Epic Universe is finally open!

Universal’s newest theme park has hit the ground running with a major opening celebration, tons of food, and those amazing attractions! We are huge fans of the park, but speaking of those attractions, there have already been two major changes since the park opened!
Epic Universe has finally opened after years of anticipation, and we’ve stepped into the park enough times that we know it like the back of our hands. That being said, we notice when things change, and two of the most popular rides in the park have definitely changed!Â

Starting over in the Wizarding World, we have Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry! This attraction follows a battle through the Ministry of Magic as Dolores Umbridge tries to escape on the day of her long-awaited trial. It’s super technologically advanced, and you might even spot the golden trio on board! This ride has changed in two significant ways, starting with the removal of the virtual queue.

During previews, there was a virtual queue system in place that had 3 drops a day for visitors to try to get a spot in line. This was a pretty touchy subject because it didn’t seem to work as consistently as we would have hoped, and many guests weren’t able to get a time for the attraction.

Luckily for us, this system was removed right before the park’s official opening! It has seen some high wait times, but at the very least, everyone has the option to hop in line now. We live by the mentality “never say never,” but it seems for now, the queue is good and gone. The second major change to this attraction is that a big drop has been removed!Â

Previously, there was a drop similar to Rise of the Resistance over in Hollywood Studios, but now it’s gone! The ride has had several technical challenges in our experience, and now Team Members are giving pretty strict safety spiels about keeping your feet on the ground. It’s possible that the drop was causing guests to come out of their seats, unintentionally beginning safety protocols on the ride, and triggering a stop to the attraction.Â

We don’t know if that was the actual reason the drop was removed, but we’re making an educated guess here. This isn’t the only ride with some major switch-ups ups though! Over in Dark Universe, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment has also had a noticeable change.Â

In the ride, Victoria Frankenstein has worked to capture all of the classic Universal monsters, and her final prize, Dracula, is within reach! He’s the baddest of them all, and when he escapes in the catacombs of the manor, chaos ensues. The ride features several amazing animatronics, with the showstopper being the Draculas (yes, there are several).

So, what’s the big change here? Well, the final Dracula animatronic previously swooped down at you right before Victoria hit him with a ray of light to help you escape the experiment, pulling him back up into the ceiling. Now? He more so just floats above you. He still does the motions, but it’s honestly just a lot less cool.Â

Quincy referred to this as a “Yeti-fication,” and we couldn’t agree more! If you aren’t sure what this means, over at Animal Kingdom, the Yeti inside of Expedition Everest had a very similar fate, where it previously swooped down but quickly became more of a strobe light experience. This is what is called “B Mode” for when rides aren’t working at their top capability.

The final Dracula is currently in B-Mode just like our lovely Disco Yeti. The Yeti has never returned to its original A-Mode because rumors are that the ride would need to be dismantled to fix the issues. We’re seriously hoping Dracula doesn’t have the same fate!Â

While these major changes might be permanent, don’t lose hope so soon! The park has been open for less than a week at the time of writing, so there’s plenty of time to get these attractions back on track. As always, be sure to keep following AllEars for more Universal news and updates!
I Went To Epic Universe And I’m Answering Your Number One Question
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What do you think of the new theme park? Tell us in the comments!
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