Universal Orlando’s newest theme park is almost open!
Epic Universe is set to open on May 22nd, 2025. This new park is home to five themed lands, including Celestial Park, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and SUPER NINTENDO WORLD.
While the park has not officially opened yet, Team Member previews are currently taking place, and we got to experience the park for ourselves during one of the previews!
Epic Universe is still in its testing phase, and due to this, no photos or videos were allowed when we visited. We will be back to experience the park again real soon and will be able to get plenty of coverage to share with you, so make sure to stay tuned with us here at AllEars!
When Team Member previews were announced, Universal did share that some parts of the park may not be available due to ongoing testing and construction. This park has many state-of-the-art attractions, and the lands are extremely detailed. Due to this, delays during testing are bound to happen.
We Just Went to Epic Universe for the First Time. Here Are 5 Things That Caught Us Off Guard.
When we visited, we had issues attempting to ride two attractions, one in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and one in Dark Universe.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
The main attraction at Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. Universal has teased pictures of this attraction’s queue, and it is AMAZING. Sadly, the ride was not taking on any riders when we visited, and we were told that they did not think it would be available for rider testing until April.
The good news is that we got to walk through the queue, and we were absolutely blown away! It is massive and so immersive; it truly looked just like the concept art; it was incredible. We were told that the extended queue is set up to handle a five-hour wait, as Universal is expecting this ride to be super popular.
It’s Happening! We Went INSIDE Epic Universe for the FIRST TIME!!
Now we know that Universal is working hard to get Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry up and running for previews, but it does make us a little weary that when the park officially opens, this ride may see some temporary time down. We will just have to wait and see how the attraction handles capacity and the demand once it officially starts allowing riders on.
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Located in Dark Universe, Monsters Unchained is getting all the hype. We have heard nothing but praise for this ride, and we were so excited that we got to experience it for ourselves.
When we visited, the ride went down quite a few times throughout the day. Although it was mostly down rather than running. We were in line to ride the attraction again at the very end of the day, and unfortunately, it was not able to restart.
Universal Reveals Details for NEW Dark Universe Land at Epic Universe
We experienced something interesting. This attraction is very limited when it comes to being accessible. Those who needed boarding accommodations were told to come back at the end of the night to be able to ride. In order to allow those to board, they had to shut down the ride, and once everyone was loaded, the ride would not start again. So, everyone who was on the ride had to get off in order for the ride to try and be restarted.
These accessibility stops seem to put stress on Monsters Unchained, as it is a ride that constantly wants to be in motion. Team Members tried for over an hour to get the ride back up and running, and sadly, it would not start again. As compensation for time lost, we were offered a single ride pass.
We are really surprised that in order for accessibility accommodations to happen, everyone must get off the ride. The ride stops, and vehicles are moved onto a non-moving platform. Once the riders come back, the moving platform stops again, and riders in the main queue are then loaded again. This process seems to be a pain, but it also appears that Monsters Unchained is just a ride that does not want to be stopped.
We know that the park is just testing and is in preview mode, but with the official opening day just about two months away, we are concerned for how these attractions will hold up during a regular operating day.
As we mentioned before, we have another opportunity to experience the park before it opens, so make sure to stay tuned with us here at AllEars for all the latest Epic Universe updates!
SPOILER: We Ran Into This UNEXPECTED Character in Epic Universe!
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My impression: Our preview visit: IT WAS TOTALLY EPIC! The rides were up and running, only a small area of Harry Potter was not ready, yet EPIC let us walk through. Each section of Universal EPIC is hidden from site, even within the Park itself. You walk into the area just outside of each section and then…YOU SERIOUSLY ARE IN ANOTHER WORLD! My description: It is extremely EPIC! KUDOS to Universal Orlando! I am a Disney Annual Passholder, living in a Development just outside of Animal Kingdom for over 12 yrs and I hate to say it…Disney needs to step up to the plate.