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

[AidenRodriguez731]

You're clueless.. please don't try to hold people to something you clearly don't understand at all.

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

 

[Rich Brownn]

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

Which gets fairly high GSATs

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Which gets fairly high GSATs

But but it’s not as a good as what was there before it (im making another comparison)

 

[build_it]

There is no theme park war. Only two very large profit making companies ranking in all the profits from their specific investments. #debbiedowner *wah wah*

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

There is no theme park war. Only two very large profit making companies ranking in all the profits from their specific investments. #debbiedowner *wah wah*

Of course there’s no REAL theme park war, they all love going to each others parks. It’s a completely fan made thing. But the extra competition is good

 

[mkt]

There is no theme park war. Only two very large profit making companies ranking in all the profits from their specific investments. #debbiedowner *wah wah*

This.

 

[Rich Brownn]

But but it’s not as a good as what was there before it (im making another comparison)

Twister actually got pretty mediocre GSATs for most of its life

 

[MrPromey]

But but it’s not as a good as what was there before it (im making another comparison)

Funny except, I highly doubt you're going to find many people who miss "Twister.... Ride it out". That was lame from the day it opened. Every time I'd ever done it (which I admit, wasn't many over its lifetime), people would laugh when the cow on wires, which was supposed to be dramatic, floated by.

If you mean the Ghost Busters attraction that replaced, there were people mad then and I'm sure there are people still bitter over that change.

 

[dmc493]

I question the knowledge of todays subcontractors compared to the old days.

I haven't read the most recent four pages but I would rephrase this issue as "going to cheap inexperienced low bidders instead of vetted teams slightly more expensive but with better quality standards"

 

[Disstevefan1]

I haven't read the most recent four pages but I would rephrase this issue as "going to cheap inexperienced low bidders instead of vetted teams slightly more expensive but with better quality standards"

Could be, but its clear both Universal and Disney is doing this.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I haven't read the most recent four pages but I would rephrase this issue as "going to cheap inexperienced low bidders instead of vetted teams slightly more expensive but with better quality standards"

Except that the parks maintain lists of approved contractors, sub-contractors and vendors, and don’t generally use design-bid-build project delivery.

 

[dmc493]

Except that the parks maintain lists of approved contractors, sub-contractors and vendors, and don’t generally use design-bid-build project delivery.

Oh valid point, but was that still the case for Epic (actually curious)? Since it was such a massive capital project I've seen larger corporations shirk their typical partnerships and take different contracting strategies.

Also design-bid-build doesn't matter with what I was trying to describe, you still have to bring on a concrete subcontractor thru a bid process. I'm assuming Universal uses a CM at risk or design build type role with their GC partners and I'd assume there's a full competitive bid process to bring on trade partners under the GC. Only caveat I guess is if the GC self performs concrete and it's written into their contract with Universal that they can self perform without competing.

 

[mkt]

Current cost of Epic ticket is $169 for today, non peak day. If you want to play with the big boys and charge like the big boys, you can but you need the standards of the big boys

They’re the #4 theme park operator in the world, and projected to hit #2 by the end of the decade - faster, if any of the other theme park groups start divesting assets.

They’re not playing with the big boys. They are one of the big boys.

 

[mkt]

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

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.

 

[mkt]

Except that the parks maintain lists of approved contractors, sub-contractors and vendors, and don’t generally use design-bid-build project delivery.

That’s correct, they do rely on pre-approved contractors and vendors. My grandmother’s business was one of them until she retired. It steady work that kept the lights on during the slow periods, and she knew their checks wouldn't bounce.

Fun fact: Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld actually share a lot of the same contractors, sub-contractors, vendors, and suppliers. Birket, GE, Siemens, Weta, ILM, Hubbard… the list is very long.

That said, it hasn’t stopped any of them from soliciting bids or proposals when a project calls for specialized expertise or knowledge outside their existing network. A few examples - off the top of my head - include Otis Elevator for Tower of Terror, CAE (flight simulator manufacturer) for Wild Arctic at SeaWorld, Boeing for Soarin’, and Lockheed Martin for Mission: SPACE.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

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.

Those are not still around luckily. Honestly, I don't mind Fallon too too much, its not great but its not the worst simulator at even that park so...

 

[Disstevefan1]

Except that the parks maintain lists of approved contractors, sub-contractors and vendors,

Except the cheap inexperienced low bidders are the ones on the approved lists

Oh boy, if the contractors who put in the in ground lighting at EPCOT and did the cement work at EPIC are the APPROVED contractors, then both of them need to REWRITE their approved lists!!!

I still think this is about Disney and Universal, as the customer, NOT properly overseeing/inspecting the work as its happening.

Just my opinion.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Oh valid point, but was that still the case for Epic (actually curious)? Since it was such a massive capital project I've seen larger corporations shirk their typical partnerships and take different contracting strategies.

Also design-bid-build doesn't matter with what I was trying to describe, you still have to bring on a concrete subcontractor thru a bid process. I'm assuming Universal uses a CM at risk or design build type role with their GC partners and I'd assume there's a full competitive bid process to bring on trade partners under the GC. Only caveat I guess is if the GC self performs concrete and it's written into their contract with Universal that they can self perform without competing.

Even sub-contractors have to be approved vendors and it’s not unusual for Disney, Universal or United to dictate the use of certain sub-contractors. With Epic Universe there were limitations on what materials and systems could be used specifically because they knew who would be involved and were seeking to avoid over-extending.

 

[Tom Morrow]

They're gonna have to re-pave all of Celestial Park within a year or two at this rate. I don't think this should be handwaved. An oversight like this shouldn't happen with a big, powerful company with this much experience.

Again, at least luckily the portal "worlds" seem unaffected for now.

 

[mkt]

Even sub-contractors have to be approved vendors and it’s not unusual for Disney, Universal or United to dictate the use of certain sub-contractors. With Epic Universe there were limitations on what materials and systems could be used specifically because they knew who would be involved and were seeking to avoid over-extending.

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.