Opening Day at Epic Universe

[ValentineWiggin]

I know this is mostly useless speculation at this point, but I'm really curious how the first day/days of Epic Universe are going to go. Obviously, there hasn't been a new theme park open in Orlando in a while. Looking into operations/media coverage/crowds for the opening of Animal Kingdom or Volcano Bay don't seem too relevant since AK opened in a different time and waterparks don't have the same general appeal. I just wondered if anyone had any theories on how EU's opening will go? All virtual queue? All stand-by line? Queues by ride or, like Galaxy's Edge, pulsed entrance into each land? How many people/groups will be allowed to get in early--do you think that the system of having AP previews for a ride could carry over to a whole new park? Will the lands have even distribution of people (approximately) because everywhere is something new or are we still gonna see a lot of favor given to the more popular IPs, like Nintendo?

 

[Brett Wyman]

Thinking back on the 8 hour waits when Hagrids opened, I think it will be pure insanity. We will definitely give it a year or so to calm down before we go. I'm expecting restricted entry of some kind to limit crowds.

 

[ValentineWiggin]

Thinking back on the 8 hour waits when Hagrids opened, I think it will be pure insanity. We will definitely give it a year or so to calm down before we go. I'm expecting restricted entry of some kind to limit crowds.

Insanity for sure. I'm also wondering how much advance notice the general public would be given as to an exact opening date. Obviously, they want people to be able to plan to come & they want the big crowds and spectacle, but probably UO and IOA will see some downtick in attendance in the six or so months before EU opens, if people plan to wait for the new park.

 

[Fely the 1st]

Would love to go just for the atmosphere and the vibe. I think ride lines will be insane but „being there“ seems to be worth it. Do you think Universal will open the new hotel inside the park at the same time? Maybe staying there will give you some kind of benefit. When Galaxy Edge opened in Disneyland all guests staying onside got a visiting time slot. That was great since we did not have to worry about it.

 

[saskdw]

Sounds like a perfect time to go to the original 2 parks while everyone else is crammed into the new one!

 

[ValentineWiggin]

Would love to go just for the atmosphere and the vibe. I think ride lines will be insane but „being there“ seems to be worth it. Do you think Universal will open the new hotel inside the park at the same time? Maybe staying there will give you some kind of benefit. When Galaxy Edge opened in Disneyland all guests staying onside got a visiting time slot. That was great since we did not have to worry about it.

Yeah, I've pretty much got my heart set on going for opening even knowing I probably won't be able to get on a lot due to lines. I've watched some videos of the opening of Diagon Alley and people's hype was just infectious.

I think what they did for Galaxy's Edge was good for operations but I think there's also weirdly something nice about having a free-for-all the first day since being around a bunch of other excited people is almost the point.

I would guess that the Helios Hotel will be open by then and probably the two other hotels they have planned for across the street, but the Helios would probably have more perks involved since it's *in* the park and looks fancy.

 

[ValentineWiggin]

Sounds like a perfect time to go to the original 2 parks while everyone else is crammed into the new one!

It could definitely be a good strategy. It's like people who purposefully wanted to go to WDW before the 50th.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I live in Orlando. I can’t remember where I read it (I think it may have been in the Orlando Sentinel) that Universal was planning to open Mario World and the hotel sooner than the rest of the park. Doing that would take away the fanfare of one big park opening but as a local AP holder, I think it would be great to not have to wait as long to see some of it.

 

[ValentineWiggin]

I live in Orlando. I can’t remember where I read it (I think it may have been in the Orlando Sentinel) that Universal was planning to open Mario World and the hotel sooner than the rest of the park. Doing that would take away the fanfare of one big park opening but as a local AP holder, I think it would be great to not have to wait as long to see some of it.

I'd heard some speculation about that, too. I'm just not sure if I see it. At the very least, you couldn't have people at the hotel going through the unfinished park to get to the land that's on the opposite side of the hub. I'd also think there's some liability risk if there's still so much construction going on, especially since someone would try to sneak a look at other areas. We'll see... I'm sort of hoping it all opens together, but I can understand why you'd want the preview.

 

[Captain Morgan Sparrow]

Its summer 2025, right?

I am planning on a trip Thanksgiving 2025, and I hope the insanity has died down some by then.

I'm also cautiously optimistic that they will finally put velocicoaster and hagrids on express pass by then [fingers crossed]

 

[ValentineWiggin]

I do think all of the Islands rides will probably be on Express Pass by then.