Universal's Epic Universe Construction Thread

[Parkscope Joe]

Once a tourist is in a car driving on publicly-maintained roads, the “bubble” has popped.

I'd love to know how many on site guests drive vs use the bus system.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'd love to know how many on site guests drive vs use the bus system.

Probably very few....but the bubble pops as soon as you're on the bus driving through all those traffic clogged roads to Epic. Its not real far, but it takes a good while, especially from Portofino with the Hard Rock stop. ...At the least, that's the way I felt. It basically feels the same as the ride from an on site WDW hotel to the parks. ....

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Probably very few....but the bubble pops as soon as you're on the bus driving through all those traffic clogged roads to Epic. Its not real far, but it takes a good while, especially from Portofino with the Hard Rock stop. ...At the least, that's the way I felt. It basically feels the same as the ride from an on site WDW hotel to the parks. ....

What do you think the term “bubble pop” here means? Traffic clogged streets to Epic? The busses go on their own roads. What are you even talking about?

 

[Stitch_101]

What do you think the term “bubble pop” here means? Traffic clogged streets to Epic? The busses go on their own roads. What are you even talking about?

I don't want to speak for Mad Dog, but it sounds like he saying the bubble pops and real world issues like bad traffic become more apparent. The busses do have dedicated lanes, but not for the entire drive down. There are several places where they are on the road with regular drivers.

 

[Alicia]

When there are more transportation options to get to and from this new whatever it is and Epic, I could see it used to snatch up convention goers looking for dinner and redirecting them to Epic open hub for a nightcap and fireworks.

It’s all connected.

 

[Brian G.]

It's really hard to create a fully-realized bubble given how separate the two campuses are, but I think it can still work. The bigger challenge is making something work without taking anything away from the North Campus. They need South Campus to stand on its own while still keeping USF, IOA, and CityWalk just as relevant. They don't want to accidentally split the resort in two.

But as far as creating the bubble goes, right now, it’s not fully there. Give it 10 years of hotels, expansions, and more Universal-exclusive experiences, and it may look and feel a little different.

The whole “the bubble pops once you’re in a car” argument only really applies if you’re choosing to drive, and I would bet a good chunk of on-site guests won’t be, instead opting for on-site transportation.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

The whole “the bubble pops once you’re in a car” argument only really applies if you’re choosing to drive, and I would bet a good chunk of on-site guests won’t be, instead opting for on-site transportation.

I think when most people refer to the bubble it's regarding the exclusion/hiding of the outside world (hotels, McDonald's, gas stations, etc.).

That stretch between UOR North and UOR South is not the best appearance-wise for a resort.

 

[Brian G.]

I think when most people refer to the bubble it's regarding the exclusion/hiding of the outside world (hotels, McDonald's, gas stations, etc.).

That stretch between UOR North and UOR South is not the best appearance-wise for a resort.

Maybe you were. Either way, point still stands.

 

[SkiBum]

Not to derail this further, Disney World probably has the only true bubble. It feels like it is away from everything with the forested areas in place. You have to go into the property to get to the parks and hotels. Universal has a semi-bubble with IoA, Citywalk, and Uni Studios, along with Hard Rock, Portofino, and Royal Pacific. Still, it doesn't have the same feel as it is all surrounded by the city. However, this is just my opinion.

Epic Universe and any surrounding areas will probably have another minibubble. So, two mini bubbles with some ancillary hotels/dining.

 

[Mad Dog]

What do you think the term “bubble pop” here means? Traffic clogged streets to Epic? The busses go on their own roads. What are you even talking about?

The same as @UniversalRBLX, @Stitch_101 described above. ...My personal opinion of course, but that's what the bus ride from Portofino to Epic feels like. ...It definitely 'feels' 'very' separate' from the North Campus. It's closer than WDW but feels about the same as my day trips to WDW that are fairly quick outside of rush hours.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The same as @UniversalRBLX, @Stitch_101 described above. ...My personal opinion of course, but that's what the bus ride from Portofino to Epic feels like. ...It definitely 'feels' 'very' separate' from the North Campus. It's closer than WDW but feels about the same as my day trips to WDW that are fairly quick outside of rush hours.

We started off talking about ratio of car travlers and then just went somewhere else I couldn't follow what point you were trying to make. Just confused.

Not to derail this further, Disney World probably has the only true bubble. It feels like it is away from everything with the forested areas in place. You have to go into the property to get to the parks and hotels. Universal has a semi-bubble with IoA, Citywalk, and Uni Studios, along with Hard Rock, Portofino, and Royal Pacific. Still, it doesn't have the same feel as it is all surrounded by the city. However, this is just my opinion.

Epic Universe and any surrounding areas will probably have another minibubble. So, two mini bubbles with some ancillary hotels/dining.

Deff helps with the land buffer after Walt got pissed at all the motels.

Just to dive into the bubble discourse more. Bubbles form when the friction of leaving and spending time/money elsewhere is lessened, not just there's a land buffer or private roads, imho. Magical Express, monorails, and the skyliner were the best bubble creators at Disney, followed by discounts on adding more nights to a ticket package. Universal's best thing to create a bubble is EPA w/ Potter and the bus shuttles. So if Universal would want to build a hotel on I-Drive and not want people walking to ICON Park they'd probably do what they did with Endless: put it in the middle of the plot, make walking access inconvient, and build a resort out.

 

[Mad Dog]

We started off talking about ratio of car travlers and then just went somewhere else I couldn't follow what point you were trying to make. Just confused.



Deff helps with the land buffer after Walt got pissed at all the motels.

Just to dive into the bubble discourse more. Bubbles form when the friction of leaving and spending time/money elsewhere is lessened, not just there's a land buffer or private roads, imho. Magical Express, monorails, and the skyliner were the best bubble creators at Disney, followed by discounts on adding more nights to a ticket package. Universal's best thing to create a bubble is EPA w/ Potter and the bus shuttles. So if Universal would want to build a hotel on I-Drive and not want people walking to ICON Park they'd probably do what they did with Endless: put it in the middle of the plot, make walking access inconvient, and build a resort out.

Just my first mention was in response to your cars vs. bus thought. I think we would agree that nearly every on site hotel guest takes the bus to Epic. Driving would take longer than a bus, plus paying for parking.......The rest was just reiterating my feeling about the North Campus bubble feeling that's been the recent thread conversation. Epic just feels very separate at this stage of its existence. And I believe it will take a very long time for it to develop enough stuff to have a South Campus bubble feeling. That additional dialogue may have confused the issue. Sorry.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Just my first mention was in response to your cars vs. bus thought. I think we would agree that nearly every on site hotel guest takes the bus to Epic. Driving would take longer than a bus, plus paying for parking.......The rest was just reiterating my feeling about the North Campus bubble feeling that's been the recent thread conversation. Epic just feels very separate at this stage of its existence. And I believe it will take a very long time for it to develop enough stuff to have a South Campus bubble feeling. That additional dialogue may have confused the issue. Sorry.

No need to apologize it’s all on my end.

 

[fryoj]

If they really wanted to bubblify it more, they could block off the bus windows. Either with wraps or Screenz. Then if, you are on a bus, you don't see that you're off property.

 

[Stitch_101]

If they really wanted to bubblify it more, they could block off the bus windows. Either with wraps or Screenz. Then if, you are on a bus, you don't see that you're off property.

This could be considered a safety hazard and there is at least one federal safety standard that restricts the blocking of bus windows, so that's not at all a feasible option. It's why the wraps that currently are on the busses are perforated allowing them to be seen through.

 

[Alicia]

Disney has its own style of directional traffic signs. Universal does too.

And now they reach much further south than they used to.

The bubble is still young. Give it time.