hopemax
Well-Known Member
As proven by the 25 minute wait HP has right now! The last 2 days it looks pretty stable. 45 minutes most of the time I’ve looked. Of course not the 2 days we were there…
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
Sundays in September… the way to do Epic. I’m here.
Pre-show is on today. I think victoria is removed though unless it just lowers for B-mode.
Igor is behind a shower curtain (ha actually) and there was maybe a curtain or two more than I recall. But the first Dracula and wolf animatronics were working, along with a tree branch above the monster from the lagoon. There may have been an extra bride flying. Those all were not working for me a week and a half ago.
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TalkingHead
Well-Known Member
Casual observation but it looks like Google has paused reviews since the most recent one is from 4 days ago and the second most recent is from a week ago.
hopemax
Well-Known Member
I'm trying to decide if I want to go again next Sunday the 14th. It's a $116 day and the weekdays are $135 and I'm nervous that the one Sunday I would go, it would be busy because of the cost differential.Sundays in September… the way to do Epic. I’m here.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I think because of tourists going home and school still being early back combined with APs not rushing to fill in the gaps… I would go for sure next Sunday if you have the option.
hopemax
Well-Known Member
It would be my 5th paid Epic day, between previews and now. I’m only in FL for most of a month because it made more sense to just stay at my Dad’s between D23 and the WDW pin event which is 9/20 then go home between them. The take away is I’ve spent a crap ton already between D23, our 4 nights we just spent at UOR, and the pin event.
OTOH, what is another $116+tax+enormous amount on food & snacks when we go to Epic. Compared to what we just spent, lol. YOLO! Especially since I can’t import all my fun stuff from Japan until the tariff dust settles.
OTOH, what is another $116+tax+enormous amount on food & snacks when we go to Epic. Compared to what we just spent, lol. YOLO! Especially since I can’t import all my fun stuff from Japan until the tariff dust settles.
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
Historically speaking from trips to WDW, Pres week is variable. By that I mean many people visit over the long weekend (2/14-2/16 in 2026) but if you are visiting for longer than 3-4 days, and your Epic day is not on the actual weekend, that will make a significant difference in crowd levels. Orlando in Feb before 2/14 is quiet, there is also a historical drop-off in crowds after 2/16.
Hard to predict what the holiday weekend will be like, but if the rides are all operating, most days pargoers can come pretty close to hitting all of the rides without EP in one day, if they start at EE, stay as late, and minimize meals/breaks.
Though that assumes good weather, and we don't yet have any idea what the park hours will be. During my visit it stormed, so a number of rides go down during storms. It was also summer, so the heat was a factor. But summer also had great park hours. Feb temps should be quite a bit cooler.
With Epic, I'd say strategy and luck are both factors. the day I didn't go, my group did MarioKart, Monsters, Werewolf, Stardust, and Racer'sRally all before 10:30am. Then Fyre Drill, Carousel, and Ministry before noon. (Ministry was posted 75, but was act much shorter) Next was Wing Gliders. After that came multiple weather delays/attempts to get on rides that re-closed before getting to front of line. At 4, group re-rode Monsters. At 4:30. Hiccups, a bit of shopping, then they got in line for Minecart. Posted was 90, but it was delayed due to more weather. They waited 95minutes, and made it all the way to the loading dock, when there was another weather delay. They waited another 25minutes, then bailed. The storms continued for a bit. Their next ride was Hiccups, Carousel, then was the night show, and they called it a day.
They did not ride Minecart Madness (despite 2hr waiting for it), Yoshi's Adventure, nor did they see Hiccup or either of the shows that day. They did have short interactions with some of the roaming characters, and managed 3 re-rides.
On the day I went, we opted to Ministry Single rider. It would have been pretty quick, about 20min, but just as we were near boarding, the ride had a 20min delay. Since it was also storming outside, we waited.
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
But my above post only tells part of the story. A theme park is more than just the rides.
On the day I went, the storms somewhat forced us to take a break. We used that time to explore Paris and Darkmoor in the rain, and also stopped for a round of hot beverages.
Post-trip, we all had the same thought, that we easily could have/should have spent a more time exploring and taking in all the atmosphere and details.
I don't fault anyone for trying to get on rides, and I appreciate wanting to avoid long waits and the expense of visiting, but I think you'd be better off doing the park over 2 days without EP so you can take time to explore.
The most enjoyable time of our 2 days was the time we allowed ourselves to casually explore the lands noticing small details. The lands are full of immersive details that are worth exploring!
On the day I went, the storms somewhat forced us to take a break. We used that time to explore Paris and Darkmoor in the rain, and also stopped for a round of hot beverages.
Post-trip, we all had the same thought, that we easily could have/should have spent a more time exploring and taking in all the atmosphere and details.
I don't fault anyone for trying to get on rides, and I appreciate wanting to avoid long waits and the expense of visiting, but I think you'd be better off doing the park over 2 days without EP so you can take time to explore.
The most enjoyable time of our 2 days was the time we allowed ourselves to casually explore the lands noticing small details. The lands are full of immersive details that are worth exploring!
That's a bit much.
Stripes
Premium Member
Is it?
Universal circa 2008 was not headed in the right direction…not by a long shot.
Universal Creative has, more or less, copied and pasted this brilliant man’s designs for over a decade. Stuart Craig designed Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, not UC. Stuart Craig designed Diagon Alley, not UC. Stuart Craig designed the Ministry of Magic, not UC.
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Yeah, I see what you're trying to do here, and it's more than a little tacky given the context you've chosen to frame it in.
Universal were never in any danger of having to close the resort. SeaWorld is in much worse shape than Universal ever was and is still in operation, after literal decades of speculation. The same goes for numerous other parks that don't have one of America's largest companys (at the time) backing them. It's entirely unrealistic to think them "copying and pasting" Harry Potter literally saved anything.
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Rich Brownn
Well-Known Member
Actually before Potter the park was not in very good financial shape and there was serious consideration to closing the parks for a few days each week. Potter really did save the resort (And Comcast - after Potter - decided to keep the parks instead of selling them off which was their original intention)
There's a wide divide between "not in very good financial shape" and "wouldn't even be around anymore." Potter being a major boon to the resort doesn't mean it saved the resort. You could argue we wouldn't have Epic Universe without it, but the first two parks? I'm not buying it.
Comcast supposedly wanted to sell Universal as a whole, not just the parks, because they supposedly only wanted the NBC side of the business. They would have needed to be very shortsighted to actually do so. People also speculated that GE would spin off the parks division or various other parts of Universal, which they never did. The only thing I can think of is Universal Music Group, and that was Vivendi's doing. Either way, someone would have bought the parks and continued their operation had they ever been sold.
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Stripes
Premium Member
There is not a wide divide between “not in very good financial shape” and “there’s a real possibility that Universal wouldn’t be around anymore.”
The future is not always predictable.
If not for Harry Potter, Seaworld may not be around either!
Yeah, I’ll give this brilliant man the recognition he deserves any day of the week. The entire industry owes him a massive debt of gratitude.
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There's a real possibility that WDW gets hit by a rogue asteroid tomorrow. Some possibilities aren't likely enough to give much thought to.
Stripes
Premium Member
Whether Universal went belly up or limped along like Seaworld is beside the point.
The point of my post was to highlight Stuart Craig’s life and his remarkable contributions to Universal and the theme park industry in general.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for Universal to recognize the man’s passing…
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I remember UOR in the years before Potter and it was depressing. We definitely would not have Epic or Volcano Bay or all the hotels built within the last decade without Potter.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I have now marinated in my thoughts sufficiently and want to report I’m a reconverted Universal fan again. At least from this team that brought the bulk of early days Epic. I do think it might even be a slightly stronger park than IOA because it is more varied and consistent.
Brief highlights:
-Ministry is amazing. By far my favourite Universal attraction worldwide with a close second running of Monsters Unchained. I long said on paper that my opinion was largely going to be baked into how well the two headliners hit and they both hit for me. Ministry I think is in my top three with Rise and Shanghai Pirates. Its ride system is put to newfound uses and understood the assignment. No attraction is perfect, it likely could have used a better pre-show to onboard non-Potter viewers and readers into why we are getting into elevators. The face projected AAs are very derpy.
-Universal putting water fountains in every queue line and show line. Whoever strategically mandated that deserves credit.
-Paris is practically perfect. We could start throwing around a nascent “Disney Sea” if every other land lived up to that standard.
-I think the portals and the LED screens work really well for their stated purpose. Day and night.
-F&B is very well done, as has been noted. To the point that I’m confused why they even need another, another dining facility? Maybe those on busy days can clarify for me, but dining seems over abundant for the parks capacity? Not that that is bad!
-I think both of the shows are extremely strong for a theme park. Mixed with the unrelated HHN show I saw, Universal can do modern entertainment really well… who knew?!? Have you heard of a park called IOA that has NO entertainment?
-Stardust racers is also a very strong coaster.
-The 6th/7th unspoken star attractions are the interactive experiences between Potter and Nintendo. Nintendo’s bands are the cheaper and better Epic based experience. Though Potter has the benefit of being usable in three parks. I’m down for Nintendo continuing to get the Potter treatment and spreading over three parks. Finally I think Universal will have its one-two-three punch between Potter, Nintendo and Jurassic.
-Shout out to Atlantic dining call. I think that’s my favourite dining location followed by the Parisian street-side potter one. Whatever that is called.
Other notes:
-The park is a lot smaller than I expected. There’s very little depth to it before you hit the hotel.
-I rather like the portal world concept. It’s different. It’s not the worst navigationally (I prefer the park navigation layout to IOA).
-Much criticism of them downgrading the extended queue on Monsters is unwarranted, that was smart cost savings.
-The cancellation of the second potter attraction for now was also a correct choice, that land still feels perfectly functional without it at this time.
-The park needs an all ages no height capacity E ticket dark ride like it is going out of style. A HTTYD boat ride, which unfortunately doesn’t look like it was considered would be the solution. Monsters needs a show. Nintendo needs a “great” attraction.
Misses:
-The portal world concept falls apart for Universal’s own IP. I’m used to newer parks, but they really don’t seem to have sprung for much in the way of tree maturity. Even their planting leaves much to be desired. Is it really so hard and budget breaking to plant a row of trees and bamboo in unfinished land periphery and boundaries?
-For a park as expensive as it was, both Nintendo and Monsters could have considered being partially or fully indoor lands.
-Nintendo is not going to hold up well to Florida weather. It already is not.
-The monsters land is frankly a general missed opportunity. There’s nothing to it, the land immediately truncates and ends in the weenie. The burning tavern and Monsters unchained needed to be swapped. The Wolverine coaster is “ok”, but not worth the entire degradation of the land.
-Mine Cart Madness is the most baffling attraction and like the Wolf attraction I can tell was not really done in the slice of brilliance that the original Epic team operated under. Way too low capacity. Way too sub par. Making scene two of your attraction a full frontal revelation of the ride system is terrible. Seriously, bamboo…
-Mine Cart Madness is jerky clearly on purpose, but it doesn’t make for a very pleasant ride experience.
-Constellation Carousel is lame and not justified by being cool to watch. The system spins around less than 2 full rotations for the entire ride profile. I watched faces while it was operating and everyone looked apathetic and bored.
-The hotel being the weenie of the entire park was a mistake. Perhaps the cardinal mistake. It should have been an entrance hotel and the park and the park abutting into a 6th land portal. Why centre everything around a fireworks launch pad you’ll never use and your premium rooms don’t even face.
Brief highlights:
-Ministry is amazing. By far my favourite Universal attraction worldwide with a close second running of Monsters Unchained. I long said on paper that my opinion was largely going to be baked into how well the two headliners hit and they both hit for me. Ministry I think is in my top three with Rise and Shanghai Pirates. Its ride system is put to newfound uses and understood the assignment. No attraction is perfect, it likely could have used a better pre-show to onboard non-Potter viewers and readers into why we are getting into elevators. The face projected AAs are very derpy.
-Universal putting water fountains in every queue line and show line. Whoever strategically mandated that deserves credit.
-Paris is practically perfect. We could start throwing around a nascent “Disney Sea” if every other land lived up to that standard.
-I think the portals and the LED screens work really well for their stated purpose. Day and night.
-F&B is very well done, as has been noted. To the point that I’m confused why they even need another, another dining facility? Maybe those on busy days can clarify for me, but dining seems over abundant for the parks capacity? Not that that is bad!
-I think both of the shows are extremely strong for a theme park. Mixed with the unrelated HHN show I saw, Universal can do modern entertainment really well… who knew?!? Have you heard of a park called IOA that has NO entertainment?
-Stardust racers is also a very strong coaster.
-The 6th/7th unspoken star attractions are the interactive experiences between Potter and Nintendo. Nintendo’s bands are the cheaper and better Epic based experience. Though Potter has the benefit of being usable in three parks. I’m down for Nintendo continuing to get the Potter treatment and spreading over three parks. Finally I think Universal will have its one-two-three punch between Potter, Nintendo and Jurassic.
-Shout out to Atlantic dining call. I think that’s my favourite dining location followed by the Parisian street-side potter one. Whatever that is called.
Other notes:
-The park is a lot smaller than I expected. There’s very little depth to it before you hit the hotel.
-I rather like the portal world concept. It’s different. It’s not the worst navigationally (I prefer the park navigation layout to IOA).
-Much criticism of them downgrading the extended queue on Monsters is unwarranted, that was smart cost savings.
-The cancellation of the second potter attraction for now was also a correct choice, that land still feels perfectly functional without it at this time.
-The park needs an all ages no height capacity E ticket dark ride like it is going out of style. A HTTYD boat ride, which unfortunately doesn’t look like it was considered would be the solution. Monsters needs a show. Nintendo needs a “great” attraction.
Misses:
-The portal world concept falls apart for Universal’s own IP. I’m used to newer parks, but they really don’t seem to have sprung for much in the way of tree maturity. Even their planting leaves much to be desired. Is it really so hard and budget breaking to plant a row of trees and bamboo in unfinished land periphery and boundaries?
-For a park as expensive as it was, both Nintendo and Monsters could have considered being partially or fully indoor lands.
-Nintendo is not going to hold up well to Florida weather. It already is not.
-The monsters land is frankly a general missed opportunity. There’s nothing to it, the land immediately truncates and ends in the weenie. The burning tavern and Monsters unchained needed to be swapped. The Wolverine coaster is “ok”, but not worth the entire degradation of the land.
-Mine Cart Madness is the most baffling attraction and like the Wolf attraction I can tell was not really done in the slice of brilliance that the original Epic team operated under. Way too low capacity. Way too sub par. Making scene two of your attraction a full frontal revelation of the ride system is terrible. Seriously, bamboo…
-Mine Cart Madness is jerky clearly on purpose, but it doesn’t make for a very pleasant ride experience.
-Constellation Carousel is lame and not justified by being cool to watch. The system spins around less than 2 full rotations for the entire ride profile. I watched faces while it was operating and everyone looked apathetic and bored.
-The hotel being the weenie of the entire park was a mistake. Perhaps the cardinal mistake. It should have been an entrance hotel and the park and the park abutting into a 6th land portal. Why centre everything around a fireworks launch pad you’ll never use and your premium rooms don’t even face.