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

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Epic was also hit by unexpected COVID-era inflation and supply chain shortages that wrecked budgets and upended plans made in the 2010s. Throwing money at the problem - which is what Comcast did - can only fix so much.

There's not a single project manager on the planet who could've predicted this.

In like 2050 we’re still going to be blaming Covid when rides break down or scenery crumbles at Disney and Universal.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The concrete was also poured like, this year. It shouldn't be this bad. Somebody dropped the ball.

 

[mkt]

In like 2050 we’re still going to be blaming Covid when rides break down or scenery crumbles at Disney and Universal.

I mean, if it's an accurate assumption, we absolutely should. In other industries, it’s been shown that the same product built in 2020 or 2021 is often lower in quality and more prone to defects than the same product made in 2019 or 2022.

When it comes to theme parks, you don’t design, plan, budget, and build one in a year - it’s a decade-plus process.

The oldest sketches I’ve seen for Epic date back over a decade before the park opened. No one expected inflation and supply chain chaos to skyrocket halfway through construction.

 

[earlthesquirrellover23]

That’s cool and all but remember Universal made Jimmy Fallons Failure Through New York

Ummm?? That's literally one of the best rides ever created.. are you trolling?

 

[OrlandoRising]

The concrete was also poured like, this year. It shouldn't be this bad. Somebody dropped the ball.

Two things can be true here: That needing concrete replacements this soon after opening is embarrassing AND this isn't some calamitous issue that will sink Epic Universe or Universal parks as a whole.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Two things can be true here: That needing concrete replacements this soon after opening is embarrassing AND this isn't some calamitous issue that will sink Epic Universe or Universal parks as a whole.

I don't think there is any single issue that any of these main parks could do that will sink them as a whole. They are literal icons in their craft and their region. Universal and Disney will both be around for a longgggggggg time. It's just funny because everyone was saying how Universal now has all the quality and ideas while Disney is yada yada and this happens within the first few months.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Two things can be true here: That needing concrete replacements this soon after opening is embarrassing AND this isn't some calamitous issue that will sink Epic Universe or Universal parks as a whole.

Never said the second thing.

 

[rd805]

Every theme park operator has failures. It's just the cost of doing business.

Disney had Rocket Rods, Superstar Limo, Journey Into Your Imagination, Lightmagic, and a concrete hotel where you had to LARP as a Jedi for $5,000.

I will forever stand on the fact that Superstar Limo wasn't as bad as people think. It was goofy, had no wait, highlighted Cali -- it was cute lol.

 

[mkt]

The concrete was also poured like, this year. It shouldn't be this bad. Somebody dropped the ball.

Yeah. The weather.

The pours didn't have enough time to set properly. I assume they'll be replaced sooner rather than later.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yeah. The weather.

The pours didn't have enough time to set properly. I assume they'll be replaced sooner rather than later.

Perhaps the megacorporation that has operated in Orlando, Florida for 35 years should know about Florida weather and how it affects concrete?

I swear, some theme park enthusiasts will do anything to avoid admitting that sometimes Universal makes poor decisions too.

 

[Andrew C]

Perhaps the megacorporation that has operated in Orlando, Florida for 35 years should know about Florida weather and how it affects concrete?

I swear, some theme park enthusiasts will do anything to avoid admitting that sometimes Universal makes poor decisions too.

I don’t believe he is a typical theme park enthusiast. But I’ll let him speak for himself from here.

 

[mkt]

I don’t believe he is a typical theme park enthusiast. But I’ll let him speak for himself from here.

I'm an atypical one.

Perhaps the megacorporation that has operated in Orlando, Florida for 35 years should know about Florida weather and how it affects concrete?

I swear, some theme park enthusiasts will do anything to avoid admitting that sometimes Universal makes poor decisions too.

Hi there.

Where did I say no one dropped the ball? Where did I shift blame away from Universal?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Yeah. The weather.

The pours didn't have enough time to set properly. I assume they'll be replaced sooner rather than later.

Setting is just the initial hardening of the concrete mixture and occurs within hours after mixing. A temperature related problem to the longer curing process would be more widespread instead of generally limited to Celestial Park. That the issue is so pervasive in Celestial Park suggests it’s an issue specific to that land and not something bigger like weather or lead times.

 

[brb1006]

After a few delays, the trailer for the Peacock Exclusive Epic Universe docuseries "Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks" has finally been released.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Where did I say no one dropped the ball? Where did I shift blame away from Universal?

You literally just blamed it on the weather, as if building a theme park in Florida is a new endeavor and they couldn't have predicted what the weather would do to the concrete.

 

[mkt]

Setting is just the initial hardening of the concrete mixture and occurs within hours after mixing. A temperature related problem to the longer curing process would be more widespread instead of generally limited to Celestial Park. That the issue is so pervasive in Celestial Park suggests it’s an issue specific to that land and not something bigger like weather or lead times.

You literally just blamed it on the weather, as if building a theme park in Florida is a new endeavor and they couldn't have predicted what the weather would do to the concrete.

There's a difference between cause and blame. Cause is neutral, blame is moral. I didn't give blame, I gave it a cause.

For example, if someone is shot and bleeds out, the cause of death is blood loss. But the blame would be on the person who fired the gun.

As far as this, the blame? Probably a contractor who had to make it work with a budget that was agreed upon in 2018.

 

[mkt]

Setting is just the initial hardening of the concrete mixture and occurs within hours after mixing. A temperature related problem to the longer curing process would be more widespread instead of generally limited to Celestial Park. That the issue is so pervasive in Celestial Park suggests it’s an issue specific to that land and not something bigger like weather or lead times.

So pervasive? That implies that every single bit of concrete at Celestial park is cracking.

I'm there more than once a month - it's not as bad as theme park enthusiasts on the internet say it is.

 

[rd805]

These boards are getting out of hand. It's not even discussion anymore, it's just yelling at everyone for the sake of yelling and arguing. Doesn't it tire you out, complaining....all the time? Genuinely confused here.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There's a difference between cause and blame. Cause is neutral, blame is moral. I didn't give blame, I gave it a cause.

For example, if someone is shot and bleeds out, the cause of death is blood loss. But the blame would be on the person who fired the gun.

As far as this, the blame? Probably a contractor who had to make it work with a budget that was agreed upon in 2018.

This is more like someone insisting the issue is blood loss while a person is gasping for air.

Hardscape areas are amongst the first design elements that are documented for permitting but also one of the last to be constructed. There’s plenty of lead time to deal with supply constraints and cost escalation.

So pervasive? That implies that every single bit of concrete at Celestial park is cracking.

I'm there more than once a month - it's not as bad as theme park enthusiasts on the internet say it is.

The issues are spread out, not limited to a localized spot. So not something very isolated like a single bad batch, but plausibly a lousy production run. But also not completely everywhere, so not things like large scale supply issues or temperature.

 

[networkpro]

Concrete slab work is straight forward as long as you have surface preparation, a consistent uniform product mix, uniform depth, and no geometric weirdness (that's differential shrinkage, stress concentration, improper framework, inadequate control joints, and worst of all, soil movement under the slab). Unless everything is a uniform square or rectangle, you're going to have issues.