Epic Universe is Orlando's newest amusement park that just opened at the beginning of summer as part of the Universal Empire. I was lucky enough to be able to visit with my family while we were in Orlando (no, I wasn't sponsored or paid to visit). It's pricey and right now there are no deals or discounts (and the annual pass does not currently include this park). Parking costs extra and has its own dedicated lot (of course you could always get dropped off to avoid those high costs).
Be sure to download the app so you can check wait times, character or show schedules, and more. However, one note, sometimes the app would display a time for character meet-and-greet but they were not actually meeting. Always ask the cast member when characters plan to return or what is the last meeting time if you want to meet but they closed the line (which they do quickly!).
The park has so many things to see and do even without getting on rides such as shows and characters. Theme details are amazing. Keep in mind that there is a lot of walking and the weather is unpredictable (hot one second and pouring rain the next). I've found that the weather app is not reliable, so be sure to bring rain gear and/or umbrellas.
Most visitors are interested in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Ministry of Magic™ land or the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ land and you will see some of the rides' wait times skyrocket to over an hour right away. Keep in mind, guests staying at select Universal Hotels/Resorts will get in the park an hour before it opens. That means those lines are already long before the gate for regular guests even opens (as we quickly discovered).
Stop by guest services or info booths to get your First Visit button (don't wait until the end of the day).
While guests were headed in those two directions, we headed toward How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk land. The rides had short lines or were walk-ons. Older kids, teens, and adults will want to ride Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and Dragon Racer’s Rally. The Fyre Drill water ride doesn't have any height requirements but really young children will struggle to reach the water-cannon shooter. There's cute dragon animatronics as well as a meet-and-greet (with longs lines). If you need a walking break, check out the show, The Untrainable Dragon.
Toddlers, preschoolers and young children will enjoy the Viking Training Camp playground. It's a massive playground with lots of hands-on activities. Ramps and stairs are available to reach the upper level. There is also a restroom within the playground area. They do shut down early before the rest of the park and there's limited adult seating.
Super Nintendo World seemed crowded throughout the entire day but there's plenty to do. One caveat is that at least one member of your party should purchase the interactive wristband ($50) in order to play the games and immersive experiences. Our family of 6 purchased only one wristband which we shared and that worked out. Some families bought each member a wristband. According to the website, they are usable at the park in Hollywood and in Japan. Also, if over-stimulation bothers you, I'd avoid this land as there is a lot of motion and sounds. There are pockets of quiet areas like toward the Mine-Cart ride (past the restooms and through the Donkey Kong tunnel). The ice cream stand, The Bubbly Barrel, is right inside the Donkey Kong area and had a yummy treat.
Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World was a fun experience but the food options might not appeal to picky eaters as they contain interesting forms of mushrooms or msuhroom-mixed-in-sauce. So the way the cafe works is you stand in line for a table which turns over pretty quickly. Then you order your food at your table using your device. The food does take a long time to arrive and you can't customize (ie, remove the mushrooms). I can recommend the Bowser's Fireball Challenge (hot sauce is on the side) but it contains a ground-beef meatball (pictured). The desserts are really cute and don't contain mushrooms so the kids enjoyed them (but they were a bit pricey). You can also add on a refillable sipper cup or drinks. The lines did get long during typical lunch and dinner hours.
The gift shops are a lot of fun and the younger ones enjoyed the A/C and were entertained by all the fun stuff while the older kids went on the rides. The Yoshi ride is good for younger kids but too "tame" for thrill seekers. The Mario fountain looked really pretty at night.
Dark Universe is the land of Monsters (like Frankenstein, his Bride, Ygor, The Invisible Man, and more. Younger kids did not like this land but were fine meeting the characters (the lines for the meet-and-greets were short). Thrill seekers will enjoy the rides. The Makeup experience wasn't available during our visit but that's fine as it costs an additional $45-$169 per person. The tunnel looks really neat at night.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic land is amazing even if you don't know or like the books or movies. The attention to detail to bring 1920's Paris to life is unbelievable. Like Mario Land, you will need to purchase a wand in order to bring the interactions to life or you can just hover while other guests use theirs. There is a fun circus show called Le Cirque Arcanus (check the app for times). The biggest feature here is the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry motion ride (it's slightly tame as you just sit in a booth with limited motion but there are flashing visuals). Ride times skyrocketed to 305 minutes while I was in the park (and they do close the queue). I personally waited almost 3 hours as the ride kept breaking down but luckily we didn't have to evacuate. My four year didn't like the ride as it had too much side-to-side shaking. Also, you can look around inside without even waiting for the ride itself if you are a Harry Potter fan.
The rest of the land is fun to explore. We were invited by the roaming characters to check out the shops and restaurants which are full of movie references and images. They also have a butterbeer cart for those who'd like to try.
Celestial Park is a small area which has several eateries including the popular Pizza Moon. The Constellation Carousel is kid friendly but I noticed those guests who couldn't transfer out of a wheelchair were not able to ride even for the car-type seats (they're not able to lift guests). It's also very slow loading right and those with Express Pass will short-cut to front of line. The carousel looks really pretty at night with all the lights. There's also an interactive splash/spray ground called Astronomica so be sure to bring a change of clothes and towel.
If you manage to stay late enough, there is a fountain show in the Celestial Park area.
My family consists of several different-aged children whose ride-enjoyment range from not-scary to very-scary. So I got a bunch of questions when I got home from other parents, such as:
- Should I wait until my child is older? - My youngest is 4 and had a blast. For your family, however, you want to take into consideration the Florida heat and the long lines.
- My kids don't like rollercoasters. Will we have fun? - There are plenty of other rides, character meet-and-greets, and shows to enjoy. The lands are very immersive and enjoyable without doing any activity. You have to decide if that is worth the high cost of entrance.
- Our child is bothered by over-stimulation or loud noises. Will we have fun? - I would avoid Super Nintendo World Land as it can be over-stimulating. Some of the rides in other lands have loud noises, flashing lights, fast-moving images.
- We don't like baby rides. Are there enough thrill rides to keep us happy? - My thrill-ride loving kids enjoyed Monsters Unchained, Curse of the Werewolf, Dragon Racer's Rally, Stardust Racers, and Mine-Cart Madness. They thought Harry Potter was too tame.
- Should we go to Disney World or Epic Universe? - This is a difficult question because it depends on your family's needs. Disney is a lot bigger and has a lot more things to do. But it is expensive and can be overwhelming. If you have younger kids or Disney fans, I'd go to Disney. If you have any Mario or Harry Potter fans, I'd go to Epic.
- I don't like Harry Potter or Mario. Will we have fun? - Yes. I'm one of the few people who have not yet watched or read Harry Potter and I enjoyed the land. I thought Ninetendo land was fun even if I don't play video games. I haven't seen the How to Train Your Dragon movies in a long time but that land was also enjoyable.
- Should I purchase the Express Pass? - My family didn't purchase the pass and was able to ride everything they wanted to but it probably will depend on (a) how busy the park is and (b) how important the big rides are to your family like Harry Potter and Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge and (c) if your budget allows for adding the $129.99-$329.99 pass on top of your ticket price
Some Tips:
- If you buy a refillable cup, be aware that at the end of the day they run out of ice and soda options.
- Bring your own refillable waterbottles because Florida can get really hot
- Snacks are allowed. Bring snacks so you can eat your lunch later than the crowd.
- If you want to visit specific characters, make the effort to do that earlier in the day as they cut the lines quick and they stop meeting early.
- Restrooms have auto-flush in case your child freaks out about that.
- Guest Service lines got super-long at the end of the day and they cut the lines.
For more information, https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/epic-universe
Note - We were not sponsored or paid to visit or review Epic Universe.
