Twenty-six years ago this week, Universal Studios opened its last major park,Islands of Adventure, the studio’s first major expansion after the opening of Universal Studios Florida in 1990. Over the years, Universal Studios has added to and expanded its parks, and even opened its first water park, Universal Volcano Bay, in 2017. However, it has been over a quarter-century since Universal last opened a major theme park in North America. Yet in this period,Universal hasbecome a major powerhouse in the theme park game, often upping the ante in terms of what immersive theme park lands could be, how exciting and groundbreaking their rides are, and really giving that mouse down the street in Orlando a run for its money.
Primarily with the opening ofThe Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventurein 2010, Universal showed how creating incredible, realistic worlds could take guests to an entirely new place, and the Diagon Alley addition at Universal Studios in 2014 only reinforced that. Since IoA opened, Universal has expanded its resort, proven that its brands likeDespicable Me, Jurassic World, and Harry Potter have huge resonance with their audience, and rides likeHagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventureand VelociCoaster are already considered some of the best theme park rides in Florida. Yet, as Universal has consistently upped their game and while they’ve announced plans to expand in Las Vegas, Texas, and the U.K.,we’ve yet to see what Universal is capable of in creating a new park since they’ve evolved to this level.That is, until now, with their newest park in Orlando:Epic Universe.
Epic Universe truly feels like everything Universal has learned over the last few decades in improving the potential of themed entertainment, all encompassed into one incredible new park.Without a doubt, Epic Universe is one of the most gorgeous, awe-inspiring, and surprising theme parks in North America, and a testament to what Universal can do at the height of their talents. Epic Universe feels like a massive, game-changing step for the company and a tremendous reminder that Universal is now at a whole new level.
What Is Epic Universe?
Epic Universe is centered around four different themed lands, each with its own gateway to these worlds. Connecting all of these worlds is the central hub known as Celestial Park, which, as the name implies, is focused on celestial imagery and themes. In doing this, Epic Universe can give equal focus to its five different lands, but without having the issue of worrying that these lands might clash with one another. Especially considering that most theme parks throw their intellectual properties into a theme park without much care, it’s a clever way to keep these completely different worlds separated.
But each of these five lands is also an excellent way for Universal to show off its strengths as theme park creators.Celestial Park, packed with tons of restaurants, impressive views, andarguably the park’s best ride, the dual-track coaster, Stardust Racers, proves that Universal can make an impressive land without having to rely on IP.
Universal has been fantastic recently at creating captivating and fun worlds for kids at Universal Studios Orlando, with the creation of Minion Land and the recentDreamWorks Land updatereplacing Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone. ButHow to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, the largest of these lands,shows just how brilliant Universal can be at bringing these animated stories to life, as this section has everything you could want from a land, including three rides, a great stage show, play areas for kids, and the opportunity to meet Toothless. Especially with the kid-focused park coming to Texas, Isle of Berk is a great example of what Universal can create to bring a child’s favorite films to life.
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Super Nintendo World is the only recreation of an existing land, as this area has already existed in Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood. YetOrlando’s version shows Universal’s ability to improve upon what they’ve already done before.For example, while Orlando also getsMario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, just like all the other versions of this park, Epic Universe’s Super Nintendo World also includes Mine-Cart Madness and Yoshi’s Adventure from Japan, and allows for more space to explore in this world. Considering that Super Nintendo World gamifies this world, complete with challenges, items to collect, and enemies to fight, that extra room makes a difference. Not to mention that it’s pretty cool that the portal is essentially a big green pipe with an escalator that leads up to the land.
After how successfulHorror Nights has been at Universal parks, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Epic Universe leans into an entirely horror-themed area with Dark Universe. Even better, it also allows the parks to finally highlight some of the studio’s iconic characters by putting the Universal Monsters in the center spotlight for once. From the land havingan original score byDanny Elfman, character appearances by the Invisible Man and Ygor, and one of the park’s most impressive rides with Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experience,it’s a smaller land that still makes you feel like you’ve walked into a classic monster film.
Finally, considering that Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley both were major additions to previous Universal parks, it makes sense that their latest park includes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic. When Diagon Alley opened at Universal Studios, it was a huge jump in quality from Hogsmeade, and now, the jump from Diagon Alley to Ministry of Magic is just as impressive.The scope of this land is massive, from the jaw-dropping Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride — which features quite possibly the best queue in theme park history — to the area’s show, Le Cirque Arcanus, and all the wonderful restaurants and shops we’ve come to expect from a Harry Potter-themed land. But even more than those other previous areas,Ministry of Magic is a world with so many secrets and things to uncover, so many delightful surprises and mysteries, where you can talk to a painting for a few minutes, use your wand on completely new window displays, or pour over the references to the series throughout the stunning French architecture. Even though we’ve seen plenty of Harry Potter lands at this point, it’s remarkable how the Ministry of Magic once again sets the bar even higher.
Epic Universe Feels Like Universal Growing Out of What They’ve Learned in Recent Years
As previously mentioned,Universal has come a long way over the last few decades, and that shows in every aspect of the park.Just take the variation in ride types, for example. For a while, Universal was criticized for relying too heavily on rides centered around screens. And while there are certainly still rides here with impressive screens, they’re a part of Universal’s toolbox, rather than the central focal point. The screens on rides like Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment exist to present a sense of scale and scope, blended with animatronics and practical sets to create rides at a level we’ve never seen from the company before.
Even though clearly some rides are bigger and more ambitious than others, each one does have an intriguing concept that makes it worth riding. Like Celestial Racers, which attempts to give the carousel a modern-day makeover and does so with fun music, wild creatures, and a beautiful ambiance that is absolutely gorgeous at night.It all speaks to how each area and section of this park is carefully considered and has been meticulously crafted to create something special.
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To that, it’s easy to let theme park food sort of fall by the wayside, as we can often expect the standard fare when we go to an amusement park. But that’s not the case either with Epic Universe’s dining options. Again, in the past, Universal has occasionally struggled with restaurants within the park that offer unique choices and something off-center for a park. But in Epic Universe, visitors can eat bloody steaks and panna cotta brains at Das Steakhouse in Dark Universe, Donkey Kong floats and calzones that look like red and green shells in Super Nintendo Land, and have quiche and crepes in the Ministry of Magic.
For plenty of food options, however, Celestial Park is packed with choices as you make your way between worlds, each with its own style, type of food, and vibe. For fancier options, Atlantic gives tremendous views of the entire park while guests can dine on seafood and impressive cocktails. The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant is packed with neon signs and cool style, while you get a bowl of ramen or dim sum. Theme park pizza is also often pretty terrible but serviceable, yet Pizza Moon might be the best theme park pizza we’ve tasted so far. Not only that, but the entire look of the restaurant is inspired by turn-of-the-century silent films, like the work ofGeorges MélièsandA Trip to the Moon. Again,it would be easy to simply assume people know what to expect from a park pizza, but Epic Universe makes sure that every aspect of this park is pleasantly surprising.
Part of the beauty of Epic Universe is also getting to explore these immersive lands that Universal has gotten so good at creating. One of the best aspects of Super Nintendo World is simply looking at all the creatures roaming around, collecting coins in blocks around the world, and finding keys to eventually face off against Bowser Jr. There are achievements within the land, if you’re using the Universal app, and that’s just as fun as the rides themselves. The same is true of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, which is begging to be explored by all visitors. Like the previous Harry Potter lands, there are interactive windows that have fun little gimmicks when you wave your wand at them, but this area feels far more expansive and in-depth than any HP area so far. At one point, I spent several minutes talking to a portrait in one window, which asked me to do magic, and had a full conversation with me.It’s these types of magical moments that take you completely by surprise in all these worlds and make you want to just walk around and soak them in and see what they have to offer.
Epic Universe Isn’t Without Its Flaws, Even Though It’s Still a Tremendous Park
Yet that also doesn’t mean that Epic Universe is entirely perfect. Every theme park has its growing pains, especially in the early days, and despite months of previews,Epic Universe is going to function entirely differently when it’s at maximum capacity.As certain rides have had significant downtime, some aspects of those rides have had to be pulled back, as is the case with Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which once featured a drop that no longer exists. There’s also been word that some of the animatronics on Monsters Unchained have gone into B mode to help things go a bit smoother. Again, this is all understandable as the park figures out what works and what doesn’t.
It will also be interesting to see how Epic Universe does during the frequent Orlando storms, and what rides will actually be able to run when these occur. The majority of these rides are outside, or at least partially take place outside. Not to mention how that will impact the rides that have had trouble with downtime — Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, most notably — when everyone rushes to them when a storm comes. Speaking to that, one of the biggest issues throughout Epic Universe, but especially in the hub world of Celestial Park, is the lack of shade. During our preview event, the sun was blazing and temperatures were around 95 degrees. It was scorching, and shade was in short supply. There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and rides to get in line for that will offer some safety from the sun (and maybe that’s part of the plan), butespecially when you’re going from portal to portal, the temperature can really beat down on you.
Finally, this is a park that is absolutely beautiful at night. The problem is, this is a park that’s only open a few hours after the sun sets. Celestial Park truly comes to life once night falls, and the portals themselves are aglow in a way that beckons you to come visit. Also, understandably, portals like Dark Universe just have a completely different feel at night, as some of the ambiance, like the Burning Blade Tavern catching on fire every few minutes, is a wonder to behold at night. But again, it’s hard to witness this park at its best for more than just a few hours. Again, as the park evolves and time goes on, there are many issues that will likely iron themselves out, but they’re still important to note.
Epic Universe Is an Incredible Step Forward for Universal and Orlando Theme Parks
It’s absolutely stunning what Universal has been able to pull off with Epic Universe. Over a quarter-century after Islands of Adventure, it’s hard to believe just how far this company has come in regard to making theme parks, and it’s a testament to how integral they’ve become to themed entertainment.Each land has its style and vision, impeccably put together and with a great passion and care that shows that this is a true labor of love, from the bathrooms to the dining options and the unbelievable rides.
Epic Universe isn’t perfect, but a theme park rarely comes out the gate running at the level that Universal is at with this one.It’s an astounding accomplishment for a theme park, and Universal has set the bar for where parks should go forward. It took almost three decades for another major theme park to open up in Orlando, but as the name implies, the results are truly epic.
Universal Epic Universe
Epic Universe is a tremendous accomplishment of a theme park, one that shows just how far Universal Studios has grown as theme park creators.
Universal Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort’s groundbreaking theme park, officially opened on August 23, 2025, marking the first major U.S. theme park debut in over two decades. Spanning approximately 750 acres, the park introduces five meticulously crafted worlds, each offering immersive experiences that push the boundaries of theme park innovation.
