Epic Universe is the newest park to open at the Universal Orlando resort, but should you include it in your Universal trip? In this Epic Universe review I am sharing the good and the bad to help you decide if it is worth the visit.
Epic Universe is an incredible theme park at Universal Orlando, but being great on paper and being a great park to visit are two different things.
I have visited the park and have followed along through the first year of opening to get an idea of what to tell my readers on if you should include the park in your Universal trip.
After spending some time thinking about it, the decision is not necessarily an easy one. The park is great but it might not be a great option for your family to visit this year. Let’s dig into the good and bad in my Epic Universe review.
Insider Tip: Purchase tickets before you arrive to get the best deal and save time!
The Good
Epic Universe is a gorgeous park. You can tell the creative team really thought out this park. The attention to all the details goes above and beyond.
As you walk through each portal of the different themed lands you are fully immersed in that world. The four main lands are: Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, Isle of Berk, and Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic.
The main entrance portal welcomes guests into Celestial Park. This stunning entrance has park like vibes, shops, and dining spots. At the end of Celestial Park is the hotel inside a theme park: Helios Grand. This hotel has its own dedicated entrance to Epic Universe and great views of the park.
The restaurants are not just themed to the land they feel as if they are part of the land. From the team members to the inspired dishes the dining at Epic Universe is incredible.
I loved Mead Hall at the Isle of Berk. This land is one of my favorites because it is so well done. The colors and characters walking around make it feel like you are at the Viking Village inside How to Train Your Dragon world.
Even the bathrooms in the lands are themed. The Super Nintendo Land bathrooms are decorated to the underwater Mario scenes. The Isle of Berk bathrooms feel like you are in a Viking village.
It is these incredible details that make this park so fun to walk around and explore.
The attractions, rides and shows, are interesting and immersive. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment has upped the bar for theme park rides. From the minute you enter the castle to when you are traveling through the attraction it is top notch entertainment.
There are also two shows at the park: The Untrainable Dragon and Le Cirque Arcanus. These are both can’t miss shows and really enhance a visit to the park.
Everything I have mentioned so far makes Epic Universe sound like a great park to visit, and all things considered it is, except when it is not. This is where the logistics of visiting this park can make or break your day.
The Bad
If you visit Epic Universe on a low crowd day with no rain or weather issues you will have a fabulous day at this park. If the crowds are high, there are ride delays due to technical difficulties or weather, you will most likely have a very stressful day.
The biggest issue Epic Universe has is that there are no attractions that are “people eaters”. They don’t absorb high crowds and give visitors something to do if lines are long or rides have delays.
During our visit we had a rain delay in the evening. Stardust Racers, Hiccup’s Wing Glider, Curse of the Werewolf, Dragon Racer’s Rally, Fyre Drill, and Minecart Madness were all closed. That is 6 out of 11 rides I understand weather is unpredictable but it is frustrating when over half the park is closed at an Orlando park.
Weather is to be expected and having a few indoor dark rides that are great for the entire family would be a welcomed addition to the park. This is phase 1 of the park and they have already broke ground on new (not announced) additions to Epic Universe.
The rides at Epic Universe are also some of the most technologically advanced rides out there and with that comes breakdowns and restarts. It is part of the deal when opening a brand new theme park with all new rides, you are going to have delays.
It is improving over the last few months, and I believe it will continue to run more smoothly as Epic Universe finds it footing.
Final Thoughts
I really struggle with sharing a decisive opinion on this park because it is not a black and white issue. Everyone is not going to love Epic Universe right now. I think over the years things will change, it will expand, and become a very high scored theme park, but for now it is still in the starting stages.
I loved Epic Universe the minute I walked through the portal but it is difficult to justify spending $150.00+ a day per person when it feels incomplete. If you love theme parks and just want to be there to experience the good and the bad, I would go.
If you have a How to Train Your Dragon fan or Mario fan, I would go. The lands are truly incredible and even though they are still working out all the details I think it is an impressive park.
My biggest suggestion is to keep your expectations realistic. This park is less than a year old and it is still figuring out how it all works. No matter how ready the attractions are you can never predict how they will work once guests arrive.
Overall I believe the team members at Universal have done a fantastic job at this park. I would visit again and am looking forward to what is to come as new additions are announced.
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Leah has been planning and writing about Universal trips since 2016. She loves finding the best places to eat and stay during her visits to the park. Leah enjoys the little details that make visiting the parks so immersive and special, and sharing that with her readers.
