2025 is one of the biggest years in the Universal Orlando Resort’s 35-year history, thanks to the opening of Epic Universe.
However, there are some major red flags to be aware of if you’re heading to Universal for the first time in a long time.
Weather Blues
While Epic Universe is chock-full of revolutionary rides and attractions, the park’s ride lineup has had one Achilles’ heel during its early days: Weather.
Of the eleven attractions scattered over the park’s four portals and Celestial Park, eight (Constellation Carousel, Curse of the Werewolf, Dragon Racer’s Rally, Fyre Drill, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Mine-Cart Madness, Stardust Racers, and Yoshi’s Adventure) are vulnerable to weather delays.
While that’s nothing new for Orlando area theme parks — certainly many rides in Universal’s other parks as well as Walt Disney World’s four theme parks are operationally dependent on the weather — the fact that such a high percentage of Epic Universe’s attractions can be shut down by inclement weather looks to be an issue with the park, especially given what Orlando’s summer weather is like.
This also puts an undue amount of stress on the park’s other three attractions — Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experience, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge — during bad weather.
Potter Lines
Speaking of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, the mega-attraction has faced wait time issues since the park was in previews. The ride pivoted between a standby line and a virtual queue system during that period, and has consistently had the park’s longest wait by far when using the latter. The aforementioned weather issues haven’t helped. For example, on May 27th, the Potter line was closed because the ride was “at capacity” during a period when most of the park was unavailable due to weather.
Hagrid and the Magical Express Pass
Moving away from Epic Universe to Islands of Adventure, be wary of a new addition to one of the park’s most popular rides. Earlier this spring, Universal confirmed that an Express Pass lane was finally being added to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. While that’s unequivocally a good thing, just bear in mind that everyone with an Express Pass is likely going to head to the ride.
Short Notice Closure
While Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit has never been a super-popular coaster, the ride — which opened in 2009 — does have a fan base. Many of the said fanbase are unhappy that Universal announced in June of 2019 that the ride would be closing for good, just about two months later, on August 18th.
If you’re headed to Universal this summer, be aware of these potential red flags! Stay tuned to AllEars for more on the evolution of the Universal Resort.
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Which of these red flags will you keep in mind during your 2025 Universal trip? Let us know in the comments below.
Casual dining… just require reservations at all dining locations. Wait times with hungry kids…no bueno. Mix-up the snack options.