As the name suggests, Epic Universe is pretty epic! I've never been to a theme park that felt this visually impressive. The theming across all the different lands is beautiful and clearly very well thought out, from the food to the rides to the overall atmosphere. Each area feels totally distinct, with tons of little details to take in. Even the portal-style entrances to each land are really fun and added to the experience. Not sure if we just got lucky, but lines weren't bad at all on our visit. We were able to get on a lot of rides in around 20 minutes. My only real complaint is that I wish each land had a few more rides, since most only have a handful of attractions. That said, the rides themselves were really fun! We especially loved Stardust Racers and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment! Overall, I'm really glad we went and would definitely love to come back again. read more

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Epic was the first Universal park I visited and after experiencing the others, it's my least favorite. This park has fun themes, including Mario Bros, Dark Universe/Classic Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter. All of the areas are captured perfectly from vibe to shops and decor. We snacked through the park, including ice cream and pretzels. The rides looked fun, but the wait times were UNREAL and we had to skip several. Weather seemed to cause additional delays. Many didn't offer single rider options or they were shut down. How do families tolerate such long lines, especially with younger kids? We took buses to Universal and to get to Epic, a bus transfer was needed. This increased travel and we lost time during open hours. My family is happy to have visited here and it's cool that Hogsmeade offers a second option to travel between parks, but if given the opportunity to come back to one of the parks, this would rank last. read more

I was fortunate to visit this park while chaperoning a field trip, as the daily ticket prices are quite high. Based on my experience, there are still some issues that need to be addressed before the cost truly reflects the value of the park. Pros: *The size of the park shows promise of evolution *Great food and drink options *Mobile/online food ordering *Locker size *A+ costuming of cast members *Awesome theming and staging in each realm *Water refill stations (especially the ones sprinkled amongst the outdoor lines) *Phenomenal customer service from staff Cons: *Extensive wait times *Limited number of rides *High ride closures or delays As a first visit and it to be a 'working' one, I look forward to returning to the park again. read more

Universal Epic Universe - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Universal Epic Universe was a lot of fun! The park is extremely detailed and well maintained. You must have the Universal Florida App to access the park map, they DO NOT offer any printed maps in the park. We opted out of the Express Pass due to the overall cost of it, but it didn't take away from the experience. We planned our park visit based on wait times. We road everything we wanted to! I would say it is a little expensive for food and beverages throughout the park as well. The entire park is interactive but you must purchase a wand or bracelet to play the interactive games. I wish there was a few more "free" entertainment options like there are at other theme parks. Overall fun day but get ready to pay for it!! Xo- BB read more

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We went to Epic Universal for the first time, and overall, we had a good day, but it was pricey. We arrived around lunchtime, and while the park ticket itself was already $170 per person, the only fast pass option was an extra $300 each and it only lets you skip each ride once. That was a bummer, especially since we were hoping for more flexible options. We did get on all the rides, though, since we went on a Monday when it wasn't as packed. We spent about 8 hours there. We considered VIP because it was almost the same price as the express pass, but when we asked again, it wasn't available. Of course, food and drinks were expensive too, and parking was another $35. Honestly, while we enjoyed it, I think Epic Universal is more geared toward younger kids. There was really only one big roller coaster, and we were hoping for more thrills. I've got to say, the immersive rides were actually awesome. They're so well done that half the time I couldn't even tell what was real or not, super advanced motion and effects. I definitely appreciated that! And hands down, my favorite world was the Harry Potter one. it's so detailed and just super cool to walk through. I'd definitely be open to going again, but next time I'd just go right at opening. That way, you could knock out all the rides without needing to buy those expensive fast passes. read more

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Hands down one of the best spots to visit with great company when in Orlando! The overall atmosphere, the rides ‍ How to train a dragon was a winner for my kiddos n I! Super Mario is fun! (Just over packed when we came!) If never been here u can bring a bag with drinks n a snack from home! read more

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So much room for potential. It's. a great start to a new park, a lot of people don't realize the planning efforts and funding that goes into making this park what it has become as a baseline. I read this month Harry Potter world received a $25M permit for expansion which is much needed. The only attraction i there is SO worth it the ride is incredible and a hybrid of tower of terror, ratatouille and avatars naya river. The animatronics are here! Food is tough at this park, they need better signage for all the little food shops and more options. More hand cleaning stations and more space to sit down after meals. If you go on a weekday with good sneakers you don't need to buy the fast pass but if money ain't an issue and you want to finish everything in 4 hours buy it. Bathrooms are great and clean. I appreciate the new family bathrooms. The facial recognition is impressive! I appreciate no bands for anything except for Nintendo World which was the BEST. So worth it just go! read more

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Visiting Epic Universe for the first time was something I had been looking forward to for a long time, and overall, it lived up to most of my expectations. The feeding throughout the park is incredible and you can tell a lot of thought and detail went into creating each land. I also really appreciated how spacious the park feels and the food options were surprisingly good. The level of immersion across the park is one of its strongest highlights. My absolute favorite area was Isle of Berk. Everything from the food to the shows to the rides was done well, and it truly felt like stepping into another world. It easily stood out as the most complete and enjoyable land in the park. Super Nintendo world was also very impressive and visually stunning. It really transports you into the games. However, the Donkey Kong ride, Mine-Cart Madness, broke down multiple times during my visit, and the wait time was extremely long for such a short (and honestly, underwhelming) ride. The Dark Universe has a lot of potential but compared to the other lands, it felt like it could use a bit more to fully bring it to life. The Ministry of Magic was beautifully done. The theme and immersion were fantastic and the queue for the main ride was honestly one of the best I've experienced. It was honestly better than the ride itself. One thing I didn't love overall was how the Express Pass system affects wait times. We chose not to purchase it and while I understand its benefits, it did feel like the standby lines moved muuuch slower because of it. It would be nice if there were a bit more balance to make the experience feel fair to all guests. read more

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It's hard to write a review that captures everything that makes this park so EPIC!!! Dare I say this park takes the cake for the best amusement park ever? What really sets it apart from others, is the attention to detail even through the smallest details such as restrooms & line queues! I truly felt immersed & apart of each world after walking through the different portals! I was super thankful to have stayed at a Universal Hotel! That extra hour really makes a different if you're trying to see & do everything here! read more

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Got a chance to check out Epic Universe while we were in Orlando and overall I really enjoyed it. The lands are all super well done, but what really stood out to me were the entrances. The tunnels that take you into each area are honestly stunning. It really does feel like you're being transported into a different world. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is because Stardust Racers and The Untrainable Dragon show were both closed, and those were two of the things I was most excited for. Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, especially Donkey Kong Land, and Dark Universe were my favorites. Donkey Kong Land hit me right in the nostalgia and I wish I could've spent more time there. Unfortunately it was insanely busy, which made it hard to really take everything in. I expected that though since the park is still so new. It was packed all day and honestly still packed at night. I know people say to go in the evening, and it does help a little, but it's still crowded. Dark Universe was everything I needed. It had that classic spooky vibe and that is fully my era right now. I was in absolute graveyard heaven. Also, the best ride in the park hands down was Frankenstein. Do not sleep on that one. Top food recommendations are the PB and J mac cone in Isle of Berk and the frozen butterbeer in the Ministry of Magic. Both were 10 out of 10. Overall, Epic was a great experience. If I end up back in Orlando I probably wouldn't go again right away. I'd give it some time for the crowds to calm down and for everything to be fully up and running. Also, we were lucky enough to get express passes and they were absolutely worth it. Lines were very long, but with express we were able to get through most of the rides in one day. Without it, there's no way. The longest line we waited in was actually to meet Toothless, which was about an hour. read more

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Epic Universe - Orlando, FL Epic Universe is everything a theme park should be... and honestly, what they all should've been doing all along. We visited as a family on April 5, 2026, and from the moment we walked in, it just felt different--in the best way possible. One of the first things that stood out? You can actually sit down and be. There are plenty of seating areas, benches, and spaces to relax and soak it all in. That alone is a game-changer. So many parks (looking at you, Disney) have taken that away, leaving you with tired feet and nowhere to recharge. Not here. The layout is incredibly easy to navigate, and the design is just flat-out beautiful. Every area flows naturally into the next, and each "world" truly pulls you in. Whether you're in How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter, Mario, or Dark Universe--you don't just visit... you feel like you're inside it. And the rides? Next level. Fully immersive, creative, and just plain fun. You can tell a ton of thought went into making each experience unique and memorable. Food and drinks are everywhere and surprisingly solid. Pro tip: get the freestyle cup--unlimited refills all day (Coke, Powerade, water, etc.) and totally worth it. But don't skip the shows. Seriously. The Untrainable Dragon show absolutely blew our family away. Our 6-year-old was completely locked in and couldn't stop talking about Toothless flying around--it was one of those moments you don't forget. I'll say it again: THIS is the new standard. From here on out, I'm judging every theme park against Epic Universe--and right now, nothing else comes close. read more

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Named by Time's Magazine's World's Greatest Places of 2026 to Visit category for North America, Universal Epic Universe is the largest of Universal Orlando's parks and meant to be that which finally shifts the center of gravity in Central Florida. Located about 4 miles away from Universal's other parks, it is divided into five magical worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter--Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon--Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park. The design of the park was well planned out with the tunnels leading to each immersive world. Its architecture is worth at least one visit. If one's going to actually ride all the attractions, buy the express pass in advance, which is costly. The best ride, Stardust Racers, where two coasters race each other, was not running. The Curse of the Werewolf is a spinning roller coaster that was a bit of a lack luster after waiting an hour and only lasts less than a minute. The app is AMAZING, super intuitive, has accurate wait times, and the map is precise and easy to follow. Unfortunately, my partner and I noticed this park was designed with a lack of permanent shade structures and no mature trees. Visiting Super Nintendo World in the afternoon with the full sun felt like a sauna with the same reflective properties and heat emanating from the pavement and facades. Strongly recommend an umbrella with UV protection, a cool-dude bucket hat, and ridiculously strong sunscreen. It needs improvements with more attractions and longer rides. Since it is a new park, we are not surprised these aren't present. read more

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Epic Universe has big crowds, long lines throughout the day, and multiple delays. But as a solo traveler with no kids, and 5 day park-to-park pass, there is absolutely nothing I can complain about. I literally had one of the best times of my life. The music, lighting design, architecture, details, and immersive storytelling brought tears to my eyes. The creative team should be incredibly proud of what they executed here. As someone with a background in theater and film, it was moving to look around and realize how much thought, effort, and risk it must have taken to create this park. Shoutout to the Team Members. I saw SO many TMs go above and beyond for guests. Also, the bartenders??? You know what's up. Fun fact: the central hub connecting all the worlds (portals) is called Celestial Park (this is where the nighttime fountain show happens)--home to Stardust Racers and the carousel. The Celestials are universe explorers who have gained the knowledge of how to hop into other worlds. And on this very special day, yes the day you are visiting Epic, all things are aligned and you, a human from Earth, can travel through all the portals. Look up in the sky at night... you'll see a hit of this story. For a one-day visit, it might be tough to experience everything. I am telling you, if you are going to do Epic, get a park-to-park pass for multiple days. There were times where I was done at Universal Studios and said heck, let's just go get a bite in Epic, only to discover a short line on a high-demand ride! I can't wait to see how this park grows. read more

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I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun we had at Epic Universe! I knew we'd enjoy ourselves of course but really emercing ourselves in each world and doing the activities and eating the different foods that came along with them was really sooo much fun! This might be my favorite park in Orlando. I think of the 4 parks, the best looking was easily Mario, because WOW, it literally felt like I loaded up into the game. But the Harry Potter (Fantastic Beasts) world is definitely a close second in that category. Fantastic Beasts World takes that cake for the best food AND best game/adventure. Getting your own wand and going around the entire world (and also Diagon Alley at Universal Studios) learning/completing interactive spells had me feeling like a kid again! So much fun! Excited to go back! read more

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Universal has done it again! Epic is STUNNING! Every little detail is beautiful. Now, I wouldn't go to this park for rides, it was more about the vibes. While there are rides in each portal, they aren't the main focus and you will be waiting a long time if you don't get express passes. We rode a few rides such as Monsters Unchained which was amazing! We loved the shows and just walking around the portals. This park also has the best food! Highly recommend the mac & cheese cones, ice cream from Frosty Moon, and the butterbeer crepe (note: it is served cold). Definitely worth visiting at least once! read more

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This is what happens when Imagineers ( Universal Creative ) people get to spend their whole lives dreaming of how a new park could be created from the ground up, then get to do it. What you see now is just it's fledgling form because it's apparent that expansions have yet to come. They've got the perfect designs to create more in the future or add onto existing lands. Foot traffic has been given ample space, each land is immersive, the portals in/out are the best reveal I've ever seen, and every cast member is 100% into it. I've read a lot of the negative reviews here but can't agree, this is the template of all new future theme parks moving forward. It can always be tweaked and improved later. read more

Universal Epic Universe - As seen from Bar Helios. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I had been dreaming of going to Epic Universe since it was first announced. And recently, that dream came true! I've been an avid goer of Universal Studios for years. EU definitely has a different feel to it, especially because it is in a separate location from the other two parks. I love the idea of the different portals you go through to visit a different world. It's absolutely incredible how much detail they put into the design of everything. Our most anticipated area to visit was Super Nintendo World and WOW, it is unreal! Dark Universe was also a favorite of mine, although I do wish it were bigger! The rides here are really fun and there's a good variety of thrilling to gentle. Some of the waits can get pretty outrageous (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter!!) so whether that be resolved with more attractions or a better line process would be nice to see. There also aren't many sit down restaurants, but there are a lottt of really good quick service/snack stands! Half of the fun we had was portal hopping trying different things. This park isn't even a year old yet, and I'd say they're off to a great start! I can't wait to keep visiting and see this place evolve. read more

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This is the theme park that everyone in your family can have a good time at. Even the family members that never ride rides and watch everyone's bags. Celestial Park is gorgeous! It will be even better when the trees provide more shade but still gorgeous. The layout of the park is easy to navigate and even though it's huge it doesn't feel like you're walking yourself to death. Tons of food options, lots to see, make sure to see the shows. Not a ton of rides but we stayed open to close one day and we never ran out of things to do. Entry to the park was super quick and easy after we got our facial recognition set up - not having to pull out my phone for our tickets are great!! We'll definitely be back - it was an amazing experience. Visit Pizza Moon!!!! A couple of the employees were stand out superstars: shout out to the man working the ride share pickup loop, making sure everyone got into the right cars - thanks for keeping us safe! And the woman at guest services when the app stopped working for mobile order, you were super patient and nice! Some of the workers were nooooooooot so great, so the ones that went above and beyond really stood out. read more

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- I was able to get into the park for the preview day, with reduced capacity. Park is amazing and well running with the exception of a few rides. - Park layout is beautiful, everything is clean and new and its an awesome concept. - All of the separate worlds were really cool. Would come again. read more

My girlfriend and I visited Epic Universe last weekend and had an overall positive experience with some downsides (mainly relating to the long lines). The good: -The set designs of the different universes and the ride lines are amazing. I thought the Dark Universe was the most spectacularly designed universe, and you definitely should check it out at night. A close second for me was the Mario Universe. The design for the Harry Potter ride is also world class. You feel like you're on set for the movie while waiting in the line. -Most of the rides are super fun. My favorite was the Frankenstein experience and Hiccups Wing Gliders. I also highly recommend riding Stardust Racers and the Werewolf rollercoaster at night. Stardust Racers is beautifully lit up and the Werewolf ride is spookily not lit up. -Good technology implementation. I like how you can do mobile food ordering and scan the table number so they bring your food and drinks out to you. I also like how the locker system is based on your face, so you don't need to worry about holding onto anything to open the locker. -Good food options. I wouldn't say any of the food that I had was exceptional, but all of it was pretty good for a theme park. Definitely get the butter beer crepes in the Harry Potter Universe and the cheddar bites in the Dark Universe. Those lived up to the hype. The bad: -THE LINES. If you don't get early park admission or a fast pass, be prepared to wait a long time for most rides and especially the Harry Potter and Donkey Kong rides. We waited close to two hours for both the Donkey Kong ride and the Harry Potter ride. All told, we probably spent half of our day waiting in lines, which diminished my willingness to go on a ride again and have to wait in another long line. The fast passes were also ridiculously priced for when we visited. More than double the price of our park ticket ($300 per person). To avoid lines as much as possible, I'd recommend doing the Isle of Berk rides asap in the morning because those can have long lines later in the day, and all of the popular rides will already have long lines when the park opens due to early park admission. -The guests. Not much Universal can really do about this, but nothing is more annoying than waiting in a long line with annoying and obnoxious people next to you. People can also be pretty rude with the locker lines and try to cut in front of you. Overall, I think how much you enjoy Epic Universe depends on your tolerance for waiting in line or how much you're willing to spend to avoid lines. read more

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I write this review to you my readers whilst I wait in line at Battle at the Ministry. If you couldn't guess why this place can't get to five stars, the fact I'm spending my time in a theme park writing a review should do it. But in all seriousness, it's an amazing theme park. IMMERSION is top notch - the designs of the lands are absolutely world class and it's absolutely beautiful all around. Food is also really good (some favs are bowser meatballs at toad cafe, berks flavorful cones and their tasty mead, pizza moon is a no brainer), especially for theme park, and helps justify the premium. Rides, WHEN WORKING, are really fun. Lots of thematic and high quality screens and animatronics. The design set is also stellar and helps with the queues. How to get that five stars though? Two things: 1) Fix the constant ride breakdowns. Ministry is notorious for breaking down, and was down for the majority of yesterday and half of today. Greattt. 2) Add more capacity for rides. Currently, this park only has 11 rides and 2 shows. But combo that with #1 above, you really only have about 6-7 available at a given time. I'm really looking forward to the future of this park. It's still beautiful, and I do recommend it. But expect some frustrations here and there until they figure out their kinks fully, despite a year to do so. read more

New for 2025, we decided to visit the new Universal park in November. Maybe it was because we went the week before Thanksgiving, but the park was extremely crowded and the wait times were very long. We arrived right at opening, yet the first two rides we attempted were delayed due to malfunctions, so we were almost 1.5 hours in without riding a single attraction. Although there were several delays throughout the day, most rides eventually came back online and we were able to experience them. The one ride that stayed closed the entire time was the Frankenstein ride. My favorite was easily Stardust Racer. After riding it for the first time, it instantly ranked #1 or #2 among all Universal Orlando rides for me, right up there with VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure. What really stood out was the park's layout. Each themed world has its own gateway or portal that fully immerses you as you enter. When the park is busy, those portals can create bottlenecks for entering and exiting, but the overall concept and design are genius. read more

Universal Epic Universe - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Our visit to Epic Universe was simply amazing!! Universal outdid themselves in building this fantastic park! We were in another world. I was so excited to be here and see the fantasy characters that my daughter grew up with. It was all so much fun and yet kind of realistic in our minds as we got to participate in the games. It is best to plan an entire day to enjoy it all. Wear comfortable shoes. There are lots of restaurants/food stands if you get hungry or thirsty. You will be walking through the portals and step into five worlds beyond belief at Universal Epic Universe. This is the theme park where your favorite characters and most beloved stories and wildest dreams become real. We loved SuperMario! My daughter beat me at every level of the game. I didn't mind. Here is what you will discover: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter & the Ministry of Magic, the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon at the Isle of Berk, and last, but not least, the Dark Universe. Face villains, save the earth, and confront the many dragons! And one of the dragons breathes real fire! You will have the time of your life. Also, get ready to experience the wildest roller coaster ride ever with the ultimate ride things like twists, turns and drops. I thought I would get sick just watching others ride this thrill ride. There's so much more to explore hut I can't list it all. Just go and enjoy it! read more

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We were in ORLANDO for a business trip and thinkN to ourselves what are we going to do for the rest of the week? Hmm...we went to Disneyland Magic Kingdom last year so how about going to a new theme park this year. Epic Universe it is!... SONG OF THE DAY: DIE WITH A SMILE by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars... If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to Universal Epic Universe... If the weekend was over and our time in Florida was through... I'd wanna ride you just for a while and die with a smile... If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to Universal Epic Universe... HIGHLY RECOMMEND: The Express Pass! It costs $300 More but totally worth it!! For example: Harry Potter Ride was 150 minutes wait time vs. 15 minutes with the express pass. We went on all the rides and it took about 8 hours from 10am-6pm. We're not teenagers anymore so maybe the younger ones can finish all the rides sooner ;) We had a blast and Stardust Racers was one of the scariest but most epic ride there. You will twist, turn, drop and almost crash into the other coaster but, it's all good. It's a thrill ride for sure. It was like being inside a pin ball machine! LESS CROWDED than Disneyland! Most people were really chill and happy here!! Don't bring bags on the ride. We got scolded at the Frankenstein ride for bringing a bag with chips and cookies! ROCK ON EPIC UNIVERSE!!!! read more

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Well I didn't know what to expect from Epic, because I didn't watch many videos. It's one of those things when you plan but can't really know until you see it. We got the express pass which made it worth it, kinda. We saw a sign that HP:BatM, was closing early so bolted over there. The queue said 240 mins, that's 4 hours! Daaaang. But get thing we had EP, which only took 45 mins to get through. That was an Epic ride. So the next ride is what made our trip turn a little sour. We went into Stardust Rider, scanned our EP, waited, it went down. Ok, that's happens. But the TM stated talk to guest services, they are may or may not be able to help you. Like wdym? I scanned my EP, and now I won't able to get what I paid for?! I asked another TM regarding my EP, they told me the same robotic script. So everyone went to GS, it was a long line, mind you. At first they were apprehensive and taking their time with dealing with the customers. But they started handing out passes. Which they should've done in the first place! Then went towards How to Train a Dragon area, very cool design and decor. Next ride was Hiccups Wing Glider, just a few minutes in line, it breaks down! Sigh, good thing we didn't scan EP. Let's a go into SMW, this one was massive compared to LA, it had 2 levels. DKC ride was Epic! Yoshi's Adventure was a very slow and chill. After all finished there, went back to How to Train, got back in line for Glider, almost there and it breaks down again! Sheesh, it end working though. Went back to Stardust for an Epic night view of the park. Finished off in Dark Universe, hopped on the Monsters Unchained, it started off good. Then it stopped midway, weee. It was fine, but it kept repeating the same damn alert prompt. Then the lights came on. So yeah, that happened, after about 20mins, the ride resumed. Afterwards they gave us a pass for any ride except HP. Overall, it's a cool park, but I felt like the EP wasn't worth the cost for the amount of rides. I would come back, but they need to fix all of their kinks out. read more

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This park is the newest park under Universal. We went during Winter Holidays - New Years and I recommend to purchase the express passes is must. If not you're be standing in line for hours. So reserve couple days for Epic when you come during peak time or just spend money for express passes. It's a beautiful park with different land. Each land has there special entrance in. Hope they build more rides in the future. Can't wait to come again. read more

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I had an absolute blast!!! My new favorite experience in Orlando. All of the universes were spot on. I actually went in the late afternoon, so I didn't have to wait too long for the rides. They did a really great job with the immersive worlds like Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World. Pizza Moon was absolutely amazing, the best pizza I've ever had. The cool thing is that you can order your food while you are in the park, put a time, and your food will be ready upon your arrival. read more

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Ah to be a kid again! Although, I'm not a huge rides person, I wanted to check out Epic as it was only 10 minutes away from me and my guests for the weekend were obsessed with Nintendo World. I set my personal expectations low to not be underwhelmed, but this was the most fun I've had in a while. Just being able to walk through each experience felt nostalgic and whimsical. I knocked it down one star because the wait times were so long and Dark Universe... has to go! That was the only part that was extremely underwhelming. My favorite world was Nintendo. The team absolutely outdid themselves with the creation of that universe and experiencing it during sunset was magical. TLDR; check it out and don't form any expectations. read more

Universal Epic Universe - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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I spent yesterday inside Universal Epic Universe, and let's start where this story belongs--with my jaw on the pavement and my expectations dragged behind a truck. This place doesn't open... it arrives. Loud. Confident. Smug. Like it knows it's good-looking and doesn't need your approval. Epic Universe is what happens when a theme park stops trying to be "family friendly" and starts saying, "No--watch this." Circus Arcanus isn't a show. It's a full-blown Broadway production that wandered into a theme park after last call. I've seen theater in New York that didn't have this level of ambition. This thing flexes. It struts. It dares you to blink. Best theme-park show on Earth. Period. Anyone arguing otherwise is lying to themselves or works payroll. Then you walk into Super Nintendo World and suddenly you're not a grown adult--you're a controllable character in a billion-dollar hallucination. Bright. Loud. Overstimulating. Perfect. You don't visit it--you spawn there. And the Wizarding World? Same deal. You're not "immersed." You've crossed a border. Passport stamped. Brain surrendered. Now... let's talk about the mouse. Yes, that mouse. Walt Disney World should be sweating through that costume right now. Because Universal didn't nibble at the edges--they came for the crown with a chainsaw. This is world-class theming on a scale that feels borderline aggressive. Like Universal woke up and chose violence. **BUT--**and here's where the champagne goes flat-- They're charging luxury pricing with budget-airline attitude. I saw cast members who were phenomenal--kind, professional, locked in. I also saw yelling. Frustration. "I'm done with today" energy bleeding onto guests who just dropped a mortgage payment on snacks. And that's the sin. If you're going to charge me steakhouse prices, don't serve it with DMV energy. Disney understands something Universal still hasn't fully swallowed: people will forgive the robbery if you smile while doing it. The mouse takes your money and pats your head. Epic sometimes takes your money and sighs loudly like you ruined its day. That disconnect matters. Epic Universe is a technological miracle, a creative haymaker, a middle finger to mediocrity. But the magic doesn't just live in steel, screens, and smoke--it lives in the humans. And when the humans crack, the illusion leaks fast. So yes--go. Absolutely go. See it. Experience it. Let it blow your doors off. You're stepping into the future of theme parks... but the customer service is still stuck in the loading dock. Fix that--and this place doesn't just compete. It wins the war. read more

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It's a very fun park that is divided by different themes. It was definitely more crowded then the other parks, but it is the newer park. They have Mario, Dark Universe, Harry Potter, etc. It is very detailed. We were actually able to get through the whole park in one day and we did ride most of the rides. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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Out of all the parks this is my least favorite, first and last time coming here. The staff throughout the park was rude, at one point, i was at a kiosk waiting to get some popcorn and the guy was on his personal phone, tells the person on the other side "i have a customer waiting, but it's ok, they can wait..." Do better. read more

We had the privilege of getting to visit Epic Universe last year for a few days during its inaugural year. It's all brand new and has some growing and filling in to do, but that being said, it's truly already Epic and worth 5 stars as is, though I know they are constantly adding, tweaking and growing their new park. This theme park is made up of different "lands or worlds" that you enter through portals in the park. These lands consist of Celestial Park, which is sort of the main hub of the park which branches off into the other lands of Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic and How to Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk. Each one of these worlds deserves their own review, but to give you a quick overview, if you're a fan of any of these properties, check those out first. If you're not sure where to go, I recommend Isle of Berk. I feel like this land stole the show. It's so vibrant, colorful and full of kinetic energy and of course...DRAGONS!!! For the most part the food in this park is great! A few quick recommendations are Das Steakhouse, get a Mac and Cheese cone in Isle of Berk and a Banana Pineapple DK Crush Float from the Donkey Kong area in Super Nintendo World. If it's your first visit, I think 2 days to explore the whole park is key, so you aren't rushing and stressing. If you've been here before, you can probably do all you want in one day depending on crowd levels. We can't wait to go back and try more of the food, experiences and entertainment! read more

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Came here on a Friday. Was pretty busy anyways. We wanted the VIP/fast pass but it was 360usd per person and we said hell no. Stood in line for the DK ride for 2h. It was kind of short but at least we tried it once. Didn't do any other rides because wait time was very long. Enjoyed walking around to all the different areas in the park read more

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The word for this place is obvious. It is EPIC! I'm going to try to keep this review as an overview since some of the rides and food places have their own Yelp pages. We were going to be in Florida for a wedding. Even better, we were going to be there in February(theme park off season!). I would've never forgiven myself if Nintendo World wasn't visited. I remember when it opened in Japan and soon after they announced that Orlando would have Nintendo World too. It was a must-visit! Having been to the other Universal Parks over a decade ago, I knew partially what to expect. It made me plan accordingly. The Park: Epic consists of a central park(Celestial) that is space themed. It has a few of its own rides and places to eat and is a good place to hang out if you need a break from one of the park branches. From that central area, the other 4 worlds branch off (Nintendo World, Isle of Berk-How to Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter, Dark Universe-horror/Halloween themed). Arrival: I was in, parked, and at the gate as soon as the place opened. And we didn't leave until the lights started being turned off. Walking in is much like other theme parks... you have people rushing to certain areas to knock out what they want. You could hear parents encouraging their kids to walk faster. Nintendo World: Priority Number One! I headed straight to buy my Luigi hat and my wristband. The world itself isn't terribly big. There are three main rides: Mario Kart AR, Yoshi (more kid directed), and a Donkey Kong area with a coaster. There are also a couple of places to order snacks or if you want something substantial: Toadstool Cafe. If you're a casual fan of Nintendo, you might not enjoy this world. The rides are fun but the real fun starts with the wristbands. I bought the Yoshi themed one but they have wristbands for various characters that all work the same. The wristband connects to your account/phone through the Universal App. It works flawlessly. You can run around punching blocks to earn coins, there are a couple of games where the wristband is used, secret activities where the wristbands are needed, and badges/achievements you can earn for doing things. I earned almost 70 badges of the 200 available. On future visits, you can bring your wristband back to earn the rest AND I TOTALLY PLAN TO DO JUST THAT! The wristband was a steep 45 dollars but in my opinion, it was well worth it. I want every theme park to be gamified now. Isle of Berk-How to Train Your Dragon - We finished all the rides in Nintendo and were definitely interested in seeing this world. One of the water rides was closed but we were able to ride the other rides in this area. We also decided on eating at Mead Hall and it was delicious. Definitely a step above regular theme park food. One of the highlights to this park to me is you can visit the Toothless Treasures shop and adopt a dragon. When I read that online, I said out loud, "We're adopting a dragon!" You buy an egg, tell them you want a ceremony, you recite an oath to take care of the dragon, and then the egg is opened! The egg converts to a purse like carrying case for your dragon so it shouldn't get in the way too much. There are 5 or 6 dragons that you can get... when our egg was cracked, it was a Night Fury! We named it Riddles. If you're a fan of the world, it's worth adding to your agenda. Harry Potter - I had visited Harry Potter in the other Universal Parks so this wasn't high on the list of things. We didn't even step foot in that world. One, we were running low on time and two... we decided to save it for the next visit. Dark Universe - We tried to save this for dusk. It seems appropriate to be around monsters at night or if it's super cloudy outside. There are also a few rides here. The favorite ride here was the motion simulator animatronics with all the monsters. It was some of the best motion sim I've seen. Celestial Ride mention - There was a dueling coaster here that seemed to always have a 10 minute or below wait. The line moves fast and since there are two coasters going at once, it moves people even faster. It was fun but as soon as we finished... I looked at my party and said, "This ride isn't safe!" I had a thing typed but hit the character limit on Yelp so I'll see if the ride has a review page. The park is smaller than I thought, but if you know how to theme park, you should be able to get to everything you want within a day. If it's not the offseason, you might need 2 days. I do hope they add Zelda and Pokémon to Nintendo World. There are so many possibilities with what Epic can become. Wait times were reasonable but def use the Universal app to watch wait times. You're still going to have to wait 100 minutes for some rides but the app can help with planning. read more

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Epic Universe was really fun and feels very different from the other Universal parks. The theming is next level--each area is immersive, detailed, and just really cool to walk through. The park is also more spread out, which makes it feel less chaotic in some areas, but there is noticeably less shade than the other parks, so that's something to plan for. The Nintendo World area was amazing and unlike anything else in the parks (in a good way). We had early access, but once the park officially opened, it got very crowded fast. We didn't spend much time there in the morning because of that, but we went back at dusk and it was beautiful with everything lit up and the crowds a little lighter. We ate at Toadstool Cafe, which was adorable, and rode the Yoshi ride, which gave a great view of the park. We also got Power-Up Bands for the kids, but waited until later in the day to use them since earlier it was hot, crowded, and there's not much shade in that area. That ended up being a much better experience. Using Express Pass in the evening made a big difference--wait times dropped a lot. We walked right onto Mine-Cart Madness after dusk. Dark Universe was really cool theming-wise. Monsters Unchained was pretty creepy--my 9-year-old was too scared to ride, and I would agree it's on the scarier side. Curse of the Werewolf was fun as well. We started our day with Bowser's Challenge and then headed to Dark Universe since those lines were shorter early on. We didn't make it to the How to Train Your Dragon area until the afternoon. Dragon Racer's Rally was very short and not worth a long wait, but the Winged Glider coaster was really fun and a great family ride. The Harry Potter area at Epic was also really well done. The queue for Battle at the Ministry was probably the best we saw--super detailed--and the ride itself was a lot of fun. Our kids had wands from Ollivanders and loved using them here too, which kept them engaged throughout the day. We also watched Le Cirque Arcanus, which was a great break from the heat and lasted about 25 minutes. Food overall was good and more interesting than typical theme park food, but still expensive. Overall, this park felt magical and was a great experience for our family. While Islands of Adventure still had more of those standout rides we wanted to repeat over and over, Epic feels more like a full immersive experience park--and it's absolutely worth visiting. There were a few ride delays throughout the day, but we were able to use the app to adjust our plans and work around them without much trouble. Most of the delays weren't too long and didn't significantly impact our overall experience. read more

The Baseline: For a theme park, quality experiences must be provided, fun amusement attractions be available, immersive environments must be established, and safety must be a top priority. Park Experience: Universal's newest (opened 2025) theme park is incredible.. no it is... EPIC! It is a great theme park with a lot of expansion capability. The basic premise is that you enter the main portal into the Celestial Park as the central hub then you can enter the portals to the four additional worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train your Dragon-Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. Great immersion and theming for how this is set up. Ambiance: You feel excited being at the different worlds and they did an awesome job at separating everything. Since it is new the trees and shading plants haven't grown in yet so it is a hot park for the time being, Celestial Park is wide open and feels like a ton of space and is best experienced at night so the lighting effects are up and running (5 out of 5). You do have to walk when you are here. Super Nintendo World feels compact and crowded along with the music noise is too load and reverberates off the walls too much (least favorite world- 2 out of 5)). Harry Potter Ministry has an awesome mystical Paris feel to the land and is an awesome immersive experience with a ton of character interaction (5 out of 5). Isle of Berk is a dragon feast and is probably the best theme-to-source-material land and is active and fun (5 out of 5). Lots of photo ops and the rides are also very fun. Food is themed well too. Dark Universe (5 out of 5) is a great experience and the immersion is awesome. Best experienced at night and full of great thrills and frills for a theme park land (my personal favorite). read more

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Epic Universe: This was my third universal vacation as I previously vacationed there as a teen in 2004 and adult in 2017. I had initially planned to visit sooner, but with the opening of Epic Universe on the horizon, I postponed my trip by a couple years to 2/23/26-2/26/26. I was also hoping to give Epic Universe roughly a year after opening to avoid some of the crowds and let Universal work some of their bugs out, as I'll get into, my strategy did not exactly work. Let me start with the pros of Epic. The park was clean, staff friendly, and the level of detail/immersion is unparalleled. Portions of other theme parks (such as Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios or Pandora in Animal Kingdom) are equally as immersive, but no other contains this level of detail in every single section of the park. You could spend hours just taking pictures and finding the best photo ops. Many of the ride lines are relatively standard, but both Monsters Unchained and Battle at the Ministry are truly impressive and worth the wait. My first video game console as a kid was a SNES and the Super Nintendo World perfectly captured the essence of those early Mario and Donkey Kong games. Both adult kids and gamers will love that area, it's like one massive party! Some of the best food from my trip also came from Epic. The Pizza Lunare at Pizza Moon and the Bieraubeurre Crêpe (Butterbeer Crêpe) at Café L'air De La Sirène were both phenomenal. Now for the bad. It was still a crowded park (not even peak season) and more annoyingly, Universal still has some bugs to work out. "Delayed" became my new "favorite" word during the visit. That's Universal's language for a ride being broken/down for an unknown length of time and it happened frequently and to multiple rides throughout the day. Two big issues impacted my visit because of the ride issues. First, it totally sabotaged the day my family and I rope dropped. We got to the park 45 minutes before EARLY ENTRY (which is an hour before the park opens to non-Universal guests, so this was two hours early) only to enter the park and learn that both Battle at the Ministry and Mine Cart Madness were "delayed", which were the two rides we planned on targeting. We settled for Mario Kart, and then that ride broke down/was "delayed" while we were in line (eventually got on). Had we not had a park hopper pass to come back another day; we would have been screwed. Second, and what was Epically disappointing, Stardust Racers was unexpectedly closed during the duration of my trip. Tickets to Epic aren't cheap, and I don't plan on traveling to Universal frequently as I live in WI. Being a coaster enthusiast, I would not have planned my vacation for those dates had I known it would be closed. My biggest beef is the lack of transparency as to why the closure was extended and that no service recovery was offered. There's also the added ramification that the lines for everything else were longer with a key attraction being down. In an ideal world where everything is running smoothly, this park is an easy 5/5, but if you ask me to rate it based on my personal experience, it comes down to 3.5/4 out of 5 stars. read more

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Epic Universe is now one of my favorite theme parks to go to. While I was in Orlando Florida for a conference in late October, I decided to buy a ticket on Sunday to go to Epic Universe. This new theme park is fantastic. I arrived around 8:00 A.M on a Sunday and was one of the first to arrive at the theme park. I parked and started to walk over to the security entrance. There was already several lines! Luckily though, security opened at 8:30 and allowed the guests to go at the entrance. I was able to view the Celestial park area before they opened the portal areas to guests at 8:50. From there, I went over to Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic. The themed area opened at 9:00 and I ended up queueing for the Battle of the Ministry ride. I was off the ride at around 9:45 and went over to Dark Universe. I was super excited to try out Monster's Unchained. Unfortunately, when I had arrived, the ride was down. I decided to do the Werewolf ride instead. I was a little nervous since I get motion sickness easily, but the ride vehicle didn't turn too much! Once I was off the ride, the Monsters Unchained was still down, so I went over to the Isle of Berk themed area next. I spent about 4 hours at How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk. There is just so much to do. I ended up riding Hiccups Wing Gliders, Frye Drill, and the Dragon Racer's Rally. My favorite was the roller coaster, Hiccups Wing Gliders. This is a must do ride if you're visiting Epic Universe. I also ended up eating one of the Mac N Cheese Cones and saw the Untrainable dragon show, which is fantastic! From there, I had to go spend some time at the Super Nintendo World. The first activity I did was the Mine Cart Madness, single rider line. I only waited about 30 minutes for this ride, and it's one of my favorites! The trackless ride theme is so unique! I grew up playing Donkey Kong on the Super Nintendo and it's one of my favorite video game series. The themed area is amazing. Super Nintendo World is so cool! Universal Studios did an amazing job with the land! Princess Peach castle, Bowser's area for the Mario Kart ride, and Yoshi's ride is so much fun. Yoshi's ride did break down while I was in line, but it didn't last too long, approximately 30 minutes. I did want to ride this ride to get a amazing view of Super Nintendo World! There's a lot of shops and a few dining options at Super Nintendo World. I spent a few hours here. It was cool to see some of the paintings from the N64 Super Mario Game - Bomomb Battlefield Canvas. After that, I went back to Dark Universe to ride Monsters Unchained. The single rider line had no wait time! This is such a fantastic ride with the mix of animatronics and the visual effects! This is a must ride if you're visiting Epic Universe. I did watch the Harry Potter show as well, and then ended my day at Celestial Park, going on some additional rides and shopping! Can you do Epic Universe in a day? Yes, you can, but I would recommend two days, that way you have time to go into all of the shops and experience different dining options. Epic Universe at night is my favorite theme park with all of the different lights. Super Nintendo World is completely different during the evening hours! I plan on coming back in 2026 and spending a few days at Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Epic Universe! read more

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Incredibly immersive and well created worlds from Harry Potter, Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, Nintendo, and Celestial. Each one has a nice portal that you pass through into a new world which provides additional immersion. In order to skip the long waits (2-3 hours) at Nintendo and Harry Potter, we started out with Isle of Berk. Meeting Toothless took awhile too but the animatronics are something else where even petting him felt leather ish and he had much more life-like animations than elsewhere. The show in the area was also impressive! Most of the rides were only 5-45 minutes. When going to Harry Potter world, everywhere has nice touches that activate from the special wands you can buy from the stores. Waiting for Ministry of Magic is long even if you go into the express lane but each room is unique with animated screens and magical portals. But hearing the dreaded ride delay and waiting for maintenance... oof.. even after 1-2 hour wait and then additional 1-2 more... good ride but wow what a wait! The show at Harry Potter is a bit strange and only worth watching if you like the fantastic beast series. The show starts with 10 minute pre show where everyone is crammed into a room to watch some dialogue... unfortunately little kids will not be able to see much without help from parents. Afterward, the show has some circus acts and then simply has a story about the fantastic beasts. Nintendo world is awesome with the bands since mini games and coins can be collected so you can enjoy the world even without the rides. If you collect 3 special tokens, you can go on the hidden ride too. Yoshi ride gives a nice view of the place. Mario ride is pretty cool but same as the one in Hollywood which typically has shorter lines. Donkey Kong... why the long wait? If it rains, expect it to close down. It is also super slow to move... this had one of the longest waits throughout the day. We never saw it go below 3 hours and had several weather delays. Dark universe has a very different atmosphere and probably much lower wait times from everywhere else. Frankenstein is fun to check out with almost no wait at opening and closing. It is much darker so a bit hard to see where things are at night. Ordering food throughout the park works pretty well with mobile order and then scan the table you are at which allows them to bring the food to you. Awesome! I hope other parks can do this too. No long lines to order and then sit like at Hollywood. In general, this would have been one of the best parks if not for the really long delays so I would highly recommend coming on a low traffic day (school day), getting an express pass, or having AAP. Otherwise; pick one long wait ride (Ministry of Magic or Donkey Kong or Bowser's Castle) and spend the rest of the time doing other activities. read more

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Date of visit: December 1, 2025 After a pretty lame cruise out of Port Canaveral, the new Universal park became the highlight of our Thanksgiving trip to Florida! I see that most of the areas and attractions now have their own pages, making this just a review of the park itself. We bought tickets months in advance and downloaded the app as well to make for a seamless entrance. I didn't realize just how seamless; taking our pictures beforehand allowed us to pretty much just walk through the entrance into the park late morning. When we returned in the evening to catch the last rides we missed the first time, we did have to scan our barcodes (Note: The glass openings near the screens at the kiosk are NOT a scanner) and then we were good to go again. Even though the park closed at 10 p.m. and it said the wait for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was 70 minutes, no one stopped us as we entered the queue and the estimate--like all of the estimates on the app--was higher than reality. In some ways, I appreciated this because we didn't spent as much time waiting as we expected to, though I also want to be able to plan and estimates for wait times that are off by 30 minutes per ride make that difficult. The layout is naturally circular--just like a casino they don't want you to leave! However, the signs are well-placed and do an excellent job of guiding you to the different areas. I loved the idea of the different "worlds," though the best one by far is Super Nintendo World. Each world has a cool entrance with a tower as well, so you can look across the horizon to find other worlds and navigate to them even without a sign. So why only four stars instead of five? As per usual, the Universal staff is not at the same level as Disney, with decent interactions, but no one really making you feel special or necessarily valued. These folks are here to do a job, and it shows. However I will say that this was the best experience I have had in terms of interactions between all of my visits to the Universal parks. Also, the first two rides we visited had technical issues that extended wait times and had me concerned about the safety of the rides. read more

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