A first look inside Celestial Park at Universal Epic Universe. Photo:
Universal Parks Usa; Disney/Gregg Newton
- A PEOPLE staffer visited Universal’s Epic Universe ahead of its grand opening on May 22.
- A spinning thrill coaster is among the several attractions that are likely to delight fans of Disney Park’s Epcot.
- Universal Helios Grand Hotel is within walking distance of Epic Universe, while there is also a must-try sweet treat at Café L’air De La Sirène.
It can take a lot to drag a Disney adult from their beloved most Magic Place on Earth, but Universal Epic Universe may challenge their loyalty.
Featuring five immersive lands, Epic Universe is Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park – the first major park of its kind in Orlando since Universal Islands of Adventure opened in May 1999, almost 26 years ago,
I got a sneak peek at Epic Universe less than seven weeks before its grand opening. And as a longtime Orlando theme parkgoer, I couldn’t help but notice just how much Epic Universe has in common with another park I know and love: Disney Park’s Epcot.
Read on for how the two compare – and why Epic Universe, which officially opens to the public on May 22, might soon be considered the “Universal adult” park of choice.
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Universal Epic Universe. Jen Juneau Haupt
The first thing I thought when I stepped into this section of the park was how I felt like I was dropped in the middle of Paris. This is not surprising – both Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure are immersive in this way – but this is the first Harry Potter section where the intellectual property almost feels like it takes a backseat to the natural imagery of a stunning 1920s-era City of Light which, to me, is a good thing, as the magic of the Harry Potter series is always most dazzling in its most real-life moments.
The France Pavilion at Epcot recently expanded with the addition of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – and for those who love the crepes at Epcot, you can’t skip the Butterbeer crepes at Café L’air De La Sirène inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic. Trust.
How to Train Your Dragon might be an IP, but the Isle of Berk section of Epic Universe not only evokes similar feelings as Epcot’s Norway Pavilion but kind of throws it back to pre-Frozen-era Norway Pavilion – you know, when Frozen Ever After was still Maelstrom.
Bonus for people who love Journey into Imagination with Figment. There are dragons everywhere at the Isle of Berk, even cute stuffed ones, and a meet-and-greet opportunity with Toothless!
Universal Epic Universe crepes. Jen Juneau Haupt
Is Curse of the Werewolf a better ride than Cosmic Rewind? Of course not. I’m not sure I’ve ever ridden anything that is. But it is a spinning thrill coaster with unexpected twists and turns, with the added bonus of facing your neighbor to see the terror on their face firsthand.
Also, point to Epic Universe for Curse of the Werewolf’s natural blend into the creepy Dark Universe theming.
Who, as a kid, didn’t love fiddling around with all the video-game-adjacent activities inside the now-defunct Innoventions? Super Nintendo World spins that nostalgia on its head and in a totally different direction, but evokes similar memories and creative curiosity, whether you’re helping find the golden banana on the Donkey Kong Country Mine-Cart Madness coaster or working to best an opponent on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.
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Universal Epic Universe. Jen Juneau Haupt
Being within walking distance of a theme park is a gigantic perk when staying overnight, especially after a long day when you want to get back to your room as soon as possible. At Walt Disney World, Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and Disney’s Beach Club Resort all provide this opportunity for quick on-foot access to Epcot and back.
Enter the Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews hotel that not only offers proximity to Epic Universe, but a dedicated entrance from the hotel straight to the park gates – the first of any Universal hotel to do that, and certainly a standard setter in theme-park lodging for years to come.
From Mission: SPACE to the Space 220 restaurant and Spaceship Earth herself, Epcot has had a theme-park hold on the celestial in Orlando since it opened in 1982. And with that aesthetic came a sprawling, immersive, global landscape, complete with stunning fountain shows and, unfortunately, a few shady spots, especially in the World Showcase. Epic Universe shares all these traits.
But alongside the aforementioned attached Helios Grand Hotel embracing everything astrological, Epic’s Celestial Park itself also does this well. And while Epcot has Spaceship Earth – a staple and classic, don’t get me wrong – Epic has Stardust Racers, a dueling coaster that manages to make the celestial as thrilling as possible while also providing some tearjerking, nostalgic memories to those of us whose first-ever coaster may have been Dueling Dragons at Islands of Adventure (RIP).
Tickets for Epic Universe, which has its grand opening on May 22, are on sale now at universalorlando.com.
