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ORLANDO, Fla. - Epic wait times for Epic Universe.
Thursday marked the first day Universal Studios annual passholders could buy tickets to the highly anticipated Epic Universe park, and unsurprisingly, they sold out within minutes.
Many passholders stayed up late, woke up early, and faced long online queues and glitching websites. That was the experience for many trying to secure tickets Thursday morning.
Tharin White, an anxious fan, said, "Not knowing when the tickets were going to drop definitely created anxiety for a lot of people."
Shawn Tucker was one of those early risers, logging in before 5 a.m. But he faced a frustrating glitch after waiting in line online.
"I had to join a queue. By the time the queue was done, went to click the purchase button and nothing happened. Try that again. Nothing happened," Tucker said.
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One user, Jonathan Cooper, even posted a video on X showing the glitch in action. After his online efforts failed, he boarded a train from Miami to Orlando to try to buy tickets in person — a move Tucker ended up making as well.
"I was the only one in line and they said, 'Yeah, we can help you out,' and got me a ticket right away. No problem," Tucker added.
For Universal park expert Annie Wilson, the experience wasn’t so smooth. While she thinks she has a ticket for opening day, she’s not entirely sure.
"I booked it, paid for it, but no confirmation came up," she said. While she successfully bought a ticket for her mother, Wilson has yet to see her own confirmation on the app or in her email.
"I cannot see the ticket that I booked opening day. I went on my credit card and I see the charge is there," she added.
Despite the hiccups, she remains hopeful to be part of history when Epic Universe opens its gates.
For those who missed out on the initial rush, park expert Tharin White suggests waiting until next September or October, when ticket prices are expected to drop to between $120 and $130. By then, he says, the park will have had a few months to work out any kinks.
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