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It’s not every day a brand new theme park opens. In fact, the last time a new theme park opened in Orlando was in 1999. So that tells you just how special it is and how high my excitement level was to visit Universal Epic Universe for the first time. The new theme park opened earlier this year (2025) at Universal Orlando Resort.

Epic Universe is the third theme park at Universal Orlando and while the other two parks are located right next to each other, Epic Universe is located about a 20-minute drive away from Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure parks.

Epic Universe park consists of five lands: Celestial Park, How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, and Super Nintendo World.

Before I dive into my experience at the park, I want to cover some know before you go basics about Epic Universe.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

You’ll want to purchase park tickets before you arrive at the park, and there are a variety of ticket types available for Universal Orlando and EPIC Universe, so be sure to check the pricing on the various options to see which is right for you. When you first enter the park and scan your ticket, a team member will set up your facial ID scan and link your face with your ticket. You can also do this on the app in advance if you prefer, but you have to have your physical park ticket in hand to do so.

Universal’s jump the line system is called Express Pass. This is a separate purchase beyond your park ticket. Express Pass allows you to enter the Express Line at each participating attraction. The wait in the Express Line is advertised to be half the length of the standard wait time or less. In my experience, this is in fact the case, and often the wait is even shorter. Express Pass is an expensive add-on, often doubling the cost of your park day. The pricing is also dynamic, so the closer you get to your park day, the higher the cost of Express. The product works well and will make your day easier, but it is a significant cost.

Arriving at the park for opening, or “rope dropping”, is the best way to beat the lines without Express Pass. For this strategy, you’ll want to aim to arrive at the park entrance at least 30 minutes prior to opening. Make sure to allow extra time for transportation and parking. Guests staying at Universal hotels also have access to early park entry, which happens at select Universal parks on select days. However, take note that not all areas and attractions are open during early park entry. Be sure to do your homework on the details of what’s being offered during your visit prior to travel.

As at all theme parks, there are height requirements for each attraction. I will note that most rides at Epic Universe are not designed for young children and those under 40 inches will find themselves with little to do.

For plus-size guests, or guests that have concerns about their comfort on rides, there are test seats in front of each attraction. Test seats allow you to sit in a model of the ride’s seat and test if you are comfortable and if you are able to close the safety restraint. If you are unable to close the safety restraint you will not be able to ride. These are located at the entrance to the queue for each attraction.

All Universal rides feature family waiting rooms allowing your entire party to be in line together even if some of the party members will not be riding the attraction. This also allows parents to child swap more easily; one parent riding the attraction while the other waits in the family room with a small child, then switching places so the other parent can ride the attraction. These rooms are normally full of benches and have TVs playing whatever movie the ride is based on. I think this is a really great feature for multi-generational families on vacation allowing Grandpa to stay with the group and experience the fun pre-shows in many of the queues but skip out on the actual attraction as needed.

Parents take note that there are family restrooms all over the park. In Celestial Park there is a Family Care Center with microwaves, bottle warmers, changing tables, private nursing rooms and private quiet rooms, as well as a First Aid Center for all guests.

Stroller rental is available at the entrance and you’ll find stroller parking throughout the entire park. Strollers are not allowed in lines so you’ll have to park yours before entering a queue. There are designated stroller parking areas all over the park.

For guests using wheelchairs, ECVs, or with any disability concerns, Universal has a full disability guide that breaks down each attraction. As someone who has traveled with a family member using an ECV to other theme parks I will note that overall the walkways here are wide, paved, and flat. One thing to note is that many of the queues include stairs and you’ll have to use the elevator alternatives in these cases. Additionally, Super Nintendo World seems to be the biggest challenge for wheels as it is two levels and the entrance is an escalator so you’ll have to use an alternative to enter there as well. The park does offer rentals for both ECVs and wheelchairs at the entrance.

Only two restaurants in the park take dining reservations. Atlantic, which serves an elevated menu focusing on seafood, and The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant which offers a menu of upscale Asian food. I would highly recommend booking dining reservations when they open 60 days in advance.

Attention late dinner eaters, during our stay we ran into an issue with many of the quick service dining locations closing around 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. even though the park was open until 10:00 p.m. The closing times were not posted anywhere so this was a surprise to us. If you tend to eat dinner later I’d aim to arrive before 7:00 p.m.

Many of the rides across Universal property do not allow you to bring your bags with you onto the ride. Some even have you walk through metal detectors to make sure there is nothing in your pockets before you board the attraction. The rules on each ride are different so keep your eyes and ears open and follow team member instructions. This is all to make sure everyone is safe while riding.

Rides with these requirements offer lockers where you will place your belongings. Pay attention to your locker bank number, color, or design, as you’ll need to find it again when you exit the ride. Often these lockers are two-sided and as you exit you are approaching them on the backside of the locker, which can be disorienting, so be sure to remember the number, color, or design or your locker section.

At Epic Universe the lockers will scan your face using facial ID to assign you a locker so all you have to do when you return is scan your face in the right locker bank and your locker will pop open. The free lockers at Epic Universe measure 11.8 in. x 11 in. x 13 in.; these are significantly larger than the free lockers in the other two Universal parks. I was able to fit a full-size backpack, a fanny pack, and two baseball caps into one of these. There are even larger lockers available for a small fee. At Epic Universe you’ll need to use a locker at Stardust Racers (also metal detectors), Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, and Monster’s Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.

Packing

• Hip Bags / Fanny Packs – Many rides across Universal parks require you to put your belongings into a locker, but some of them allow you to wear a hip bag / fanny pack onto the attraction.
• Lanyard – Universal still uses physical park tickets, hotel key cards, and Express Passes. While facial recognition technology at Epic Universe cuts down on some of the times you’ll need to show your tickets or passes, I still suggest bringing a lanyard with a card holder for each guest. This allows you to keep track of your cards easily.
• Sunscreen, Sunglasses & Hat: There is precious little shade in this park so come extra prepared for the sun.
• Ponchos – For water rides and because it’s Orlando and it rains often.
• Good Walking Shoes
• Refillable Water Bottles – There are refill stations around the park.

Now let’s get into the fun stuff and my experience visiting Epic Universe!

My First Visit To EPIC Universe – Trip Report

TRAVEL DAY & HELIOS GRAND HOTEL

My husband and I arrived at Orlando International Airport (MCO) on Wednesday, November 5th. As part of our Universal vacation package I booked us on the Universal Superstar Shuttle transfer from the airport to our Universal Orlando hotel. This is a bus that runs from the airport to all of the Universal hotels. We checked in at the Superstar Shuttle desk located on the ground transportation floor of MCO, which was convenient and there was no wait. Then we were asked to wait outside for the next bus. I would have preferred a bit more signage outside as it was unclear to us and several other travelers where exactly we were to wait. We waited about 15 minutes to board the next bus. The bus itself was a nice, comfortable charter bus with TVs playing Universal animated movies. However, it seemed that each bus went to every resort needed, based on the guests onboard. We happened to be one of the last stops and it took us an hour on the bus to get from the airport to our hotel. A direct drive would have been about 20 minutes. On the return trip the bus picked us up in front of our hotel right on time and we were onboard for about 45 minutes before arriving at the airport.

As a party of two adults I won’t be taking the Superstar Shuttle again. The cost for the shuttle is marginally less than a ride-share which would have taken less than half of the time. However, if you are traveling with children and don’t wish to deal with car seat concerns in a ride-share, then the Superstar Shuttle could be a good option for you as it is a bus and car seats are not required.

During this trip we stayed at the Helios Grand Hotel, which is a brand new hotel opening with Epic Universe. Helios is attached to Epic Universe and has its own private entrance to the park. The hotel is lovely, pristine, and has upscale touches with a theme best described as futuristic celestial meets Mediterranean with a dash of the sun.

As you enter the hotel, the lobby is bright and open but not large; you are immediately treated to a view of Epic Universe’s Celestial Park. We checked into our room at the front desk, and picked up our park tickets from the Universal Planning Desk. You’ll also find bell services, package pick-up, and an Alamo car-rental desk in the lobby.

Just off the lobby is Flora Taverna, a fine dining restaurant which includes a bar and lounge. Flora Taverna serves a buffet breakfast, and a lunch and dinner menu described as “Mediterranean comfort food”. Flora Taverna accepts reservations and I do always recommend making reservations if you can however it seemed they had plenty of space for walk-ups whenever I passed by. We dined here on our first night and we both really enjoyed our meals. The atmosphere was peaceful and service was great. I highly recommend it if you are staying at Helios or want to step away from the theme park hustle for a nice meal. Their service around my food allergies was also excellent.

On the other side of the Helios lobby, you’ll find Aurora Market. This is the grab and go dining option at Helios. They have a limited selection of Starbucks coffee, pastries, bottled beverages of all sorts, packaged snacks, grab-and-go salads and sandwiches, and a small menu of pre-made hot sandwiches including breakfast offerings. Aurora Market is good if you just need to grab something quick and you are not picky about what it is, but it’s not great if you are trying to feed a family of kids, picky eaters, or someone with dietary limitations. It’s just very limited in its offerings. So if you tend to rely on quick grab-and-go during a hotel stay you’ll want to either choose a hotel with a large food court or plan ahead and pack or have some groceries delivered to the hotel so you can stock your mini-fridge, that’s what we did.

As you move into the hotel you’ll see the entrance into Epic Universe right off of the lobby. You’ll go through security and ticket checks inside the hotel and then you’ll take a two minute walk out the back of the hotel and down a path that leads directly into the back of Celestial Park. This park entrance is so convenient! While a line can back up for security inside the hotel with those getting to early entry early at least you are waiting indoors in air conditioning. We would arrive about ten minutes past early entry starting and walk right through with no wait at all.

Buses to City Walk, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and Volcano Bay are all available right in front of the hotel.

On the ground floor of the Helios Grand Hotel you’ll also find a small gift shop full of Epic Universe merchandise, a few sundries, and some swimwear items. Past this you’ll find a fitness center with everything you might need to work out and an arcade.

You’ll also have access to the pool from the lobby. The pool here is deceptively large as it winds around the space. Towels are provided, they even had chair clips, swim diapers, sunscreen, and spa water all free of charge! There are plenty of chairs here to relax with lots of shade. There are also upgraded cabanas available for rent. The pool has a zero entry area as well as some small water features. There were a few table games available including ping-pong. There is also a small hot tub. The Lotus Lagoon pool bar has a full service bar and a menu of appetizers, salads, burgers, and Mediterranean classics like kebabs. Everything you need for a fabulous pool day.

At the top of the Helios Grand Hotel, you will find Bar Helios, open only in the evenings. This bar and lounge has a celestial theme and amazing views of Epic Universe, with an outdoor patio and a small amount of indoor seating. Reservations are needed for a table while bar seating is available for walk-up. There is a full bar menu including fun cocktails as well as food offerings which are mostly shareable tapas. This is a high-end experience with a price to match.

Standard rooms here have the option of one king bed, two queens, or two queens and a sofa bed. With the option of having a park view room. There are club level rooms with access to the Club Lounge including a continental breakfast and snacks throughout the day. Helios also offers suites, including family suites that are themed to How to Train Your Dragon and sleep five guests.

We stayed in a park view king room and it was excellent. The room itself was lovely and comfortable. Plenty of closet and drawer space, a desk area, as well as a sitting chair and small table. The split bathroom made two people getting ready easier which is great for early park mornings. The TV was large and allowed us to access our streaming accounts so we were able to watch Netflix etc. There was a full size K-cup coffer maker, which I greatly prefer to some other small hotel coffee makers, and a full size mini-fridge, which I love to have in a hotel room. A super fun addition to the room was that all the electronics could be controlled by the room’s iPad! I can’t forget my favorite feature, the automatic curtains which with the touch of a button, could open and close on the huge window that looked out over Epic Universe. The real star of this room was the view! We could see all of Epic Universe including the fountain show in the evening. It was amazing to be this close to the park. The one negative is that there was some noise that came in from the park during the day and you could hear the music from the fountain show at park closing. It was not loud enough to bother me and I am fairly sensitive to these things but that is going to vary based on your tolerance. After the park closed it was very quiet. I loved this room!

Overall my experience with Helios Grand Hotel was very positive. The location and ability to walk back and forth from Epic Universe to your hotel cannot be beaten. The entire hotel and experience did feel more luxurious to me than many other Universal Orlando hotels I have stayed at. Our meal at Flora Taverna was delicious. Our room was great and the park view was so much fun it really elevated the experience. This hotel was perfect for our plans and I would stay here again without a doubt. The price here is higher than many other Universal Orlando hotels and I think you get what you pay for in this instance and that the experience is worth the price. However, if Helios Grand Hotel is not in your budget and you are focusing your visit on Epic Universe consider the Stella Nova or Terra Luna resorts which are also new and located right across the street.

Who is this hotel for? I think that Helios Grand Hotel is a good fit for adult parties who are focusing their vacation on Epic Universe. I don’t think this is the best fit for kids especially young kids as so many of the other Universal hotels have more experiences and food that are aimed at kids.

Epic Universe Park Day 1:

Isle of Berk & Ministry of Magic

For this first visit, I knew I wanted two days in Epic Universe, allowing myself time to really explore each of the five lands. We structured our days by arriving shortly after early park admission started and focusing on one land in the morning, having lunch in the park then taking a break back at the hotel for a few hours, then returning to the park in the afternoon to visit a second land and have dinner before heading back for the evening. We sprinkled Celestial Park into both days. I did purchase Express Pass for both days we spent in Epic Universe. This greatly cut down on our wait times, allowing us to see more and take a break mid-day, and that was worth the cost for me.

On our first day early park admission started at 9:00 a.m. We hopped in the elevator at 9:00 a.m. and by the time we were in the lobby at security the crowds that had been waiting to get into the park from Helios, which I could see out my window, were all gone. We walked right into the park and were in line at Stardust Racers by 9:10 a.m. I don’t ride super thrilling coasters, so my husband rode Stardust Racers alone. He loved it! Using Express Pass his entire wait and ride was fifteen minutes.

At that point we both moved over to How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. This land was not opening with early park admission so it would not open until the entire park did at 10:00 a.m. After some photos we got in line right around 9:30 a.m. and a line had started to form on both sides of the portal entrance. We were about 30-40 people back in the line, and by 10:00 a.m. the line had at least doubled in length and this is before the non-hotel guests could have even entered the park. Many of these guests seemed to have the same idea we did, they wanted to meet Toothless, which does not offer Express Pass and averages a wait of 90+ minutes throughout the entire day with a fully outdoor waiting area. The rest of the guests were looking to ride Hiccup’s Wing Gliders with a short wait.

At 10:00 a.m. the ropes dropped and we were allowed to enter Isle of Berk. We quickly walked towards the Toothless Meet & Greet. As we entered the line we were told the wait would be 45 minutes to 1 hour. This is a line that moves very slowly because each party is given ample time to interact with the characters and take photos. The Toothless meet and greet experience allows guests to meet the dragon Toothless and a Viking, which could be Hiccup, Astrid, or just a “Viking” character. Sometimes you additionally have the opportunity to meet Astrid and her dragon Stormfly. So your experience can really vary as to who you’ll meet, but you are guaranteed to meet Toothless, who let’s face it is by far the star of the show here.

We waited one hour to meet Toothless, and this included a 15-minute down-time for technical difficulties. During that time we saw from our place in line, Hiccup, Astrid, and Stormfly all come and go so that was nice even to see them all from afar. When it was our turn we got to meet Astrid & Toothless. Astrid was great and chatted with us for several minutes about dragons and our outfits, then assisted us with greeting Toothless who was so lifelike and absolutely adorable as he interacted with us and we got to pet his nose. Cast members were happy to take photos and video with your phone and a professional photographer was taking photos you could purchase as well. I was very happy with how the timing for all of that worked out especially because we had Express Pass and could use it on everything else we wanted to do for the rest of the day.

It was now around 11:10 a.m. and we hopped in the express line for Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. We had about a 20-minute wait here. This family coaster was a ton of fun and more thrilling than than term” “family coaster” might imply but without any huge drops or inversions. Hiccup has built a contraption to help teach us how to ride a dragon and soaring all throughout the land you really do feel like you are flying. I loved this ride.

As it approached noon we were ready for lunch and went into Mead Hall which was adorable and deeply themed. I had the salmon meal and my husband had the salmon salad and both were excellent. I was really impressed at the quality of the food for a quick service dining location. Other dining options in this land include Spit Fyre Grill which offers a variety of kebab bowls and the famous Viking mac & cheese cones.

Ordering Food: All of the quick service dining locations at Epic Universe have you seat yourself and then scan a QR code on the table which takes you into the Universal Orlando app where you place your order and enter your table number. Then your meal is brought out to you when you are ready. This is a great system that allows you to wait comfortably at a table and take your time to order versus the traditional system of standing in line and ordering at the counter. If you are dining with an allergy you enter that in the app with your order and a chef comes out to speak to you at your table to make sure they can make what you’d like safe for your allergy or help you with alternatives. This was a great process, each time we dined at Epic Universe I felt my allergies were being taken very seriously and I was well accommodated.

After lunch, we explored the land a bit more. There are seemingly dragons and characters around every corner here. You can meet Gober in his blacksmith shop. Roughnut and Toughnut are wandering around causing trouble you may also see Hiccup and Astrid. Something we didn’t get to experience is the baby light furries (aka small robots). The baby dragons come out at unannounced times with a Viking friend and play games with the crowd such as Simon Says. There is also a stage show The Untrainable Dragon which was unfortunately having technical difficulties and we were unable to see it. From everything I have seen and heard, the show is fabulous and the dragons are done with puppetry that is stunning it’s certainly on my list for our next visit.

There are several stores in Isle of Berk as well as a sweets shop. One of the stores sells baby dragon eggs that you hatch to reveal a plush dragon inside and the egg turns into a carrying case so you can wear it around your neck so you can proudly take your dragon with you throughout the park. When you purchase the egg you are offered an adoption ceremony which is adorable and an amazing extra touch. I adopted a baby Night Fury and had an adoption ceremony, it was silly fun and the cast member was fabulous.

There are two other rides in this land that we opted out of riding. Fyre Drill which is an interactive water ride. Every rider has a water gun as they ride on a Viking ship and practice putting out fires, as well as soaking other boats. You can see much of the ride from the walkways and it looked really fun for little ones but I do not love getting soaking wet in a theme park so we skipped it. The other attraction here is Dragon Racer’s Rally, the only attraction in the park that does not offer Express Pass, and had an hour-long line. I wasn’t willing to wait that long for what this attraction is. On Dragon Racer’s Rally you board a dragon that spins up into the air and you have the option to try and flip your dragon over by rocking back and forth.

At this point we had fully explored Berk and we went into Celestial Park to check out the gift main entrance gift shops. Right by the entrance there is a Starbucks, a Christmas shop, two general merchandise stores and a chocolate shop/bakery. We explored all the shops, the best of which was Other Worlds Mercantile which was huge and essentially had everything from all the smaller gift shops around the park and more. The chocolate shop has its own character, Captain Cocao, and this kind of theming gets me every time, I love an original park character, so that’s a store not to miss.

Celestial Park is the center of Epic Universe and is full of dining options of all sorts, the shops I’ve discussed above and, two attractions, Stardust Racers and Constellation Carousel, as well as a large fountain that periodically throughout the day has small shows set to music. Then at night one large park closing fountain show synchronized to the lights throughout the park, the fountain, and music.

After a quick stop at Starbucks it was back to our hotel which was a breeze. We were back in our room right around 2:00 p.m. ready to rest up for a few hours.

Overall Isle of Berk is amazing, the scope of it feels huge like it really could be a full Viking village. It is so colorful and vibrant with movement and dragons everywhere and I loved the roaming characters. Meeting Toothless was a dream and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was fabulous. Between the three rides and the show here there is something for everyone. Plus the food was great!

After a few hours of rest we strolled right back into the park around 5:00 p.m. to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic. The majority of this land is Wizarding Paris in the 1920s as seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Entering this land the scale of it is huge and the buildings seem very tall as you are enveloped in the theming, it really feels like you are in Paris. The area is gorgeous and all throughout the streets are shops selling everything from candy, at K. Rammelle’s sweets shop, to all kinds of clothing, accessories, and housewares. There are also live musical performers throughout the day as well as some magical students you can chat with.

Our first stop was the only attraction in this land and one of the signatures of the entire park, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. The queue experience for this attraction is half the fun. You’ll enter the Metrofloo in 1920s Paris and then step through a Floo Network portal. The line is paced so that everyone gets their own moment to shine and photograph walking through the Floo portal. With the magic of floo powder and time turners you step out into the grand atrium of the British Ministry of Magic as seen in the Harry Potter films. This is a stunning reveal!! You will also exit through this room, and use a Floo portal to exit back to Paris, which may be the easier time to get photos. If you don’t want to ride and just want to see the atrium there is a separate line you can enter just to visit the atrium.

The remainder of the line weaves you through the Ministry of Magic offices full of talking portraits and nods to deep Harry Potter lore throughout. You’ll meet Higgledy the house-elf who will introduce you to the story that is about to unfold.

It just so happens that you are visiting the Ministry of Magic on the day of Dolores Umbridge’s trial for her crimes against the magical world. You’ll board one of the Ministry’s famous elevators so you can witness the trial. This attraction features an all-new kind of ride system. Your ride vehicle will move in all directions but there are no sudden drops as you might expect from an elevator-style attraction. The ride has some moderate thrills but the real excitement is what you see on the attraction. As you might expect something goes wrong during the trail but don’t worry, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on hand to save the day and you are going to help them.

The lines here get very long especially in the morning. With Express Pass we waited only 20 minutes on a 120-minute posted wait time for the standard line. That’s a huge time savings just on that one ride.

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is a fabulous ride; it was my favorite ride in the park. I think anyone would enjoy it but if you are familiar with the Harry Potter lore you are going to get tons more out of it.

Next up, we went over to Circus Arcanus which is a stage show in this land. The show runs about once an hour with posted showtimes. We got in the Express Line which is inside a tent structure and even at night it was hot and we waited about 30 minutes until the next showtime. At the posted showtime we entered the pre-show room which honestly was like standing in a cattle car where we had to watch a long pre-show while standing. I would say we were in that room for about 20 minutes altogether. In my opinion this was a horrible experience and way too long of a pre-show. Once we were inside and comfortably seated in the theater, the actual show started. I will say that having Express Pass did not get us any better seats but it did ensure we made it into the next showing.

The show itself was cute, featuring the story of the circus featured in Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald and the ringmaster has stolen Newt Scamander’s suitcase of creatures. The stars of the show are the creatures who are represented through several styles of puppetry. The puppets are stunning and impressive. Newt Scamander’s makes an on-screen appearance which is fun. Overall, this is not a show I would prioritize in your visit if you are tight on time or not a deep Harry Potter fan. However, if you have guests who are not able to ride Battle at the Ministry this is a great alternative for them and I do think it’s important to have shows like this in theme parks. I enjoyed the show itself but the pre-show experience really bothered me and affected my overall opinion.

Now, around 7:00 p.m., it was time for dinner. There are two quick service restaurants in the Wizarding World one is styled as an international pub with an eclectic European menu, Le Gobelet Noir. The other is a French bistro, Café L’air De La Sirène and this is where we dined. The atmosphere was lovely with beautiful mosaics on the walls featuring wizards and magical creatures. The menu is in the style of a French bistro. We both had the half chicken with potatoes and green beans, and it was wonderful.

Also in the Wizarding World is a Butterbeer cart where you can order the iconic beverage, as well as an American sports bar, Bar Moonshine, that serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including many themed cocktails.

After dinner, we explored the shops and all the meticulous details throughout the land. It was also time to try some wand magic. Throughout the land are shop windows where, if you have purchased a wand, you can cast spells causing the windows to react in magical ways. For example, a creature, water, smoke, wind, or light will react. It’s a great way to really interact with the land and a lot of extra fun if you have the time to devote to it during your visit.

You can use a wand purchased from one of the other Wizarding World lands or a previous vacation but you can also purchase a new wand from Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique. The French wand maker, Cosme Acajor herself, is often on hand to help you choose the right wand as you shop. This is a wonderful interaction and really adds to the experience of wand shopping. You can purchase wands that are replicas of character wands or original wand designs for the theme parks. There are several wands that are exclusive to Cosme Acajor’s, and these are extra beautiful designs, in my opinion. I ended up purchasing a new wand from Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique and then practicing some magic around the land. Then it was back to the hotel for the night.

Overall ,the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic really holds up to its predecessors, Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley, which I think is a big success as its whole theme of Fantastic Beasts and Wizarding Paris is far less popular with fans than the other two destinations. I think the detail work is top notch, the food offerings are great, and the shops are lovely. The Battle At The Ministry is amazing, the line alone is worth the experience. It’s fully immersive and a unique ride experience and I think it’s great that they have brought the Harry Potter trio characters into this land in this way.

Epic Universe Park Day 2:

Super Nintendo World & Dark Universe

Day two at Epic Universe, we stuck to the same basic schedule, entering the park right around 9:00 a.m. when early park admission officially started. Today we started with Super Nintendo World which did open with early park admission and by the time we walked up to the entrance at 9:10 a.m. there were no large crowds entering. You enter the portal and immediately get on an escalator, there is an accessible elevator alternative as well as a side exit and entry for all. The escalator takes you through a Warp Pipe and into Princess Peach’s Castle, you’ll exit the escalator on the second story of the Mushroom Kingdom. The land is all bright colors, movement, and excitement.

Our first stop was Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. You step into Bowser’s Castle and the queue winds through his lair, it’s full of fun easter eggs and jokes. This was a 90-minute posted wait, and with Express, we waited only 40 minutes. This ride places you inside of the Mario Kart video game with a combination of virtual reality, actual sets, and a moving car. You will wear a visor that you’ll attach VR goggles to, and for once on a ride even with my own actual glasses on I can still easily see the VR. This ride is so much fun!! We have ridden it’s twin at Universal Hollywood in California a few years ago and I loved this one just as much. This ride is almost under-hyped at Epic Universe because it is in a park with so many other standout attractions.

Next, we went over to Yoshi’s Adventure, waiting 10 minutes in Express on a 45-minute standard wait. This is a very cute slow moving ride where you ride onboard a Yoshi and journey through the land and some animatronic scenes. You are looking for a golden egg and throughout the ride you can press different colored egg buttons when you spot them. This ride is cute and great for little kids, but as adults, that 10 minute wait time was just right, with too much of a longer wait, it would have been a skip.

Then it was time to transition from the Mushroom Kingdom into Donkey Kong Country. This is where you’ll find Mine Cart Madness. This is a family roller coaster where you board a barrel and adventure through the temple to find the golden banana, but watch out as your barrel is going to “jump the track” throughout the ride. This was a really fun ride and full of laughs. This is another one that gets long lines and unfortunately this queue is outside, though it is shaded. The wait time for the standard queue was 195 minutes and we waited 50 minutes.

Also in Donkey Kong Country, you can meet Donkey Kong, and enjoy a themed ice cream float at the Bubbly Barrel stand.

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, you can dine at Toadstool Cafe, a full indoor quick service location. The food here is all adorably themed with a menu of mostly burgers and fries. Kids are going to be right at home eating here. There is also Yoshi’s Snack Island stand where you can enjoy some themed calzone “shells” and smoothies. All the food in this land is very cute.

There is a large souvenir store inside this land, 1-up Factory, but an even larger one that is less crowded and easier to get around right outside the land. After visiting both, the merchandise was identical, and I’d suggest visiting the one outside the land, Nintendo Super Star Store.

The most popular souvenir is a Power Up Band, these wristbands allow you to interact with different games throughout Super Nintendo World. Linked to your Universal Orlando app on your phone you can collect coins as you move throughout the land and finish challenges. Once you play all the mini-games you can challenge Bowser Jr in a final round. If you have the time to devote to these games during your visit and you are a big gamer, this is a great way to add some fun into your trip.

Also in this land you can meet Mario, Luigi, Toad, & Princess Peach.

For lunch, we stopped at Oak & Star Tavern in Celestial Park. This location serves barbecue and has a bar attached to one end called the Tipsy Owl which has live music. The decor features a lot of wood and almost a Northern California Arts & Crafts style with cute woodland animals throughout, it’s a perfect peaceful stop after a morning in the park. The barbecue was great, as were the sides. We sampled the chicken, and brisket, with fries, mango cornbread, and cauliflower sides, and enjoyed all of it. After lunch we took a quick walk to the main park entrance to take some photos with the Chronos, the icon of the park and the portal you enter when you arrive at EPIC Universe from anywhere other than the Helios hotel entrance. We left the park around 1:00 p.m. for a hotel break and rest.

At 5:15 p.m. we headed back into the park to visit one last land, Dark Universe. Based around the Universal Monster movies of the first half of the twentieth century. These classic monster movies starring Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and more built the Universal movie studio into what it is today. In Dark Universe you enter into the town of Darkmoor, a dreary European style village. The focal point of Darkmoor is Victoria Frankenstein’s Manor where she is conducting experiments in the style of her many-greats grandfather the original Dr. Frankenstein.

The vibe in Darkmoor is perfect, it’s dark and eerie without being overtly scary. If you are worried about being too scared in the land, I think the main areas are fine for anyone unless you are extremely sensitive to spooky surroundings. No one is going to pop out and scare you.

Around the village of Darkmoor you’ll find characters like Igor (Victoria’s assistant) and the Invisible Man, there is also a dedicated meet and greet for Frankenstein’s Monster & the Bride of Frankenstein who meet together. You can even join in on the monster action and get a full monster makeup makeover, this is open to guests of all ages and recommends advanced reservations.

Inside the manor you’ll find the attraction Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. The line here is fabulous walking through this mansion of horrors until it’s your turn to meet Dr. Victoria. She’ll tell you why you are all here, to view her experiments to tame monsters, and her final test is to capture and hold Dracula himself. The functionality of this attraction is the same as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but the use of screens is different here, and if you get motion sick on that attraction, there is a strong chance you will not on Monsters Unchained. You’ll be moved in every direction but you do not experience any large drops or flips, though you are laid flat onto your back a few times. You’ll board a ride vehicle that seats 4 across with your feet dangling and you’ll move seamlessly from scene to scene through this ride as you see every Universal Monster and of course something goes wrong along the way. The animatronics here are insanely good!! I was worried that this would be really scary with endless jump scares as I am not a person who likes haunted houses or scary movies. While Monsters Unchained is spooky and there are some jump scares and scary monsters I was not overly scared by this attraction. I’d use caution with kids riding this, depending on their tolerance for scary things, but this is not a terrifying Halloween Horror Nights house. In my opinion this is one of the best rides in the park and that certainly seems to be the general opinion as well.

With Express Pass we walked right into the pre-show, the wait time was 25 minutes. While Monsters Unchained can get a long line it tends to stay lower because it is constantly loading guests so the line moves quickly.

Next up, we rode Curse of the Werewolf which is a smaller roller coaster where your cart free spins as you go along the track. This was a ton of fun and more thrilling than it looked like it would be.

We shopped around the area a bit and there is plenty of monster merch to be had. Now that it was dark out we took the opportunity to head back to Celestial Park to ride the attractions there in the dark as both have intricate lighting details at night. My husband went to ride Stardust Racers for the second time, again he really enjoyed it and did prefer the experience at night with the lights. I used this time to ride the Constellation Carousel which is a large carousel where the “horses” are all of the signs of the Zodiac. There are three inner spinning rings on top of the whole carousel rotating and the animals go quite high up. The movement is all synchronized to music and lights. Its a very beautiful carousel but not a must do unless you are traveling with young children.

Dark Universe has a few dining options. Das Steakhouse, which is a quick service location themed to vampires, its actually pretty creepy inside with decor of stakes and desiccating vampires. The menu has a variety of meats on a stick. There is also De Lacey’s Cottage, which has a few snack options, including a Frankenstein-shaped soft pretzel. There is also the Burning Blade Tavern which has a small menu of snacks and bites as well as a full bar with several signature brews and cocktails. The Tavern serves monster hunters, who frequently are visiting.

After these attractions we headed back into Dark Universe at 7:10 p.m. with plans to eat at Das Steakhouse for dinner. Unfortunately, Das Steakhouse was closed. The park was open until 10:00 p.m., and nowhere, in person or in the app, did it list that some dining closed earlier. We ended up walking across the park back to Isle of Berk and dining at Mead Hall again, it was great the second time as well. Mead Hall was wrapping up service as well when we arrived at 7:25 p.m. and we had to order at the counter and not on the app as usual. The night before it appeared that Café L’air De La Sirène was wrapping up around 7:45 p.m. as well. It seemed that most dining closed to new order between 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and essentially only snack stands were open after that.

After dinner we called it a night and went back to the hotel. We got to end the night at park close by watching the fountain show from our room. We could hear the music when standing by the window and had the perfect bird’s-eye view. The lights throughout the whole park synchronized to the music, which featured the themes of each land as well as the Universal Studios overture. The show was a great way to end your day especially from the comfort of our room. A huge plus to a park view room at Helios Grand Hotel.

Final Thoughts on EPIC Universe

I’ve shared a LOT about my experience at Epic Universe but here are my overall thoughts on this park. Firstly, Universal delivered on their promise to make an Epic theme park full of deeply themed experiences and unique cutting edge attractions. This park is truly Epic! I went into this trip with very high expectations and they were met. I can’t wait to visit again. There are very few criticisms I have for this park overall. I enjoyed pretty much everything we did. All of our food experiences were great and I think being able to get this level of quality food across the park at quick service locations is fabulous.

WHO IS THIS PARK FOR?

In my opinion this park is for adults or for families with pre-teens and older. Certainly younger children are welcome in this park and do visit, I saw many, and I’m sure they had a good time during their visits. However, the fact remains that height requirements and tolerance to thrills really limit what young children can experience here and if you want more for your money young children are simply going to have more to do at Disney World than at Universal Orlando. That remains true even with the addition of Epic Universe. Once kids are 40 inches tall AND enjoy thrilling theme park rides I think that is the best time to bring them to Epic Universe.

MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES AT EPIC UNIVERSE

• Harry Potter & The Battle at the Ministry
• Meeting Toothless
• Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
• Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
• Seeing the fountain show from my Helios hotel room

I hope you found this information helpful!

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