Why You Should Skip Epic Universe
Epic Universe is fantastic, with world-class rides, shows, and restaurants. If I had to choose only one park to visit in Florida in 2026, it wouldn’t be Magic Kingdom or anywhere else at Walt Disney World–it’d be Universal’s third gate. At the same time, there major downsides to visiting this highly-anticipated new park while it’s still finding its footing.
Although I’m fully aboard the Epic Universe hype train, I also recognize that not everyone is me. The average tourist might not have the same time or tolerances to experience a new theme park and all that entails. Moreover, I’m somewhat concerned that the hype train is going a tad too fast, and needs the brakes pumped before it risks derailment.
To that end, I want to make the argument against visiting Epic Universe. Why you should skip it in 2026, and wait until 2027 to visit Universal Orlando’s new theme park. With everyone else fixated on hype, I thought it’d be pragmatic to temper expectations. With that said, this is one half of a point-counterpoint article series. For the companion piece, see Here’s Why We Highly Recommend Doing 2 Days at Epic Universe.
This article outlines the case against Epic Universe–that much should be obvious. If you’re excited about Universal Orlando’s new theme park, have already bought your vacation package or park tickets, or are otherwise averse to negativity, this post is probably not for you. This details the potential pitfalls in visiting Epic Universe in its first year-plus, meaning that it’s a bit of a downer by design.
While you may want to skip this post about skipping Epic Universe if you have zero intentions of skipping Epic Universe, there might be value even for those of you fully aboard the hype train. First, it’ll help in managing expectations. Second, in preparing for these downsides to mitigate their impact to the greatest extent possible.
On with the list of reasons why maybe you should wait to visit Epic Universe until 2027 or beyond…
Heat, Sun & Shade (or Lack Thereof)
Apparently, Epic Universe was designed for the folks who thought Toy Story Land was just a bit too chilly and didn’t offer enough opportunities to crispen their skin or get soaked during a storm. We’ve been critical of recent lands at Walt Disney World when it comes to the lack of cover and how hot they get, wondering if the designers responsible had ever left the comfort of their 70-degree air-conditioned offices in California.
The team behind Epic Universe heard that and said “hold my beer,” cranked their office A/C to 62, and designed the hottest and least shaded theme park I’ve ever experienced. There was a lot of bluster from Universal about Celestial Park putting the “park” back in theme park. Apparently that does not include trees or shade structures of any sort, but does include the most reflective pavement on earth. You can feel the heat from both above and below, making it difficult to spend time in the land during the day.
Celestial Park is lovely, to be sure, but all of the praise for it is necessarily coming at night. I seldom saw more than a handful of guests in here during the day aside from those going from point A to B. It was always a veritable ghost town, and for good reason–it’s really uncomfortable. None of this is exaggeration.
The other portals are better, but only marginally so. Ministry of Magic feels like a sauna, with the same reflective properties and heat emanating from the pavement and facades, until the sun is lower in the sky and the buildings block it from view. It’s a similar story in Super Nintendo World, Isle of Berk, and Dark Daylight Universe.
If you are going to visit Epic Universe this summer, I’d strongly recommend an umbrella with UV protection, cool-dude bucket hat, and ridiculously strong sunscreen. Also, be sure to bring your own water bottle–to Universal’s immense credit, there are refilling stations all over the place, including in queues. (See our Summer Survival Guide to Walt Disney World for more recommendations.)
There are several factors that contribute to Epic Universe having a worse “feels like” environment than other Central Florida theme parks, but the biggest is a lack of permanent shade structures and no mature trees. Epic Universe will be a lovely park-like setting a decade from now, but in the immediate future, it can be miserable on hot and sunny days.
High Prices
There have been a lot of complaints among Walt Disney World fans about price increases, and that conversation is often accompanied by comparisons to Universal Orlando. Many have suggested they’ll vote with their wallets and visit Epic Universe instead due to Walt Disney World pricing them out.
This doesn’t quite add up. Epic Universe is extremely expensive. For my first few visits, Epic Universe tickets, I paid as much as $180 per day after tax. Subsequent days in the park last year were cheaper.
The good news is that this year has brought with it more reasonable options with the release of 2026 Epic Universe 1-Day, Multi-Day, Park Hopper & Discount Tickets. This means you can now visit Epic Universe multiple days or portions of days; you could spend every waking hour at Epic Universe, never doing the legacy parks at all.
This is a big win versus buying multiple single day tickets, which is what was necessary last year. If spending multiple days at Universal Orlando in 2026, I’d want to spend at least two-thirds of that time at Epic Universe–two days there and a day split between the existing gates. I’d add that this is practically necessary given the below issues.
If you do opt for only a single day at Epic Universe, those 1-day prices are still high. And I’d add that, in that case, you might want to strongly consider Express Pass, which is even more expensive.
Personally, I’d go with multiple days (or portions of multiple days) over a single day with Express Pass for a few reasons, but to each their own. Some people have more money than time!
High Wait Times Despite Low Attendance
The new theme park is seeing astronomical wait times for a number of reasons despite relatively low attendance. Despite low attendance, Epic Universe has astronomical wait times.
Since opening, the park’s monthly wait time averages have been 56 to 66 minutes. This may not seem that bad. After all, many rides at Walt Disney World have wait times that are over an hour. But keep in mind that this is an average across all rides and throughout the day, and it doesn’t take into account downtime (see below).
Weekly average wait times at Epic Universe since opening have been 44 to 82 minutes. Daily numbers have been even more extreme. And it’s not getting any better. Epic Universe’s busiest two months have been January and February 2026. March will likely be equally bad once the dust settles on Spring Break.
Some of those days have been absurdly busy. In January, Epic Universe had its busiest day ever. Not just the highest wait times ever for Epic Universe, but for any park at Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World since at least 2019–and by a very wide margin. The average wait on that date was 107 minutes, with peak waits of over 300 minutes and multiple headliners hitting 200+ minutes throughout the day.
To put these numbers into perspective, it’s also worth noting that Walt Disney World’s two busiest days since 2019 have been 71 and 70 minute waits–both came during the weeks of New Year’s (early 2020 and late 2023). Walt Disney World’s average wait time since Epic Universe opened has been less than half of Epic Universe. The same goes for Universal Orlando’s other parks.
On any given day, Walt Disney World’s average wait time has typically been less than half of Epic Universe. The same goes for Universal Orlando’s other parks, which are seeing averages of around 25 to 30 minutes.
This may seem contradictory, but Epic Universe has been seeing New Year’s Eve level wait times on a near-weekly basis since opening despite having attendance that’s one-third to half of the park’s theoretical capacity.
Wait times at Epic Universe are worse than any other park at Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World despite the likelihood of lower daily attendance than any of them. The high wait times at Epic Universe are due to ride reliability and operational inefficiency, and not overwhelming demand.
To the contrary, all signs have pointed to fairly modest attendance. Aside from Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, both of which are cramped lands based on hugely popular brands, congestion isn’t really an issue at Epic Universe. The park usually doesn’t feel crowded, even when wait times are triple-digits.
Universal has stated that efficiency and capacity constraints are posing problems for the new park. During the company’s most recent earnings call, Comcast CFO Jason S. Armstrong shared that Epic Universe is “not yet operating at full run rate capacity, but we’ve made meaningful progress expanding ride throughput and remain focused on scaling further over the next several quarters with higher attendance, stronger per-caps, and additional operating leverage over time.”
In plain English, this means that they hope to both improve operational efficiency by getting the rides firing on all cylinders while also increasing attendance. At the same time, Comcast leadership has shared that this process will be slow-going, and take until the end of 2026.
It’s unclear why leadership believes it’s going to take another full year to ramp up Epic Universe, but we’ve noticed minimal progress made on our visits, even ones that have been months apart. Hence our recommendation to consider skipping Epic Universe until 2027. Operational woes and high wait times are showing no signs of relenting anytime soon, so the wait may be longer than originally anticipated.
All of this is partly the nature of the beast with a new theme park. And it’s not going to become consistent anytime soon. Wait times and crowd levels on par with the worst week of the year at Walt Disney World are an obvious reason to skip Epic Universe.
Operations should find its footing, efficiency should improve, weather should get better. However, it’s also worth pointing out that the park is lacking in capacity and it’s heavy on headliners. What if it’s only going to get worse from here?! What if it’s a failure of imagination to not see this all somehow worsening?!
A good example of this already happening is Universal overselling Express Pass for Epic Universe and adding Mine-Cart Madness and Battle at the Ministry to the line-skipping service to boost sales, despite neither having the capacity or reliability needed to be part of that yet.
Wait times could also increase as attendance increases because, as mentioned above by Comcast leadership, that is one of the goals as Epic Universe continues to scale up. The company didn’t spend $7 billion on this new park for its current (modest) attendance.
Comcast could decide its quarterly numbers aren’t looking so hot–that the theme park segment is falling short of analyst expectations–and start selling Annual Passes, Florida resident ticket deals, or multi-day tickets without restrictions. There’s a huge number of locals who are tapped out on single day tickets, sitting on the sidelines waiting for APs or special offers.
Universal could reassess strategies, and roll out monetized earlier entry (a la Super Nintendo World at USH) or late nights. It’s all uncharted ground, and unpredictable. Attendance could increase, and crowds could worsen.
In the here and now, it actually is possible to beat the crowds at Epic Universe, bad as they are. If you’re eligible to take advantage of Early Park Admission, that’s huge. Even if not, regular rope drop is a great time to knock out one portal.
Staying late to outlast the crowds at the end of the night is likewise another excellent strategic option for low waits. The first two hours of the morning and last two of the evening are as or more valuable than the entire middle of the day.
It’s also possible to choose your day to visit strategically. I’ve been to Epic Universe several times now, and have yet to encounter peak crowds. See our Epic Universe Crowd Calendar: Best Dates to Visit in 2026 for advice. The worst and least busy dates are actually pretty predictable, albeit slightly counter-intuitive and unlike the other Universal Orlando theme parks.
Suffice to say, if you’re considering a visit during the shoulder season or off-season, our advice is much different than if you’re traveling during a school break or the heart of summer.
I wouldn’t hesitate to visit in August or September 2026, or even certain dates in November or December 2026. But other dates between now and then, and even in early 2027, would be complete non-starters.
Honestly, I’m skeptical there’s going to be an “answer” to the park’s problem until the second wave of expansion comes online. Even though that’s currently being fast-tracked, the best case scenario on new attractions is probably 2028. In the meantime, the park really needs a daytime parade, added entertainment, and a proper nighttime spectacular.
Getting in Shape
Epic Universe continues the trend of Universal’s stringent guest containment policies, meaning aggressive restraints even on the slower moving attractions. This had the recipe for being another Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, a slow-moving dark ride that many larger guests cannot experience due to its restraints. Thankfully, that is not the case.
Everything we’ve heard suggests that Universal Orlando took guest feedback to heart with Epic Universe, and the restraints are largely friendly to Pooh-sized guests. There are limits on this, but the same is true with Walt Disney World–TRON Lightcycle Run and Avatar Flight of Passage would like a word.
I’m about the worst person to speak to this, so it’s all second-hand from friends who reported being pleasantly surprised. There are plenty of resources tailored to this type of guest, but the salient point is you probably don’t need to fear embarrassment or accessibility issues if you’re a larger guest. Universal seems to have done a really good job threading the needle when it comes to Epic Universe’s seats and restraints.
The bigger issue, and the one I absolutely did notice, is all of the stairs. On my days in Epic Universe, I somehow managed to log an upwards of 20 flights per day. It seems like every single attraction has stairs both in the queue and at unload. Of course, attractions are also accessible, so there are elevators, but waiting around for those might not be an ideal use of your time.
Personally, I do not think Epic Universe involves an excessive amount of walking as a result of the portals. My average steps per day was lower, and considerably so, than prior days at Walt Disney World. But the difference is that I was actively trying to avoid spending time outdoors due to the heat and lack of shade and I did way more rides per day than my norm. So I’m not really sure that step count was representative of an average guest’s day.
Point being, you might want to work on endurance and get in shape a bit before Epic Universe. The one-two punch of the heat and the stairs makes this a park that can be unduly tiring. It was for me despite fewer steps, and I’m decently in shape.
Breakdowns & Downtime
As you’ve probably witnessed if you’ve spent any amount of time being a Walt Disney World fan, new attractions have growing pains and are often plagued by problems their first few months. This is not a uniquely Disney problem. It’s the nature of the beast as attractions become more complex.
Epic Universe is an entire park of new rides, many of which are innovative and envelope-pushing. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is far from the only problematic attraction. It’s actually become one of the better performers as of June and July, owing at least in part to the fact that it’s indoors so it doesn’t suffer from weather-related delays.
Pretty much every single one of the park’s marquee attractions has levels of downtime higher than what guests would consider reasonable. These are unscheduled breakdowns, so they’re obviously unpredictable, but there’s not even consistency to which attractions are impacted. It seems like just as one problematic ride hits its stride and starts running smoothly, a new one starts having issues.
For the first few months that Epic Universe has been greeting guests, there have been some really rough days. We have not experienced these, thankfully, but have talked to friends who have (and have observed from afar via the Universal Orlando app).
Multiple headliners going down has a cascading effect, causing congestion in restaurants with long delays for mobile orders, and spiking the wait times of the rides that are open. Keep in mind that this is during days when attendance is heavily capped. When rides come back online, the backlog of Express Pass means sky-high standby wait times.
Suffice to say, you’re not going to want to be in Epic Universe the first time there’s an operational meltdown with the park operating at or nearer full capacity. It’s going to be a nightmare. And it’ll be one exacerbated by the above concerns about the lack of shade, as well as sufficient crowd-absorbing counterprogramming.
In the longer term, we don’t expect any of this to be much of an issue. Almost every new attraction or land has initial growing pains, especially the advanced ones. Again, Epic Universe is an entire park of those! We’re not trying to be critical or nitpick–this is more of a sober “it is what it is” type of commentary.
A year from now, our expectation is that Epic Universe is operating smoothly and with a high degree of efficiency. Many of the problems on this list, including ride reliability, will resolve themselves over time. There’s something to be said for experiencing a brand-new theme park, but there’s also a non-monetary cost to doing so. Consider both before taking the plunge.
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be attending Epic Universe ASAP, or will you skip it until the new park settles into a groove? Concerned about unreliable rides, how hot the park gets, or anything else discussed here? Think Epic Universe is a third gate that’s a worthy addition to Universal Orlando Resort…and on par with Walt Disney World? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
I am going to wait until at least one of the Disney projects is complete to visit Epic Universe. That way while everyone is checking out Tropical Americas I’ll be experiencing shorter lines (hopefully).
The lack of shade and number of steps are concerns for me. But even more so is that Epic, even more than Studios or IOA has a very limited number of attractions that people with motion sickness can ride. It seems like they really need to add some boat ride or other dark rides that don’t use Kukla arms or similar tech.
I totally agree with this! We just did 2 days of previews, and while I had a great time, for the average person who just wants a theme park experience without issues, it’s best to wait for a while. These issues are going to get worse before they get better.
So epic has the same heat problems as epcot and hollywood studios. Disapointing but it doesnt stop people going to those parks in the day. At least epic has some water based attractions.
Not sure how stairs are a negative. I like getting a workout in the theme park. Means i dont need to go to the gym that day.
The lack of night is weird. Perhaps they figure if they hold that off along with night time entertainmemt they can lure people back for a second trip in one to two years time.
For a brand new theme park 180 dollar single tickets sounds cheap. It should be double magic kingdom single day tickets. The fact its only marginally higher is staggering. And you can pair a multi day package with one day at epic with a single day pass to give you a pretty reasonable price for a universal visit with multiple epic universe days.
Well, be happy stairs are a positive for you. (When my daughter was young she hated walking on flat surfaces but loved stairs or ramps. So she’s with you!) But there are a lot of people with mobility problems and for them stairs can be a challenge.
What planet are you from?
After my wife had need of a wheelchair again on our Easter trip just an afternoon at EPCOT, but still), I took a closer look at all of those stairs visible in Tom’s (and others) pictures of SNW at Universal Hollywood. They seem to use stairs there like Gaston uses antlers, but unlike Galaxy’s Edge there doesn’t seem to be ramped pathways around to everything for strollers/wheelchairs/what have you. Was this an issue in all of EU or basically just in Mario Land?
Tom, thanks for the heads up on the heat index! We were initially considering a post-Labor Day trip but given my contempt for Florida summer (it attacked me first!), I should probably push for an October trip at the earliest.
The alternative to the stairs is almost always elevators. There are a couple of ramps in Celestial Park, but I think it’s almost exclusively stairs/elevators within the lands.
I found it difficult to track down elevators, especially at Mario land and did think that the stairs were a bit much. I’m sure if you seek out a staff member and specifically explain your situation they would do more to help, but there are a ton of stairs at epic And unlike an earlier comment or I don’t think it’s cool to get in a workout while I’m trying to go on vacation.
We had the opposite experience – we knew Federal ADA requirement meant elevators were going to be a bit concealed, but always there. My gal is recovering from knee surgery, therefore we searched them out.
Geez, every single stairway has clearly marked alternatives for handicapped and otherwise impaired people. We had no problems. However, I have noticed that some seem to enjoy bashing Epic. You were either drunk or buzzed, had your eyes closed, or are engaged in Epibashing. Federal ADA laws were fully complied with when they built the place. Period.
I have to say this almost made me laugh out loud because I feel so vindicated. I was looking at youtube videos trying to decide whether to add a (very expensive) epic universe day to our disney trip in August and what kept holding me back was all that sun and concrete everywhere—that plus you had previously reported the lack of evening hours, as we often like to do mornings and evenings with a midday break to escape the heat. I don’t think lack of mature trees is a good excuse—they could have created awnings and shaded walkways, or “outside but actually inside” spaces like knockturn alley. We’ll wait and go on MLK day or another winter long weekend when the weather is cooler and we sun sets earlier, because from the photos of the evening windmill and lights I think we will really enjoy it most at night
Visiting in winter definitely feels like the play, at this point.
Even if they pull a Universal and have Epic Universe close at 7 pm or whatever, that’s still more night time than you’ll get in June or July! And of course, it comes with cooler temperatures (knock on wood) in the first place. Perhaps lower crowds, too? Or at least more predictable ones.
I was hoping, in vain, that EU would have a nighttime spectacular. Since the park is not isolated, maybe not big fireworks but something… like a type of World of Color show combined with drone technology. Perhaps there isn’t space from which to launch drones, and maybe they chose more ride space than the space a big lagoon for a show might take up. I love parades and Disney nighttime spectaculars and wish the shiny new park would have had some of that, that would make the steep price more palatable for my family during the opening season pains. So we decided to skip it during our week-long WDW visit this summer and will instead wait and add-on a day when we’re back to WDW in late 2027. On the plus side, that freed up travel funds to include visiting Honk Kong Disneyland when we go to Taiwan in January 2026! (Already did Tokyo Disney last November so that’s why HKDL)
Very smart decision to postpone a family trip to Epic given the heat/sun/shade situation (which is really disappointing to learn).
As you may already know, there’s really nothing more unrelentingly exasperating than traveling with an overheated toddler.
We’ve actually been very lucky/fortunate to primarily travel when the weather has been tolerable.
There was one family trip to Walt Disney World last summer that was absolutely miserable, but that was somewhat unavoidable since it was the opening of TBA. Lesson learned there–since then, I’ve done all of the unpleasant weather trips on my own. Was hoping the grand opening of EU would be different, but alas.
Can you speak to how Epic Universe is for the thrill adverse? Part of what I think makes Disney so great is how much there is to do without ever stepping on a roller coaster. Last time I was at Universal a decade ago I found nearly every ride too thrilling.
The older Universal Orlando parks do lean heavy on the thrill rides, and what’s left is a lot of screen-based rides, sadly, but from what I hear there is a lot of variety at the new park! Not everything is a roller coaster and it’s not screen-heavy.
Tom, good article, thank you. Preview ticket prices dropped to around $130 per day. I took my $180 tickets to Guest Relations and they refunded the difference. They’re working hard to be very good to us. Also, I anticipated the heat, then had this confirmed (without asking first) by a Guest Relations team member. She said “Remember the vegetation is young, so bring umbrellas and sun screen.” Point well taken in your article. This immediately made me think to also bring cooling towels and empty water bottles. Yes, there are filling stations. So visitors – prepare in advance for our Florida summers.
You’re right about waiting until 2026 – or even until 2027. That’s very hard to do for some of us. As I’m certain you know, the previews are essential for those who want to photograph the park as it looks on opening day. We know that things will very likely be changed (or closed) during the first year of the park’s operation. For myself, it is not essential – but great fun – to personally see, and then capture, things that will not survive long past the opening.
Cheers to you and your efforts to keep us informed!
Another concern I would have this summer (and summers in general) would be what happens when thunderstorms invariably come through in the afternoon. Lots of the rides are at least partly outside, and when that happens those rides will stop for lightening. And unlike Disney, there seem to be few rides which can keep going during a storm (I think just four – the Carousel, Harry Potter Battle of the Ministry, Monster’s Unchained, and Bowser’s Challenge).
This is another great (and accurate) point!
I’m told this park was designed in Florida, but some of the decisions really make me wonder. Seems very California.
I wonder how much COVID impacted this when epic was in development. there was a time when everyone wanted to be outside for everything! now the reality of heat and storms is a more important factor
Tom I’m currently seeing $190 for a $200 gift card at Sam’s starting tomorrow 5/2/2025 in am.
@Ellen I just saw the same thing. Tom, my comment is kind of in the wrong post but can you please confirm that it’s $180 at Sam’s for a $200 gift card (maybe it will show up in the morning?) or possibly edit the post on gift cards? Thanks for all you do!
That’s what the ad says (see the image in the gift cards post). I wouldn’t expect to see the sale price yet, as the promo isn’t live until tomorrow.
Tom…sorry to have jumped the gun with my comment! As you-the expert-said the 10% was indeed available this morning and I so appreciate the heads up. What a great deal! To
Liz-log in again and find a friend with Sam’s and buy double the maximum allowed 🙂
We’ve sworn off visits to Orlando in the summer, so the heat shouldn’t be a big issue – though we’ve had unpleasant December days in the queue for Slinky Dog Dash. We’ve already planned first week in December 2025 for our next visit, but are on the fence about Epic Universe this go around. I’ll anxiously await your upcoming counterpoint article, as right now we’re leaning against it.
Not to advocate against my own interests by discouraging you from reading articles, but this series really only applies to the opening seasons. Although it could apply further into the future, I would expect things to ‘evolve’ by around November.
We’re going to have a lot of Epic Universe coverage in the months to come. At some points the visits will slow down if they don’t offer an Annual Pass (I can’t keep shelling out $150+ for 1-day tickets!), but I fully intend to visit at the start of the holiday season.
Thanks Tom – our concern is specifically that demand and high prices would continue to burn hot through the holiday season. Appreciate the feedback!
Great advice, thanks for the heads up!
This review rings true. It seems like it will be a great park, but nothing like what it is being hyped to be. The most important aspect of the article is probably the VQ issue. For all the grief we give Disney IT, their systems have always been lightyears better than Universal’s. It will be a big problem if the Ministry VQ is perceived as unfair. There are going to a lot of complaints and hard feelings, which will lead to bad word of mouth, which is exactly what Universal should be trying to avoid. If they can’t make their systems fair, then they should just automatically give a random-time VQ to any ticket that enters the park on any given day (grouped together if there is a party). If the ride cannot handle every person riding once in a day, then they should not have designed their headliner attraction that way.
You have a point that with newer rides using cutting edge technology that ends up not working half the time, theme park designers are not heeding the old saying about not biting off more than you can chew.
The wait at ministry make we want to never do it again. It shut down more than half a dozen times while we were waiting. It was over a 2 1/2 hour wait. Maybe a couple of years from now they’ll have it all popping and you gotta go through it in 20 minutes but between ministry and Mine cart madness I literally sat in line for five hours. My feet were killing me. The rest of the ride had very quick times because it was in September with a very low crowd. To top it all off there was a young employee in line with me in another location that was explaining to his friends and that universal intentionally shuts down ministry of magic at 3 o’clock to fix the wheels, do basic maintenance but says it’s due to weather or something like that. I really felt jerked around.
Another issue is it’s not just the rides with downtime…it’s the shows! When we saw Cirque Arcanus, we got let in about 10 minutes behind schedule. We didn’t think much of it. Then later that night, when we were in line for Ministry, the family next to us told us they tried going to one show that got canceled, so then they went back for the next one and stood in line for over 20 minutes before they dumped that line. It didn’t show for the rest of the day. That’s kind of a big deal when shows are usually something reliable to suck up crowds when rides or down or it’s hot/rainy.
“When we saw Cirque Arcanus, we got let in about 10 minutes behind schedule.”
Great point! I still have not seen Cirque Arcanus, despite multiple attempts across different days! Managed to do Battle at the Ministry and everything else several times, but not that.
I’m there right now (before you judge me for wasting valuable park time, I’m replying from the insane Donkey Kong queue).
As an extremely frequent visitor, spending several days here was a no brainer. The rides are among the best in Orlando or indeed the world.
However the key word there is “among”. There are other rides and parks that are just as good. For someone visiting Orlando for the first time, prioritising Epic Universe seems like unnecessary pain. They could have just as good an experience riding ROTR, Guardians, Tron and Potter, without extreme queues and downtime.
I would also critique that the park “feels” small. I have no idea how it compares in physical size, but the use of portals segments the park and makes it feel like four relatively small (albeit incredibly immersive) lands.
No Single Rider for DK???
Agree with both of your other points, including that the park feels small. I don’t necessarily consider that criticism, as some of the lands benefit from that sense of intimacy, as opposed to the sprawl of Galaxy’s Edge or Fantasy Springs. Isle of Berk is the only one that feels expansive, and even that’s a double-edged sword due to the lack of a berm (a glaring fault for that land IMO).
I hit up mine carts on my second day after seeing most of the park already and was so pissed off after three hour wait I almost left. They kept shutting down the ride for weather delays when the sun was in the sky and all the other rides even roller coasters and outside things were still going. The queue was very uncomfortable and had a little to do. That was just absolutely terrible and then the ride was mid. At least the equally incredibly long wait at the ministry of magic was followed up by a very well done technologically amazing ride.
We just came back from a family trip to Universal and Disney, and were lucky enough to try out Epic because we stayed at Portofino during our time at Universal. The park was truly amazing and we loved having the opportunity to check it out during its soft opening. We had a hard time getting in the VQ for Ministry of Magic as well, and a staff member suggested that we not waste time inputting the number of guests in our party at the drop times. (We were finding the VQ spots were all taken within seconds of the drop times). The staff member said that as long as we got one person in the VQ, they would let our whole party (we are a family of 4) into the Queue at that time slot. We tried that as well, and still did not score a spot. However, my husband was persistent and continued to try for a spot and surprisingly, at around 8:20pm, he got one! We had trouble during all of the previous drops (11am, 3pm, 6pm). We dashed right over and were able to pretty much walk on! It was absolutely incredible, and one of our favourite rides there! I hope they find a better way of making this ride accessible to guests so that everyone can experience it!
Thanks for sharing your experience with the VL! I’ve heard similar sentiment from other guests, but it doesn’t sound completely consistent.
As always, thanks for your honest assessment, Tom! I’ve already divulged that I have sprung for the Shared VIP for our August visit, and this assessment makes me feel more confident that I made the right choice with that extravagant purchase (since delaying isn’t a possibility).
Hopefully things will be “figured out” by August to the extent that your VIP experience isn’t necessary, but even if it feels unnecessary and like you’ve wasted money, just remember that so much is unknown and unknowable right now. The best insurance is the kind you never end up needing.
One of the marvels of Disney, from the start, has been attention to plants, including shady ones. Canada at Epcot was notably clever. Epic Universe may simply need time, but one of the photos showed date palms that looked in poor condition. And sure, one of the weird things about visiting Newport Beach (Orange County, Calif.) is the coastal gloom, 60º air and surf. Hooded wetsuits!
I’m overdue to revisit Disney, so this month may be a good opportunity.
I’m not sure what Newport Beach has to do with this, but there’s a certain irony in that being the place where a disproportionate number of theme park leadership & creatives resides. (Perhaps that was the point?)