We are just days away from the highly anticipated grand opening of Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park, Epic Universe. As the clock ticks down to May 22, guests lucky enough to attend the Annual Passholder previews are already getting their first taste of what the park has to offer. With five immersive lands, a brand-new suite of attractions, and three new resort hotels, Universal is banking on Epic Universe being a game-changer for the theme park industry.
Related: Universal’s Dark Universe Just Leveled Up — Should Disney Be Worried?
Guests exploring the park during previews have been treated to early access to lands like SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. Others have raved about the stunning visuals of Celestial Park and the unique theming of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. Attractions are opening, rides are running, and team members are hard at work smoothing out the final details before opening day.
But even as guests marvel at the scale and scope of Epic Universe, not every moment has gone according to plan.
Celestial Park, one of the park’s signature lands, offers some of the most beautiful sights in the entire resort. From lush landscaping and tree-lined paths to dancing fountains and sweeping architectural designs, the area is a visual masterpiece. It also features shopping, dining, sweet treats, and one of the most talked-about rides in the park: Stardust Racers.
This dual-launch coaster is already being compared to the Universal classic Dragon Challenge, which closed in 2017 and was replaced with Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure. Hitting speeds of up to 62 miles per hour and reaching heights of 133 feet, the ride includes a unique “Celestial Spin” where two coaster trains appear to crisscross in mid-air.
Unfortunately, the thrill came to an abrupt halt for some guests when the coaster was forced to shut down due to behavior that some say could have easily been avoided.
Related: Chaos at Epic Universe as Hotel Suites Flood, Guests Left Frustrated
A Reddit user by the name of Several_Teach_6879 shared their experience in a thread that quickly gained attention from the theme park community.
Today I waited 45 minutes for stardust. On the first booster, both vehicles came to a screeching halt. We were there for around 25 minutes before a TM came and checks that everybody is wearing shoes. Two women towards the middle of the yellow train literally took their flip-flops off. Is it likely these people were expelled from the park? I really hope so… Some people have no common sense anymore.
Idiot takes her shoes off on stardust
byu/Several_Teach_6879 inUniversalOrlando
Reactions poured in quickly. Most commenters agreed that taking off shoes on a roller coaster not only violates safety guidelines but could also result in significant ride delays and even endanger guests if an evacuation is necessary.
One user explained why this is such a serious issue:
As someone who works at another theme park relatively close to Orlando as a ride operator, you HAVE to have shoes on a roller coaster. If we need to escort you off of the coaster at a far point, and you don’t have shoes on, you will cut your feet on the catwalks next to the coaster. They’re designed for safety, not for comfort. So please, wear secure shoes to a theme park so you can wear them on all the rides. We will not let you ride my roller coaster I work at without shoes.
Some suggested that the team members should have caught the footwear issue earlier, going so far as to say guests should not be allowed to wear flip-flops. One commenter wrote:
Honestly if I was you I would be more upset with Universal than the 2 women. People can just be oblivious to their surroundings, and people that don’t usually go to theme parks and ride roller coasters just don’t think about these things a lot of the time. The attendant at the entrance to the ride shouldn’t have allowed them to join the line wearing flip flops and the ride operators DEFINITELY shouldn’t have allowed them to get on the ride either. I have no idea how they then figured it out after the train was dispatched, unless another guest noticed and said something? It also doesn’t make any sense that it would take them 25 minutes to come out to you because of this reason. Just seems like that team completely dropped the ball. Did they compensate you for the loss of time with a one-time express pass or something? If not, you should have gone to customer service. They would have definitely given you at least that to make up for the loss of time.
In a follow-up comment, the OP (Original Poster) noted that the women were actually sitting on their flip-flops during the ride. When the train stopped, they rushed to put them back on. That detail left some wondering if they were aware they were breaking a rule or simply made a poor choice in the moment.
Thankfully, the ride downtime didn’t last long, and other riders were reportedly given Express Passes to help make up for the unexpected delay.
As Epic Universe prepares to officially welcome the world on May 22, moments like this highlight just how important it is for guests to respect safety rules and follow cast member instructions. Doing so not only helps operations run smoothly, but it ensures everyone can enjoy the magic without unnecessary disruptions.
What do you think about how Universal handled the situation? Should flip-flops be banned from coasters altogether? Or should team members do more to enforce policies before guests board? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
