Believe the advertising campaign: Epic Universe, the first major new theme park to open in central Florida in 26 years, lives until its name and then some.
Honestly, I’m as shocked as you are.
But the epic was really my journey, since I spent two days in the epic universe as part of the “technical rehearsals”, a soft opening type. When its debut on May 22, the estimated property of $ 7 billion will have to limit the gap between the Universal Orlando Resort, the Long the Challenger on the $ 92.5 billion market in Orlando and the Walt Disney World, which dominated its 1971 dollars.
Epic Universe, eight years in construction and launching more than 100 acres, represents a dramatic development for Universal and in some ways the American theme parks. It is more interactive, a reflection of consumer persistence with immediate satisfaction and personalization. It is also more impressive, with a layer on the narrative layer from the front gates in the most remote corner. The subject extends far beyond the walks to include things such as music, smells, embellishment, food, cutlery, staff uniforms and even toilets (black in an area dedicated to cinematic monsters).
The Epic Universe will use a face recognition system at the Plaza entrance: it is no longer confused with tickets or digital fingerprints. The goal is to accelerate the entrance. Facial recognition will also be used for cabinets and in Express strips for walks.
Single -day adult tickets start at $ 139 and reach $ 199 during peak holidays. Explicit access to walks costs an additional $ 130 to $ 330 per person.
Epic Universe also has an unusual layout. There are some stores at the entrance. But guests are not undergoing the usual avenue of the tchotchkes stores. Instead, you immediately enter a huge area of the real park: trees, flowers, grass, trails, circular “tide pools”. This section, Celestial Park, also features a Bellagio dance fountains, with some jet aircraft reaching 135 feet in the air. Four bars on foot. a smattering of restaurants; And the concierge kiosks for phone charging, wardrobe rental, information and maybe a band-aid.
“We wanted to put the park back into the theme park,” Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Distics & Experiences, told me as we were in a view. Part of the goal is to slow down and make the epic universe feel like less crazy dash from walk to walk.
Tunnels called Portals connect the celestial park with four areas – essentially mini theme parks with walks, shops, restaurants, characters and interactive games. An area, Isle of Berk, is based on the franchise “How to Train Your Dragon”. Another, Dark Universe, hosts classic Ogres like Frankenstein’s monster. “Harry Potter” takes a gate, as are the characters from Nintendo’s games.
Universal hopes that with the addition of the park, families will see the Universal Orlando Resort as a weekly destination and not just one or two days on a Disney vacation. (Universal Orlando will consist of four parks and 11 hotels.)
But the magnetic poles in Orlando are not going to be reversed: Disney, which attracts about 50 million visitors a year to Florida parks, is very strong for childhood. Also, Disney World remains comparative colossal consisting of six parks and more than 25 hotels. Disney, which recently announced the summer deals, also has new walks on the road.
Universal has a history of rocky openings.
Among the fans of the theme park, the company still remembers its arrival in 1990 in central Florida. Long walks are dysfunction on the start day. And in 2010, when it opened the world of Harry Potter’s Wizarding, an addition of 20 acres to an older park, there was six hours waiting only to get into the gate.
Universal seems to leave nothing to chance this time, hence the long soft opening. I’m not sure about controlling the crowd in these tunnels. They are so cool that Selfie congestion are obliged to happen.
Here, a guide for what you can expect:
Celestial park
Celestial Park is designed as the “secular heart” of Epic Universe’s experience and its decorative architecture was inspired by World Expo’s designs from the 1800s. It includes a real hotel, the luxurious Helios Grand, which emerges at one end. Rooms start at $ 490 and provide instant access: just walk out of the front door and start driving.
In the evenings, Celestial Park will have fireworks and bright looks. Universal says there are seven million individual programmable LED lights integrated into the area. (Evening screens don’t run the days I was there.)
Constellation Carousel, a new twist into a classic, sits between tide pools under a blue glass dome. On the one hand it launches Stardust runners, a double -launch adventure that hits 62 miles / hour and aims to make you feel like driving a comet. (Maybe we don’t jump the first thing in the morning as I did.)
Dark universe
Of all the gates, Universal was the most sure of it. Classic movie monsters? Like, since the 1930s?
Perhaps overly compensation, the company created an extremely attractive route called Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. After making your way through a prerequisite Frankenstein Manor, which is exhausted with bright blue electric lines, you leave on vehicles connected by robotic weapons and zooming through catacombs where experiments have passed scary.
Cut into an uprising of the outraged monsters such as Wolf Man, mummy and creature from the black lagoon. The route combines digital effects with natural sets and animatronic figures, including a nine -foot Frankenstein monster of Frankenstein and can walk. There are also flying Draculas. (Yes, plural.) The route is intended for the Hall of Fame theme. It’s so good.
Dark Universe is full of characters like the invisible man and Ygor, who has a suitcase full of bloody edges. A beauty salon offers a monster makeup ($ 45 for face color, $ 169 if you want a full suit).
Super Nintendo World
This colorful and kinetic area was full, with families running maniacally through obstacles to collect digital coins using a Power-up zone ($ 42) and global application. It looked like they had the time of their lives.
It was too much for me, but I’m not a gamer. It was also 90 degrees and there are no shade trees in the front. This is the cost of such a strict position: since you are supposed to be in a game, anything that hinders this illusion. (Shelter under a bloating.)
The big ride here is Mario Kart: the challenge of Bowser, which includes a car race while wearing the head of reality. Vehicles have buttons that throw digital turtles shells – we hope that in the Bowser and the relevant evils and not in Mario and Princess Peach. I didn’t understand it at all the first time I drove, but I did better in a second attempt, almost doubled my score.
Berk island
This light land of the rough Vikings and the noisy dragons were my favorite, in part because it was the most unexpected. Gothi’s hut from “How to Train Your Dragon” is at the top of a faux mountain tower. The actual wooden ships navigate a frozen fjord. The stores sell eggs that hatch. A tavern serves Frosty Yaknog, which tastes like chocolate malt and cinnamon. A ride simulates the dragon flight, while a family -friendly adventure sinks and slides around the landscape.
“Be careful about Dragon Drool”, a voice embodies as you get out of it.
There are 31 Animatronic Dragons in Prowl here, including free lowland babies. Universal works in two dragons that will fly over the head using drone technology, at least one of which can breathe fire.
The ministry of magic
This is the Pièce de Résistance. Universal is already doing Harry Potter extremely well in his older parks. But this addition, on the 1920s theme of Paris, is the only Wizarding world that features two sets of movie: Harry Potter’s original blockbusters and the spinoff series “Fantastic Beasts”.
The Marquee route is a genuine mind fan called Harry Potter and the battle at the ministry, which uses a mixture of Catholic, Video and Animatronic vehicle technology to carry riders in the trial of half blood Witch Dolores Umbridge. Perhaps to offset her intense personality, the ride adds a new character, a elf called Higgledy.
The streaks for amateur witches and magicians were a hit for Universal in his oldest parks. Epic Universe gives interactive games a significant upgrade, adding lights and tactile effects (vibration). When connected to the Universal App, these sticks ($ 85) activate personalized messages and other rewards in interactive spelling points within the Magic ministry.
Food and goods
I already have a drawer full of old sticks at home, but I couldn’t resist to leave with a small trade. I got a stuffed Niffler ($ 59) from “Fantastic Beasts” and some bootees dragons ($ 29).
For my nephews.
However, I did myself in an excessive amount of epic diet of the universe. My favorites included the King Oyster Mushroom Ceviche in the Atlantic in the celestial park. Das Stakehaus, allegedly a hangout vampire (note the lack of garlic in menu elements), is served delicious “brain” yogurt with raspberry blood sauce.
The longest line I saw during my visit was on a stop on the Berk island served Mac and cheese at Hulking Bread “Cones”. They come with goldfish crackers or pulled pork with peanut bacon jam.
The Vikings are obviously not a diet.
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