Battle at the Ministry, the scenes are too large to capture in a POV cameraWhich one?
Battle at the Ministry, the scenes are too large to capture in a POV cameraWhich one?
Which physical set in the ride is the biggest?Battle at the Ministry, the scenes are too large to capture in a POV camera
Also Important to add that Uni has much more generous pasholder discounting as in any quick service locations will give the ten or fifteen percent on food and non alcoholic beverages and Freestyle Cups where as WDWs does not often have the passholder discount.For those planning trips to Epic (or are just nerds like me)... decided to share what you should start planning for regarding quick service pricing. (Still waiting on pricing for Blue Dragon as it has yet to open.)
Universal is attempting to provide an elevated form of quick service dining, and so far Epic Universe has proven that. I do, however, have concerns regarding staffing, operational efficiency, and whether or not guests accept the higher pricing.
For example, a steak bowl at Satu'li Canteen is $14.99, Epic's version is priced $5 higher at $19.99.
Tips:
Average Quick Service Entree Pricing & Comparable Pricing at WDW/UOR Existing Parks:
- Pizza Moon - each pizza is shareable for 2 guests. Definitely can save money here by splitting meals
- Cafe L'Air la Sirene - sandwiches are shareable, save space (and $) for the Butterbeer Crepe!
- Das Stakehaus - great environment... I'd avoid the food here, though. I'd probably recommend mobile ordering Burning Blade food items and bringing it here
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*I also want to add, all of the Quick Service locations are almost attractions themselves
The Parking Lot signs were designed in 2023 too (Poseidon's Fury closed in May 2023). Still don't know what the Hero lot is meant to represent as there are no Heros with swords/shields in the park. I can understand Explorer because of Captain Cacao and Maya the ExplorerIt was designed before bringing Legend of Zelda to Epic Universe was considered. Why would it be removed? It was a project that had already been in development hell for years (look how long ago The Eight Voyage of Sinbad was closed). Even if Hyrule was built at Islands of Adventure the store isn’t part of a specific story, it’s just a Nintendo store.
It was designed before bringing Legend of Zelda to Epic Universe was considered. Why would it be removed? It was a project that had already been in development hell for years (look how long ago The Eight Voyage of Sinbad was closed). Even if Hyrule was built at Islands of Adventure the store isn’t part of a specific story, it’s just a Nintendo store.
I’m not asking questions…You're asking the wrong question. Why would it still be included if those plans have been totally scrapped? There would've been plenty of time to change those features.
And this is before Jun, Jul, Aug... heat arrives on scene.Been hearing from friends that the walk to and from is brutal. Even worse than City Walk.
It is really fascinating how similar the design philosophy at Creative has stayed over the years in regards to pacing and story-telling for its dark rides. Every Universal ride feels like it just ends so suddenly with a “thanks! bye!” ending. The abrupt ending of Monsters seems to be its #1 critique and the ending of Ministry seems to be similarly unsatisfying.Second - yet again: pacing. Universal can't help themselves but make rides that are completely bombastic and overwhelming the entire time, which results in rides that take multiple rides to fully appreciate and often leaves me with a less than stellar opinion the first round. That, combined with lots of screen-based motion simulation makes this the ride that feels the most familiar to past Universal attractions out of everything at Epic.
Universal Creative had a very consistent, very involved team of top executives.It is really fascinating how similar the design philosophy at Creative has stayed over the years in regards to pacing and story-telling for its dark rides. Every Universal ride feels like it just ends so suddenly with a “thanks! bye!” ending. The abrupt ending of Monsters seems to be its #1 critique and the ending of Ministry seems to be similarly unsatisfying.
I think part of what makes Rise, Spider-Man, and even something like Runaway Railway work so well is that they have some of the best and most memorable ride conclusions.
It is really fascinating how similar the design philosophy at Creative has stayed over the years in regards to pacing and story-telling for its dark rides. Every Universal ride feels like it just ends so suddenly with a “thanks! bye!” ending. The abrupt ending of Monsters seems to be its #1 critique and the ending of Ministry seems to be similarly unsatisfying.
I think part of what makes Rise, Spider-Man, and even something like Runaway Railway work so well is that they have some of the best and most memorable ride conclusions.
It is really fascinating how similar the design philosophy at Creative has stayed over the years in regards to pacing and story-telling for its dark rides. Every Universal ride feels like it just ends so suddenly with a “thanks! bye!” ending. The abrupt ending of Monsters seems to be its #1 critique and the ending of Ministry seems to be similarly unsatisfying.
I think part of what makes Rise, Spider-Man, and even something like Runaway Railway work so well is that they have some of the best and most memorable ride conclusions.
I will agree with you on the preshow point. This is the one ride at Epic that requires a more traditional preshow that explains everything. Unlike the other Potter rides that you can get away with knowing just a bit of the IP, the Time Turner/Floo network will be very confusing to the non-Potter head. With that said, it's still an enjoyable experience.Hello I have some thoughts on Battle at the Ministry. Skip this post if you don't want to know anything, but I avoided spilling the big surprises if you're already aware of what the ride system is.
I know lots of people have seen the queue. The queue is great, but I really wish they weren't using the same musical score tracks as the other Potter attractions. Just feels copy/paste ish and low effort, like they for whatever reason can't think of another way to make sure you know you're in Potterland than playing the same familiar Potter tunes.
The ride is good. Very good. They learned from a lot of the complaints of Gringotts - about how despite being on the wild cart system we saw in the films, you hardly pull any actual crazy maneuvers and mostly just sit and watch. This is the opposite. Tons of movement, both physical and simulated. The "stop and watch" segments are really only there as breathers. People who get motion sickness easily will likely have a hard time with this ride. But, despite being heavily screen based, it does feel like a true thrill ride whereas Gringotts always felt like it cheated you out of a full ride experience.
No, it does not feel like Tower of Terror. You don't leave your seat. It's more of a floaty, bouncy feeling throughout.
The LED wall screens combined with the parallax effects look really good, maybe even better than projected 3D because of how much more saturated they are, the fact that they can't go out of focus, and the ability to display true black. Yes, you lose the ability to have things come toward the rider, but the effect of adding depth to the scene works just as well as with 3D glasses.
The animatronics were good, however I think they are more impressive in Monsters Unchained.
I do have some criticisms!
First, this is a ride that really needed a true pre-show. I'm not a huge Potter nerd, I have seen all the films but not read the books. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Umbridge is on trial, okay, but... what about everything else happening?
Second - yet again: pacing. Universal can't help themselves but make rides that are completely bombastic and overwhelming the entire time, which results in rides that take multiple rides to fully appreciate and often leaves me with a less than stellar opinion the first round. That, combined with lots of screen-based motion simulation makes this the ride that feels the most familiar to past Universal attractions out of everything at Epic.
Third - by the third time the characters in another lift were floating in front of me delivering the "next steps" dialogue, it felt redundant/repetitive.
Because of these criticisms, I would say it is an 8/10 for me.
Monsters Unchained is a 9/10. It loses one point because of pacing, story, and tone issues.
For reference, I still consider Rise of the Resistance, the full experience with everything working, to be a 10/10.
I will agree with you on the preshow point. This is the one ride at Epic that requires a more traditional preshow that explains everything. Unlike the other Potter rides that you can get away with knowing just a bit of the IP, the Time Turner/Floo network will be very confusing to the non-Potter head. With that said, it's still an enjoyable experience.
Obviously, it's all personal preference, but Ministry of Magic is at the same level as Rise. It's at a larger scale and several scenes are better.
I know hardly anything about Potter -- or what happens on the ride -- but isn't the talking elf supposed to act as a preshow of sorts? She seems to inform you of what's going on, based on the videos I've seen.
I find this trend so annoying. Give me my exposition universal!Yes, but if the line is moving swiftly or if the crowd is loud, you can't really pick up on it. The ride takes the same "pre-show" approach as Forbidden Journey in that you're supposed to listen to everything in the queue to pick up on the story, but without a deliberate pre-show moment to stop and listen to, it's easy to miss.
Which brings an interesting discussion - rides that should have a preshow but don't (Ministry) vs. Rides that have a pre-show but shouldn't (Cosmic Rewind)
Yes and no.Been hearing from friends that the walk to and from is brutal. Even worse than City Walk.
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