Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[BaymaxFan78]

Well damn this place looks really nice. I am looking forward to the innovative rides they come up with.

If they get the transportation correct, this really could become a week resort experience.

The only real issue is nostalgia. That is the only reason I couldn't see Universal ever taking over Disney. You just get different " feels " at Disney. It still will be a really good park though.

Potter World and Super Mario World are the only two that make me feel really excited

Epic won't nave the nostalgia that Disney parks have, but it certainly looks like it's going to have a Disney level of theming, comparable to Galaxys edge and Pandora. I think if they are able to nail the theming then there is certainly a shot this park will be preferred over some Disney parks.

This all assumes that the park will open with all their rides even open at the beginning. It's been a LONG time since a brand new park opened like this, so I would be shocked if all rides are ready at park opening.

Then again, this is the first real shot at making a dent in Disney, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were all

There's roughly a year and a half left before opening and they are so far along. I think two coasters are already complete and testing.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

For those of us who grew up on Disney movies and theme park experiences, that is true. What Disney should be VERY worried about is the generation growing up where Disney movies are no longer the must-do, everyone-sees-them events they used to be, and where Disney theme park vacations (due to rising prices, declining quality, or a combination of the two) are no longer an annual family tradition. Universal seems poised to become the Orlando vacation of choice for many people where today's kids are going to build their nostalgia, and where they'll want to take their own kids in coming decades.

Yep. My kids love Harry Potter and Mario way more than Mickey. Once kids pass the Mickey's Mouse Clubhouse/Disney Princess age, Disney has less appeal. If it wasn't for Star Wars and to a much lesser degree Guardians of the Galaxy, my kids wouldn't care about returning to WDW at all. I showed my eldest Universal put out yesterday and his response was, "it's like Universal actually wants the guests to be happy, and Disney just wants money." I did point out that Universal wants money too, LOL.

But lately, it just feels like Disney is running a timeshare business with the theme parks as bait.

 

[ChrisFL]

Epic won't nave the nostalgia that Disney parks have, but it certainly looks like it's going to have a Disney level of theming, comparable to Galaxys edge and Pandora. I think if they are able to nail the theming then there is certainly a shot this park will be preferred over some Disney parks.


There's roughly a year and a half left before opening and they are so far along. I think two coasters are already complete and testing.

MAYBE a year and a half. They dropped the "Summer" from the 2025...so could be sooner, could be later

 

[halfpintpeggy]

But lately, it just feels like Disney is running a timeshare business with the theme parks as bait.

ohmygoodness… we’re feeling like this too!

 

[Minnie1222]

The concept video looks amazing. Alas, my rollercoaster days are over, but I'm very excited about the carousel and aquarium restaurant.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Will they be allowed to have massive firework shows like Disney at that area? I see it in the photos but not sure about the zoning

 

[halfpintpeggy]

The concept video looks amazing. Alas, my rollercoaster days are over, but I'm very excited about the carousel and aquarium restaurant.

The carousel truly does look amazing!

 

[Douglas Dubh]

MAYBE a year and a half. They dropped the "Summer" from the 2025...so could be sooner, could be later

It’s seems weird that they’d open the hotels way before the park.

 

[Skywalker3]

My oldest son, 34, is not a big theme park person, but even he is excited about Super Mario land, and any other Nintendo they can bring in. He said he'll make a trip for that.
Universal sure doesn't have much of their original rides left, but I do have nostalgia for a lot of them that have been around a while, like MiB, SpiderMan, Jurassic Park River Adv. and Mummy. We've been going to Universal since 2000, so many happy memories, and looking forward to many more.
I'm very good too w/ opening w/o Express. hate that Velocicoaster added it, that line is awful now. I liked Smuggler's Run at HS better too when it was just standby.
But all the way around, I'm SO excited about Epic

 

[Minnie1222]

Will they be allowed to have massive firework shows like Disney at that area? I see it in the photos but not sure about the zoning

It would be so nice to have a large fireworks show there.

 

[Kit Jackson]

The concept video looks amazing. Alas, my rollercoaster days are over, but I'm very excited about the carousel and aquarium restaurant.

I am a ride coward, but I still enjoy Universal Orlando. I trust there will be a good mix of intense thrill rides for the people who love them, and tamer rides for people who want something different. Hopefully, there will also be shows like the Blues Brothers, the Harry Potter ones, the acapella one, and others that I'm forgetting about right now.

Will they be allowed to have massive firework shows like Disney at that area? I see it in the photos but not sure about the zoning

The Cinematic Spectacular (I think that was the name for it. It's been years since I saw it/Universal had it) had some fireworks at the end. If they can't have fireworks due to zoning, maybe they can do some type of amazing next level drone/projection show.

 

[Minnie1222]

Who wants to guess the potential rate for Helios Grand? I think it's going to be $1000/night for the most basic room, and only their guests would get express passes for Epic Universe.

 

[tony67]

Epic won't nave the nostalgia that Disney parks have,

No nostalgia with Nintendo and Universal Monsters? For 80s and 90s kids that is Nostalgia.
Maybe you just mean the parks in general, but Disney is getting rid of a lot of that as well and trampling all over it as much as possible. I just hope universal is not doing the same thing with the Universal Monsters, because they don't look good at all. I am doing a Orlando trip and honestly I want to skip Disney entirely, I usually do, but I have to complete a task for a deceased family member (no nothing against the rules), but I really don't want to and I'm thinking they might not want me to bother at this point as well. It's not the same place we enjoyed so much all those years.

It’s seems weird that they’d open the hotels way before the park.

Yeah I agree, but that has been the plan all along. It does sort of give them a soft opening, allow them to get staff up to speed and test all the transit stuff so in that respect it makes sense.
If they offer a great price for a new hotel and easy transport I may stay and check it out

MAYBE a year and a half. They dropped the "Summer" from the 2025...so could be sooner, could be later

In general people are saying later. I think they would have kept it summer if they thought they could make it or even open sooner. Obviously, take it with a grain of salt, but Kevin Heimbach did a video on it yesterday on youtube and I think he has a reasonable track record. Sounds as if there are issues and they want to be 100% sure it all works day one, unlike when Universal opened the first time. They know any issues they have will be trumpeted by the Disney shills.
They have a lot more at stake this time around.

The other issue with them being late that he brings up - how will it affect HHN and Christmas with things spread so thin as it is. Opening Epic in the middle of that could be a big challenge.

 

[Lashed34]

Nostalgia is a strange thing, and it all depends on your age. I feel that Disney are losing their crown for this the more new generations come along. Disney used to re-release their animated classics regularly, but that no longer happens, and the parks are actually losing touch with the classics, in my opinion.

There are so many classic properties that are unused, or very loosely used, such as Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood etc etc etc - instead Disney's acquisition of Marvel & Star Wars has created somewhat of a mixed bag - the parks are no longer Disney, they're a hybrid of all kinds of things.

Take Star Wars - Galaxy's Edge looks amazing and any Star Wars fan will drool at seeing The Millennium Falcon - but for many they want to see Darth Vadar, Yoda, Leia etc....that's where the nostalgia would kick in - can you have nostalgia for 3 films that are less than a few years old? In the future yes, but no presently.

With Universal people are attracted to the attractions as well as many of the I.P's - Harry Potter will always be a crowd puller, and with immersive areas the books/films have been brought to life in incredible detail. Nintendo also has generations of fans, as do the classic Universal Monsters - and Dreamworks have created some magical films that are still hugely popular.

So I feel that Universal is creating new experiences but with a solid basis for what fans love, whereas Disney are not quite sure what their IP's are anymore, they seem to have no real direction or long term plan, which is such a great shame considering what they have meant to people worldwide for so many years.

Disney is nice, family friendly but very expensive - Universal is newer, more exciting, listening to customers and pushing the envelope for theme park experiences.

Also, Disney takes so long to create new experiences - look how long Tron (a clone ride) took to build - and then compare it to how quickly Universal have created Epic Universe - an entire new theme park....with many rides testing already.

I feel that Universal have a real passion for getting people excited, whereas Disney are just laying back hoping that people will continue coming.

 

[weather_lady]

It looks pretty nice but I’m not getting too excited. Doesn’t sound like there will be many attractions to start.

It will have about the same number of rides as Disney's Hollywood Studios, and more than Animal Kingdom. If there's some live entertainment and unique dining to flesh it out, it should still be an entertaining way to spend a day.

That being said, curbing your enthusiasm beforehand is a wise way to ensure that you won't be disappointed in the end, no matter what.

 

[weather_lady]

Who wants to guess the potential rate for Helios Grand? I think it's going to be $1000/night for the most basic room, and only their guests would get express passes for Epic Universe.

I think you're probably right on with that number. When we last visited two years ago during February break, the rack rate for the most basic rooms at the 3 premier hotels started at $600-$700 with no APH rates or discounts made available, and that was with only 2 parks open and nothing new, just a really popular holiday week...

 

[Smugpugmug]

Epic won't nave the nostalgia that Disney parks have

Partially true but Nintendo is very nostalgic for those that grew up in the 80s, 90s and beyond. I am a 90s kid and Nintendo is just as nostalgic to me as Disney is. I know this isn't rumored to come to Epic, but Pokemon basically ruled over my generation with an iron fist so adding a land based off of that IP will be a slam dunk for Universal if the rumors of it replacing Springfield end up being true.

I'm also one of the weird ones who doesn't give a crap about Marvel and Star Wars at all but is very interested in Nintendo IPs.

 

[Lashed34]

Partially true but Nintendo is very nostalgic for those that grew up in the 80s, 90s and beyond. I am a 90s kid and Nintendo is just as nostalgic to me as Disney is. I know this isn't rumored to come to Epic, but Pokemon basically ruled over my generation with an iron fist so adding a land based off of that IP will be a slam dunk for Universal if the rumors of it replacing Springfield end up being true.

I'm also one of the weird ones who doesn't give a crap about Marvel and Star Wars at all but is very interested in Nintendo IPs.

Fingers crossed the Pokemon/Springfield & Poseidon's Fury/Zelda rumours for Islands are true, they would be huge additions to the park.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I wonder if down the road they’ll open a LoTR portal in Epic Universe? That would be SO exciting!

 

[MrWreckless]

Well damn this place looks really nice. I am looking forward to the innovative rides they come up with.

If they get the transportation correct, this really could become a week resort experience.

The only real issue is nostalgia. That is the only reason I couldn't see Universal ever taking over Disney. You just get different " feels " at Disney. It still will be a really good park though.

Potter World and Super Mario World are the only two that make me feel really excited

For lack of a better statement, nostalgia is less of an issue as the older crowds fade away. We took our kids (5 & 7) on their first universal trip this year after 2 prior years spent at Disney. Even though we tried to introduce them to many of the Disney classics we grew up with so they will have a reference at the parks…………they both left Universal saying they would rather go back there than Disney. My wife is not very happy about that at all, but it is what it is.