Celestial Park - General Discussion Thread

[tommyhawkins]

I just don't get the revisionist takes now.

Everyone loved the concept art they released. The only difference between the concept art they released and what we got is the trees and landscaping needing to grow in.

Since Epic opened, EVERYONE has agreed - the trees need to grow, and it needs more shade for all that walking.

They planted literally 100s of mature trees and everyone is acting like they slapped a few sheets of AstroTurf down and called it a day.
I get that people are only seeing the wide walkways right now but from a build potential point of view the park is less than half built, and when they start adding more rides and lands ergo increasing capacity people so it starts to resemble MK for average numbers nobody is going to be complaining they need make the walkways more narrow.
The hub was built for the park that exists in 2050 not just today

 

[Mike S]

I think this is fair criticism. Granted, I always thought "putting the park back in theme park" was silly (a good line, but silly). If you expected Celestial Park to revolutionize the concept of a hub area, I get being disappointed. I think it's nice and I love all the fountains, but the sea of concrete is off-putting. Which, in fairness, is pretty much true of every Orlando theme park. I also think it largely looks like the concept art, again, sans vegetation. But we knew that was going to be the deal.

Anyway, I clowned the fake concept art images because they're clearly AI. [Self-censored] that [self-censored].

It’s a little less expectations and more why were they describing it that way. “Putting park back in theme park” puts images of Central Park in my head which as time went on and construction was getting finished I was already thinking that there was nothing more special here except if you’re near the fountains which definitely are a big win or you’re walking around at night.

 

[tommyhawkins]

Just so much concrete and not much park

 

[Mike S]

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Just so much concrete and not much park

When did they even add the trees in the middle where they’re all standing, when partners was put in?

I’m of course talking about the hub before the makeover.

 

[NotPennysBoat]

The hub was built for the park that exists in 2050 not just today

Unfortunately, I may not exist in 2050!

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Hot take: people will like Celestial Park a lot more when Epic is added to APs.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hot take: people will like Celestial Park a lot more when Epic is added to APs.

Two rides, lots of water, big paths, and loads of food and beverage. But enough about world showcase…..

 

[Alicia]

Two rides, lots of water, big paths, and loads of food and beverage. But enough about world showcase…..

Hey! World Showcase has three rides.

 

[SkiBum]

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Just so much concrete and not much park

OH NO!!!!! I see show buildings!!!! The illusion is ruined. AUGH!!!!!! I should vlog this immediately.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Hey! World Showcase has three rides.

+3 Continuously Operating 360-Shows
+1 Hourly Large Animatronic-Driven Stage Show
Numerous Street & Musical Performances (virtually 1 at each pavilion)
Lots of retail and dining opportunities.

I'm sure they'll add more to do in Celestial Park, but it certainly isn't as big of a draw during the daytime. I was actually quite surprised at the lack of large and unique retail areas.

 

[GAcoaster]

This whole discussion mirrors what the FB Epic Universe comments are— people either love it and think it’s their new favorite or they hated it and complain there wasn’t enough to do. I really think this is a gap in expectations versus reality, but also a huge gap in age/enthusiasm. Generally the “younger” crowd seems to have expected a Velocicoaster level coaster AND a Disney level dark ride in each land, with tree cover like Animal Kingdom. The “older” crowd seems to appreciate the details, the relaxed atmosphere, and the variety of experiences more. I’m with that older crowd (being older), but I can understand the thoosie angle too— each land could have easily benefitted from one more attraction. It’s also a brand new multi-billion dollar park— there are limits and the parks we all know and love had similar starts with room to grow and improve over time.

Everyone has rosy visions of parks opening fully formed, but that’s just not a reasonable expectation or anything like reality. Epic (and for the sake of this thread Celestial Park specifically) is a strong foundation. It needs more entertainment during the day, and needs night “shows” (parades, entertainment, fireworks, drones) which I’m sure will all come in time. In the mean time it currently seems to meet attendance and revenue targets— when that slips they’ll offer more “new” stuff, especially to fill those restaurants and bars in the evenings.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

This whole discussion mirrors what the FB Epic Universe comments are— people either love it and think it’s their new favorite or they hated it and complain there wasn’t enough to do. I really think this is a gap in expectations versus reality, but also a huge gap in age/enthusiasm. Generally the “younger” crowd seems to have expected a Velocicoaster level coaster AND a Disney level dark ride in each land, with tree cover like Animal Kingdom. The “older” crowd seems to appreciate the details, the relaxed atmosphere, and the variety of experiences more. I’m with that older crowd (being older), but I can understand the thoosie angle too— each land could have easily benefitted from one more attraction. It’s also a brand new multi-billion dollar park— there are limits and the parks we all know and love had similar starts with room to grow and improve over time.

I think more attractions is always good, but I've always been confused by people saying there isn't enough to do.

There are 13 attractions in Epic Universe with the rides and shows.
There are 13 attractions in IOA.

It could be argued that IOA has more "major" attractions, but it's also been open for 26 years lol

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hey! World Showcase has three rides.

I forgot frozen lmfao

 

[Mad Dog]

Just my opinion......but I'm guessing that most of the negative feelings about Epic, and Epic's five lands, are more colored by
super long waits and the poor downtime performance thus far of the under capacity rides than anything else. If the stand by lines,
and daily ride performance were more 'acceptable', most everyone would probably be praising Celestial, and the other Epic
lands. .....In the future, Universal marketing will probably have to spend a lot on marketing to get back the guests that had such
terrible experiences on high downtime days that they had the unfortunate 'lottery experience' to pay a high ticket price for.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

No, this is a *you* problem.

Crazy response to someone who said they don’t love a theme park land (actually I dont know if that even was said at all).

What are we doing here, guys? Some of you need to seriously touch grass.

 

[Cwoolboy]

Shocked, absolutely shocked at all the Celestial Park hate. They already announced two more restaurants opening next year, Constellation Carousel is a total vibe at night, the live band is such a great touch, and Stardust Racers (while I've yet to ride it) has been one of the highest rated attractions at Epic. The only issue is one that ALL of Epic suffers from: Not enough shade, and even then there are enough cooling stations with big signs pointing to them. It's nice to see Universal try to address the issue. The BGM in Celestial is beautiful too. For myself, I just love seeing Universal so eagerly embrace the simple joys of water and fountain shows. I rank Celestial Park as one of the top 3 areas at Epic.

 

[Mike S]

Shocked, absolutely shocked at all the Celestial Park hate. They already announced two more restaurants opening next year, Constellation Carousel is a total vibe at night, the live band is such a great touch, and Stardust Racers (while I've yet to ride it) has been one of the highest rated attractions at Epic. The only issue is one that ALL of Epic suffers from: Not enough shade, and even then there are enough cooling stations with big signs pointing to them. It's nice to see Universal try to address the issue. The BGM in Celestial is beautiful too. For myself, I just love seeing Universal so eagerly embrace the simple joys of water and fountain shows. I rank Celestial Park as one of the top 3 areas at Epic.

Not hate, just recognizing it’s not some huge leap over other hubs minus having rides.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Crazy response to someone who said they don’t love a theme park land (actually I dont know if that even was said at all).

What are we doing here, guys? Some of you need to seriously touch grass.

After AI generated images of a concept this was posted:

People are being way too harsh here. Even I was taken aback when seeing Celestial Park in person after reading all the hubbub about it and thinking to myself that it was just as much of an empty looking concrete wasteland as any other typical hub. That 4th picture is the one that looks the most like what I’d imagine a place called Celestial Park to look like.

And from the first page you can find something very different:

I’m getting serious Tokyo/Shanghai Disney vibes from this and I’m lovin’ it.

We’ve talked about how the trees and gardens will grow, the actual issues, and what we like. I haven’t even told people what I don’t like! But jumping in complaining randomly and comparing something real to non Euclidean photos doesn’t add anything to the convo. Where is the line drawn at personally building up too much vs universal making a mistake in regard to a discussion forum?

 

[Mike S]

After AI generated images of a concept this was posted:



And from the first page you can find something very different:



We’ve talked about how the trees and gardens will grow, the actual issues, and what we like. I haven’t even told people what I don’t like! But jumping in complaining randomly and comparing something real to non Euclidean photos doesn’t add anything to the convo. Where is the line drawn at personally building up too much vs universal making a mistake in regard to a discussion forum?

The concept images on that first page only show the areas of Celestial that will actually have that kind of tree growth. I wrongly assumed all of it would look that way. Instead, outside those specific areas, there’s huge swaths of concrete with barely anything breaking them up.