With 3 different theme parks in the Orlando area, Universal Studios is known for its insane thrills, unique food, engaging hotels, and everything else a theme park tends to include. As someone that has been an avid Disney World goer for over 10 years, the few times I went to Universal, let’s just say I was not extremely impressed. Their main park was pretty boring, and the Islands of Adventure extension didn’t blow me out of the water. But when I recently visited their brand new “Epic Universe” my opinion did a complete 180.
Lets get one thing straight, Epic Universe, or “Epic” for short, may be the best park to ever be created in history. I’m not biased to Universal in the slightest when I say, they really outdid themselves. Disney’s Magic Kingdom has a concept of different themed lands throughout one single park, but Universal took that concept to a whole other level. Epic has 5 different “portals” that transport you into a specific themed land. Celestial Park, Dark Universe, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.
Starting off with the main land in the middle that connects all the others, Celestial Park. It gives a whimsical and fantasy type theme. Honestly, this is the most underwhelming one, but for the right reasons. All it contains is 2 rides, as well as different restaurants and shops. One ride is just an unimportant carousel for kids, to make it family friendly. However– the other ride is definitely something special. Stardust Racers is one of the most crazy rollercoasters I have ever seen. For background, I have never been on a rollercoaster that goes to insanely high heights or even goes upside down. But rest assured after riding this, I got all of that and more. Even for someone as scared as me, I was amazed by how the rollercoaster had an inversion, large drops, and 2 different launches. It genuinely makes it feel like you’re flying through space. It was such a fun first rollercoaster, and even gave me the courage to try Velocicoaster, a similar coaster in a different Universal park.
Moving on to, the BEST land in the park, Dark Universe. The way you get completely transported into this world of infamous monsters is completely unbelievable. The land consists of 2 rides, Curse of the Werewolf and Monsters Unchained. Curse of the werewolf is pretty short, but so much fun. You spin around while riding, so you face the people behind you, which gets your group a lot of laughs. It even goes surprisingly faster than one might think till they ride it. Overall a good ride. Monsters Unchained is hands down the best attraction in the park. It is a moving indoor dark ride that flings you around by a pole. You go up close and personal with monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, etc. The animatronics are so human-like, and the different special effects make it seem so real. I could honestly ride it 100 times without getting bored. Not to mention that, the wait time is almost always short. The area at night is even crazier. There is fog, lights, and music that really transforms your surroundings. Overall, it was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone.
Super Nintendo World was the first place we went at rope drop, because the wait times are extreme. I have always loved anything Mario, so all the details added into the area were so cool to see. We waited about 90 minutes for the Donkey Kong: Minecart Madness ride, and it was actually very fun. maybe not worth the 200 minutes it’s usually posted at, but the way the cart gives the illusion of jumping over the tracks was cool, and it’s overall a good family friendly coaster. If there’s one word to describe Yoshi’s Adventure, it’s meh. I understand it’s supposed to be a kids’ ride, but I have never seen a ride move so slowly in my life. The views were nice though. Mario Kart: Bowsers Challenge was a cool ride I wont lie, but I feel like it could’ve been better as a thrill ride instead of a simulator. Though the potential was wasted, it still is a fun experience. You put on a hat that shows a simulator of a game as you ride through a game of mario kart, and interactively collect as many coins as possible. One thing the land desperately needs to work on, is the crowds. There is an insane amount of people and it is severely overstimulating to be around.
How to Train Your Dragon was where we stopped to eat. We got the infamous Mac and Cheese Cones, and they were okay, a bit overhyped if you ask me. Everyone on social media made it seem like the most amazing thing in the park, but the texture was just a little weird, and the goldfish inside made it an odd combination. Though we didn’t do all 3 rides the land had to offer, the rollercoaster we did do was surprisingly fun. “Hiccups Wing Gliders” did a good job at being fit for kids and adults. Surprising swoops, fast speeds, but nothing too extreme for kiddos. I went on it thinking I would be bored, but I found myself smiling from start to finish. This was after I waited 50 minutes in the hot 2pm Florida sun, mind you. Even the architecture of the area was impressive. There was a mountain-like structure that looked over the whole place. It looked GIANT, until you saw it from the back and it was way smaller than you thought. A cool illusion for sure. The other 2 rides were really more directed towards kids, one that gets you pretty wet, and another that kind of looks like a fair ride. Although, if someone is coming with their little ones, this land would be a hit for sure.
And the final land, “Harry Potter–Ministry of Magic”. Definitely a controversial one. First of all, design and architecture, absolutely beautiful without a doubt. A France vibe with cute coffee shops and authentic buildings everywhere you look. Butter Beer carts, an automatic plus. But then comes another thing no one can look past, why in the world do I have to wait 200 minutes for a ride? One might say, “Just go at a less busy time of day, and the line won’t be that long?”, then how come I never saw the wait time go beneath 100 minutes the entirety of the day. I understand it’s the only ride in the whole land, so it’s bound to be busy, but who has the patience for that? By the end of the wait my feet were dead, and so was my energy. The ride was impressive for sure, I could not tell what was real and what was on a screen. It was extremely fun. However, I don’t know if that fun was worth over 2 hours of waiting.
Overall, even with some negative feedback here and there, I can confidently say Epic Universe was out of this world. The feelings you get to experience at each designated area is unbeatable. I would 100% recommend it to anyone, and I am anticipating seeing what additions will be made in the park’s future.
