Funworld: A year in, what indicators are you looking to help determine when it's time to expand a park, like Epic Universe?
Polk: There are a number of factors that go into that. First, we have to deliver on the park's original promise. Epic Universe was built to raise the standing of Universal Orlando Resort as a full destination vacation resort where guests can spend multiple days enjoying different experiences.
The primary focus right now is making sure Epic fulfills that promise. From there, we respond to demand and market conditions. To remain successful, we have to keep things fresh.
That starts with our existing parks. That's one reason you're seeing projects like Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift [new-for-2027 Intamin launch coaster at Universal Studios Florida] and other investments across Universal Orlando. The goal is to ensure every park within the resort continues to feel fresh and revitalized, and to offer something new.
As demand dictates, we'll evaluate opportunities for expansion. Even today, we're continuing to add new experiences within the park. We're launching Celestial Goodnight [evening fireworks presentation that opened July 7] and we've introduced atmospheric entertainment, such as Captain Cacao, in Celestial Park. Those additions help broaden the overall experience for guests.
Funworld: What became the biggest surprise success at Epic Universe?
Polk: Guests have responded in almost equal measure to all of the intellectual properties represented in the park.
We knew The Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be popular. We knew Super Nintendo World would be popular because of our experiences in Hollywood and Japan.
But How to Train Your Dragon and Dark Universe were somewhat less predictable. We did extensive research before moving forward with those lands, but both have exceeded expectations. Guests have embraced them in a way that's comparable to our biggest franchises.
Dark Universe has been especially rewarding because Universal Monsters are part of our company's DNA. It's been exciting to see guests respond so passionately to that experience.
Funworld: What are some unexpected operational challenges?
Polk: I wouldn't necessarily call them “unexpected,” because I've done this a few times. Whenever you open a new theme park, there are always unknowns.
You spend eight years developing something, but until guests actually arrive, you don't know exactly how they'll use it. You don't know how they'll move through the park, what they'll prioritize, when they'll want to eat, or how they'll get from one area to another.
Those are the fun challenges. It's a puzzle.
We've been refining wayfinding, adjusting food offerings, and making operational tweaks based on guest behavior. Those things take time. I always tell people it takes about 12 to 15 months for a park to fully settle in. That's where we are now. We feel really good about the past year, and it was great to reach the one-year anniversary.
Funworld: What are guests telling you they want more of?
Polk: Guests consistently tell us they want less friction.
Since the pandemic, we've focused heavily on simplifying the guest experience through both technology and operational changes. The response has been very positive.
One example is photo validation [used for park entry and Universal Express line bypass], and another is our redesign of the locker systems.
Funworld: What did you change in the locker experience?
Polk: Traditionally, guests would store their belongings before entering a queue, wait in line for an hour, ride the attraction, and then return to retrieve their items.
Guests repeatedly told us they wanted to keep their phones with them. They want to take photos, communicate with friends, and stay connected while waiting.
We first tested a new locker concept on VelociCoaster [a launch coaster found at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park] and then expanded it at Epic Universe. Guests now keep their belongings with them through most of the queue and use lockers just before boarding. The lockers are linked through facial recognition technology, and guests retrieve their belongings immediately after exiting the attraction.
It's a much more efficient process and significantly reduces friction.
Funworld: Your new nighttime spectacular, Celestial Goodnight, debuted on July 7, 2026. How important is it to the park experience?
Polk: It's very important.
We always envisioned Epic Universe having a major nighttime show. That intent was reflected in our concept art from the beginning. Much of the infrastructure supporting the show was built into the park years ago.
We wanted to get the park established before introducing something on this scale. We've spent roughly a year working on the show in earnest.
One thing that surprised us is how much guests already love Epic Universe at night. The park is stunning after dark. Guests enjoy spending time in all of the worlds and gathering around the existing fountain show.
Celestial Goodnight is designed to provide a great cap to the evening, and I'm excited to see guest reactions when it debuts.
Funworld: Universal has experimented with allowing access to Celestial Park separately from the rest of the park. Is there potential for that concept to expand?
Polk: We're testing a variety of ideas, but we don't have a specific long-term plan in place today.We want to understand how these concepts operate in practice and whether guests actually want them.
The park still needs to function as a complete, full-day experience for guests who purchase admission. At the same time, Celestial Park is a beautiful environment with substantial capacity, excellent restaurants, and now a major nighttime experience.
We want to figure out the best way to leverage Celestial Park, but we don't have a complete plan yet.
Funworld: Looking beyond Epic Universe, what do you see as the next major growth opportunity for the theme park industry?
Polk: People were saying the Orlando market was saturated in the mid-2000s, and that obviously wasn't true.
The question is, how do we continue to find and create experiences that resonate with evolving guest expectations? For us, that's about tapping into emotional connections and generational attachment we didn’t have before.
We are building generational visits. We want to bring new things in, but also dig into things we've done for many years. People now say, ‘I remember that when I was young, I wanted to experience it again.’
We're seeing tremendous guest response to properties like Jaws and Back to the Future.
Funworld: How does that strategy align with the newly launched Universal Kids Resort near Dallas?
Polk: Our target market starts around seven years old for the destination resorts in Orlando and Hollywood. We offer experiences for the whole family, but many of our attractions are designed around higher-thrill experiences.
The new Texas park gives younger children a way to experience Universal brands and storytelling at an earlier age. It introduces them to our products in a more age-appropriate environment.
As those guests grow older, they may then choose to visit our larger destination resorts in Florida or California.
Funworld: One year after opening Epic Universe, how are you feeling?
Polk: I've been with the company for 37 years.
Even back in 1990, when we were building the original Universal Studios Florida, the vision was always to create a true week-long vacation destination. With Epic Universe and our expanded hotel portfolio of 11,000 rooms, we've finally crossed into that space.
But this isn't an ending, it's a new beginning point for us. So many times, you're kind of stuck, but I don't feel like we are. We’ve got the world in front of us, and a great bunch of products and places, and I'm really excited to be a part of it.
Every morning, I spend about an hour walking through the park before the day begins. It's a great way to start the day, and it's rewarding to see guests enjoying something that took so many years to bring to life.
