Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[tony67]

second this. It took me 3 days to recover from the walking/steps/sun. Granted I am not in theme park shape, but came away with a better appreciation of folks that are in walking shape.

I can believe it.

I'm somewhat of an outlier - I think - I like to do extra steps every day when I am in Florida - just to counter the food and drink - somewhat.
So I walk back and forth between US and IOA multiple times a day for no good reason at all.
Ill do a lap around US between rides on Minions or MIB - again for no reason at all.
When I do go to Epcot I do a full lap around the world showcase between beers.
Epic is very different is all I can say - I was thinking it might just be age - but maybe not.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I second this. It took me 3 days to recover from the walking/steps/sun. Granted I am not in theme park shape, but came away with a better appreciation of folks that are in walking shape.

Until we started doing our international trips in 2023 Disney and Universal were the places we walked the most, typically 20-33K steps per day every trip we've taken with the park days being 8 no rest days. In recent years we've been to Disney/USO in September twice now, once in May obviously May was better weather overall compared to September. Even over at DLR walked a ton, even at Tokyo walked a ton. But we go from attraction to attraction back and forth, etc it adds more to it than someone who is trying to hit an attraction once and go kinda in order of the attractions as they are laid out.

BUT to that point now that we've done international trips Disney and Universal are not bad (international being Med twice now, Japan, other parts of Europe via train between the countries).

As for the heat our 2023 cruise every port day in the Med was 105-115 degrees, the Acropolis was 117 2 days before we got there and the first day it was 113 just walking around, we rolled with the punches especially when in Athens every archeological site you'd want to see would shut down for the bulk of the day including the Acropolis, we were lucky we were able to see it but had to get there at like 6am or something like that to do it. I remember we were at an ancient site in Greece and the tour guide trying to find shade walked us over to a tree and talked. The excursion only had about 20 or so people on it mostly Americans and at some point one person asked if we could walk around and the tour guide looked like we were crazy, he was like of course yes. He just didn't expect people to want to walk around in the heat. I certainly don't want to go during another heatwave but what else were we supposed to do ya know the trip had been booked it was a cruise it was what it was.

Point being I think some of this is just what else do you do, in my day to day life I'm not walking anywhere near what I walk on vacation and really only beach vacations do we have lower step counts. I get what people are saying when they say "until you've been" but the flipside to that is I think people need to understand it's not anywhere near the only destination nor the first rodeo for other people. For all the years of theme parks there have been people schlepping away and finding themselves zombies by the end of the evening. Quite frankly Disney is the one that tends to get the most attention on that one. Everyone gets tired, cranky, exhausted and their feet hurt, they get sweaty, hangry and rue the day they chose to go to X place at Y time. This is not at all new or unique here.

 

[PrincessV]

they have a lot of benches and I'm guessing 25% of them have an umbrella

I can’t count how many times I saw a bench and thought, “what a nice bench! And a nice spot to sit a spell and take things in! Too bad it’s in FULL, BLAZING SUN.” And I was carrying a UV umbrella - but it won’t shade all of me whilst sitting, and the one time I did try a sunny bench, the bench itself was too hot to sit on with bare legs. It felt like the designers had completely forgotten where this park is located.

 

[hertamaniac]

Until we started doing our international trips in 2023 Disney and Universal were the places we walked the most, typically 20-33K steps per day every trip we've taken with the park days being 8 no rest days. In recent years we've been to Disney/USO in September twice now, once in May obviously May was better weather overall compared to September. Even over at DLR walked a ton, even at Tokyo walked a ton. But we go from attraction to attraction back and forth, etc it adds more to it than someone who is trying to hit an attraction once and go kinda in order of the attractions as they are laid out.

BUT to that point now that we've done international trips Disney and Universal are not bad (international being Med twice now, Japan, other parts of Europe via train between the countries).

As for the heat our 2023 cruise every port day in the Med was 105-115 degrees, the Acropolis was 117 2 days before we got there and the first day it was 113 just walking around, we rolled with the punches especially when in Athens every archeological site you'd want to see would shut down for the bulk of the day including the Acropolis, we were lucky we were able to see it but had to get there at like 6am or something like that to do it. I remember we were at an ancient site in Greece and the tour guide trying to find shade walked us over to a tree and talked. The excursion only had about 20 or so people on it mostly Americans and at some point one person asked if we could walk around and the tour guide looked like we were crazy, he was like of course yes. He just didn't expect people to want to walk around in the heat. I certainly don't want to go during another heatwave but what else were we supposed to do ya know the trip had been booked it was a cruise it was what it was.

Point being I think some of this is just what else do you do, in my day to day life I'm not walking anywhere near what I walk on vacation and really only beach vacations do we have lower step counts. I get what people are saying when they say "until you've been" but the flipside to that is I think people need to understand it's not anywhere near the only destination nor the first rodeo for other people. For all the years of theme parks there have been people schlepping away and finding themselves zombies by the end of the evening. Quite frankly Disney is the one that tends to get the most attention on that one. Everyone gets tired, cranky, exhausted and their feet hurt, they get sweaty, hangry and rue the day they chose to go to X place at Y time. This is not at all new or unique here.

I think the newness or exploration aspect of new places, like Epic, divert from the mind telling the body it's tired. Distraction is a powerful tool when walking regardless of the heat or humidity. But, sometimes it requires self-discipline to get ahead of dehydration and creating an unpleasant second half of the day.

I probably did Epic the exact opposite of what would be an optimized walking route. I didn't plot out a specific course or map out where the freestyle machines were to replenish my water bottle. Sure, I had targeted some QS locations and had reservations at both Blue Dragon and Atlantic. The hub layout, with crossovers between portals, is well designed to either do a clockwise/counterclockwise approach or short-cut through Celestial Park.

Last month, we were on the inaugural sailing of MSC World America which stopped at Old San Juan. Since this was my first time at this port, the explorer mode took over and the hills and quirky streets were an afterthought. I didn't log my steps or mileage, but didn't feel as beaten up as last week from Epic. That's a me issue and not necessarily a design flaw at this park.

 

[GhostHost24]

I can believe it.

I'm somewhat of an outlier - I think - I like to do extra steps every day when I am in Florida - just to counter the food and drink - somewhat.
So I walk back and forth between US and IOA multiple times a day for no good reason at all.
Ill do a lap around US between rides on Minions or MIB - again for no reason at all.
When I do go to Epcot I do a full lap around the world showcase between beers.
Epic is very different is all I can say - I was thinking it might just be age - but maybe not.

ha, I do this at Epcot. I will literally go and take a lap or two around world showcase then leave

 

[tony67]

I can’t count how many times I saw a bench and thought, “what a nice bench! And a nice spot to sit a spell and take things in! Too bad it’s in FULL, BLAZING SUN.” And I was carrying a UV umbrella - but it won’t shade all of me whilst sitting, and the one time I did try a sunny bench, the bench itself was too hot to sit on with bare legs. It felt like the designers had completely forgotten where this park is located.

Yeah there are definitely some design choices that make you stop and say why?

We were discussing in another thread and some of it may just be they haven't gotten to all of it yet - they need to put out more benches and more shade - but they have so many things to do it will take some time to do it all.

I mentioned before there really is not enough seating in the Harry Potter area. There are a ton of benches just inside the portal (not shaded) - but in Paris not so much. There are a couple and they are double benches, but I saw a lot of folks in recent videos sitting on the curb because there was no where to sit.

 

[PrincessV]

Yeah there are definitely some design choices that make you stop and say why?

We were discussing in another thread and some of it may just be they haven't gotten to all of it yet - they need to put out more benches and more shade - but they have so many things to do it will take some time to do it all.

I mentioned before there really is not enough seating in the Harry Potter area. There are a ton of benches just inside the portal (not shaded) - but in Paris not so much. There are a couple and they are double benches, but I saw a lot of folks in recent videos sitting on the curb because there was no where to sit.

I struggled the most with Berk and Celestial. Berk had so many well-themed, wide benches sitting empty… while people huddled in 2’ patches of shade at the back of a building’s wall, or behind a wide pole. In the hottest part of afternoon, only a few of Celestial’s benches with umbrellas actually had full shade, just due to the angle of the sun relative to the placement of the bench and umbrella, and it was the same thing: the few shaded benches were full, and people were leaning against walls to find a foot or two of shade. All of that seating around the fountain looked so welcoming, but was much too hot to use until sundown. This feels like a really easy fix, but I’ve not seen anything indicating that UO will fix it soon.

 

[hertamaniac]

I can believe it.

I'm somewhat of an outlier - I think - I like to do extra steps every day when I am in Florida - just to counter the food and drink - somewhat.
So I walk back and forth between US and IOA multiple times a day for no good reason at all.
Ill do a lap around US between rides on Minions or MIB - again for no reason at all.
When I do go to Epcot I do a full lap around the world showcase between beers.
Epic is very different is all I can say - I was thinking it might just be age - but maybe not.

I think if I had to sum it up in a single word with the current layout/phase:

Unapologetic

I did my replenish the body stops, but they didn't really provide long-lasting relief. Again, my choice of where and how long each stop could be. Now that I think of it, there weren't really many benches at any of the portals unless I've missed them. I know I had to eat my The Hunter's Garlic Stake on an uncovered bench outside of The Burning Blade Tavern; that was not enjoyable regardless of how much I enjoyed the snack itself.

 

[tony67]

I know I had to eat my The Hunter's Garlic Stake on an uncovered bench outside of The Burning Blade Tavern;

Yes - I did the same exact thing.

 

[hertamaniac]

Yes - I did the same exact thing.

There's some fundamental operational flaws there. Besides the befuddling ordering process, the lack of inside/outside seating is going to rear its head starting later this week when capacity hits.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think the newness or exploration aspect of new places, like Epic, divert from the mind telling the body it's tired. Distraction is a powerful tool when walking regardless of the heat or humidity. But, sometimes it requires self-discipline to get ahead of dehydration and creating an unpleasant second half of the day.

I probably did Epic the exact opposite of what would be an optimized walking route. I didn't plot out a specific course or map out where the freestyle machines were to replenish my water bottle. Sure, I had targeted some QS locations and had reservations at both Blue Dragon and Atlantic. The hub layout, with crossovers between portals, is well designed to either do a clockwise/counterclockwise approach or short-cut through Celestial Park.

Last month, we were on the inaugural sailing of MSC World America which stopped at Old San Juan. Since this was my first time at this port, the explorer mode took over and the hills and quirky streets were an afterthought. I didn't log my steps or mileage, but didn't feel as beaten up as last week from Epic. That's a me issue and not necessarily a design flaw at this park.

People can be bad about keeping themselves hydrated unfortunately in general, they drink the coffee, pop, alcohol, etc but forget the water or other drinks that replenish your body or they forget the liquids in general. I think this goes for any place you are visiting as your vacation whether you've been once or a million times. I think it hits the most for people who are not in environments that have the sun or heat and humidity. The sun can cause headaches even without heat and humidity and people can be unprepared with things like sunscreen. I get burned super easy in the part of my hair, I don't care how silly it might be for sun hats but I've relied on that now for places.

Your last sentence is very much what I was trying to get at. If you don't do hills, inclines, stairs or spend an extended time outside on your other vacations you're going to struggle at a theme park. If you do those types of vacations you'll still probably struggle at a theme park lol. It simply goes with the territory. If you're a person that goes multiple times a year to a place you tend to be able to relax that a bit knowing if you missed something you can catch it the next time. Many visitors to theme parks and other destinations don't have that ability.

For my husband and I we find stopping and standing still in one spot to be our downfalls so queues that don't move at all for a long time bite, our lower backs get the punishment there. Sometimes going in museums or palaces especially if there is an audio tour can end up feeling like not the best decision to do. Something I've been doing several years ago is cushioned socks which help the heel rubbing that I tend to get and provide an extra part for my bottom of my feet.

As far as Epic routes go optimization is in the eye of the beholder and what your goals are just like at the existing parks and at Disney. Do you go by distance between places, do you go by wait times, do you go by your absolute must do's first, etc. My husband and I tend to do more by wait times which will cause more criss-crossing. I'll tell you what it's quite a hike at Tokyo from Fantasy Springs over to Aquatopia over the bridges you go to the other side of the park...we kinda did that multiple times over Gosh we would go back and forth between Disneyland and DCA a lot in the two trips we took in 2019 and our normal trips at USO are the same going between the Studios and IOA especially because of what attractions I can ride, it's fun to do Hogwarts Express but can be more time consuming than walking out of the park across the area to the other park even if you're in the back of the parks.

For Epic it's good to know where the water refilling stations are (I asked about that previously and got some answers) but most people, including me, probably wouldn't plot out where they are just have a general idea of what areas of the park can you get it so you know. Courtesy cups of water were used a ton at Disney for us personally!!

 

[GhostHost24]

Yes - I did the same exact thing.

This was one reason why I decided to eat in the Cafe at hp so I could just sit inside. I wanna try the Mac n cheese cone at berk but didn't want to sit outside

 

[hertamaniac]

I should add some pics showing the main fountain area in Celestial Park for context. The yellowish umbrellas are on the inner ring with the benches facing away from the fountains. The other photo shows where they could put (and maybe already have plans) to put benches/shade/whatever on the outer rim facing the fountain.

 

[hertamaniac]

For Epic it's good to know where the water refilling stations are (I asked about that previously and got some answers) but most people, including me, probably wouldn't plot out where they are just have a general idea of what areas of the park can you get it so you know. Courtesy cups of water were used a ton at Disney for us personally!!

Just in case it needs repeating, the freestyle machines offer water (push button). I think all the QS locations that have indoor seating have them (there were some outside freestyle machines as well in Berk). I personally used it at Das Stakehaus to refill my bottle.

 

[HopperFan]

Went Saturday, there 10 hours.

I'll die on the hill that PREVIEWS are not to test rides, that should be done and issues fixed. Previews are for testing operations: Queue management, Food production efficiency, Restaurant seating processes, testing Food & Drink kiosks inventory ... OPERATIONS. If majority of rides are not working properly it is not ready for prime time. This park is not ready to open and I wouldn't buy a stand alone ticket for it for some time to come. I am SO glad we went and saw it fairly empty, enjoyed all the attention to detail BUT we decided that we aren't even looking at returning until maybe a year from now. The theme is glitchy and broken attractions. None of the TM had smiles, you could tell they were trying to avoid any interactions.

DS#2 took notes on our ride home, he is doing a vlog/pod (I don't know) with a group to talk about it.

The success was Dark Universe and Monsters Unchained. The ride was almost perfect but mostly wouldn't notice the few components that were glitching. The ride is in our opinion the best ride in the park. The land details are incredible. It needs more immersion and will be best at night but otherwise job well done. Oh forgot Werewolf Coaster looked cool, but was closed. I'm not even sure it was a technical issue.

Harry Potter, I mean the ride doesn't work with the land and I understand why but that is a HUGE land for just one ride. Hoping another is in the plans for the empty space behind some fake facades. Ride wait was anywhere from 210 - 325. DS#1 has an AAP so we waited 3.5 hours outside the line and 1 hour inside the line. It was constantly going down. We were VERY lucky that our line moved fairly steady until the final hallway and it went down again. Luckily we were next to load so DS could sit and face the empty hallway to stay composed. Once on the ride it broke down. So we are facing only darkness and a hanging prop. It started back in a few minutes but overall we lost 2 scenes. It is a good ride, but I was a bit disappointed. I kept hearing it was Universal Rise so I expected variation of ride components but it was just Gringotts and FJ combined. The improved operation in regards to the screens was appreciated. I liked the increased 3D of sets around and addition of animatronics. Would I wait hours for it again ~ NO. Lots of dining here is a plus. Oh and show we couldn't make work and heard at one point they shut it down so they could use the queue for HP. As usual explore every nook we found the hidden restaurant with 7 rooms full of seating. Was a great spot to get a nibble, drinks and cool off. DS#1 even took a power nap.

Berk is a work of art! Details everywhere, you truly entered a new world. The Hiccups coaster is great! We were lucky in making it through the line with no "hiccups". We ran out of time for the boat ride. End of day we went to the show .... was cute and then the dragon flew out and the mechanism to get him to fly all over the audience was great until it wasn't. Dragon stopped in middle of room, lights came up and show cancelled. So Berk was great design wise but we have glitches.

Celestial ........... miles of concrete, hot concrete. Didn't need multiple "fountain" ponds. Rather had a couple more small attractions. DS#2 rode one Starduster? Coaster. Said it was too intense for DS#1 and maybe me (who loves coasters). It did have technical issues while he waited and maybe later. We rode the carousel, it had issues while in line and then as we watched they would have to run empty between full. It was best described as BLAH. Huge but not many animals, we sat on a bench as I didn't want to climb up on a double creature. Plus is one vehicle allows for wheelchair to enter from back. Overall a pretty but boring attractions.

Nintendo. DS#1 LOVES Donkey Kong and that was his goal. It was shut down. We had to take him there to see it closed to which he said (he's fairly non-verbal) he wanted to go home. We did ride Yoshi and that is time we will never get back. Probably the worse ride I have ever been on. I felt so ripped off. We also rode Mario Kart thing (I don't know the new names) and it was fun but was broken very much all day long. DS#2 said it is like MF - your score is determined by your ride mates which drops the fun. Note: DS#1 and I did not hold up our end. Nintendo World is high theme, you are legit in a video game. Lots of fun gaming spots IF you buy a "bracelet". Found them in store but no price shown. Issue with this land is absolutely unacceptable number of steps. It is hard when in the ride because you aren't prepared, next time we know to ask for accommodation. It was terrifying for DS#1 because of openness. We ate in this area while waiting to get on a ride and DS#1 needed to eat. Even mobile order took over 20 minutes for food to come out. OVERPRICED for what you get. Did have several character meets.

This park is HOT HOT HOT, so much concrete and so little shade. Only 3 rides inside so if storms come you are in trouble. No connections between lands, you always have to return to the celestial concrete hub. We did 27,000 steps!!! even with a dude who walks S L O W. There are stairs everywhere, they even warned us at Guest Services and added that accommodation. So many menus outside restaurant and inside on wall - but no prices. Universal has never wowed me with their limited food and higher prices but .... there are tons of restaurants here but they don't stand out. STUDY up where food is. The Celestial hub needs more energy, more cohesiveness. DS#2 said the lands are so well designed and on point with theme but the whole park as a whole has issues. Hoping they are working on additions and realizing the heat could make or break. We kept drinking but couldn't drink enough and were wiped out at end of day.

Have plenty of pics but this is one of the stairways in Mario ride. INSANE! We are standing half way down this section of stair and look down ~ terrifying for us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'll die on the hill that PREVIEWS are not to test rides, that should be done and issues fixed. Previews are for testing operations

What makes it different than what Disney does with previews between CMs, friends and families, APs, DVC, Golden Oaks and soft openings? They test the attractions for months but have to have actual bodies in the ride vehicles at some point.

I'm not talking about ride reliability issues as they stand but that your idea is that previews aren't meant for testing rides when that is literally what they are there for. The difference here is it's an entire theme park being tested with real day to day operations mixed in rather than how one ride is going to go. It I'm sure amplifies when things don't go right.

 

[HopperFan]

What makes it different than what Disney does with previews between CMs, friends and families, APs, DVC, Golden Oaks and soft openings? They test the attractions for months but have to have actual bodies in the ride vehicles at some point.

I'm not talking about ride reliability issues as they stand but that your idea is that previews aren't meant for testing rides when that is literally what they are there for. The difference here is it's an entire theme park being tested with real day to day operations mixed in rather than how one ride is going to go. It I'm sure amplifies when things don't go right.

Lots of differences, especially when for the last 25+ years we are talking about previews for LANDS or RIDES, where you still have the full value of an existing functioning park. These previews are also FREE, included with your full park ticket.

This entire park is new, all the rides are new, the operations are new. And I do think these kinds of previews are a great way to test operations, food etc. BUT all the rides should already be fairly consistently functioning. Testing for those can be done by using Team Members and their families, coming in free. They had those but clearly they didn't come to a point where they reached a high level of consistently working rides. And yet they still decided to open for AP / Public Previews BUT they charged them $150+ for the opportunity to come in ... and then deal with widespread ride issues.

As I said I'll die on this hill, Previews are for operational issues with bodies that could quickly be resolved. Bodies in the park or on the ride do nothing to help test for the actual ride technical operation. That should be signed off on before they allow guests to PAY for the opportunity.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Lots of differences, especially when for the last 25+ years we are talking about previews for LANDS or RIDES, where you still have the full value of an existing functioning park. These previews are also FREE, included with your full park ticket.

This entire park is new, all the rides are new, the operations are new. And I do think these kinds of previews are a great way to test operations, food etc. BUT all the rides should already be fairly consistently functioning. Testing for those can be done by using Team Members and their families, coming in free. They had those but clearly they didn't come to a point where they reached a high level of consistently working rides. And yet they still decided to open for AP / Public Previews BUT they charged them $150+ for the opportunity to come in ... and then deal with widespread ride issues.

As I said I'll die on this hill, Previews are for operational issues with bodies that could quickly be resolved. Bodies in the park or on the ride do nothing to help test for the actual ride technical operation. That should be signed off on before they allow guests to PAY for the opportunity.

I kinda figured you'd mention the price but what I'm getting at is they are fundamentally the same. Your feelings were previews weren't the time to test the rides. If you're going with that then you have to say the same for Disney and any other park out there that opts to do a preview of a ride. All the other factors are your own opinion based on your experience but in no way are the same as saying previews aren't for testing rides.

These rides are tested for months, Stardust Racers was being tested for many months, but it's for a safety aspect to ensure the attraction is actually functioning. But then they need people to actually ride it with enough consistency as empty seats aren't the same. Places do just open up new attractions cold turkey meaning they didn't open it up to whomever to ride it, others don't. Disney tends to do previews a lot. People do fly in and spend money just to come down for them.

Your beef seems to be with the price and the experience, it's okay I actually understand that, we talked about that, but again like I said no matter what people would have a problem with the price charged if things didn't work out, like I said we need a psychology study...but you may have just given the answer anyhow

 

[HopperFan]

I kinda figured you'd mention the price but what I'm getting at is they are fundamentally the same. Your feelings were previews weren't the time to test the rides. If you're going with that then you have to say the same for Disney and any other park out there that opts to do a preview of a ride. All the other factors are your own opinion based on your experience but in no way are the same as saying previews aren't for testing rides.

These rides are tested for months, Stardust Racers was being tested for many months, but it's for a safety aspect to ensure the attraction is actually functioning. But then they need people to actually ride it with enough consistency as empty seats aren't the same. Places do just open up new attractions cold turkey meaning they didn't open it up to whomever to ride it, others don't. Disney tends to do previews a lot. People do fly in and spend money just to come down for them.

Your beef seems to be with the price and the experience, it's okay I actually understand that, we talked about that, but again like I said no matter what people would have a problem with the price charged if things didn't work out, like I said we need a psychology study...but you may have just given the answer anyhow

I disagree, they are not the same on any level. Comparing apples to oranges here.

 

[Tymeece]

People can be bad about keeping themselves hydrated unfortunately in general, they drink the coffee, pop, alcohol, etc but forget the water or other drinks that replenish your body or they forget the liquids in general. I think this goes for any place you are visiting as your vacation whether you've been once or a million times. I think it hits the most for people who are not in environments that have the sun or heat and humidity. The sun can cause headaches even without heat and humidity and people can be unprepared with things like sunscreen. I get burned super easy in the part of my hair, I don't care how silly it might be for sun hats but I've relied on that now for places.

Your last sentence is very much what I was trying to get at. If you don't do hills, inclines, stairs or spend an extended time outside on your other vacations you're going to struggle at a theme park. If you do those types of vacations you'll still probably struggle at a theme park lol. It simply goes with the territory. If you're a person that goes multiple times a year to a place you tend to be able to relax that a bit knowing if you missed something you can catch it the next time. Many visitors to theme parks and other destinations don't have that ability.

For my husband and I we find stopping and standing still in one spot to be our downfalls so queues that don't move at all for a long time bite, our lower backs get the punishment there. Sometimes going in museums or palaces especially if there is an audio tour can end up feeling like not the best decision to do. Something I've been doing several years ago is cushioned socks which help the heel rubbing that I tend to get and provide an extra part for my bottom of my feet.

As far as Epic routes go optimization is in the eye of the beholder and what your goals are just like at the existing parks and at Disney. Do you go by distance between places, do you go by wait times, do you go by your absolute must do's first, etc. My husband and I tend to do more by wait times which will cause more criss-crossing. I'll tell you what it's quite a hike at Tokyo from Fantasy Springs over to Aquatopia over the bridges you go to the other side of the park...we kinda did that multiple times over Gosh we would go back and forth between Disneyland and DCA a lot in the two trips we took in 2019 and our normal trips at USO are the same going between the Studios and IOA especially because of what attractions I can ride, it's fun to do Hogwarts Express but can be more time consuming than walking out of the park across the area to the other park even if you're in the back of the parks.

For Epic it's good to know where the water refilling stations are (I asked about that previously and got some answers) but most people, including me, probably wouldn't plot out where they are just have a general idea of what areas of the park can you get it so you know. Courtesy cups of water were used a ton at Disney for us personally!!

There were so many bottle refill stations even in line queues. We had brought Liquid IV for our water bottles. It saved us a ton of money and kept us hydrated all day. I highly recommend bring your own water bottles and Gatorade, Liquid IV, or whatever packs to make you water fun and flavorful. Stay hydrated my friends.