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Super excited for this. As I've mentioned before, my kids are already bigger fans of Universal than Disney, so there's no question we'll be getting a family vacation together when Epic Universe opens.

As a horror fan, there's no surprise that I'm looking forward to the Universal monsters section the most. But all the lands are exciting to me, and Starfall Racers was a big (and welcome) surprise. What a gift for fans who were mourning the loss of Dueling Dragons!

I think one of the most surprising aspects of the announcement to me, however, was Celestial Park itself. While I'm sure most of the attention in the upcoming months will be on the big attractions, the fact that Universal spent so much attention on the theming of the hub just shows their commitment to detail. And a carousel? I wouldn't have dreamed that a big-attraction theme park would showcase a carousel as an attraction, but I love that they went for it. Seems like a perfect fit for the area.

Looking forward to see how Disney steps up their game. It's been interesting to see how Disney has slowly been inching their way towards capturing an older crowd with their new coasters, while Universal has been inching their way towards capturing the younger crowd. So far Universal definitely seems to be winning the race to attract the wider age range.

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Agreed that Celestial Park is much more than a cursory gateway to the other lands. It really looks immersive and lush and should set the tone nicely. Also that’s not going to be a typical carousel. And the carousel building! Just beautiful.

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I have a co-worker that wants to like Universal parks, but he can't fit into most of their top rides. But he can fit into most of the Disney rides. It was an aspect that I never thought of. I wanted to add it here for people who work in this industry to keep in mind.

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Good point.

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"Epic" appears to be an appropriate name for this park.

My only problem, and it's my issue with all of the Universal parks, is that my wife doesn't like thrill rides, and now due to some newer disblilties she can't ride them. We last went in 2011 (just to IoA) and she only did 1 attraction. So we will always be Disney people.

But Universal is really killing it (I'm sure we'll bite the bullet and visit at some point) and I hope it lights a fire under the mouse.

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Universal definitely amps up the thrills. Hopefully there will be some compelling things to do and see for folks who want toned-down experiences.

As for lighting a fire, Disney says it will spend $17 billion at Disney World over the next 10 years. Stay tuned!

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