Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens May 22 2025

[mkt]

SNL's poking fun

 

[JT3000]

Please point to the bad grammar in my post and I will happily correct it

"Forth."

SNL's poking fun

Dear lord...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think this is the first time I’ve seen you choose a hill to die on over something so inconsequential. The verbiage on the signs is passed through several layers of legal and PR scrutiny. It’s the same basic language all parks use on their signs. The typos will get fixed.

When we nitpick things like this, it helps to bury legitimate criticisms - which Epic has several legitimate issues - and tells the companies that they don’t have to “course-correct” because “people complain about literally everything”.

Other than the “Bob is great…so my life sucks less…” hill he’s been entrenched on like the maginot line for what appears to be multiple decades - 24/7/52?

 

[Tha Realest]

This whole pregnancy thing is ridiculous. Most other parks have it printed that way. Most people don't think anything of it or make a big deal about it.

At this point it's over done with finding any little issue to put down Epic Universe.

While “Pregnant Mothers” may be inartful, it conveys the risk for those who are pregnant clearer than “Expectant Mothers” which is the preferred verbiage of the other major theme park in Orlando. Or have they changed it to “Birthing People who May Be Birthing Soon”?

 

[celluloid]

SNL's poking fun

Sincerest form of flattery and meeting corporate synergy under Comcast-NBC!


On this note, for those who did not know, the location just added outdoor seating due to its popularity.

 

[JT3000]

While “Pregnant Mothers” may be inartful, it conveys the risk for those who are pregnant clearer than “Expectant Mothers” which is the preferred verbiage of the other major theme park in Orlando. Or have they changed it to “Birthing People who May Be Birthing Soon”?

View attachment 858215

Instead of complaining about the manner in which pregnant women are addressed on the park's warning signs, people really ought to be complaining about Epic's warning signs failing to include imagery of a woman launching a flying baby out of her birth canal like some sort of improvised projectile weapon. I feel cheated after seeing what's possible.

 

[freediverdude]

To be honest, I can't quite remember how this forum fit into the overall online Disney ecosystem back when I first joined (gulp) 23 years ago. I do go back to the alt.disney.disneyland and rec.arts.disney.parks era in the 1990s, and my memory of that time is significantly coloured by things such as Al Lutz's Promote Paul Pressler campaign, the talk of "declining by degrees", the Light Magic debacle, and the distinct negativity around DCA's announcement, construction, and opening. All of that fed into the Save Disney campaign which eventually forced the company's CEO to step down. I will say that the negativity around WDW (as far as I remember) began later once Pressler took control of the the parks division as a whole and into Iger's tenure, so it is possible this forum was a lot more positive.

All that is to say that I think Disney's online fan community has always had a very critical streak. I think you are right, though, that it has only really gathered steam among WDW fans more recently for various reasons. You are probably also right that there has been sneering at Universal by some Disney fans over that time. Maybe that naturally breeds some defensiveness.

That said, I don't think all of these critiques come from a need to overcorrect for the pre-opening hype. My point was not that Universal was making these statements, but that they were being made in this very thread in which we are participating. I can only speak for myself, but I honestly wondered if I was the only one not seeing what everyone else was apparently seeing when commenting on the concept art when I commented pre-opening rather than feeling the need to overcorrect for other people's praise of it. I also think it is kind of natural that people also now bring up the same sort of issues around theming they would if they were discussing a Disney park, both given how Epic has been discussed on here and the fact we are on a Disney theme park forum.

I came over to this forum from the other forum that shall not be named, years ago, because it got to the point that I was pretty sure that some of the posters over there were either Disney cast members or posters professionally paid by Disney to control the narrative, and not allow criticism. At least here it is more free and Disney doesn't appear to control this forum yet.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Sincerest form of flattery and meeting corporate synergy under Comcast-NBC!


On this note, for those who did not know, the location just added outdoor seating due to its popularity.

It would make sense the sketch is inspired by Epic as Bowen Yang and his co-host Matt Rogers have talked about it on their podcast Las Culturistas. Matt Rogers has brings up following Bioreconstruct's construction photos quite a bit, so the sketch comes from an affectionate place as regards Epic!

I came over to this forum from the other forum that shall not be named, years ago, because it got to the point that I was pretty sure that some of the posters over there were either Disney cast members or posters professionally paid by Disney to control the narrative, and not allow criticism. At least here it is more free and Disney doesn't appear to control this forum yet.

Not to go too far off topic, but where I have found this forum has stood out since the beginning is a base level of sanity. There are always exceptions, and I guess all of think we're not one of those exceptions!

 

[jrhwdw]

 

[Purduevian]

While “Pregnant Mothers” may be inartful, it conveys the risk for those who are pregnant clearer than “Expectant Mothers” which is the preferred verbiage of the other major theme park in Orlando. Or have they changed it to “Birthing People who May Be Birthing Soon”?

View attachment 858215

No opinion on grammar but that expectant mother's graphic is incredible.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

No opinion on grammar but that expectant mother's graphic is incredible.

I reverse image searched it, and that graphic does not appear on the actual sign:

 

[celluloid]

I thought the image being a joke was obvious. It was also a play on words expectant and expectorating as the mother launching the child.
Another reason pregnant may be a better choice.

 

[OrlandoRising]

When people apply the same standards, though, and find aspects wanting, the response has been "no-one cares about that" or "Universal has a different approach to theme park design." So, it's hard not to feel like it has missed some kind of mark that I am not clear Universal ever set for themselves.

Missed the mark based on.....what exactly? I feel like you're misrepresenting the opinions of Epic defenders on here.

The clear consensus on people who have actually been to Epic is that the park is great with some of the best rides ever built in the U.S...... but that's not the same as saying it's perfect, that everything in the park is the best of its kind, etc.

If you want to talk about flaws, let's talk about important flaws like Curse of the Werewolf feeling tacked on and not well-themed enough, and being a pretty boring ride, 2 of the 3 rides in Isle of Berk being low capacity, or (one of the legitimate ones I've seen on here) Celestial Park lacking the same interactions as the other lands.

If the arguments are going to continue to act like Epic Universe is a disappointment because you can see Helios Grand from inside the lands or you can see a part of a ride building in an extended queue then yes, I'm going to continue calling that nitpicking.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Continuing to handwave the sightline issues the park has, when it has the worst sightlines out of all the Orlando major parks, is getting tiring. You, personally, might consider bad sightlines inconsequential, but others do not. This does not make them a "pixie duster" for wanting the best possible immersion.

The park has great things. The park also has bad sightlines. It can be both things. It's okay to discuss the things we like AND don't like.

 

[OrlandoRising]

Continuing to handwave the sightline issues the park has, when it has the worst sightlines out of all the Orlando major parks, is getting tiring. The park has great things. The park also has bad sightlines. It can be both things.

Again, I strongly believe that a good portion of what you're calling "issues" are things that cannot reasonably be argued to be detracting from the guest experience or the quality of the park. I tend to not spend my day in a theme park craning my neck around at sightlines to get mad over.

 

[MrPromey]

I think Super Nintendo world looks like it will give universal the biggest family audience it’s ever had. I think monsters and how to train your dragon are too niche to move attendance considerably. And while Harry Potter is very popular the new land probably won’t even bring in any new audiences at all

During soft opening, Ministry of Magic is the only attraction with virtual queue and it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it gone.

Make no mistake, there will be people visiting the park with the sole intention of experiencing the main attraction in this land (and many probably angry when they aren't able to).

 

[MrPromey]

I reverse image searched it, and that graphic does not appear on the actual sign:
View attachment 858452

what a let down.

And not to kill the messenger (but kind of) - thanks!

 

[flynnibus]

I never knew that "Expectant Mothers" was a condition.

Dumbest complaint of the year.

The sign is easily understood

 

[MisterPenguin]

Dumbest complaint of the year.

The sign is easily understood

I never said it was likely to be misunderstood.

Did you enjoy punching that Straw Man? Did you kick him once he was down. Jump on his face? You're a great warrior!!

 

[MrPromey]

I never said it was likely to be misunderstood.

Did you enjoy punching that Straw Man? Did you kick him once he was down. Jump on his face? You're a great warrior!!

Every time I knock my straw man down the SOB gets back up.