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

[mkt]

Guess that’s what happens when you build a theme park half done and on the cheap!

$7 billion isn't on the cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Andrew C]

$7 billion isn't on the cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

I am there in less than 2 weeks if they need a tester...

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

$7 billion isn't on the cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

Eh with all of the budget cuts, land with only 1 ride, and cracking pavement, seems like they wasted a bunch of money then to have a park with less utilized capacity than Animal Kingdom

who needs facts and logics when you can just be negative all the time anyway

 

[LSLS]

Eh with all of the budget cuts, land with only 1 ride, and cracking pavement, seems like they wasted a bunch of money then to have a park with less utilized capacity than Animal Kingdom

who needs facts and logics when you can just be negative all the time anyway

Look, I'm pretty critical of Epic (including thinking they did not build enough things), but aren't there like 14 shows/rides while DAK has like 8 or maybe 9? I will stand by that How To Train Your Dragons felt like the only properly built out land, but that's 1 more than DAK.

 

[Andrew C]

Look, I'm pretty critical of Epic (including thinking they did not build enough things), but aren't there like 14 shows/rides while DAK has like 8 or maybe 9? I will stand by that How To Train Your Dragons felt like the only properly built out land, but that's 1 more than DAK.

You can make a good argument for the position you have (being critical of Epic), even if others disagree. It can be debated. On the other hand, the other person is just being unserious.

 

[LSLS]

You can make a good argument for the position you have (being critical of Epic), even if others disagree. It can be debated. On the other hand, the other person is just being unserious.

I'm pretty sure I said it months ago when we went (first time to Universal for the kids, I'd only been once before maybe 25 years ago), but Epic was by far the most disappointing. The Potter show was down the entire day, so there was legit one thing to do in that land and it has a throughput of like 500 people an hour. Nintendo land was not done well at all. Monsters world was really cool, and as someone who had never really seen How To Train Your Dragon, I was blown away with that area. And for what it's worth, my 7 year old who had also never seen any of it has been all into the shows and movies now (same with Harry Potter for him, but that's from his time at IOA and Studios that trip). But it's such a weird take to complain that it was underbuilt by comparing to Disney, who have put in multiple lands recently which have 2 attractions in them, and have multiple more lands coming with only 2-3 attractions.

 

[BrianLo]

Look, I'm pretty critical of Epic (including thinking they did not build enough things), but aren't there like 14 shows/rides while DAK has like 8 or maybe 9? I will stand by that How To Train Your Dragons felt like the only properly built out land, but that's 1 more than DAK.

13 and 10 respectively.

It’s reductionist to say Harambe is not a built out land. There’s an easy 90 minutes of free attractions there without baking in waiting times. I’m not disagreeing with you, but you swung the pendulum too hard back the other way.

I also notice HTTYD is missing its dark ride more than Harambe is missing a flat and I do otherwise quite like that land. Nintendo is also a built out land, the attractions just are misses and the food is ho-hum. I think Paris will be a near perfect land, if its second attraction is reasonably good.

 

[Andrew C]

13 and 10 respectively.

It’s reductionist to say Harambe is not a built out land. There’s an easy 90 minutes of free attractions there without baking in waiting times. I’m not disagreeing with you, but you swung the pendulum too hard back the other way.

I also notice HTTYD is missing its dark ride more than Harambe is missing a flat and I do otherwise quite like that land. Nintendo is also a built out land, the attractions just are misses and the food is ho-hum. I think Paris will be a near perfect land, if its second attraction is reasonably good.

My 7 year old is pumped to go back in general because she was not over 48 inches when we last went to Universal (and Epic was not open). That height opens up a whole new world for her at all three parks. She will be sad if Stardust Racers is not running but I think all the other attractions she can now ride will make up for it. And she is a very big fan of HTTYD. We did spend money on express pass at Epic for one day. So we will have one day there to just focus on the attractions and then split some time there over the rest of the trip to just enjoy the extras.

 

[BrianLo]

My 7 year old is pumped to go back in general because she was not over 48 inches when we last went to Universal (and Epic was not open). That height opens up a whole new world for her at all three parks. She will be sad if Stardust Racers is not running but I think all the other attractions she can now ride will make up for it. And she is a very big fan of HTTYD. We did spend money on express pass at Epic for one day. So we will have one day there to just focus on the attractions and then split some time there over the rest of the trip to just enjoy the extras.

My recommendation is spend the money (maybe even more of a priority than getting express passes) on the wand and band. It becomes a very robust experience if you engage in those two things. 7 would eat them up.

 

[Andrew C]

My recommendation is spend the money (maybe even more of a priority than getting express passes) on the wand and band. It becomes a very robust experience if you engage in those two things. 7 would eat them up.

Both of my kids have interactive wands already and love doing the spells. But now one wants to get the enhanced wand and the other wants to get the Nintendo band. We told them they have to choose one or the other. Its expensive!

 

[mkt]

Eh with all of the budget cuts, land with only 1 ride, and cracking pavement, seems like they wasted a bunch of money then to have a park with less utilized capacity than Animal Kingdom

who needs facts and logics when you can just be negative all the time anyway

$7 billion was more than originally budgeted.

Also, as I've said before, Epic was designed and planned between 2014 and 2017. No one could have predicted the logistical and inflationary nightmares of 2020-2022. Compromises were clearly made.

If Disney had designed and built a new park from scratch during that same time frame, the compromises would have been ever more obvious, given their weaker cash position relative to Comcast and their higher debt load.

Maybe the smarter idea woul've been to not build Epic at all.

 

[lazyboy97o]

$7 billion was more than originally budgeted.

Also, as I've said before, Epic was designed and planned between 2014 and 2017. No one could have predicted the logistical and inflationary nightmares of 2020-2022. Compromises were clearly made.

If Disney had designed and built a new park from scratch during that same time frame, the compromises would have been ever more obvious, given their weaker cash position relative to Comcast and their higher debt load.

Maybe the smarter idea woul've been to not build Epic at all.

Universal didn’t sit on designs for three years. Design was very much underway through much of 2020 when they sought the building permits.

Outside of Dark Universe and the Fantastic Beasts ride, the park that was built is largely the one that was designed. Most of the issues people have with the park are the result of design decisions made before the pandemic, not compromises made due to it.

 

[Mike S]

Universal didn’t sit on designs for three years. Design was very much underway through much of 2020 when they sought the building permits.

Outside of Dark Universe and the Fantastic Beasts ride, the park that was built is largely the one that was designed. Most of the issues people have with the park are the result of design decisions made before the pandemic, not compromises made due to it.

Not to mention it seemed back and forth for a while whether Nintendo was going to KidZone or the third park. KidZone even closed at one point seemingly in preparation.

 

[mkt]

Universal didn’t sit on designs for three years. Design was very much underway through much of 2020 when they sought the building permits.

Outside of Dark Universe and the Fantastic Beasts ride, the park that was built is largely the one that was designed. Most of the issues people have with the park are the result of design decisions made before the pandemic, not compromises made due to it.

While it wasn't my intention to imply that there were three years with no design work done, as far as the rest goes...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not to mention it seemed back and forth for a while whether Nintendo was going to KidZone or the third park. KidZone even closed at one point seemingly in preparation.

It didn’t waffle as long as people think. It’s been about a decade since Super Nintendo World was moved to what became the third gate. There was even a brief moment where Zelda and Pokémon would have opened first.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Epic, from its announcement to completion, always seemed like a park that was 50% dictated by decisions that were made only because they made good bullet points on shareholder presentations, and 50% a park done with love from people who wanted to wow the industry. The final result feels like exactly that, almost right down the middle. And when you take that approach, you shouldn't be surprised when the response to your park is also mixed.

 

[Mike S]

It didn’t waffle as long as people think. It’s been about a decade since Super Nintendo World was moved to what became the third gate. There was even a brief moment where Zelda and Pokémon would have opened first.

So what was the situation with walls going up in KidZone a few years after the announcement? I forget what year it was but SNW Japan was still not open. Maybe it was 2018 or something?

 

[Rich Brownn]

$7 billion was more than originally budgeted.

Also, as I've said before, Epic was designed and planned between 2014 and 2017. No one could have predicted the logistical and inflationary nightmares of 2020-2022. Compromises were clearly made.

If Disney had designed and built a new park from scratch during that same time frame, the compromises would have been ever more obvious, given their weaker cash position relative to Comcast and their higher debt load.

Maybe the smarter idea woul've been to not build Epic at all.

Literally everything on the original art for the park was built except for the Monsters stage show (coaster substituted) and a restaurant (replaced by another restaurant )

 

[lazyboy97o]

So what was the situation with walls going up in KidZone a few years after the announcement? I forget what year it was but SNW Japan was still not open. Maybe it was 2018 or something?

By 2018 it would have been for Pokémon. The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad closed around the same time for Zelda.

 

[mkt]

Literally everything on the original art for the park was built except for the Monsters stage show (coaster substituted) and a restaurant (replaced by another restaurant )

I take it you've seen all of the original art.