Visiting Epic Universe: Orlando’s Newest Theme Park

It has been more than 25 years since a new theme park opened in Orlando. When I first heard about Epic, the newest addition to Universal, I knew I had to check it out. I’ve been visiting Islands and Universal for over 15 years. I absolutely love both these parks and try to plan a vacation at least every year or 2. I knew adding a new park into my itinerary would be an exhausting experience, but it was also fun and exciting to check out all the new attractions. Being a huge Nintendo fan, I was really excited to see what they would do with this section in particular. It was a busy day with a lot of crowds, a lot of drama, a lot of fun memorabilia, and some big letdowns.

In my guide, I’ll cover my experience visiting Epic during the 2nd week of opening (it’s insanely busy right now!), highlight the few rides I actually got on, share lots of fun pictures (I took over 150 photos!), go over a few pro’s and cons of the theme park experience, and also give some tips on what to eat and where to stay for the best trip experience. In short, I recommend the 2 original parks 100% over this one if you are limited on time. I will probably revisit this park in a year to see if the overall experience is smoother.

First off: The good and the bad

Pros:

• Several thrilling roller coasters (Stardust is so smooth & fast). Update: If you have been following the news, you probably know about the death on Stardust Racers. After extensive inspection, the coaster reopened on March 25, 2026.
• The park looks beautiful especially the Ministry and Celestial Sections. Definitely a gorgeous place with a lot of effort put into design. The park is massive, and you get to enjoy a totally different experience after entering each portal.
• Frankenstein special effects are awesome and the queue is so cool.
• The themed restaurants look amazing. Atlantic is a cool underwater themed dining option.
• Super Mario World is a trip down memory lane for adults in their 30’s and 40’s who grew up playing the games. It was a bit cheesy, but colorful with so many fun photo opps.
• The Ministry queue was really amazing. I loved traveling by floo powder.

Cons:

• Lockers are located midway through the queue for many rides. It’s so inconvenient and you often lose your place in line. I saw this on Stardust and Frankenstein.
• You need reservations for the restaurants in advance. We could barely find anywhere to eat. The place we found (Pizza Moon) had an insanely long line and the food was just average. Bonus points for the cool decor though!
• The lines are so hot with little misters or shade like the other Universal parks. I had to jump through a water feature I was so overheated.
• I feel like the outdoor queues could be a bit more themed (too Six Flag-ish in my opinion). Not as fun as Universal & Islands.
• Very few water stations when standing in line and you have to stuff your bags in the locker, so totally inconvenient.
• Restrooms were hard to find.
• The wait times were a bit inaccurate.
• Lots of delays for major rides. The Ministry of Magic oftentimes had delays of several hours.
• Not a lot of staff around to ask questions or to leave a ride early. The original parks have more exits for those who need to leave quickly.

Things to Know

• The park is open from 10am-9pm, 7 days a week.
• You can get in an hour early if you stay at a Universal property. I recommend Cabana Bay.
• Rides open for early admission include: Yoshi’s Adventure, Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness, Stardust Racers, Constellation Carousel, The Frankenstein Experiment, & Curse of the Werewolf. Subject to change.
• Expect major crowds and very long line waits, especially during the summer.
• Don’t expect to get on many rides. All major ride wait times ranged from 1-5 hours. We got on 5 rides in an 11 hour period. I have heard from friends who only got on 1-2!
• Ticket prices start at $139. The best deal is a 3 day ticket which includes 1 day at Epic and a 2 day park-to-park pass to use between Universal & Islands. Florida residents can save even more. Due to the crowds, tech delays, and size of the park, I recommend at least 2 days.
• The Ministry of Magic has been experiencing many tech delays. The wait time could be hours long even if you arrive right at opening. I recommend trying to get on as a single rider later in the day. We did this and waited about an hour. For those not overly interested in Harry Potter, you may want to use your time to get on more rides with shorter waits.

The 5 Worlds of Fun

Epic is split into 5 distinct portals:

• Super Mario World
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: The Ministry of Magic
• Dark Universe
• Celestial Park
• How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk

Because of the crowd levels, we were barely able to explore much of Dark Universe and Celestial Park. We didn’t have time to do anything in the How to Train Your Dragon world, which is fine by me as I haven’t seen any of the movies yet. On a side note, some friends said that they really liked this section so I guess I will have to see the movie before my next trip.

Here are some highlights from each of the portals I had the opportunity to explore.

Super Mario World

This is my favorite section of the park and what really convinced me to book my tickets for the insanely busy summer season: I didn’t want to wait! I grew up playing both Nintendo and Super Nintendo and I still have mini consoles of each to this day.

This park is split into Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Land. The theme is colorful with a lot going on in every direction. We first visited early in the afternoon and it was too busy to capture many decent photos. Plus, it was seriously hot with no shade. We returned an hour before park closing when the crowds began to thin out just a bit. Plus, it was easier to take pics with the glare of the sun gone.

Super Mario Land

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: This is a motion simulator ride where you will wear 3D glasses as you attempt to collect coins and throw shells. The line was very long all day: my sister and mom waited 2 hours plus an extra hour for the delay (which seemed to be the theme of the day).

Mike can’t handle these type of motion simulators, so I went on as a single rider and got on in about 45 min. Thankfully, the queue is completely inside and there is some nice nostalgia along the way. The ride itself is a bit confusing, but still fun for fans who grew up playing the game. As I looked around, I could tell no one knew what was going on!

Yoshi’s Adventure: This is a tame family friendly ride where you will ride on a colorful Yoshi and enjoy great views of Mario Land. If you have kids, you will love this one!

Meet the Mario characters: You can take your pic with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. The park was so busy during our visit that I did not see any characters out and about. I would have loved a picture!

Powerup Bands: You can buy interactive watches to use throughout the park. I saw many guests using these throughout the day, but honestly it looked to crowded to invest in this extra feature.

Toadstool Cafe & Yoshi’s Snack Island: Cute themed cafes where you can enjoy a quick bite.

Most of all, you will just want to walk around and enjoy all the nostalgia. They really have everything from the Mario games jam packed into a small space. I took hundreds of pics of everything: pow blocks, question blocks, the famous brick blocks, music notes, piranha plants, the Princess castle, coins, and so much more. Tons of cute photo opps here!

Just a few highlights (there is so much to see).

Donkey Kong Country

While I like Donkey Kong, I am a bigger Mario fan, so I didn’t explore as much due to the limited time constraint. Highlights here include:

Mine Cart: This family friendly coaster includes some eye tricks where you appear to be jumping over the tracks. There is a nice overview of the park during the ride but it was way too short after that wait. It’s not my favorite Universal coaster by any shot, but I enjoyed the theme and fun setting.

Note that the line is hideously hot and seems to never end (and all for the shortest ride ever!). This was easily one of the worst lines we stood in at any park on this vacation. The queue is themed after the Golden Temple from the games which is pretty cool.

The Bubbly Barrel: After standing in that insanely hot Mine Cart line, you will want to treat yourself to a DK Crush float. Drink it fast because it will melt in like 5 seconds in the hot Florida sun. The ice cream flavor is banana pineapple, served in a waffle cone, topped with caramel corn, chocolate, and then pineapple flavor soda. You can pay a few extra bucks for a cute souvenir cup. It was super messy and we couldn’t find a seat, but a nice cooling treat. I am normally not a big fan of pineapple, but it was so hot I would enjoy just about any cool treat.

Character appearances: You can meet Donkey Kong throughout the day.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: The Ministry of Magic

One of my favorite parts about visiting Universal is exploring Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade at Universal and Islands. I have read all the Harry Potter books and seen the movies countless times. Both parks are so detailed with so many greats shops, tasty butteerber, interactive wand experiences, and exact replicas from the movie. Plus, the rides are fabulous.

The theme for Epic’s magical portal is based on the 1920’s Paris Ministry and the 1990’s British Ministry. Basically it combines elements from Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter. Personally, I prefer Diagon Alley & Hogsmeade to this new section, but it was fun exploring something new.

I tried to take a few quick pics while waiting in line, but would like to explore more in the future. You can enjoy a frosty butterbeer, dine at French cafe, treat yourself to butterbeer crepes, and shop at boutique stores with names like Tour En Floo and Les Galeries Mirifiques. It’s a lot to take in and I hope to explore more when the park’s excitement dies down. The architecture is quite impressive and it is a gorgeous place to stroll around.

Take a look!

The Ministry of Magic ride

The Ministry is the 6th Harry Potter ride if you include the Hogwarts Express. This long awaited ride is part of the reason the park is so busy right now. There are so many Harry Potter fanatics who will wait any amount of time to experience the newest ride. Keep this in mind when planning your day.

We got to the park early and headed straight to this ride because we knew it would be a long wait even at opening. About a half hour after the official park opening, the line (which started outside) was not budging at all. It was like 90 degrees with high humidity. I finally found a staff member who informed me that the wait was estimated at 5 hours!

Mike and I decided to leave and head over to Stardust Racers, an amazing new coaster. My mom and sister stayed in line for another hour and the ride was delayed (anywhere from 10 min to 3 hours according to staff). They left for Mario Kart. Later in the afternoon, we headed to the Ministry again, this time the wait being 3 hours. It was delayed once again which was really frustrating as it could be a 6 hour wait, and basically the rest of our time.

We finally got on the ride later in the evening (as the crowds began to die down) as single riders. Fortunately, the wait was only 45 min. The ride broke down about 4 times where we could see the white projection screen which was a bit of a bummer after all the hassle. That being said, I thought the ride itself was pretty spectacular.

Basically, without giving out too much detail, you travel in a lift through the trial of Dolores Umbridge with appearances from many characters along the journey. The queue is pretty cool with the Fountain of Magical Brethren and a floo powder exit, although as a single rider we moved too fast to take many pics.

Note: You can walk through the queue and see all the cool stuff without going on the ride.

It’s not my favorite Harry Potter ride, but I loved the queue and would like to ride again with all the tech issues worked out. My favorites Potter rides in order are: Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure (Islands), Escape to Gringotts (Universal), The Forbidden Journey (Islands), The Ministry (Epic), and The Hogwarts Express (both parks). You can read more about my experience with everything Harry Potter in my Wizarding guide.

Dark Universe

I really loved this park section, being a big fan of horror movies. We basically only had about an hour to explore after all the ride delays and long wait times. I really love the mysterious, spooky monster theme and wish I had more time.

There are 2 major thrill rides here: Curse of the Werewolf and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. It’s fun to walk around viewing the incredible Frankenstein Manor and I imagine even more spooky and fun at night. Lots of fun photo opps to enjoy.

Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experience: This was one of my last rides of the day and really a hidden gem. I went in not knowing anything about the ride. It’s similar to The Forbidden Journey with even better special effects (the best of any ride in my opinion).

According to the Universal website, it’s the park’s most technologically advanced ride. The queue is so awesome too: dark, cool, with lots of fun surprises and cool effects. I would ride again just to enjoy the queue again.

Curse of the Werewolf: This thrilling coaster travels a dark journey at 37 mph. Unfortunately, I ran out of time, but it’s on my list for next time.

Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience: You can learn how artists transform people into dark creatures like vampires and and werewolves. Again, we ran out of time for this too! Sadly, we still got to see more than most people I talked with!

Dining options in this section include Das Steakhaus where you will dine above catacombs while surrounded by vampire artifacts. It looks pretty cool. Also the Burning Blade Tavern where you can enjoy comfort fare in a monster approved setting.

Celestial Universe

This is a cool cosmic themed world home to one of my favorite coaters and a gorgeous carousel which serves as the striking centerpiece.

Stardust Racers: A fast, smooth dual coaster featuring an inverted crisscross and speeds up to 62 mph. Mike and I waited in a really hot 1 hour 45 min long line (even though it said 15 min on the app) for this ride. I was frustrated, dehydrated, and overheated, but it was all worth it for my new favorite coaster! This is one seriousy fast and smooth ride – so much smoother than my previous favorite, the Hulk.

Constellation Carousel: I should have went on this ride right at opening when the wait was only 5 min (it was 30 min) later in the day, but I wasted my time in the Ministry line which ended up being delayed, thereby wasting almost 2 hours. This gorgeous merry go round features colorful celestial animals and spirited music.

Themed dining: This section of the park is home to the best themed restaurants, unfortunately, most are booked out months in advance. The Blue Dragon is a beautiful Pan Asian dining option. Atlantic is a beautiful looking seafood and steakhouse where you can gaze at illuminated fish while you dine. We dined at Pizza Moon, a casual pizza cafe featuring a fun celestial theme. The wait was long and the food just so-so but we had no reservations and we were hot and this cafe was conveniently right in front of us.

How to Train Your Dragon

Unfortunately, we had zero time to explore this section of the park. I haven’t’ seen the movies, so not a big loss for me. Perhaps, I’ll check it out before my next visit. The highlight here is Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, a thrilling themed dragon coaster. Dragon’s Racers Rally is another thrill ride where you will twist and turn in the air in every way possible: it looked pretty scary viewing it from the Stardust.

There is also a show called The Untrained Dragon featuring an appearance by Toothless, a 1157 pound night fury with a 27 foot span wingspan. There are a few quick service dining options including Spit Fyre Grill. Overall, it looks like a cute themed area if you like the movies.

Tips for a smooth theme park experience

With all the crowds, heat, ride delays, and inconveniences, it’s a bit hard to come up with a strategy for visiting this park. Here goes!

Get here right on time for the early admission (you will need the extra time). I recommend getting on the first available shuttle from your resort to ensure the maximum time.

Download the app and check the ride wait times throughout the day. You can sort rides based on shortest wait.

Wear workout apparel and gym shoes. Plan to get in a lot of mileage (my Fitbit recorded well over 27,000 steps which is about 7-8 miles).

Eat, drink water, & use the restroom before standing in line. You don’t know how long the lines will be.

Wear a lanyard. Super convenient as you can store your credit card, ticket, and early admission pass.

Expect to be super hot all day. There are no misters anywhere, the lines are mostly unshaded, and there are no water rides unfortunately besides one kiddie ride. A personal mister or cooling towels help a bit. I’ve never been hotter standing in line at a park before: I even had to run through sprinklers and pour water over my head many times.

Bring with a water bottle and refill at Coke Freestyle stations for free throughout the park. You can also buy an unlimited pop deal for $18.99.

Single rider lines are perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind splitting up with their party. You can really cut down your wait time by half or more. The nice thing is you still get to stand with your party until the end. I actually still got on the Harry Potter ride with my sister.

Check out my full park survival guide for more tips.

Park history

The long awaited Epic Universe finally opened on May 22nd, 2025. Plans for building this park went into place in August of 2019, although pandemic related delays pushed the opening back a bit. This is the 4th addition to the park’s lineup which includes the amazing Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and also Volcano Bay water park.

There is now more to do than ever. At this point, you basically have to plan a separate Disney vacation just to take in all Universal has to offer. I recommend at least 2 days at Epic to take it all in, plus 2 day park-to-park tickets for the original parks.

Where to stay

Any Universal property will get your hour early admission, which you really need based on the crowd levels. I like Cabana Bay because it is affordable with lots of great amenities.

Highlights include:

• A free shuttle to the parks and Citywalk
• Early admission to all theme parks
• On-site Starbucks with a nice seating area
• A great gift shop
• Bowling alley and arcade
• 2 fabulous pools, one with a waterslide and the other with an amazing lazy river
• A convenient cafeteria style cafe with great hours (7am-11pm)
• Firepits and S’mores making kits
• 2 poolside bars