Universal's Epic Universe General News & Discussion

[Mad Dog]

My anticipation rankings.....

1. Monsters
2. Wizards
3. Dragons
4. Nintendo

I am least connected to Nintendo and seeing the land in Japan....beautiful but "meh". That being said...I am excited for the food if they have similar to what Japan offers......and I am VERY excited for Donkey Kong!

Wizards has risen on my list based on what I have read about the MoM and expected theming of the land. God I hope that they have a good French Bakery!

Monsters has been #1 from the start in my book. And it's solidified with spinning coaster rumors.

HTTYD will be lavishly themed...and I'm excited to see the show and watch the Sky Fly.....not sure that I can get up the nerve to ride it but it is one of my favorite off the shelf rides to stare at in awe...lol.

My order of anticipation is the same.

 

[shiekra38]

My anticipation rankings.....

1. Monsters
2. Wizards
3. Dragons
4. Nintendo

I am least connected to Nintendo and seeing the land in Japan....beautiful but "meh". That being said...I am excited for the food if they have similar to what Japan offers......and I am VERY excited for Donkey Kong!

Wizards has risen on my list based on what I have read about the MoM and expected theming of the land. God I hope that they have a good French Bakery!

Monsters has been #1 from the start in my book. And it's solidified with spinning coaster rumors.

HTTYD will be lavishly themed...and I'm excited to see the show and watch the Sky Fly.....not sure that I can get up the nerve to ride it but it is one of my favorite off the shelf rides to stare at in awe...lol.

Not sure what makes Nintendo "meh" for you but I would say I think a lot of Nintendo Land's charm is felt being there in person probably

 

[GAcoaster]

I think Nintendo is probably lower on the list simply because it's already been done. The other lands will be unique and exciting. I'm sure Nintendo will be great too, but since we've all seen it in Japan and I'm sure we'll get another flood when Hollywood opens, it lacks the element of "discovery" that the other areas of the park will hold.

 

[Mad Dog]

Reason for Nintendo 4th on my list.....Not that I dislike Nintendo. But I'm not a gamer and therefore the IP has little interest for me. The other three land themes prime me significantly more. But, contrary to many here,
I think I will like the Mario ride. I generally prefer hybrid dark rides over coaster type rides, and Mario seems like something I'd enjoy and reride often. But, I doubt I'd spend a lot of time in the actual Nintendo land, like I'm
sure I'll do in Potter, Monsters and Dragons (to a lesser extent). So, for me, it's not the familiarity with a land that's already started in Japan, it's more of a meh interest in a young kids/teens/20 somethings ' video games' oriented IP.
But, I'm sure the kids will love it, and it will be number one or two (Dragons might be more popular with some) on their list of favorite land.......Bottom line though, is that Nintendo will probably attract a large segment of their demographic,
but it's not a 'theme park game changer' like Potter was. Nice add on, but not a great add on.

 

[belloq87]

My indifference towards Nintendo ("indifference" here being a relative term only in relation to Monsters and Wizarding World) is only because we essentially know exactly what we're getting. Because of Japan, there won't be anything left to discover or unique about Epic Universe's version of the land by the time it opens. Mario Kart looks fun (though, to nobody's surprise, I'm not as worked-up about the AR elements), Yoshi looks like a nice PeopleMover-inspired offering, and I fully expect Donkey Kong will be terrific...

... but Monsters and Wizarding World should be totally unique to the park. And the fact that their attractions won't have been open elsewhere for years already does, for whatever reason, get me more excited about them. It's irrational, I know.

 

[Loki]

For me it comes down to:

Immersion
Detail
Interactivity

If Universal can nail all three of those for each land, then Epic Universe will be spectacular. Gone are the days of simple theming (Toon Lagoon, Marvel Super Hero Island). Harry Potter and Galaxy's Edge have raised the bar and expectations and each of the lands (including the hub) have the necessary elements to meet or exceed those. I want to feel like I am stepping into the How To Train Your Dragon movies when I enter that land. Same for the Ministry of Magic. And Classic Monsters is a gold mine of untapped theming potential.

And I am not just talking about sights. I want smells and sounds piped in as well. Aromas and smells are the most powerful elements you can add and yet are the least utilized in theme parks (outside of Disney).

 

[mainejeff]

Don't get me wrong...I am excited for Nintendo....but I don't have the emotional attachment to it that people of a certain age will. And as others have said....we have all seen what it will be. Even Donkey Kong (which I am most excited for) will already have opened and reviewed in Japan. I really hope that they don't "Americanize" the food too much because the selections in Japan look really good.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Glad to see some love for Ministry here. In many other discussions I've seen about Epic it seems to be getting dogged, possibly because people still think it's FB-themed.

 

[Alicia]

Glad to see some love for Ministry here. In many other discussions I've seen about Epic it seems to be getting dogged, possibly because people still think it's FB-themed.

Some of us have other reasons for Potter fatigue.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Some of us have other reasons for Potter fatigue.

I just never felt much of an attachment to you-know-who in the first place--I'm aware many did!--and completely disregarded anything she had to say when she started making ridiculous retcons. Also never cared about FB. So neither those movies sucking nor Twitter drama (seriously, do yourselves all a favor and stop using that wretched site, your mental health will thank you for it!) had much of an impact on me. Regardless, the anti-HP sentiment by some in online communities is making me root for this area all the more--I'm just a natural hipster, I guess.

 

[Clive]

I just never felt much of an attachment to you-know-who in the first place--I'm aware many did!--and completely disregarded anything she had to say when she started making ridiculous retcons. Also never cared about FB. So neither those movies sucking nor Twitter drama (seriously, do yourselves all a favor and stop using that wretched site, your mental health will thank you for it!) had much of an impact on me. Regardless, the anti-HP sentiment by some in online communities is making me root for this area all the more--I'm just a natural hipster, I guess.

The issue is a bit more existential than that, but let’s just not get into it here. People have valid reasons for not wanting to consume Potter content.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

The issue is a bit more existential than that, but let’s just not get into it here. People have valid reasons for not wanting to consume Potter content.

Fair. Suffice to say, the back half of the park intrigues me much more than the front does.

 

[Nick]

The issue is a bit more existential than that, but let’s just not get into it here. People have valid reasons for not wanting to consume Potter content.

Yeah, it's a lot more nuanced than FB and Cursed Child just not being all that good.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Yeah, it's a lot more nuanced than FB and Cursed Child just not being all that good.

I acknowledged that, just explaining why it's not really a factor for me--and also that people would be much better off avoiding/ignoring Twitter.

 

[Clive]

I acknowledged that, just explaining why it's not really a factor for me--and also that people would be much better off avoiding/ignoring Twitter.

While that may be true on some level, the problems that exist here go beyond what’s said on Twitter. You are free to enjoy Potter stuff - I do, with certain caveats and difficulties - but let’s not fault other people for not being able to like it the way they used to.

 

[Alicia]

I’m looking forward to the Wizarding World ride, because all of the Potter rides have been incredibly impressive so far. The ride designers at Universal Creative have done some of their best work on these rides and I expect that to continue.

 

[GAcoaster]

"Universal hopes Epic Universe will lure tourists for a week"-- the third (fourth) park makes the duration of visits longer and the parks and hotels more profitable:

Universal hopes Epic Universe will lure tourists for a week

Comcast’s leadership is optimistic the opening of the Epic Universe theme park at Universal Orlando in 2025 will make the resort a “week-long destination,” according to one execut…

www.orlandosentinel.com

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I mean SNW seems like it could easily take up a full day if you do all the games… that’s 1 of 4 lands in the park NOT including the hub and it’s attractions. This sounds right.

 

[belloq87]

I can't imagine the park requiring me to add more than a third day to my Universal trips (after the first visit, for which I'll probably allot two days to Epic Universe exclusively), but that's still a 50% increase of days. People doing the full resort experience could easily probably start reaching 4 - 6 days.

 

[shiekra38]

I can't imagine the park requiring me to add more than a third day to my Universal trips (after the first visit, for which I'll probably allot two days to Epic Universe exclusively), but that's still a 50% increase of days. People doing the full resort experience could easily probably start reaching 4 - 6 days.

Friends of ours took an entire day to do the "Potter Stuff" as they called it

It's weird, I don't understand it, but it pays the bills