Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
You don’t want to skip anything except Yoshi.
All 5 lands are thoroughly spectacular. Any of them would be in contention for the best in any other Orlando theme park.
-
The new WDWMAGIC iOS app is here!
Stay up to date with the latest Disney news, photos, and discussions right from your iPhone. The app is free to download and gives you quick access to news articles, forums, photo galleries, park hours, weather and Lightning Lane pricing. Learn More -
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
All 5 lands are thoroughly spectacular. Any of them would be in contention for the best in any other Orlando theme park.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
TexasErin
Member
I was also truly blown away when we went last May in the preview period. We will be back May 3 and can't wait. I just wish I could afford the express pass, but I really don't want to spend an extra $800+ for my family of four. I have never been so impressed by a theme park before. I'm a lifelong Disney fan and we have now shortened our Disney trips by three days to also go to Universal.
TheCoasterNerd
Well-Known Member
I was blown away in June. Went again in January (valley day) and was still very impressed, although sad that I didn't get to ride Stardust because it valleyed. Incredible park. They gave me a free ticket to come back because of the valley and I cannot wait to come back
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
Maybe I’ll see you there I’m considering going that week!!
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
So lucky if you have the ability to go back. Comped tickets are great!
I honestly think Stardust is so good, anyone that does coasters should absolutely wait for it to re-open.
Update - according to the Universal Orlando app, the temporary closure of Stardust Racers has been extended through April 5:
Nordic4tKnight
Active Member
Wonder if there is some hairline cracks in the structure, similar to what happened on Fury 325 (maybe not as extreme).
If that is the case, it's going to be closed a lot longer than April 5th.
If that is the case, it's going to be closed a lot longer than April 5th.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
Thankful it's not through May!
gorillaball
Well-Known Member
Oooof. Hope it’s up late April when I will make my maiden voyage.
I wonder if between this and the problems with Ministry (we are almost a year in) if maybe people will stop boasting about Epic’s fast builds. Yeah, probably not.
earlthesquirrellover23
Well-Known Member
Build times don't have anything to do with it. Rise took a pretty long time and had major issues upon opening.
I haven't seen anyone boasting of fast builds at Epic, only comparisons to objectively slow builds elsewhere. The park didn't even open on its original timeline due to the pandemic.
The issues with Rise were solved with multiple B modes.
Any reports as to what's going on with Stardust? Has anyone seen portions of track being Xrayed or replaced?
Poseidon Quest
Well-Known Member
I went to the park yesterday and tried Blue Dragon after hearing that its food was pretty mediocre. To my surprise, I was actually blown away, with the dishes being constructed with high quality ingredients, skilled preparation and a depth of flavor that I did not expect. While the dishes seem simple on the surface, there's a lot of subtle complexity in them that makes this not only a great theme park restaurant, but really one of the better ones you can find around Orlando.
I also like that dishes were designed to be shared by a table of people, so I tried a bit of everything and this is what we ordered:
I would rank it just behind Monsieur Paul and Carthay Circle in terms of quality meals at in-park restaurants.
I also like that dishes were designed to be shared by a table of people, so I tried a bit of everything and this is what we ordered:
- Snowflake Potstickers: Very good, but not incredible. The crust on the potstickers made it a bit difficult to dip in the soy sauce, but was otherwise only a minor detractor.
- Pork Soup Dumplings: A standout dish, fantastic and subtle flavors.
- Crispy Fried Snapper: Fish was very fresh and cooked perfectly. The accompanying green papaya salad didn't seem like the right side for the dish, but it was fine.
- Crispy Orange Chicken: Actually fantastic when I expected something quite standard. The sauce tastes like actual orange went into it, rather than the sugary, overly artificial taste you'll find at most other restaurants. The perfectly seasoned snow peas were a great compliment to this as well.
- Kaffir Lime Rice Pudding: Legitimately one of the tastiest desserts I've ever had with a perfect balance of flavors.
- Passion Fruit Mooncake: The filling was exceptional and was the better dessert. The crust was made of oat, which I thought was an odd choice at first, but I realized quickly that it tones down the sweetness of the filling that balanced everything out quite well.
I would rank it just behind Monsieur Paul and Carthay Circle in terms of quality meals at in-park restaurants.
FOX 35 has a new statement from Universal Orlando on the temporary closure of Stardust Racers:
Stardust Racers is undergoing its first annual planned inspection and maintenance process. We are efficiently completing the work all at once and are also making additional capacity and throughput enhancements, which is extending the temporary closure period."
FOX 35 has learned that part of the additional capacity involves the queue.
www.fox35orlando.com
Stardust Racers is undergoing its first annual planned inspection and maintenance process. We are efficiently completing the work all at once and are also making additional capacity and throughput enhancements, which is extending the temporary closure period."
FOX 35 has learned that part of the additional capacity involves the queue.
Stardust Racers: Why is it closed, and when will it reopen?
One of the "must ride" roller coasters at Universal's Epic Universe theme park has been closed for three weeks – and it looks like the ride is going to be down for a few more weeks.
gorillaball
Well-Known Member
So if they took another year on Stardust and Ministry they wouldn’t be more show ready?
Baloo124
Well-Known Member
Just as the Spring Break season is knocking on the door.FOX 35 has a new statement from Universal Orlando on the temporary closure of Stardust Racers:
Stardust Racers is undergoing its first annual planned inspection and maintenance process. We are efficiently completing the work all at once and are also making additional capacity and throughput enhancements, which is extending the temporary closure period."
FOX 35 has learned that part of the additional capacity involves the queue.
Stardust Racers: Why is it closed, and when will it reopen?
One of the "must ride" roller coasters at Universal's Epic Universe theme park has been closed for three weeks – and it looks like the ride is going to be down for a few more weeks.
rd805
Well-Known Member
Everytime i read a negative review of this place I'm confused too: Was able to walk up without a reservation, it was a cool venue especially when considering I was there during a super hot day, and I found the food/service/drinks all to be very good. Glad to hear I wasn't crazy lol
dmc493
Well-Known Member
Went this week as a solo right before our bigger family WDW trip. I’ve always known I’ve skewed towards Disney level rides in general, but this visit sealed the deal for me… I probably will get one more visit in to make some final verdicts but here were my thoughts:
- Absolutely loved celestial park. It’s funny to me that the fountain seating was so empty all day, I took two 30 min breaks and enjoyed the ambiance music and mist (although I understand time is precious in a bottlenecks perk with long lines and I had the privilege of single rider). Also great food selections all around
- Berk theming was remarkable. Really impressed and wing gliders was a great coaster. didn’t love Dragon Racers Rally and felt it didn’t add much to the dynamics of the land
- Potter streetscape is remarkable but I’m sorry BATM was two thumbs down for me. Amazing queue but I was so nauseous afterwards. You’re in a box getting jerked around staring at screens. I also thought the story was very weak. Again remarkable queue
- Le Circus Arcanus had some fun bits and the theming/scale as it ties into the land was very impressive
- Nintendo - I flat out did not enjoy Hollywood’s land when I lived out in Cali. Epic benefits from greater scale and space to make it happen. Kinetically it’s a dream. You could tell several figures in the land should’ve been moving and weren’t.
- Mario - again this one’s a tough sell for me but I knew what I was getting into. The disappointing part of this trip is that the AR screen was glitchy and stuttering constantly thru out the ride.
- Donkey was rough and the line was brutal. I knew that going into it but didn’t love the overall experience
- Monsters was remarkable but I have a really hard time believing they had to use Kuka arms for it. Show scenes and AAs were incredible but I just don’t think Kuka arms are the only vehicle they have to tell this kind of story? Idk
- Werewolf was kind of a sleeper hit. The coaster was a blast. I don’t believe it’s a valuable utilization of the space it takes up, or appealing to anyone on or off the ride, but the mechanics were a lot of fun
- Stardust Racers closure was a crushing blow to my trip I was expecting to be able to cycle it 5-6 times during the day. It is what it is and still made the most of the visit
- Helios outside is so visually unappealing to me. It’s not symmetrical, they did very little to the end facades on either side, and it just feels a little odd seeing it lord over the land. Once again idk, mixed feelings