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

[Tom Morrow]

And yet, I say there are some spectacularly bad sightlines, that break every rule in the book.

And I agree with Universal Creative, in that it is internet fodder at it's best.

I think you should not be trying to rebrand being lazy with sightlines, especially when fixing them would be comparatively chump change, as innovative rulebreaking choices.

Nobody should. They had a blank slate to work with. They went 90% of the way to greatness. It's just baffling. To everyone else, note that us pointing out the multiple sightline issues the park has does not mean we're saying it's a bad park. There's a lot to praise, but in my opinion this particular aspect about the park needs attention called to it and should not be handwaved away as "internet fodder". They still have 40 days to rectify as much of it as they can.

 

[celluloid]

I wanted to interrupt the potential return to lack of fun and debating on what rules to break when, to showcase what just occurred on the netting on Curse of the Werewolf and an example on why safety won out. This just happened.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I wanted to interrupt the potential return to lack of fun and debating on what rules to break when, to showcase what just occurred on the netting on Curse of the Werewolf and an example on why safety won out. This just happened.
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The actual answer to this is to not put the coaster smack dab in the middle of the land. It could have gone in the very back where it would not be traversing walkways, then surrounded by a thick forest, thus fitting the land's storyline of werewolves lurking in the forest on the edge of the town or whatever.

Curse of the Werewolf is hands down the most baffling choice in the whole park, both in placement and ride type.

 

[celluloid]

The actual answer to this is to not put the coaster smack dab in the middle of the land. It could have gone in the very back where it would not be traversing walkways, then surrounded by a thick forest, thus fitting the land's storyline of werewolves lurking in the forest on the edge of the town or whatever.

Curse of the Werewolf is hands down the most baffling choice in the whole park, both in placement and ride type.

Well. I tried.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Well. I tried.

We've all also said a lot of positive things in here. You're trying to silence any and all valid criticisms.

 

[celluloid]

We've all also said a lot of positive things in here. You're trying to silence any and all valid criticisms.

Yes, a few have said it...again..and again...and again. Not trying to silence anything nor could I. You do not like CoTW in its position or ride type choice.

I do not care if it is a critique of positivity or negative. Just something new or different is the preference.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yes, a few have said it...again..and again...and again. Not trying to silence anything nor could I. You do not like CoTW in its position or ride type choice.

I do not care if it is a critique of positivity or negative. Just something new or different is the preference.

On a positive note - CotW is significantly improved at night, as it is basically pitch black on the ride track area. It looks and sounds a lot more like some woods that werewolves are tearing through.

 

[celluloid]

On a positive note - CotW is significantly improved at night, as it is basically pitch black on the ride track area. It looks and sounds a lot more like some woods that werewolves are tearing through.

More Projectional lighting programjng on netting were considered.

 

[Tom Morrow]

More Projectional lighting programjng on netting were considered.

I'm not sure if that would be an improvement. The total darkness effectively "hides" the ride and makes the land feel more ominous (as it should feel) with a dark void in the middle.

 

[celluloid]

I'm not sure if that would be an improvement. The total darkness effectively "hides" the ride and makes the land feel more ominous (as it should feel) with a dark void in the middle.

That is why it stands as is. For now anyway.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I think you should not be trying to rebrand being lazy with sightlines, especially when fixing them would be comparatively chump change, as innovative rulebreaking choices.

Nobody should. They had a blank slate to work with. They went 90% of the way to greatness. It's just baffling. To everyone else, note that us pointing out the multiple sightline issues the park has does not mean we're saying it's a bad park. There's a lot to praise, but in my opinion this particular aspect about the park needs attention called to it and should not be handwaved away as "internet fodder". They still have 40 days to rectify as much of it as they can.

I think maybe, and this is just a theory, but maybe they wanted some lands that aren't quite so claustrophobic.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think maybe, and this is just a theory, but maybe they wanted some lands that aren't quite so claustrophobic.

Claustrophobic? Really?

Who thinks a theme park feels claustrophobic if you can't see the outside world?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think maybe, and this is just a theory, but maybe they wanted some lands that aren't quite so claustrophobic.

Shaping space to not feel claustrophobic and controlling sightlines aren’t mutually exclusive.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Claustrophobic? Really?

Who thinks a theme park feels claustrophobic if you can't see the outside world?

Not really the outside world, but less boxed in. I am hoping for more bamboo to block some of the outside views from ground level.

SNW is especially tight and and heavy on the sensory overload.

 

[mkt]

Looks like Epic will be getting a halfway decent amount of EV chargers

 

[sedati]

Well, I haven't been there and don't want to simply rely on guest images and concept art so I'll ask, does Constellation Carousel at all resemble the glowing colorful jewel depicted in the concept art whose light (accented but not overwhelmed by popcorn lights) shines from within at night?

 

[Tom Morrow]

I think maybe, and this is just a theory, but maybe they wanted some lands that aren't quite so claustrophobic.

There are plenty of ways to accomplish this though without having tall walls on all sides like Diagon, Ministry, and SNW. You can create a berm with trees on top of it. You can create fake rockwork. You can position the show buildings and other structures so that they block the view of the outside world and theme the parts of them that you do see.

Galaxy's Edge employs all of these and it never feels claustrophobic while still feeling completely isolated from the outside world, let alone the rest of the park.

But like, going beyond that, each of the existing Orlando parks accomplishes this already. There are no parts of MK, Epcot, DHS, DAK where you can see outside of the park from ground level. The one exception I can think of is seeing the Contemporary from within MK. USF really only during HHN, and IOA basically nothing except for the ability to see into USF. Even SeaWorld, you mostly can't see out of the park from the main walkways.

I don't know, planting some additional trees, adding additional themed walls and fences, and adding a little additional theming to the sides of show buildings doesn't seem like a huge tax when they're already in this far.

 

[TalkToEthan]

Curse of the Werewolf is hands down the most baffling choice in the whole park, both in placement and ride type.

Placement: yep, you’re right!
Ride type: now I’m baffled as to why you're baffled

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Helios's exterior isn't as ornate as it should have been given that it serves as the park's "weenie," and I also don't like seeing it throughout most of the park for that reason, as its integration with the park just feels like an excuse to not hide it from the park more than anything else. However, I don't understand the Vegas comparisons, as Vegas has a well-documented tendency to do everything up more glitzy than Orlando. We were never getting anything on a Vegas-like scale.

As I was one of the people who made the Vegas comparison, I should just briefly say that I didn't mean it as an unfavourable comparison with Vegas.

For me, it's more that having the fountains in front of a hotel tower surrounded by an outdoor district surrounded by themed/novelty dining and retail in a general sense has a very "tourist destination" more so than "themed land" feel. The most obvious correlation would be with the Bellagio fountains on the Vegas Strip, and, as theme parks often work by triggering past associations, I don't think it's too strange that someone's mind would go there. In general, though, it's more just a reference point than anything else and one of the ways that in which going with a relatively standard hotel tower as the backdrop to the whole area sets the tone, at least from what I can tell.

 

[celluloid]

But like, going beyond that, each of the existing Orlando parks accomplishes this already. There are no parts of MK, Epcot, DHS, DAK where you can see outside of the park from ground level. The one exception I can think of is seeing the Contemporary from within MK. USF really only during HHN, and IOA basically nothing except for the ability to see into USF. Even SeaWorld, you mostly can't see out of the park from the main walkways.

Beware of extreme claims

EPCOT you can definitely see Swan and Dolphin too.
SWO you ceetainly see the parking lot, the off property hotel across from it and front gate plaza from a lot of the walkway that is on that side of their lagoon.

It's not some egregious difference, it is just Disney property in FL was first, had Walt and bought up a ton of surrounding land.
This is why if the conversation includes Disneyland, which has a lot more of these (parking garage sights from Rivers of America, Tower of Terror from Matterhorn and Subs and Harbor Blvd through spots in Tomorrowland etc.)
It is more akin to Uni's situation of not building in the 70s/owning 22 plus square miles of property and over 40 years of regulation. It is not a secret.

This is why there has to be caveats with WDW. You are seeing contemporary and Swan and Dolphin because they own that property those buildings are on.

One of the major PR points stated Walt nabbed up the cheaper land in FL.