Universal Orlando Resort has confirmed plans to utilize Photo Validation, or facial recognition, at its Epic Universe theme park for entry into the various portals, or worlds, in the park. This comes after Universal was spotted testing Photo Validation at the Dark Universe portal earlier this month. Here’s the latest, and what it could mean!
Universal Confirms Photo Validation for Epic Universe Portals
Universal Orlando Resort has updated its Photo Validation webpage to include mention of how the technology will be utilized at its Universal Epic Universe theme park (h/t Alicia Stella). It’s unclear when the blurb below was added, but we believe that it was a recent addition. Universal says that Photo Validation will be utilized for Effortless Entry into the worlds, or lands, of Epic Universe when a Virtual Line is in use. Beyond confirming that this technology could be used soon within the park, this is interesting for another reason. More on that in a bit.
First, here’s a look at a screenshot of the Photo Validation webpage on the Universal Orlando Resort website.
Effortless Entry to Your Favorite Epic Universe Worlds
There’s nothing like stepping into the worlds of Universal Epic Universe. To keep your passage easy, you can use Photo Validation for Effortless Entry whenever Virtual Line return times are being used.
Universal’s reasoning for Photo Validation at the portal entrances is to create “Effortless Entry”. Specifically, this would be needed when a Virtual Line is required to enter a land, or “world”.
What makes this interesting is that Universal currently has no need for Virtual Lines to enter the various lands within Epic Universe. While wait times are certainly high at a number of popular attractions, I don’t believe that Epic Universe is necessarily experiencing overwhelming crowds. That is, the efficiency of the attractions still isn’t firing at 100%, which can lead to higher wait times despite moderate to high crowds. There are no sold-out dates, and there are no capacity restrictions at Epic Universe – not unlike Walt Disney World, which also doesn’t regularly sell out.
So, the next question is what makes Universal think that they’ll soon have an influx of guests that would require Virtual Lines to enter the portals, prompting testing of the Photo Validation technology?
One theory that we’ve heard about long before the park opened was the idea that the Celestial Park area could open to the public at some point during the day. That would allow for dining and shopping to create more income during the final few hours of park operation – a time that is generally much slower for Epic Universe currently. The theory would be that Universal could utilize Photo Validation to separate guests who are visiting Celestial Park during a free entry period from guests who have purchased a park ticket. Furthermore, Universal could sell portal-by-portal tickets, using Photo Validation to verify that guests have valid access to a portal. That said, that theory doesn’t perfectly align with the reasoning that Universal gave in the Photo Validation description above.
Universal said that the Photo Validation would be used when there was a Virtual Line in place – not to verify access to a portal should they open Celestial Park for free to anyone. Of course, Universal would be wise not to announce such game-changing plans via a blurb on a website, but I digress. Instead, the use case described reads more like a massive influx of park guests. The next question is: what would cause an influx of park guests?
Annual Passes.
Not only is there an appetite from Universal fans for an Annual Pass option for Epic Universe, but there seems to be an increasing appetite from Universal to offer an Annual Pass as well. Last month, Universal sent out a wide survey asking guests what they thought of various Annual Pass options. You can read more about the specifics of the survey in our earlier article, but suffice it to say that Universal is trying to strike a balance between offering Annual Pass entry to Epic Universe and making sure that the park isn’t flooded with APs, which could result in a lesser guest experience for ticketholders.
What is Photo Validation?
Universal says that Photo Validation allows guests to streamline their Universal Orlando Resort experience, from entering the parks to enjoying attractions and more. Guests can either complete Photo Validation enrollment via the app or in person at the theme parks. Photo Validation is completely optional.
Once you’re enrolled, you’ll be able to experience Effortless Entry into the park, with no need to scan your physical ticket or Annual/Seasonal Pass when Photo Validation is in use. Select attractions also utilize Photo Validation for Express Pass entry.
Universal also leverages Photo Validation at attraction lockers.
Universal says that Photo Validation takes a photo of a guest during the enrollment period and uses software to build a Photo Template. A Photo Template is a unique set of data points based on facial features. The Photo Template created on entry will be used to validate admission and other entitlements during current and future visits.
Photos and Photo Templates will be securely stored for no longer than six months after the expiration of the associated ticket or admission product. If a guest opts out of Photo Validation, any photos or Photo Templates created/stored are deleted.
Universal Orlando Resort did not respond to a request for comment about the announced plans for using Photo Validation at Epic Universe. Universal previously said that it was testing its existing Photo Validation technology in select additional locations throughout the park, and that it is always looking at how technology can enhance the park experience.
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