Universal Orlando opened its newest theme park on May 22, 2025, and I had the opportunity to experience it before it was fully opened. Epic Universe is home to five different worlds, 11 different attractions, special meet-and-greets, themed food and more! Here is what I thought of the park before it officially opened to the public.
Before I start my review, I would like to note that this was a preview event and not everything was guaranteed to be open, as they are still testing and in technical rehearsal.
Epic Universe is all about immersion and it happens as soon as guests enter the park. Guests will go through security, scan their tickets and enter a “portal” to each world. There are five worlds within the theme park: Celestial Park, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic.
Celestial Park:
This is the first land guests will enter when stepping into the park, also known as the hub world that connects the four portals to the other worlds. There are two attractions in this land: Stardust Racers and Constellation Carousel. Unfortunately, I was not able to ride either of them due to delays throughout the day, and when they did come back up, they reached wait times of up to 90 minutes.
This world is also home to the biggest merchandise stores of the park, quick-service dining locations, a splash-pad (Astronomica for the little ones to run through and cool off), several full-service restaurants and an entertainment “show” in the fountain that occurs both day and night.
Here, I tried one of their new dining locations, Pizza Moon. Something Epic Universe has been doing with their dining is making it a combination of a quick-service and full-service experience. Guests will wait in line for a table and when one is available, someone will guide you there. You have the option of ordering in person or on the app; however, guests will scan the QR code on the table, which lets team members know where to bring your food.
I tried their Nanarossa pizza, which is essentially a Margherita pizza, and it may have been one of the best pizzas I’ve had to date. The sauce was incredible and the combination of ingredients was delicious, especially for a theme-park food.
Super Nintendo World:
If you want to become a character in Mario Kart or want to collect coins like in the games, then this land is for you. This world is home to three attractions: Yoshi’s Adventure, Mine-Cart Madness and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. Out of these attractions, I was able to experience Yoshi’s Adventure, where I waited 30 minutes and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge where I waited 50 minutes, but Mine-Cart Madness was closed for the day.
Yoshi’s Adventure is not worth the 30-minute wait. It is a short two-to-three-minute ride where you ride above Super Nintendo World and collect eggs. This ride is great for children, but skippable if you want to prioritize other attractions.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a replica of one in Universal Studios Hollywood, so it’s not completely new, but definitely a fun one. Guests wear 3-D glasses and can steer the car and toss shells toward other racers in the game in hopes of helping Mario win.
In my opinion, this is the best and most immersive land in all of Epic Universe. Guests who own a power-up band can be even more immersed by punching different bricks and blocks and collecting coins as they would in the game. Guests can find coins spinning throughout the land and theming such as piranha plants and turtle shells! The character meet-and-greets are top notch in this world where guests can meet characters like Toad, Donkey Kong and Princess Peach throughout the day.
Dark Universe
Fans of vampires, monsters and experiments will want to visit this world immediately. There are two attractions within this land – Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Curse of the Werewolf.
Monsters Unchained was the first ride I went on and honestly, the best ride I went on all day. I waited 21 minutes and it was fully worth it. The animatronics in this ride look like live actors, the queue is extremely immersive and well-done and the ride vehicle, although it whips you around, is very smooth. If you have motion sickness, I would recommend taking medicine beforehand because it does tend to make guests nauseous, but it is so worth it.
Unfortunately, Curse of the Werewolf was on delay all day and never operated, so I was unable to ride this attraction.
Within Dark Universe, guests can also find the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, where they can turn into a monster or a vampire. And like Super Nintendo World, guests can find unique meet-and-greet experiences with Ygor, Dr. Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein and more.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic
I’m going to be honest, did we really need another Harry Potter world? Probably not. But it is home to a very popular attraction and some of the best food in the park. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is one of the best attractions in all of Epic Universe, according to the many guests who have experienced it. This attraction was not operating the day I went, which was extremely disappointing, but understandable because it is one of the most technical attractions in the park.
What I did experience in this world was Le Cirque Arcanus and it’s not your typical cirque show. This show does incorporate some of those elements, but is more focused on an adventure of many fantastic beasts. This show wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but I really enjoyed all of the puppets and the storyline.
Although I didn’t get to try any of the food offerings in this world, many guests rave about the Quiche Lorraine at Café L’Air De La Siréne. And of course, it wouldn’t be The Wizarding World of Harry Potter without Butterbeer. You can find both the drink and a caramel Butterbeer bar in this world.
How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk
This is the world I was most excited about and I spent the most time in, and I will say, it was very cool and I almost cried walking in, but I was a bit disappointed with the attractions aspect. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was one of the rides I was looking forward to the most, but I didn’t get to ride it. The attraction started on a delay and only came up for about 30 minutes the entire day. In those 30 minutes, I was able to get in line at 7:40 p.m. – right before the park closes at 8:00 p.m. – to make sure I rode it. However, the ride ended up breaking down at 8:15 p.m. and team members were forced to clear the queue by 8:40 p.m., which was extremely disappointing, especially after waiting an hour for nothing and not being able to do anything after because the park was already closed.
But I did get to do the other two attractions in the world: Fyre Drill and Dragon Racer’s Rally. Fyre Drill also started on a delay, but opened within the first hour. This is a water ride where guests compete against each other by hitting targets and spraying the other team with water. Fair warning: You will absolutely get soaked and may have to pay to use one of their body-sized dryers for $7.00.
Dragon Racer’s Rally makes you feel like you’re actually flying on a dragon. Guests get to control their wings and, although it may be difficult, you can even try to flip yourself (yes, I tried and yes, I failed). The ride only makes three full loops, so I don’t find this ride worth it for over a 20-minute wait, and I know this because I waited 55 minutes.
There is also a stage show within Isle of Berk and it may have been one of my favorite things I did all day, and that is The Untrainable Dragon. You get to see Hiccup and Toothless fly overhead, a massive dragon that is deemed “untrainable” and live drummers and singers. Speaking of Toothless, guests have the ability to meet him along with one of his friends – it could be Hiccup or other Vikings of Berk. And let me just say, although I waited 80 minutes, meeting him was a dream come true.
Other experiences within Berk include roaming characters such as Astrid, Ruff and Tuff and more. The little ones also have their own area in this world in Viking Training Camp – a play area for the kids.
I also tried the classic mac-and-cheese cone that can be found at Spit Fyre Grill or Hooligan’s Grog and Gruel. This item is very carb-heavy, but very good. The cone is made out of bread with seasonings on the outside that replicate everything bagel seasoning. These cones are also available with hot chicken and pork, bacon and jam.
Is Universal Orlando’s Newest Theme Park Worth It?
If I was basing this question on this one experience only, I would say maybe? And here’s why:
For being in the park from open to close (12 hours), I was only able to experience five attractions, two shows and one character meet-and-greet. However, I have had friends have better experiences and be able to ride all of the attractions, some even multiple times.
There is basically zero shade. Make sure you wear your sunscreen, bring a handheld fan and pack an umbrella to block you from the sun because it can get extremely hot.
Shows were being cancelled constantly with no notice and I had walked over to The Untrainable Dragon three times before being able to watch the show. It was a bit frustrating because instead of Universal Orlando updating these times in their app, I would have to walk all the way there just to find out that particular show was cancelled.
It was disappointing how many rides were delayed or not running at all. There was one point where four out of 11 attractions were operating, which is extremely frustrating because there is only so much you can do with only these attractions being open.
Other Guests Opinions:
After speaking to several guests who have attended previews, there are very inconsistent answers. Here is what some of them said:
“My family and I really loved how friendly the rides were for us all to be able to ride together…We also feel like the food is better at Epic Universe than it is at the other Universal parks.” – Myranda, Orlando, FL
“…Another big disappointment was the Universal Studios app. It happened to us twice when we walked from one end of the park to the other to watch The Untrainable Dragon, and when we would show up, the team members outside would inform us that the performance was cancelled. Yet the app did not update to reflect this. The friend I was with used a walker and having to walk all the way to the other side of the park not once, but twice unnecessarily was very frustrating.” – Lindsay, Long Island, NY
“I couldn’t have had a better time at Epic Universe. The lands are so incredibly immersive and I was especially wowed by Dark Universe. The storytelling violinist took my breath away and involved me in her story in a way I’ll never forget!” – JP, Atlanta, GA
“Rides and shows were up and down so much I’m surprised we managed what we did. Posted times were pretty skewed at times…I really don’t mind waiting in lines, but two hours in full sun almost had us passing out and I got pretty burned. There were too many stairs and shade/any kind of heat mitigation was nonexistent and even at lower capacity, crowd control was in need of a lot of improvements.” – Mady, Texas
Will I Go to Epic Universe Again?
I will definitely be going back to this theme park, but I am not going to be going back soon. I want to see how Epic Universe runs when it opens fully to the public and want them to figure out their technicalities before I visit again.
Do you plan on going to Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe? Let me know if you do and your thoughts by messaging @HappilyyEverAshley on Instagram or TikTok.
