How Were the November Crowds at Epic Universe?
Universal Epic Universe is currently hosting its first holiday season.
The newest park at Universal Orlando Resort opened on Memorial Day Weekend.
Universal
So, I’m obviously not saying it’s never had a holiday before now.
No, I’m referencing the fact that November and December work differently in Orlando.
Today Show
Universal and its business rival, Walt Disney World, go big for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Right now, Epic Universe attractions are draped in Yuletide decorations for the first time ever.
Image: Universal Pictures
So, is the holiday season attracting more tourists?
Let’s find out how the November crowds were at Epic Universe.
The Wait Times at Berk
Photo: Universal
We didn’t know ahead of time how the world of Berk would look during the holiday season.
After all, none of the movies are set around Christmas, probably because of Viking lore.
Image: Universal Studios
Still, this feels like a growth opportunity for Epic officials as they make Berk even more unique.
How will the Vikings celebrate the holiday season? Well, they’re mainly celebrating Snoggletog.
Photo: Universal
What’s Snoggletog? I’m not quite sure, as there’s a wooden Christmas tree, and that’s about all.
That’s okay, though! Remember that the park still has that new car smell.
Photo: Universal
So, there’s no need to overdo the decorations and whatnot, especially at the highly themed lands.
Berk and Dark Universe are at the top of the list of the ones that don’t really need holiday décor.
Photo: Universal
Anyway, here are Berk’s average wait times during the past month:
- Meet Toothless and Friends – 89 minutes, down 3
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – 57 minutes, down 14
- Dragon Racer’s Rally – 47 minutes, down 3
- Fyre Drill – 27 minutes, down 12
Attractins Magazine
Okay, I’ve got a couple of notes here. The first is that we’re evaluating wait times in November.
Even in Central Florida, Fyre Drill won’t be a popular ride in November. It’s like a mini-Polar Bear Plunge.
Epic
Also, I am expecting all the attractions to go down a bit gradually over time.
That’s just the natural course of an entirely new theme park or even just a new attraction.
Epic
Over time, the appeal diminishes once people have experienced everything.
Thus, the decline of wait times in Berk isn’t a surprise. But is it a parkwide trend? Let’s find out!
The Wait Times at Dark Universe
Image: Universal
Again, this isn’t a themed land that SHOULD do much for Christmas.
You’ll never see Dr. Frankenstein wearing a Santa Claus hat in the movies.
Image: Universal
So, why should that happen at Epic Universe? Park officials know this and have planned accordingly.
Still, you WILL find a Christmas tree here, which somehow makes the place even more unsettling.
Image: Universal
Overall, Dark Universe has been business as usual despite the arrival of the holiday season.
How are the crowds? Let’s quickly take a look at Dark Universe’s attractions:
- Curse of the Werewolf – 59 minutes, down 4
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – 29 minutes, down 5
Image: Universal
Okay, so the drop does appear to be park wide, at least based on the data we have so far.
Of course, we’re not quite halfway through all the attractions at Epic Universe. So, let’s keep going.
The Wait Times at the Ministry of Magic
Universal
Okay, finally, we have a place that is decorated for the holidays!
Universal knows that the holiday season is a thing in the world of Harry Potter.
Comcast
So, the decorations here, while modest in the first year, are the park’s holiday highlight.
You’ll definitely want to stop by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during your holiday visit.
Universal
How were the crowds, though? Well, we only have one attraction to track, and it’s the big one.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry averaged a wait of 127 minutes. Remarkably, that’s 37 minutes less than last time. It’s still outrageously high, but it’s…better.
The Wait Times at Super Nintendo World
Universal
I’d argue that Super Nintendo World is a place where Team Members can and should decorate the place.
We’ve all played snowy levels on Nintendo games. So, there’s a lot of opportunities available here.
Still, something we should keep in mind is that these attractions are still just six months old.
Therefore, park officials aren’t in a hurry to overwhelm the system by adding more new content.
Universal
As such, fans of holiday decorations should hang out at Potterland.
Alternatively, you should go to Universal’s Islands of Adventure, the home to Seuss Landing.
Universal
Super Nintendo World isn’t quite ready to dip its toes into the holiday season just yet.
Here are the average wait times at the wildly popular attractions here, though:
- Mine-Kart Madness – 122 minutes, down 17
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – 94 minutes, down 8
- Yoshi’s Adventure – 57 minutes, up 3
You should take Mine-Kart Madness as good news. Nobody wants to wait two hours for a ride.
We’ve all expected the waits at Epic Universe to improve gradually over time.
Universal
Now, we’re finally starting to track signs of it at the park!
The Other Wait Times
Universal
Finally, we have the two attractions at Celestial Park. Here are their average waits:
- Stardust Racers – 37 minutes, down 1
- Constellation Carousel – 24 minutes, up 1
So, that’s exactly ONE attraction at the park whose wait time increased from October to November.
Attraction Insight
You shouldn’t expect that same behavior next year, which explains why year one is so fascinating.
Standard theme park behavior and rules don’t apply for the time being.
Photo: Universal
We’ll probably monitor oddities from now through next Memorial Day Weekend.
After that, we should have some semblance of normalcy as the park reaches a standing pattern.
Universal
Still, for the past month, Epic Universe was undeniably down overall.
The attractions here averaged a wait of 64 minutes, which is eight minutes less than last time.
Universal
Alas, the park’s crowds WILL increase in December due to the rush of the holiday season.
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Feature Photo: Universal
