Theme park nerds can't stop talking about Epic Universe

I saw some pics of the animatronic classic universal monsters being used in the park the other day. Looks pretty sweet!

Of course this is all anyone is going to talk about, it’s going to be the first not half baked parks to open since 1999. Even Disney messed up DCA on opening, with it being half baked. This park seems extremely well planned out, has a solid amount of attractions, shows and theming. It looks incredible and I sincerely hope it does well and spurs further growth and innovation in the industry.

Who you callin' nerds?

I'm absolutely excited about it, but it's funny how grownup me also is fine to see it when I see it. And that's with the proximity of being so close.

Though to be honest, I think this hobby has always been rooted in excitement for the things we can't yet experience. I've noticed this especially in two decades plus of yearly cycles with PointBuzz. Traffic is nuts when it's all speculation, then continues during construction. Once the ride opens, traffic drops like a rock. It's like, once it's a tangible thing, it ceases to be as interesting.

I remember the excitement surrounding the opening of Disney-MGM and Universal Studios Florida. Two parks racing to get open, each with very similar premises. Disney with a smaller park that was unique but struggled out of the gate with capacity. Universal with a larger park that had its share of hiccups due to the technology. (It would be quite a long time until Jaws opened, as I recall.) The "competition" factor would have been 100X more in this era of daily updates online, drone flyovers, etc.

Not that I'm rushing past Epic Universe, but it is probably going to be a while until we see the next big park unless Disney kicks things into higher gear.

Jeff:

Once the ride opens, traffic drops like a rock. It's like, once it's a tangible thing, it ceases to be as interesting.

I don't this is specific to roller coasters. Think about Christmas when you were a kid. I would be that you couldn't hardly sleep the night before; too excited thinking about what Santa was going to bring. But I bet you slept great the next night after you opened your presents and could actually play with your presents.

Shouldn't being able to play with the toys be more exciting than thinking about what might be in the boxes?

Touchdown:

Of course this is all anyone is going to talk about, it’s going to be the first not half baked parks to open since 1999.

...in North America.

Tokyo DisneySea opened in 2001, and I'd argue it remains one of the top five parks globally.

Even if you limit to Universal – Japan was 2001, Singapore was 2010, and Beijing was 2021.

Shanghai Disneyland was 2016. Probably the largest park in the past decade, maybe even since IOA.

I was mainly talking about North America since 95% of us live here and haven’t been elsewhere.

My mistake. I thought we were talking about all the parks in the Universe.

Even so, Hard Rock Park opened in 2008, and I haven’t heard anyone describe it as half-baked. (The business plan might have been half-baked, but I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about.)

HRP was half baked, a rock and roll park that didn’t have enough live entertainment and a pretty anemic attraction lineup up other then the B&M.

I stand corrected. One person has called it half-baked.

Touchdown:

a pretty anemic attraction lineup up other then the B&M.

I just wanted the dark ride credit. 😔

I liked Hard Rock Park. It needed more trees – and for that matter guests – but the principle was sound. I rather suspect that if they'd built it in a less asinine location it would still be operating today.

wahoo skipper:

Not that I'm rushing past Epic Universe, but it is probably going to be a while until we see the next big park unless Disney kicks things into higher gear.

This new Universal park might expedite that from Disney maybe??

Richard Bannister:

but the principle was sound

That’s what hard rock means.

Richard Bannister:

a less asinine location

Meaning, not Myrtle Beach, or not the site of a former strip mall and ice skating theater by the interstate?

(The answer might be “yes” and “yes.”)