We Just Previewed Universal Epic Universe. Here’s What You Should Know.

When Does Universal Epic Universe Open?

Universal Epic Universe will open at Universal Orlando Resort on May 22, 2025 — the first major U.S. theme park to open since California Adventure in 2001. While there's no doubt Epic Universe will be epic, Universal is initially limiting the number of days clients can visit, making planning more important than ever.

Guests who book a multi-day Universal Orlando Resort vacation package are entitled to only one day at Epic Universe, and while clients do not need to select a date in advance, travel advisors may want to recommend they visit on the first eligible day of their vacation so if the park closes due to capacity and they cannot enter, they can try again on subsequent days.

Epic Universe is also not included in "park hopping" for clients with park-to-park tickets, so they will need to dedicate the whole day to the new park — and they’re going to want to.

I was able to preview Universal Epic Universe and experience most of the attractions. Here’s my advice for helping clients maximize their time at Universal’s newest park.

Don’t Miss These Epic Universe Rides

Epic Universe is made up of five highly themed worlds: Celestial Park (the hub for the park’s hub-and-spoke design), The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk and Dark Universe, which is themed to Universal’s classic movie monsters. Each world has at least one attraction.

Due to the hub-and-spoke layout, guests must return to Celestial Park to switch from one world to another, so one strategy would be to visit worlds in order, which could save time (and steps) crisscrossing Celestial Park. If clients enter the park and go right, they’ll reach Super Nintendo World, followed by Isle of Berk, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Dark Universe; if they head left, they'll get to Dark Universe first, and so on. 

However, if clients have must dos, they’ll want to make a beeline for whichever world tops their list — and for many, that will undoubtedly be The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic as it’s the first (and currently only) land featuring wizarding Paris from “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” and the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry attraction. There are also interactive wand opportunities like in other Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands — and a Parisian wand shop sells new Epic Universe-exclusive wands.

Clients with kids will likely want to focus their attention on Super Nintendo World, Isle of Berk and Celestial Park, all of which have family-friendly attractions, including my top “do-not-miss” experience: The Untrainable Dragon stage show (though meeting Toothless the dragon in Isle of Berk is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity).

What to Know About Epic Universe’s Dark Universe 

Most attractions and experiences will be entirely new for many clients,including Dark Universe which is based on Universal monsters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man and many more.

Advisors can assure clients this is not a Halloween Horror Nights-style haunt, and no scare actors are waiting to pop out at passersby. It is, however, themed to classic horror movies, so clients (and especially their kids) should be prepared to be immersed in that world, with the Monsters Unchained attraction inhabited by 14 realistic animatronic figures.

Similarly — though to a much lesser degree — Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry features Death Eaters who battle Harry, Ron and Hermione during the attraction.

Where to Stay: Epic Universe Hotels

The three new hotels operated by Loews at Epic Universe are the 750-room twin Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort and the 500-room Helios Grand Hotel with Universal's first dedicated theme park entrance.

“The Universal Helios Grand Hotel is a shining gateway into Epic Universe,” said Dennis Quinn, senior vice president of hotel commercial strategy for Universal Orlando. “But it also marks an important milestone for us because as our 11th hotel, it helps us to recommit making sure that a stay at a Universal hotel is the absolute best way to experience Universal Orlando.”

All Universal Orlando onsite hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to all Universal theme parks. The drive between Universal's "north campus"— including Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk — and Epic Universe is about 4 miles. Stella Nova has a walking path to the Epic Universe bus loop; currently guests cannot walk safely from Terra Nova. Universal hotels also include early park admission to all Universal theme parks (including Epic Universe), though not all attractions are available.

RELATED: Universal Studios Hollywood vs. Universal Orlando Guide

All guestrooms at the Prime Value category Stella Nova and Terra Luna have two queens; no king beds, family suites or connecting rooms are available. Helios Grand Hotel has a variety of room configurations, including one king, two queens, several suite categories and How to Train Your Dragon-themed kids’ suites, with many offering panoramic views of Epic Universe, which is particularly beautiful at night.

Advisors should note that while Helios Grand Hotel is part of the resort's Signature collection, guests will not receive complimentary Unlimited Universal Express. And Express Passes from Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and Royal Pacific are not valid at Epic Universe.

Epic Universe Add-Ons 

Clients can improve their ability to experience everything in the park by purchasing add-on products, including Universal Express, which allows one-time expedited access at participating Epic Universe attractions (subject to availability). Currently, the only three attractions not included are Dragon Racer’s Rally in the Isle of Berk, Mine-Cart Madness in Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

Another “skip-the-line” add-on for Epic Universe is a four-hour guided VIP Tour, which includes priority entrance at select rides and attractions during the tour (subject to availability) plus one-time express ride access at all participating rides and attractions after the tour. VIP Tours have a maximum of 12 guests, and each party can have no more than six people. Private tours are also available.

Although reservations are not required for Epic Universe, add-ons are date-specific, so clients will need to specify which day they plan to visit.