What is Universal's Epic Universe like?

Universal is leveling up in 2025, and I am so here for it. If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, let me introduce you to Universal’s Epic Universe—a brand-new theme park that’s going to completely change the game for fans of fantasy, adventure, and full-on immersion.

🎉 Opening in 2025 in Orlando, Epic Universe is Universal’s boldest, biggest expansion yet—and yes, it’s called Epic for a reason. I'm talking five immersive lands, each one like stepping into a whole new world. As a travel advisor who lives for fantasy travel (and theme parks that make you feel like you’re inside a story), this is dream come true level stuff. Let’s break it down!

🌌 Celestial Park: Your Portal to the Universe

This is the heart of Epic Universe—your gateway into all the themed lands. Celestial Park is filled with futuristic vibes, glowing fountains, and cosmic wonder. Think: steampunk meets stargazing ✨ It’s the perfect “center” of the universe and where you’ll start your adventure. Each "park" has a portal that you'll walk through that starts here. If you think this part of the park is cool during the day, you have to stay for when it get's dark and see the whole place get lit up at night.

🦇 Dark Universe: A Gothic Fantasy Come to Life

Horror fans, this one's for you.
Dark Universe is a reimagining of Universal’s classic monsters—Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, and more. This land brings gothic horror to life with stormy skies, haunted castles, and even a terrifying ride: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ⚡️🎢

It’s a lot of fun, I don't want to ruin it for you, but let's just say that it's one of the more entertaining rides I have been on in a while.  And if you get lucky, every 15 minutes, you can watch the windmill light on fire. It only lasts for a minute, so you have to be quick, and have your camera ready for that perfect video or photo. I didn't get a chance to ride "Curse of the Werewolf" so I don't have any feedback on it, but it sounds like its a quick, but fun ride. 👻

What to eat here: stop by the Burning Blade Tavern so you don't miss out on the Hunter’s Garlic Stake, which is a garlic bread and butter dipping sauce. And wash it down with their unique Monocane drink that comes glowing green in a flask.

🐉 How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

Yes, you read that right! You’ll get to fly with dragons and step right into the Viking world of How to Train Your Dragon. Perfect for families, fans of the movies, and anyone who’s ever wanted a dragon buddy 🐲 Hiccup's wing glider is the best ride here in my opinion, and maybe the best one int he park. There are interactive play areas, and soaring adventures across Berk’s rugged coastline. The Fyre Drill ride is an interactive water ride where you get to shoot water cannons at other boats as well as unsuspecting bystanders. Don't get near this ride if you're not ready to get wet.

What to eat here: You gotta get the Mac and Cheese Cones. They're cone's with everything bagel seasoning, mac and cheese, and you can get them in 3 styles. Goldfish; PB&J; and Nashville Hot Honey Chicken. Personally the PB&J was my favorite and it was so good, we came and got 2 to go for our walk out of the park.

🧙 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic

A brand-new Potter experience is coming, and this time it’s centered around the Magical Paris of Fantastic Beasts and the iconic British Ministry of Magic. YES PLEASE! Think 1920s art deco meets wizarding bureaucracy—with magic at every turn. Wands at the ready, folks! You'll be transported back and they've still have so many surprises in store for first time guests and fans of the movies. The show stopper here is the Ministry of Magic. I think for any true fan, this will almost bring a tear to your eye as you step through the tunnels, reminiscent of the movies, while at the same time the level of detail is truly awe inspiring. This was like stepping into the movies and was probably our favorite part of the park.  The one issue you might run into is the virtual queue for the Ministry of Magic ride. As of when we went, the slots are limited and released on the Universal Studios Resort app at 11 am; 1 pm; 3 pm; and 6 pm. You could literally hear people shouting for joy as they were selected to get a spot for a ride. Not sure what this will look like when the park opens up, but it's worth noting that I wouldn't bank on getting on this ride during your trip, so make alternative plans. As a side note, generation one wands will work here, but they do sell generation two wands, as well as the ones from fantastic beasts and overall visually appealing wands that match your personality.

What to eat here: The Butter Beer Crepes is one of the best eats in the park and absolutely worth stopping in Café L'air De La Sirène™ to try. We also ate at Le Gobelet Noir, but didn't find the food as good as other parts of the park. It was good, but there was much better food elsewhere.

🌍 Super Nintendo World

Gamers, rejoice! This vibrant land lets you step into the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. It’s colorful, interactive, and full of secrets (and yes, you’ll get to ride Mario Kart). Whether you grew up on Nintendo or you're raising a new generation of gamers, this land is pure joy 💫🎮 This was far and away my favorite part of the park. While I was excited for it, there was nothing that prepared me for the level of detail and interactiveness I experienced here. This is absolutely like being in the game. I grew up playing all the Mario Bros games, but to actually be transported to the world, hit the blocks, fight bowser, ride the Rainbow Road, was just amazing. I would highly recommend purchasing the "Power Up Bands." They are $45 and can be purchased at the resorts or inside the park. This allows you to collect coins, keys and interact with the world. If you get 3 keys you'll be able to go into an interactive game that lets you fight Bowser. Donkey Kong Country was another part of Super Mario World, but I wasn't as attracted to that as the rest of the park.

What to eat here: Toadstool Cafe had a lot of fun eats. The Mushroom burger was delicious and we got the Power Block Tiramisu which was really fun to eat and even more fun to look at. The detail in the cafe is not to be missed.

🛌 Bonus: Epic Universe Hotel(s)!

There are also new on-site hotels being built for Epic Universe—including Universal Helios Grand Hotel, right at the edge of the park. Imagine waking up and literally stepping into a new world. For those who love immersive travel, staying on property will be a game-changer.

We stayed at the Terra Luna Resort and honestly I think it gives amazing value for what you pay. It's one of the cheaper properties of the "on property resorts," and has a shuttle that takes your 3-5 minutes to get to Universal Epic, a little longer to get to Universal Studios. The rooms are nice, cozy, and well equipped. It kind of reminded me of a Holiday Inn Express style of room with a great price tag. You still get early admission to the parks, and the hotel has a large pool, video game room, and even a great workout room. There really is everything you need for your park stay here at this resort.

So... Should You Go?

If you're a fan of fantasy, storytelling, immersive experiences, and theme park magic, Epic Universe is 100% worth putting on your travel radar. Whether you’re bringing the family or planning a grown-up getaway full of nostalgia, thrills, and imagination, this park is shaping up to be a must-visit. I'm not much for theme parks anymore, but I will say this was one of my favorites and I will definitely be coming back.

And hey… if you're already dreaming of riding dragons, dueling monsters, or jumping into a Mario warp pipe, I’m here to help make it happen 💼✨

Let’s start planning your Epic Universe adventure—before the crowds get wild. 😉