Universal’s Epic Universe finally opened in May 2025 and has quickly become the hottest new theme park in Orlando.
With its five immersive “portals”, the park offers cutting-edge attractions, storytelling, and thrills. But with hype comes crowds, as showstoppers like Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry have seen wait times of up to 300 minutes during peak days. Given rides like this and high standby queues across many attractions, it’s no wonder guests are deciding that $300-plus for an Express Pass to avoid standing in line all day.
Universal’s Express Pass is an additional ticket add-on that you can purchase to skip the long standby lines at rides throughout Universal Orlando, including Epic Universe. Until now, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Donkey Kong: Mine-Cart Madness have not been included as part of the service.
Now, though, both rides are available on the pass, meaning those with it can skip the long standby lines and use a shorter line instead. This means that the only ride not currently available with Express Pass is Dragon Racer’s Rally in How To Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk.
There are several ways to get the Universal Express Pass. A one-day pass for Epic Universe runs from $179.99 to $359.99, depending on the day you visit. You can also get an overall Universal Orlando Express Pass covering all three parks for three days from $269.99 to $864.99. Skipping the lines comes with a hefty price tag.
While that is a lot of money on top of your Epic Universe park ticket, some guests feel like the time they save is worth it. By using Express Pass, you can cover a lot of ground quickly at Epic Universe. The Universal Epic Universe Express Pass entitles one (1) guest one (1) time express ride access at participating rides and attractions within Universal Epic Universe.
Universal Epic Universe (Subject to change)
- Constellation Carousel
- Curse of the Werewolf
- Fyre Drill
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™
- Le Cirque Arcanus™
- Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge
- Mine-Cart Madness™
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
- Stardust Racers
- The Untrainable Dragon
- Yoshi’s Adventure™
Guests staying at select Universal Orlando hotels can receive the Express Pass complimentary. However, the Epic Universe’s Express Pass is NOT included at this time. The following hotels qualify for that offer:
- Loews Portofino Bay
- Hard Rock Hotel
- Loews Royal Pacific Resort
For more Universal and theme park news, follow AllEars.net.
Annual Passes Are Gonna Get Complicated at Universal Orlando in 2026
Do you think the Express Pass is worth the money? Please share your thoughts with us below!
We went on a Sunday morning in mid September. We got in one hour early as guests of the Royal Pacific. By 10.30 we had completed the Ministry of Magic, Monsters Unleashed and the Curse of the Werewolf. The longest wait for the Nintendo land, which we weren’t interested in. During the day, the queues never reached over 90 mins for anything.