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Credit: Inside The MagicUniversal Orlando Resort has changed how guests can enter Epic Universe, effective from June.
It’s hard to believe that we’re just two months away from the opening of Epic Universe. As the third theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, it’s set to elevate the world of immersive entertainment with expansive lands dedicated to both original concepts and existing IP when it debuts on May 22.
One of the park’s most anticipated areas is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This new land will offer visitors a chance to experience more iconic locations from the beloved series, including the Ministry of Magic. This joins Orlando’s existing Harry Potter areas, inspired by Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
Other lands include Dark Universe, home to the Universal Classic Monsters. If the first reactions from previews are anything to go by, this land features one of the park’s most impressive rides, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
It will also be home to Curse of the Werewolf and the Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience, as well as three eateries: Das Stakehaus, a vampire-themed steakhouse, The Burning Blade Tavern (which features some pretty nifty pyro effects), and De Lacey’s Cottage.
Over at How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk – the largest of the park’s lands – guests will be able to fly their own dragon on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. Dragon Racer’s Rally and Fyre Drill are both aimed at younger guests, while the stage show The Untrainable Dragon will immerse audiences in the world inhabited by Hiccup and his fellow Vikings.
Possibly the most anticipated is SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, which will include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge like Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as Yoshi’s Adventure and the roller coaster Mine Cart Madness as found at Universal Studios Japan. Toadstool Cafe and Yoshi’s Snack Land will also offer up some Nintendo-inspired snacks – which, if they’re anything like those sold in Southern California and Japan, will be as adorable as they are tasty.
Meanwhile, the hub of the park is Celestial Park. This is the only land that doesn’t rely on an existing IP, instead taking inspiration from astrology for its dueling launch coaster Stardust Racers (which was previously known as Starfall Racers before a legal challenge from the Starfall Education Foundation), and the Constellation Carousel.
Universal Changes Entry Process For Epic Universe
Those hoping to experience these new attractions were initially required to purchase a multi-day ticket that included one-day admission to Epic Universe. This decision divided fans, with some seeing it as a way to force guests to spend more money and visit Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, and others deeming it a sensible move to prevent the resort’s newest location from cannibalizing traffic from its sister parks.
Wherever you fell on this spectrum, today brought the news that Universal has decided to allow guests to buy single-day tickets for Epic Universe – but they’re not available straight away.
Single-day tickets for Epic Universe are now available for use from June 1, allowing guests to visit the park without adding a day at Universal Studios Florida or Universal Islands of Adventure. To purchase these tickets, guests will first enter a brief virtual queue before accessing the ticketing page. At the time of writing, this queue is roughly 10 minutes long.
Adult tickets range from $139 to $199, while child tickets (available to kids between three and nine) range from $134 to $194 per day.
How Will The Park Impact Disney World?
One of the biggest talking points around Epic Universe’s opening is how it will impact Florida’s current premier vacation destination, Walt Disney World Resort.
While we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, what we do know is that Disney isn’t responding with a new theme park – at least not anytime soon. There have been whispers of a fifth gate at Disney World practically since the day Animal Kingdom, its newest park, opened.
Disney World may have the space to construct a new park (and then some), but The Walt Disney Company has instead revealed a slate of massive new additions to its existing parks in the coming years.
These include two brand-new areas at Magic Kingdom Park: one inspired by the Pixar franchise Cars, and another that takes inspiration from Disney Villains. The park is also set to welcome a new parade, Disney Starlight Nighttime Parade, this summer.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, DinoLand U.S.A. is currently dying a slow and painful death as Disney gradually closes parts of the land to replace it with Tropical Americas.
This will borrow from two major franchises – Encanto (2021) and the Indiana Jones films – with its last ride, DINOSAUR, closing at some point next year. The theater beneath the Tree of Life is also debuting a new show, this time inspired by Zootopia (2016) instead of A Bug’s Life (1998).
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we’re soon bidding adieu to Muppet*Vision 3D and ushering in a new Monsters, Inc. (2001) land in its place. However, we won’t be totally deprived of Kermit and co. as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is set to ditch Aerosmith for a Muppets retheme.
When do you plan on visiting Epic Universe?