DarkMetroid567
Well-Known Member
my next epic visit will probably be just marathoning Monsters, Stardust, and Hiccup and having a good lunch
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I mean until Pandora there were only 3 good rides in DAK too.
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
To each their own, but I think these type of comments do nothing but stir debate. Fine if you don't like everything, but you could make the same comment about a lot of parks... including Disney.
Epic Universe has a lot of great attractions & experiences, and they obviously intend on adding more throughout its life.
Based on general guest observation - Stardust, Monsters, Ministry, Untrainable Dragon and Hiccup's are a major success in the park... 5 right there.
Fine category - Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Cirque Arcanus, Carousel
Then there's (3) duds - Werewolf, Racer Rally, Yoshi
Animal Kingdom is my favorite park... and yet I can say that there's only 3 good rides in the park and the rest are one and done. Everybody is going to have their own tastes and preferences.
There are sightline issues and capacity concerns, but Epic is not a failure. (I do think the ticketing scheme is ultimately going to hurt them at the end.)
Eh, disagree on this one. It's a perfectly fun ride.
FoodRockz
Well-Known Member
Don't forget Fyre Drill! I really enjoyed that one. I also enjoyed Curse of the Werewolf, but understand that it's not the most themed attraction ever made.
JusticeDisney
Well-Known Member
I agree with just about everything that you said. You can find pluses and minuses at every park, including Disney parks. And I am in no way saying that Epic is a failure. It most certainly is not and will not be in my opinion. In my view, however, other than the three big rides, the rest of them leave quite a bit to be desired. As you pointed out, though, that is a subjective thing and to each their own. I guess my larger point is (and again this is just a matter of my own opinion) that Epic is not now nor is it ever going to be the park that makes Disney shake in their boots, as a lot of people have proclaimed would be the case over the last couple years. To that point, if you stop and really think about it, with the expansions that Disney has going on at the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, they are adding more total top level attractions than the entirety of Epic did. Of course, don’t ever put it past Disney to promise big and deliver small so we will all have to wait and see how that actually plays out, lol!
European1992
Active Member
I think Epic is the best theme park that has opened in the last 25 years or so.
JusticeDisney
Well-Known Member
Which attractions at Epic were your favorites and which ones, if any, did you not care for?
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
Having not been to EPIC myself... at least my perception is (rides only):
| EPIC | MK | EPCOT | DHS | AK | USF | IOA | |
| Headliners | (3) Monsters, HP, Stardust | (3)Tron, Pirates, HM | (1) Cosmic Rewind | (2) ROTR, TOT | (3)Safari, Everest, FOP | (2) Gringotts, Mummy | (2) Hargrid, Velocicoaster |
| Fringe headliners | (1) Mario Kart | (4)Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Tiana, Jungle cruise | (3)Remy, Soarin, Test Track | (2)SDD, MMRR | (1)DINO | (1)Men in Black | (2)Forbidden Journey, Spiderman, |
| Solid rides | (2)Minecart, Hiccups | (3)Pan, people mover, 7D | (4)Mission Space, Frozen, SSE, the land | (2)RNRC, MFSR | (1)Na'vi | (3)Transformers, ET, Rip Ride Rockit | (2)Hulk, River Journey |
| Decent rides | (2)CotWW, Yoshi | (4)Small world, Buzz, mermaid, Pooh | (2)Nemo, Grand Fiesta | (2)Star Tours, TSMM | (3)Hogwarts express, Villian Con, Simpsons | (4)Kong, Hogwarts express, Popeye, Dudley, Dr. Doom | |
| Skippable | (3)Carousel, Rally, Fyre | (10)Railroad, Riverboat, COP, Dumbo, Astro, Tea, Barnstomer, Carousel, Carpets, Speedway | (1)Figment | (1)Alien | (1)Kali | (4)F&F, Jimmy, Twirl & Hurl, Minions | (7)Cat in the hat, Sues Trolley, Caro-Seuss-el, Hippogriff, one fish, Storm Force, Flyers |
From a pure ride basis, I would say it's the 3rd best park in Orlando behind MK and IOA
JusticeDisney
Well-Known Member
That’s a really fair breakdown of the rides, in my opinion. I certainly have some disagreements regarding the rankings of the rides, and I would not put Epic as high as number three, but overall I can see where you are coming from and, like I said, that’s a really good list.
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
No way.
Stardust Racers
Monsters Unchained
Hiccups Wing Gliders
Mario Kart
Battle at the Ministry
Fyre Drill
Werewolf is decent, and so is Donkey Kong…
And I actually liked Dragon Racers Rally too…
It’s the Carousel and Yoshi I could skip.
Here's my tier ratings
S-Tier:
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Stardust Racers
A-Tier:
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
The Untrainable Dragon – Surprisingly emotional show. Puppetry and effects are next level.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – Augmented reality plus chaos. Not everyone’s cup of tea but wildly impressive.
B-Tier:
Mine-Cart Madness
Le Cirque Arcanus
Curse of the Werewolf
C-Tier:
Yoshi’s Adventure
Dragon Racer’s Rally
Fyre Drill
Constellation Carousel
D-Tier:
Astronomica (it's a splash pad)
Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience (It's a gift shop/experience pretending to be an attraction)
Viking Training Camp (it's a playround)
F-Tier
Nothing here earns an F. Even the D-Tier stuff is well themed and can be fun.
S-Tier:Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Stardust Racers
A-Tier:Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
The Untrainable Dragon – Surprisingly emotional show. Puppetry and effects are next level.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – Augmented reality plus chaos. Not everyone’s cup of tea but wildly impressive.
B-Tier:Mine-Cart Madness
Le Cirque Arcanus
Curse of the Werewolf
C-Tier:Yoshi’s Adventure
Dragon Racer’s Rally
Fyre Drill
Constellation Carousel
D-Tier:Astronomica (it's a splash pad)
Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience (It's a gift shop/experience pretending to be an attraction)
Viking Training Camp (it's a playround)
F-TierNothing here earns an F. Even the D-Tier stuff is well themed and can be fun.
Agent H
Well-Known Member
I’m still surprised that people rank yoshi’s adventure and Mario kart so low. Yoshi’s adventure is a really cute people mover ride and Mario kart is chaotic and fun in the same way runaway railway is. I think it definitely deserves to be considered an e-ticket and will definitely function that way for the general public.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I'm sure everyone's list is a little different, but looking at EPIC, vs DHS, vs AK attraction line up my personal rankings
| Attraction Rank | EPIC | DHS | AK |
| 1 | BATM | ROTR | FOP |
| 2 | Monsters | ToT | Everest |
| 3 | Stardust | MMRR | Safari |
| 4 | Mario Kart | SDD | Dinosaur |
| 5 | Hiccups | RNRC | FotLK |
| 6 | Minecart | MFSR | Na'vi |
| 7 | Untrainable Dragon | Toy Story Mania | Nemo |
| 8 | Circus | Indy | Gorilla falls |
| 9 | COTWW | Mermaid | Jungle Trek |
| 10 | Yoshi | Frozen | Kali |
| 11 | Fyre Drill | BATB | Feathered Friends |
| 12 | Dragon Racer's | Villains | Animation class |
| 13 | Constellation Carousel | Vacation fun | Affection section |
| 14 | Viking Training camp | Walt Disney Presents | Boneyard |
| 15 | Astronomica | Launch Bay | Conservation Station |
I've got a kid who doesn't meet the height requirement for many rides.
I still stand by the D rating.
ThemeParkTraveller
Well-Known Member
It's not better than Tokyo DisneySea—but for me, nothing is. That said, I agree otherwise. I do think Epic Universe has the best opening-day attraction roster of any theme park in recent memory—not in terms of quantity, of course, but in quality. Monsters and Ministry alone are worth the price of admission for me.
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JusticeDisney
Well-Known Member
To each their own, but absolutely nothing special at all about anything other than the big 3, in my opinion anyway.
Frank Drackman
Well-Known Member
I think what is missing (when one just looks at Epic) from an attraction stand point is the emersion/entertainment aspect of what Epic captures well.
'Theme park' fans might not rate Mario Kart high but families are spending time in Nintendo land, they are buying power up bands and playing games throughout the land, eating themed food, buying themed merchandise. One thing that SHOULD worry other area destinations, is I hear families saying that the kids don't won't to leave Epic at the end of the day.
When I hear a term like 'Disney Adult' and then I see how adults seem to like to dress in theme to things like Vikings and Monsters and then they Harry Potter folks -- Epic seems to give this crowd a wonderful play ground as much as the kids -- the kids, the adults, they all seem to enjoy meeting dragons and Vikings.
There are many stories one can learn speaking to the villagers of Darkmore.
Anyway, I think there is a lot more to Epic than just the rides that make it tough (for me) to experience it all in a day.
'Theme park' fans might not rate Mario Kart high but families are spending time in Nintendo land, they are buying power up bands and playing games throughout the land, eating themed food, buying themed merchandise. One thing that SHOULD worry other area destinations, is I hear families saying that the kids don't won't to leave Epic at the end of the day.
When I hear a term like 'Disney Adult' and then I see how adults seem to like to dress in theme to things like Vikings and Monsters and then they Harry Potter folks -- Epic seems to give this crowd a wonderful play ground as much as the kids -- the kids, the adults, they all seem to enjoy meeting dragons and Vikings.
There are many stories one can learn speaking to the villagers of Darkmore.
Anyway, I think there is a lot more to Epic than just the rides that make it tough (for me) to experience it all in a day.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
For the younger "Disney Adults" who never got to meet Jack Diamond or any of the other Citizens of Hollywood at HWS, this is going to be a difficult concept to grasp because they see a character interaction as that 30 second photo op you wait in line 45-60 minutes for.
The idea of coming across a trio of girls from different wizard schools in different uniforms and completely in character wandering around the potter area marveling at what they see in the store windows without a handler and who will stop and have complete conversations with people who walk up to them, basically until the natural end of their conversation is going to be a difficult thing for them to imagine.
Similar to those characters sprinkled around isle of Burk who again, will basically improv with anyone who talks to them.
Interactions with the monsters are a little less personal but it's pretty obvious that as monsters, they're a bit less approachable in general.
The Mario characters you wait in line for but with everything else in that land, I basically had to drag my son out of it both days we were there. He'd have been content spending hours doing the mini games and collecting stamps around the land if left to his own devices.