When Universal Orlando announced previews for Epic Universe, fans were buzzing.
This was supposed to be Universal’s coming-out party, its chance to showcase a theme park that could finally rival Disney World on every level. But instead of a smooth, polished debut, Universal’s handling of these previews has been, well, pretty alarming.
At first, the plan sounded simple: Annual Passholders would get early access, giving the park a soft opening period to work out the kinks. That’s theme park 101, right? Let your most loyal fans in first, get some feedback, fine-tune the experience before the general public gets their shot. Except Universal didn’t stick to that plan.
Almost overnight, what started as an exclusive perk for Passholders became a free-for-all. Universal began offering general public previews, essentially adding more fuel to a fire that was already struggling to stay under control. The park couldn’t even manage the Passholder crowds. Throwing in additional ticketed guests? That only made things worse.
What followed was chaos: long lines, attractions constantly breaking down, confused guests, and a sense of frustration that spread like wildfire across social media. Instead of celebrating what could be the most immersive theme park ever built, guests were left venting about the hours they wasted in line for rides that either broke down or never reopened.
And let’s be honest—it didn’t have to be this way. Universal could have—and should have—limited the previews to a more manageable capacity, focusing on getting operations right before opening the floodgates. Instead, they let the marketing hype get ahead of reality, and guests paid the price.
For a park that’s aiming to challenge Disney, this is not the first impression you want. If Universal wants Epic Universe to truly live up to its potential, it needs to start by listening to its guests—and learning from these preview missteps.
