Universal Orlando has kicked off public preview days for their brand-new Epic Universe theme park ahead of the official grand opening! This marks the first major theme park opened by Disney or Universal in the United States in over 20 years. Epic Universe is packed with incredible new worlds featuring Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon’s Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe with all the classic Universal monsters, and so much more. The excitement is real as visitors get their first taste of this highly anticipated addition to Orlando’s theme park lineup!
I’m still buzzing with excitement after getting an exclusive travel agent preview of Universal’s Epic Universe this week! As someone who’s seen it before the public opening on May 22nd, 2025, I can’t wait to share all the amazing details with you.
Let me tell you – this park is absolutely worth the hype! Here’s my firsthand experience exploring all five incredible lands:
The Portal Experience
One of the coolest things about Epic Universe is how you enter each land through these amazing portals that literally transport you into completely different worlds. The transition is seamless and really adds to the magic of the experience!
Super Nintendo World
Walking into Super Nintendo World felt like stepping straight into a childhood favorites! The attention to detail is incredible – you’ll feel like you’re inside a video game.
Super Nintendo World has a few places to eat, with Toadstool Cafe being the main restaurant. We ate there during our preview. It looks just like the Hollywood version, with one colorful dining room and video screen “windows” showing animations. During our meal, Bowser “attacked” the restaurant with music and window effects, but it wasn’t super interactive.
The rides were a blast:
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge was a bit confusing at first, but once I got the hang of it, racing around the track was so much fun
- Yoshi’s Adventure moves pretty slow but gives you an awesome view of Mushroom Kingdom
- Donkey Kong Mine Cart Madness was crazy bouncy and one of my favorites!
I had lunch at Toadstool Cafe and tried the Luigi Burger (a chicken sandwich) which was delicious. Later, I grabbed the popular DK Crush Float in Donkey Kong Country – so refreshing!
Dark Universe
As a HUGE Universal Monsters fan, I was especially excited for Dark Universe. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment was hands down my favorite ride in the entire park! I was able to ride this twice, once using the Single Rider line and another in the regular queue, make sure to not that the Single Rider Line will bypass the pre-show!
The storyline takes you deep below Frankenstein Manor where Doctor Victoria Frankenstein is trying to control the monsters… it’s truly EPIC! This ride is absolutely incredible! It’s like a monsters version of the original Harry Potter ride, but honestly, I’d say it’s even better. The Audio-Animatronics are everywhere and so impressive. The story is super fun and the pre-show will blow you away! I can’t wait to share all my detailed thoughts in my full ride review coming soon!
Curse of the Werewolf is a fun spinning coaster based on the character Maleva. It was enjoyable, though not the biggest wow moment for me.
The land itself had such incredible details,
How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk
This land surprised me the most! I’ll be honest – I’ve never even seen the movie, but from the moment I stepped through the portal and saw the beautiful blue water, massive statues and rock formations, I was blown away. The colorful village with water cannons, Viking ships and dragons is spectacular!
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was a fun family coaster where you swoop around the Isles of Berk. The character meet-and-greets with Hiccup and Toothless in Viking Village were super popular – definitely plan for a long line here!
Celestial Park
This is the center hub of Epic Universe – the “Celestial World between the worlds.” It ties everything together beautifully!
Stardust Racers is an incredible new roller coaster that some are comparing to VelociCoaster. While nothing touches my beloved VelociCoaster in my opinion, this is still amazing – racing alongside another coaster is intense! Stardust Racers is this awesome dual-launch racing coaster with a really cool cosmic comet theme that fits perfectly in Celestial Park. This thing is FAST – hitting speeds up to 62 mph and climbing 133 feet high along 5,000 feet of track! It’s definitely the most thrilling coaster in all of Epic Universe, and trust me, it totally lives up to the hype! The most jaw-dropping moment? When the coaster cars do a full-speed inverted crisscross right over each other – absolutely incredible!
At the center is the Constellation Carousel, which I absolutely loved! Riding celestial dragons, bears, and lions was such a fun take on a traditional carousel. It’s even more magical at night when it’s all lit up!
Ministry of Magic
The final land is another Harry Potter offering. I’ll be honest – I’m not a die-hard Potter fan, but I still appreciated the incredible details. I spent my time here mostly wandering around and watching younger kids get excited about the different magical elements, similar to the other Wizarding World areas.
One thing that feels really different about the Ministry of Magic land compared to the other Harry Potter areas is that you’re not visiting a place fans already know and love. Instead of walking through iconic locations like Diagon Alley that we all pictured in our minds before seeing them in movies, here you’re exploring Paris from a specific time in the Fantastic Beasts movie. Actually, it’s more like Wizarding Paris after those events, but with the same look from the films. I think this creates a different connection – fans don’t have that deep, emotional attachment to this location like they do with the original Harry Potter settings. That said, there are plenty of magical touches throughout that make it clear you’re still in the Wizarding World!
I have so much more to share about food, shopping, and insider tips that I’ll be covering in future blog posts! Plus, I’ll be back at Epic Universe on May 22nd for the official opening weekend.
As a travel agent who experienced Epic Universe before its official opening, I’m thrilled to put this firsthand knowledge to work for my clients! Having explored every corner of this incredible new park, I can now help plan the perfect vacation with insider tips on the best rides, dining spots, and how to navigate this massive new addition to Universal Orlando.
With the addition of Epic Universe, Universal Orlando now offers FOUR amazing theme parks to enjoy! This truly makes it a complete vacation destination all on its own – with Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay water park, and now Epic Universe, plus incredible resort hotels and dining options throughout Universal CityWalk. Whether you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway or a full week of adventure, Universal now has more than enough to keep your family entertained for your entire stay.
I’m so excited to help you experience all that Universal Orlando has to offer! Reach out today and let’s start planning your Epic adventure with all the insider knowledge I gained from this exclusive preview. Your perfect Universal vacation is just a message away!
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