As if foretold by the stars, it has arrived… the first major theme park in the U.S. in nearly a quarter of a century is here. Universal Epic Universe is meant to be the park that finally shifts the gravity in Central Florida for good, establishing Universal’s now three-park, eleven-hotel property as more than a side trip from Disney World, but a destination in its own right. Epic Universe brings with it big brands, big attractions, and a 21st century mindset that has otherwise come to Disney and Universal as piecemeal, land-sized expansions; never as an all-at-once new gate with the all the ambition and audacity of a greenfield project.
But now, it exists. And that’s the first step to get where we theme park fans really want to end up: “armchair Imagineering.” It’s a time honored tradition to basically throw away the rules, budgets, and realities that confine the actual park and begin to imagine what you’d do if you were in charge. And with a fresh park to play with, we have quite a bit of room to work our way toward a full, imagined “build-out” of what Epic Universe could be…
Continue reading “Expanding Epic Universe, Part I: An Armchair-Imagineered Build-Out of Universal Orlando’s Cosmic Theme Park”
