An Insider's Guide to Epic Universe, as the New Universal Theme Park Opens Next Week
A brand new theme park is opening next week in Orlando, and CNET has been there already. We're here to provide you with an insider's guide to Universal Resort Orlando's Epic Universe, which has five lands: Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic and Celestial Park.
Opening May 22, Epic Universe will be the fourth Universal Orlando theme park after Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and water park Volcano Bay. Universal says it's hoping to become "a weeklong vacation destination," much like its main competitor Walt Disney World, which has six theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, along with water parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
Part of Universal's expansion also includes three new hotels: Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort, bringing its total to 11 hotels. (Disney World has more than 20 hotels, for comparison.)
Check out CNET's guide below for what you need to know about Epic Universe, including ticket prices, new rides, restaurants and opening dates. And read here for more on Universal's planned UK theme park.
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Super Nintendo World and Donkey Kong Country
Princess Peach's castle in Super Mario World at Epic Universe.
Scott Stein/CNET
Universal Orlando is finally joining Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood in opening a Mario-themed land. Much like in the Japan and Hollywood parks, the marquee ride is Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, where you hop inside a kart, collect coins and throw shells to try to win the cup.
There's also Mine Cart Madness, a Donkey Kong-themed roller coaster, and Yoshi's Adventure, where you board a Yoshi and go egg-spotting through the Mushroom Kingdom.
There'll be meet and greets with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad, and the Toadstool Cafe for your dining needs.
Buy a Power-Up Band and you'll be able to collect coins throughout the land and rides on the wearable wristband. It works throughout all three Super Nintendo World locations.
How to Train Your Dragon's Isle of Berk
Wooden dragons in How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk land.
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How to Train Your Dragon is finally getting some space in a Universal theme park, 15 years after the original movie (which still has 99% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes) was released in 2010.
The much-loved DreamWorks movie, which featured Hiccup the teenage Viking and his quest to befriend rather than kill a dragon he names Toothless, spawned two sequels (both with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes), as well as 10 seasons of two separate animated series and a live-action version of the first movie, which releases in 2025.
Now, you'll be able to visit Berk (Florida's version). It won't be as cold, but it will be filled with Viking characters walking around the land, dragon robots you can greet on the ground and dragons flying over the colorful wooden buildings.
Hiccup's Wing Gliders is the main attraction, a roller coaster that simulates the experience of riding on a dragon. A second ride, Dragon Racer's Rally, will see each rider strapped into an individual dragon-shaped seat attached to a pendulum arm, flipping upside down as the arm swings up and around.
There's also a water ride called Fyre Drill, where you'll board a Viking longboat and shoot water cannons at the dragon targets and other boats you sail past, while you in turn get soaked.
For the younger visitors, Viking Training Camp is an adventure playground where they can climb, run, slide and play with interactive elements.
Rounding out the land is a live show starring Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Gobber, and Mead Hall, a dining option serving Scandinavian offerings like fish, meat, ale and mead.
Dark Universe: classic Universal monsters
The entrance of the Curse of the Werewolf ride.
Scott Stein/CNET
This sinister-sounding land is dedicated to all the classic Universal monsters out there, with villains from Frankenstein's monster to Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon roaming Darkmoor Village.
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is a ride inside a spooky Victorian manor, where you need to escape the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein. A second ride, Curse of the Werewolf, is a coaster that soars through the forest as you escape a pack of werewolves.
You can also experience the wonders of theatrical makeup and be transformed into a werewolf, vampire or mummy with the Monster Makeup Experience.
There are two dining locations in Dark Universe:
Das Stakehaus, a vampire-themed restaurant.
The Burning Blade Tavern, a more casual eatery inside a windmill that catches fire several times each hour.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic
An animatronic house elf in line for the Battle at the Ministry ride.
Scott Stein/CNET
This is the third Harry Potter location at Universal Orlando, after the Diagon Alley area in Universal Studios Florida and the Hogwarts/Hogsmeade area in Islands of Adventure.
It'll span both the Fantastic Beasts movies and the original Harry Potter series, meaning most of the land is themed after Paris in the 1920s, from where you can travel by the Métro-Floo network to the British Ministry of Magic in the 1990s.
The main attraction is the Battle at the Ministry ride, where you'll help the trio fight Dolores Umbridge. It's similar to the mechanics of the Hogwarts ride, except you'll be in an elevator compartment at the Ministry of Magic, and it also features much-updated technology so it's even more immersive.
There's also Le Cirque Arcanus, a live show with performers, puppets and special effects, and is set in the Fantastic Beasts universe.
There'll be plenty to explore in this new area, including a new wand store called Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique, more interactive wand locations and a French restaurant called Café L'air De La Sirène.
It's not connected to the Hogwarts Express train ride that connects the other two Harry Potter lands in Orlando, however, due to the park's distance from Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
Celestial Park, and that double roller coaster
The dueling coasters in Celestial Park.
Scott Stein/CNET
Celestial Park is themed as a cosmic getaway, where you can ride a rocket at speeds of up to 62mph on the dual-launch roller coaster Stardust Racers -- or if something slower-paced is more your thing, you can ride the Constellation Carousel.
There are also two restaurants -- Atlantic and The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant -- as well as a shopping location called the Nintendo Super Star Store.
Celestial Park is the hub of the new theme park: you'll enter Epic Universe into Celestial Park, and from there can take one of the four portals into the other lands.
How much do Epic Universe tickets cost?
The portal into Super Nintendo World, which has an escalator taking you up into the sub-park.
Scott Stein/CNET
Ticket pricing depends on how many days you want to spend at Universal Studios Florida, as well as which parks you want to go to, and whether you want to visit more than one park each day. Here are the options and starting prices. Keep in mind that pricing will change depending on what day of the week and time of year you visit, too.
For now, you can only purchase multiday park tickets to visit Epic Universe, unless you're a Universal passholder. In future, Universal will allow you to buy a single-day ticket only to visit the new park, but that option is not yet available.
3-day park tickets
3 day, 4-park hopper: $452/adult, $442/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
3-day, 3-park hopper: $412/adult, $402/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
3-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $352/adult, $342/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios and one day at Islands of Adventure).
4-day park tickets
4-day, 4-park hopper: $486/adult, $476/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other three days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
4-day, 3-park hopper: $436/adult, $426/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
4-day, 4 parks, one park per day: $421/adult, $411/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios, one day at Islands of Adventure and one day at Volcano Bay).
4-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $371/adult, $361/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios and one day at Islands of Adventure).
5-day park tickets
5-day, 4-park hopper: $522/adult, $512/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other four days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
5-day, 3-park hopper: $462/adult, $452/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other four days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
5-day, 4 parks, one park per day: $452/adult, $442/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, and then choose between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay for your other one-day tickets).
5-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $392/adult, $382/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, and then choose between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for your other one-day tickets).
Express Pass and VIP tours at Epic Universe
You can now also purchase a 1-day Express Pass for Epic Universe that'll allow you to skip the lines at each attraction once. The cost is between $130 and $310 per person (on top of your regular ticket), depending on what date you go.
And if you want a truly luxe experience, you can fork over between $390 and $650 per person (also on top of your ticket) for a 4-hour VIP guided walking tour of the new park. With a VIP package, you'll also get priority entrance to the rides, a discount on merchandise, complimentary valet parking and more.
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