Epic Universe—My Thoughts
Epic Universe is the brand new park at Universal Orlando that opens on May 22, 2025. Some background on my visits:
I went to Epic Universe two days in April during the preview period. The first day was with a complimentary ticket I received as a travel agent from Universal Orlando. I was super excited about this (tickets are pricey). I went on a Monday with low crowds and just took it all in, filming and photographing. (Check out this full walkthrough on YouTube.) I didn’t ride anything until I returned with my family on Saturday. We purchased preview tickets as Universal Orlando Annual Passholders. These tickets were over $500 total for our family of 4. We went knowing this would likely be our only visit until we are able to add Epic Universe to our Annual Passes. We also stayed one night at Helios Grand, the hotel overlooking the park, but that is a story for another time. With the hotel stay we gained Early Entry to the Nintendo area, a huge perk!
Epic Universe Entrance Portal
My first impression of Epic Universe was amazement. There is so much detail throughout the park and it is beautiful! Every portal I walked through left me gazing in awe. I hadn’t watched any videos of Epic prior to arriving, but had seen pictures, those don’t do it justice.
My favorite land was Isle of Berk. In preparation for Epic Universe my family watched all of the “How to Train Your Dragon” movies last year. I really feel like watching at least one of the movies is essential to visiting this land. You get so much more out of it. The land is very large with beautiful details throughout. “The Untrainable Dragon” was a great show, and a great way to get some air conditioning. My family enjoyed riding “Fyre Drill” and were surprised that you can get wet even waiting in the queue. I liked that there was a waterproof chest on each boat so you could stow bags and hats if you wanted to keep them dry. My kids loved “Viking Training Camp.” The play area is really large with slides, games, music and so much more. There is shade and seats! There are also two family restrooms. If you climb to the top, you can get a great view over the land. My kids loved adopting their own baby dragons and there is even a little ceremony. Check out this walkthrough of Isle of Berk.
My family loved “Super Nintendo World.” During my first visit I purchased a Power-Up Band for each of us. I think this helps increase enjoyment in the land since there are some things you can only do with the band. (Sadly this adds to the expense for a family.) It was fun to earn “stickers” and points. During our early entry to the land we rode “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.” We did have to wait since it was down, but the queue is super detailed and air conditioned so we didn’t mind. We then did our challenges to earn the 3 keys on our Power-Up Bands so we could go face Bowser Jr. “Yoshi’s Adventure” is a cute ride that offers some nice views of the land. My kids loved punching blocks and finding places to tap their band, including in Donkey Kong Country. My first impression of the land was overstimulating. It is loud, colorful, crowded and things are constantly moving. I still enjoy it, but it is a lot to take in. I recommend going during early entry or later in the day, when it may be less crowded. I went during previews so it will be interesting to see how it is after opening. Check out this walkthrough of Super Nintendo World.
Dark Universe may have been the land I knew least about. Scary isn’t my thing, but Dark Universe isn’t that scary. It isn’t nearly as colorful as the other lands (for obvious reasons), but I found it quite enjoyable. The first time I went through there was a storyteller with a violin telling the tale of the Phantom of the Opera. They were great and on the other day there was a different one who was also great. I specifically went back to the land to catch the Burning Blade Tavern burn. I believe it catches fire every 15 minutes, but I haven’t tested that. One afternoon I found Igor near the entrance, and he was doing a great job at improv. For me, Dark Universe is all about the performances happening throughout the land. I was the only one in my family to ride “Monsters Unchained.” I thought it was fun. I didn’t feel nauseous at all, despite the movements of the ride. The whole family went through the queue and my kids did find parts of the queue scary. The family waiting room for rider switch is right before you board the ride.
My least favorite land was “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic.” The land is beautiful and the reveal as you enter the portal and come around is spectacular, it just felt like there isn’t as much to do. If you have a wand there are lots of spells to do. I’m sure I missed things because it is super detailed with store windows everywhere. I will definitely need to spend more time someday. We really enjoyed “Le Cirque Arcanus.” It was a great show and there were moments where we were completely amazed by what was happening. It is a definite re-watch for us.
Celestial Park is the center of all of Epic Universe. The rest of the portals come off of this area. My favorite part of the whole area was the fountain. It did shows frequently throughout the day. The music would stop, and the water would turn off, and then both would turn back on with the water putting on a show. We had a great view of the fountain from our room in Helios Grand. “Constellation Carousel” was a lot of fun and not like a typical carousel. The pathways around were huge, definitely made for crowds. Directly around the fountain there were benches with big umbrellas, much needed in the Florida sun.
My final thoughts: Epic Universe was beautiful and a lot of fun. We didn’t ride everything, but that was never going to happen, we are not a thrill ride family. I actually thought there was a good amount for kids (maybe I’ll write a separate post). We ate at Das Stakehouse and Meteor Astropub. The food was good at both, and we didn’t have to wait to be seated or long for our food. The merchandise was great. My kids loved adopting a dragon in Isle of Berk. I do think Epic Universe could use more indoor areas. It will be a problem in rain and on very hot days. It will be interesting to see how the park evolves and develops as it welcomes larger crowds. I look forward to returning when Epic Universe is part of my annual pass, and when the weather is cooler.
