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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens May 22 2025
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
trr1
Well-Known Member
https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct
bioreconstruct
@bioreconstruct
4h
Aerial overview of the construction at Universal's Epic Universe.
Aerial overview of How to Train Your Dragon land in Universal's Epic Universe. A roller coaster is to be built here.
Aerial look at buildings rising in Back of House of Universal's Epic Universe. Stairway walls seen in the office building at left.
Aerial look at collection of concrete forms for one of the massive foundations in How To Train Your Dragon land. At Universal's Epic Universe.
In foreground of this aerial is steel frame for Ministry of Magic. In background is construction of Team Member support buildings. At Universal's Epic Universe.
Most of the left half of this aerial is How To Train Your Dragon land in Universal's Epic Universe. Also seen are: 1 Day guest parking. 2 Road to access parking. 3 About at park entrance. 4 About at center of the park.
At top of this aerial is construction of an underpass for the Epic Universe perimeter service road. Crossing above will be road for guests to access the in-park hotel. Peninsula at right is likely where park fireworks will be launched.
Aerial overview of work at Ministry of Magic in Universal's Epic Universe. Top center is the circular basin that will be in front of the in-park hotel. Note also concrete work at top center.
It's starting to be easy to imagine what Universal's Epic Universe will look like. Top center of this aerial is frame of Ministry of Magic. Top left is site of the in-park hotel. Circle is fountain basin. In front of it is site of a carousel and pond. At right, Dragon land.
Aerial look at some of the cranes on site in Universal's Epic Universe. In foreground is steel frame recently raised in Classic Monsters land. Tall dark pole at right is believed to be center of the park.
bioreconstruct
@bioreconstruct
4h
Aerial overview of the construction at Universal's Epic Universe.
Aerial overview of How to Train Your Dragon land in Universal's Epic Universe. A roller coaster is to be built here.
Aerial look at buildings rising in Back of House of Universal's Epic Universe. Stairway walls seen in the office building at left.
Aerial look at collection of concrete forms for one of the massive foundations in How To Train Your Dragon land. At Universal's Epic Universe.
In foreground of this aerial is steel frame for Ministry of Magic. In background is construction of Team Member support buildings. At Universal's Epic Universe.
Most of the left half of this aerial is How To Train Your Dragon land in Universal's Epic Universe. Also seen are: 1 Day guest parking. 2 Road to access parking. 3 About at park entrance. 4 About at center of the park.
At top of this aerial is construction of an underpass for the Epic Universe perimeter service road. Crossing above will be road for guests to access the in-park hotel. Peninsula at right is likely where park fireworks will be launched.
Aerial overview of work at Ministry of Magic in Universal's Epic Universe. Top center is the circular basin that will be in front of the in-park hotel. Note also concrete work at top center.
It's starting to be easy to imagine what Universal's Epic Universe will look like. Top center of this aerial is frame of Ministry of Magic. Top left is site of the in-park hotel. Circle is fountain basin. In front of it is site of a carousel and pond. At right, Dragon land.
Aerial look at some of the cranes on site in Universal's Epic Universe. In foreground is steel frame recently raised in Classic Monsters land. Tall dark pole at right is believed to be center of the park.
Alicia breaks down the updates from Bioreconstruct photos (Donkey Kong track has begun being installed!) -
Universal’s Epic Universe Update: Donkey Kong Coaster Track, Monsters and Wizarding Rides' Framing Goes Up
Our first pieces of roller coaster track have been installed at the new park, plus other areas are having vertical construction start
orlandoparkstop.com
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
Apropos of nothing (and my apologies if this has already been said), Universal's tight-lipped stance on recent and current projects (insert Velocicoaster "churro cart" joke here) seems to work really well from a PR perspective, in terms of ramping up enthusiasm without creating any specific expectations that could be dashed later. It's hard not to mentally contrast it with Disney's style, which is often to make big, splashy announcements about awesome projects with specific details, only to scale them back repeatedly until the final product is a pale imitation of the original concept, and feels like a let-down. By playing it closer to the vest, I feel like Universal makes the big "reveal" into more of a delightful surprise -- at least, that's what the last couple of big attraction openings have felt like to me. (Perhaps that's a lesson they learned after hyping "Fast & Furious: Supercharged" a little too much...)
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Lil Copter Cap
Well-Known Member
Yes, but Universal is still trying to finalize a lot of EU's major lands—including the very names of some experiences. They can't really afford to share anything because they have nothing to share that is concrete.
I do agree, regardless, that them holding out on announcing anything (no matter the reason) will allow folks to be happy with whatever becomes reality.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Names come late for a lot of projects, even Disney ones. The lands themselves have been rather set for awhile now with the permitting process starting before the pandemic.
I will def be going to this park when it opens, but I dont know if it will be an all day park from the start. Looks like it will have 4 themed lands plus a central land area.
Nintendo World has 2 rides, MarioKart darkride and Donkey Kong Coaster. The vids of the MK ride make it look....not great but im def excited for the DK coaster and overall theming of the land.
Monsters World has 1 major ride that Im looking forward to a lot as well as the theming
Wizarding World Land looks like it will have 1 major ride. This is my least fave looking land but will Im sure be pretty cool
How to tame your Dragon land looks like its the biggest and will have a couple rides. This land in the concept art looks great, very tropical and adventure landish. Ive never seen the movie, but I also havent seen Cars and Cars Land in California adventure is amazing, so Im looking forward to see what this looks like.
The central hub has a merry go round and some kind of dueling coaster.
So like 6-7 big rides and a few smaller ones. Def looks like it will be a great park though
Nintendo World has 2 rides, MarioKart darkride and Donkey Kong Coaster. The vids of the MK ride make it look....not great but im def excited for the DK coaster and overall theming of the land.
Monsters World has 1 major ride that Im looking forward to a lot as well as the theming
Wizarding World Land looks like it will have 1 major ride. This is my least fave looking land but will Im sure be pretty cool
How to tame your Dragon land looks like its the biggest and will have a couple rides. This land in the concept art looks great, very tropical and adventure landish. Ive never seen the movie, but I also havent seen Cars and Cars Land in California adventure is amazing, so Im looking forward to see what this looks like.
The central hub has a merry go round and some kind of dueling coaster.
So like 6-7 big rides and a few smaller ones. Def looks like it will be a great park though
bhg469
Well-Known Member
With those numbers, you could say that MK is the only all day park at WDW. I think Universal is definitely going to started peeling more days away from Disney when it comes to Orlando travelers. They may even get the majority of a week vacation.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Are you only counting headliners? (You didn't mention the Yoshi ride, that's why I'm asking). Sounds like there are a ton of big attractions here...which would rival any Florida Disney park as far as quantity goes.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
From my standpoint, it seems like the fellow parents in my circle are over Disney because their kids have aged out. That's a problem. Even with the new offerings not geared around "Princesses," they still have that reputation. Universal, on the other hand, is exciting and new to a lot.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
The one thing I'm hoping for that Disney parks do well and Universal seems to lack...is the "easier approach."
While I know that Disney has really become a mess regarding the attraction waits and booking them, another aspect of the Disney parks I truly enjoy is just taking it easy and walking around without needing to hop on a bunch of attractions to enjoy the day.
I could literally hang around Animal Kingdom all day and not ride a single ride and really enjoy myself. The walk-throughs, the atmosphere of the lands, etc.
That's another element of Epic Universe I want.
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
I definitely think this new project will be "EPIC", but the Disney comparisons should stop. Disney has their market and
Universal is developing their own market. Just on these boards I have read a number of posts that should cause Univeral
concerns. There are rides at Universal, that people cannot ride on due to their size. I have never heard this being a problem
at Disney. This week there were reports of people throwing things at people on the Velocicoaster. Given the majority of
Disney coasters are indoors, this has never been a problem. There is talk of kids growing too old for Disney. Are these the
same kids that will be drawn to Nintendo world?
Universal is developing their own market. Just on these boards I have read a number of posts that should cause Univeral
concerns. There are rides at Universal, that people cannot ride on due to their size. I have never heard this being a problem
at Disney. This week there were reports of people throwing things at people on the Velocicoaster. Given the majority of
Disney coasters are indoors, this has never been a problem. There is talk of kids growing too old for Disney. Are these the
same kids that will be drawn to Nintendo world?
trr1
Well-Known Member
thank you @tommyhawkins for the overlays of Bioreconstructs photos
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Back in April I posted a definitive #EpicUniverse land acreage map. Today thanks to
@bioreconstruct
shot of the entire site I was able to make that flat 2D map in 3D. I will post a clean image in the next tweet as i recommend zooming in. cc
@derekburgan
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 10
Lots and lots of stuff happening here #EpicUniverse
@bioreconstruct
is the Saint in the Sky bringing us incredible shots like this:
incredible shots like this:
Dragon Coaster Started
DK Coaster Started
Hub Coaster Started
Show Fountain Pond
Dragon Theatre Prep work
Closer look different angle from Wizarding World now #EpicUniverse , readjusted for accuracy different areas.
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 12
Donkey Kong #EpicUniverse Closer look, you can see how the queue goes in between the track, you are going to have something cool to look at whilst you wait like VC , can see maintenance shed on right, and section of track still needing footers, with a trench beside the water.
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 12
Zoom into to see how much stuff has been started on, use the previous tweet to get your geography. #EpicUniverse DonkeyKong overlay coming up later
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Back in April I posted a definitive #EpicUniverse land acreage map. Today thanks to
@bioreconstruct
shot of the entire site I was able to make that flat 2D map in 3D. I will post a clean image in the next tweet as i recommend zooming in. cc
@derekburgan
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 10
Lots and lots of stuff happening here #EpicUniverse
@bioreconstruct
is the Saint in the Sky bringing us incredible shots like this:
incredible shots like this:
Dragon Coaster Started
DK Coaster Started
Hub Coaster Started
Show Fountain Pond
Dragon Theatre Prep work
Closer look different angle from Wizarding World now #EpicUniverse , readjusted for accuracy different areas.
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 12
Donkey Kong #EpicUniverse Closer look, you can see how the queue goes in between the track, you are going to have something cool to look at whilst you wait like VC , can see maintenance shed on right, and section of track still needing footers, with a trench beside the water.
Tommy Hawkins
@tommyhawkins
Jun 12
Zoom into to see how much stuff has been started on, use the previous tweet to get your geography. #EpicUniverse DonkeyKong overlay coming up later
bhg469
Well-Known Member
What's not pictured here is the route that I take to Publix for lunch!
Flight of Passage says hi!
tommyhawkins
Well-Known Member
Tron has entered the chat (in 4-9 months)
Thanks for the feedback I will be sure to add this in the future
Off-topic, but I don't want to hear anyone complaining about not being able to fit on Universal's rides when not only do their competitors have rides with similar restrictions, but SeaWorld is even building rides now that disabled people can't experience no matter their size. If you can't fit on a ride, lose weight. It's not a hill to die on.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
This is a WDW forum. Everything will be compared to Disney or be brought back to Disney.
Disney has been the gold standard for theme parks and every theme park will be compared to them.
Are you not comparing them in this same post? About Velocicoaster having an issue but it doesn't happen at Disney?
Universal has size issues with their attractions and Disney doesn't?
Not only will kids be drawn to Nintendo, but MANY adults will as the NES came out when these parents were children. Nintendo is a franchise (like Star Wars), that has stood the test of time. A better argument would've been How to Train Your Dragon. I was simply talking about perception of the parks. Just in my household, I have a 12 and a 9 year old. My 12 year old has no care to go back to Disney. She does want to go back to Universal though (Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay). My 9 year old loves Jurassic World so he's always wanting to go to Universal and also loves Volcano Bay. My kids like Marvel but aren't into Star Wars. Marvel is at Universal. So, in my household, my kids have essentially "grown out" of Disney if they have no interest in going. This is a small sampling size obviously but many of their friends and family feel the same way.
tommyhawkins
Well-Known Member
The last time Universal made a significant investment they took 5% of market share from Disney. So it's absolutely right to talk about the threat EU poses to a organisation that has chronically underinvested in this division of the company for many years.
Not really sure what Universal having a 100% containment policy for their rides has to do with their potential success at removing more Market share from Disney World.
Where were the reports of people throwing things on VC, is this because someone noticed the CCTV cameras that have been on the water front for the last six weeks?