I got to go to Epic in January for the first time. It was an unexpected add-on to another trip in the area and decided to just add another week so we could spend some time at Universal instead of trying to go back in the fall (which now wife and I might end up doing anyways).
I remember when I first moved to Orlando in 1992 going to Universal Studios Florida and loving every minute of it. Of course, that was a different park in those days and my memories are filled with Jaws and Back to the Future, Earthquake and Kongfrontation, Beetlejuice and Ghostbuster, Hanna-Barbara and Nickelodeon with the studio tour. It's probably when I fell in love with theme parks (I'd gone to Disneyland a couple of times as I was born in the Los Angeles area, but this is one of my first vivid memories of theme parks).
Growing up in the area, we didn't get to go to the parks a lot, but it was always on the periphery of our lives based on our location (minutes down the road from Universal). I remember in 5th grade we had a parent of a classmate come in and talk about the future of Universal Studios and building out Citywalk and Islands of Adventure (this was around 1996 or so). Four years later, I went to Islands of Adventure for the first time and saw the evolution of theme parks and loved every bit of it. Marvel Super Hero Island filled my geeky heart with joy, Toon Lagoon was a comfort area for me, and Lost Continent blew my mind away.
I went to school across the street from Universal and it was my backdrop of my teenager years. Finally, I got to work there for a decade and it launched my career in a direction I never imagined. I've been able to take my wife and boys probably four or five times now and share with them my love of theme parks.
All of that to say that Epic Universe was an interesting experience for me because I had to watch it from afar. I grew up in the industry and had visited some of the best parks in the world as a result of it. I could truly see the evolution of theme parks over the decades and Epic Universe was the next step in that journey. Stepping foot in, it felt like someone at Universal Creative said 'let's go make Tokyo Disneysea, but in Orlando' and it showed in so many of the decisions. Could there have been more rides? Of course and I think that will come with time. It felt like a park for adults, it felt like a love letter to the industry, and it felt like as close to all that is possible in a theme park.
My wife and I spent a couple of nights in the park as well and that's when the park just comes alive. The lights and the atmosphere make this a completely different experience. The Dark Monsters section is one that is nice during the daytime, but at night is where it really shines. The Harry Potter section -- while the ride to me is a dud -- is one where the atmosphere just is jaw dropping, especially coming from seeing Hogsmeade before it first opened and while stunning, you can feel the space constraints. Isle of Berk was my surprise of the trip because it was so much fun and felt like it wasn't constrained by thought.
There's more to do there. More rides, of course. More entertainment. One of the things that I would love to see are characters in spaces like Harry Potter that are wizards, going about their days, disappearing into many of the different facades. Make it feel lived in, alive, and it would go to the next level. For some, they'd be just as happy in line for a ride as they would watching the street entertainment around them, but not making it feel like a timed thing, but characters just going about their day in a way that truly elevates the experience (though having some in line would be a nice bonus and make you feel like you're seeing something unique).
There's still so much to come for Epic, I feel, and I can't wait to see it evolve over it's first decade (if the economy allows it to).