How Were Epic’s Crowds in Month Two?
Okay, we’ve officially entered the “for happily ever after” phase of Universal Epic Universe.
Now that the park has debuted, Universal Orlando Resort has enjoyed its happy ending.
The hard part begins now, as Epic Universe begins the rest of its existence.
Coincidentally or not, Universal officials are already hinting at expansion.
Photo: Universal
Business has been really good, though. We’re about to find out how good, though.
Here are the average wait times at Epic Universe during its second month in operation.
The Wait Times at Berk
Photo: Universal
Once again, we’ll begin with How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk.
This park’s timing couldn’t have been better, what with the movie remake debuting in theaters in May.
Now, you can watch How to Train Your Dragon in live action on digital right…and you should do that!
Attractins Magazine
You can purchase it on services like Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and the Apple Store.
Alternatively, you can wait a few more weeks and catch it on Peacock. The point is that this franchise is hot.
Photo: Universal
Has that impacted the park crowds? We really won’t know for several months, but I’m inclined to say yes.
Here are the themed land’s average wait times last week:
- Meet Toothless and Friends – 83 minutes, up 5
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – 76 minutes, up 1
- Fyre Drill – 74 minutes, up 11
- Dragon Racer’s Rally – 52 minutes, up 4
So, that’s a bit of a surprise in that you’d expect the park’s second month to have lower wait times.
Of course, Epic’s plan during the first few days was to charge guests more in exchange for smaller crowds.
Attractins Magazine
From that perspective, the wait time increases make sense. Was this the cast at the other rides? Let’s find out!
The Wait Times at Dark Universe
Everyone’s gonna have a favorite themed land at Epic Universe.
Image: Universal
Even as someone with dozens of pieces of Toothless merchandise and a Switch 2, I’m a Dark Universe evangelist.
This place is like a Lon Chaney movie come to life. I realize you probably don’t know what it means.
Universal
But I used to run a movie website steeped with Tinseltown history, and Universal Classic Monsters are my jam.
So, I’m encouraging everyone to spend as much time as possible at Dark Universe.
Universal
Did people listen to me? Here are the average wait times at Darkmoor Village over the last month:
- Curse of the Werewolf – 60 minutes, up 3
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – 32 minutes, down 3
Up continues to be down here as the more exciting ride, Monsters Unchained, requires half the wait.
Folks, with no disrespect intended to Curse of the Werewolf, if you’re spending an hour here, just ride Monsters Unchained twice.
Thrill Geek
This ride’s a masterpiece, and I’m a bit unclear why its wait times are among the lowest at the park.
I mean, I know that the throughput on this attraction is phenomenal, but it’s also just not as popular as expected.
The Wait Times at the Ministry of Magic
At this point, can we even have a Universal Studios theme park without a Harry Potter Land?
Universal
I think not, and Universal seems to agree. Here are the average wait times at the Ministry of Magic in month two:
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry – 129 minutes, down 10
That’s right. We’re only checking one attraction here, as Le Cirque Arcanus is on a schedule.
As for Battle at the Ministry, its uptimes are acceptable now, and its wait time has come down.
Comcast
So, we’re trending in the right direction here, which is what we need to see.
I didn’t want to sound panicky, but those early sneak previews of Ministry of Magic had me freaked out.
This ride’s downtime issues were unacceptable. I’m delighted that Universal officials have addressed the problem.
The Wait Times at Super Nintendo World
Universal
Then, we have the people’s choice of Epic Universe themed lands, the one we craved for years.
I vividly recall the excitement when I wrote about Universal Studios Japan’s version of Super Nintendo World.
Photo: gameintime.com
Then, East Coast fans expressed our jealousy when the Universal Studios Hollywood version debuted.
Now, we finally have our own, and we’re savoring every second of it. Here are the land’s average wait times:
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – 137 minutes, up 16
- Mine-Cart Madness – 99 minutes, up 5
- Yoshi’s Adventure – 60 minutes, up 8
Photo: Theme Park Insider
So, yeah, people are voting with their free time, and it’s clear that Super Nintendo World is a blockbuster.
The Other Wait Times
Universal
Finally, we have the park’s other two attractions, ones that possess original concepts.
Hey, did you know that Universal Studios rides could have original concepts?
Attraction Insight
Well, they can, and people are obviously thrilled, as demonstrated by their average wait times:
- Stardust Racers – 60 minutes, up 11 minutes
- Constellation Carousel – 21 minutes, down 4
So, that’s nine rides that required an average wait of at least an hour at Epic Universe.
Presumably, that length of wait times will gradually diminish over time, but it’s a lot right now.
In fact, the average Epic Universe attraction required a wait of 74 minutes during the park’s second month.
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Feature Photo: Today Show
