Universal Orlando: A Complete Guide to Epic Universe

Universal Orlando's third theme park is the most ambitious new attraction to open in Florida in decades. What attractions it has, how to plan your visit, and whether it's worth adding to a trip that already includes Disney.

Published July 26, 20264 min read

Montaña rusa de un parque de diversiones contra el cielo

Epic Universe is the third park in the Universal Orlando chain and the largest new opening in Florida in many years. It’s not an expansion—it’s a full-fledged park, with its own entrance, nearby hotels, and a scale that forces you to rethink how you plan a trip to Orlando.

How It’s Organized

The park uses a central hub structure called Celestial Park, from which four themed worlds are accessed through portals. Celestial Park isn’t just a hallway—it has its own attractions, gardens, fountains, and a significant portion of the dining options.

Super Nintendo World

Mario’s world, with architecture that brings the games to life in three dimensions: floating blocks, green pipes, and Bowser’s Castle. The main attraction is an augmented-reality Mario Kart race.

It also includes a Donkey Kong area with a roller coaster that simulates riding over broken tracks. This is the area that excites kids between the ages of six and fourteen the most—and it’s also the most crowded.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic

Set in the magical Paris of the 1920s and the British Ministry of Magic. Visually, it’s the park’s most impressive area, with a level of detail that stands up to close inspection.

For those already familiar with Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley at the other two parks, this is a completely different third area—not a repeat.

How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk

The area most geared toward children, featuring a full-scale reconstruction of a Viking village. It has several gentle family rides and a show featuring animatronic dragons.

Dark Universe

Universal’s classic monsters: Frankenstein, the Werewolf, and the Bride. It’s the park’s most intense area and the least suitable for young children, with a very well-executed aesthetic of a decaying European village.

How to Plan Your Day

The general recommendation for Epic Universe is the opposite of that for other parks. Instead of rushing to the most popular ride, it’s best to enter and head toward the back: most people stay in Super Nintendo World, which is near the entrance, and the areas farther away remain comparatively empty during the first hour.

Going to Dark Universe or Isle of Berk first, and saving Nintendo for the end of the day or dinnertime, makes a big difference in the experience.

Express Pass

Universal sells Express Pass, which allows you to skip the lines. Unlike Disney’s system, here it’s included at no extra charge for guests staying at three of its Premier hotels. That’s probably the best value proposition in all of Orlando: the price difference between a Premier hotel and an economy hotel is usually less than the cost of buying Express Pass for the whole family.

It’s a good idea to check coverage before booking: with Epic Universe, Express Pass doesn’t always apply to all attractions, and some of the newest ones are initially excluded.

How many days do you need?

Epic Universe requires at least one full day, and with long lines, two. Combined with Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, a trip that aims to cover the entire Universal Studios Florida resort requires between three and four days in the parks.

That presents a clear choice: a ten-day trip is no longer enough to comfortably cover both Disney and Universal. You’ll have to choose one or extend your stay.

Is it a good idea to combine this with a trip to Disney?

It depends largely on the age of the group.

With children under seven, Disney is a better fit: the rides are gentler, and there’s more content geared toward that age group. Universal has quite a few intense roller coasters and height restrictions.

With preteens and teens, Universal usually wins out. Harry Potter and Nintendo are more appealing at that age than the classic characters, and the rides are more thrilling.

For adults without children, Universal is more efficient: it can be done in fewer days, involves less walking, and the rides feature newer technology.

Accommodations

Universal has fewer hotels than Disney but they’re more consistent. They’re divided into three tiers: Value, Preferred, and Premier. Only the Premier hotels include Express Pass.

All Universal hotels are much closer to its parks than Disney’s are: from several of them, you can walk there in ten or fifteen minutes, and from others, you can take a boat. There’s nothing comparable to the forty-minute bus ride that Disney sometimes requires.

What You Should Know Beforehand

Admission to Epic Universe is usually sold for a specific date, not as a flexible day within a pass.
Large backpacks aren’t allowed in several attractions, and lockers are required—they’re generally free for the duration of your wait in line.
There are quite a few rides with intense motion and screens: anyone who gets motion sickness easily should check the warnings in the app before getting in line.
The official app displays real-time wait times, so it’s a good idea to have it installed and logged in before you arrive.

Conclusion

Epic Universe is the most ambitious park to open in Orlando in a long time and is worth a trip to Universal on its own. For a family with older children or teenagers, it’s now a strong reason to split your trip between the two parks instead of dedicating the entire trip to Disney.