Why People Are Avoiding Epic Universe Until 2026

There might not be as many folks rushing out to be one of the first to visit Universal’s Epic Universal as you might think — and that’s not a bad thing.

Epic Universe at Universal Orlando is opening on May 22nd, 2025 and with it come some big expectations! We’ve already gotten a sneak peek at some incredible foods to try inside, a look at the updated tech that’s bringing dragons to life, and larger than life worlds built before our very own eyes. So why on Earth would anyone want to wait to experience it all? The answers might surprise you!

When Universal’s Epic Universe opens it looks like were all in for quite the ride with this new park. There’s brand new rides, worlds for IPs and familiar characters we’ve not seen in Orlando before, and certainly an opportunity for Universal to show off some fancy new tech that we’re expecting to sweep us off our feet.

And, as excited as we all are for its opening, there’s also a growing number of people who are opting to wait out their first chance to step through Epic’s portals. If you fall under one of the following reasons, putting off your first Epic Universe vacation, might make sense for you and your family.

Working Out The Kinks

Opening a brand new theme park with brand new everything is no easy task and we’re certain there’s going to be a few bumps along the way. While we’re sure Universal will do everything they can before opening to ensure a smooth opening process and seamless visit for its parkgoers, that doesn’t always mean they’re able to catch everything ahead of time until it’s put to the test in real scenarios.

Issues with tech and ride delays, the growing pains of moving the crowds and wait times just so, and the initial chaos of what could go wrong with food kitchens down, merchandise being sold out before others have a chance to even lay eyes on it, and more could be very real possibilities in any opening theme park’s future and Epic Universe is no exception.

Pricing & Ticket Issues

Tickets for this new theme park cause quite the stir and hit a divisive opening reception. As of now, there’s no one day ticket option sold for Epic Universe visits. In order to get just one day in Epic, you’ll need to purchase a multi-day  ticket which gives you multiple days in Universal’s other parks however, limits you within that ticket’s window to just one for a visit to Epic Universe.

Even Universal’s Annual Passholder’s weren’t shielded too much in their add-on options. For APs, there’s still currently no Annual Passholder option that would allow you to upgrade your pass to include Epic Universe for multiple visits over the length of your pass’s year.

For now, the only option made available to APs, was a one day add-on ticket for purchase (which of course was super popular), however, it could be purchased over multiple days this way. Now, the availability for this add-on ticket is very slim and discouraged APs that missed the initial wave are still hopeful once Epic Universe opens, more availability will open soon or changes will be made so they’ll get a chance to visit, too.

Additionally, we’re hearing a lot about pricing for the tickets. Even though both of these options aren’t ideal, to have to purchase a one day ticket over and over for multiple visits to the park (let’s be honest, we’re not getting everything done in one day’s visit) is really sending us into sticker shock. Unfortunately, some folks are talking about how this pricing has affected their decision to visit so quickly and are waiting for pricing to be released for multiple visits that’s a bit more budget-friendly.

Just Not Invested

There’s also some folks that seem divided on whether this park with be worth it to contend with opening year crowds. If you’re someone who’s not super into the characters and themes of the world’s you’ll find within Epic Universe, you might be of the decision that you’re ok with waiting another year to see what it’s all about.

We get it — these are brand new areas we’ve never had in Universal Orlando before and spending a chunk of change to visit something you’re not as super passionate about makes sense. Take Dark Universe for example; if you’re not into scary things, dark places, and Universal classic monsters, that’s a whole 5th of your ticket investment. We could totally get how folks are recognizing this and choosing to spend their money elsewhere where they’re going to get more value for what they’re actually going to visit.

Splitting Vacations Between Destinations

There’s A LOT to see, do, and experience when visiting Universal Orlando but we know that the FOMO can get real. And, the fact that Disney World practically neighbors Universal is also a hard opportunity to pass on visiting when you’ve made the long trip in to Orlando.

If you’re someone who likes to really get the full juice out of your squeeze of planning an Orlando vacation, you may find that visiting both destinations is your ideal way to spend your time in Orlando — and that’s totally fair! If you’re on the fence about making such a long and expensive trip to Orlando for Epic Universe in 2025 just to tackle a version of Disney World at the same time that’s currently undergoing a lot of refurbishment and construction, it might make more sense as you talk it over to wait until some of that major construction at Disney World is completed in 2026 and beyond.

Budget Already On Lock

if you’ve already budgeted for upcoming trips in 2025, you might be less than willingly waiting for 2026.

Its understandable that if you’ve already budgeted for the coming year’s vacations, finding the budget to squeeze one more in for a super popular destination, could sound next to impossible — never mind finding the extra time away from work and school. If budgeting could be an issue for 2025, then we’d totally vie for waiting until 2026.

We’ll be updating on you everything you need and want to know about Universal and Epic Universe before it opens! Be sure you’re following along with us at AllEars so you get the latest updates in a flash.

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Are you planning on waiting out the initial rush of folks running to Epic Universe when it opens? Tell us why you’re waiting in the comments below!

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