Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[wdwrule]

No no sun glasses at all. (They asked that about that when I had issues with entry as well)

I think it was just an issue with one of the screens at Monsters lockers - I had retaken the photo and really was really hard to tell it was me it was so dark, but when I went back to get my bag so on the other side of the wall the picture was perfect.

Interesting…. I just noticed from Bioreconstruct that he stated they very recently added ring lights to the Monsters lockers due to darkness with facial id.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1921515125153919458

 

[glocon]

Has Epic put out maps yet at the front of the park?
I’ve looked on Amazon and haven’t seen any for sale.
I know that you can look on the app and see the whole park, I was just wondering about a hard copy map.

 

[GhostHost24]

Has Epic put out maps yet at the front of the park?
I’ve looked on Amazon and haven’t seen any for sale.
I know that you can look on the app and see the whole park, I was just wondering about a hard copy map.

Universal doesn't so maps anymore. I'm fairly certain this applies to Epic too. I don't recall seeing any

 

[DoryGirl1963]

We were there all last week and none of the parks have paper maps any more unfortunately.

 

[keishashadow]

It’s just not realistic to expect that no Guest will ever move their feet off the floor on a ride that moves around so much!

I was wondering if those vertically challenged would trigger it Full disclosure, my feet are often dangling on the attractions

I still think people are misunderstanding what a preview is.

It would've been helpful if U had given a cautionary cliff notes on what to expect

Yes, it’s a technical rehearsal, but apparently yesterday was a level of bad that Universal considered unacceptable, even under the caveat of being a preview.

Good to hear they are acknowledging guest concerns

Same...I have two days set for Mid June, and I'm on the fence now.

Booked end of June Is it wrong to hope that many decide to rebook their visits? lol

The vampire steakhouse I was pretty excited for though I heard a vlogger feel it was too dark in there while at the same time admitting everything including the lighting was extremely on point to the theming lol.

Could be just the change from bright sun to dim lighting Ala what one experiences early @ HhN houses

Reportedly Universal may be considering testing Virtual Queue for access to lands as well.

There would be quite the outcry there among those who already booked, not being advised of that sort of protocol. Might be a publicity black eye for U

but closing down 20% of the park can easily cause congestion in other parts, with people not leaving their favorite land for fear of being stuck in Celestial Park.

Have concerns people will then just plant themselves, especially HP fans

Perhaps control of the number of tickets sold on any given day will have to be an idea.

Haven't seen any guesstimates as to the max people per day before closing to new guests

Thank you! I swear I’m good at googling and I never was able to find this! It looks like I would be better off with an AP.

You can also go to U main page, click on pass holder and scroll down to booking

One problem is you added a bunch of people to the pool of guests that have no idea - so they show up at 3PM to ride Ministry and have no idea about the VQ and then they are not happy.

It always amazes me as to the people who spend big bucks & then don't do a lick of research

There is also a ridiculous amount of steps - the stone steps in Nintendo concern my as far as someone falling and getting hurt.

I was under impression it was accessible with elevators etc

Over 5 days I was not able to get a VQ and I tried all the tricks etc.

That is disconcerting to hear.

They likely need to restrict slots to actual guests linked to the person's account

In general - the specialty drinks at Universal are too sweet and too many syrups

Common throughout most of the Orlando parks & many resorts too

Spell casting. I borrowed my son’s old, 1st gen interactive wand and had a great time casting spells all around Wizarding Paris.

Good, will toss it in the park bag and save a few bucks buying a new one

 

[GhostHost24]

I was wondering if those vertically challenged would trigger it Full disclosure, my feet are often dangling on the attractions

It would've been helpful if U had given a cautionary cliff notes on what to expect

Good to hear they are acknowledging guest concerns

Booked end of June Is it wrong to hope that many decide to rebook their visits? lol

Could be just the change from bright sun to dim lighting Ala what one experiences early @ HhN houses

There would be quite the outcry there among those who already booked, not being advised of that sort of protocol. Might be a publicity black eye for U

Have concerns people will then just plant themselves, especially HP fans

Haven't seen any guesstimates as to the max people per day before closing to new guests

You can also go to U main page, click on pass holder and scroll down to booking

It always amazes me as to the people who spend big bucks & then don't do a lick of research

I was under impression it was accessible with elevators etc

That is disconcerting to hear.

They likely need to restrict slots to actual guests linked to the person's account

Common throughout most of the Orlando parks & many resorts too

Good, will toss it in the park bag and save a few bucks buying a new one

Universal has plastered everywhere in the parks and on website what a technical rehearsal is

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Could be just the change from bright sun to dim lighting Ala what

I did wonder that, I'm totally for it being dimmer it suited the theming to me but can also understand too dim is also a thing. I'll be looking out for more videos over time for people's opinions for sure.

 

[keishashadow]

Universal has plastered everywhere in the parks and on website what a technical rehearsal is

Could be I haven't dug quite as deep as many here. Read the release on website and thot it was more of a general disclaimer

Conversely, decided to skip the preview period & the first week of official opening. Will give it a go the end of June and go in with an open mind

this decision in part based upon individual previews of attractions at other parks. Most recently, the Tiana one that was a royal mess the day we attended that ate up a good portion of our day due to being stuck on ride

Granted,in the verbiage below, U does touch on the possibility of some attractions & experiences not being open

IMO they are projecting a very optimistic tone below. To their credit, it appears via posts here, that their GS is acknowledging & responding to Guest complaints.

"Join Us For A Preview of Universal Epic Universe Before Grand Opening

On Sale Now
Passholders get the perks! Preview Tickets to Universal Epic Universe are now available for purchase, to visit starting April 17. Visit all five immersive worlds of Epic Universe before the Grand Opening on May 22. Allocated ticket quantities per day will be available just for Passholders.

During this Preview period, we’re putting the final touches in place and rehearsing so some attractions and experiences may not be available."

 

[keishashadow]

Not sure if already posted here...

Link to blue dragon reservations

https://zomatobook.com/widget/makereservation03.aspx?id=0H1Y9J0U42AB

Menu

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...he-blue-dragon-pan-asian-restaurant/menu.html

 

[wdwrule]

Not sure if already posted here...

Link to blue dragon reservations

https://zomatobook.com/widget/makereservation03.aspx?id=0H1Y9J0U42AB

Menu

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...he-blue-dragon-pan-asian-restaurant/menu.html

Thank you! I’ve been checking daily for reservations.

 

[keishashadow]

Thank you! I’ve been checking daily for reservations.

Now to wait for reviews!

Torn between this option or Atlantic.

Thought a mid afternoon reservation a good option to escape the heat and relax a bit

Hoping to rope drop, then spend the day vs mt original thot to return to onsite value for mid day break

If anything want 3 shots (under current procedure) for MoM VQ

 

[Minnie1222]

Not sure if already posted here...

Link to blue dragon reservations

https://zomatobook.com/widget/makereservation03.aspx?id=0H1Y9J0U42AB

Menu

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...he-blue-dragon-pan-asian-restaurant/menu.html

Thank you! Just booked through the link you provided. Got a cute confirmation text that ended with "May the stars guide you, traveler."

 

[wdwrule]

Now to wait for reviews!

Torn between this option or Atlantic.

Thought a mid afternoon reservation a good option to escape the heat and relax a bit

Hoping to rope drop, then spend the day vs mt original thot to return to onsite value for mid day break

If anything want 3 shots (under current procedure) for MoM VQ

This was exactly our thinking last weekend when we rope dropped the park and then had a 1:00 ressie at Atlantic to rest from the heat yet still be in park. Just made a ressie again for 1:00 in August at Blue Dragon.

By 1:00 we were ready for a nice a/c break. We personally thought Atlantic was good. Nothing super stellar but the atmosphere was nice and views were great! Our server was so kind but very slow service although it was preview period so we weren’t expecting top notch or anything. At any rate, good food and a very relaxed setting. Can’t wait for Blue Dragon though as we love that type of food and hoping the atmosphere will also be nice and a good mid-day break from the heat.

 

[Minnie1222]

We also had lunch at Atlantic during the previews. I really love the concept and the ambiance. Look forward to being there again.




The fish weren't "swimming" when we were there. Hope to see them in action next time.

 

[jrsharp21]

umm - I hate to say it but battle at the Ministry is closed May 10th to 16th unless something has changed. you can still walk through the queue and its impressive no doubt, but still disappointing.

I saw this today on the website when verifying opening time. Oh well. Now I am not too worried about being in the park by 10am tomorrow. Still going to try to get there for early entry. But now I will take the time to check in to my conference also when we check in to the hotel in the morning.

 

[glocon]

Universal doesn't so maps anymore. I'm fairly certain this applies to Epic too. I don't recall seeing any

We were there all last week and none of the parks have paper maps any more unfortunately.

Thanks to you both!

 

[tony67]

My DD has been there 3 times already and she said that she loves the park and said that once all the bugs are worked out, it will be her favorite park.

Yeah that is pretty much what the general consensus was and I've said that early on - its going to be an amazing park -

It always amazes me as to the people who spend big bucks & then don't do a lick of research

Yeah I tend to agree - its a little harder in this case especially for locals who just picked up a ticket and went when it opened to general release.

She also really liked the food that she has had so far and only 1 meal was below average to her.

Yeah - I suspect 85% of the issues I had with food is they were not ready of the drastic increase of people. So fries were very undercooked and food not really hot.

There was also some oddities with the staff delivering food and cleaning up which I wont go into - but it was really odd.

I was under impression it was accessible with elevators etc

So yes there are elevators but I am not going to take elevators when there are people who truly need to take the elevators. I guess for Nintendo after you take the elevator up there is even a pipe to go through so you still get the same experience.
That said its a crazy amount of steps.

Could be I haven't dug quite as deep as many here. Read the release on website and thot it was more of a general disclaimer

Conversely, decided to skip the preview period & the first week of official opening. Will give it a go the end of June and go in with an open mind

this decision in part based upon individual previews of attractions at other parks. Most recently, the Tiana one that was a royal mess the day we attended that ate up a good portion of our day due to being stuck on ride

Granted,in the verbiage below, U does touch on the possibility of some attractions & experiences not being open

IMO they are projecting a very optimistic tone below. To their credit, it appears via posts here, that their GS is acknowledging & responding to Guest complaints.

"Join Us For A Preview of Universal Epic Universe Before Grand Opening

On Sale Now
Passholders get the perks! Preview Tickets to Universal Epic Universe are now available for purchase, to visit starting April 17. Visit all five immersive worlds of Epic Universe before the Grand Opening on May 22. Allocated ticket quantities per day will be available just for Passholders.

During this Preview period, we’re putting the final touches in place and rehearsing so some attractions and experiences may not be available."

So this sign is everywhere and they lean on it heavily.



That said - when I booked it was not open to such a large group of people - and I'd been seeing all the videos of what was working and what was not working - that is why I booked 4 days at Epic - Over 4 days I should be able to get a reasonably full experience in a less crowded park. I'm really wondering how they will handle a full attendance days even if everything is working. I also chose Sunday-Wednesday as those would be slower days in theory.

Guest services were great but they are just beaten down - people yelling at them and just very unhappy - there was always a long line at guest services - again I think a lot of this is opening it up to the general public. Yes passholders can be entitled. But they also charged pretty much the cost of a full ticket so people expect to get a somewhat full experience.
A very common complaint was they charged too much for the tickets. Had they charged say $89 they probably would have far less complaining and people would have been far more understanding. Universal would have reduced stress on the TMs and got a lot less complaints.

On my 4th day when everything was down - and yes just about everything - I went and waited in a very long guest services line.
The woman working was very stressed no doubt. I asked for a comp day for the next day and she sort of surprised and said sure no problem. She then told me it would be $24 for the comp day - well not how a comp works - but I was like sure no problem and paid. She then asked if I had done the ministry and I just said no - its impossible. She gave me a fast pass for it without and asking or demanding and being rude. So treat them nice and they will do what they can for you.

Brining up streamers again.
So Rix Flix took his wife to the park - and they had a few issues and specifically an Issue with Ministry breaking down - and had a bad experience with two TMs both give him different direction. Now to be fair Rick is a bit annoying and not popular with many of the TMs so that may factor in, but it was obvious that the TM was very short with them. I will say the TMs are about 50/50 good vs bad - I no doubt ran into as many very unhappy TMs as I did very happy TMs.

PC Dev who has been to the park several times took his family and the day did not go well at all - it was also the day I was there when everything broke down. At then end he gave a pretty positive spin on the whole thing - but he was visibly upset - no question - its a lot of money for 3 or 4 people when nothing works. .

These are folks who have been in the parks multiple times and to me shows the difference in experience between the first few weeks of previews and the last week.

Lasty - I brought this up before - even the guest services at Studios was packed with people unhappy about Epic - and this was the Saturday I arrived - so even before I went to the park and before what seemed to be a really bad week for Epic - and there were a lot of passholders in line changing their dates because the previews had gone from really good to over crowded. So I've never had a line like this at 2 in the afternoon at US just to upgrade my tickets.

My biggest concern around all of this is all the Disney streamers and Disney Media are watching this closely and probably looking forward to Universal struggling with the opening. Yes they have had bad opening before - but its very different in this social media age and very different when they are nipping at the heels of Disney. I don't feel the parks are ready to open to a large crowd so I do hope they are limiting it somewhat, but I think it going to be ugly. Ill be glad if I am wrong.

 

[Minnie1222]

I don't feel the parks are ready to open to a large crowd so I do hope they are limiting it somewhat, but I think it going to be ugly. Ill be glad if I am wrong.

We will be there 05/24 and 05/25. Originally, we were also going 05/23 but DD is starting a summer internship and it would look bad to miss work on the first week . We've been to other openings before and I honestly believe that no one is ever ready. Hopefully they have learned a bit from all the previews.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Brining up streamers again.

This is why I don't do this.

I enjoy watching videos every now and then as they help give me some background most especially so I can get more lay of the land, I used to watch Craig and Ryno for example even their food videos but just because they make a video doesn't mean it's the be it all. It was just more or less helping me familiarize myself. I do this on countless vacations from countless places. I would have missed out on some things had I listened to even my closest of DISer friends just because they have different opinions than us but we all go to each other for advice on things and we trust each other after years of friends, a pandemic, divorces, marriages, job relocations and more and these are people we see in person heck one of them lives 10mins from me and we talk nearly daily as a group (just to say we've all been there for each other it gives a different perspective to what they say). I've been looking at my one DISer friend's musings of Epic much more for just getting more information than I could get here and a few other places, I value her opinion but it doesn't always match mine.

You've even mentioned multiple times how you've looked at what happened in the beginning and directly compared it to what you experienced (and a few other posters compared to their own experiences early on and later on). There were posters specifically making or thinking of making trips just for the crowds because they were looking at the wait times but not necessarily considering the whole picture of the experience for example. And even in your comments you're mostly talking about how a vlogger's negative interactions have been with unhappy TMs and another vlogger who seemingly can barely keep his mask on to hide his feelings.

These are strangers to the vast majority of people, I wouldn't weigh down things (i.e the thread, your own experience, etc) with it all.

My biggest concern around all of this is all the Disney streamers and Disney Media are watching this closely and probably looking forward to Universal struggling with the opening

I wouldn't be concerned in the least. They are competitors always hoping to grab someone from that side over to theirs. Meh it's fine no matter how the first few weeks or months work out it'll be okay...really....

Besides the perfect comeback from Universal would be it took you longer to build one attraction sit down and be quiet and I doubt that Universal will stop their snappy but normally ignored roasts of Disney, well at least I hope they don't stop because they are normally pretty funny to me and sometimes we all just need comedic relief.

 

[hertamaniac]

Thank you! I’ve been checking daily for reservations.

I got my reservation for tomorrow. As such, Atlantic reservation will remain until I know for sure BD will be open during my time slot.