After months of hints, teasers, and insights into Universal Orlando’s brand-new Epic Universe, it is widely known what’s there. But what is it really like to experience these brand-new “worlds”? Here’s our take on all five sections after Epic’s three-day media event (with food, extras, and must-have merchandise in our next blog).
How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
We started in this Viking village, a rustically whimsical recreation of Hiccup’s home town, where dragons are as plentiful as people. Cute and colourful, the scenery mimics the movies beautifully, creating a credible romp around the rugged island.
Walking through the portal into Isle of Berk started a mini-trend that occurred each time we entered a new world: visitors who had an affinity for that world’s real-life origin – whether movie based or from video gaming – began wiping away tears. If yours flow when you reach your favourite world, don’t worry. You’re among friends and we understand.
The Untrainable Dragon
This is the show you’ve probably heard about. The one where Toothless and Hiccup soar majestically above the audience. The one that will make your jaw drop when you’re sitting there watching it in person. And ours certainly did.
Their flight isn’t the point of the show, however. Instead, the plot revolves around a fierce dragon that is new to the island, and how kindness flips the script on why she has such a fiery attitude. Visually magnificent and definitely one you’ll want to see, it’s also prone to cancellation due to the technology involved. Arriving for an early show is wise, in case you have to return later due to delays. Then, prepare to be WOWed!
Fyre Drill
Things take a turn toward the waterlogged onboard a Viking ship armed with water cannons when the target of those cannons retaliates, and that’s the fun of this delightful boat ride, especially during Florida’s famously hot and humid summer days. Take your socks off before boarding (better yet, wear flip flops) or risk having weird, pruney toes by the end of the day. It’s a real soaker!
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
Blending seamlessly with its surroundings, this is a true family coaster with a delightful twist – and we don’t mean the banked curves that make the ride extra zippy. A comedic “threat” near the end adds an unexpected bit of whimsy, along with a brief change in direction. It’s first-rate fun minus the big drops and intense loops of a mega-coaster.
Dragon Racers Rally
When is a kiddie ride not just a kiddie ride? When it takes the heart of a Viking to conquer the skies during a surprisingly dynamic flight filled with barrel rolls, twists, soaring ascents and diving descents. Don’t let the fairground style of this ride fool you. It didn’t fool us, thankfully, so we can attest to the fact it has terrific spectator value if you’re not up to practising your dragon-riding skills. Even adventurers need to know their limits.
Viking Training Camp
At last, a playground in Orlando that’s almost entirely shaded! Somehow, youngsters always have extra energy to burn, even during an action-packed day, and this is the place to let it all out. While the kids are playing dragon-tamer, take advantage of the upper-level views over the world for some excellent photos.
Dark Universe
From the sound of heartbeats in Dr. Septimus Pretorius’ shop to the tolling of the bell that signals a burst of flames on The Burning Blade Tavern’s windmill, Darkmoor surrounded us with eerie menace, reflected in the buildings riddled with arrows, broken balconies from which someone – or something – had fallen and the general malaise of crumbling brickwork.
The enormous, nearly pristine Frankenstein Manor looms in stark contrast, as if the decrepit nature of everything around it is a direct result of what’s going on inside. Even the trees lining the path to the manor’s doorway are knobby and “diseased.” The entire world revels in symbols of death.
Darkmoor is Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights in permanent form, but without the scares or creepy fog effects. Even younger children aren’t likely to be unnerved by the ambiance.
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
We queued up to witness the result of Dr Victoria Frankenstein’s secret experiments designed to bring glory to her family’s damaged name. Gruesome evidence of her obsession with controlling monsters led us down into the catacombs and onto the ride, and once underway we passed Ygor, the Phantom of the Opera, Victoria herself and Frankenstein’s Monster before their evil lair burst into a fear-fest as Dracula broke free, leading the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Wolf Man and the Mummy in a full-on revolt. For a moment, you’re not quite sure who’s going to win – them, or you.
This was our stand-out favourite attraction for its realism and immersion in the classic-monsters world. Dynamic? Definitely! But the experience is also smooth, well-timed to the visuals, and those animatronics are totally convincing!
Curse of the Werewolf
Fast-paced and fun, but a bit short, this roller coaster is lighter on theme than some while still providing a thrill, especially during the backwards part of the ride. Escaping the werewolf’s bite is secondary to the whizzy nature of the ride, and we think it’s a good aspirational coaster for youngsters making the transition to bigger scream machines.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
At park opening, the throngs will make a bee-line for this portal, with the headliner attraction as their goal. Only the single-minded will avoid stopping and staring in awe at the sight of 1920s Paris, featuring three-storey buildings that tower over anything in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley and have no trouble convincing visitors they’re entering the famed city itself.
So beautifully crafted is this world that we could easily have spent all our time soaking up the details. And there are details aplenty. You don’t have to be a Potter fan to appreciate how utterly gorgeous and realistic Ministry of Magic is, and that’s even before you enter the British Ministry, where the realism factor is off the scale.
Le Cirque Arcanus
A travelling circus is in town, but this is no ordinary dog-and-pony show. This is the world of fantastic beasts in a setting so extraordinary even the stage in the Big Top gets in on the act. And when the Demiguise crawls out of Newt Scamander’s suitcase, you will surrender to the magic and believe it’s possible.
Rarely does a show leave us speechless, and even less often do we walk away saying “That’s something we’ve never seen before.” Le Cirque Arcanus did both, blending visual effects with captivating creatures in an elegant tapestry of storytelling. We had to sit for a minute when it ended, absorbing what we had just seen. Make it a priority during your visit.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
This attraction may be the reason you’re visiting Epic Universe. If so, head here immediately because wait times will be less than magical all day. But have no fear; the queue is a true work of art. We spent a full fifteen minutes marvelling at the immensity of the British Ministry atrium after travelling through the Metro-Floo. Most of the queue still lay ahead of us, but it would have to wait.
After boarding a “magical lift” once you’ve traversed the long (!!!) queue, events happen at whirlwind speed and it can be difficult to follow the story on your first go, what with all the quick sensory rises, drops and turns.
Although the lift primarily dictates the direction in which you’re looking, you’ll want to look in ten different directions at once, that’s how immersive and detailed the experience is. It’s a major headliner attraction for a reason.
Super Nintendo World
Kids who grew up with Nintendo games will weep gentle, happy tears when entering the realm of Mario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and Yoshi, but even adults who have never jumped over a virtual barrel or scaled a cartoon construction site can’t help but be massively impressed with this high-energy, non-stop colour-fest of a world. Everything is in motion and you won’t know where to look first.
Super Nintendo World is broken into two sections: Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Land. But you’re not likely to notice the demarcation. Each area flows into the other, and only the characters and their iconic settings change.
Donkey Kong Mine Car Madness
We made straight for the madness of the mine cars, because who can resist a roller coaster that actually jumps its broken tracks? (Answer: People with back or neck problems, or any of the other conditions mentioned on the big Warning signs, that’s who!) It’s a “family coaster,” we told our back-problem selves. We’ll be fine!
Now, if your mine car is jumping its tracks – even if only visually and in a sensory way – common sense tells you things are going to get chaotic. And they do, pretty much immediately. We laughed the whole way through the ride, with moments of serious grimacing as our cart jolted one way, then another, and our bodies did the same. So check the Warning sign, and if you have none of the issues it mentions you’re in for a wild, hilarious, thoroughly wacky ride!
Yoshi’s Adventure
Backtracking to Super Mario Land, we hobbled over to the welcome tameness of Yoshi’s Adventure, where the most physical thing riders do is push a button when they see a magical egg. What an adorable, kid-friendly attraction, and what fantastic views we had over Super Nintendo World! Young children will love the bold, bright colours and beloved characters. Highly recommended, if for no other reason than time off your feet.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
Next, we headed into the area’s headliner attraction for some gaming fun. The queue itself is substantial, but there is a lot to see along the way. Then, riders don red Mario visors before boarding, and snap on their see-through virtual reality goggles once on board. For those of us who don’t like the claustrophobic feeling of traditional VR headsets, these are a real boon.
The sensation of movement is immense once you’re on your way, although it isn’t always easy to tell what you should be shooting at. But if you’ve always wanted to be in a Nintendo game, you’ll be absolutely convinced that you are!
We could have easily enjoyed this as a regular dark-ride attraction, minus the shooting, because the scenery surrounding the karts is extremely detailed and compelling.
Celestial Park
This stunning “world” is the starting point through which the other four portals are accessed and, like a perfectly plated amuse bouche, it whets your appetite for what’s to come. We know you’re going to rush straight through to one of the portals, though, so we’ve saved it for last.
This is also the world in which you’ll find five shops and six dining locations, including Epic Universe’s premier restaurant, Atlantic. We will cover dining, extras, and must-have souvenirs in our next blog. For now, let’s take a look at Celestial Park’s two attractions.
Stardust Racers
Universal Orlando is no stranger to duelling coasters, but this is easily one of the most dynamic and thrilling coasters we’ve ever been on. The two it most resembles are Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure and Mako at SeaWorld, but Stardust Racers might just edge it for the length of the ride, the sheer thrill quotient and the genuine duelling effect. If there’s one stand-out moment on the ride it’s the vertical barrel-roll downdrop (corkscrew) effect on the Photon side (Photon is yellow, Pulsar is green). It’s absolutely breathtaking.
Constellation Carousel
We know what you’re going to say: “Carousels are for kids.” Normally we’d agree, but Celestial Park’s version offers such a graceful, elegant dance it shouldn’t be missed by adults. And when they ride, their faces show how wonderous it is to be a child again. Actual children’s faces during the ride are priceless.
We rode twice, and our second ride featured the only jazzy composition among the six tunes that play in rotation. Fun fact: The jazzy version also includes a “backwards” element to its motion. Riding with an orchestral version? It’s poetry in motion. End your Epic day with a ride in the dark for a glittering, celestial finale.
As a final thought, there are a lot of stairs to climb in Epic Universe, so ask a Team Member for assistance if you need to use a lift.
Which world of Epic Universe do you most like the sound of? Tell us about it on the friendly AttractionTickets.com Community Facebook page, on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.
