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

Disgruntled Walt

Disgruntled Walt

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
mysteriousislandlurker said:
is it just me or...
the Dolores Umbridge animatronic in the climax of Battle at the Ministry remind me of Mark Twain and Ben Franklin in the American Adventure, when they are on the statue of liberty?
Click to expand...
In a strange way I actually see what you mean! If she attempted to shake hands with Harry Potter, than the resemblance would be uncanny!
 
S

Sorcerer Mickey

Well-Known Member
TennHokies said:
Anyone else getting more than a little worried about this ride yet. Is it time to go full board panic mode??? I watched a content creator yesterday who said just go in assuming you WON’T get on Battle of the Ministry and be pleasantly surprised if you do. How sad 😢 😔 😞
Click to expand...
I'm not worried, because...

1) I personally did not spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing the ride.
2) I'm not going to EU any time soon.
3) There are many, many other things to worry about.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Disney Analyst said:
I agree honestly, and I’ve said it on other forums. Epic specifically needed a few more lower tech reliable attractions. Think a long form boat ride, omnimover dark ride, fantasyland style dark ride, etc.

I am not sure if it’s guest expectations these days, but I kinda wish they’d go back to some old school techniques.
Click to expand...

I also don't think newer tech always makes for a better experience even when it's working. Yes, we have super high definition screens and projections and CGI, e.g., but using them in place of physical sets generally makes a ride worse/less immersive, not better (with a few exceptions).

Obviously screens/projections generally don't have any reliability problems, so that's kind of a bad example, but I could say the same for the ride systems -- there are rides that would be just as good or possibly even better with a simpler, more reliable ride system.

That's not to suggest newer tech is bad or shouldn't be used, because it can do some really impressive things. It's just that at the moment it feels like they (I mean both Disney and Universal here) almost default to using whatever is new rather than just designing a quality ride and using whatever tech fits the best.
 
Last edited:
Purduevian

Purduevian

Well-Known Member
Theoretically there are quite a few rides in the park that should be reliable:

Fairly standard roller coaters:
  • Curse of the Werewolf
  • Hiccup's
  • Stardust
Ride's copied from other parks (with a few years of experience)
  • Mario Kart
  • Yoshi
Flat rides:
  • Dragon racers rally
  • Carousel
Of course these rides can still break down... but they have a pretty low risk compared to things like Monsters or MoM
 
EpicUniverseUpdate

EpicUniverseUpdate

New Member
Tom Morrow said:
A lot of amusement and theme parks regularly open at 10:00 AM and do just fine. Cedar Point, for example.

I don't know why Orlando has conditioned everyone to think opening at 9:00 AM is a requirement. If you're a morning person, fine. If you're not, earlier openings just make your vacation that much more stressful.

Also, yes, it's a money and maintenance thing. If corporate is giving them the option of either: A - opening at 9:00 AM to be "in line" with the other parks but closing early so people barely get to see the park at night, or B: opening later so people can see more of the park at night, I am very glad they have apparently chosen the second option.

That said, June-August in Florida mean it basically doesn't get dark until 9:00, so still having 9:00 be the standard closing time isn't late enough.



Nobody tell him about the unannounced 5th portal - Muppet Metropolis.
Click to expand...

Sorry, absolutely not. As someone who lives near theme parks, maybe I'm mostly not waking up to rope drop when I go. However, when I'm on vacation at say, DLR, early openings are the best. When Disneyland or DCA opens at 7 or 8, I can essentially get the entire park done then go for a nap while sleepyheads like yourself are still making their way to the park. This makes my vacation way less stressful.

There is absolutely no argument to be made for Universal opening later. They can absolutely do 9am - 10pm or 9am - 11pm, they're just too cheap to actually do so. Don't gaslight people into thinking that the only way Universal can stay open one extra hour is to open up an hour later. That's absurd.
 
J

jrhwdw

Well-Known Member
EpicUniverseUpdate said:
Sorry, absolutely not. As someone who lives near theme parks, maybe I'm mostly not waking up to rope drop when I go. However, when I'm on vacation at say, DLR, early openings are the best. When Disneyland or DCA opens at 7 or 8, I can essentially get the entire park done then go for a nap while sleepyheads like yourself are still making their way to the park. This makes my vacation way less stressful.

There is absolutely no argument to be made for Universal opening later. They can absolutely do 9am - 10pm or 9am - 11pm, they're just too cheap to actually do so. Don't gaslight people into thinking that the only way Universal can stay open one extra hour is to open up an hour later. That's absurd.
Click to expand...
Indeed! For EU to adjust Hours( because it was crazy to begin with), still no Nighttime Spectacular, HP Ride needs a Week's Rest....not a Good Look! Two Weeks left...........
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
EpicUniverseUpdate said:
Sorry, absolutely not. As someone who lives near theme parks, maybe I'm mostly not waking up to rope drop when I go. However, when I'm on vacation at say, DLR, early openings are the best. When Disneyland or DCA opens at 7 or 8, I can essentially get the entire park done then go for a nap while sleepyheads like yourself are still making their way to the park. This makes my vacation way less stressful.

There is absolutely no argument to be made for Universal opening later. They can absolutely do 9am - 10pm or 9am - 11pm, they're just too cheap to actually do so. Don't gaslight people into thinking that the only way Universal can stay open one extra hour is to open up an hour later. That's absurd.
Click to expand...

I think you misread what I’m trying to say. I’m not saying this is the only way to do it. I’m saying that if they’re going to be cheap (they are - UOR parks are basically never open more than 12-13 hours) and not increase the overall park hours, the better option for Epic Universe specifically is to open later. This is because Epic, more than any other park I’ve seen, really comes alive at night, AND Epic doesn’t have to “line up” with the north campus parks.
 
EpicUniverseUpdate

EpicUniverseUpdate

New Member
Tom Morrow said:
I think you misread what I’m trying to say. I’m not saying this is the only way to do it. I’m saying that if they’re going to be cheap (they are - UOR parks are basically never open more than 12-13 hours) and not increase the overall park hours, the better option for Epic Universe specifically is to open later. This is because Epic, more than any other park I’ve seen, really comes alive at night, AND Epic doesn’t have to “line up” with the north campus parks.
Click to expand...
I still feel that you've talked about it positively and compared it to "Cedar Point" (?) and also spoke out again early opens in another reply. I don't want them to see any positive feedback on this horrible move.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
EpicUniverseUpdate said:
I still feel that you've talked about it positively and compared it to "Cedar Point" (?) and also spoke out again early opens in another reply. I don't want them to see any positive feedback on this horrible move.
Click to expand...
I think the point, though, is if the park is only going to be open for a set number of hours, for this park it may make sense to open later so that it has more nighttime hours which suits the park's design better. Animal Kingdom is kind of a counter-example where it makes more sense to open earlier as the animal-based experiences have to close before it gets dark.

I know a few of us are very enthusiastic about later opening and closing times, but I think everyone recognises that different people have different preferences and no-one is "correct". If this is the one Universal park that opened at 10am instead of 9am, would it really be a huge inconvenience even if you are an early riser?
 
J

jrhwdw

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
I think the point, though, is if the park is only going to be open for a set number of hours, for this park it may make sense to open later so that it has more nighttime hours which suits the park's design better. Animal Kingdom is kind of a counter-example where it makes more sense to open earlier as the animal-based experiences have to close before it gets dark.

I know a few of us are very enthusiastic about later opening and closing times, but I think everyone recognises that different people have different preferences and no-one is "correct". If this is the one Universal park that opened at 10am instead of 9am, would it really be a huge inconvenience even if you are an early riser?
Click to expand...
True. Is Rope Drop really a thing at Universal?
 
Misted Compass

Misted Compass

Well-Known Member
mysteriousislandlurker said:
is it just me or...
the Dolores Umbridge animatronic in the climax of Battle at the Ministry remind me of Mark Twain and Ben Franklin in the American Adventure, when they are on the statue of liberty?
Click to expand...
Probably due to staging, she's standing on a relatively small physical set which then goes dark which is a common staging technique in American Adventure.
 
Giss Neric

Giss Neric

Well-Known Member
I understand if the complicated dark rides are closed but rollercoasters tend to be reliable rides for the most part so why are they closed as well?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom