I had the pleasure of experiencing Epic Universe this past Sunday. It is indeed a triumph.
I want to start by responding to those here who have said “Universal went 90% of the way but didn’t go the last 10%.” Universal did indeed go the last 10%. The level of detail in each land of this park is astounding. Each land is richly adorned with layers of details. Sure, there are some sightline issues but they can be remedied in due course. No park is perfect (not even TDS) as we are imperfect creatures in a fallen world. Given that, this park is amazing and is worth your time and money to visit.
We stayed at Stella Nova and had early admission. Arriving around 9:40 am, we entered Super Nintendo Land around 10:10 am. We immediately went to Donkey Kong and were on it within 45 minutes. For that wait, it is a great ride with a decent queue line. Either knock it out first or do it in the evening as the crowds start to leave. Yoshi’s Adventure was next and it was a short wait. I love this ride. It’s a great C-ticket.
After lunch at the Toad cafe we wandered over to Darkmoor for Monsters Unchained. The mansion looming in the distance acts as a perfect weenie, drawing you into the land. The queue is well done and the pre shows are excellent. The ride itself is fantastic. I will say, it is better the more times you ride it. I rode it twice (second time later in the evening and there was no wait) and noticed many new details the second time around. It is easily a top three attraction in Orlando (including WDW).
Next, we walked past the Helios Grand on a very beautiful pathway to the Harry Potter area. Unfortunately, we did not get a virtual queue for the ride, but we did enjoy the Arcanus show. The restaurants in this land and throughout the park are stunning, attractions in and of themselves. The food is also well done and reasonably priced compared to other special event food.
From there we trekked over to the HTTYD area. This land is my favorite. There is just so much detail. Animated figures everywhere give the land life. While we did not see the show, I heard great things from my parents who saw it on Monday. My wife and I only went Sunday. While some poor sight lines do pop up, they are peripheral issues that do not majorly detract from the overall experience. That’s because the substance of the land itself is so good. The rollercoaster here was very well done and enjoyable. The placement of the lockers for this ride and MU make them very easy to use, unlike at IoA and USF. The standout here is Fyre Drill. This ride is a blast. It’s actually the most fun ride at the park. Avoiding getting soaked and soaking others was so much fun!! Truly enjoyed it.
We had dinner at the Atlantic restaurant. The filet was reasonably priced at $40 with a fried potato thingy. Very good. The theming of the restaurant is superb. There are fish on a track above you which are supposed to move and light up. They were lit up but not moving (yet). The columns, woodwork, glass work, etc make for a very elegant experience with an unparalleled view of the park.
We closed our day by walking on to Mario Kart, which is an excellent ride if you pay attention to the pre show and with our second ride on MU.
Overall, wow! Great experience and well worth the price.
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