Is Universal Making a Classic “Crowdpocalypse” Mistake with Epic Universe?
Universal Orlando will reportedly only sell admission to Epic Universe as part of multi-day tickets at first, with one of day of the visits available to the new third theme park and no Park Hopping. This shares details of the rumored policy, along with our commentary about the potential for this to be yet another classic “crowdpocalypse” blunder from theme park operators.
There’s a lot of hype around Epic Universe, and for good reason. It’s Universal Orlando Resort’s third theme park, just down the road from Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, as well as Volcano Bay Water Park. Epic Universe will transport guests to expansive worlds featuring more than 50 experiences that include attractions, entertainment, dining and shopping to create an unforgettable adventure located at Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal’s Epic Universe theme park looks amazing and is sure to be hugely popular in the long term thanks to lands based on Nintendo, Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, and Monsters. The park is likely a game-changer for how people visit Central Florida and allocate their time between Universal and Walt Disney World. These are topics we’ve covered at length from the Disney perspective, most recently in How Will Walt Disney World “Compete” with Universal’s Epic Universe in 2025? and before that in Is Universal “Beating” Walt Disney World? (Those are air quotes in both titles, for what it’s worth.)
Given all of the hype and excitement about Epic Universe, it should be no surprise that Universal Orlando is attempting to take advantage and is planning on strategically selling admission to the new park. According to Attractions Magazine, Universal Orlando has distributed ticketing information for Epic Universe to third-party partners.
At first, I was skeptical that Universal would be releasing ticket info for Epic Universe so early. I wasn’t alone in this sentiment, as many others on social media questioned the legitimacy of the info, which was then corroborated by at least a dozen different travel agents. Highly credible Universal insider Alicia Stella also suggested the info was accurate, while also adding key clarifying details. At this point, the Epic Universe ticket details are either legit…or the most elaborate ruse ever.
Anyway, when ticket sales first launch, guests must purchase a multi-day Universal Orlando ticket package with a 3-day minimum in order to visit Epic Universe. No matter the ticket duration, all ticket types will offer a single day at Epic Universe and will not include Park Hopping to or from the new park. At product launch, there will be no option to purchase a single-day Epic Universe ticket by itself.
Guests will be able to otherwise customize tickets, including which of Universal Orlando’s other parks they’ll visit–Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and/or Volcano Bay water park. You’ll be able to Park Hop among those parks (but, again, not Epic Universe), and so forth. Basically, tickets will be exactly like they are today, but with a “bonus” day at Epic Universe, if that helps you visualize the options.
International visitors will have the option to purchase a new ticket type at product launch, which will grant access to 14 days at Universal Orlando’s existing gates and one (1) day at Epic Universe. Yes, you read that correctly. Two weeks at the other parks, plus a single day at Epic Universe. (Again, this is basically what already exists, plus a “bonus” day at Epic Universe.)
According to one of the screenshots shared via Attractions Magazine, Universal intends to “Manage capacity by selling only date-specific Admission products.” Additionally, “Universal Epic Universe products will launch with multi-day tickets for 3 or more days with a 1-day limit to Universal Epic Universe for those planning vacations well in advance. Universal intends to expand product offerings to single and multi-day tickets including Universal Epic Universe in a phased approach based on availability.” (Emphasis added.)
We’ve bolded that last line because it’s the pertinent part. A lot of “The Discourse” about the report from Attractions Magazine seems to be misconstruing the product launch of tickets for Epic Universe with the opening of Epic Universe. Those two dates are most definitely not the same. While there’s no indication as to when Epic Universe tickets will go on sale, it’s presumably pretty soon if this is being distributed to third parties.
Meanwhile, the official opening of the park itself is still almost a year away. (Well, a lot less depending upon whether you’re counting the unofficial preview window, which will reportedly last multiple months.) Regardless, the point is that Universal Orlando is going to start by selling multi-day tickets and then scale up from there. Meaning that single and multi-day tickets for Epic Universe will be sold at some point prior to opening; I guess unless this initial offering sells so well that they don’t need to offer anything else (it won’t).
Turning to commentary, it’s unsurprising that Universal Orlando is going to both limit attendance and attempt to use Epic Universe as a means of getting guests to spend more time in their existing gates. There are multiple goals to this approach. In theory, it should increase Universal Orlando’s average length of stay, make guests more likely to book on-site hotels, prevent attendance cannibalization from Universal’s existing gates, and getting people to spend their park days at Universal Orlando rather than Walt Disney World.
It also controls crowds at Epic Universe and pushes people to the existing gates. It means attendance could be higher at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure than Epic Universe, as there will be more park ticket days in circulation for the existing gates than there are for Epic Universe. Especially once you factor in the outstanding Annual Passes that do not cover Epic Universe.
Again, all of this is very much in theory. It will not work out this way in practice, and Universal Orlando undoubtedly knows as much. Nevertheless, it’s savvy strategy–and we give Universal kudos if they can manage to thread the needle and pull this off without and unintended negative consequences (see below).
While Universal Orlando’s existing gates will undoubtedly see a boost from Epic Universe, it’s nonsense to think that international guests are going to spend a combined 14 days at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure and only 1 day at Epic Universe. Longer duration tickets are cheaper for a reason–wasted days are built into the price, and international visitors are not expected to spend every single full day in the parks. And most don’t.
With these tickets, there are a few possibilities as to what will happen. The first is that waste will continue, and worsen. That much seems like a given. It’s entirely conceivable that attendance is higher at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida on any given day next summer. Not just because they have more admission in circulation–but also because the capacity of the existing gates will be higher. But IoA and USF aren’t going to have triple the attendance on any day, nevermind 14x it.
Another possibility is that this will be what convinces fence-sitting vacation planners to stay on-site at Universal Orlando, instead of Walt Disney World with Epic Universe as an add-on. We’ve heard from some people in this group who are anxious about locking in their Epic Universe tickets (worried it’ll sell out quickly), so this is also a given to some extent.
If I were a Universal diehard who was dead-set on being at Epic Universe for opening day, I’d definitely be buying one of those 3-day tickets and just figuring it’s the surcharge of being there to experience history–the first new major theme park in the United States in the 2000s. Heck, I’m not a Universal diehard and that would be a huge waste given that I’ll presumably have an UOAP then, and I’m still considering it!
The calculus there is that the biggest fans–even those with Annual Passes–won’t want to gamble and miss out on opening day. So some of them will pay extra just for an early guarantee of being there for Epic Universe. (For whatever it’s worth, I probably will be willing to gamble–especially since I suspect lengthy previews are a near-certainty.)
Another possibility is that this approach backfires. That planners see Epic Universe “locked” (air quotes) behind bundles with Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, and find these undesirable for their vacations. That they want to spend a couple of days at Epic Universe, and perhaps only a single day (combined) at the two existing gates.
Alternatively, the more casual vacation planners see these ticket packages and reach the conclusion that this is being done due to crowds. That crowds are going to be so bad at Epic Universe that this is Universal Orlando’s only option.
Even if they don’t think this immediately, the seed will likely be planted eventually as Universal’s most fervent fans defend this decision, claiming it’s “the only way” to control crowds and prevent chaos. (If you think Disney apologists are bad about carrying water for the company, just wait until you encounter the Universal fandom, which is almost entirely uncritical. Perhaps it’s the underdog mentality?)
All of this might seem like a stretch, and perhaps it is. But when first seeing the details of Epic Universe ticketing, I got an immediate flashback to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. The opening summer for that new land was incredibly slow, and that was largely due to the drumbeat of messaging from the company itself and fan community about crowds.
We worked ourselves into a collective tizzy over a “crowdpocalypse” scenario, and the exact opposite happened as result. Fearing multi-hour lines and crazy congestion, fans stayed home–delaying visits until crowds died down. The first few months were dead, and the time when people expected things to “die down” were crazy busy. We’re not pointing fingers–we played an active role in that.
The seed back then was planted by Bob Iger making an offhand comment, jokingly boasting that no marketing would be necessary for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge–that he could just tweet “it’s open” and that would be enough to pack the park during the opening season. That was followed by persistent messaging from Disneyland that you’d need reservations to access the new land (among other policies & protocol). With that came breathless speculation among fans and commentators of the “crowdpocalypse” played a role in scaring guests away. (We cover all of this and much more in our Why Are Star Wars Land Crowds So Low? post back from Summer 2019.)
While that was at Disneyland, history essentially repeated itself with the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge a few months later at Walt Disney World. Lessons were learned about overly aggressive messaging, but it was already too late. The first few months were among the deadest we’ve ever seen at Walt Disney World, with the ‘Extra, Extra Magic Hours’ being gloriously uncrowded (and totally unnecessary). On both coasts, crowds arrived in full force by the holiday season…and didn’t let up until the closures of March 2020.
The same thing has happened this year at Tokyo DisneySea to a much lesser extent in the opening month of Fantasy Springs, as the park hasn’t been that busy and tickets have not sold out as a result of overly-strict access limitations to the new port-of-call. It’s difficult to predict how that’ll play out, but I’d likewise be inclined to predict lagged demand for Fantasy Springs, with October through December 2024 being much busier than June through August.
Obviously, differences abound between what Disney did and what Universal is doing, especially since Universal hasn’t even (officially) started doing anything yet! One notable distinction is that Disney started hammering this home 3-6 months in advance, whereas Universal Orlando is starting almost a full year out. If anything, that provides even more time for the internet to “do its thing” and for this to get out of hand.
On a positive note, Universal Orlando also has a long enough runway to address and avoid such issues. Whereas Disney actively played into fears about the “crowdpocalypse,” there’s still time for Universal to allay these concerns. Not only that, but the reputations of the Disney and Universal are already wildly divergent on this front. Universal benefits here from being more laid back and its diehard fans having a greater tolerance for overcrowding (see Halloween Horror Nights).
Not only that, but it’s likely that this multi-day ticket release with the single “bonus” day at Epic Universe is simply step one, an overly aggressive one to capture those aforementioned anxious planners and lock them into longer duration tickets and hotel packages even though it’ll be wholly unnecessary.
At some point–presumably long before Epic Universe opens–step two will involve single and multi-day Epic Universe ticket options that are more relaxed and (hopefully) aren’t exorbitantly priced. We’re also hopeful that there will be ways for existing Annual Passholders to upgrade or otherwise access the new park.
It’s also possible that Universal will want to recoup some of the billions of dollars it has invested in Epic Universe as quickly as possible, and will take advantage of the hype to the greatest extent possible with more pricey packages, tickets, early access, etc.
If Universal does go that route, it’ll also alienate a lot of potential guests. If what we’ve heard is any indication, many people are excited about Epic Universe because they view Universal as the “anti-Disney” of sorts, which is to say that Universal supposedly values guests more, treats its fans well, charges fair prices, makes visiting simpler, and so forth. (We’ve warned you repeatedly–Universal is no different than Disney. What’s different is demand. Once Universal has that–and they should with Epic Universe in both the medium and long term–they’re going to do the same things.)
Again, there hasn’t been a new theme park in the United States of this scale and scope in the 2000s. This means that there’s a lot of excitement–and plenty of consumers are willing to shell out big bucks to be among the first to experience it in its opening season. It also means there are a lot of unknowns in terms of demand, previews, and pretty much everything!
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and even Fantasy Springs, as great as it is, are highly imperfect comparisons. Both of those were only new lands, whereas Epic Universe is a whole new park. It’s impossible to say whether tourists will thus have more of a tolerance for crowds and/or the unknown, or less. The risk-reward calculus and stakes are totally different.
One thing about which we’re certain is that there is no question about opening day of Epic Universe or even opening week. The ‘supply’ of diehard Universal fans (and theme park enthusiasts, more generally) who have a tolerance for crowds and are willing to endure whatever to experience a brand-new park is sufficiently high that opening day/week are not going to be slow.
This is more about what comes after, during the opening season–especially if it ends up being June, July, August and September, which are now slower months for theme parks. (I’m very confident that, as with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Epic Universe will be slammed from October through December 2025.)
Ultimately, every move Universal makes to limit attendance at Epic Universe will, paradoxically, bring crowd concerns more front of mind for many potential guests who otherwise wouldn’t have thought about it. Why spend big bucks to visit in 2025 when the options are limited and it’s going to be insane? Why not wait until late 2025 or even 2026 when things have calmed down? (There are sure to be a large number of fans who hold off and double-dip on Epic Universe and Halloween Horror Nights!)
Again, all of this is speculative and for the sake of conversation as one of many possibilities. Universal hasn’t announced anything at this point–so there’s obviously plenty of time for perceptions to change. But it should be somewhat telling that there are already so many strong reactions to what is only rumor (albeit highly credible).
That suggests every official policy Universal Orlando releases related to Epic Universe will be heavily scrutinized by fans (and haters). All of this will have an impact on potential guest perception and likelihood of visiting in Summer 2025. Universal undoubtedly knows that its approach is under a microscope. Hopefully they’ve analyzed what Disney did wrong with the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and have learned from those mistakes. It’ll be interesting to see if that ends up being the case, and the optics around Epic Universe suggest it’ll be easy and approachable to visit…or doom and gloom fears of another “crowdpocalypse” win out.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think? Is it possible or probable that Epic Universe will have the same “crowdpocalypse” concerns as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge…or is the lure of a whole new theme park so overwhelming that it’ll draw way more people than it scares away? Will you visit Epic Universe in Summer 2025, or will you wait for crowds to settle down (in theory)? Excited for Super Nintendo World, Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe/Classic Monsters, or the How to Train Your Dragon lands and/or attractions? Think Epic Universe will be a third gate that’s a worthy addition to Universal Orlando Resort…and potentially on par with Disney’s best lands? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
Our family has never really wanted to visit Universal in Orlando. Mostly because the rides are more thrill and screen based. The first time I heard of Epic was on this blog. It looked pretty exciting even if we can’t ride most rides. The environment looks fun. Enough to enjoy just sitting, looking around. and experiencing. Our family has since thought we need to possibly plan a trip around a Disney trip. But, I can tell you we will not spend the same or more than we spend on a Disney trip. Just not worth it for us. I would assume there are more families like ours (young and old traveling together) that will not visit Epic if it’s just as or more expensive than Disney. I have been disappointed in the offerings at Disney World the last many years so our visits are not as often. Once all the “newness” calms down for Epic, hopefully we can visit to experience the new gate.
We currently don’t have annual passes for Universal at all. We’re on the fence about buying one for hopes of them having some sort of AP preview or something. We find it hard to imagine that there won’t be something for APs to buy even if it’s just a AP specific ticket for one day every month or sometime to that effect.
I was in Tokyo Disney Sea (for the first time ever!) less than two weeks after the official opening of Fantasy Springs. After several visits to Fantasy Springs (that we secured by braving the rope drop crowds and checking the app for Standby Passes throughout the day) over two days at TDS, we said over and over how fortunate we were to visit during the restrictive initial opening when crowds were sparse in the land and lines for the attractions were non-existent. Obviously, the OLC is a different animal than the folks that run the UO parks, but if access is exclusive as it was for FS, I’m all about an opening month visit to Epic Universe, 3-day pass and all!
Wait ! Did I read that if you buy an annual pass it doesn’t include Epic ?
If you buy an annual pass *TODAY*, no, it doesn’t include EU. But that doesn’t mean that an AP bought next year won’t include it (remember, we’re still a year-ish away from the park opening).
I can definitely see this as being analogous to the higher Lowe’s rack rates for late 2025; this is the worst possible deal anyone could get, but most people will get a better deal than the baseline one. It makes sense *if* these prices are indeed the first for Summer 2025 at Epic Universe; I’m not certain at all if there’s a “rack rate” for packages, but there’s plenty enough time to watch trends and announce discounts and deals long before it’s an unfixable problem.
The only thing I’ll add is that Universal didn’t drive the crowds away from Super Nintendo World opening in Hollywood, unlike Disneyland and Galaxy’s Edge. Since DL and WDW experienced the same slow crowds at GE on both coasts, what did Universal do right that Disney did wrong and can they replicate it in Florida? (I’m surprised Tom didn’t mention or dismiss it in passing, since that looks like a photo of actual crowds at an existing SNW in his original post up there.)
Hmmm? Yeah, as a tourist family I think maybe we’ll even wait till 2027, or 2028, to check out Epic. We’ll read some reviews after it’s open a while, see what tourists are saying. Make sure all/most of the bugs are worked out of it. Check out the prices. See if the cost is worth the bother. Let the crowds die down a bit. Star Wars Land has been open for years at WDW now and when we look at recent reviews or crowd calendars/reports it’s still got stupid crazy long lines. Our first time visiting Florida as a family we took 2 days to do the Universal parks. After the first trip we knew that 1 day was enough for us at Universal to do what we knew we were interested in doing at both Universal Parks, so we just got the 1 day park to park ticket the next visit. We usually used to spend 7 days at WDW with park hopping tickets so we could do our favorite rides a few times each and at least one of those days we spent at a Waterpark, usually Typhoon Lagoon. Tried out a day at SeaWorld a couple visits then that was enough. Took time to visit Busch Gardens for a day one visit, then decided it was not worth the car rental or the drive. Checked out the Space Center once, that was worth the visit but once was enough. It might be interesting to see how Epic turns out but we can wait. Again, this is from a tourist family point of view, not locals, not even from the US, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of average American families who are not living in or near Orlando/Florida feel the same. These family vacations cost too much in time and hard earned money and mean too much for families to spend their time stressed out, fighting their way through crowds and standing in lines for hours just to get on a few rides per day! Disney doesn’t need to build a 5th gate, they need to expand their existing parks and build more new rides at these parks they already have open, and quit raising prices so often. Considering the high cost for a family to take a vacation to Florida to visit any of the theme parks, Extreme Crowds and Insanely Long Lines are not encouraging for vacation seekers. Our first vacation to Orlando was so wonderful I couldn’t wait to start planning a second. We used to be huge fans!! Things have changed drastically. If the crowds and lines at WDW had been as bad as they are now the first time I flew my family to Florida to visit WDW (and the other attractions in Florida) we would have NEVER EVER come back again. The cost at WDW and Universal and other parks and attractions was also SO much lower back then. Of course there’s always going to be inflation in the cost of everything but these increases are just over the top ridiculous already. We used to look forward to go visit pretty much yearly but we gave up on that over 7 years back now. We will probably go again sometime, but no more yearly trips. Too crowded, too many long lines, not enough new attractions, too stressful, not as much fun, and much much too expensive, not enough value for us to give up so much of our vacation time and dollars. We used to rave about our Orlando vacations and recommend and encourage others to take an Orlando, Florida vacation – Not any more. We’ve been exploring other adventures and activities. Long story short – not excited about Epic park!!
I booked two rooms at Universal’s Dockside Inn for next year a few weeks ago thinking prices may go up due to the opening of EU. The price of our two rooms increased by a total of $1100. As they say, that ain’t peanuts.
Wow!! Well, looks like very smart thinking on your part. That’s just crazy!! I hope you all have a great vacation.
I was just in Shanghai Disneyland and got into a conversation with another solo Disney traveller who hailed from Italy. One of the first things he mentioned? How he is waiting for Epic Universe to open. I think the demand is there amongst the cognoscenti so first six months will be packed. Then we might see those who are keen but crowd averse.
“Bob Iger making an offhand comment, jokingly boasting that no marketing would be necessary for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge–that he could just tweet “it’s open” and that would be enough to pack the park during the opening season”
I’m curious to see what level of marketing goes into Epic Universe. It’s obviously on the radar for every theme park nerd (mean that in the kindest way possible), but I’m not sure it’s permeated the “mainstream” yet. It’s only anecdata, but in my friend group (target demo), no one is talking about this.
I think their land reveals thus far have been an absolute master class. You’re right that they’re targeted towards fans of theme parks (or those franchises), but I think that’s fine at this point. It’s still early.
I suspect that they’ll get serious around mainstream marketing between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Start doing segments on the Today Show, maybe do a primetime special on NBC, or perhaps put a ‘making of’ on Peacock. (Strike that last one–the goal is to get people to see it!)
The holiday season timing for that makes sense because it’s when family gatherings occur and people start (for the most part) planning trips for the following year. Which is precisely why Disney does its holiday special and Christmas “parade” on ABC.
Thanks Tom, good article and fun flashback to the glorious days of extra extra magic hours.
One thing firms are getting better at is monetizing “first” cred from buyers who want to show off (in real life but obviously amplified on social media) that they have X product or experience first/very early. For instance some automotive YouTubers get a lot of mileage (no pun intended) from showing off a new model just hitting the market. Rather than letting those creators capture all the economic surplus, automakers have began releasing “first edition” models with extra options and trim at an inflated price.
Granted extensive previews may cut into this, but I suspect a LOT of visitors will want to signal on social media (or even to be fair on their theme park planning blogs) that they were at the park on the first day or first week. Universal certainly won’t be able to avoid selling single day tickets for long, and they won’t want to price opening day/opening week tickets at super premium prices because the PR would be so bad, but by forcing a bundle for tickets for the first few days after the park opens Universal can spike per-visitor revenue while avoiding bad PR or even generating some good PR by emphasizing crowding concerns. Seems like this would be a smart move to me.
“I suspect a LOT of visitors will want to signal on social media (or even to be fair on their theme park planning blogs) that they were at the park on the first day or first week.”
100% accurate. I mentioned this in the post, but they’re not going to have ANY issues the first day or week. The demo you described will absolutely turn out, just as they do for anything Disney does on day one, no matter how big or small it is. This is a brand new theme park, so dial that up by like 1000x.
The true test comes a few weeks after opening…what do crowds look like? Will any of the initial moves to capture more revenue or fears of overcrowding come back to bite them?
I really don’t see how anyone can think this package is going to be the only way to access Epic Universe, especially when it hasn’t even officially been announced yet! And then when you look further at the leaked email and see it flat out says single and multi-day tickets are coming down the line, I don’t understand what the concern or outrage is about.
I plan on being there during the October/November window next year, sad to hear that is your forecast for the actual crowdpocalypse mostly because I’m sure you’re right. (I’m definitely not the only one with no interest in visiting Orlando in the summer heat.) As long as I can spend multiple days in EU by then I will gladly deal with some extra people; I’m even fine with a “no park-hopping” stipulation. What I don’t want is an overly convoluted planning system; I’m probably in the minority on this blog but I would much rather show up and just deal with long lines than setting alarms to prebook parks and even individual rides weeks or months in advance.
“I don’t understand what the concern or outrage is about.”
Social media is like a bad game of telephone. People only read the headline or misconstrue details, share the misinterpretation, and it spreads like wildfire.
This was supposed to be confidential and Universal knows you posted before their announcement.
Perhaps Universal reads this blog so religiously that they mutter “I Know What You Did Last Summer” while remembering Tom’s prior musings about Islands of Adventure or whatever.
My wife and I were just discussing when to do Universal- honestly we will probably give it a good year after opening as tempting as it is.
Not a good look for Universal. Feels like heavy handed manipulation. Ugh. Planning on Epic Spring 2026 hopefully this changes by then, I have no desire to buy a 3 day pass to Universal. We will wait.
I’m an international family travel. I’ve already postponed our full length UOF trip from 2026 to 2027. I’m not willing to risk having a bad experience since we only visit Orlando every 5 years.
My Dad and I did Epcot and Universal Studios on opening day. There were malfunctions & hassles at both, so I don’t think I want to try for Epic Universe’s opening day, though now with soft openings they can prevent the chaos & hell that was Universal Studios’ infamous opening day.
I’m such a big theme park fan that I got a custom license plate that says THM PRX. But lately, as I age & have to pass on more rides due to their medical warnings, & also because of an anxiety I’ve developed about driving, I don’t thrive on them as much as I used to. I’m really not hyped up at all about Epic Universe. Also factoring in is I’m not into any of the franchises the lands are based on. Universal’s theme parks don’t feature a lot of favorite franchises in general, whereas with Disney, I’ve always been a fan of their animated films. But I’ve still enjoyed the theme parking experience at Universal. I may have never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter movie, but the rides based on that franchise are still fun.
Lately, Universal has been crueler to their annual passholders than Disney. My 2 park Universal pass used to be less than my WDW annual pass. Now it’s a few dollars more, and it only covers 2 parks as opposed to Disney’s 4 parks. Given that factor & also how Universal avoids building mild rides for older folks who can’t handle thrill rides, I’m thinking of cancelling my pass after decades of attendance. Oddly, as when I recently cancelled my SeaWorld annual pass for similar reasons, I think the thing I’ll miss most is buying fudge at the candy store. Disney’s fudge offerings have been lackluster compared to Universal’s & SeaWorld’s for years!
Gina, you are so right about UO treating their passholders more poorly than WDW. I’ve been an UOAP for a long time now, and the annual increases are getting out of hand. I’ve already had to drop our family down a tier from Premier to Preferred. They have lowered their discount percent in and out of the parks. They’ve taken away buttons and magnets. I honestly believe the company doesn’t care anymore, in that aspect. On the other hand, Disney treats their APs well, minus the blockout dates. LOL. I do worry about the new Multi-pass and how it will affect us. I’m with you. I dropped my SeaWorld passes a couple of years ago and I think this might be the last year on my Busch Garden pass. I remember when an annual pass included both parks and a single ticket could be upgraded to two for $5.
As for staff, I’m not worried. I have friends in the industry. I also know transportation between the parks and hotels will include buses, a connector road with its own bus lane, and parking. (They’ve been telling us in Orlando this since before construction began. I’ve seen the road.) UO also assured us that they are going to make moving between the parks seamless for guests, so if they don’t allow park hopping at the beginning, it should happen shortly afterward.
I don’t know anything whatsoever, but my gut says that Epic Universe will have a preview option that’s only open to Annual Passholders. I’d bet that it’ll cost money, but I’d also imagine it’ll be worth it.
Starting with employees and then moving to APs is a good way to test everything in front of a more knowledgeable and (maybe) more understanding audience than tourists. That’s especially the case if one of the lands isn’t ready as early as the rest.
Just curious what is stopping someone from buying 2 or more 3 day tickets for their trip to get more days in epic?
Nothing because Universal at that point are getting free money out of the ‘wastage’ of days if your buying extra 3 day tickets just to get into Epic Universe and arnt using the other days in that case your paying a really big premium for a one day ticket so Universal is happy to let that happen.
Tom,
Two things really come to mind when I was sitting here thinking about this. With the new park opening, and as we get closer, I am going to guess as with any project in todays market it will start going over budget. The one thing that’s rally hard to guess is transportation. I know a lot has been made of the rail system, but it will not be finished, and the one thing Universal always had going for it, was its location. Now the new gate isn’t right there, and bussing or other forms of transport will have to come about. Has anyone seen what the plans are? Thats one thing I haven’t seen and could be a huge budget in itself, not to mention the need to staffing, and we all know what todays employee market looks like. So thats one thing I have been trying to wrap my head around.
Second, Universal resorts are still not selling out and as you put it they want to push more people into staying on site, a couple years ago you foreshadowed this. Universal has been increasing their resort costs at a much higher clip than they did previously. Now for shorter trips, there comparable resorts to Disney’s are equal or more than Disney. WHere in the past they were much lower. Maybe you could redo that blog from a couple years ago comparing them. While I’m much more a Disney personal than Universal, I think this new park will put an end to Disney ever adding a 5th gate. While I don’t think Epic will flop, I do think it will just steal attendance from IOA and UO. With this ticket scheme it may bump it for a little while, I just think it will backfire and those like myself will just wait for the hype to die down.
I hadn’t thought about parking and transportation but did wonder how all the parks will be staffed?
“I think this new park will put an end to Disney ever adding a 5th gate.”
I don’t think there were ever any serious plans or proposals for a 5th gate, anyway, beyond maybe a boutique park a decade or so ago. A 5th gate has always been wishful thinking among fans unsupported by the practical realities of building one.
But yeah, Epic Universe makes it less likely–not more likely, as some are mistakenly assuming.
As for staffing and transportation, everything I’ve heard about this makes it sound like a non-issue. Universal started working on both early and should be in a pretty good position. I guess we’ll see, though!
Tom,
Two things really come to mind when I was sitting here thinking about this. With the new park openning, and as we get closer, I am going to guess as with any project in todays market it will start going over budget. The one thing thats rally hard to guess is transportation. I know a lot has been made of the rail system, but it will not be finished, and the one thing Universal always had going for it, was its location. Now the new gate isn’t right there, and bussing or other forms of transport will have to come about. Has anyone seen what the plans are? Thats one thing I haven’t seen and could be a huge budget in itself, not to mention the need to staffing, and we all know what todays employee market looks like. So thats one thing I have been trying to wrap my head around.
Second, Universal resorts are still not selling out and as you put it they want to push more people into staying on site, a couple years ago you forshaddowed this. Universal has been increasing their resort costs at a much higher clip than they did previously. Now for shorter trips, there comparable resorts to Disney’s are equal or more than Disney. WHere in the past they were much lower. Maybe you could redo that blog from a couple years ago comparing them. While I’m much more a Disney personal than Universal, I think this new park will put an end to Disney ever adding a 5th gate. While I don’t think Epic will flop, I do think it will just steal attendance from IOA and UO. With this ticket scheme it may bump it for a little while, I just think it will backfire and those like myself will just wait for the hype to die down.
Hi Tom, I think you are completely right with this article. I was really to purchase tickets as soon as we could and ready to book a vacation, with these restrictions I’m not anymore. We even discussed today the possibility of Disneyland as summer is less hot (as you mentioned before) and wait until 2026. See? My excitement died right away.