Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
Yoshi is not liked at all
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Now Open!
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
eddie104
Well-Known Member
It’s merch sales and wait times say otherwise.Yoshi is not liked at all
dmc493
Well-Known Member
Wait times in this park aren’t really indicative of popularity. Monsters has low waits. It’s wildly popular but it’s also people eater
And there lies the issue with this park…it has a capacity issue…. The filler rides should not have longer lines then the major E- tickets
eddie104
Well-Known Member
It’s crowds as well.
Yoshi is an extremely popular character so people definitely want to ride the attraction.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
You’re preaching to the choir.
The park needed an Alice in Wonderland, ET, or Peter Pan’s Flight that are actually good, not Yoshi.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
Victim of its success, as its ops continue to improve and they relatively quickly start added expansions we will forget this was ever an issue.
It’s also new so people want to try everything.
Shanghai Disneyland had similar issues at opening, despite being equally terrific, but they’ve all faded into a distant memory.
By year 5 this park is going to be insane as long as they keep the streetmosphere.
eddie104
Well-Known Member
Nintendo was ultimately in control of how the attraction turned out.
Universal didn’t have much say.
Personally I think it balances out the rest of the rides in the land.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
It would if it was actually decent but it’s terrible bro.
I also think Nintendo’s insistence on “every ride being interactive” was really dumb and shortsighted, even though I love Mario Kart it should’ve focused exclusively on the sets with a racing segment like Radiator Springs Racers; but then they couldn’t make it a shooter ride I guess.
I make a point to do most of the Fantasyland rides at Disneyland. Storybook land is the weakest so if I skip something it’s a usually that, but Yoshi is worse than Storybook land yet has huge queues.
To me, it is truly the only total miss at Epic as far as rides go.
I have various complaints about various aspects of every ride there, but overall I adore the park.
Yoshi is only worthwhile for the land’s kinetics. I would ONLY ride it if it was a legitimate walk-on and probably at night when it isn’t sunny. It’s not even one and done it’s like Figment at EPCOT, never should’ve been built. Feels cheap and just not even good as a C-ticket.
Just a horrible experience. I’d rather be in Super Nintendo World observing it than queuing up to be strapped into a ride that small kids can’t even do.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Universal Creative was very much in charge of the design. Nintendo is not a situation like the Wizarding World where external art directors were sent to work on the project.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
I know Nintendo was pushing for interactivity though which was a problem.
And ofc Epic got a clone and didn’t have the budget to modify it in any scenario.
I just think a lack of restrooms in the Mushroom Kingdom’s second story, Mario Kart as a Radiator Springs Racers rival and not a shooter ride, and instead having a Luigi’s Mansion shooter ride, like Mystic Point scaled type of miniland, was an oversight.
Park is still the best in Orlando though. Tremendous growth opportunities and I’m so happy it’s a smashing success with imminent expansion on the way.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Interactivity was pushed by Universal because video games.
It’s the world’s most expensive theme park. They had the money. It was a deliberate choice to try and do another Hogsmead.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
Yes, but wasn’t there a directive from Nintendo themselves? I remember it discussed when Japan’s land was made that they were heavily involved in the experience aspect of the land’s design, and they were pushing for that.
Somethings worked out well, others, not so much.
I mean yes and no, they wanted to recreate the Potter effect, but it was also just cheaper to design it that way as a clone…
Nintendo could legitimately support its own theme park. It literally could, probably more so than any other franchise because it’s one of the biggest there is, but it’s really like calling all of Disney animation’s output “Disney.” It’s kind of broad, so there’s so many beloved and high-quality stories, worlds, and characters to pull from. I think it was a good idea to have SNW as like it’s own world so it basically can be its own mini-theme park, but I seriously question the logic in making Super Nintendo World as small as it was at Epic. Budget is the only logical explanation, as it was budget cut even more for a smaller track of land at Hollywood.
But I do know internally GSTAT scores wise Universal isn’t as happy with Mario Kart as they wanted to be. It’s not even that the ride isn’t good it’s just a mismatch for expectations.
Biggest budget ever doesn’t mean unlimited, though. Tokyo DisneySea adjusted for inflation was probably similar but it only opened with like 2 true headlining E-tickets, just two, and even with its stacked ride count today it pulls in 200+ minute waits for its most popular 5 rides. Epic just opened and is more fleshed out as is. The ride quality consistently is also impressive as every ride sort of is good for what it’s going for outside of Yoshi. Like sure they spent way too much on the Carousel and it’s not elite or anything (does more for the land around it sort of like Yoshi), but it at least is still a Carousel that’s in the shade with low waits. Opportunity cost Yoshi is just madness. Probably the worst quality to ride experience ratio there is. Slinky pushes it, but at least that’s a decent coaster.
While it means generally Universal Creative could spare no expense in designing, they didn’t have enough money to open with the Potter or Dark Universe E-tickets, for instance.
I think the priority frankly should’ve been to cut Yoshi and add a Spinner and Swings ride as a replacement in capacity to Celestial park and modify SNW to become larger on day one.
It’s so good atmospherically but too chaotic given its size, but that’s nitpicking, Epic is terrific.
Poseidon Quest
Well-Known Member
I don't know how reliable the claim is, but on a quick Google search, a common number for Disney Sea is around $2.1 billion. I just adjusted that for inflation and it seems to be about $3.9 billion today.
I believe that Comcast released the number for Epic at about $7 billion, but I heard through the grapevine that this number probably reflects the budget, rather than the actual reality of the cost, which inflated to somewhere over $10 billion.
Pizza Moon
Well-Known Member
While I believe DisneySea was closer to $4B adjusted for inflation, it also doesn’t factor in construction cost inflation which would push it closer to $6B, which tells you the bigger story. I think Sea’s original budget was closer to $3B and it didn’t have much infrastructure work since the land was already reclaimed and re-used TDL’s backstage facilities.
In any case, DisneySea got way more bang for their buck, it’s not close, but man has the ride line-up not being Castle park (ie. DLP) good from the start really hurt Sea for a long time. Particularly noticeable since the waits are so stupid at DisneySea, it’s not like it’s new either, but the park is just so good, so it makes sense that there’s too much demand for it.
DisneySea lacked rides opening day, not AK under built bad, but Epic doesn’t have a rides shortage at all, even for the various tweaks it should’ve had (like a swings ride in Celestial park, Yoshi actually done right, or opening with the second Potter ride), which is probably where the biggest budget difference went.
Though, people on here and online are complaining when I keep trying to remind them that it’s only been recently, like with Soaring and Fantasy Springs, that DisneySea would even have a ride line-up considered on Epic’s level. Yet still you have 200+ minute waits for DisneySea’s top 5 rides constantly which make Epic’s crowd complaints fair and genuine, but pretty silly. Shanghai was also crazy at first, let’s not forget.
And it’s not like Epic just spent money on rides, the lands are ridiculously well themed and massive-scaled like DisneySea, but DisneySea still feels like the better designed park big picture because it is, they’re was clearly an emphasis on getting everything right at both parks but DisneySea takes the cake in immersiveness.
More detail on MiraCosta over Helios makes it just feel like MiraCosta has been there for centuries, and just the theming around Venice I can’t even, and the hotel’s details once inside or the pool, it’s night and day.
Even the way each land flows into the next at DisneySea is just so natural, the integration even with the ocean into the park itself, it’s legitimately superb. Epic is going more for an EPCOT type of park where you’re “at the park” I feel (tho the portals are like mini-theme parks I guess), and I love the concept, but DisneySea man, the way it’s setup and laid out, there’s no way to describe it until you go. It’s a religious experience for a theme park fan, but I really do think that Epic is equal to it by and large. It is operating on a Galaxy’s Edge scale everywhere and attention to detail that’s noticeable, but it actually is done right.
It kind of just shows too that a modern take on Tokyo DisneySea or WestCott is totally possible because while it would require Disney to go all-out, it’s a realistic all-out. Shanghai Disneyland felt less impressive than Epic opening day if I’m being honest, but they both have no spared expense vibes to them and are good models and inspiration to draw from m for future theme parks. Both companies have shown they’re capable of delivering parks like this, though Shanghai’s budget was less than Epic even factoring in inflation, though to some degree I imagine it is cheaper to build in China than America.
But realistically DisneySea would probably be more like $6-7B today, and Epic Unverse included a lot of the complex’s costs, though I know there were major over-runs that they decided to just eat instead of cut (clearly the right move given the demand), which shouldn’t be part of the park’s budget if you’re comparing them 1:1 unless you’re trying to gauge a different metric like ROI.
I mean, Epic was basically a new resort in many respects, so it had a ton of costs for that reason too, but beyond that I feel like it was a prioritization between rides and not. At least a billion just for the difference there. I imagine DisneySea has spent upwards of $3 billion on expansions since the park opened. Soaring, TSM, Nemo, and Tower of Terror alone easily combined with Fantasy Springs would’ve pushed it past $3B, and I feel like today they’re pretty comparable in terms of rides. Sea may edge it out with FS, but it also doesn’t have any good coasters which is actually a problem for the park.
Do we know this for sure? It's obviously wildly well received by those who care to critique theme park attractions, but that doesn't prove it's wildly popular. Most people don't care about Universal's classic monsters.
Rich Brownn
Well-Known Member
People see the name Frankenstein and thats all they need. GSATs are very high, and there's always a mob going in
Nintendo was still the ultimate approver. And they are a nightmare to deal with.
rd805
Well-Known Member
Yoshi will be the biggest beneficiary of expansion. It is clearly designed to be a 15 minute or less wait-time type of experience. Should it have been plussed at creation? Obviously - but it was designed to be a family friendly offering and will serve it's purpose so much better when 2 more attractions are up and running in the park, and crowds can be evened out. If people weren't waiting an hour+, it would be one of those "aw, that was cute" when getting off the ride.