Universal Epic Universe

I visited Epic last week and had an absolutely amazing time! The theming of this park is unreal……the design teams deserve so much praise for all of the details, thoughts, and effort that the poured into the project. The Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts area definitely takes the top spot for me for the design……especially when walking through the queue for Ministry of Magic. Super Mario takes the next spot! I enjoyed the park for two days and managed to ride everything 2-3 times, with the exception of Minecart Madness due to inclement weather. This was all done without an Express Pass, but having access to the Helios dedicated entrance played a huge part in being able to go in/out at different times during the day. The shows were really, really cool with the Untrainable Dragon being my family’s favorite. Most importantly, all of the staff were amazing. They were not only very helpful, but also kept a good amount of order/safety with the park guests. I was really impressed with how they managed the queue for Ministry of Magic from the early admission line, to the portal with the other park guests, and from the portal to the actual ride. It was very well organized. I can’t wait to see what else Epic has in store if they expand the park anymore in the future. I think people should give the park a little more grace and realize that it is still very new, which means details are still getting worked out. Universal has been doing a great job with the adjustments that they have made since its opening, and I am sure it will only get better. I can’t until I can add it to my annual pass!

We visited the park yesterday as a family, after driving almost 2 hours to get there and paying about $150 per ticket. Naturally, we expected much more and my feelings about the park are mixed. The park itself is beautifully designed, and although it was very crowded, there was still enough space to move around. However, all the express tickets were sold out, so we had to wait about an hour and a half for each ride. It was also extremely hot – some rides had shaded or air-conditioned waiting areas, but others didn’t, which made it tough. We waited an hour and a half for the Mario ride, only to find out it was just a very slow one-minute ride – even the kids said it was boring. The wait time for the Harry Potter ride was 240 minutes (!!), going on that ride would have meant wasting half the day in line. We got all the way to the front of the line for the 'My First Dragon' ride, but just as it was our turn, the ride closed due to thunderstorms. I completely understand they can’t control the weather, but the experience was disappointing, especially for the kids. In addition, the yellow ride was closed, but I only found out about that through Facebook – there was no notice before purchasing tickets. In the end, we left feeling let down after paying so much for admission, and after visiting other theme parks where the organization and experience were much better, I was very disappointed in how Universal handled things. Sadly, I cannot recommend it.

Very beautiful set up, definitely recommend going. It's worth the wait, however, the lines are super long and there isn't much structure so you could wait line at one of the portals like the how to train your dragon portal for like 30 minutes and the people who waited only 5 minutes could still get in before you. Not a lot of shade but they have cooking stations and all of the indoor rides have air conditioning, and the outside rides have fans so it helps. Definitely recommend going into Mario world in the morning or afternoon, but all the other worlds were made for night time. They have an end of the day water performance to say goodbye to the guests before the park closes which is incredibly beautiful and amazing! The effects and colors make it so wonderful.

Visited the park on Friday with my husband and, holy smokes, it is absolutely stunning! The theming is top quality across the board. From the immersive visuals, to the music and intricate details, the level of craftsmanship is genuinely next-level. You feel transported the moment you walk in. We stayed at Terra Luna, which gave us early access to the park. That, combined with Express Passes, made it possible for us to experience every adult ride by 6pm. Now, a reality check: the lines do get long. This seems to be partly due to ride shutdowns and, frankly, the limited number of attractions. As gorgeous and immersive as the park is, there just isn’t a whole lot to do yet. My largest complaint, and it's a big one is the lack of shade. The park is HOT, be prepared. The themed snacks and treats in each universe are creative, delicious, and add an extra layer of fun to the experience. I was especially blown away by Dark Universe—hands down my favorite area. The atmosphere, the theming, Monsters Unchained were phenomenal. There’s still plenty to see, hear, and buy, but if you're hoping for a full day of back-to-back attractions, you might feel like something’s missing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The theming alone makes it worth visiting. I just hope the park continues to expand its offerings to match the incredible level of immersion it's already achieved.

I had extremely high expectations for Epic Universe, but my visit turned out to be one of the most disappointing theme park experiences I’ve ever had. First, the value for money is simply not there. Tickets and food are very expensive, yet the overall experience feels rushed and poorly managed. Long lines stretched endlessly for almost every attraction, with little communication or crowd management. For the price we paid, I expected a smoother, more enjoyable day — instead, we spent more time waiting than experiencing anything. Second, many rides and systems were not working properly. Technical issues shut down attractions without warning, and there was little to no effort to provide updates, compensation, or alternatives. It left us feeling frustrated and cheated out of the experiences that were supposed to define the park. Third, the staff attitude was shockingly unhelpful. At multiple points, team members were dismissive, unfriendly, and unwilling to assist guests clearly in need of information. For a brand that markets itself on magical, immersive experiences, the lack of basic courtesy and hospitality was unacceptable. Overall, Epic Universe was marketed as a groundbreaking new park, but in reality, it delivered poor value, endless lines, broken attractions, and unfriendly staff. I walked away feeling that I had wasted my time and money, and I would strongly advise others to think twice before planning a visit.

Conclusion/ Rating Epic Universe is a really good theme park. I've learned, a lot of interesting tricks about the park. The food is constantly disappointing. Nothing hit in any way which sucked cause you would hope the food was good sense its a new park. For the merch, I would say it's alright. Some things are pretty cool but i would say you can find half of the merch at Universal Studios Hollywood. The scenery or "worlds" were very immersive and had incredible details. You really felt like you were part of the "world" where they originated from. For rides, the best 4D ride in my opinion is Monsters Unleash 👻. Has super short wait times cause how fast people get put in sests and out. 4 min ride with good affects and the best Animatronics in the park. Best Roller coaster is Star Dust Racers ✨️ in my opinion . The wait time isn't really long from what ive seen and experienced. I would say this park is worth going to and experiencing. I wouldn't go with out the Express as of now. Since the park is so new. I'd give this park a 8/10 or 7.5/10. I really enjoyed the park and it's vibes. The food a sold 4.5/10 or 5/10

I finally went yesterday for my first visit since the park’s official opening. Before this, I’d only been for the team member preview with friends. Let me just say—Epic is truly epic. The park is stunning in its own right: beautifully designed, clean, and immersive. The rides are incredible, and the shows absolutely deliver. I visited on a Sunday and got there right as the park opened. No Express Pass, stayed until a half hour before the park closed and with the exception of the rollercoaster that is currently closed we did all the rides we wanted (Might not be exact names but- Dark Universe Castle, Rollercoaster in Dragon, Water ride in Dragon, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong coaster, Ministry of Magic, and we caught the Fantastic Beasts show). Ride times varied but if you use the Universal app to its full potential you can see wait times and plan your day a bit better by doing so. It genuinely feels like the future of theme parks. That said, there are a few rough edges Universal still needs to smooth out. Food & Ordering System Most food ordering is done through the Universal Studios app, which isn’t a big deal—until you want to customize something. That’s where it gets tricky. You can supposedly order at a register (which I assume is also the only way to pay cash), but the employees don’t seem too eager to take those orders. I watched a dad with two kids at Pizza Moon get incredibly frustrated. His wife had ordered lunch through the app and left to do other things while he stayed with the kids. Simple, right? Not exactly. Orders aren’t prepared until you check in on the app and scan your table number—which his wife had with her. Result? A wait of over 30 minutes for their pizza, and one very unhappy dad. On the bright side, the food itself was excellent. I tried a few spots, and the quality is leagues above what you typically get at other parks. Prices are higher, but honestly, the flavor and freshness made it worth it. Staffing & Atmosphere There also seems to be a staffing shortage. Unlike other parks where team members are everywhere, here you really have to look around for help. Many of the attraction employees were younger and, while energetic, they were often chatting and laughing among themselves rather than keeping the lines moving or staying in character. It broke the immersion a bit and pulled away from the magic Universal clearly wants to create. Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts Land This section was a bit of a letdown. The Ministry of Magic ride is fantastic, and the show is a highlight—but beyond that, it felt like wall-to-wall shops. For such a beloved franchise, the space feels underused. Final Thoughts Overall, I absolutely loved Epic. The park itself is a five-star experience and beyond—but there are still some kinks to work out before it truly lives up to its full potential.

Im giving Epic 3 stars, and the reason is, the universes and the queues are outstanding and beautifully done! The food, is some of the best food ive had at any of the parks. And well, that's about it. My family was pretty disappointed in almost every ride except monsters unchained, and hiccups wing gliders. We waited 2 hours in donkey kong for the ride to be delayed due to weather. We were compensated appropriately for that and decided to return to the ride later on. The ride was fun, but felt so short! I don't know why every ride in this park feels so short! I probably won't be returning to this park for quite some time, but I will continue to go to the others!

actually love this park so much it's so fun! the rides are so good and everything is themed SO well! you really feel like you went through a portal when u go to each place:) ahhh!!!! people are not kidding about the lack of shade tho!! so incredibly bright and hot so just make sure you're prepared! also very surprised ab the mixed reviews on here!! make sure you read up before you go!! BEST TIP: DO NOT go to nintendo world first!!! early access pretty much only goes there so it's going to be the busiest!! i'd save it for later in the day! we got to do mario kart with not too long of a wait! (the other rides were closed bc of the weather ). i can not wait to go back!! make sure u catch the shows!! (and stay for the extra hour after)

I arrived at the park at 10:00 am, excited to make the most of the day. But by 4:50 pm, I had only been able to ride 3 attractions. Everything was delayed. One of the rides I tried -- Hiccup's Wing Riders -- was having issues. People were coming off saying the same thing: "It had problems." And it wasn't the only one. Several rides were either closed or operating poorly. I had only 4 hours left before closing, and I already knew I wouldn't even get through half the park. And on top of that, I'm not from Orlando. I'm flying back to Austin, Texas tomorrow. I can't just come back another day. This was a waste of time and money for me. Worst part? One of the rides even stopped in the middle of the experience. How is it possible that a ride pauses halfway through? If it's going to spin, it better finish spinning. And speaking of that... there needs to be more focus on safety in these rides. That same day, I witnessed something extremely alarming. At the horror-themed ride (which, by the way, was delayed twice with indefinite hold times), I finally made it to the loading zone. Just before stepping onto the rotating platform to board the ride vehicle, the group ahead of us (4 people per car) was getting off--except only 3 were able to exit. A woman couldn't unlock the safety harness. These are the restraints that come down from above, and hers simply wouldn't release. Staff had to stop the ride again. I was supposed to board right after that, with my companion, but I just couldn't. Not because it was a horror ride with werewolves or Dracula--I was honestly scared that something worse could happen. It didn't feel like entertainment anymore; it felt unsafe. The movie Final Destination 3 said it best: sometimes a bad feeling is a warning. Imagine if the whole ride had stopped during a loop, with everyone upside down... and then it turned out exactly like the protagonist's premonition. That's exactly what crossed my mind. If you want to improve, you should offer a refund or reduce the ticket price by 50%. Otherwise, I won't remove this review and I definitely won't be coming back. Only then would I consider taking it down. Thanks. Date: Saturday, July 27, 2025

Overall we experienced poor customer service and terrible crowd management. From the start we were forced to throw away our 2 year Old's balloon and were mocked by security. They did not offer scissors to help but instead made growling noises when we had to use our teeth to break the ribbon. Then, we headed to the Ministry of Magic ride only to learn our $300 express passes did not in fact work for that ride or several others. This was NOT clearly communicated when we purchased via the app (though Universal has no problem clearly communicating their lack of liability for even the most gentle rides). Then we headed to the celestial roller coaster. Security for this ride is a hassle, but it's made worse by the attitude displayed by the staff. This ride broke down while we were in line, after waiting over 30 min with our express passes. When I asked an employee if our pass would be renewed since we did not experience the ride, I was once again met with rough/rude responses. Then, we had to walk over to concierge to get our replacement express pass ticket, dispute the fact that so much technology seems to be employed for facial recognition, the system apparently can't renew our pass on the app. The day continued on in this fashion. A bit later, we waited 40 min for the Yoshi ride (posted wait time was 25 min) before it was closed down, our express passes were not renewed. Then the Mario kart line was 220 min, I asked an employee how long the express line may be and was again met with aggression. Many rides were down throughout the day, from both weather and non-weather related reasons. When we were able to use the express pass, there was nothing fast about it. Every time the express line joined the standby line, it was a cluster & was a minimum 30 minute wait from that junction. At $300/person, this was a premium price and we did not receive a premium experience. Employees throughout the day were too busy talking, texting, using electric fans on each other, etc, to guide guests. We went to the ale house restaurant which was empty. My in-laws wanted to pay for our family's dinner. There was no one in line and 4 employees standing around the register. They insisted they could not let us order at the register even though my in laws did not have the app downloaded. At 8:30pm we circled back to Ministry of Magic only to find it was closed early due to "capacity". Again, any questions were met with hostility from staff. Before leaving we stopped by concierge to request a refund for the express passes and were told refunds are not available, even though we didn't receive the product we paid for. Clearly, Universal does not care about their guests' experiences once they've collected their money. Extremely disappointing and frustrating day. I've frequented theme parks throughout my life, this was most poorly managed I've ever experienced. I've been to carnivals with better customer service.

Decided for my birthday gift, I wanted to come to Epic to experience the Mario Kart world experience. I am not going to sit here and complain about wait times, because let's be honest, it's a huge amusement park there are going to be huge wait times, and that held true. Parking tip, they have a covered , closer lot which they were charging 60 dollars for then a 30 dollar lot further back not covered. I would say don't spend the extra 30 because the covered closer lot is still a nice distant from the door, so totally not worth it unless you want your car covered to stay cooler only, because the walk is not that much shorter for 30 more dollars. Definitely download the app prior, setup everything and read everything it will make it much easier to get around, pay for things, see mapping, ride times etc. Also from the app you can order ahead for dining. The park is a bit confusing, with little signage, and workers to help, so the app will be your best friend. You can bring in water bottles(plastic)! and there is also free water stations throughout the park, which I found very helpful!

The online hype was crazy and approaching the park was exhilarating! But pro-tip: there is hardly ANY shaded areas in any of the worlds, so bring those UV umbrellas or a hat. It was unbearable before the heavy down pour. We had a big party with us, but we were the only ones with a stroller and the first World we went to was Mario World. We were directed to another entrance so we couldn't enter through the escalator and I thought we were going to miss out. Actually, NO! We were able to walk through the pipe and even hear the iconic sounds for SMB! Entering this world - insanity. PURE insanity. There are families and small kids yelling and running around. Donkey Kong was also very cool, but same concept and hotter?? For my families with babies and diapers, family rooms are available! Just bring your own disinfectant wipes to do a quick wipe down, and get that baby changed. The family rooms are also themed, which is very cool. We also recommend that you bring your own reusable water bottle. There are refill stations at the bathrooms AND at the Freestyle coke stations. We brought in our water bottles AND bought the refill Freestyle cups (those you can refill every 10 minutes). Everything else was great, but customer service at certain parts are questionable. Definitely no magic here, just people here to get through the day lol.

Wow. Absolutely jaw dropping park. Universal just may have dethroned Disney as the best parks in Florida, possibly the world. The attention to detail and immersiveness of everything from celestial park, Mario land, monsters unchain, Harry Potter world and even how to train your dragon. Each one very different and also very intuned to their respective theming. Even their food, not only does it looks like something you see in the movies, it tastes wonderful as well.

Universal's newest park is Epic Universe. It consists of four distinct worlds, plus celestial park in the middle. They did an incredible job making each world very immersive. The most impressive was Super Nintendo World where you feel like you're in Marioland. But Super Nintendo World is also the busiest since all of the kids (and adults) love it. The Harry Potter world takes you into the impressive Ministry of Magic and Fantastic Beasts. If you're into How to Train Your Dragon, then you'll be impressed by the Isle of Berk with its many dragons and totems. Finally, there's Dark Universe, which is home to Frankenstein's monster. You won't be able to get on every ride without an express pass. Some of the rides have lines on the 1-2 hr range. You can try to get on the rides faster if you enter the single rider line. However, not all rides have single rider lines and single rider lines start at regular park opening. As a patron of their hotels, you can enter the park an hour earlier. However, there are no single rider lines in that hour. I was able to get on the Harry Potter Ride, which took about 2 hours in a queue. The park is still going through growing pains and there were numerous delays as there were issues with the ride. But the ride was very impressive and I enjoyed it. I was also able to get on the Monsters Unchained ride, which had a short queue throughout the day. It was also quite impressive. Finally, I was able to get on the Yoshi's Adventure ride, which is geared more for kids. It took an hour to get on the ride and felt too short. I tried to get on both the Donkey Kong ride and the Constellation Carousel but delays/issues with the ride prevented me from staying in line/getting on before the park closed. I was able to experience the Untrainable Dragon show, which was very good. But what left a bad taste in my mouth was, you guessed it, delays. They added a show at 12:50pm, we lined up, then they said that they canceled the show while leaving everyone standing in the heat after we had been standing outside in the heat for 30 minutes. I tried the Dragon Fire Chicken Mac & Cheese cone at the Isle of Berk. It was tasty and spicy. But I thought there wasn't enough chicken. Overall, I thought this was a good themed amusement park. I hope it gets better over time by reducing delays and hopefully fewer guests over time to reduce wait times.

Epic Universe has a theme park and the IP is crazy amazing. All of the areas are fantastic and worth checking out, especially Super Nintendo World. Super Nintendo World has so many interactive areas for the Powerup Bands ($50) that it's amazing to just explore outside of the rides and check out. The new Donkey Kong Country is also great. Biggest issue with Epic is that there isn't as many drink vendors as you would think or food vendors until you get to the middle, and the wait times for rides are atrocious. Most are over an hour, with Battle of the Ministry of Magic being over 2.5 hour wait, along with ride break downs. If you overlook the waits, the themes were amazing to walk through. Queues could also be better managed along with less switchbacks or some seating areas especially through the super long waits. Some of these rides don't allow you to carry anything which means you're stuck without your phone for hours. That's a bit ridiculous and poorly planned ride design from a queue perspective. That being stated? Epic by far is one of my favorite theme parks since the areas themselves are very immersive and great for photography.

I had no intent on going to Epic til the fall, but they opened the preview to everyone, and my mom was visiting from NJ so it was a no brainer to visit. Unfortunately when we went, the Ministry ride and the Curse of the Werewolf were not operational. It was a pleasure to walk through the Ministry though. I still had a blast, and I feel this is the best theming Universal has done for Wizarding World to date. The Cirque show was an absolute showstopper, and I can't wait to do this one again. I don't want to say much, but just go and see this! Celestial Park is gorgeous. I felt like I was elsewhere while walking through during the day. We enjoyed the carousel, as it's pretty unique. We loved coaster in Berk, but I have not seen any of the movies. The show was good, but not as good as Cirque. Darkmoor was excellent. I enjoyed interacting with Ygor and Monsters Unchained, along with the drink in the beaker. The coaster and the Bride and Frankenstein are on my to do next time. Nintendo was cool, but overall not my thing. My friend found it overstimulating. I did scream in the Mario Kart ride when you get to Rainbow Road. That was like a fever dream for me from playing Mario Kart in the 90s. In terms of food, the highlights were Pizza Moon and the café in Wizarding World for me. Some other things we tried were the mac and cheese cone and the garlic stake, but I found those underwhelming and a quick skip next time. The only negatives we had were that the previously mentioned rides were closed (really the just the Ministry for me) and they were out of merch in some spots. I did walk in wanting a Captain Cacao plushie, but they had already sold out so I am hoping to find one next time. I'm looking forward to my return!

I am an avid theme park enjoyer. I've been to many of the big, major American theme parks, but I have never experienced such a disorganized, disheartening experience as I did at Epic Universe. My fiancé and I planned a fun day trip, but from the start, it was a mess. Upon arriving, we walked around completely lost, unsure of where to go or where to stand, while the Park staff either stood around talking to each other or yelling at people to get in line. Once we managed to get in, we waited patiently at the General Admission (10 AM) line for Nintendo World. But when the Early Access line opened at 9 AM? That was ridiculous. We stayed seated and calm, yet people were running under ropes, sneaking past security, and not one person stopped them. That left an extremely sour taste in our mouths. While we did get lucky and got to ride some of the marquee attractions, the queues were absolutely ridiculous. Why are the lines built with endless stairs going up, down, up again, only to ride for 2 minutes, get off, and go down even more stairs? I understand there are elevators, but they're either not well-marked or not available. (I couldn't tell you which because no one informed us and for someone like me with knee problems and a slipped lower disc, that's a serious issue.) And that leads to yet another problem: the ride lines themselves. Lines spill into common areas, causing confusion, people cutting, and chaos. Ride delays lead to people leaving the line, only to come back and find it even longer. What should've been a 30-minute wait easily turns into 2.5 hours. Initial ride wait times say 15 minutes, and they end up being an hour (I'm looking at YOU, Yoshi's Adventure.) And Mario Kart? Forget it. That ride was a joke. It broke down five times, twice while we were actually on the ride, left sitting there doing nothing. Then there's the park layout. You have to leave a world to get to another, and then leave that world again to reach the next. There's no sense of interconnectedness. The middle area, Celestial Park, is just... lifeless. Overall, this park really needs to get it together. It could be something special, but right now it's just painfully disorganized. And honestly, there's really nothing going on. No shows, no random events. If you enjoy your time here, congrats! I really am happy for you and so glad you had a good time. But until they fix all this, we'll wait. Until next time, folks!! Enjoy the ride!!!!

I was super excited to go to this park after seeing all the videos, and tik toks. This park has apparently been booked up for the next month. I enjoyed my day here. The park is well built and everything is close enough to each other that it doesn't feel too overwhelming. We, however, were not able to get on every ride as some of the lines can take over 2 hours (and truly not even be worth it). If you're looking for a good place to take kids, or are afraid of coasters this is a good place as most of the rides are tame. My favorite ride was the twin coaster. The food was actually more or less affordable compared to other parks. The cone at Berks island was amazing. The Mario world food can be skipped but the donkey Kong ice cream was great.

What a dream! I attending during previews, I got on almost every ride. I was surprised. All of the portals are awesome. I highly recommend the park. Parking: it's easy and quick but there is a bit of a walk to the main entrance. Ticket prices: $$$

Went on the Saturday before the Grand Opening. We were able to ride everything, except the 2 attractions that were not open that day (Donkey Kong & Werewolf). We didn't have early entry, so we just waited in front of the Ministry of Magic entrance and glad we did. The total wait time for the Battle at the Ministry was 2 hours total (including the 50mins of the ride being down). It was 300mins by the time we exited the ride. My favorite universe is the Isle of Berk. I love the rides there, the show, and the toothless meet & greet, and everything in there. And I love that Tuffnut & Ruffnut are just walking around interacting with guests. Also saw & talked to Gobber at his workshop. My favorite ride was Stardust Racers. Monsters was good too. I just wish there's more shades around the park. It's just so hot.

Epic Universe is an amazing theme park. The portals capture the beauty and awe of each world. Upon arriving, my family & I arrived pretty early. The parking lot opens at 8am and the park officially opens at 9am for those staying at Universal properties, and 10am for all other. You are allowed to go through security to enter the park around the same time as the other guests but you might not be able to access all portals, as they open at different times. Wear comfortable shoes- I can't stress this enough. You will be walking, standing, and waiting for long periods so make sure to dress accordingly. If you have small children with you make sure they are as tall as they need to be to get on the rides, so there is less stress and disappointment. They do allow guests that have children to family swap- one group goes, while the other members wait in the family room, then they switch- which was a great option to have, this way the entire family can wait online together instead of waiting outside. For the elderly, if you need a scooter, get the canopy- it's useful on days when there is no overcast, and any protection from the sun is helpful. You will also have to park your scooter and walk to the entrances, as well as walk up and down the stairs in some cases. I would also recommend *Bringing extra clothes because it was HOT. Also bring an umbrella to help shield you from the sun, and a poncho because rain is bound to happen at some point. * Download The Universal Mobile App because you will need this to order food at their restaurants. *Bring your water bottles because they have filtered water stations throughout the park. *Spend two days at the park, this way you don't have to rush. You might end up spending more time at one portal than the other, so having an extra day would be beneficial. If not, then get the express pass if you can. *Bring portable phone chargers. There is so much that can be said but worth going. The park is gorgeous! We loved Frye Drill & Hiccup's Wing Gliders at Isle of Berk.. really fun! The Stardust Racers at Celestial Park was intense, my family members loved it. Super Nintendo World was a dream, it felt like we were in the video game. We did The Battle at the Ministry first to get it out of the way. We waited two and a half hours to get on and we enjoyed it. We didn't get to go to Dark Universe. There are so many restaurants to try and awesome people to meet. We'll be back.

An update to my previous review... We went back on opening day and it was GLORIOUS! No wait for rides, limited capacity, and fairly good weather. One of the best experiences ever. But this park "shines" the best at night. It's so beautifully created. Now for the rides (and we had the opportunity to be able to go on every ride; however motion sickness limits myself)... The top ones for us were Monsters Unchained and Wing Glider's. While the park is new, still shade options were limited and I can't imagine what Florida rain storms hold for guests looking for somewhere dry. It's an extreme oversight of the park. Food is okay for theme park food but overpriced (but that's to be expected). Overall? I was impressed the second time around but I do not see myself revisiting for a few years.

My wife and i had lots a fun. We felt like kids again laughing together walking in the rain. The rides were great. Only one ride we stood on line for along time was 2 and half hour wait. Loads of stairs to climb there are elevators. But over all we had a great time. The donkey kong coaster is rough don't take the warnings lightly. The ride does bang you around. If you have bank injures you will be taking a chance of getting hurt

Finally, a legit food scene at a theme park!!! As well as, the Nintendo area is by far the best theming of any theme park I've ever been to. It's like I literally warped into a Nintendo game and became Mario. It rained from 4pm-8pm, not just any rain. The hurricane down pour that Florida is known to get in the summer. The downside is that when it rains, only 3 rides are open: Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ALL of the other rides will be closed. I have no idea why they didn't build more indoor rides considering it rains EVERY day just about from June - October in Florida. Having said all of that, I was able to ride every ride except Stardust Racers. Here's how I would rank rides from best to worst: #1 Hiccup's Wing Gliders #2 ALL OF THE NINTENDO GAMES (Buy a Power UP Band) #3 Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry #4 Curse of the Werewolf #5 Fyre Drill (You will absolutely get wet, maybe soaked) #6 Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge #7 Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness #8 Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment Here comes a few controversial takes: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (At Universal Florida) is a better ride than Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. The theming to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is unbelievable and the queue must be literally 5 hours long. It'll take you 30 minutes just to walk through the queue to get to the ride. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is a worse version of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (At Islands of Adventure). Both are jerky and are constantly torqueing you in weird ways. Neither are very enjoyable. Due to the 4 hour rain. I was able to play all of the Nintendo mini games in the rain alone, by myself. I could tap in over, and over, and over with zero wait as I was the only one brave enough to get soaking wet. I think I got 50+ Bowser Jr Keys. Here are the 5 key games: #1 Koopa Troopa Power Punch - The easiest of the 5 games. If you're on easy mode, hit the block right before the green shell goes into the tube. If you're on hard mode hit the shell right before it hits the outside wall. You'll know you're on hard mode if when you tap in you'll hear a Bowser Jr. laugh. #2 Goomba Crazy Crank - 2nd easiest game. Crank that wheel as fast as you can. It's a work out. #3 Thwomp Panel Panic - 3rd easiest game. Flip the panels from blue to yellow to win the key. #4 Bob-omb Kaboom Room - 2nd hardest game. Touch the bomb key pieces on tv screens around the bomb. Then, put the bomb key puzzle together before time runs out. #5 Piranha Plant Nap Mishap - By far the hardest game. Here's the key: You MUST put all your weight into hitting the blue stop watch timer. You can't tap it or punch it with your fist. You literally, need to jump and use your weight to push it down. Otherwise the game won't register that you stopped the clock and you will lose. Once I figured that out it was a lot easier. However, if you play this game by yourself you're going to be out of breath and will still probably lose. This is a game you definitely don't want to do by yourself. Now let's talk about the food: The Atlantic Restaurant lives up to the hype. I had a table right along the glass so I could watch the fountains. I was expecting Disney quality level food and wow did it deliver. First of all, the restaurant setting is absolutely beautiful. Up first I had the $17 Northern Lights (dat purple drank). The drink really isn't any good. It's mostly for taking pics and enjoying a purple drank. 5/10 The $16 Caesar salad was excellent 9/10. For the main course I had the $22 Atlantic Burger. Think of Ruth's Chris. It was that good 10/10. I also had a $18 Manhattan Espresso. It wasn't quite top tier, but it was a solid 7/10. The Burning Blade Tavern: $11.99 Hunter's Garlic Stake - Far and away the best pretzel I've ever had anywhere 10/10 $12 Monocane - The green science flask drink. It looks cooler than it tastes, but it wasn't bad. 7/10. There's zero alcohol in this drink Cafe L'air De La Sirene: I like how you can get a table outside here and people watch. I ordered off of the app, and then they bring the food to your table. $19.99 Bieraubeurre™ Crêpe - It's like eating a butterbeer pancake. If I got it again I would request no whip cream. Pretty good though 7/10 $8.99 Butterbeer - I really only like hot butterbeer. The room temperature one just isn't my thing. 3/10 Pizza Moon: $18.99 Pizza Lunare - PURPLE PIZZA CRUST - roasted garlic béchamel, fromage de lune, ricotta, pancetta, garlic confit, purple celestial ube crust Looks cool, taste isn't great. 3/10 $18.99 A Trip to Vesuvio - fromage de lune, pepperoni, fennel sausage, roasted peppers, caramelized onions, cherry peppers, Calabrian chili, arugula, hot honey. This is my favorite theme park pizza. 9/10 super delicious

This has now become my favorite Universal park!! It did not disappoint. They took their time and paid a huge attention to detail. Separating the worlds and have multiple rides inside the rides is a hit. Every world seems like you are actually in it. Harry Potter and Mario were my favorites. There is NOTHING like Mario world!! I actually thought I was in the video game. DK Cart is amazing and makes you think that you will fall from the tracks. Mario cart is AI interactive and you have to steer the cart and try to score points. When you get hit with a turtle shell, you actually spin out! The only downside is that you have to make a reservation. Maybe that will change after time. My recommendation is going to Harry Potter first and then Mario. Those are the two longest lines.

Epic is visually striking and beautiful! Yes, it is tough when it rains and it's very hot. But it is themed very well, walking through the portals will not get old. Strong suits include food, theme-ing and great thrill rides. I've been twice already but I'm not in a rush to come again. Maybe when it's in cooler weather.

Honestly SO impressed with Epic Universe. It's pretty epic. It's been a minute since I've been to any Universal theme park. The last couple of Orlando trips have been dedicated to Disney and Disney only. We weren't planning on coming 2 weeks after opening, BUT we were in town for a concert. Booking thru Costco travel - we stayed at a Universal property and did a 3 Day Universal Orlando Resort Park-to-Park tickets PLUS 1-Day Universal Epic Universe Ticket. Overall, it was so immersive and SO easy to navigate. The lake is in the middle then you have 'portals' to each land. The signage was great and I don't feel like I got lost in random dead-ends like I sometimes do at other theme parks. Highlights include: 1) Stardust Racers: if you're a thrill seeker, you'll love this. I thought this was way more intense than Velocicoaster. Pro Tip: ride it at night for a completely different experience. We rode Green track every time (which is apparently more intense) 2) Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment - we rode this ride 3 times. It's like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey but OPTIMIZED. I did NOT get intense motion sickness from this ride and it was really well done with both the ride experience and animatronics. Victoria Frankenstein is a baddy! 3) the ride locker system is great - uses facial recognition and it's like Tron at disney where you enter on one side and exit on the other side so there's less of a bottleneck (unlike the CLUSTER that is Gringott's at Universal Studios). 4) The restaurants - every Coca Cola freestyle machine has a unique blend/flavor (look at the top right of the screen) for each portal/land. Also, real silverware?! Heck yeah. All the food we had from Mead Hall to Cafe Siren was super fresh and came out quickly. We did NOT eat at Toadstool's cafe which I heard had some waits up to 1hr just to get food. Another really cool unique/ride was curse of the werewolf! Don't wait too long for it though (30 min or less). I can see how Epic Universe can be really tough though: 1) when there are weather delays, basically half the park goes down - yikes. so if you only have a 1 day, you could get lightning'ed out which would be disappointing! Luckily we only had ~30-45 minutes weather delay and we immediately went to queue for Mine Cart Madness. 2) there's not a lot of shade right now, so it's been really hot. Also how come they don't have fans with misters? While we were waiting in the atrium for early entry (after security), it was like a DOME of heat. Woof. 3) Super cool at night (especially Dark Universe!) BUT the park closes kinda early IMHO. 9?! At least 10! C'mon! Ha. All in all, Universal did a fantastic job. We'll be back to Epic so the rest of my family can experience how Epic it is! Apparently there's phase 2.0 & 3.0 with some more restaurants, etc. Your move, Disney.

Honestly, some of these 1-star reviews have me wondering if we somehow are living in parallel epic universes. Background: I'm a theme park degenerate (WDW and now former DL AP, have gone to every Disney park except for Shanghai, plus the random Six Flags/Busch Garden/Cedar Fair here and there) Theming: Epic is probably the best themed domestic theme park to date, and the closest approximation we have to Tokyo DisneySea (the crown jewel of an immersive theme park) stateside. If you take the time to slow down and not run to the next attraction, you'll see a LOT of attention to detail and easter eggs throughout the park. They didn't have to go so hard, but they did. Rides: Monsters Unchained is a master class in dark rides and how to effectively use screens without it feeling cheap. The animatronics are top notch and the ride is a love letter to classic Universal monsters. I'm not even a big monster fan and I went on this ride multiple times. Berk coaster and Stardust Racers are a joy, especially Stardust for those who miss Dueling Dragons. I actually think the most overrated ride in EU is Ministry of Magic. It's cool, but Hagrid's remain the best HP attraction. Food: Yeah, no, the food does not suck. In fact, it's probably some of the best theme park food available in Central Florida. There are a lot more hits than misses. I think people are generally very critical of theme park restaurants (which is their right) but when compared to what Disney is churning out lately for exorbitant prices... I'd eat at EU anytime. I don't compare theme park food to an actual restaurant in "the real world." Critiques: - Park is not even at full capacity yet and some of the wait times already suck. - The park struggles exponentially in inclement weather due to many of the rides being outside. While this is for safety it does become very frustrating that there are only a few rides that can remain open when there is hard rain or chance of lightning. - The absence of cooling elements (shade, misters, etc.) was very obvious. - While they have expanded their operating hours, there is still very limited time to enjoy the evening ambiance of EU when the official close is 9 pm in the summer. - Meet & Greets are great in the less popular lands but are an absolute nightmare in Nintendo World and Berk in terms of popularity and wait times. - There were some teased additional elements to Berk that I didn't see, like the baby dragons or the drone dragons. Would I return? Absolutely. So much so that during this trip I didn't even bother stopping at WDW even though I have an AP there. I hope they keep up the quality of things that work, and improve on the things that don't. Five stars for "great." Not perfect, but great.

So I finally made it to Epic Universe before it officially opens and the real crowds roll in. And let me just say--don't believe the negative reviews on Google or Yelp. This park is super easy to navigate. It's laid out like a compass: north, south, east, and west. Now, my favorite portals were the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Dark Universe, and Super Nintendo World. And when it comes to lands, I absolutely loved the Isle of Berk from How to Train Your Dragon, and Super Nintendo Land--though in moderation. The attractions really surprised me--in a good way. The whole experience was smooth, and the park itself is visually stunning. I can only imagine how incredible it must look at night. The best queue? Definitely the Ministry of Magic. Even though the ride was closed, I didn't mind--I can't really do 3D or 4D screen rides anyway. All in all, for my first visit, I had an amazing time and I'm already looking forward to going back. Just a heads-up: if you don't have an annual or express pass, expect long waits and high costs. But honestly? The vibe of the park--I loved it. And I think you will too.

What a beautiful park! The attention to detail was definitely at 100% i love how each world gives you the experience of really entering a different world. Went to mario world and how to train a dragon world and each we're perfect in their own way. Had such an amazing time, only downfall were the long wait times but can't expect much from a recently opened park. Can't wait to return and experience the rest of the worlds.

Universal is not for disabled people. I'm 100% disabled from MS. I own a motorized wheelchair. I used their IBCCES process for disability access; provided medical proof of disability. Universal employees insisted I use a universal push wheelchair. I can't; I have MS. They profiled me because I look relatively "normal" and "young"; then discriminated against me. They allowed other motorized wheelchair users to use their chairs. When I told employees I couldn't use a push wheelchair, they said I needed to go back to guest services & get a better disability pass. I literally have holes in my brain and spinal cord, they're visible on MRI. My disability documentation confirms 100% disability-- and it was signed by a JUDGE after review of MEDICAL RECORDS. DISABLED PEOPLE: Be warned!! Spend your money elsewhere! When I called to complain about this, Universal denied doing anything wrong. I'm unable to use a push wheelchair, I couldn't access their attractions, I left the park early after just 6 hours.. and they still kept my money! No refunds! Even for disabled people they scam into buying tickets. 0/10 would never recommend this place to anyone.

If you have kids definitely worth a try as a family. if you love Harry Potter- it's a must. They did a great job with the Harry Potter and the Battle at Ministry ride. So much fun! Super Nintendo World is nicely done...my son thought the entry into the world was better in Ca, however everything else was extra super cool! You feel like you are in the game or cartoon! These are just to name a couple of highlights. How to Train a Dragon Section is nicely created. The Hiccups ride is definitely a fun roller coaster anyone can ride. Star bust Rollercoaster is probably the coolest rollercoaster here. Two different types- yellow or green side. According to my kids the green side is the more intense one. They forgot to tell me this...haha! This one is a must try...great coaster! The park is nicely designed, rides are fun and lots of places to catch your breath and rest. Only wish on very hot humid days, there was some outside sitting with sprinkles but this is just my wishful thinking ! All in all we had a fun time here!

Not impressed. One Disney park puts this one to shame. Nothing "Epic" about it. One of the main rides is shut down. App said it was down for the day. We go somewhere else, now it says its opened. Nice 75 minutes. Super Mario World, 2 rides, one is 70 mins and the other 200 minutes. No 300 dollar express passes left. No shade at all. Islands of adventure had more and better rides. I honestly don't get the hype. But if it keeps your a$$ out of Disney, by all means come here.

This is a theme park! This park not only has awesome rides, cool shows, amazing food, but it will leave you in awe. Everything here is nothing like the other parks, and seems the way of the future now. I will be back as often as I can, and explore as much as I can. This is not a one day, two day, theme park. I could get lost in Super Mario for a whole week!

We enjoyed the preview! Best ride by far was the Frankenstein Manor (don't call it a castle). The amount of detail is amazing! The interactions with performers throughout the park is equally entertaining (Igor to Astrid). The flowers are gorgeous and food is wonderful. There is so much to experience! With the pros there will be negatives. I would say give them some grace and let them work the 'kinks' out.. I think by the fall the park should be good to go!

A great family day here. ThepRk is new and sparkly clean. We went early enough that they were operating at 25 percent capacity. I'm so glad we did as line waits were very long in creation areas. We ate at Atlantic and it was delicious and calmingly beautiful.

Epic is let's say, EPIC! We've been a season pass holder of US and IOS for many years and were super excited about this new park. We grabbed our passes as part of the pass member days. This park is not attached to the others via City Walk but you can use your UAP to get free parking here. Parking is all lot parking so yes the car sits in that FL heat. The park is smaller than IOA and US but that's good in my opinion. The park didn't appear to be as busy as the other parks although the ride wait times were crazy high at over 120+ minutes. Food at this park is the best I've had at a theme park, hands down. Try Pizza Moon, you won't be disappointed. They also made dining very convenient thru ordering via a QR code at the establishments and they deliver to your table. When you enter the park, if you go right it will lead you to Isle of Berk first. If you go left you'll be at Mario World first. My recommendation is to go right and leave Mario for last. Super Mario World was so freaking cool. I do recommend getting the power bands so that you can play the interactive games. Even if you get one for your party and share the band. It keeps track of your progress on the US app. You can add multiple player profiles to your app and link up their bands also. Each player can also download and keep track of the group also. Ride Donkey Kong and Mario Kart here. Recommend coming here when the day cools down because this area seemed to be a lot more hotter than the others. Plus I think this is the main place folks flock to. Isle of Berk has great food and a large dining hall where you can cool down and have some good food. The burgers and fries are highly recommended here. They also have a special Dragon drink in the Coke Freestyle here. When you go to the machine, look in the upper right corner to find it as an option. There is a sugar free option as well. Harry Potter has frozen butter beer in the Paris restaurant. If you aren't dining there then you can bypass the long line and go straight to the counter that's inside and order one or any other drink to take to go. Ride Ministry of Magic! If you can ride it more than once do it!! The ride is spectacular! In my opinion it's the best HP ride. They did a wonderful job on this. I looks so real! We would skip the Cirque show. Note that if you have a disability and need special assistance for rides you can apply for their disability pass at least 48 hours before your visit. When you get there, proceed into the park and as soon as you go thru the portal entrance there is a guest services to the right. Check in there for your interview and they'll text you when ready to meet. We had to supply a Dr letter of the disability and had to answer a few questions related to why it was needed at the park. If they require this info then they should be more accommodating to those with a disability. This gives you access to the VIP line. You visit the ride and they give you a return time. You come back at the time and go into the VIP line. Great because it does limit the time you're in line but some VIP lines are also long as well and if you aren't good with standing that long it could prove to be an issue as well. The pass, however is good at other parks but you do have to visit the guest service to get it activated again.

I will start with my expectations were low going into my visit. I had been reading posts on different social media platforms but I still have to form my own opinions. I arrived at the park around 12:15 with my goals set for Dark Universe, Ministry of Magic and Isle of Berk. I had set my mind on no more than a 3 hour wait for Battle at the Ministry ( I chose to go through regular queue and not single rider to experience the whole thing). With that said the ride was good but would I wait 3 hours again, probably not, maybe an hour! I absolutely loved the theming of Dark Universe, although the area itself felt congested it reminded me of some towns I have been to in Germany. I waited 30 minutes for Monsters Unleashed ride which was good and had a great queue. I was hungry so after checking the app I decided on a grilled chicken wrap from the Burning Blade tavern in Dark Universe. Food must be ordered via mobile app and you wait on the side porch to pick up, there is very minimal seating in the tavern as well as near mobile pickup area and in all honesty there was minimal seating anywhere outside of Celestial Park and most of that was full sun. I found the prices on the higher side for what you received, the other Universal Parks definitely are a better value where food is concerned. My wrap was good, could have used more chicken and less sauce on top, I would order again if I was starving. I purchased a refillable drink cup but found it difficult to find freestyle machines in some areas and as is standard for Universal they were out of ice!!! After riding Battle at the Ministry I had a frozen Butter Beer which I felt tasted slightly different than at the other parks. Maybe it was me but it didn't seem as cold or sweet. I walked around Isle of Berk which was honestly my favorite themed area. It was spacious and very well designed. I chose not to venture to Mario land , I'll save that for next time. It's a great addition to the Universal family but I can't see where I would want to visit it over and over again. Maybe when the weather is cooler! Some positives were drinking fountains and water bottle refill areas in attraction queues, easy access to restrooms. I thought the parking lot was large and could have used a tram for getting from the farther rows or better yet they could have built parking garages like the other parks!

We got to experience the brand-new theme park, Epic Universe, during the technical rehearsal. Since we are Universal Orlando pass-holders, we were able to sign up. This is the newest theme park to open in the Orlando area in over 20 years. It is a Universal Orlando theme park, but it is located further away from the two main parks. They do have their own parking lot as well as bus transportation from the main parking. This park is very visually appealing, I would say breathtaking. There are 5 portals that are each themed and contain shops and restaurants (quick service and snack stands) and either rides or shows. Their portals are How to Train your Dragon, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic, Nintendo World, and Celestial Park. My pros: 1. It is visually breathtaking. The park is large, so on busy days, hopefully it will not feel incredibly packed. 2. The rides have a great theme, feels immersive with all the audio and animatronics. There are also characters walking around each area, which provides photo opportunities. 3. The park has a-lot of food options ( quick service and proper restaurants. Most of the quick service is mobile order through the app, I personally love this, but it could pose a challenge for those that are not as tech savvy, or have the app. 4. There are tons of themed cocktails and lots of special beers made just for this park. 5. There are way too many merchandise options to choose from! Cons 1. This park is huge, we walked so much, our feet were done at the end of the day, the parking is not terribly far, but it is definitely a hike, someone who needs a scooter and does not have a handicapped pass, will struggle. It is also very hot since there is no shade on the walk. I can't stress how large this park is, we were incredibly exhausted the next day. 2. No park maps anywhere! 3. The Virtual Que for Harry Potter is a complete joke, and it needs to be eliminated. There were multiple people getting multiple time slots and our group could not even get one 4. Things are expensive! Be prepared to pay a lot of money. Some of the quick service restaurants meals are very small portions for the price... 5. Areas such as Harry Potter and Nintendo really require you to purchase additional things to fully enjoy the area 6. There are not enough drink stations, the Coca-Cola machines 7. There are not early enough bathrooms, pretty much only 1 per portal 8. If you have not seen these movies, you will be lost in the lands. Not an issue for us at all though. 9. If you head into Nintendo world, please be prepared to go up and down many stairs even in the rides 10. The signal is terrible in the Dark Universe, pretty much nonexistent 11. The chairs in most restaurants are also terrible, they cut us on the back of the legs, they were heavy as well 12. A lot of the rides are on the more thrill side. So keep that in mind for those that get motion sick. I will be doing individual reviews, for each ride. At the time of the rehearsal, some of the attractions weren't open yet. So stay tuned

"What went well" you ask? EVERYTHING! Holy moly! It's a sensory overload in the best possible way. Universal was just where you can try to "ride the movies" when I was a little girl. They have taken the immersion into these WORLDS to the next level! I am AMAZED. Love the lockers being on the way to the ride inside the cue line. Loved the mobile ordering at restaurants. And when the sun sets, the stars in celestial park COME ALIVE!

It's raining alot in Orlando, sometimes with little to no warning day before. So bring your umbrella, but sometimes it rains too heavy for an umbrella. It's also very humid so dress lightly and wear sunscreen when the sun does beat down you'll need a hat. Super Mario doesn't have a lot to offer, I wish they had a large video game arcade to play Mario games while waiting for rides. Felt rushed. The Harry Potter area had almost everything closed. The best thing to do is go now to see it, but the lines are long for rides.

Lived up to the hype in almost every way! An extraordinary park experience from immersion, special effects, friendliness of staff, amenities, and cleanliness (granted it has JUST opened). The price for merch is higher than other parks, but the waits, and the heat are worth the experience.

This is an incomplete park and it shows by the extended wait times and the amount of rides per stores/restaurants. We paid $60 to park. The entire Harry Potter section had 1 ride! Basically you are paying to shop and eat. The ride never got below a 3 hour wait (app photo is wrong) on a Wednesday at times it was 4 hours. We waited for Mario Kart for 2.5 hours and it was so disappointing. 10,000 shops and restaurants and only a few rides. Look at the map. Each section has 2 rides at the most. The park is new and looks nice but the wait times are miserable. They are lying online, Universal paid Influencers. Several rides closed throughout the day for technical difficulties. One guard told me that it's been happening every day and that they had the same issues when testing.... But they still opened. My advice... Wait for the additional rides to be added.

We got to experience the brand-new theme park before it officially opens since we are Universal Orlando passholders. This is the newest theme park to open in the Orlando area in over 20 years. It is a Universal Orlando theme park, but it is located further away from the two main parks. They do have their own parking lot as well as bus transportation from the main parking. We were able to get free parking which is included with our annual pass even though our annual pass does not include this park. This park was very well created. It is very visually appealing and amazing. There are basically 5 portals that are each themed and contain shops and restaurants (quick service and snack stands) and either rides or shows. Their portals are How to Train your Dragon, Dark Universe, Harry Potter (Fantastic Beasts, so France, Nintendo World, and Celestial Park which the other 4 portals circle. The best way to describe this park is pros and cons. My pros: 1. It is visually beautiful 2. The park is very large, so hopefully on super busy days, it will not feel incredibly packed 3. The rides use a lot of animatronics, which are absolutely amazing 4. There are tons of dining and food options, there should be something for everyone 5. They have the refill Coca- Cola stations and you can use it for just water 6. Everything is themed even the bathrooms and the benches 7. There are photo ops everywhere, you can take beautiful photos throughout the entire park 8. There are tons of themed cocktails and lots of special beers made just for this park 9. There are tons of characters walking around the park which adds to the immersions 10. There are way too many merchandise options to choose from! 11. Most of the quick service is mobile order through the app, I personally love this, but it could pose a challenge for those that are not as tech savvy, or have the app 12. The rides are fun! I enjoyed every ride that we went on My cons: 1. This park is huge, we walked so much, our feet were done at the end of the day, the parking is not terribly far, but it is definitely a hike, someone who needs a scooter and does not have a handicapped pass, will struggle. It is also very hot since there is no shade on the walk. I can't stress how large this park is, we were incredibly exhausted the next day. 2. We did not see any park maps as we entered, we could have missed them, but we looked for them and could not locate it. 3. The Virtual Que for Harry Potter is a complete joke, and it needs to be eliminated. There were multiple people getting multiple time slots and our group could not even get one 4. Things are expensive! Be prepared to pay a lot of money. 5. Areas such as Harry Potter and Nintendo really require you to purchase additional things to fully enjoy the area 6. There are not enough drink stations, the Coca-Cola machines 7. There are not early enough bathrooms, pretty much only 1 per portal 8. Some of the quick service restaurants meals are very small portions for the price 9. If you have not seen these movies, you will be lost in the lands 10. If you head into Nintendo world, please be prepared to go up and down many stairs even in the rides 11. The signal is terrible in the Dark Universe, pretty much nonexistent 12. The chairs in most restaurants are also terrible, they cut us on the back of the legs, they were heavy as well 13. A lot of the rides are on the more thrill side, so thinking of my parents, there might not be a ton of rides they could do My individual reviews of each ride will be separate, some of the attractions have not been added to Yelp yet.

One Star Is Too Generous - A Complete Disaster of a Park! Where do I even begin? Visiting the new Epic Universe theme park in Orlando was one of the most frustrating, exhausting, and downright miserable experiences we've ever had as a family. For a park that was supposedly years in the making, it's shocking how poorly thought-out and underwhelming this place is. Let's start with the most obvious: there are barely any fun rides. The park is massive but feels empty--like it's all show and no substance. You expect thrills and excitement at a theme park, especially a new one, but what you get here is endless walking, absurdly long lines (some over 2.5 hours long). The options are limited for such an expensive and NEW theme park. Worse yet, there are no cooling stations or shaded rest areas anywhere. It's Orlando. In the summer. The heat is brutal and there's just nowhere to cool off. Our entire group was drenched in sweat and completely drained before noon. And when the rain inevitably came (this is Florida, after all), the park turned into a joke. I have videos showing flooding all over the place--giant puddles like mini swimming pools everywhere, and rain literally pouring through the ceilings of covered areas. We stood under a covered walkway where water was leaking through the ceiling lights. It was dangerous, disorganized, and just plain sad. And don't even think about taking shelter with young children. We tried to take cover from the rain near the stroller rental station because we had babies with us--soaking wet, crying, and cold--and instead of showing a shred of compassion, the staff rudely told us we had to move. Move where, exactly? Into the storm? With infants?! The customer service was some of the worst we've ever experienced. Rude, unhelpful, and clearly overwhelmed. Let's talk about Harry Potter. This should have been the crown jewel of the new park, but it's just... disappointing. The new Harry Potter exhibit has very few shops, and what's there is understocked or just a cash grab. It felt rushed and unfinished, like they ran out of budget halfway through building it. Dining? Don't bother. There are barely any restaurants and even fewer decent food options. You'll wait forever just to pay premium prices for mediocre food. And speaking of premium prices, the Express Pass is an absolute rip-off. Over $300 per person--and you STILL wait on long lines. That's not express. That's extortion. Worst of all, while you're standing in these endless lines, there's nothing to look at or do. No interactive features, no entertainment, nothing for kids or adults. Just hot, bored, irritated guests packed like sardines and slowly losing their will to live. Bottom line: this park is a total failure. For the price they're charging, the experience is not just disappointing--it's insulting. Poor ride availability, terrible customer service, no shelter from weather, insufficient food and shop options, outrageous upcharges, and flooding all over the place. Horrific experience. Never again!

An Universal Epic fail. What a terrible experience for families. Universal Epic felt like a cash grab given how many people let into their park for one day. It's was beyond their capacity. Lines for a majority of the rides were 3 to 4 hours. Rides were breaking down during the long waits. Folks were fainting in lines. Storms rolled in and outside rides and experiences were closed. Can't forget the limited shade and cooling options. Considering I reserved the tickets a month ago, I was shocked to see so many people in tight spaces. None of us deserved that. Folks and families work too hard to pay for these experiences to have it be this bad. Concierge was filled with folks trying to remedy their experience, but again, there were long lines for that too. As a fellow attendee said, "I rather watch my money burn in a pile for entertainment than have today's experience." Moving forward, this was a one-time experience and I will not return. Going to Disney World Hollywood Studios was a much better experience early in the week that felt well organized, welcoming, optimized, family friendly, and less crowded. Oh! Can't forget Universal charging for Mario watches with limited use for another cash grab Plus not having ADA in Mario-land.

The Leader of the Theme Park Pack. The use of technology on attractions/ shows leaves other parks in the dust. The interactive aspect is incredible. Love the vibe of the park too. The food is top notch for theme park dining. Lots of unique cocktails and snacks in every area. The team members give 100% to make your visit enjoyable and memorable. Darkmoor was our favorite. Love Epic Universe!!

Had a really great time with family and friends at the new Epic Universe a couple weekends ago. We spent 2 days at the park and the adjoining Stella Nova hotel. There are 4 different individual themed areas joined by a central hub area. This is definitely a great add to the Universal family and probably my favorite. The park is deceptively small, adding to my enjoyment of the park. Although there aren't many rides (only 11) the theming of the lands and proximity to one another won me over. The use of high tech was excellent in all aspects of the park. The food/drink were also very good and priced fairly for this type of park. If you're in the area, I'd suggest stopping in.

Waited 7 hours in line for the Harry Potter ride. "Ride currently experiencing delays". They shouldn't have opened the park without fixing the rides. UPDATE: they canceled the ride because it malfunctioned. Now we are waiting 2-3 hours in customer service (1 employee) to get an additional ticket. TOTAL WAITING TIME = 11 hours! Let's go!!!!

Intensive theming makes Epic Universe incredible -- it blows away Disney. The design and construction budget must have been limitless! The Dark Universe area's a great alternative to traditional fantasyland happy stuff. Horror usually doesn't interest me but I still loved it. Mario Nintendo world is incredible because of all the moving life-size game pieces -- I enjoyed strolling around more than the rides! Harry Potter France land also is spectacular because of the must-see, detailed theming. The Ministry of Magic was jaw-droppingly amazing. The Stardust Racers roller coaster is great! Whether you typically like theme parks or not, you've gotta visit Epic. One criticism: inflated food prices were scarier than any monster, plus portions were small! The food courts are the real Dark Universe. Dracula wouldn't stand a chance there. He'd be bled dry. But Epic's still a must-see. Be amazed and enjoy!

I've been waiting for this land to open ever since it was announced 2+ years ago. I skipped Mario in Hollywood as I'm not a fan of the location of the park and not many rides. Epic universe overall was a very nice and decorative park. The 4 Portals entrances were a good idea and each has its own uniqueness. I focus and spent more time in Mario land than any other places. The downsize of it being a new park was the crowd and the long waiting lines and to top it of, various rides were still delayed either to weather or not functioning correctly. I had to buy 2 separted daily park pass because I knew 1 day would not covered all the time waiting in line and seeing everything it has to offered. Of course this ended up costing more than I wanted to but I already been to other Universal parks a few times in the past. $174 each day for entrance fee. The only ride that I did not and could not waited for was the Harry Potter as it was 200mins queue throughout my 2nd day. I could not use the fast express pass here either (as I got it for other ride being delayed too long). The delayed issues were common on my 1st day which encountered right at Mario Kart where we got to the line to get onto the kart itself. The delayed were unknown for how long and staff told me there were 2 hours delayed that morning already. Waited for another 20 mins or so and we had to discussed and complained which they were nice enough to give fast pass to get back at later time. The other delayed was at Kong MineKart which due to weather and then cleared off. I rode that ride in the rain and it wasn't as enjoyable as I expected. The best ride was Stardust Racers. It was fast, twisted, flipped, multiple drops and I love it. It was almost comparable to the Velociraptor ride at the other park only this one you raced with another kart. Almost all rides provided lockers before getting on the ride/roller coaster so no need to rent any as its temporary for your use. This was a plus feature to have in the park. Also the night time water show and synchronizing lights throughout the park were excellent. I'm fan of RGB lights syncing with music so to have this set up for the whole park was extremely well thought out. Overall experience was good to do it once.

Maybe the rides could work for the large amount of money that we're paying. Making your guest sit on the floor to wait 6 hour for a ride is ridiculous

It's epic because it's New ok let's be honest Friiieeennnddsss.! But it was not what I expected in the Mario park. To get the power up things like in the picture of me hitting a gold cube you had to buy these wrist bands for the kids or whomever . To get food at the toadstool cafe was a 127 minute wait JUST TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT . Then for after the long waits for the food and one ride. We tried to get on train your dragon and that was 171 minutes wait. I gave up but my family remained diligent in their task lol

Lockers too small for anything larger than a middle school girls mini backpack. They make you skip and sit in family area while others ride. Express pass a complete waste of money because you still only get 6 rides a day at best for the $250 on top of park admission. Gift items are a money trap to include Wanda and Bands which are overpriced for the return factor. Give them a couple years before you give money for epic.

Epic Universe: A Symphony of Wonder and Innovation Epic Universe doesn't just raise the bar - it launches it into orbit. This isn't theme park escapism. This is an experience that dances between awe and adrenaline with pinpoint precision. A Soundtrack to Your Adventure Every corner hums with its own vibe. The music isn't just background noise, it's narrative. From whimsical notes in Isle of Berk to the atmospheric pulse of Dark Universe, each score feels crafted to move you emotionally and physically through the space. Detail That Defies Logic There's magic in the minutiae, from wall textures that reflect each world's ethos to light fixtures designed to evoke nostalgia or otherworldly vibes. Even transitions between lands are immersive masterclasses in world-building. You never just walk, you transform. The Industry Wake-Up Call What's most striking? Epic Universe makes some older parks feel like relics. Animatronics here are more fluid. Storylines more compelling. Interactive tech feels native, not forced. You'll leave wondering why other rides haven't evolved past 1999. Final Verdict: A New Gold Standard Epic Universe is more than entertainment, it's a creative revolution in motion. A place where sound, story, and science converge to remind you: imagination still has no ceiling.

Upfront - I am a disabled person with mobility issues and I am 6'5/430lbs. I know my experience is not the mainstream experience. This place seemed to have a lot of fun things and happy people. I was not one of them. Is you have mobility issues, skip this park and stick to Disney. I could do almost every single thing I tried at Disney - the only thing I could not was the Seven Dwarves mine ride. At this park, the only rides I could get on were for little kids (yoshi ride and the carousel) and even those were painful and uncomfortable. I could not ride any coasters. I was able to ride the Harry Potter ride, but it broke down half way through so can't say I was impressed with that either. The worst part for me was that you cant even get around most places in the park on your ECV. The whole mario area requires stairs to get in/out. Every ride requires a transfer to a wheelchair, you cannot use your ECV to get up to the rides like at Disney. I spent much of the day waiting for and riding in elevators. All in all my day felt like spending the day in a noisy but beautiful airport clogged with obnoxious free range children. I wouldnt come back here if someone offered to bring me for free. I would have had more fun staying in my hotel room.