The day we are going the Tuesday the 25th the crowd level prediction dropped from a 9 to a 3. We can not reply to the email so I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this…..seems way to low.
Thanks Chris
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I just received a big drop for late February. From 5/6 to 2/3 crowd levels.
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TP just did a big Crowd Calelndar update. Here’s the article.
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One future tweak, and you won’t have any data on this.
But at the start of next year, people’s parkhopper tickets will include hopping to Epic
Because of that, 1/3/26 being a 2 for Epic and 6/7 for the other two parks doesn’t seem reasonable.
I can see a bit of that since people with AP’s won’t have access to Epic outside of dated tickets. But the difference seems a but much.
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I agree this is going to be the big question mark, especially how it relates to crowd levels in the evening (historically waits have tapered as guests leave Epic – but in 2026 this will be offset by guests hopping from IoA / USF).
As it relates to Epic, TP addresses the reason for the lower CLs on certain dates:
Bottom line for Universal guests: If your USF/IOA dates dropped a level, that’s the new-capacity effect peeking through. If they held or rose, you’re likely sitting on an event window, weekend clustering, or a period where new demand outweighs the relief.
So it will really come down to whether more people are coming to UOR and / or spending more time there to see Epic or whether having a third park is redistributing the same number of guests over more attractions. The million dollar question.
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And I’ll be there at the start of the change. So, guinea pig.
My hope is that the general public, being not as tuned into park news as we are, will take some time to notice the change. Then you have that many people can’t add a trip for early January about a couple of months in advance, since the news was just recently broke.
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I’ll be there in Jan too. I’m still waiting for the Jan hours to be posted so I can start to plan around some of the things @Jeff_AZ notes with evening times etc.
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Previously Epic was a 9 that day. I feel like there is no way it’s going to be a 2: Saturday of a holiday weekend and all. I had made a TP for that day (when it was a 9) and the times with it being a 2 now seem impossibly low. We have 4 day park hoppers and 4 days of express to use, so Epic better not be a 2 those 4 days. 
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I was just about to post about this too. Our trip the week before Christmas (12/16 - 12/21) also had major CL changes down. I am not sure if I should trust it because all I hear is the nightmarish crowds and wait times. It makes it hard to use a TP if its going to be highly improbable.
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I think we have to accept that there just isn’t yet enough data about EPIC for predictions to be reliable. So the key right now is not to spend time waiting for underwhelming attractions.
For what it’s worth, we were there 3 weeks ago (predicted as a 6) and did almost everything we wanted to. My (entirely anecdotal and subjective) advice is to either start with BATM or do it late afternoon single rider.
We RD’d Mario Kart early entry and it was, for us, a mistake. The technology is innovative, but that doesn’t actually make it any more fun as a ride experience than say Buzz or Midway Mania. Fine, but not worth the wait, even at that time of day. The same is true of Minecart Madness which is a great design but a poor ride. It’s actually more fun to watch than to do.
BATM is really something, though, and is worth prioritising. It wasn’t ‘officially’ open, (hence our choice to do Mario Kart) but I later learned that it had opened early and that seems to happen so regularly that it’s worth the gamble. It is one of only 3 rides in the park that I would consider RD worthy and the other 2 (Frankenstein and Stardust Racers) don’t need to be RD’d. Frankenstein just isn’t attracting people in the really big numbers - (I don’t know why, it’s terrific) and Stardust Racers absolutely eats crowds. We rode it 3 times and never waited more than 35 mins, even in the middle of the day.
If coasters are important to you (as they are for us) do Hiccup’s and Werewolf first. They’re decent rides, but Stardust Racers makes both of them feel like the Barnstormer.
So I’d go BATM, Hiccup’s, Werewolf, Frankenstein, Stardust Racers then the shows (which are both very good). Pick up the remaining attractions in the late afternoon/early evening as you feel, but don’t expend more of your day than is absolutely necessary in Mario land. The theming is extraordinarily good but the attractions themselves (again IMO) are just OK.
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This is excellent. Bookmarked. Thank you for writing this out!
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Great feedback! Overall did you feel that going to Epic was worth it? Did it feel crowded while you walked around?
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Worth it? Absolutely. It’s a beautiful park, the theming is excellent and there are 3 attractions (Ministry, Frankenstein and Racers) which are top tier.
The attractions are busy, no doubt, so average wait times are high, and the lands through each portal were pretty crowded, but the park itself has that huge open central space which always seemed quiet.
The issue, of course, is that there just aren’t enough attractions yet. However, it’s well worth a visit.
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I get this perspective but I will offer the counterpoint.
- Kids love this type of thing! Interactivity in an ADHD world is a huge draw. Consider whether it should be a priority for your family depending on personalities and interests.
- You may want to ride this multiple times. I was not as impressed after the first ride as I became after subsequent re-rides. The first experience is extremely clunky and disorienting. It would help to watch some videos on how you hook into the helmet and what you’re supposed to do during the ride, if you’re ok seeing spoilers. In order to ride multiple times, you may need to rope drop + EP or late night.
- The experience is really cool once you get the hang of it. Not the best ride by a long shot, but definitely unique and worthwhile.
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That’s fair comment - it’s a totally subjective assessment and I’m sure I will re-ride it if/when (when) we go back.
But for us (kids are 16,14 and 10) it was underwhelming and the wrong choice for our early entry hour.
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