Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[Mad Dog]

Staffing in 2025 was a problem that needed a strategy in 2019. It’s not on Ops today, it’s on the people in the offices who didn’t bother to think long term back then… oh right, they’ve all been promoted to new roles and don’t have to care about getting called out for that.

Right. Upper managements fault. You don't plan to open a new park and 'hire and train' a full complement of staff to run that park, and your other three parks, just a few months before you open it. Understaff the new park, save some pennies, while the parent company is spending a few hundred million on marketing the new park. Result: bad reviews due to long lines on all but one park attraction. Unhappy guests......Maybe have those promoted suits man the undermanned ride lines.

 

[GA-MBIT]

There's also HHN, another upcoming wrench about to be thrown into the situation. That event is it's own staffing nightmare, and we'll see an entire segment of Ops TMs from other venues transition into that within the next week or two, leaving everywhere else a bit more shorthanded than they are now. Not to mention the yearly TM Purge around previews and event nights due to policy and security infractions. Lots of fun to look forwards too!

I agree with @HandsomePete and @Mad Dog. While I really want to see the ops teams lock in and figure out their capacity issues, like Monsters has; this is also an issue that could've been largely avoided had UDX themselves put Ops in a better position from the jump.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Staffing in 2025 was a problem that needed a strategy in 2019. It’s not on Ops today, it’s on the people in the offices who didn’t bother to think long term back then… oh right, they’ve all been promoted to new roles and don’t have to care about getting called out for that.

Here’s the thing, they were thinking about it then. Lots of “drop in crews” and managers. I know a few friends part of the program years ago. So maybe they needed more?

 

[Mad Dog]

Last I heard, they're still down. So, you're right from a certain point of view.

Does running the Monster pre shows require a few extra TM's? I wonder if it's tech or staff issues?

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Not trying to steer towards being negative or petty, but I think my BF and I will wait till 2027 for our UOR trip. These reports are not encouraging frankly. He’s never been to either WDW or UOR, and I think WDW is a stronger start point anyways, especially if crowds are smaller due to lack of international tourism. Willing to wait to let this park figure out the kinks. I get the struggles, but it’s not making me want to shell the $$$ out for a week trip yet.

 

[Mad Dog]

Not trying to steer towards being negative or petty, but I think my BF and I will wait till 2027 for our UOR trip. These reports are not encouraging frankly. He’s never been to either WDW or UOR, and I think WDW is a stronger start point anyways, especially if crowds are smaller due to lack of international tourism. Willing to wait to let this park figure out the kinks. I get the struggles, but it’s not making me want to shell the $$$ out for a week trip yet.

WDW stand by line times dropped dramatically since May/June of 2024 when they revamped their disability pass rules to get rid of the fraud. Even lightening lines are shorter. And there's not a ton of those electric vehicles clogging the parks and slowing up bus loading. I don't think it was
just a coincidence. The fraud had to be really bad....Short of holiday weeks and holiday weekends, stand by lines are the best they've been since I started
going to WDW often in 2011. And with lots of really good new attractions, WDW is a much more enjoyable vacation. My two vacations since that disability change have been very very good.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Does running the Monster pre shows require a few extra TM's? I wonder if it's tech or staff issues?

I've heard the Monster animatronic is down which is why the 2nd preshow isn't running, not sure about the first though.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

Not trying to steer towards being negative or petty, but I think my BF and I will wait till 2027 for our UOR trip. These reports are not encouraging frankly. He’s never been to either WDW or UOR, and I think WDW is a stronger start point anyways, especially if crowds are smaller due to lack of international tourism. Willing to wait to let this park figure out the kinks. I get the struggles, but it’s not making me want to shell the $$$ out for a week trip yet.

To play devil's advocate, i was just there from 8/7 - 8/10 and didn't have any of those issues.

I also think someone who is trying to do ALL of both Disney and Universal on the same trip is now asking A LOT.
You're better off just doing a Disney trip and letting that be your focus for 4-6 days as opposed to 7-12 days doing both. I say that as both a TA and someone who is doing exactly that this upcoming October and already foresight dreading aspects of it. We have 4 park days at Disney plus Mickey's Not So Scary and then 4 park days plus Horror Nights at Universal. Me and my beau are annual attendees, but I have three friends who've never been who asked me to come with and curate the trip for them. lol Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

To play devil's advocate, i was just there from 8/7 - 8/10 and didn't have any of those issues.

I also think someone who is trying to do ALL of both Disney and Universal on the same trip is now asking A LOT.
You're better off just doing a Disney trip and letting that be your focus for 4-6 days as opposed to 7-12 days doing both. I say that as both a TA and someone who is doing exactly that this upcoming October and already foresight dreading aspects of it. We have 4 park days at Disney plus Mickey's Not So Scary and then 4 park days plus Horror Nights at Universal. Me and my beau are annual attendees, but I have three friends who've never been who asked me to come with and curate the trip for them. lol Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

Oh, we’d do a week at either WDW or UOR. We enjoy pool and chill time, we wouldn’t cross pollinate resorts tbh. Disney seems like a nice deal rn compared to EU and rest of the resort. Again, just as of now.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

Oh, we’d do a week at either WDW or UOR. We enjoy pool and chill time, we wouldn’t cross pollinate resorts tbh. Disney seems like a nice deal rn compared to EU and rest of the resort. Again, just as of now.

Then i'd say you're ripe for Disney before '27! Go while everyone else is busy at Epic

 

[Jones14]

I've heard the Monster animatronic is down which is why the 2nd preshow isn't running, not sure about the first though.

The first preshow ends by setting up the second, so maybe they feel like there’s no good way to get around the line “Send them in, I’m ready for them”. I wish they’d give us the first preshow regardless, though.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

There were a lot of people on these forums that seemed to believe that Epic would somehow fix UOR’s operational issues by galvanizing the resort into performing better, when it was kinda clear the opposite would happen. There’s no easy way to open a theme park, and I’m sure the current TMs are doing the best they can.

Things will probably get worse before they get better. But they will get better!

EDIT: A CM friend of mine told me that she knew some folk who only stuck around at Epic to be part of the opening team, and then would promptly leave. That seems insane if true, but I guess it’s certainly possible.

 

[Mad Dog]

There were a lot of people on these forums that seemed to believe that Epic would somehow fix UOR’s operational issues by galvanizing the resort into performing better, when it was kinda clear the opposite would happen. There’s no easy way to open a theme park, and I’m sure the current TMs are doing the best they can.

Things will probably get worse before they get better. But they will get better!

EDIT: A CM friend of mine told me that she knew some folk who only stuck around at Epic to be part of the opening team, and then would promptly leave. That seems insane if true, but I guess it’s certainly possible.

I heard the same. Lots leaving for that reason or others. I've been questioning Universals operations since Davis left. Got yelled at for that a few times.
Operational decisions have been shaky/cheap for a while, but they had Epic construction as their go to excuse. Not fully staffing Epic when it opened is
a really bad decision....I constantly wonder how much of these long lines is because of tech issues, and how much is really because of TM and maintenance understaffing. It's so Six Flagish. A beautiful park with immersive lands and some excellent attractions and shows....but.......

 

[jwbitterman]

Right. Upper managements fault. You don't plan to open a new park and 'hire and train' a full complement of staff to run that park, and your other three parks, just a few months before you open it. Understaff the new park, save some pennies, while the parent company is spending a few hundred million on marketing the new park. Result: bad reviews due to long lines on all but one park attraction. Unhappy guests......Maybe have those promoted suits man the undermanned ride lines.

They're too busy making $20 for every $1 the TMs make to give a damn.

 

[GA-MBIT]

Moving this discussion from the Rock-It thread. That ride deserves better than to be overshadowed by Epic talk a day after it closes.

I guess if they're hiring lots of new staff, that sounds like they didn't initially hire enough staff. A 'positive' sign if true.

My guess is somewhere inbetween. A number of initial TMs that were staffed are leaving now that enough time has passed to comfortably say that they "opened the new park". A number of those spots are filled thru the mass hirings they've been doing since the start of the year, but thru usual atrition, as well as HHN starting to poke into the picture, we'll see some growing pains as UDX figures out how to actually staff four parks across two campuses.

 

[Rhian]

Not trying to steer towards being negative or petty, but I think my BF and I will wait till 2027 for our UOR trip. These reports are not encouraging frankly. He’s never been to either WDW or UOR, and I think WDW is a stronger start point anyways, especially if crowds are smaller due to lack of international tourism. Willing to wait to let this park figure out the kinks. I get the struggles, but it’s not making me want to shell the $$$ out for a week trip yet.

Totally understandable, especially when we’re approaching the end of the year and multi-day Epic tickets still aren’t a thing and the window for vacation planning comfortably for the first quarter of next year is closing.

we'll see some growing pains as UDX figures out how to actually staff four parks across two campuses

In some instances this is more true than one would think, it’s not just guest-facing areas either that’s got some things to work out. In terms of practicality north and south campus are treated as two completely separate entities to the point that I’m under the impression doing so exacerbates some of these problems.