I was invited to go to Epic Universe, Universal Studios’ new theme park in Orlando, Florida before it was officially opened to the public. Hope this can be a resource for planning your own trip to this new park!
View the Youtube Video here: https://youtu.be/6mhODKlL2tQ
#1 Location & Access
Epic Universe sits about 15-20 minutes away from Universal Studios’ other three parks so it is a bit further out to get to. There is a hotel – The Grand Helios, that allows you to literally walk out the door and into the park but any other Universal Studios’ property hotel will require you to use the bus system (complimentary) to get to this park. You can also book off-property hotels in the vicinity and then drive and park your car.
I stayed at the Grand Helios during her preview stay and it was quite convenient for visiting Epic Universe. I was able to get out for about an hour in the heat of the day and pop up to my hotel room to cool off. You could also take the kids for a quick dip in the pool and be back within about an hour as well! This hotel does come with a higher price tag so make sure it fits into your vacation budget. I thought the convenience was prime, but if it doesn’t fit into your budget, don’t sweat it. There are other Universal hotels that are just as nice (or nicer), and you don’t get an express pass (as of May 2025) whereas you do complimentary at other deluxe Universal hotels (which is a great value!). Was it worth the money? For the access, yes…but everything else was just okay and there are many other comparable hotels.
View the Youtube Video here: https://youtu.be/6mhODKlL2tQ
#2 The 5 Worlds: Dark Universe, Mario Brothers, Isle of Berk, Harry Potter, Celestial Park
This is being coined as one of the most “immersive” theme parks in the world and while I would partly agree (Mario Brothers seriously feels like you are in the game!) – I think there were also some misses and some of the other Disney and Universal parks around the world feel just as immersive.
The park itself is also somewhat small as far as theme parks go. Without lines, you could do all of the attractions in about a half day. I think a one day visit is sufficient for most families. Being a new park as well, there is very little shade/rain cover.
However, locker access for the rides (typical with Universal) is all facial recognition and are at more convenient parts within the ride itself instead of out front which I thought was a bonus! (especially when I compared going to the older Universal parks the following day).
Epic Universe has more rides for all ages which is also a bonus. Universal is notorious for being an older kid brand and I would say this park has things for everyone to enjoy the day. There are thrill rides like Monsters Unchained and Stardust Racers and more kid-friendly ride like Yoshi’s Adventure and Fyre Drill.
I will preface this by saying all of the rides are incredibly fun and creative if there are minimal wait times for the rides but given that will likely not be the case for a while, here is a list of my hits and misses. This is all based on what I actually rode and what was open the day I visited for the preview.
View the Youtube Video here: https://youtu.be/6mhODKlL2tQ
Hits:
Hiccupps Rollercoaster – Isle of Berk
Stardust Racers – Celestial Park
Monsters Unchained – Dark Universe
Misses:
Fyre Drill (a good way to cool off but not really geared for adults)
Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic (the queue was the coolest part)
Yoshi’s Adventure (really just a slow moving ride through the land – not really sure how the eggs came into play)
#3 Food and Drink
I only had one day and did not do a food tour or anything while at the park but in comments from other folks I know who have gone, plus my own, food here was much better than Universal’s other parks. I would say it is on par with Disney’s food choices.
There is a lot of variety and each food location is well themed within each “universe”. One of my favorite locations was in Celestial Park called Pizza Moon (and of course got Pizza!). The restaurant is styled as an old “dinner” theater and a fun place to get out of the heat (or rain). They have a pizza oven that reflected in really yummy crusts and I thought their ingredients tasted high quality!
For dessert I got cheesecake ice cream from at Frosty Moon across the way that was also delicious! I am not one for super fancy food at theme parks as I am all about taste and flavor versus over the top decorations or wild flavors.
Keep in mind Universal is pretty much all online ordering for restaurants so you will want to load a card into the app before your visit so that process is faster and more seamless for you.
There are also a lot of drink options (both alcoholic and not) throughout the park (Butterbeer of any kind is a must over in Paris). Also! Make sure to bring your reusable water bottles as there are plenty of bottle fillers throughout the park so I would save your money on that and stay hydrated!
Final Thoughts
If you like the following Universal movies (How to Train Your Dragons, Super Mario Brothers (or game), Dracula, Frankenstein, Harry Potter….then this park is definitely for you! You will absolutely find enough fun to fill a day and the creativity and imagineering that went into this park is remarkable. Sure, there are some downsides, but not nearly enough to disuade you from visiting!
If you want help planning your EPIC adventure, connect with me as I offer FREE trip planning services! View the Youtube Video here: https://youtu.be/6mhODKlL2tQ
MC Exploring 