Celestial Park is the one one of many lands at Epic Universe not primarily based on mental property and has caught the eye of theme park followers because of this. There’s additionally the perpetual Common vs. Walt Disney World fan debate, and actuality that World Celebration is a simple comparability. For this and a number of other different causes mentioned right here, Celestial Park has grow to be probably the most polarizing ‘portal’ of Epic Universe, with opinions starting from it being an EPCOT killer to the park’s weakest hyperlink.
Let’s begin this assessment with a fast introduction to Celestial Park. Whether or not arriving at Epic Universe by means of the entrance entrance or Helios Grand Lodge, friends movement by means of Celestial Park to the left or proper of the water options that likewise movement from Luna, goddess of the moon, to Apollo, god of the solar. With acres of rolling gardens, chasing waterways and strolling pathways, Common Orlando has boasted that “Celestial Park places the ‘park’ again in ‘theme park.’”
Celestial Park options over two-dozen lush dwelling gardens nestled alongside shimmering waters surrounded by beautiful structure impressed by astronomical and mythological components. In response to Common, friends can loosen up in Celestial Park whereas taking within the sights and sounds round them, board a capturing comet for an exhilarating curler coaster journey, dine on delectable delicacies, store unique merchandise to commemorate their go to and extra.
Celestial Park’s seven acres of water the place a mess of fountains sway, dance – and even attain heights as much as 135 ft within the air – to music and interactive lighting from day to nighttime. Above all else, Celestial Park acts as a world between worlds, and is actually the hub by means of which friends enter the portal for every mental property-based land within the park. Consider it like Most important Avenue at Magic Kingdom or, extra aptly, World Celebration at EPCOT.
(Word: this was initially meant to be one subsection of our bigger Epic Universe theme park assessment, however it stored getting longer, so is being separated out to its personal standalone submit. For higher or worse, Celestial Park is probably the most thought-provoking land at Epic Universe, and the one deserving of the discourse.)
The unequivocal spotlight of Celestial Park is the fountain exhibits that play all through the day and night time.
To this point, these have occurred sporadically and never on a set schedule. Most of those are comparatively temporary, with the fountains dancing to background music in between the precise exhibits. There’s a full nighttime fountain present (or a number of?) that final ~quarter-hour, however I’ve solely managed to catch this from my room at Helios Grand Lodge.
Common has entry to an important suite of music from its movie franchises and past, and Epic Universe is not any totally different on this regard. A few of this will likely be misplaced on informal friends, as I’d think about the themes from Tremendous Mario Galaxy aren’t going to be immediately recognizable to all however probably the most hardcore Nintendo followers. However good music is sweet music, and these scores plus water plus lighting are an important combine.
As soon as the solar units, the present lighting in Celestial Park is improbable.
This complete space is an A/V geek’s dream, as this looks like the primary theme park space in Central Florida that’s designed with simply an absurd quantity of customizability. It’s spectacular the best way the lighting within the fountains, bulbs and in all places all through Celestial Park will be synchronized, modified concurrently and instantaneously.
Having an aerial view of this being programmed and examined from Helios Grand was actually fascinating–controlling this should be a ton of enjoyable, kinda like our Twinkly Christmas tree, however at a large scale. I’m undecided that high-tech wizardry all the time delivers the heat that makes these areas really feel inhabited, however it appears to be like actually cool, regardless.
Talking of cool, Celestial Park is the other of cool in the course of the day. That is one thing we coated at size in Why You Ought to Skip Epic Universe in 2025, so I don’t need to belabor the purpose, however Celestial Park is scorching.
For the entire bluster from Common about Celestial Park placing the “park” again in theme park, it positive doesn’t really feel that method while you’re really there, on the bottom. There aren’t any mature bushes or shade constructions of any type, however as a substitute, massive swaths of probably the most reflective pavement on earth. You possibly can really feel the warmth from each above and under, making it tough to spend time in Celestial Park in the course of the day.
All through my visits to Epic Universe (all days that weren’t even all that scorching or humid), I’ve seldom seen greater than a handful of friends in Celestial Park in the course of the day other than these going from level A to B. It’s all the time been a veritable ghost city, and for good motive–it’s extremely uncomfortable. Celestial Park may be a beautiful park-like setting a decade from now, however within the fast future, it’ll probably grow to be umbrella central this summer season.
Regardless of the sensible actuality that it’s scorching and few friends are literally spending considerable time there, lots of my fellow diehard theme park followers are getting misplaced of their love for Celestial Park. This reward has grow to be exaggerated for a few causes.
First, Celestial Park is a land with out ties to mental property, which is turning into exceedingly uncommon for Disney or (particularly) Common. Unique ideas are catnip for theme park followers, even when they (sadly) don’t resonate with most people in the identical method.
Second, Celestial Park is a distinction to the latest EPCOT overhaul, which was unhealthy. Very unhealthy. There’s no method round that, so we’d as effectively acknowledge it. Our personal assessment of CommuniCore Corridor and World Celebration was scathing, calling it higher than a mud pit however having little different reward for the mission. Common followers are unsurprisingly latching on to the disparity between Celestial Park and World Celebration as “proof” that Common is thrashing Disney.
On the threat of stating the plain, World Celebration being very unhealthy doesn’t robotically make Celestial Park good. The latter being higher than the previous additionally doesn’t make Celestial Park nice! There’s nonetheless room in such a coherent evaluation for them to each be unhealthy or underwhelming!
To be clear, I don’t suppose Celestial Park is unhealthy. However I additionally suppose it falls effectively in need of greatness. It has some glorious concepts, however the execution is scattershot at finest and it suffers from loads of issues and fully misses the mark for “placing the ‘park’ again in ‘theme park.’”
On paper, Common did a very good job. Not like the EPCOT overhaul, it has an abundance of water options. These are additionally catnip for theme park followers, because it appears we’re usually arbitrarily disadvantaged of them. There are a number of fountains with synchronized jets that look beautiful day or night time (however particularly night time). There are flowing streams, reflecting swimming pools, and beautifully-designed gardens. The above picture appears to be like nice, doesn’t it? Much better than something in World Celebration!
The issue is that none of that is participating or explorable. The above picture shouldn’t be mine, as a result of this isn’t potential from a guest-facing location. Discover one thing lacking from the picture? Walkways! Oddly sufficient, after attempting to place the park again in theme park, Common designed Celestial Park to be guest-flow corridors with broad walkways and solely a scattering of tiny bushes.
There’s little or no alternative to get misplaced alongside little trails and uncover quiet areas, sit again and loosen up or just decelerate. For probably the most half, all the things within the heart of Celestial Park is for viewing from a distance–you stroll alongside the periphery, with a few cut-through factors.
This structure implies that, even as soon as the bushes mature and there’s extra shade, Celestial Park is essentially going to be a conduit for getting friends from level A to B, not less than in the course of the daytime hours. There are only a few areas that have interaction with the creativeness, supply satisfying locations to take a seat, or invite friends to get keep for some time.
For all of its issues, that is really one thing World Celebration at EPCOT does higher. It has smaller pathways and quiet spots to take a seat that beckon friends. Against this, Celestial Park is essentially one massive loop of a really broad walkway–it’d work effectively as a efficiency hall if Common ever decides so as to add a parade, however it doesn’t really feel notably park-like besides when seen at a distance.
Greater than wherever else at Walt Disney World, Celestial Park jogs my memory of Disney Springs in the best way it’s designed.
Each have beautiful water options, however the widespread areas are nonetheless primarily about funneling friends from place to put. A little bit of type blended with perform. I far want the structure of Celestial Park to the repurposed no matter of Disney Springs, however neither have the requisite degree of heat or any lived-in high quality. They aren’t inviting locations to linger or just be.
Evaluating Celestial Park to Walt Disney World’s procuring and eating vacation spot shouldn’t be meant to be an affordable shot at Epic Universe. There are many methods Celestial Park runs circles round Disney Springs and different areas at Walt Disney World. If something, that is one other indictment of World Celebration, because it simply dawned on me that there are issues Disney Springs really does higher than that park’s new central backbone. However I digress.
Though the ‘park-like’ atmosphere is what the advertising and marketing emphasizes, the excessive level of Celestial Park is its structure and inside design. The land is that this cool mixture of Jules Verne meets Artwork Nouveau with a touch of exhibition-architecture and cosmos stylization. The insides of the eating places and outlets are all different and attention-grabbing, showcasing Common Artistic on the prime of their sport.
Common went above and past with these, allocating vital inventive and financial assets to getting this all proper. Big kudos right here–I worry this identical space achieved by Disney would’ve been a bunch of boring and vaguely fashionable designs (not a daring prediction given exactly what was delivered by way of World Celebration).
The exteriors aren’t all the time good and I worry that there gained’t be fairly sufficient to lure friends inside and discover these venues, however those that do will likely be rewarded with a few of the most original and attention-grabbing concepts, together with an unparalleled depth of design.
Merely put, the themed design work contained in the areas in Celestial Park is best than something we’ve seen at Walt Disney World these days, particularly in ‘clean slate’ areas. I hope Imagineering takes the time to discover these shops and eating places, and is disabused of the notion that all the things like this must be sterile/crisp/clear/fashionable/ethereal/insert different buzzword for boring.
Once more, Celestial Park is the one land in Epic Universe not primarily based on mental property so what’s been created for its two sights and huge array of eating places and retail is unique. However this doesn’t imply it’s devoid of storytelling. There’s a backstory for Celestial Park itself that additionally weaves into the 4 outlying portals, making this space the connective tissue that makes an attempt to forestall this from being one more ‘studios’ park.
In response to the land’s lore, the Chronos is a tool that gathers the cosmic power wanted to open the portals to the 4 worlds. The Chronos is in alignment, and alive with power. It opened a grand gathering area for vacationers from across the universe who’ve visited the portals, and the Chronos changed the comets that had beforehand served as transportation throughout the cosmos.
Not less than, I suppose that’s the backstory. This was solely ever relayed by way of the official “Uncover Common” Podcast and different pre-opening morsels of lore. The story was presupposed to be conveyed to friends by way of the Hemisphere Stage and characters in Celestial Park who regaled friends with tales of the travels (suppose Residents of Hollywood or Most important Avenue). These characters have been all reduce very early-on throughout previews.
Whereas I like the look of Celestial Park and may create my very own headcanon to make sense of all of it, I’d respect if there have been extra worldbuilding to flesh out its backstory and sense of time and place. This may additionally assist make the land really feel extra lived-in, and enticing to common friends, even when they’re not actively asking questions on these things.
The alternative for these Celestial-citizens is one other method Celestial Park jogs my memory of Disney Springs is the leisure. I hate to disparage reside performers, as they’re an asset to any space, however the modern acts in Celestial Park taking part in prime 40 hits and oldies remind me of these you’d see in Disney Springs or perhaps CityWalk. It’s all generic, taking part in radio music you might hear wherever.
Actually, that is in all probability out of necessity. After spending time in Epic Universe, I now perceive the why of the aforementioned leisure cuts. With the best way friends are transferring by means of Celestial Park, there probably isn’t the chance for extra nuanced acts which have time to organically unfold and slowly seize an viewers. Nobody is prepared to take the time to hunt out the sort of factor, or spend money on it if passing by. As an alternative, the leisure wants to have the ability to beckon friends from throughout Celestial Park.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how visitor response to Celestial Park evolves over time, or if it does. My expectation is that this space within the heart of the park will all the time hole out in the course of the daytime, with the numerous eating places and retail areas seeing comparatively much less foot site visitors and fewer patrons than these in portals–until one rises to the highest as vacation spot eating (in all probability Atlantic?). However I might see Celestial Park feeling lifeless in the course of the day for years to return, even because the portals themselves are slammed.
This gained’t be a difficulty as soon as the solar goes down, as that’s when Celestial Park is definitely at its prettiest. It’s arguably the very best land within the entirety of Epic Universe at night time, even perhaps surpassing Darkish Universe. (The land with nighttime principally in its identify!)
At nightfall, the colourful fountains and lights of Celestial Park have interaction and entice friends as they’re leaving Epic Universe, and the elevated dynamism will make Celestial Park a draw within the night. The one downside with that, as with the EPCOT overhaul, is that nighttime is a small sliver of the Epic Universe working day.
For this reason we have been so happy to see Epic Universe lengthen its hours for the primary half of summer season. I hope this continues. Actually, I’d even settle for a “compromise” the place the 4 main portals shut at 10 p.m., and Celestial Park stays open for procuring and eating till 11 p.m. Given the sensible realities of clearing the park, and the potential for producing income, this looks like a win-win.
Lastly, I’m not going to fixate on the standard of the 2 sights in Celestial Park as a result of we try this in our Trip Opinions & Rankings for Epic Universe. Nevertheless, it’s price touching upon how they improve Celestial Park as thematic components, anchoring the land and giving it a way of kinetic power.
Constellation Carousel is unimaginable. It merely oozes heat and might be the primary time in theme park historical past {that a} carousel has acted as a land’s “wienie.” I can not recover from what an asset this attraction is to Celestial Park and Epic Universe as a complete; it jogs my memory of Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris or Tokyo DisneySea, each the best potential reward.
Every little thing about Constellation Carousel is first-rate. From its location in the midst of the park to the rockwork and fountains to the nice and cozy lighting, colourful critters and whirligigs overhead. It may be “solely a carousel” as an attraction, however as an asset to the theme park, it’s a lot extra.
Then there’s the curler coaster on the perimeter of the park. One massive “concern” tangential to Celestial Park that comes up loads in fan debates is Stardust Racers being an uncovered curler coaster seen from all through the land and past. Disney wouldn’t have achieved this, it’s true! There’s a sure aversion to uncovered metal (besides when defined away by story) and stringence on sightlines amongst Disney followers vs. Common followers.
I view all of this on a case by case foundation. Not each sightline encroachment or thematic incursion is unforgivable. Some, equivalent to seeing a German fortress or Swiss mountain from Midwestern most important avenue, are completely superb; they add a component of caprice and sudden cohesion. There’s no onerous and quick rule to this–it’s a scent take a look at. What works or is permissible is situational–does it add to the power versus distracting from the immersion?
To every their very own, however I view the location of Stardust Racers as a internet constructive and am not bothered by seeing it from elsewhere within the park or seeing backstage whereas on board the coaster. Stardust Racers radiates pleasure and exhilaration, and the locations from which it’s seen are principally superb. It’s a internet constructive.
In the end, the core thesis of Celestial Park that’s been superior by Common Orlando is that it “places the ‘park’ again in ‘theme park.’” That is seemingly the idea for followers calling it an EPCOT killer (effectively, and that it has many fountains whereas World Celebration doesn’t, a truth that also stings). I’ve spent effectively over 2,000 phrases on it, however all you must do is look round Celestial Park in the course of the day and see it practically empty to disprove that thesis.
Mockingly sufficient, it’s the entire non-park-like qualities the place Celestial Park shines. The portal has flashes of brilliance and kernels of nice concepts that might be fleshed out over time. It additionally has true exemplars of themed design and world-class theme park eating places that locals and followers will need to revisit repeatedly (I can not wait to return to Pizza Moon, certainly one of my favourite spots within the entirety of Epic Universe). After which there’s nighttime, when darkness gives shade, the fountains come alive and the lighting is beautiful.
All of that may be a recipe for making me need to decelerate and keep for some time in Celestial Park, even when I really feel a lot in another way in the course of the day. Ultimately, Celestial Park is neither an EPCOT killer nor a weak hyperlink. It’s a warts and all opening act that might be higher, and may enhance over time. I’m trying ahead to seeing how Celestial Park evolves, as a result of it ought to. I’ve no such optimism for World Celebration. (Fortunately, that underwhelming central backbone shouldn’t be the totality of EPCOT’s atmospheric areas.)
Want journey planning ideas and complete recommendation on your go to to Central Florida? Be certain to learn our Common Orlando Planning Information for all the things about Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. Additionally take a look at our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Information for all the things about these parks, resorts, eating places, and a lot extra. For normal updates, information & rumors, a heads up when reductions are launched, and way more, join our FREE e mail e-newsletter!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Celestial Park? Impressed by the model or substance of Epic Universe’s opening act? Do you suppose it really does “put the ‘park’ again in ‘theme park’”? Is that this land an EPCOT killer, weakest hyperlink, or someplace in between? Agree or disagree with our Celestial Park assessment? Any questions? We love listening to from readers, so please share some other ideas or questions you have got within the feedback under!
