Universal’s Epic Universe is now open.
The theme park, which Universal is calling its most ambitious and technologically advanced, is comprised of five lands – four are IP-based and accessible by “portals,” with a hub world based on original IP with lore that is probably too convoluted to describe here. There are also three new Epic Universe-adjacent hotels, including Grand Helios, which buttresses the park itself. (Think the Grand Californian at Disney California Adventure or the Hotel Mira Costa at Tokyo DisneySea.) Epic Universe is now the crown jewel of the entire Universal Orlando Resort and it could become the crown jewel of the entire theme park-stuffed Orlando area.
But what we are really here to talk about is rides – and Epic Universe has got some of the very best. From attractions for kiddies to some of the most thrilling rollercoasters in the country, Epic Universe caters to every explorer.
One quick note, though: we will be ranking all of the physical rides but two of the very best things at Epic Universe are the stage shows. Le Cirque Arcanus in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic might be the best overall experience on property, a winning combination of magic show and … so much more (we won’t give it away here). There’s also The Untrainable Dragon, which Universal brought over from Shanghai and can be seen in How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, which is another winning production. Just be warned: it’ll probably make you cry. With that caveat out of the way, let’s hop in line and get on some rides.
11. Yoshi’s Adventure (Super Nintendo World)
Yoshi’s Adventure, which first debuted at Universal Studios Japan, is a slow omnimover attraction that has you entering the world of Mario’s adorable dinosaur friend and finding eggs for Yoshi to eat (or something). Honestly, the attraction is pretty charming but it is also somewhat frustrating; the discovery of eggs doesn’t trigger much within the ride and it’s occasionally hard to tell what color the egg actually is. (If you find all three, you’ll be rewarded via a golden egg on the app. If you’re maxing out your time in Super Nintendo World with all the interactive elements, this could be a big deal for you.) Also, much of the ride takes place outside, which could be a ton of fun. But we were doing it in the middle of the day and the direct sunlight was rough indeed. Not a bad ride by any measure, but our least favorite in the park.
10. Dragon Racer’s Rally (How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk)
Another not-bad ride that still gets major points taken away from it. It’s a flat ride themed to dragon racing, where you can control the pitch and yaw of your individual station. You can move around pretty well, although we are told that only one seat can actually allow you to go fully upside down. Sometimes you’ll spend the entire time trying to figure out how the ride works, only to get the hang of it towards the very end, which is a bummer. And the attraction is insanely short, to the point that loading and unloading the vehicles takes twice as long as the actual ride itself. Again, this one has a lot of big-hearted charm but if you’ve only got a finite amount of time to spend (and don’t we all?), it’s easy to skip.
9. Fyre Drill (How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk)
This interactive boat ride, built by German manufacturer Mack Rides, is centered around an ingenious premise – you are going out in a boat that shoots water at targets. If you hit said targets, it’ll trigger various water effects, including having a giant bucket of water dropped on your head. There’s also a nifty part where your boat and the boat next to you actually face each other and you can blast total strangers with a water gun. (This is very satisfying.) The ride system is pretty unique and the attraction lasts much longer than you’d probably imagine. That said, you get soaked. Not wet. Soaked. And if you don’t have a poncho like we did, that probably makes for a very soggy day. But taking that (and the unforgiving Florida heat) into consideration and Fyre Drill could be a highlight.
8. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (Super Nintendo World)
If you’ve been to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Studios Japan, you already know what you’re getting into – a slow-moving, interactive dark ride with physical show scenes embroidered by augmented reality elements. It’s a dazzling technological achievement but an emotionally distanced one. The queue at Epic Universe is unlike the west coast version, with much more ornate staging that really makes you feel like you are headed towards an actual race. And the ride technology also seems to be somewhat refined. If you love the earlier versions of the attraction, you’ll absolutely love this one. But if it left you cold before, nothing about an extended, eye-popping queue is going to make this one any better.
7. Mine-Cart Madness (Super Nintendo World)
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in all of Epic Universe was Mine-Cart Madness, a “boom coaster” themed to Mario’s adversary Donkey Kong and set within the “Donkey Kong Country” series of video games. First, the good: the animatronics, in the queue and attraction itself, are wonderful and full of character. And the “boom coaster” conceit, where you are looking out at track that has been broken or is missing, while your ride vehicle is actually attached to a mechanical arm and a series of tracks beneath the track you are looking at, is ingenious. But the ride itself is rough, like really rough. And the hourly capacity is abysmal, which means you’ll be waiting a long time for a pretty unpleasant ride experience. We were told by others who had ridden it just a month ago that it had gotten considerably shakier just in that time. Hold onto your hats and glasses for dear life.
6. Curse of the Werewolf (Dark Universe)
This spinning roller coaster, manufactured by Mack and based on the Universal Monsters classic “The Wolf Man,” is brief but very fun, with a short, curved track and some decent thrills. What makes it somewhat disappointing though, especially within the context of the rest of Dark Universe, is that there are a pair of static figures that could have come out of a Spirit Halloween store. (If you’re wondering where the werewolf is, look up while your ride vehicle is in the shed.) The other attraction in Dark Universe has some of the most advanced and lifelike animatronics ever designed for a theme park, so it’s a little jarring to be presented with a mannequin that wouldn’t have been out of place at your local Macy’s. But these are things that can be upgraded with time. Pro tip: the ride is, like the rest of the land, more effective at night.
5. Constellation Carousel (Celestial Park)
The biggest surprise of the entire park, maybe, was the lovely carousel located in hub world Celestial Park. It’s like any typical carousel – you pick an animal and get on their back, listen to music for a few seconds while the animal bobs up and down, and leave. But the animals themselves are beautifully designed and festooned with lights that are synced to the motion and the music. And the music is absolutely wonderful. There are a handful of songs that could be chosen for the attraction, the song that we got was so good that we recorded a portion on our phone and have been listening to it ever since. There’s a part where the song slows down, like a DJ is scratching a record, with the ride vehicles then moving backwards. So much of Epic Universe is big and loud and fast-moving. That a simple attraction like a carousel can be this rewarding is a testament to how special this park really is.
4. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic)
There are many things that are very cool about the latest Harry Potter-themed attraction in the Universal portfolio, but maybe the coolest is that it tells an entirely new, canonical story, as we watch the trial of Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton in two of the movies, who reprises her role.) – or at least that’s the idea before she escapes and runs amok. (In the movie timeline the events take place after the final film.) You get on an elevator-type ride vehicle before you are thrust into an adventure that includes Death Eaters, magical creatures and some of your favorite friends. Most of the effects work, with a seamless blending of animatronics and screens, but there are a few iffier elements, like versions of the original actors, back in their younger forms, that left us wondering how exactly they achieved that. Potter-heads will obviously go nuts and the queue, which has you walking through the Ministry, is even more impressive than Disney’s Star Wars attraction Rise of the Resistance. Overall, Battle at the Ministry is a triumph.
3. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk)
Another wonderful surprise at Epic Universe was Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, a family-friendly coaster located in the “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed area of the park. It’s easy to compare the coaster to Slinky Dog Dash, across town at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is much better – it’s funnier, more charming and with some truly spectacular animatronics, including a giant Toothless that pushes down on a button and launches your coaster. The ride itself is full of fun details that reward repeat riding, including varied audio (we heard a few different versions), with a ridiculously smooth track (manufactured by Intamin). There honestly isn’t that much more to say. Like the movies that the attraction is based on, you’ll leave with a smile on your face and a much fuller heart. Skip Hiccup’s Wing Gliders at your own peril – this is the brightest hidden gem in all of Epic Universe.
2. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment (Dark Universe)
What an attraction! The centerpiece of Dark Universe, the land dedicated to all things Universal Monsters, this original ride has you entering the lab of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, the great-granddaughter of the famous doctor that created the monster. She’s looking to find a way to control all of the monsters, including Dracula, and things go from bad to worse. The attraction is based around KUKA arm technology, which you will probably remember from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is the perfect marriage of form and function. Every room is full of some of the most advanced animatronics ever conceived, with beautiful animation on the screens and some very big scares courtesy of all of your favorite creatures (including The Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and many, many more). What’s especially exciting about the ride is that it honors the monster-based attractions that came before and incorporates lore established in Halloween Horror Nights mazes that came before it. The fact that it all works so seamlessly, so entertainingly is borderline miraculous (like it was concocted in a lab). It’s a new dark ride classic. Emphasis on dark.
1. Stardust Racers (Celestial Park)
What could be better than a high-tech thrill ride full of cutting-edge animatronics? A simple outdoor coaster that might be one of the best coasters we have ever ridden. Stardust Racers is in Celestial Park, the hub world of Epic Universe, and has some appropriately cosmic theming. It’s a dual launch coaster, where you’re racing against another train across the way (you can pick either the yellow or green track). Each train has a unique lighting package, which is even more spectacular if you ride it after dark, with a jaw-dropping track layout that gives you some great hangtime (and some equally great G’s). There are also fun details like the back of the ride vehicles having the Flux Capacator from “Back to the Future,” with onboard ride audio that is both futuristic and classic (it calls to mind the classic music loops of EPCOT Center). It’s almost hard to describe the transcendence of Stardust Racers, but riding it for the first time, you realize you are experiencing something special, and each ride afterwards is just as exciting, rewarding and fun. It’s the kind of attraction that you could maybe imagine being somewhere else, but the combination of the track layout and where it is in the park and in the land, make it unique and specific. Stardust Racers could only be at Celestial Park at Epic Universe. And Celestial Park (and Epic Universe) would be greatly diminished without Stardust Racers. Sure, it’s a thrill ride. But it’s also so, so much more.
