What are fans expecting from Universal's Epic Universe?

Universal is definitely throwing down the gauntlet.

... and getting there by way of I-4 will be like navigating a gauntlet

Gauntlet is a trigger word... apparently.

Personally, my expectation is that Epic Universe will rank...

-Either 1st or 2nd within the Universal Orlando Resort
-In the top three Universal parks I've visited
-In the top three Florida parks
-In the top twenty parks I've visited worldwide

If the park falls short of any of those metrics, I'd personally consider it a bit of a disappointment, especially given what all has gone into it. I'm still not sure if I'll be pulling off a visit this fall (preferred) or delaying until next spring, but the hype is high enough for me that Florida is now a top priority for my next sizable domestic trip.

If it is in the top five in Orlando, then that is remarkable. The big questions for me are crowd control and getting there. What elevates the Universal parks is the Unlimited Express Pass. That is such a valuable perk that it makes my family want to go there over Disney (or at least put Universal at the last leg of an Orlando trip). Disney just seems to continually make their line management continually worse. I do NOT want to plan my vacation out days before I get there. The uncertainties make me not place Epic higher. I bet there will not be an unlimited express pass, and if that is the case then Epic will be in seventh place in Orlando.

While everyone is excited about the park opening, I-4 is an absolute disaster. It is overwhelmed and gridlocked from 6am to midnight most days. It can't handle current traffic, much less support an entire additional theme park and all of the guests that will bring. One new circular interchange right outside the park is great, but the problems extend for miles and miles outside of the park.

If you commute into the parks locally or from a few hours away, you know. It will definitely be a factor when it comes to visiting EPIC this summer.

Well the first two: Can be thrown out so you have 4 to select from.

Best theme park in the world
Best theme park in America

And A step back in quality for Universal is only for Disney Fan boys..

Therefore it has to be Above average park for Universal:
OR
Best theme park in Orlando:

You're welcome...

I’m voting for Epic being an above average Universal park. But if crowds are poorly managed, attractions are unreliable, food and merchandise provide poor relative value in relation to cost and atmospheric elements are cut this could absolutely end up as a step back in quality,

I think it will be the best park in Orlando, which is currently Islands of Adventure. By virtue of being brand new and thus lacking the dead spots and gaps present at IOA after 25 years of operation, expansion, and closures (Lost Continent most obviously, parts of Toon Lagoon to a lesser extent), it should be more cohesive. The top three of Stardust Racers, Battle at the Ministry, and Monsters Unchained has a chance to be the best in the world, and all four "portal" lands seem to be beautifully done.

IOA is unacceptable with the blight that is the lost continent. Put up a wall and like commissioned work from Georgia Okeefe or something. The faux/real rock work is just dumb. It has been too long and is inexcusable. All their construction are surely kickbacks oriented for their Uncle Pat to collect a check with no regard to the park's legacy.

I was looking at the disney marathon route and you can navigate 26 miles of beauty. Helios hotel has half the rooms facing the park (probably gorgeous) and the other half facing school bus stops and probably the scene of major car accidents etc. Clutter works in Japan. We need spacious here. Dont know what Stella Nova and Stella Artois are facing but the building shouldnt be the most picturesque thing. It is strange to me how the two smaller hotels are completely opposite sides of the park from Helios. Guess there's no town square or focal point for everybody to walk to the inevitable movie thater that pops up or the outlet malls that will likely be there. Monorail, monorail... i mean bus. Timmy have you ever been on a bus? Yes, every day of my life on the way to school.

I think Epic will be an above average Universal park, top 5 in the country, but im ready to hear more about the upkeep on IOA and Universal. With 3 parks you have the ability to attract world class talent like Bourne stuntmen and have them work an 8 hour day doing shows at Universal, then IOA (does island of adventure have anything show wise but the puppet dinosaurs) and then at epic. Give me the Miami Vice student show in the Universal Lagoon. Harry Potter show in Hogsmeade on top of the school. If Disneyland can endure then lets go on to the Universal and IOA. My trip to Epic is partially from my willingness to fund their preservation. Disney will be fine, regardless.

You would have to physically visit the park, explore every portal, and ride everything in order to make an objective choice. That is not going to happen for anybody, anytime soon, unless you are invited for a preview when the park is essentially empty, or have Epic Universe Express.

You can tell who is in a perpetual state of denial by the poll, however.

In denial of what exactly? The post asks what people are expecting from Epic Universe and gives 5 options to answer. The poll isn’t a post-trip “what did you think of Epic Universe” It’s a simple question to gauge what most people are realistically expecting to get out of the park. That doesn’t mean that people who didn’t answer “the greatest single thing ever” can’t still get their socks blown off by the park. It just means some people have tempered, reasonable expectations. There are always hiccups for any major attraction let alone a brand new state of the art park. I chose “above average park for Universal”, which is a VERY HIGH BAR, so I expect to have my socks blown off. I’m in denial of nothing, and I hoping to be floored. But I’m also not going all-in on “greatest thing or bust”. My opinion :)

We’re going to be discussing and debating this issue for years simply because expectation management is a combination effort between the provider and the consumer. Sometimes, no matter how good a product is, a customer can walk away feeling somewhat disappointed because the product was oversold. Sometimes a mediocre product can be very pleasing because the consumer wasn’t expecting much from it and was mildly surprised when it was better than expected.

In the case of theme parks, without a doubt, the best management of expectations and product delivery was the opening of the Magic Kingdom and Disney World in 1971. For years, the Wonderful World of Disney teased the public with design layouts and construction updates, and literally the entire eastern half of the country was penciling in dates on their calendars and planning their vacations to central Florida, and Disney absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark with their delivery. There were a few bumps in the road as there are with the opening of any complex project, but when Disney opened Disney World, they literally defined the term Theme Park Destination.

Since then, unfairly or not, every visit to a new theme park or every visit to a different theme park for the consumer gets compared in some way to the Magic Kingdom whether it’s the compatibility of the rides to your riding preferences, the overall ambiance (sightlines, aromas, theming, landscaping, etc.), the dining quality, or the associated lodging accommodations. We are always going to evaluate something new to things that we already know and love, and therein lies the problem for Epic Universe. For most of us, the Magic Kingdom and to a lesser extent (sorry, California) Disneyland are the gold standards.

So, what do I expect from Epic Universe? I’m looking for a superb theme park experience on par with Islands of Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea that can one day grow into a near peer experience with the Magic Kingdom. Will it be as good as the Magic Kingdom when it opens? Not hardly. Will it be a good as the Magic Kingdom in 10 or 20 years? Maybe, but probably not. Realistically, how many theme parks can give you the thrill of riding a monorail train through a massive hotel lobby and then passing the vista of Cinderella’s Castle looming in the near distance above the Main Street Train Station? Nothing in the world right now comes close.

But it will be an awesome #2 in Orlando and maybe for the entire world, and that’s nothing to sniff at.

I really do think Magic Kingdom is the worst park on property. Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and then Magic Kingdom. Id put Magic Kingdom as the worst central florida park. Just below universal studios (yes, i put busch gardens and seaworld ahead of magic kingdom). It's like saying the Mona Lisa is the best thing in the Louvre. It isnt, for those that havent been. But if go its the size of a postage stamp.

Value based upon ticket prices.

If Ministry of Magic works and crowds are effectively controlled it will probably be the third best park in Orlando and the best Comcast park on the planet.

If the Ministry of Magic does not work but crowds are effectively controlled it will be the fifth best park in Orlando and the second best Comcast park on the planet.

If the Ministry of Magic does not work and crowds are not effectively controlled it will be the seventh (maybe eighth) best park in Orlando and the fourth best Comcast park on the planet.

Of course, if the Ministry of Magic does not work, crowds are not effectively controlled and Comcast opens substantial new theme park experiences at USF or IOA ... Wait ... Who am I kidding? Comcast isn't building any new theme park experiences at USF or IOA

(Chuckle)

NEXT!

Reading the comments over the past few posts about Universal’s new park and corporate’s (largely justified) victory lap at having built up capacity in Orlando to compete with the Mouse.

Some things I am noticing:
-The conversations about Disney vs Universal have always struck me as a David v Goliath kind of thing. That dynamic is still in play, as far as numbers go.

-Because of that dynamic, the best things that Universal does are often compared with the worst that Disney does. (I am saying this as a fan of both). As the market leader, Disney is held to a higher standard.

-By and large, Disney has still been meeting or exceeding that high standard. Things like the recent miss with the haunted mansion gift shop at DL are the exceptions that prove the rule. (When have we spent dozens of comments discussing a cheap-looking element on the veneer of a Universal gift-shop? Nowhere that I can recall)

-Universal has done an impressive job building out capacity and quality in their Orlando parks over the last decade especially, and it shows. The best of these parks is at or above the Disney quality threshold. However the parks still have gaping holes in quality that would not be forgiven if Disney had executed them. I don’t doubt that these holes will continue to be addressed moving forward if UO continues to enjoy the success they have had since HP opened.

-Big picture: Universal is still on the steeper part of a growth trajectory and it is impressive to watch. At the same time, the bigger they get the harder it will be to sustain that level of growth and the more they will have to manage the expectations that come with being a true market leader.

Personal soap-box: I wish people would stop talking about Universal “beating” Disney as if this was some kind of theme park sports bracket. Disney and Comcast have executives and creatives moving back and forth all the time. Corporate in both cases wants to grow the market and increase market share, but with both companies executing at such a high level, I doubt either is losing sleep over the other. A major global event, such as another pandemic, or a war, etc., is probably a much more pressing concern. We sit on these sites and imagine some huge battle but the CEOs are all playing golf together and laughing all the way to the bank.

@jonah:
Well said sir, well said

@puckpilgrim you make a lot of dangerous claims there. . . Just because MK isn't the best castle park doesn't mean it's a bad park by any means. . . EPCOT is way worse by every measure. Just because childlike joy and wonder doesn't appeal to your Majesty's Royal Standard doesn't mean it's worse than SeaWorld. And are you implying that USF is the second worse park? Really? Versus SeaWorld?!

My day at Universal is the walk to the right where you encounter the Bourne Ultimatum. Then ride ET. Skip Simpsons for disorientation and lack of cohesion. Do MIB. Walk past the Wild West Stunt Show grave. Then mourn the loss of Jaws. Walk sideways into Diagon Alley. So this is a ratio of 1 ride per 27 cash registers, neat. Screen ride...great.. covers the size of basketball court? Football field? Then leave. Skip F&F. Ride The Mummy (pro tip, dont' ever watch the lights on YouTube...reclining on a flight is more vigorous). Then go Jimmy Fallon, I guess. Rip Ride Rocket. Skip Transformers for disorienting and who cares storyline. Then go see Bourne again because that is awesome. 1pm. Park Hop to somewhere in Kissimmee.

Sea World has animals which never underwhelms. It's for that moment when all that childlike wonder fades after realizing all of MK's rides require confirming that the kids (alone) are enjoying themselves, so you are enjoying yourself by proxy.

as usual, jonah brings sanity to the conversation

"In denial of what exactly?" - Poll Option: A step back in quality for Universal

I bet I know who at least one of those votes was. Probably the one who went nuts over "Universal throwing down the gauntlet". That toddler meltdown was "Epic". (see what I did there)

Excited to see how TH moves the goalposts once the Rockit replacement opens at USF.

evanweston: "Excited to see how TH moves the goalposts once the Rockit replacement opens at USF."

Me: That excites you? ... You are "excited"? ... (Sigh) ... Great, another TPI reg is obsessed with me.

I hate to say it, but I think it will ultimately be just an above-average park.

Let's break this down on a land-by-land basis.

Constellation Park: Stardust Racers looks fun and all, but since roller coasters (especially the high-thrilling ones) knock the wind out of me quickly, I don't see myself doing this more than once a day (maybe two if I wanted to hit both sides). That leaves you with a carousel and a bunch of shops/restaurants. Not bad for a hub and if the night show ends up being great (and consistently performed), I'll be more forgiving.

Super Nintendo World: Perfect for an opening day land, no fixing required yet.

How To Train Your Dragon: This land could have been the best in the park if there was some dark ride or flight simulator. As-is, it just looks fine with an apparently great show, a decent-looking family coaster, and a couple of flat rides I'd probably skip due to long waits and a desire not to get drenched to the bone. I fear this will be like Toy Story Land at DHS which is always too popular for its own good.

Dark Universe: Has one world-class dark ride and what looks to be a fun but short coaster. Would really benefit from a show here.

Ministry of Magic: This is the land that will need the most immediate work. The ride sounds great, but outside of that, all you're left with is a show that will really need to do some heavy lifting. This area needs another ride somewhere that will take some of the heat from the Battle ride when it inevitably suffers technical downtime.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited to visit the park this year and am certain that Comcast has already spent a fortune on it so far. I guess I'm just not yet seeing why it is so game-changing as everyone else claims.

Well, to be fair, you immediately wrote off the roller coaster that is my No. 1 most anticipated attraction in the park. Different strokes for different folks!

I do agree that capacity is an issue and why I'm holding back from expecting more than the top park in Orlando, for now.

@evanweston: Fair point regarding the "Rip Ride Rockitt Replacement".

So ... touché

So At the same time I think it's fair to note that the current coasters is not scheduled to shutter until September 2025, and that it's unlikely the new coaster will start operating in late 2026/early 2027.

But yeah, R4 should be regarded as an add -- it's something new.

Whether or not it prevents EU from stealing guests is another discussion -- especially considering the reality that the new park will add (I believe) five coasters to Comcast's Orlando collection. I also think it's fair to note that the opening of a new USF coaster not only follows the opening of the EU coasters but also the two coasters at IOA (the Dino coaster and Hagrid's). Here's hoping Universal Creative looks beyond steel tracks when it eventually announces a major expansion (read that as a new, expansive land) at the original Comcast parks.

Overall, I have tempered enthusiasm and expectations for this park. Big picture, I want this park to open without too many kinks to work out and to be able to effectively manage the immense demand. Opening a brand new theme park in the US just doesn't happen very often with the last major one opening in 2008 (Hard Rock Park) and the last new one in Orlando opening in 1999 (IOA), so there's not a lot of experience to work from to making the opening of Epic as seamless as possible. It's clear Universal is concerned about managing demand by the way they're selling tickets (probably a move not just to make money and ensure their legacy parks don't turn into ghost towns), but I wonder what other tools they will use to manage demand not only at the entrance gate, but throughout the park. Virtual queues have been bantered about and other line/crowd management techniques have been rumored, but how much will those restrict guests to the point where they become frustrated. When Universal first announced Epic, they billed it as a completely new theme park concept, but will guests take to this concept or get annoyed as they've become with WDW crowd management procedures, which appear more like a cash grab than a way to make everyone's visit more enjoyable. I also worry that the park just isn't ready yet with one of the marquee attractions (Battle at the Ministry) not operating yet for TM previews and its signature coaster valleying under cold/windy conditions. Again, this is completely new territory for everyone working on this project, and with all the excitement brewing, technical snafus have to be kept to a minimum. I think most guests will understand that rides will take time to break in, but when you only have a single day in this new park, Universal can't have major attractions closed for days on end and expect people to want to come back.

My other big concern is that there just aren't a lot of supporting attractions in this park. The headliners all appear to be iconic experiences, but the second tier attractions just don't seem that exciting. Also, I've mentioned this before, but it really bothers me that Universal is seemingly counting on guests to pay upcharges for the wands and power-up bands to participate in those interactions to support the headline attractions in those lands. I also feel that Universal is really making the food and beverage experiences an essential part of each portal, which necessitates additional upcharges. This is a big differentiating factor from Disney, who support their immersive words with themed food and beverage, but don't necessarily make eating at those restaurants an essential part of the experience. Obviously, it's great for Universal's bottom line to encourage guests to spend more money once they're in the park, but things could get really expensive really fast on your first trip to Epic.

I do feel like Universal is onto something with Epic, and it has the potential to be one of the best theme parks in the world. However, I'm keeping my enthusiasm in check, and hope that this park can deliver a full-day experience free from obsessive pre-planning with reasonable lines and the ability to experience at least 60-75% of the attractions in the park on a busy day. If Universal can get all the kinks worked out, I would like to think that Epic could be considered as one of, if not the best theme park in Orlando.

Those virtual queues for any kind of rainy day are going to be a nightmare. Inclement weather closes everything in Celestial (including the carousel more than likely since it's got an openness to it). So we can experience Mario Kart, Shows, Monsters, and Ministry. Do they auto update virtual queues? They probably should have some sort indoor coaster though i think the ones they do have need the outdoor element to their themeing. Some like Atlantis at Sea World and themeing it to the black lagoon is the absolute right next play... take some of the innovations of last few years since Jaws and give me a couple floor of show scenes. Of course they have painted themselves so poorly into a corner how do you give that visual exposure to passerbyers that Bluto get so right and Animal Kingdom raft gets so wrong?

Also, if i stay at Helios and i cant go to epic only for 1-10 days straight then that is overreaching big time. If im on property i will not be navigating to any other properties.. period. Wake me up when that is available.

What makes you think rain will close outdoor attractions? Certainly thunderstorm would cause temporary disruptions, but there is no precedent for Universal to close outdoor rides simply because it's raining.

I am similarly very curious to see if Universal will offer any other perks for guests of the Helios Grand. Whether they get extra early or late park access that other hotel guests don't get, or get access to special tickets, I really feel that guests of this hotel should get something more than just a view overlooking the park and the same ancillary perks that guests staying at Universal hotels 1/3 the price receive.

Inclement weather passing basically closes Dragonland and Celestial park. My preferred park for inclement weather is going to be Epcot and USF. Comment is really for the next phases of these parks future?

Why? People still ride outdoor rides (including the water rides) at IOA when it rains. While I would expect some people to "run for cover" when it rains, there are plenty of people who will still ride on a rainy day, mostly because so many guests are afraid to get a little wet and lines shrink at all of the Florida theme parks even when it's just drizzling.

I do think that parks need to be more resilient when it comes to our changing climate, but there's something to be said for riding in the open air. You just can't/shouldn't put everything inside of a dome/building just because it would be exposed to the elements. Even Ferrari World, which is in one of the hottest climates on the planet, has guests go outside for brief periods on some of the park's attractions.

Inside the magic just posted their Cars mockup, plus door coaster, tony skark flight. This is what a Mario Kart ride should be. Just because Japan is landlocked (see what i did there) doesnt mean the US should have been. Be back after i view it.

Inclement in this case means lightining. You go enjoy volcano bay during inclement weather. I will go get me camera.

You realize that even some indoor attractions close during "inclement" weather (i.e. lightning), right? Pretty much any dynamic indoor attraction pauses operation during a thunderstorm (Mission Space, GotG:CR, Space Mountain, RotR - though that one typically closes because moisture collects on the floor at the unload platform, which is open air, ToT, RnRC, and FoP). It's not just outdoor attractions that shut down during a thunderstorm, so it doesn't really matter how many rides you put inside, there are going to be interruptions when severe weather (lightning) strikes the area. Pretty much the only rides that run at WDW during a thunderstorm are the omnimover/slow-moving dark rides, and some theater-based attractions, which typically accounts for maybe 20-30% of a park's attraction capacity.

Im pretty sure ive never gone to a theme park during thunderstorms and indoor attractions didnt continue to operate. If youve been enough you would have come outside to a whole different weather event being absolutely clueless. Thats the primary reason i loved Universal as a kid. It was almost 100% (i really want to say it was 100%) unaffected.

Proving my point further that they had better have the capacity on something indiors since they dont have the luxury that epcot has to devour guests despite lightning. And only having shows in wizarding world and dragons that might do shows like Bourne with a queue and like 20 shows a day or they might be shows that happen 4 time a day. I dont know. That is the excitement of the new park for me. How are they accounting for eventualities... is EU the check the weather forecast and avoid at all costs if there is a drop on the air? Im think thats the case. USF or Epcot are my go to for "inclement" weather.

Russell: "... Universal is seemingly counting on guests to pay upcharges."

Me: When something similar happens at Walt Disney World the "hate-Disney-at-all-costs" community refers to them as "cash grabs".

@TH - That's true, but many of Disney's "cash grabs" of late have resulted from monetizing things that used to be included as part of your admission and/or hotel stay or were not priced as aggressively as they are now to the breaking point for many visitors and being utilized more as crowd/capacity control than guest convenience. WDW has also gotten rid of or pulled back on a lot of the free experiential activities in the parks like Kim Possible/Phineas and Ferb, Sorcerers of the MK, and Pirate Adventure. WDW still has the Datapad activities and the other in-app activities you can use to pass the time waiting on line, but it's definitely dialed back from where it was 8-10 years ago.

In that respect, Universal is doing the "cash grab" by monetizing some of those types of interactive attractions in their parks by forcing guests to buy devices to make them work, but it's not like Universal ever offered those types of experiences for free in their parks before. Also, the gen-2 wands do seem to be worth the increased price with the ability to recharge (instead of having to bring them to the park and have it "repaired" when the internal battery died) and additional features/effects. However, let's not forget that Disney was the first to market upcharged in-park interactive devices with Pal Mickey (yes, we still have ours), interactive ears (debuted in California), and the Magic Band.

@th you're right. When there's a major upcharge at universal, we call it a cash grab. When there is a major upcharge at Disney, we call it a cash grab. We will refer to in-your-face dramatic upcharges as cash grabs.

What am I expecting from Epic Universe? Congestion! For the first year at least.

Give it 12 months for the initial magnetism of the park to settle down and it will be Orlando's premier park to visit and be wowed. Let's face it, Universal have done things better than Disney for 25 years and Epic Universe will only re-emphasise the gulf in creativity, technology and theming. But the park lay-out is an issue but that must be by design too.

"What am I expecting from Epic Universe? Congestion! For the first year at least." - I disagree. I think it will be 2-3 years. I'm not going anywhere near that place without Express.

TH, I can assure you nobody is "obsessed" with you. We just like to come in here and see how ridiculous you can allow yourself to get over any Universal Parks & Resorts attention.

Reading your comments is fun, but stating people are "obsessed" with you is actually a narcissist trait.

I think it will easily be the best Universal Park and possibly the best Theme Park in Orlando, currently Animal Kingdom imo. But I don't think it will surpass Tokyo Disney Sea especially after they just opened Fantasy Springs, although it may surpass Efteling.