Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[JohnHammondsCane]

So did the park just go ka-put this week?

It’s been… bad today. As of 4:08

Stardust
Minecart
Fyre Drill
Gliders

All delayed/closed, leading to every other ride having an inflated wait time. Add to that, the Toothless meet and greet is delayed for filming

 

[JohnHammondsCane]

This has prolly been mentioned elsewhere but DK was closed today. Wondering if it has anything to do with fixing the DK/Diddy mine cart effect that hasn’t seemed to operate very consistently, or the botched splashdown effect.

I’m going back on the 9th, this Friday, likely my last visit until at least September. Very curious about crowds since it’s the first day of the second window for previews. Maybe everyone that wanted to go will have already gone lol.

I was over there this morning and there was an extension cord hanging down from the barrel

 

[Mad Dog]

....And....all this is why I'm waiting until November. Being first is not important to me. I mean, we all knew there'd be breakdowns. That always happens during softs/previews. That's normal.

 

[Evan]

I saw some complaints yesterday that with Monsters down, and when it rained, there was really only two rides (Mario Kart and Carousel) you can do since Ministry was on virtual. Didn’t initially consider that but it’s actually pretty wild. I guess Islands wasn’t much different at open though with Spidey, Cat in the Hat and Poseidon being the only indoor offerings.

Hopefully MoM and Monsters can run much more reliably in the near future.

This has been an issue I’ve raised in the past. I don’t really understand the planning in Florida, that they don’t prioritize more fully indoor attractions.

This park will be rough in the summer, just like IOA can be.

 

[JohnHammondsCane]

....And....all this is why I'm waiting until November. Being first is not important to me. I mean, we all knew there'd be breakdowns. That always happens during softs/previews. That's normal.

No question. My biggest issue is filming for commercials on multiple rides/experiences that shuts rides down for hours. God forbid they earmarked a few days where they wouldn’t open and could film those days, instead they hamper the guest experience for everyone in the park today

 

[Milla4Prez66]

I’m at the park for the first time today and this is probably the worst experience I’ve had in a theme park EVER. I get it’s in previews but still it being THIS bad while charging $140 is just awful on Universal. Every attraction I’ve been in line for today besides monsters has shut down. Even Mario Kart that’s been open for years in Japan they can’t even handle. That broke down and last I checked only the monsters, werewolf and Yoshi are actually operating currently.

Also, there is almost no shade in a park that literally blasts the sun in your face off the concerte. How did nobody at Universal not think of that? I’m burning alive here and the options for shade are so limited. Just a completely frustrating day.

 

[saint.piss]

With every passing day I feel more and more lucky that the first passholder preview for Epic went as smoothly as it did. Damn

 

[JohnHammondsCane]

I’m at the park for the first time today and this is probably the worst experience I’ve had in a theme park EVER. I get it’s in previews but still it being THIS bad while charging $140 is just awful on Universal. Every attraction I’ve been in line for today besides monsters has shut down. Even Mario Kart that’s been open for years in Japan they can’t even handle. That broke down and last I checked only the monsters, werewolf and Yoshi are actually operating currently.

Also, there is almost no shade in a park that literally blasts the sun in your face off the concerte. How did nobody at Universal not think of that? I’m burning alive here and the options for shade are so limited. Just a completely frustrating day.

Exact same experience. Monsters is incredible, but I couldn’t imagine paying for this experience again. 3 delays/closures are by a film crew. Minecart was closed from before opening and the MoM VQ situation is awful. The capacity they’re working with on that has to be terrible as of right now
And I believe 3 showings of Untrainable Dragon/Arcanus have been cancelled

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Lmao, now my VL for MoM got cancelled because it broke down. Biggest waste of money in my life. Today’s experience has soured me on Universal so much that I’m not sure I ever want to go again. I’m sure that’s the emotion talking, but I can’t stress enough how unsatisfied I am with Universal.

 

[Evan]

Comcast’s last few quartley reports re: the parks have shown a slow down in Hollywood and Orlando, but yet Disney has had relatively solid quarters, with increases, and the summer bookings are currently trending up for them (per today’s released report).

So, what does this mean? Is Disney just not impacted by the “waiting for Epic to open” tourist?

What is the outlook here for Universal and Epic after this summer?

I kinda figured everyone would be seeing a slow down… but it doesn’t seem like it?

 

[Wesker69]

I’m sure that’s the emotion talking, but I can’t stress enough how unsatisfied I am with Universal.

Guest Services exists for a reason. Even though it is "technical rehearsals/preview", it is still recommended to give them proper feedback in person, email & online surveys they send out

 

[UniversalRBLX]

While yes, it's a preview and downtime is expected, I think the "need" to do everything because of the high price point, unfortunately, sets people up for disappointment. I think that's part of the problem at Disney and Universal nowadays, a need to do everything to feel that you got your money's worth. I think previews should have been limited to $100, since it's easier to justify an attraction being closed for filming or downtime.

Comcast’s last few quartley reports re: the parks have shown a slow down in Hollywood and Orlando, but yet Disney has had relatively solid quarters, with increases, and the summer bookings are currently trending up for them (per today’s released report).

So, what does this mean? Is Disney just not impacted by the “waiting for Epic to open” tourist?

What is the outlook here for Universal and Epic after this summer?

I kinda figured everyone would be seeing a slow down… but it doesn’t seem like it?

Disney confirmed bookings are up, and it's obvious that the heavy discounting they've been doing is working. Whether or not that reflects as a revenue driver remains to be seen. They've been cutting hours to "balance out" the lower revenue to produce a better profit margin, so we'll see next quarter how well these discounts have worked.

Universal has been pretty insistent on charging full price for post-Epic Universe opening, so it'll be interesting to see how well they do compared to the mouse that's offering the best incentives in decades.

 

[Tbad556]

.

 

[Clive]

FYI for anyone else attending these dates: I called Guest Services and they were able to make an exception & grant me a refund due to this closure. No pushback, no arguments, just a very simple refund process.

Happy to hear it.

Also agree with @UniversalRBLX that charging these prices for previews is setting people up for disappointment. If they were charging, say, $79 or so, I bet people would be more understanding of constant downtime... but it's hard to swallow spending $140+ only for 80% of the park's attractions to be down for non-weather-related reasons. Either ticketing needed to be more reasonable with their pricing, maintenance/Creative needed to be more upfront with their uptime expectations, or both.

 

[jarmor]

Wonder if people are gonna cancel due to MoM being down? I did get a ticket for next monday to take a kid that has been waiting for SNW for years so MoM isn't even on his radar but I wonder if it would be worth it to switch to the following monday. Decisions decisions. . .

 

[Brian G.]

Wonder if people are gonna cancel due to MoM being down? I did get a ticket for next monday to take a kid that has been waiting for SNW for years so MoM isn't even on his radar but I wonder if it would be worth it to switch to the following monday. Decisions decisions. . .

You can move dates, but you can’t cancel.

 

[UNIrd]

Yes, the delays are frustrating. But if you've never been to Epic Universe, you should really focus on enjoying whatever it is you can do while at Epic Universe and remain positive & flexible. It's supposed to be fun.

Some of these rides are incredibly complex and are going to have issues for some time, possibly forever. Whatever capacity they do rush to add needs to be something low-tech and reliable.

I spent 2 full park days at Epic and was not able to do everything on either day, though I tried. It's just not going to be feasible regardless of everything running unless you're going to have Express.

This is no different than any normal theme park during regular operations, but should be practically be expected during anything in "technical previews."

I can't wait until I have an Annual Pass so I can spend more time in each land and taking in all the details. But at $150 a pop so far, it's been about trying to do as much as possible. But be prepared to not do everything which is OKAY. It gives you a reason to come back.

 

[Tbad556]

.

 

[Evan]

Yes, the delays are frustrating. But if you've never been to Epic Universe, you should really focus on enjoying whatever it is you can do while at Epic Universe and remain positive & flexible. It's supposed to be fun.

Sure, but at the prices being charged, I think people are justified to express frustration when it seems to have been one of the worst days yet at the park.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Yes, the delays are frustrating. But if you've never been to Epic Universe, you should really focus on enjoying whatever it is you can do while at Epic Universe and remain positive & flexible. It's supposed to be fun.

Some of these rides are incredibly complex and are going to have issues for some time, possibly forever. Whatever capacity they do rush to add needs to be something low-tech and reliable.

I spent 2 full park days at Epic and was not able to do everything on either day, though I tried. It's just not going to be feasible regardless of everything running unless you're going to have Express.

This is no different than any normal theme park during regular operations, but should be practically be expected during anything in "technical previews."

I can't wait until I have an Annual Pass so I can spend more time in each land and taking in all the details. But at $150 a pop so far, it's been about trying to do as much as possible. But be prepared to not do everything which is OKAY. It gives you a reason to come back.

I 100% agree with you, I’ve told everyone to not expect to do everything due to downtime, but there’s still that $140+ price tag that’s hard to justify when things are down for a good portion of the day.

Us fans who like the attention to detail, don’t care since roaming the lands are an attraction themselves. But the general public and average AP expects to ride & see shows at a theme park.

Pricing tickets at a lower price point makes it clear that you should expect only a portion of the park experience, not the full package.