Epic Universe Trip 2025

The highlight of our whole trip had to be Epic Universe. It was the first week of June 2025 with the park having opened in late May of 2025. We planned for two days to give us time to explore. The first day was a bit more stressful and we didn’t arrive as early as we should have. Our first impression was that it was beautiful and the food was amazing. It was hot and overwhelming at times and some of the employees didn’t seem to have answers for our questions, but overall we would recommend this park and I’m sure it’ll only improve with time.

We started both our days at Nintendo World as not all the worlds were open for early entry. We stayed at a Universal hotel, Stella Nova, for this benefit, as well as being close to Epic Universe. We took our time deciding where to go on the first day and the ride times were high so we only rode one of the three rides and then explored the area. The power up bands and games were fun and worked well. While I did say that the food is amazing in Epic Universe, the reviews for Toadstool Cafe were not the best so we didn’t attempt it. I also noticed that the mobile ordering system doesn’t allow for much customization. We focused on places with menus that had items the kids would like, but I did learn that you could customize a meal by requesting service. The main purpose for the service seemed to be allergies but I’m sure anyone could use it. It’s a shame that the toadstool cafe didn’t have the option to easily remove mushrooms from their burger, but in my limited experience with universal in general, kid meals are harder to find as compared to Disney World at least. I don’t know why simple or plain options aren’t readily available on menus when it’s just asking for less items, especially when the theming is aimed at children. I have challenged my kids to try new things and it can end in tears and wasted food. I had similar tastes when I was younger so I can’t blame them.

Nintendo World was interactive but the power up bands do cost $40 each. We ended up getting three at our hotel gift shop so we could connect them to the Universal app before we arrived at Nintendo World. I knew I didn’t need one so I did not get one. They are slap bands with a disc on top that allows you to interact with bricks and items within Nintendo World, as if you are in a Mario game. This is the reason my video-game-loving son believes this is the best theme park ever made. There were areas only accessible once certain items had been earned with your power up band, but family members (including the lame mom who didn’t want to buy one) could accompany those in their group who had reached that level. All in all, I would say the power up band is essential for enjoying all that Nintendo World has to offer, but not for everyone in the party. This is a difference from the magic bands in Disney World, which are never essential, but helpful for all people as they grant access to hotel rooms, parks and lightning lanes, as well as interact with your environment and shows with vibration and light effects. The power up bands themselves never vibrated or made sounds, but the items you touched them to did recognize the proximity with a satisfying and accurate Nintendo sound effect. The app also registered all your touch points, and in addition to collecting coins, there were many games and stickers to collect throughout the land.

The logistical and accessible access to Nintendo World is not ideal. In order for them to attain their effect of depth in Nintendo, this is the only world within Epic that has you elevate via escalators and then descend stairs to various levels. Thankfully we do not use strollers anymore, but this appeared to be stressful for some. There is an elevator for those in need, but stairs are very commonly used in Universal. Early entry was also stressful. Despite our hotel being within walking distance, we had to walk away from the entrance very far into the parking lot to access the end of the line. It felt like we lost the benefit of staying close by, but we improved our arrival time and brought food on our second day so that we wouldn’t have to walk so far to access the end of the line. They also didn’t seem to be effective in verifying hotel guests. Only certain worlds opened for early entry and they had barriers and too few staff checking hotel cards. They assumed a bottle neck would be the ideal solution to check hotel cards, but it caused crowding and chaos with many pushing past and stampeding into the world. We were recommended by staff to bypass the escalator (which is a green pipe that makes the iconic Mario sound) and take the side door to avoid the crowds. It was a helpful tip for bypassing crowds, and we were able to experience the main entrance later that night. It’s necessary to take the main entrance as it’s just so cool. The kids' opinions are that Nintendo World is the best ever, and also too crowded and busy. Mario Kart was their favorite ride and we rode it once each day. The line is very well themed and entertaining for Mario lovers. The Yoshi ride is relaxing and fun to search for eggs. Unfortunately we did have rainy days and the outdoor rides shut down during inclement weather. We didn’t try the food but the kids did get exclusive smoothies and did not like them because they were too tart. It can feel very overwhelming and loud with limited areas for escape from the crowds. We preferred visiting early and late in the day as the middle of the day was very busy and bright with limited shade.

Celestial Park is the central area connecting all the portals to the worlds together. We enjoyed the food and shopping options here. There were a couple rides but we did not try the thrilling roller coaster, Stardust racers. We did try the carousel and unfortunately didn’t have a good experience. We were getting hungry and ended up eating right after. We didn’t like it because they allowed us all in and then many of the seats were out of order and my husband didn’t get a carriage. Unlike typical carousels, no one is permitted to stand next to a rider so he had to leave the ride. The seats also weren’t comfortable according to my daughter. I think this ride would look more impressive at night. We went for pizza at Pizza Moon and can highly recommend everything about it. We sat down, and were greeted by staff with plates. We weren't sure of the size of the pizzas so staff was helpful with guidance and we decided on two pizzas for our family of four. We ordered via the app from the QR code printed on the table and the food was delivered to us. This is so helpful on a busy theme park day to avoid standing in lines and navigating crowds with a tray of food.

My favorite world was How to Train Your Dragon World, Isle of Berk. It was expansive, unlike Nintendo World, and evoked emotion immediately upon entering. The soundtrack from the movie is playing and you really feel as though you are walking into the movie. From fire breathing dragons, smells of delicious meats and views of sparkling water, I was both excited and at peace. The highlights were the show, The Untrainable Dragon, and the food, so don’t skip those but the rides are also thrilling. My son was willing to skip out on seeing dragon animatronics on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders because he doesn’t like roller coasters. I was disappointed for him as he’s seen every movie and show with these characters multiple times, but on our second day, we made a wonderful discovery. We finally made time to visit the play area, the Viking Training Camp, and found we could see some of the dragon animatronics in the ride from the towers there. It’s not possible to see Hiccup and Toothless but he was happy to see the hatching eggs and dragons and watch others experience the ride. The kids favorite food of all was located at Mead Hall so we ate here for lunch both days and even got to see the twins, Rough nut and Tough nut, causing mischief. I loved that the kid’s meals came with a fruit and a vegetable, and the kids loved the taste of everything and that it came in a little cardboard viking boat. The kids also enjoyed Fyre Drill but you will get wet. There is a large bin to keep bags dry and we wore ponchos, however the water is everywhere and your feet will get soaked. We had so much rain that we grew accustomed to wet feet but I think we did plan a midday break at the hotel on our second day to allow for a change after this ride.

The Ministry of Magic World is beautiful and inspired by France. We made this our third stop on our first day and unfortunately, had a breakdown soon after entering. It was the height of the afternoon and it was hot and crowded. The Butterbeer truck said they were out of stock and then another said they weren’t and lines were long. We’re a midday break family and didn’t plan one in due to all we wanted to see. We ducked into a dark alleyway for some shade and a respite from the crowds and noticed a sign for Le Gobelet Noir. This dark, cool restaurant was mostly empty in the middle of the afternoon and it saved us. We ordered frozen Butterbeers and some snacks and had enough space to put our feet up on empty chairs and rest. This was a treat because I wouldn’t have selected this restaurant in advance. It didn’t have entrees the kids ate and was themed for dark wizards so I might’ve thought it would be scary but it was a perfect rest space. We felt prepared to attempt the Battle of the Ministry after this small break. This is the only ride in this world and always had the highest wait time while we were there. It was a two hour wait so we entered the line. Unfortunately I have to say unfortunately again because the ride went down more than once while we waited. The total wait time was over three hours and when we exited at 7pm, the line was at capacity. This meant no additional guests were allowed to enter and we saw some unhappy people. I loved the ministry building and the many, many wizarding world details everywhere, so the time was well spent, however three hours was not in the plan. I didn’t enjoy the ride by that time because I needed a bathroom. I never knew how much longer we would be in line so I never asked if I could leave and come back. The kids were also hungry as they didn’t eat meals at Le Gobelet Noir. We didn’t have the patience for any more magic after being sequestered in the Ministry for so long so we left for cheeseburgers and chicken tenders at Meteor Astropub. On our second day, we were able to explore more of the Ministry world including the show, Le Cirque Arcanus, the shops and Bar Moonshine. It was a much more lovely experience and the show was fantastic. We didn’t attempt the ride again and the kids enjoyed interactive wand displays and a magical drink that changed color at Bar Moonshine. I found the adult drink options to be some of the best quality of theme parks with real fresh rosemary and great taste without the filler.

We didn’t make it to the Dark Universe World until our second day. It was afternoon and we got ice cream in Celestial Park and strolled into Dark Universe to finally check it out. I should say that I do not enjoy horror movies. I have taken a class called Monsters in Literature and enjoyed reading and discussing the meaning within the stories, but I don’t enjoy the gore and jump scares in many film adaptations. The world is immersive and I’m glad that fans of dark fantasy have a place to celebrate their interests. Matt rode the Monsters Unchained ride and enjoyed it. As far as bringing kids into the world, they were tolerant of it for a short time and we had no incidents. No characters are doing jump scares and sounds are more background creepy than actually frightening. The wind mill that catches fire was mildly interesting to them and they had ice cream to keep their spirits up but they were happy when we said we could leave. We didn’t ride the Curse of the Werewolf as the wait time wasn’t low enough and we had more to do in other worlds.

We spent the majority of our time at Epic Universe in Nintendo World and the Isle of Berk. They had the most rides and attractions appealing to our children. It was essential for us to have more than one day and have a hotel nearby. We could take the bus or walk to Stella Nova and I’m so glad we planned to stay close. It wasn’t a bad bus ride to the other parks as well, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The kids enjoyed the pool with underwater music and plenty of pool toys for anyone to enjoy. We had a good deal of rain on this entire trip so planning ahead helped to make sure we could see everything we wanted to and still have some rest between busy park days. Epic Universe is large but the walking didn’t feel extreme and we could be flexible with the timing of our decisions except in the case of making it to show times. I’m glad they just added a nighttime show as of this summer of 2026 as it felt like something that was missing on our trip. The park is beautifully lit at night but it felt anticlimactic as we left with no epic show to close out the night. We look forward to visiting this park again and would recommend it to movie and video game fans of any age.