Universal Confirms Epic Universe Isn’t at Full Capacity Yet — And It’s All Part of the Plan

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Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park has generated huge excitement and positive feedback since its opening, becoming one of the most talked-about park launches in recent memory. However, Universal recently revealed that the park isn’t currently operating with all of its planned attractions and features fully open to the public.

As a huge Universal fan, I was listening to Comcast’s latest earnings call, and the CFO, Jason Armstrong, basically confirmed what a lot of us have suspected! He said they’ve been deliberately limiting how many people they let into the parks and how quickly the rides are running. It all makes sense now why they haven’t started selling annual passes to Florida residents yet – they’re still figuring things out and managing the crowds as they get everything fully up and running.

We’ve been deliberately taking things slow to ensure everything works perfectly. We plan to significantly expand things in the coming months, Armstrong explained.

Basically, Universal is saying that if you’re already excited about Epic Universe, there’s even more to come that you haven’t seen yet.

A Deliberate Slow Burn

Armstrong described Universal’s approach simply: they didn’t want to open a brand-new theme park at full speed. Instead, they’re gradually increasing operations—getting staff fully trained, perfecting their high-tech systems, and making sure guests have an amazing experience.

We’re currently working to get more rides operating at full speed,” he explained. “As a new and high-tech park, we’re still resolving staffing issues and ironing out some initial problems to reach our maximum potential.

Epic Universe opened with several new features, including virtual queues, unique entry portals, detailed animatronics throughout the park, and a new transportation system connecting it to other Universal Orlando hotels and parks. It’s natural for a park with so many advanced elements to take time to run perfectly, and Universal understands this.

It’s becoming more and more popular for theme parks and similar attractions to open in stages, but very few have done it as extensively as this.

The Market Reaction? Stronger Than Expected

Smaller or recently opened parks may find it hard to limit the number of visitors, but Universal’s strong reputation and the high demand from eager guests mean people are booking visits regardless – and they’re spending more time enjoying everything the resort has to offer.

Armstrong explained that the aim of Epic Universe isn’t simply to attract more visitors, but to encourage longer stays and get people visiting all of Universal’s parks.

“The idea was to have Epic head us toward a week-long vacation experience,” he said.

And crucially — Universal hasn’t seen the drop-off at its other parks that skeptics feared.

Armstrong mentioned they were pleased that the new park hadn’t significantly drawn visitors away from their other two parks, more than they anticipated.

This latest development is likely to get Disney’s notice. In the past, when Disney expanded in Orlando, it usually just moved visitors between its parks instead of attracting new ones. But this time, things are different.

Epic Universe isn’t just drawing crowds — it’s expanding the whole Universal ecosystem.

A Strategy That’s Working

Universal Destinations & Experiences saw an 18.7% increase in revenue compared to last year, proving Armstrong’s point. This careful, planned approach is a refreshing change in an industry where quickly launched attractions have often led to problems and high costs.

Universal didn’t simply create another theme park; they designed a major, lasting attraction intended to redefine vacations in Orlando. And they’re approaching its rollout as a sustained effort, not a quick push.

I have to say, I really respect Universal’s boldness. Limiting how many people can visit one of the most popular places in the country? That tells me they’re incredibly confident in what they’re offering, and they believe it’s so good, people will still want to come, even with restrictions. It’s a powerful statement, really.

Over the past ten years, Disney sometimes launched projects before they were fully completed, accepting criticism as a result. Universal is taking a different approach: they’re prioritizing a polished final product before considering further expansion.

People are already incredibly excited about Epic Universe, and it’s amazing to think it’s still not operating at its full potential.

Buckle up — the next phase of the Epic Universe Capacity story is going to be wild.

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2025-10-30 21:57