Everything You Need To Know About Epic Universe

This article was updated on the 2nd of February 2024 to include new details and visuals courtesy of Universal Creative after they released their “Introducing Epic Universe” video. Keep checking back for more information as it is released/confirmed.

January 31st 2024, Universal Creative surprised us all by dropping a huge teaser video confirming some but not all details of Epic Universe. A lot of the information has been speculated for months but it’s fantastic to finally have Universal confirm them officially. It’s the first real tantalising bit of information that Universal has given us since announcing the park in August 2019.

Epic Universe is the first new theme park to open in the world’s theme park capital in over 20 years. Before we dive into the juicy details of Epic Universe let’s first start with the basic details. What and where is Epic Universe and why is it going to be such a big deal? Find out all this and much more in this guide that will tell you everything you need to know about Epic Universe. If you want to see the video that Universal Creative has released I have embedded it at the bottom of the article.

Epic Universe will be Universal Orlando Resort’s 3rd main gate after Universal Studios Florida and Universal Island’s Of Adventure. In Epic Universe Universal is doubling the amount of land that they own in Orlando. As well as the main theme park Epic Universe will have 2000 extra bedrooms spread out over 3 brand new hotels being constructed in tandem with the theme park. There is enough land surrounding the initial build out phase of Epic Universe to build at least another theme park, several hotels and another CityWalk-style entertainment district.

Universal also ran the world-famous Wet ‘N’ Wild water park on International Drive. Wet N Wild closed permanently on December 31st 2016 and is now Universal Endless Summer Resort. Universal took everything they had learned from running Wet ‘N’ Wild a created a superior water park on the final triangular plot of land available in the northern campus. Volcano Bay is still one of the top-rated water parks in the USA

Epic Universe is a $1BILLION plus investment by Universal in its Florida real estate. They see a future in Orlando at a time when Disney can’t seem to do much right. Universal is capitalising on the world-class experiences they have created that bring people back year after year which has led to record returns for Universal’s theme park division.

Epic Universe is the first brand new theme park to open from scratch in Orlando since 1999 when Universal opened Islands Of Adventure which has been voted the number 1 theme park in the world multiple times.

With Universal’s track record of building cutting-edge attractions and experiences expectations are high for Epic Universe. It has Epic in the title after all! Epic Universe will be the first brand-new theme park built since immersion has become the key player in driving theme park attendance. Think Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom plus Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios not to mention the multiple Wizarding Worlds at other Universal theme parks worldwide not just in Orlando.

Universal Orlando even shared some snippets about the construction. Up until May 2023 construction crews had:

• Used over 20,000 tonnes of steel
• Constructed 85 buildings
• Laid over 6,500 miles of cable!

Epic Universe will set the benchmark for theme parks for years to come. It will force Disney and other park operators in Orlando to invest in their theme parks to bring crowds back. More competition and investment means better experiences for new and returning visitors and that can only be a good thing.

Short answer, they’ve been on quite a roll since reopening after the enforced COVID shutdown in 2020. They have been taking market share from Disney like it’s going out of fashion. Epic Universe had been in the pipeline long before COVID. A project this size is over a decade in planning.

With another theme park, Universal hopes to take further market share from Disney while also increasing the amount of time people spend on-resort. Speaking at the Bank of America Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference earlier in September, Universal CEO of Destinations and Resorts, Mark Woodberry confirmed that the intention with Epic Universe is to increase visitor stays to a full week from the current 3 or 4-day average stay.

Everything about Epic Universe is, well, epic! Here are just some of the numbers I have come across in researching this article.

• $300 MILLION. The cost of new infrastructure for Epic Universe including a 1.7-mile road extension and Orange County’s first elevated multi-modal traffic circle.
• 2000 – The increase in capacity of on-site hotel rooms split over 3 sites when Epic Universe opens
• 750 acres – The combined size of purchased land for a new Universal Orlando Southern Campus
• 480 acres – The largest single plot of land available of the 750 acres Universal has purchased
• 110 acres – The size of Epic Universe (equalled by a backstage area to the north)
• 104 acres – Undeveloped land still left in the largest single plot
• 50 acres – The size of the surface parking lot. Combined with the adjacent 104 acres above, easily enough for another gate next to Epic Universe down the road and another Citywalk type of entertainment district.
• 7 – Acres of water features in Celestial Park, Epic Universe’s central hub.

Next up, the logistics of Epic Universe. These are trivial details but they will make your visit easier to enjoy if you know a little about how you’re going to get there, where you can stay and how much it is going to cost.

As I’ve already touched on above, Epic Universe is the first part of a much more significant expansion of Universal Orlando Resort which will soon be split into north and south campuses. The south campus where Epic Universe will reside is 5 miles south of the existing north campus where you will find Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands Of Adventure and the Volcano Bay water park as well as several on-site hotels.

If you’re staying on-site in a Universal Orlando Resort hotel, Universal will operate regular electric bus services to and from all hotels to Epic Universe.

For those that are driving Epic Universe will have its own parking lot. Parking charges haven’t been released but are expected to be the same as for Universal Orlando’s main car park which is currently $30 per day for a standard-sized car.

Walking between both campuses is possible but not all that practical given the long distance and warm Florida climate. The nearest I-Drive Trolley transport system stop will be the green trolley route G10 (north and southbound). Trolleys are only currently expected on the green line every 45 minutes (30 minutes on the more popular red route) making an I-Ride Trolley also impractical. Most visitors will arrive at Epic Universe either by car, ride share/taxi or on one of Universal’s fleet of electric buses from the northern campus or directly from their on-site hotel.

Official pricing is still to be announced, likely not until early 2025 for a predicted summer 2025 opening but you can expect Epic Universe to be the hottest ticket in Orlando for many months after its opening.

I expect that pricing for Epic Universe will be along the lines of Islands Of Adventure; $120+ for a day ticket but the price will come down if you opt for a multi-day multi-park ticket.

UK tickets for Universal Orlando Resort are valid for 14 consecutive days. When Epic Universe opens it will be added to the options of parks but expect the 3-park and 4-park explorer tickets to receive a bump in price to reflect the new third gate. It will still be at a heavily discounted rate compared to a 1 day online or at-the-gate price. Pricing for Universal’s 2025 “Three Park Explorer” ticket is being marketed at around £350, a modest £25 bump on 2024 ticket prices. As soon as Universal confirm the pricing for their 4 Park Explorer ticket (or equivalent) I will update the Orlando theme park tickets page of the website and add it to my monthly news catch-up, Bitesize Orlando which I publish on the last day of every month along with other Orlando area-related articles on my blog.

Universal Orlando has purchased 750 acres of land near the Orange County Convention Center.

The lands of Epic Universe will occupy roughly 110 acres. Factoring in back-of-house areas will double that and the car park covers another 50 acres.

The land on which Epic Universe sits covers roughly 480 acres. With a back-of-house area that is also roughly 110 acres, a parking lot covering 50 acres and a currently undeveloped expansion plot adding yet another 104 acres (not to mention expansion plots totalling just over 35 acres already built into Epic Universe’s footprint), it is easy to assume that Universal has huge plans for this area in the future beyond Epic Universe opening in 2025.

Yes, you can! Along with Epic Universe, Universal Orlando is currently building 3 more on-site hotels. One will be premium level with direct access to the park. Permits and patents filed during construction confirm it to be a 500-room resort called the Helios Grand Hotel. Universal Destinations & experiences CEO Mark Woodbury confirmed these details in the Introducing Epic Universe video released in January 2024. He also says that the hotel will be interconnected with the theme park in ways that are yet to be seen in a theme park environment.

2 further 750-room value-level hotels are being constructed just across the road. They will be called the Stella Nova and Terra Luna hotels. Both have striking two-tone tiles on their facades.

These three new hotel additions will add a confirmed 2,000 rooms to Universal’s onsite hotel capacity.

To get to Epic Universe from either the Stella Nova or Terra Luna you will need to take a free shuttle bus to the park’s entrance plaza. Unconfirmed reports also say that you could also walk a short distance to the entrance. Buses will also link all three hotels to Universal Orlando Resort’s North Campus for hotel guests wishing to visit Universal Studios, Islands Of Adventure, Volcano Bay and Universal Citywalk.

Now for the juicy stuff, the lands, rides and other attractions of Epic Universe. I will preface this section with a note that although Universal Orlando has confirmed the 5 lands that will make up Epic Universe, many of the details you are going to read here are conjectures based on actual construction permits that are constantly being filed as the construction of Orlando’s newest and largest theme park continues at a rapid pace.

I wanted to wait until Universal officially revealed more details about Epic Universe before I dive in with a detailed article. With construction moving at a surprisingly rapid pace and Universal only just starting the marketing push, details are constantly being revealed via permits, so it’s becoming very clear what we can expect when the park finally opens.

Epic Universe will open with a full mix of attractions designed to appeal to everyone. Family-friendly dark rides, roller coasters, meet and greet opportunities and theatre shows to name a few. Immersion and interactivity are baked into the entire theme park from the outset, not just the attractions. Before we head for our tour of the park here is an overview of the attractions you will find.

• 4 Roller Coasters
• 4 Dark Rides
• 3 Shows (2 indoor)
• 1 Flat Rides
• 1 Thril Ride
• 1 Water Ride

Epic Universe will open 50 attractions and experiences in total when factoring in all shopping, dining and character interactions as well as the headline attractions.

Epic Universe will have 4 lands accessed from a unique central hub which will have a selection of rides and experiences separate from the lands. There will also be a selection of food and beverage outlets and themed merchandise stores.

The lands of Epic Universe are confirmed to be (left to right as you enter Celestial Gardens):

• Celestial Park (the central hub with lush landscaping on multiple levels)
• Super Nintendo World
• Dark Universe
• The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter – Ministry Of Magic
• How To Train Your Dragon – Isle Of Berk

Now we know what the lands are going to be based on let’s look at each in a little more detail so you can see the attractions that will be included. I have embedded an interactive aerial image for each land taken on my flight over the construction site in June 2023. Hover over highlighted elements on the images for further information on each new attraction.

Universal has been known to be daring with their design choices regarding their theme parks and Epic Universe will continue this trend when it opens in 2025. With Celestial Park, Universal wants to bring the park back into the theme park.

Eschewing the hub and spoke design that made Disney parks so successful, Epic Universe’s central hub will be a series of seemingly interconnected water features on multiple levels creating a visual wow factor as you step through the ginormous arch that will serve as the entrance gate.

This elongated lush landscaped central hub will be called Celestial Park. To the left will be lands based on Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe and to the right are portals for How To Train Your Dragon – Isle Of Berk and The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter – Ministry Of Magic.

Celestial Park will also be home to Epic Universe’s tallest and fastest attraction, a multi-launch roller coaster called Starfall Racers manufactured by Mack Rides. The roller coaster features two tracks with trains that will appear to race each other around their slightly different circuits. The ride has been designed so that the cars will dance and play with each other as they traverse their elements with multiple passes instead of flat-out racing. Thanks to Amusement Insider we have a stunning visualisation of how a ride on Starfall Racers could look like when it opens. Check out the video below.

At the back of Celestial Park, the 10-storey tall 500-room Helios Grand in-park hotel will frame the horizon. Beyond the hotel will be a launch section for fireworks over a massive lake. It is unclear at this time if Epic Universe will offer fireworks all year round as Disney does in EPCOT and Magic Kingdom but a perceived lack of a nighttime spectacular has been a constant niggle with visitors to Islands Of Adventure and Universal Studios up the road which are constrained by their proximity to housing developments to their north.

The central hub will be tied together by 3 water features that will appear to be interconnected by a series of waterfalls. These sections can all work independently from each other when maintenance dictates.

The first sunken lake will feature one of the park’s signature restaurants with fountains. Known as Atlantic to go with the general water theme for the area of Celestial Park in which it will reside guests will descend to water level from the entrance above. Fountains will dance outside as diners take in the floor-to-ceiling panoramic views.

Just up from here, another lake surrounds a flat ride sunk down into the lake bed, enclosed under a glass dome. This family-friendly carousel-type attraction is expected to be called Constellation Carousel in keeping with the space theme of the central part of Celestial Park.

The final water feature now taking shape is a massive fountain surrounded by tiered seating in front of the Helios Grand Hotel for the park’s evening spectacular. The fountain will appear to be fed by a waterfall cascading down from the hotel.

For many months the only confirmed land for Epic Universe is Super Nintendo World. Based on the extremely popular land in Japan, Super Nintendo World in Epic Universe will be bigger in size and scope. As well as the 2 headline attractions you can find in Japan and in California, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure, Super Nintendo World in Epic Universe will also have a Donkey Kong-themed mini-land that will be anchored by a unique “boom coaster”.

In Epic Universe lands are accessed via ‘portals’ that are themed to the lands they represent. Each portal will have an element on top themed to the land it represents. Super Nintendo World’s portal is believed to feature warp pipes. You will be able to use the portals to get your bearings inside of the land and also Celestial Park.

Upon entering the green warp pipe portal to Super Nintendo World guests are taken immediately to the first floor via a short escalator. Peach’s Castle acts as the introduction to the land before the big reveal of the land spreading out below, around and above as you step out of the castle onto the balcony.

Much like smaller lands in Japan and Hollywood, Super Nintendo World in Orlando is based on multiple levels with a high level of theming and interactive elements built in. Super Nintendo World Orlando is the biggest of the lands to date and includes a sub-area dedicated to Donkey Kong with a one-of-a-kind roller coaster that makes it appear as though the mine carts are jumping spike-filled gaps and water traps in the rails just like in the popular games franchise.

The subland will be based around a lush jungle temple (the frontage for the show building of the roller coaster), just like initial concept art indicated for an area originally planned for Japan before costs pushed that to phase 2 of Universal Studios Japan. Going on an initial model of the land that was released by Universal for Japan before the idea got shelved for phase 2, the Donkey Kong mini-land theming would be straight out of the popular Donkey Kong Country games.

A hotly anticipated land, Dark Universe will be home to some of Universal’s most famous classic monsters thanks to Universal’s rich history of horror movies from the 1930s onwards.

Entering through an imposing portal into a village of ruins, you could be setting foot on any number of iconic sets in a Universal movie. Like Super Nintendo World, the full land is hidden from view by a snaking path and ruins of an old wall.

Once through the wall, the village opens up revealing a huge manor at the back while screams (some of delight) echo from a wooded area on your left and a late roller coaster addition.

The manor house facade is the area’s main attraction, expected to be called Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment according to trademarks filed by Universal in September 2023. The ride system will be identical to Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey in Islands Of Adventure, a KUKA Robotics arm on a stationary track will move cars of 4 passengers through physical scenes and motion projections creating a deep sense of immersion, perhaps even on a better scale than Forbidden Journey now Universal Creative has had time to refine the technology since it was first put to use.

Patents filed by Universal could indicate that the restraints have been redesigned for this attraction to provide a greater degree of movement by riders and also allow more body types to ride. The restraints in Forbidden Journey are very large even without padding. New patent designs show a much thinner restraint. Theming elements in the patent also show gears and mechanical elements reminiscent of Frankenstein’s laboratory.

The screams from the wooded area will be from a small multi-launch spinning family roller coaster expected to be called the Curse Of The Werewolf. A later addition to the land which initially had a large theatre in the same location, the roller coaster was added in patents filed in early 2022, perhaps to add to the family thrill elements. The short and compact tract layout will be lengthened by multiple forward and reverse launches in the middle section themed to look like an imposing shed. It may also include theming elements inside.

Elsewhere in the village, you will see an ominous burning windmill, atop a bespoke watering hole built into a hillside. The bar is expected to be called the Burning Blade Tavern according to new trademarks filed by Universal. A small bespoke watering hole with just 64 seats according to permits, it will complement the main quick service restaurant near the portal entrance called The Stake House (that’s not a misspelling).

A new Universal theme park would not be complete nowadays without a Wizarding World area and Epic Universe will continue that trend.

The Wizarding World setting in Epic Universe will transport us to the world of Fantastic Beasts and the streets of 1920s Paris. Like other Wizarding Worlds, there will be all sorts of interactive elements to find while exploring out-of-the-way alleys and squares including the now familiar interactive wands, which apparently will have updated technology meaning current owners may feel the need to upgrade to get full interactivity in the new land.

The massive show building, the largest in Epic Universe, will feature a theatre and a family dark ride currently with a working title of Battle For The Ministry Of Magic. Another attraction (rumoured to be a virtual reality type) for this area was shelved early in development likely because of costs or available technology not being able to pull off what was envisioned. The area set aside for that attraction is now being hidden behind a false facade for future expansion.

If the full expansion area is used for the Wizarding World it will become the largest land in Epic Universe by acreage. Currently, How To Train Your Dragon – The Isle Of Berk will hold that title with a total of just under 14 acres when the park opens to the public.

Trademark and patent filings point to the dark ride for this area being set inside the British Ministry Of Magic. You may be wondering why the British Ministry Of Magic when the outdoor area will be themed to the streets of Paris just as in the Fantastic Beasts movie series starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.

Patents filed for the ride’s queue point to one of the heaviest themed queue areas ever attempted by Universal, or any theme park to really set the scene for the hotly anticipated attraction. The queue will transport us to the British Ministry Of Magic via the floo network as seen in the Harry Potter movies.

The ride itself is reported to be using an updated version of the “scoop” vehicles first used to groundbreaking effect in The Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman attraction that opened at Islands Of Adventure over 20 years ago. It is also utilised in Transformers: The Ride and at Universal Studios Beijing for their Jurrasic World dark ride. Every new version of an attraction the SCOOP vehicles have appeared in has pushed the already incredible technology even further, so expectations are already sky-high for this attraction.

As for the storyline, we could be following Delores Umbridge after the final moments of The Deathly Hallows but we will have to wait until Universal confirm details of the ride to be sure. Hopefully, one rumour that may be true is the attraction will not utilise any 3D effects and therefore will not require any glasses which pushes up attraction running costs and doesn’t really add much to what Universal can do with projection mapping and physical effects.

This land is going to absolutely blow you away! From the minute you step through the portal, it will appear as though you have been transported to the Isle Of Berk from the popular movie franchise.

A massive lagoon spreads across the foreground while paths peel left and right, encouraging exploration. Standing momentously in the lagoon are 2 statues, just as in the movies.

Dead ahead a roller coaster track darts under and over the waterline for the area’s main attraction, a launched roller coaster that will appeal to families, perhaps soon to be one of the most popular attractions in the park. It is expected to be called Hiccup’s Wing Gliders.

Complementing the roller coaster, How To Train Your Dragon – The Isle Of Berk will also feature Dragon Racer’s Rally, a Sky-Fly attraction from Gerstlauer Rides and Fyre Drill, a splash battle attraction where riders and non-riders can take part in the soaking wet action. A show will round out the attraction list for the land, possibly a clone or improvement on Universal Studios Beijing’s popular “Untrainable” show that debuted to huge acclaim in 2021. Check out some of the show’s highlights in the short video below.

The area’s main restaurant will have 244 seats set inside the Great Hall. Many of the structures in this land will appear to be built inside mountains or hills, just as in the movie.

Universal Destinations and Experiences CEO Mark Woodbury took to the stage at the Bank Of America Media Conference to confirm a few details about the new mega theme park.

He confirmed that a fleet of electric buses would ferry visitors between the north and south campuses in 12 minutes, allegedly roughly a third of the time using other transportation methods between the campuses.

He also confirmed that each of the theme park’s 4 lands will be based on “powerful, trip-driving intellectual property”.

“We have the benefit of new technology that we’re deploying in terms of managing ticketing, revenue and revenue management across each of those platforms.”

Universal Destinations And Expereinces CEO Mark Woodbury on the technology of Epic Universe.

One comment about drones could tie into long-standing rumours and patented technology Universal has been working on. Of the drone technology Mark Woodbury said that Universal has been working on “the next generation of robotic drone technology”.

This could tie in with a patent from Universal that describes a new type of robot puppetry that could utilise drone technology meaning we could possibly see dragons flying over the Isle Of Berk adding yet another level of immersion we have yet to see in any of Orlando’s theme parks.

There was one last comment he made that piqued interest, particularly as it ties in with patents that Universal has been filing and testing to various degrees over the past few years which could tie in with some out-of-the-box rumours that began circulating about Epic Universe even as the land was being cleared over 4 years ago. The technology he was referring to was a facial recognition technology that Universal has been working on.

According to Mark Woodbury, “facial recognition, photo validation technology” will provide a “frictionless experience”. But frictionless, how?

Imagine you’re staying on-resort. Guests currently still have to show their tickets to gain entry, or to enter an Express Pass queue. Imagine in the near future that your face could be linked to your online profile. You walk up to the gates which open automatically because they have matched your face to your profile.

There wouldn’t be a need to pull up a separate Express Pass either to enter the queue because your Express Pass is linked to your profile and Universal’s ticketing system will know which parks and access levels you have for any specific day so it opens the turnstile.

So far, so big brother in a way, but what if we take it a step further? A frustratingly persistent rumour that keeps popping up is the open hub theory. Some people believe that Celestial Park could be made free entry for everyone with entry to each of the lands restricted to ticket holders only. Patents recently filed by Universal do show how they could plan to use the photo validation technology on a land-by-land basis but would this create more problems than it would solve? I’m still not sold on the open hub theory as a permanent addition to Epic Universe but it could be utilised for special events.

One event that has been rumoured among cast members is Halloween Horror Nights moving to Epic Universe when it opens. The new Classic Monsters/Dark Universe land seems tailor-made to host a Halloween Horror Nights event. Fog machines have been baked into the area from the start to give the Gothic manor a foreboding mist but it’s an awfully small area to house 10 houses and multiple scare zones that currently take up sound stages and semi-permanent structures throughout Universal Studios. HHN wouldn’t translate well to Super Nintendo World next door but there is a huge expansion plot of land between Super Nintendo World and Classic Monsters/Dark Universe so it’s at least a viable theory.

Photo Validation technology could allow only event ticket holders into that area after a given time with cast members only having to get involved if the system rejects a person or shows an issue with their ticket. Again, I don’t buy the whole event moving to start with but they could test an offshoot of the event in the land to further test the viability of perhaps staging Halloween Horror Nights over two parks.

Epic in name and epic in nature. I do not doubt that Universal has many more tricks up its sleeve than have been unearthed so far. Immersion will be baked into every land. Celestial Park will redefine what a central hub will be.

There is a definite family shift in the attractions here, some use tried and tested technology in updated ways, and others are completely new to the Orlando area bringing a fresh perspective.

Like everything in Epic Universe, merchandising and food and beverage are baked into the immersion from the outset, not an afterthought to increase average spending per visitor.

Epic Universe will add ‘wow’ to a saturated market. I believe it will be a catalyst for a new round of expansion in Orlando’s theme parks, not just Universal and Disney. That’s not to mean that Disney will build another gate to one up Universal, Disney CEO Bob Iger took the the stage at the recent D23 convention a reiterated that another gate is not currently on the card for Disney World, they are looking at expanding existing properties to create momentum. They expanded on blue sky ideas initially announced at last year’s D23 convention to reinvigorate Animal Kingdom and create the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history. By the end of the next decade, Disney will have spent $60BILLION on their theme parks worldwide.

SeaWorld has been aggressively expanding for the last few years. Land clearing for 2024’s roller coaster started before the headline 2023 roller coaster, Pipeline had even opened.

Midway attractions will also be forced to increase spend and immersion in their attractions to lure us out of the theme parks. The next decade could be the biggest expansion in and around Orlando since the end of the last millennium and that can only be a positive for everyone.

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As well as the video below Universal Orlando has begun building out the official Epic Universe page on the Universal Orlando website.

Keep checking back. As new details are unearthed or announced officially I will update this article accordingly.