Come with me on a Journey to a Far away place inhabited by Mythological Gods and Constellations. Through the Portals we go to an Epic Universe.

[Robo56]

Those of you that are HHN fans know that the Universal creative team would not create a land like this without a story line behind this land.

So I went digging for the story line and I was rewarded with a story to enhance my journey in Dark Universe.

I watched the Universal podcast and looked up other details online and felt my experience would be fairly complete.

It was interesting to see the creators of Dark Universe Peter Carsillo Senior Creative Director and Fances Franceschi Senior production Designer on the podcast. They talked about the details and some of the story line that went into the land and it was wonderful.

The backstory is Universals take on the land they have created with wonderful nods to previous versions of Universal Monster Movies.

When I was a youngster I read Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. It is awesome that a book completed in 1817 is still giving life to her writings all these years later and still continues to resonate with young and old alike as has Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

One of the first things you see to the left when you enter Dark Universe is the Frankenstein Catacombs.


Get close to the gates and you can hear Igor Dr. Frankensteins assistant digging and talking and monster movement from beneath in the catacombs.




I then stopped to listen to the incredible music playing within Darkmoor and it was awesome. I found out that Danny Elfman composed the score for Dark Universe.

The music is really awesome. Stop and listen.

He is a Oscar nominated maestro who also scored the Music for Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

He was also lead singer and songwriter for the band Oingo Boingo in the early 80’s.
I loved their song “Dead Man’s Party”.





There is a photo op near the cemetery on the right as you enter.




Not sure if it is easy to appreciate in this photo, but the depth of this grave yard as your eye follows it up and around is incredible. It looks like it has been around for hundreds of years with the wild and natural plantings.






The graveyard is very detailed and looks like something strong escaped this secured grave.

 

[Robo56]

Looks like who ever was buried here, which I’am guessing was a Vampire was staked Throughly so they would not be coming back any time soon.

Again every little detail thought about. Shovels, freshly dug grace, wild grass and plants and 5 long handled spears to make sure the creature who is buried here will never raise again.


The little girl concrete statue in the graveyard is a homage to the little girl Maria that befriended the Frankenstein Monster in the original 1931 film. They were throwing flowers in the water together by a lake and when the Monster ran out of flowers to throw in, he threw in Maria and she drowned.


Welcome to Darkmoor




More to come

 

[angryduck71]

View attachment 964255

View attachment 964256

There is some table seating outside around the Lotus Lagoon
View attachment 964257

There is also seating around the Bar
View attachment 964258

View attachment 964259

There is a hot tub.
View attachment 964260

View attachment 964261

The pool area is beautiful.

I’am sure you noted no one was at the pool…….One of the pool attendants told me everyone is at the parks and they have not had many at the pool yet. I told her not to worry they would find their way there soon.

I hope the information on the Helios Grand helps anyone who is planning a stay here. It is a well designed and thought out resort.

The resort is very easy to navigate.

I heard there were 3 laundry rooms available onsite, but I did not look for them. I will have see where they are located on my next trip.

Thanks for all the pics! We're going at the end of July and plan a pool day! Appreciate seeing it all.

 

[angryduck71]

Darkmoor is what I'm most excited for as well. Love your report so far!

 

[Robo56]

Thanks for all the pics! We're going at the end of July and plan a pool day! Appreciate seeing it all.

Your welcome. You will love the resort. The pool looks awasome.

Darkmoor is what I'm most excited for as well. Love your report so far!

Thank you, sounds like we have another Universal Monster fan here. You will not be disappointed. It was beyond anything I could have expected.

 

[keishashadow]

Thinking that area would look even more amazing at dusk

 

[Robo56]

Monday, May 5th continued

As you start to enter Darkmoor the wall is there still blocking the complete view of Darkmoor Village.


And when you round the corner you see a spiked Well in the center of Darkmoor Village.
.

Under the village of Darkmoor are catacombs where the Vampires live. The Vampires placed the Well here in the center of Darkmoor Village.

You can see the small sharp pikes around the top center of the Well. The sacrificial victims to the Vampires are impaled there and their life’s blood seeps down into the catacombs to give the vampires their needed sustenance to survive.

Then you see Frankenstein Manor……..WOW………as you can see It does have express and single rider. I utilized the single rider line several times.


What incredible attention to detail. I’am sure I was not the only one with my mouth hanging open in absotule awe of this sturcture.

 

[Robo56]

Thinking that area would look even more amazing at dusk

Celestial Park and all the Lands take on a totally different atmosphere and look at night, but Darkmoor most of all.

 

[Robo56]

The backstory on Frankenstein Manor.

Victoria Frankenstein has taken up the work of her Great-Great Grandfather Henry Frankenstein who in this version of the story created the Monster.

The purest know and I have to be reminded although as we pretty much all call the big green dude Frankenstein, The monster actually did not have a name. Therefore he was called Frankenstein’s Monster the name of his creator.

A little aside here I was wondering how Victoria was related to Victor Frankenstein and turns out she was his Great-Great-Great granddaughter. Of course in Mary Shelly’s book it was Victor who created the Monster.

Now on with it.

You think the outside of the Manor is awesome wait until you get inside.

There are stairs leading up to the second floor. There is an elevator provided straight back when you enter past the statue. A team member will direct you to the elevator if you need it.

Over the marbled fireplace is a picture of Henry and his bride Elizabeth.

If you remember Victor Frankenstein married his cousin Elizabeth and the monster strangled her on their wedding night in retaliation for Victor destroying the bride who had been created to be the monsters mate.

Just a thought, after looking closer at Victoria’s family tree I’am wondering if those are some of the present day creators of Darkmoor?


Henry Frankenstein’s Portrait as well as Victoria’s portrait.








There is a mix of Victoria’s more advanced testing creations and Henry’s old less advanced research tools on display as you weave through the manor.







More to come

 

[Robo56]

Monday, May 5th continued


Walking through the Manor with all of its different information and well thought out pictures and computer generated screens was awesome.










Here is Dracula contained in his bat form.



Dr. Victoria is conducting experiements to bring all the classic Monsters under her control.

She is trying to prove that Monsters can be tamed to co-exist within society.

She is now trying to contain Dracula and bring him under her will.

Then on to a room where Igor Dr. Victoria’s assistant explains the ride system in a scary way….LOL

 

[Robo56]

You go into another room and meet Dr. Victoria Frankenstein and her Monster.








This was just a taste of the incredible animated figures that were to come on the ride “Monsters Unchained”.

I will stop here and talk about the ride and try to keep somethings unsaid as you should be surprised by some of he rides features for sure.

I will tell you even though I did read people’s opinions and saw pictures of the ride prior to riding it. Getting to enjoy the ride in person far exceeded my expectations.

To reach the ride seats you do step on a moving platform. There are 4 seats per ride section. The two middle seats are larger seats then the two end seats. I would make sure that the little ones that have reached the height to ride this ride use those smaller seats on the ends.

Now I will digress momentarily and answer the elephant in the room. Should the little ones who can ride, ride this ride. I personally would not encourage a child to ride this ride. Why, because there is a plethora of scary scenes, loud soundtrack and the ride armature does move and lean forward and back and the floor falls away. I think this is a lot of sensory over stimulation that might not be the best for those little forming minds just yet.

Of course every parent should use their best discretion on whether they think their child is ready for this.

Back on track now.

I would not wear loose fitting shoes or loose fitting flip flops on your feet on this ride. Why, the floor falls away after you enter the catacombs not long after the ride starts.

Also should clarify lockers are provided for purses etc. I was told secure fanny packs are allowed, but I took mine off just to be safe.

I did not see TM’s addressing this with folks before getting on the ride.

You are secured in your seat with an overhead bar which comes down and secures you nicely in your seat. The TM makes sure it is secure before you head out.

After riding the ride many times I did not rest my head on the back of the seat as there is some vibration of he seat in its movement.

I had the pure joy of being on the ride by myself once and noticed without the other 3 seats filled with people the ride did more shaking and was a totally different without the weight distribution spread out.

I kept my legs secured against the lower section of the ride and it felt more comfortable to me instead of dangling free.

Also be aware that the floor comes back underneath your feet as the ride is over and it felt strange to me the first time it happened.

There are 14 animatronic Monsters figures in the ride that are incredible. I have never seen anything like this before.

Enjoy the ride. It is one of the most advanced thematic experiences I have had the good fortune to enjoy.

Hats off to the all the creators who had a hand in the creation of this ride. It is unbelievable.

Now, I will leave it to you. Does Victoria achieve her goal of controlling Dracula??????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[angryduck71]

Yes, big Universal monster fan here.

Now I will digress momentarily and answer the elephant in the room. Should the little ones who can ride, ride this ride. I personally would not encourage a child to ride this ride. Why, because there is a plethora of scary scenes, loud soundtrack and the ride armature does move and lean forward and back and the floor falls away. I think this is a lot of sensory over stimulation that might not be the best for those little forming minds just yet.

Of course every parent should use their best discretion on whether they think their child is ready for this.

Pffft... this mom is all about scaring the #$%^ out of my child. Ask him about the time I made an automated dinosaur roar at him and he jumped like the kid on the electric fence in Jurassic Park. Or, the time I made him ride Tower of Terror and it scared him (he is a thrill-seeker and the drop did not scare him -- the storyline did! BUT, this is now one of his FAVORITE rides at Disney). It all started with my mom telling me the Yeti at Disneyland's Mattehorn was real... and that we had ghosts in our house... it's a family tradition to scare our children. LOL. My kid and I are happily going on this ride -- but he is 18 now. I"m sure in about 15 years from now, we'll be coaxing my grandkid to go on it way too young too. (Do not take advice from a mom who grew up on Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock....)

 

[Robo56]

Pffft... this mom is all about scaring the #$%^ out of my child. Ask him about the time I made an automated dinosaur roar at him and he jumped like the kid on the electric fence in Jurassic Park. Or, the time I made him ride Tower of Terror and it scared him (he is a thrill-seeker and the drop did not scare him -- the storyline did! BUT, this is now one of his FAVORITE rides at Disney). It all started with my mom telling me the Yeti at Disneyland's Mattehorn was real... and that we had ghosts in our house... it's a family tradition to scare our children. LOL. My kid and I are happily going on this ride -- but he is 18 now. I"m sure in about 15 years from now, we'll be coaxing my grandkid to go on it way too young too. (Do not take advice from a mom who grew up on Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock....)

It is a personal thing for each parent to decide. Parents know their kiddos like you do. So they are better equipped to make that choice regardless of someone’s suggestion.

That being said………………..

My concern is that I have watched kiddos come out of a haunted house at HHN after being coaxed by their parents to go inside. They came out screaming their heads off and appearing very traumatized. It is just not for every little one.

As a kid I was my dad’s coaster riding buddy the few times I had the opportunity to go to an amusement park as a kid. The faster the scarier the better for me. I loved it, but my younger brother and sister did not like it.

I loved the Universal Monster movies so not a lot bothered me about scary things.

In the 60’s the kids at school would turn off the lights in the bathroom and try calling Bloody Mary……..LOL…….some girls would go running screaming out of the bathroom. I would be in the bathroom stall going are you kidding me……………not again….LOL

There is something for everyone to enjoy at the Lands at Epic. If the littles are not ready yet for Monsters Unchained ride yet, they can enjoy Nintendo or Isle of Berk.

The Constellation Carousel is an awesome gentle ride for adults and littles to enjoy together.

 

[angryduck71]

Totally true-- my guy's son, who is two years older than my son -- could not handle Forbidden Journey at age 9 and ran out screaming. My son loved it at age 7. You never know.

 

[Robo56]

Hmm so if u bop over from the park for lunch, you can't re-enter?

I did talk to someone at Helios to clarify this. I was told if you have a breakfast, lunch or dinner reservations at Flora Taverna or reservations at Bar Helios in evening Park guests can enter and exit the hotel guest entrance at Helios.

One thing to keep in mind and look up before you go if you are going to be enjoying Bar Helios for drinks and food and are going be late. Find out what time Bar Helios closes, when the park closes and how soon guest entrance closes. You don’t want to be stuck hiking to regular guest parking lot.

 

[Robo56]

You exit the ride into the Manor Store.

What I usually do is peruse the merchandise and if I see something I really like and I’am going to be around more then a day I will come back and get somethings that really caught my eye. This was my first day and my room was not ready yet so did not want to be carrying around merch.





I really liked these Bitty monsters they were so cute.








The Scarab necklace was really pretty. Below that is a Frankenstein bracelet.


I really liked the rings. There was a Scarab ring in the upper left corner. A Vampire ring in the upper right corner with a stone simulating blood dripping. A Bride of Frankenstein ring in the lower left corner with lightening bolts and a black stone and white heart and a Frankenstein head ring.



Oh the skull is a Vampire bracelet and on the left upper side of the picture above the Scarab necklace is bride of Frankenstein earrings.


You might be asking, boy she is talking a lot about this jewelry. Did she buy some? Yes, I did. Stay tuned to find out what I bought….LOL

 

[Robo56]

The sweatshirts are fairly heavy and would not be conducive to wearing in Florida weather unless it was a very cool day. Which does occur from time to time.




Kinda funny how the vented holes in top of the hat look like eyes.

This is the stitching on the back of the Vampire hat.


The Burning Blade Tavern merch is really cool. Notice the bottle openers, tankards and the Sweatshirt with attached bottle openers. A good Monster Hunter cannot be without the ability to open a brewski when needed.




The monster collectors pins looked fun, but I would be the one who picks two of the same Monster.


Also these Monster Ornaments were fun. I have the perfect place for these in my Halloween decorations.


Hard to choose for sure ……the person in charge of merchandising for the Manor Store did a great job………………one of everything please……




More to come

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Wow....amazing so far!!!!!!!!!!