Tag: Universal

A milestone countdown begins for Epic Universe this week. We’re 100 days away from the opening of Orlando’s first new theme park in a generation.

It’s a fine time to reboot and enroll in Epic 101, a course that reviews what we know and what we don’t know about Universal Orlando’s expansion, which Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, has referred to as “the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done.”

The park was announced at Orange County Convention Center in 2019. Universal has shared details along the way about its rides, shows and hotels, but burning questions remain.

When and where

Epic Universe is under construction between Sand Lake Road and Universal Boulevard, just north of the convention center. That’s about 2.5 miles southeast of Universal Orlando’s existing theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, as well as Volcano Bay water park and Universal CityWalk. Epic is on “the other side” of Interstate 4.

Universal will run buses between its original parks and hotels and the Epic area. There will be open-air parking available near Epic for visitors only going to the new park.

The grand opening of Epic Universe is scheduled for May 22, the Thursday before Memorial Day.

The theme team

Epic Universe will be divided into five lands. Visitors will enter through Celestial Park, which includes a coaster and a carousel. Other lands are Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and Dark Universe, which features classic monsters such as the Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Mummy and brides of Dracula.

Alicia Stella, owner of Orlando ParkStop website, has been monitoring the park since before construction began. Some people are confused by the “five immersive worlds” push, she said, thinking that means five parks — and five tickets.

It doesn’t. The rounded gateways, which Universal calls “portals,” are the walkways from Celestial Park to the other four lands, which are all part of Epic.

“People think all of the worlds are individual theme parks because they have their own portal entrance and because they’re being advertised in individual commercials,” Stella said. “It’s like ‘Do I need a ticket for each world?’”

The portal layout, which will funnel Epic crowds into lands, concerns Tharin White, lead producer of EYNTK.info, an Orlando-based travel website.

“I don’t know what happens when you have to go through a single portal to get into Super Nintendo World, to then go into a second single portal to head into the Donkey Kong Country,” he said. “To me, that just sounds like bottleneck after bottleneck after bottleneck.”

Big rides on way

Yes. There will be four roller coasters across Epic. Mine-Cart Madness, in the Donkey Kong Country subsection of Super Nintendo World, already has a talking point: A moment where the car appears to leap over a gap in its broken rail.

Hiccup’s Wing Gliders will fly over Isle of Berk; Curse of the Werewolf will be a coaster with spinning cars in Dark Universe; and Stardust Racers, operating in Celestial Park, will be a dual-launch racing ride.

Wizarding World won’t have a coaster, but it will feature Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, a ride that follows the trial (and escape) of Dolores Umbridge, a cruel character from the Potterverse.

Dark Universe will have big thrill ride. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment will boast more than a dozen animatronic figures in an adventure that’s set beneath Frankenstein Manor.

Tick, tick, tickets

Tickets are now on sale for Epic Universe, but there are limited options so far.

You can buy multiday Universal Orlando tickets, which come with a one-day pass for Epic Universe.

Or if you are a Universal annual passholder, you can buy one-day tickets for Epic. Ticket prices vary by date, and this category is sold out for the first 17 days that Epic is open. The lowest posted price through the rest of 2025 is $122.

More Epic tickets, including one-day tickets, will be sold before the park opens, the Universal website says. That’s also true for Universal Express, the resort’s system for skipping lines. But whether they’ll be available months, day, weeks or even hours before opening isn’t known yet.

Preview mode

When Universal announced the first phase of ticket sales last fall, it mentioned “soft opening opportunities” for passholders. No more information has been shared.

Typically, employee previews would precede those events. There are signs of that happening. Some team members are being trained on the site, a Starbucks is open inside the park, although not to the general public, and industry watchers expect vehicle test rides to start next month.

“It certainly seems like team-member previews are imminent, because they’re doing mock dinner services at some of the restaurants,” Stella said.

Annual pass it on

Florida residents currently can purchase annual passes online that are valid for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for $530 with an option to add Volcano Bay for an extra $110. (The resort has an additional $100 discount on this figure for Floridians.)

Universal has not shared details about future annual passes and if they would include access to Epic Universe.

“Is it going to be an add-on, kind of like Volcano Bay?” White said. “Does every single pass skyrocket as soon as they decide to add it?”

Tech talk

Officials and promotional materials have touted Epic as being technologically advanced. Several customer-facing bits of tech, including animatronics, robotic drones, facial recognition and ride systems have been mentioned.

“I think it runs the gamut, but I think it starts with the guest experience of what they’re going to see and how they’re going to be brought into the immersion,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO and founder of International Theme Park Services.

Super Nintendo World will include an interactive feature using a Power-Up Band wearable device to unlock additional content.

“I think technological advancement is going to be very important to the guests,” Speigel said.

Meal motifs

Restaurants will be heavily themed within Epic Universe.  Among the eateries will be Mead Hall, a viking-driven establishment in Isle of Berk, and Das Stakehaus, which will be run by servants of vampires, the story goes, in Dark Universe. Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World will lean into its mushroom theme with ingredients and decor.

And, yes, butterbeer will be sold in the Wizarding World, just as it is in the installments at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

Hot new hotels

Three hotels are planned for the Epic area. Stella Nova opened last month, and Terra Luna opens next month. They are close to the theme park, but not as close as the Grand Helios, which will have a dedicated entrance into Epic Universe, not to mention an exclusive view and a rooftop bar.

White, who stayed at Stella Nova recently, timed the bus ride to CityWalk and Universal’s other parks at 14 minutes.

“I basically compared that to going from staying at one of the hotels at the Magic Kingdom and riding over to Animal Kingdom,” he said.

Getting there

A multimillion-dollar extension of Kirkman Road from Carrier Drive down to the Epic site, plus an elevated traffic circle with dedicated bus lanes for the resort, were designed to help with traffic woes around the populated tourist corridor.

But our experts expect roadway snarls.

“I still think Universal Boulevard is going to be like, you know, 20% busier than it has been, and it’s already pretty bad during certain days,” Stella said.

“I feel like that’s one of those things,” White said. “I mean, it just gets added on to Orlando. We just have traffic issues.”

And the rest

Even an Epic Universe overview can be overwhelming. There are additional rides to explore, stage shows to absorb, multiple themed restaurants and their menus to experience. There are unknown details surrounding Express and early access for hotel guests.

And what about fireworks?

“How do you put fireworks in every single promotional ad for this theme park and not announce a firework show?” Stella said. “That’s a question I have, and it’s driving me crazy.”

Epic’s debut is just 100 days away, but there will be 100,000 questions. Time — and Universal — will tell.

One more: Will it be ready?

Speigel said he’s talked with manufacturers and installers, and none have expressed doubt. That’s rare, he said. And there’s the swagger factor.

“I’ve never seen a park open with such fanfare this far in advance of that readiness and showing the pictures and providing the information that they have,” he said.

“I just think that’s a very bold statement on their part, which leads me to believe, from what I see … that they are going to be ready.”

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