Hello there! We went to Epic Universe at the end of September / beginning of October and I’m finally taking the time to compile some of my thoughts on Universal’s newest theme park. This was our fourth time at Universal in the past three years, starting with an extended family trip back in March 2022.
Since that trip, we’d only been to Disney World for a day or two during what were largely Universal (or more accurately: Volcano Bay and Horror Nights) trips. Because of Epic Universe’s ticketing structure, we decided to buy two single day tickets to the new park and a two-day ticket to Walt Disney World for Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
My wife and I had a baby in March and took this trip with the grandparents, which meant we got a full day to ourselves (with Express Pass) at Epic Universe as well as a night out at Horror Nights, which was great.
There’s a lot of Epic Universe that I’m critical of, so I want to start with how great a first impression it makes. The entry area of Celestial Park is beautiful, with great sightlines and a wonderful score. It is the most earnest I’ve ever felt a Universal Studios park to be. No winking and nodding, no prodding Disney. Just embracing the power of discovering something new and timeless without any melancholy.
The collection of shops, restaurants and stalls leading up to the center of Celestial Park are awesome. We got to the park early, even though we didn’t have early entry, so we could spend some time wandering around and taking pictures. That came at the expense of attempting to get the shortest possible wait for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, but knowing we had Express Pass meant we could be patient. We also wouldn’t be riding Stardust Racers (closed) and I didn’t need to go on Mario Kart if we were short on time.
Isle of Berk
We started both days in the Isle of Berk land, which is a fabulous theme park land. The kinetic energy of the roller coaster, the colors and all the little animated figures make the land feel alive. I’m not a fan of the movies, and still really enjoyed hanging out here. I was primarily on baby duty the second day, which was mostly a great excuse for me to walk around the land, talk to the performers and look at all the amazing details.
The Untrainable Dragon is a great show and is, in my opinion, the best attraction in the land. That’s followed relatively closely by Hiccup’s Wing Glider, which is a blast. The dialogue was a little quiet and it felt like we missed a few audio cues. The plot of the ride is, obviously, pretty straightforward but it wouldn’t surprise me if they make some tweaks here (assuming we didn’t just get a bad run, which is possible).
I really wanted to like Fyre Drill, but the water spout mechanic is… not good. Some cannons work well, most do not and it ended up an exercise in frustration. I went on this twice, once with my wife and again the next day with my father in law, and it didn’t seem like anyone was having much success with their cannons. I wish this model had a simple button or trigger to get water going, turning this into Epic’s version of Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. Alas.
I did not go on Dragon Racer’s Rally, having been on a version of the same ride at the Mall of America last year. The rest of the family did while I hung out with the baby and they were, perhaps unsurprisingly, not jazzed about waiting 40 minutes for it.
Wizarding World Paris
Great facade, great music and a wonderful impression of Paris. The circus show fit in perfectly with the vibe of the land, which while not quite as impressive as Diagon Alley (high bar, obviously) has a great selection of food and beverage. The “secret” bar that is one way in, one way out in particular is theme park design at its best. It feels like an area you’re meant to explore, rather than power through.
The streetsmophere is also so good and is such an important part of making these huge, expensive theme parks come to life. I hope Universal continues to fully staff these positions, because they’re some of the best parts of Epic Universe.
Then there’s the not so good. Battle at the Ministry is not a good theme park ride, but its queue is lovely. The conceit is fine: Dolores Umbridge is on trial for, ah, a little bit of Nazi cosplay. This trial is public and we are going to observe. Of course, something goes horribly wrong, she escapes and then attempts to use a time turner to … return us to the time of Voldemort?
It’s a little silly. And it’s not helped by a very poor script. And that isn’t helped by some of the worst visual effects I’ve seen on a Harry Potter ride … which is saying something, because I’ve been on Escape From Gringotts many times. The creatives were handed a tough assignment here. They have to write around real-world factors like the original trio not being terribly keen to return to their roles for these theme park rides. I’d like to see a ride in this universe that doesn’t feature Harry, Ron or Hermione at all but I also, obviously, understand the reluctance to do so.
Anyway, this all would be less painful if the ride was fun. I did not find the ride fun. The elevator conceit is clever, but it doesn’t feel any more impressive or enjoyable than the SCOOP system we’ve come to know and love. And then there’s the downtime. We waited 45 minutes in the Express line. I can’t imagine how furious I’d be if I waited three hours to experience this.
The good news is that, if you’re willing to take the chance, it appears waiting until the end of the night is a good strategy. My in-laws were able to get on in about 15 minutes at 8 p.m., after we’d already gone back to the hotel with the kiddo. Of course, you’re running the risk that the ride breaks down and doesn’t return for the rest of the night…which reminds me…
Super Nintendo World
I’ve now been to all three installations of this land and … it is not for me. It’s impressive to build a land that is sensory overload in an entertainment setting that is itself very over stimulating. I don’t think this land looks good, with fading and peeling paint very noticeable because of its big, bright colors. Worse still were the many figures frozen in place. The park wasn’t even six months old when I visited and it was already showing the same kind of wear and tear we’ve become accustomed to in Hollywood. The land does not hold up well to either the elements or high guest traffic.
And then there are the rides. I did not get a chance to ride Donkey Kong, despite multiple attempts. We were thwarted by the rain, mechanical breakdowns, rain again and then a mechanical breakdown that closed the ride for the evening. We did get a chance to go on Mario Kart and, as I’ve said elsewhere, I’m not a fan. The gamification undercuts its opportunity to be a good ride and, in my opinion, it’s a bad game.
The Yoshi omnimover also had broken figures during our ride. And the “egg button” also did not work during our ride. The ride is cute enough, but it feels like a regression compared to the many, many successful, high-capacity omnimovers Disney has built over the years.
[Continued in Next Post]