Epic Universe Wait Times Could Get A LOT Longer

If you’ve visited Epic Universe since its opening this past summer, you’ve likely seen some pretty intense crowds, especially around some of the most sought-after attractions.

We’ve seen 100+ minute waits nearly every day for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Mine-Cart Madness, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, and, of course, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. However, at the same time, we’ve noticed that many times they’re not AS high as we expected them to be at a brand new park, and now we know why — Epic Universe has NOT been operating at full capacity.

In Comcast Corporation’s recent Q3 earnings call on October 26th, Mike Cavanagh, the current president of Comcast (and future co-CEO, effective in 2026), stated that Epic Universe has not been operating at full capacity at this time to make sure the park is truly what they want it to be. However, he also mentioned that they expect capacity to fully ramp up in the months ahead.

He went on to say that their main focus now is on increasing ride capacity. Due to the technologically advanced rides, the park and its operators are still working to figure out the kinks that keep the rides from functioning as normal, as well as ensuring they have enough labor force to run the park at full capacity.

It was also noted that even with the addition of the new park, the company hasn’t seen everyone abandon Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, which has been a pleasant surprise, but this was helped by the fact that many Universal attendees have only been able to purchase a ticket for Epic Universe if they purchase at least one day at the other two parks. Universal also reported an 18.7% revenue increase in Q3 2025 year-over-year, mostly attributed to the opening of the new park.

We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on this park and its attendance levels, but needless to say, if you’ve got a trip planned for early 2026, it’s possible that you may have higher wait times than we’re seeing right now. Express Pass is available at this park for the following attractions:

- 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

While this is VERY expensive normally, Express Pass is free for those staying at Signature Collection hotels, but ONLY for Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios — Epic Universe is not included in that perk at this time.