Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[Parkscope Joe]

lol the term fast pass is ingrained in me. I prefer it to express pass.

And waaaaay better than lightning lane.

 

[Mad Dog]

And waaaaay better than lightning lane.

Yes. When they started lightening lane, bogged down by disability pass fraud, it was about as speedy as Fast and Furious at Universal is.
Since WDW cleaned up the disability pass policy, it's a bit closer to its name. But still a really terrible name.

 

[GA-MBIT]

lol the term fast pass is ingrained in me. I prefer it to express pass.

It is objectively the best name for the system, and it's absurd to me that the term is currently used by no one.

 

[alomar]

It is objectively the best name for the system, and it's absurd to me that the term is currently used by no one.

Isn't "fast pass" a trademarked name by Disney? So yeah, dumb Disney isn't using it, but no one else could even if they wanted.

 

[GA-MBIT]

I've had some issues with the aesthetics of certain lands, and I've brought them up here before. Potter looks ugly from the hub; Werewolf kills the forest look of DU and makes it look so much emptier; Dragons has plenty of areas that look out into vast Six Flags-y flat expansion plot space.

I now believe that most of these issues will be resolved with time. I noticed on my most recent trip that whenever an aesthetic issue like that came up, there was always foliage and trees already placed in the perfect spots to fix those quirks and cover up what shouldn't be seen.

I can't find it anymore, but somewhere on here someone made a collage contrasting Opening Day Volcano Bay, to what it looks like now. Despite faded theming or signage, it looks immeasurably better now simply due to the greenery growing in. It feels so much more jungle-y and tropical now. I can only imagine how much more forested, lush, and complete these lands will look in a number of years.

 

[Stitch_101]

I've had some issues with the aesthetics of certain lands, and I've brought them up here before. Potter looks ugly from the hub; Werewolf kills the forest look of DU and makes it look so much emptier; Dragons has plenty of areas that look out into vast Six Flags-y flat expansion plot space.

I now believe that most of these issues will be resolved with time. I noticed on my most recent trip that whenever an aesthetic issue like that came up, there was always foliage and trees already placed in the perfect spots to fix those quirks and cover up what shouldn't be seen.

I can't find it anymore, but somewhere on here someone made a collage contrasting Opening Day Volcano Bay, to what it looks like now. Despite faded theming or signage, it looks immeasurably better now simply due to the greenery growing in. It feels so much more jungle-y and tropical now. I can only imagine how much more forested, lush, and complete these lands will look in a number of years.

Yeah, and that same thing will help with complaints about not enough shade in Celestial Park. Allow the trees a few years to mature and grow, and the shade issue will be far less of an issue.

 

[Mad Dog]

I've had some issues with the aesthetics of certain lands, and I've brought them up here before. Potter looks ugly from the hub; Werewolf kills the forest look of DU and makes it look so much emptier; Dragons has plenty of areas that look out into vast Six Flags-y flat expansion plot space.

I now believe that most of these issues will be resolved with time. I noticed on my most recent trip that whenever an aesthetic issue like that came up, there was always foliage and trees already placed in the perfect spots to fix those quirks and cover up what shouldn't be seen.

I can't find it anymore, but somewhere on here someone made a collage contrasting Opening Day Volcano Bay, to what it looks like now. Despite faded theming or signage, it looks immeasurably better now simply due to the greenery growing in. It feels so much more jungle-y and tropical now. I can only imagine how much more forested, lush, and complete these lands will look in a number of years.

Just like the backside of Diagon, that completely filled in like a jungle within a year.....And Hagrid's quick growth made all the early
landscape skeptics look foolish. Lesson: Never underestimate how fast foliage/trees grow in Florida's hot steamy uncomfortable climate.

 

[Jake S]

Just like the backside of Diagon, that completely filled in like a jungle within a year.....And Hagrid's quick growth made all the early
landscape skeptics look foolish. Lesson: Never underestimate how fast foliage/trees grow in Florida's hot steamy uncomfortable climate.

they aren’t giving discount tickets while these issues exist. i agree that in time, much of this will be moot. but i’m here today and it’s very much an issue now.

 

[Stitch_101]

they aren’t giving discount tickets while these issues exist. i agree that in time, much of this will be moot. but i’m here today and it’s very much an issue now.

Unfortunately that's simply a reality and price you pay the when attending a new park and/or attraction. From a business standpoint, it doesn't make since for Universal to shell out a ton of money on mitigation measures that won't be needed in 2 years. Its easier and cheaper to simply take a few on the chin now from upset fans and save money in the long-term.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I know it's a silly debate... but there are a few places (specifically on and around Wing Gliders) where I doubt we see much improvement over the years. There's no elevated berm (like Diagon) to hide the area behind.

 

[Jake S]

From a business standpoint, it doesn't make since for Universal to shell out a ton of money on mitigation measures that won't be needed in 2 years. It’s easier and cheaper to simply take a few on the chin now from upset fans and save money in the long-term.

this is them taking it on the chin. people on this forum saying the park isn’t good enough in these areas at the prices they’re charging. that’s what i’m saying — not that the ROI would be better if they had designed a better theme park (i don’t care!) but that it’s fair criticism.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think most critiques of Epic Universe are quite fair.

Frankenstein Manor is arguably one of the most beautiful facades ever built and manages sightlines well (love that they learned the lesson from Forbidden Journey and rotated the facade to obscure intrusion). But at the same time, they plopped down an unthemed/hideous coaster right across from it that kills the ambience of the surrounding area.

HTTYD has beautiful architecture (love the benches) and details... but there was a missed opportunity in not having a proper berm between the area and Stardust (I like seeing Stardust from the land in the background, my issue is with seeing the backstage roads and support facilities).

 

[Parkscope Joe]

this is them taking it on the chin. people on this forum saying the park isn’t good enough in these areas at the prices they’re charging. that’s what i’m saying — not that the ROI would be better if they had designed a better theme park (i don’t care!) but that it’s fair criticism.

And what is that design you’re complaining about?

 

[Mad Dog]

Lot's of disappointment Epic reviews out there. But generally, I've seen very few on sightlines. Almost all are about
the super long lines, breakdowns, and lack of a larger number of rides.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Lot's of disappointment Epic reviews out there. But generally, I've seen very few on sightlines. Almost all are about
the super long lines, breakdowns, and lack of a larger number of rides.

I gotta say I feel and hear the same. I hear " the park is beautiful to look at" and "amazing looking lands"
but I also hear " long lines" and "rain closes down a bunch of stuff" and "kinda boring outside a couple rides because of the long lines"

some people were expecting smaller entertainment like mini rides or shows or something extra. ( well, that's what they say)
just random chatter here and there. I think people expected a couple more ways to occupy yourself outside the main rides ( and outside a store or a restaurant)

 

[bagphrases]

I've had two trips to Epic this year (out of state pass holder) and with another one coming up, I'm weirdly un-excited for it. Both trips so far have been a mad dash waiting in scorching hot lines the major attractions done before the afternoon rain when everything in the park shuts down. Now with Stardust gone for the foreseeable future, I'm not super excited about going.

Don't get me wrong though. I love Dark Universe, Berk has some of the best theming in Orlando, and Harry Potter's very charming in spite of everything working against it. I just don't think I'll be in a hurry to go back for a few years.

 

[queenmetroid]

I just attended today for the first time, and unfortunately, many of my early fears have been realized. There's a lot of great things about this park, but it is absolutely not worth the price they are charging for it, and I'm not sure how anyone without early entry, express, or a reasonable amount of theme park savviness could have a good experience here. I was planning on doing a second day tomorrow and I've changed my plans and I won't be doing that now.

That said, The Frankenstein Experiment is one of the best theme park rides in the world, and the pitiful wait times throughout the day make me sad.

 

[BBPH]

I wanted to share a slightly different perspective, since I know a lot of people have been having lacklustre days. We visited on Friday 26th and had a really successful first experience.

We didn’t have early entry but arrived at 8:30. Once inside, we headed straight to Ministry, which luckily opened at 9 (though it did have about 30 minutes of downtime).

Here’s what we managed to do:
(All standard queue, no express or single rider)
• Ministry ×2
• Donkey Kong ×3
• Mario ×1
• Yoshi ×1
• Monsters ×2
• Werewolf ×1
• Hiccup’s ×2
• Wing Gliders ×1
• Fire Drill ×1
• Carousel ×1
• Untrainable Dragon ×1

We definitely encountered downtime, but usually no longer than 30 minutes. By staying focused and making good use of our time (with plenty of stops at the freestyle machines and lunch at Spitfire), we gave it our all and ended up with a great run.

Going in, we honestly thought the day would be rough and that we wouldn’t want to return this trip, but it was so good that we’ve already booked to come back next week.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I wanted to share a slightly different perspective, since I know a lot of people have been having lacklustre days. We visited on Friday 26th and had a really successful first experience.

We didn’t have early entry but arrived at 8:30. Once inside, we headed straight to Ministry, which luckily opened at 9 (though it did have about 30 minutes of downtime).

Here’s what we managed to do:
(All standard queue, no express or single rider)
• Ministry ×2
• Donkey Kong ×3
• Mario ×1
• Yoshi ×1
• Monsters ×2
• Werewolf ×1
• Hiccup’s ×2
• Wing Gliders ×1
• Fire Drill ×1
• Carousel ×1
• Untrainable Dragon ×1

We definitely encountered downtime, but usually no longer than 30 minutes. By staying focused and making good use of our time (with plenty of stops at the freestyle machines and lunch at Spitfire), we gave it our all and ended up with a great run.

Going in, we honestly thought the day would be rough and that we wouldn’t want to return this trip, but it was so good that we’ve already booked to come back next week.

how were your wait times?

 

[Rhian]

That said, The Frankenstein Experiment is one of the best theme park rides in the world, and the pitiful wait times throughout the day make me sad.

I don’t view it as a bad thing. The ride has great capacity like FJ, and it also means that it’s much easier to get multiple rides in a day.