Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!

[celluloid]

Also on this comment. Helios is early entry like the other hotels.. People line up long before the gates open. Transportation is going to be running early to enable those guests to reach the park to do so. Where is this head start you are expecting? At most I expect you'll have the advantage of less crowds so you won't have to get up AS early.. but you're not really going to have any advantage in the park unless they let your gate go early.

I expect to deal with the crowds they will have to do some sort of rope drop inside the park.. Can't have hundreds of hotel room guests crowding in the lobby waiting for the opening time.

And isn't early access only to Super Mario Land and the racers attraction?

Helios built the plaza for this reason. Guests will be able to be in the park for EPIC. For those of the 500 rooms that are going to Epic early admission that day they will be into that plaza prior to 8am.
It is an advantage and more than the other resorts because it is a Fifteen min bus ride that starts prior to 8, but Cabana Bay, HRH, Porto, Aventura, Dockside, saphire...have far more guests than can all make it on the first buses provided even with preparing for demand.
That bus procedure even with the road ramps is going to take more time than Helios guests entering. And then sharing the experience together at those main gates will take even with optimum staffing.

We can't dimisnh the obvious advantage Helios has there by design of bej g right at Celestial Park, even if one does not see it as a value for them personally.

 

[TalkingHead]

View attachment 852910

What’s going on with this sculpture figure? Is that the view guests are greeted with when entering the park?

 

[lazyboy97o]

What’s going on with this sculpture figure? Is that the view guests are greeted with when entering the park?

Yes. The entrance area is elevated with Luna overlooking Celestial Park.

 

[flynnibus]

Helios built the plaza for this reason. Guests will be able to be in the park for EPIC. For those of the 500 rooms that are going to Epic early admission that day they will be into that plaza prior to 8am.
It is an advantage and more than the other resorts because it is a Fifteen min bus ride that starts prior to 8, but Cabana Bay, HRH, Porto, Aventura, Dockside, saphire...have far more guests than can all make it on the first buses provided even with preparing for demand.

I still don't get your thinking... if early entry starts at 8am... you're going to have people queuing an hour or more before then. People will be loading in as soon as the buses start running. There will be tons of people at the gates before they open.. and for that very reason they are likely to use the plaza as a rope drop for everyone. The only question is 'when do they let people into the plaza area' and if Helios gets a head start there.

The fact they the lands are so far from the entrance it's pretty much a certainty they are going to be staging people inside the park -- otherwise they'd create a massive safety issue with all the running... which was already bad enough at IOA. But now they have a big plaza they can manage that much better with.

 

[Giss Neric]

I've been watching a couple of EU vids from theme park vloggers and one thing I noticed is people like to hang out inside the portals to get out of the sun. They're not taking photos or videos, just standing there. I wonder what will happen if it rains then the portals will be crammed with people. There might be alternative paths?

 

[flynnibus]

There might be alternative paths?

Yes each land has a second exit/entrance

I would expect during peak crowds those would be uni directional tho… and team members can do traffic control to deal with stragglers

 

[MisterPenguin]

It's not a terrible looking hotel, but it's not really themed or as attractive/elaborate as other in park hotels.

How. DARE. You. Have a moderate view. Pick a side and die on that hill!!!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Uni fell flat on their keister with that one!!

EPOCT is better.

 

[MisterPenguin]

What's with that 'H'?

Is a bulb out?

Is this Grand Floridian popcorn light drama all over again?

Proper "H" for comparison...

 

[Stripes]

OK, everyone here says I'm a shill.

For the first 9 years I posted here, I was a photographer for News13. Interviewed Presidents, covered the last shuttle launch and several cool theme park openings. Interviewed Gov. Voldemort at the opening of Diagon Alley.

I took a gap year, after getting spit on at Trump rallies and spending 17 hours in front of the Pulse night club the night things went south.

I spent a year working maintenance at a stunning throughout breed farm in Ocala.

Double Diamond Farm

A Premier Equine Training,Stallion, Nursery Facility. Over 38 years of treating our clients the way we expect to be treated.

www.doublediamondfarm.com

It was really hard work, and very cathartic.

Somehow ended up on the opening team for Dockside in 2020.

2020, no bueno.

Thanks for sharing.

To be clear, I’m happy for anybody when they find a place that makes them happy.

Above all, when I visit a theme park I enjoy immersive theming and attention to detail. Having grown up in California with Disneyland as my home park, my love for Disney runs deep and I will certainly admit to having a bias their favor. I’m sure you would admit the same with regard to Universal. However, I do appreciate quality when I see it from Universal. The SNW land and Wizarding Paris appear to be excellent (perhaps because the creative producers of those lands were ex-WDI that are now back at WDI). I’m less enthused about the quality I’m seeing from Dark Universe and Isle of Berk (once again, standards seem lower for Universal’s own properties).

Celestial Park does nothing for me. It feels uncomfortably corporatized and cheap. As just one example, the hotel is a generic, boxy tower with some lipstick in the form of faux gold domes on top. It’s perfectly centered in line with the “Chronos” and yet the building’s architecture is bizarrely asymmetrical.

I am very excited about Epic and hope to visit sometime this year, however I’m a lot more excited about all the projects in the works for WDW.

In any event, Mr. Gustin put it better than I ever could.

 

[Misted Compass]

I'm only disappointed that the park is opening at the end of the month instead of end of this month.. as I'll be in Central Florida in early May. Would have been niced to double dip..

I believe anyone staying at a UO hotel can buy preview tickets, they just have to buy them at the hotel. So it might still be possible to go during that time.

 

[djlaosc]

Also on this comment. Helios is early entry like the other hotels.. People line up long before the gates open. Transportation is going to be running early to enable those guests to reach the park to do so. Where is this head start you are expecting? At most I expect you'll have the advantage of less crowds so you won't have to get up AS early.. but you're not really going to have any advantage in the park unless they let your gate go early.

I expect to deal with the crowds they will have to do some sort of rope drop inside the park.. Can't have hundreds of hotel room guests crowding in the lobby waiting for the opening time.

And isn't early access only to Super Mario Land and the racers attraction?

That's what I am wondering about.

Super Nintendo World is closer to the entrance, than at Helios.
Therefore, if they allow people in from Helios, and the front entrance at the same time, then the people at Helios will be at a disadvantage.

Will there be "two" rope drops, where Helios guests are funnelled along the side of Celestial Park beside the Dark Universe portal to get "ahead" of the other hotel guests at Super Nintendo World as a "reward" for staying "in-park", are Helios guests going to be waiting behind the other hotel guests, or will they allow Helios guests to start entering the park earlier than the other hotel guests?

If Dark Universe or Ministry of Magic were the early opening lands, then it wouldn't be as big an issue for Helios guests because they are closer, but they have chosen one of the further away lands for early entry instead (I assume because there are more attractions there, and because of the popularity of SNW in the other parks).

Guess we will start to find out on May 23rd.

 

[celluloid]

That's what I am wondering about.

Super Nintendo World is closer to the entrance, than at Helios.
Therefore, if they allow people in from Helios, and the front entrance at the same time, then the people at Helios will be at a disadvantage.

Will there be "two" rope drops, where Helios guests are funnelled along the side of Celestial Park beside the Dark Universe portal to get "ahead" of the other hotel guests at Super Nintendo World as a "reward" for staying "in-park", are Helios guests going to be waiting behind the other hotel guests, or will they allow Helios guests to start entering the park earlier than the other hotel guests?

If Dark Universe or Ministry of Magic were the early opening lands, then it wouldn't be as big an issue for Helios guests because they are closer, but they have chosen one of the further away lands for early entry instead (I assume because there are more attractions there, and because of the popularity of SNW in the other parks).

Guess we will start to find out on May 23rd.

There are only so many buses for hotels with the demand and many will be not on the first few buses that are at each resort.
Helios guests will be ahead of most as the lines at the main entrance and security continue to grow with each set of buses unloading guests at the depot to walk to security and turnstiles. And we know all lines there run smoothly...

 

[jrhwdw]

 

[celluloid]

Thanks for sharing.

To be clear, I’m happy for anybody when they find a place that makes them happy.

Above all, when I visit a theme park I enjoy immersive theming and attention to detail. Having grown up in California with Disneyland as my home park, my love for Disney runs deep and I will certainly admit to having a bias their favor. I’m sure you would admit the same with regard to Universal. However, I do appreciate quality when I see it from Universal. The SNW land and Wizarding Paris appear to be excellent (perhaps because the creative producers of those lands were ex-WDI that are now back at WDI). I’m less enthused about the quality I’m seeing from Dark Universe and Isle of Berk (once again, standards seem lower for Universal’s own properties).

Celestial Park does nothing for me. It feels uncomfortably corporatized and cheap. As just one example, the hotel is a generic, boxy tower with some lipstick in the form of faux gold domes on top. It’s perfectly centered in line with the “Chronos” and yet the building’s architecture is bizarrely asymmetrical.

I am very excited about Epic and hope to visit sometime this year, however I’m a lot more excited about all the projects in the works for WDW.

In any event, Mr. Gustin put it better than I ever could.

Killer? No. Happy to high higher attendance and guest spending? Business.
Not even saying it will over MK, but Uni would gladly take that.

 

[DisneyJayBama]

All this craziness over fun.

 

[flynnibus]

If Dark Universe or Ministry of Magic were the early opening lands, then it wouldn't be as big an issue for Helios guests because they are closer

I don’t think the distance is much of an issue - it all depends on where the holding area is, if they will be separated, and if they release them at different times.

 

[lentesta]

Anyone know for sure how many ride vehicles are on Yoshi's Adventure?

ETA: This image from bioreconstruct seems to show 28 ride vehicles visible. I estimate 6 are in the show building on the right. So what's the best guess as to how many are in the unload/load area?

 

[celluloid]

Uni fell flat on their keister with that one!!

EPOCT is better.

EPCOT for sure is! Epcot though...they did not capitalize their letters, and they know it is an acronym.

The problem with borrowing from all times is that we don't know if this was on purpose creative liberty or on accident!

It's did not come into being a contraction rather than posessive untnil the 1700s.

And dangit, we need to the Citizens of Celestial Park tell us such things. Even if it was a band ;-)

Also, for the sake of the poster to know, the name is Stardust Racers* He gave it the ole' name.

All this craziness over fun.

This is simply pertinent. Well done.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Thanks for sharing.

To be clear, I’m happy for anybody when they find a place that makes them happy.

Above all, when I visit a theme park I enjoy immersive theming and attention to detail. Having grown up in California with Disneyland as my home park, my love for Disney runs deep and I will certainly admit to having a bias their favor. I’m sure you would admit the same with regard to Universal. However, I do appreciate quality when I see it from Universal. The SNW land and Wizarding Paris appear to be excellent (perhaps because the creative producers of those lands were ex-WDI that are now back at WDI). I’m less enthused about the quality I’m seeing from Dark Universe and Isle of Berk (once again, standards seem lower for Universal’s own properties).

Celestial Park does nothing for me. It feels uncomfortably corporatized and cheap. As just one example, the hotel is a generic, boxy tower with some lipstick in the form of faux gold domes on top. It’s perfectly centered in line with the “Chronos” and yet the building’s architecture is bizarrely asymmetrical.

I am very excited about Epic and hope to visit sometime this year, however I’m a lot more excited about all the projects in the works for WDW.

In any event, Mr. Gustin put it better than I ever could.

I’m also not huge on celestial park. But I can’t pin point as to why. I think it’s too open maybe, like there isn’t enough stuff to really set my interest in the middle portion. I know what they’re doing with the “park” and it’s nice on paper but in the Florida sun, all I can think about it is, man this is gonna suck to walk through