant land like Berk. All views to enjoy the waters or scenery are directly connected to major guest traffic arteries. It's not especially comfortable.