Why I'm Dreading Going to Universal Orlando in 2026

While we will never say no to a trip to Universal Orlando, there are some things happening at the Universal parks that are making us dread our 2026 trips a bit.

Universal Studios Florida

Alright, let’s be totally honest, we aren’t truly dreading going to Universal Orlando. It is hard to beat a day at the theme parks, and even though there are a few things we aren’t looking forward to, we will be there any day, any time, and we will be having an amazing time. But we can still have a few things that we aren’t excited about, right?

Epic Universe Ticket Options

First of all, we are really, really hoping that Universal adds an option for Annual Passholders to go to Epic Universe. We are so fortunate to be Annual Passholders at Universal, but buying day tickets to Epic Universe is starting to add up. It is always so hard to drive past the signs for Epic Universe or to see the ride wait times in the app. We so badly want to pop into Epic Universe, so we hope they will soon add an option for Epic Universe to Annual Passes. Although so far, this add-on hasn’t been announced by Universal! But we will be sure to keep you updated when Universal announces this option.

Epic Universe

Universal Drops NEW Epic Universe Ticket Options and Prices for 2026

Closed Attractions

Also, Jurassic Park River Adventure will be closed for 10 (!!) months in 2026. That’s right, from January 5th through November 19th, 2026, we won’t be able to visit Jurassic Park. We can still head over to Jurassic World VelociCoaster for some close encounters with dinosaurs, but we are going to miss the peaceful boat ride ending with the massive (very unpeaceful) drop.

Jurassic Park River Adventure

In a similar vein, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is no longer at Universal Studios Florida. This thrilling roller coaster closed for good on August 18th, 2025, and the coaster has been almost completely dismantled. We still don’t know what will be replacing the coaster or when it will open. However, we feel we likely won’t see a new attraction open in 2026. Maybe we could see a new ride open at the end of 2026 if they make speedy progress on construction, but we aren’t holding our breath.

@bioreconstruct via X

Nothing Brand-New Coming

The final thing is that there won’t be many brand-new things coming to Universal Orlando in 2026. (At least as far as we know right now, and things will likely change.) Of course, they did open an entirely new theme park in 2025, so we can’t complain about new things too much. However, Disney is introducing a couple of new things, including Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring The Muppets, Walt Disney Studios, Soarin’ Over America, and updates to the animatronics in Frozen Ever After in EPCOT in 2026. We are anticipating what will replace Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and what might be built in place of Poseidon’s Fury, but we don’t know if those will happen in 2026.

Even though there are a few things we are dreading at Universal Orlando, we can guarantee you we are still SO excited for all our trips in 2026! From Mardi Gras to Halloween Horror Nights to Holidays at Universal, and everything in between, it is going to be another awesome year at Universal Orlando.