Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[fatmanatee]

If you aren't sure what your tolerance for heat is, I would wait until November. If you do not have to travel during peak season for families, especially families who do not want to pull their children out of school for a trip, November might be better. Also, November gives Epic Universe a chance to figure out any problems/issues and possibly correct or fix them by November.

Yeah it’s what I’ve been aiming for, but I might end up getting antsy over this .

 

[weather_lady]

Waiting with bated breath to see what options passholders will have and when. Requiring the purchase of multi-day, multi-park tickets is a kick in the teeth for those of us who've already paid for the other 2 parks, unless we were suddenly allowed to transfer or sell the multi-day ticket days we don't need to try and recoup some of our wasted costs.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yeah it’s what I’ve been aiming for, but I might end up getting antsy over this .

There are always growing pains with new attractions. I would wait until November even if I wasn't heat-adverse

 

[zavandor]

There are always growing pains with new attractions. I would wait until November even if I wasn't heat-adverse

My current plan is to go early September, as my usual, but I'm more and more thinking that I should move it to early December.

 

[tony67]

I've been figuring mid May for quite a while now.
Id like to stay at one of the new resorts but until I know how the tickets work I don't see the point.
If I can only go 2 days of a 5 day ticket then I can see staying 5 days over by Epic.
IF AP holders can buy single day tickets or get a preview of some sort - still the same thing - not sure I want to stay over there.

They will need to make some announcements in advance of the Holiday season as people start booking those family trips.
I'll need to get a new AP and I usually buy those during the holiday season if there is a special.

So yeah they need to not wait till the last minute like Universal usually does.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said at a May investor conference that when Universal expanded in the past, it brought more visitors to Orlando.

“It’s not something that should be distracting to us or anxiety-provoking,” Iger said of Universal’s new park.

Does anyone believe this - this is a very different situation - Universal is trying to flip the tables - it sounds like they are designing this so people have to do more time at Universal than Disney. If you want 2 days at epic you have to but a 5 day Universal ticket or so the rumor says. In the past it was 1 or maybe 2 days at Universal - basically a side trip.

I also think that people are putting off their trips waiting for Epic. If you go every couple of years why go in 2024 when the new park will be there in 2025?

I know he has to spin things positive...but they really waited too long to fix things - they could have been replanning during the pandemic instead of the stuff they ended up doing. The Epcot stuff was a total waste of time and the retheme of Splash Mountain could have been delayed to address more pressing needs.

My current plan is to go early September, as my usual, but I'm more and more thinking that I should move it to early December.

I really want to go in May if it opens, but in the back of my head September\October during HHN makes a lot of sense.
Flights are cheap enough that I could do a long weekend for opening - but it all comes down to the ticket structure

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I really suspect Oct/Nov will be much busier than this summer. I actually imagine weekdays when it FIRST opens will be slow(ish) - fewer locals that can go on weekdays and it's harder for out-of-state people to plan a trip without a concrete date. Regular people will likely be planning to go a few weeks after it opens. Other people will be waiting for the "rush" to die down... and that'll end up being Fall for most, avoids the summer heat. Bloggers will rush opening day/opening weekend, or there might be preview days, but I don't think most of the general public will be aiming for the actual first week - too risky.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Does anyone believe this - this is a very different situation - Universal is trying to flip the tables - it sounds like they are designing this so people have to do more time at Universal than Disney. If you want 2 days at epic you have to but a 5 day Universal ticket or so the rumor says. In the past it was 1 or maybe 2 days at Universal - basically a side trip.

We won't know until years from 2025 when the initial hype for EU wears off. We'll see! The competition is good for us theme park fans

 

[fatmanatee]

Does anyone believe this - this is a very different situation - Universal is trying to flip the tables - it sounds like they are designing this so people have to do more time at Universal than Disney.

Nobody believes it. When Iger speaks he has investors in mind and he doesn't want to draw too much attention to what's happening down the street and cause a panic. That's all it is and yes they're keeping a close eye on what's happening over there.

 

[tony67]

I really suspect Oct/Nov will be much busier than this summer. I actually imagine weekdays when it FIRST opens will be slow(ish) - fewer locals that can go on weekdays and it's harder for out-of-state people to plan a trip without a concrete date. Regular people will likely be planning to go a few weeks after it opens. Other people will be waiting for the "rush" to die down... and that'll end up being Fall for most, avoids the summer heat. Bloggers will rush opening day/opening weekend, or there might be preview days, but I don't think most of the general public will be aiming for the actual first week - too risky.

True. Would love to be there opening day even if its a mess -just for the experience.
There are also rumors that one of the lands is behind so it may not even be open - not sure if anyone knows which one that is.
I am thinking of going Sunday night to a Friday morning just to avoid the insanity of the weekends - and the bump in cost to hotels.

We won't know until years from 2025 when the initial hype for EU wears off. We'll see! The competition is good for us theme park fans

I honestly don't think they will beat Disney - but they are closing the total attendance gap between them.
If you look at 2010 to today they have made a large improvement in the attendance gap between the two - something like 30% - if they add the 8 million people projected for Epic that gets them much closer. I think 8 million is low - the other parks can do about 9/10 million each.
They also have much in the works for the other parks - at least according to the rumors - so they are not going to rest on their laurels.

One big issue Disney has is their hardcore fans don't like many of the changes that are coming and they have to deal with the approval process with the state - especially for something like rivers of America.
They have also not done a great job on delivering on promises.

Universal has the benefit of being able to replace Simpsons and very few will care - especially if its Pokémon. Disney may not give them a choice anyway.
They have a few other areas to work with and people will celebrate if they get rid of Fast n Furious - especially if it means a new coaster based on that IP.

The only one where I can see an issue is Superhero Island - I know it been rumored forever - but I just done see them doing it - unless its to go all in and build new stuff based on the characters the can use.

I've also seen a rumor they are already planning more hotels - not sure for where - but I can say that next to Dockside are some very rundown and\or condemned hotels that are an eyesore - like three of them.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I honestly don't think they will beat Disney - but they are closing the total attendance gap between them.

I think Disney will get more attractions out eventually and things will balance out in a way that both destinations benefit. WDW is already a larger destination, so one can look at UO as the one playing catch up by building EU. Disney has more destinations globally, too, plus an expanding cruise line, so "beat" really only means attendance in Orlando." It's possible in a few years once EU is well established, WDW continues to grow its attendance at whatever rate it had before while UO sees big increases in attendance thanks to EU attracting more people to Orlando than before. Both companies might consider that a win.

I believe locals represent a bigger percentage part of UO's attendance than WDW's, and those guests don't spend as much. So attendance is not the only metric the companies look at when they think of "winning." UO getting a bigger share of non-locals can be a win even if WDW's attendance doesn't suffer drastically.

Anyway, there's a lot we don't know. so we'll see! I do hope you're right and that UO will pay attention to the older parks, especially the screen-based rides. I agree that hardcore fans not liking change is a bigger issue for Disney than it is for Universal, but that's because a lot of the classic attractions at UO are already gone (please don't ever take away ET!) or too many aren't that great. I feel like EU is going to be great and huge step, but not enough yet, the old parks need more beyond HP lands.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I may be the only person cringing at the potential of a Memorial Day opening. I thought it was supposed to be July? We were hoping to go in June when my teenager is out of school to avoid the Epic opening insanity and then wait until next spring.

 

[fatmanatee]

I may be the only person cringing at the potential of a Memorial Day opening. I thought it was supposed to be July? We were hoping to go in June when my teenager is out of school to avoid the Epic opening insanity and then wait until next spring.

There was never a solid estimate of a targeted opening. At one point Universal said it would be "summer 2025", which often covers Memorial Day weekend, but then they updated it to just 2025, which brought about all sorts of speculation, either that it might be delayed or that it might be early. I'm sure a few websites made bad guesses based on this.

 

[Kit Jackson]

The only one where I can see an issue is Superhero Island - I know it been rumored forever - but I just done see them doing it - unless its to go all in and build new stuff based on the characters the can use.

Could you explain what you mean? I am confused. Do you mean Universal getting rid of Superhero Island so they can create something new with IP Universal owns?

My understanding of the Marvel deal is that Universal Orlando can keep the Marvel rides it has and can do updates for maintenance on them (newer/better screens), but it cannot create new rides based on Marvel IP.

 

[fatmanatee]

And now Universal is teasing an announcement tomorrow…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1846627199052357951

 

[kbelle8995]

I think that beating Disney is not the goal if they can just get enough guests to come and be a good competition. It says something to me that they are building family friendly attractions (yes rollercoaster) but there are some I want to try at least once. I have a lot more Disney fans that I know who are spending more time on Universal property. Either because Disney's hotels price have risen high or they are done with way that they are structuring lightning lanes. I left because it felt like Disney was nickel and diming me. But it was just becoming more stressful.

I will not be at Epic on opening day. I like to visit a new park after awhile giving them time to resolve any problems with attractions or food options.

As for Marvel, Universal has two IPs owned by Disney Marvel and the Simpsons. Maybe they thought that was one two many.

 

[Lashed34]

And now Universal is teasing an announcement tomorrow…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1846627199052357951

Opening date, prices etc seem to be the most popular theory for this new announcement.

 

[Jennkneefir]

I think that beating Disney is not the goal if they can just get enough guests to come and be a good competition. It says something to me that they are building family friendly attractions (yes rollercoaster) but there are some I want to try at least once. I have a lot more Disney fans that I know who are spending more time on Universal property. Either because Disney's hotels price have risen high or they are done with way that they are structuring lightning lanes. I left because it felt like Disney was nickel and diming me. But it was just becoming more stressful.

I will not be at Epic on opening day. I like to visit a new park after awhile giving them time to resolve any problems with attractions or food options.

As for Marvel, Universal has two IPs owned by Disney Marvel and the Simpsons. Maybe they thought that was one two many.

I agree. Will wait a bit to visit to allow the kinks to be worked out and the initial rush to pass. I recognize itll be busy for a while, but itll still be crisp and new a year after it opens.

And i don't think Disney has a reason to be overly concerned. Park attendance is high and people will keep spending their money there. Its a classic vacation and there are so many folks who will continue to go, regardless of what Universal does. All disney has to do is drop a tiny discount (or refresh one ride) and folks will scurry back. I know i will.

 

[maverik85]

Does anyone believe this - this is a very different situation - Universal is trying to flip the tables - it sounds like they are designing this so people have to do more time at Universal than Disney. If you want 2 days at epic you have to but a 5 day Universal ticket or so the rumor says. In the past it was 1 or maybe 2 days at Universal - basically a side trip.

It is partially true. Anything that draws more people to the Orlando area can create an uptick for Disney. It can pull some people away that might have planned to do a split and will now spend more time at Universal, either entirely or take a day or two less at Disney to have more time at Universal. But people that are travelling a long way, especially international, might try to hit both while there. So EU is the big thing to get them to come to Orlando initially but they will go to Disney while there too.
Outside the parks, some people will go to just Universal but might go to Disney Springs for a day or two as well to check out restaurants and shopping there or go see Cirque and this will benefit Disney overall as well even if they never enter a park.
So it will likely pull some people from Disney but could also result in others going that wouldn't have without the new park too.

 

[asgur5]

Im really hoping the 5 days with 2 days at epic option is true.

It works perfectly for us plus its what will hurt disney the most and disney really needs it so that they start investing big time in their parks again. Not a ride here and closing down another ride there. Big proper expansions of new lands. Particularly in animal kingdom which should be the best park on earth but needs to have double the ride roster it does today.

 

[Minnie1222]

All disney has to do is drop a tiny discount (or refresh one ride) and folks will scurry back. I know i will.

They don't even need to give a discount. I just texted one friend this morning about the new walk-on pass that may cost $200-$500/person and already I've beed added to a group chat regarding potential trips this Thanksgiving and Christmas.