Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens May 22 2025

[Tom Morrow]

Looks awesome so what is Disney doing oh that's right " we're gone" translates do nothing

In the last decade they have opened:
New Fantasyland (technically 2013 but Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was 2014)
Pandora
Toy Story Land
Galaxy's Edge
Runaway Railway
Ratatouille
Cosmic Rewind
Tron
(honorable mention) Moana

But you're right they've done "nothing" since they're not currently doing anything, even though they'll still be one theme park, one water park, and a ton of resort hotels ahead when all is said and done.

 

[Jrb1979]

In the last decade they have opened:
New Fantasyland (technically 2013 but Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was 2014)
Pandora
Toy Story Land
Galaxy's Edge
Runaway Railway
Ratatouille
Cosmic Rewind
Tron
(honorable mention) Moana

But you're right they've done "nothing" since they're not currently doing anything, even though they'll still be one theme park, one water park, and a ton of resort hotels ahead when all is said and done.

Even after all that they still lack in capacity.

 

[Andrew25]

But you're right they've done "nothing" since they're not currently doing anything, even though they'll still be one theme park, one water park, and a ton of resort hotels ahead when all is said and done.

Let's be honest, they're like 0.5 parks & 0.5 (half the year) water parks ahead once EU opens lmao

Disney has been working on projects, but that's also after a significant period of little to no investment in the parks.

Everest to Pandora... 12 years (we're now 7 years since Pandora)
Soarin (last actual park expansion) in 2005 to Remy in 2021.. nearly 20 years

 

[Tom Morrow]

I think this looks... pretty good? I like that this park seems to have a lot of lagoons, as I always feel like water elements aide a lot in parks feeling more organic. The kinetic movement everywhere is nice too. From the flythrough though I feel like there are a bit too many little huts/kiosks/stands that still make it look very definitively "standard theme park design".

Even after all that they still lack in capacity.

True, because on a typical day the Magic Kingdom alone sees more guests than all of UOR.

Let's be honest, they're like 0.5 parks & 0.5 (half the year) water parks ahead once EU opens lmao

True about the water parks, but DAK is a full day park if you actually do all the things instead of just Pandora/Everest/Dinosaur/leave.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Even after all that they still lack in capacity.

True - because every one of those things replaced existing attractions or an existing land, rather than adding to the park. Swapping out Camp Minnie-Mickey with Pandora, and expanding Toy Story Land, did result in a gain of a couple of attractions each, but most other "new" things at WDW are a wash with what was there before, capacity-wise (although I think each of the new attractions is generally more popular than what was there before, meaning that _additional capacity_ was even more badly needed!).

 

[Andrew25]

From the flythrough though I feel like there are a bit too many little huts/kiosks/stands that still make it look very definitively "standard theme park design".

That's kind of the design of the movies...?

True about the water parks, but DAK is a full day park if you actually do all the things instead of just Pandora/Everest/Dinosaur/leave.

DAK is my favorite park, but calling it a full day park at the same level of MK/Epcot is a bit of a stretch. If you take your time walking around, waiting 2 hours for Flight Of Passage, 60-90 minutes for Na'vi, etc. of course you'll have a full day there lol

You can spend a solid 3-4 hours in Pandora alone if you are brave enough to hit both rides back to back utilizing standby.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Is my math off, but, if it rains, will EU only have 3 rides running?

 

[rd805]

Is my math off, but, if it rains, will EU only have 3 rides running?

Monsters, Kart, Dragon Show, Carousel, HP Show, Ministry -- possibly Yoshi ride.
Add in the Nintendoland Bands and Wizarding Wands, Dragon & Nintendo Meet and Greets -- i think there is still plenty.

It's a viable reason for fear, but I also envision a not too distant future after opening (3 years?) with expansion already occuring to help soften crowds.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Monsters, Kart, Dragon Show, Carousel, HP Show, Ministry -- possibly Yoshi ride.
Add in the Nintendoland Bands and Wizarding Wands, Dragon & Nintendo Meet and Greets -- i think there is still plenty.

It's a viable reason for fear, but I also envision a not too distant future after opening (3 years?) with expansion already occuring to help soften crowds.

Forgot the carousel... so, likely only four *rides*.

I know that there are other attractions, mostly indoor, but amongst a subset of theme park fans, only *rides* count.

 

[Andrew25]

Is my math off, but, if it rains, will EU only have 3 rides running?

Yes, unfortunately similar to IOA. (Mario Kart, Monsters, Potter) attractions will remain (at least its 3/4 biggest attractions at the park) plus the two theater shows.

Monsters, Kart, Dragon Show, Carousel, HP Show, Ministry -- possibly Yoshi ride.
Add in the Nintendoland Bands and Wizarding Wands, Dragon & Nintendo Meet and Greets -- i think there is still plenty.

It's a viable reason for fear, but I also envision a not too distant future after opening (3 years?) with expansion already occuring to help soften crowds.

Yoshi will close for weather, has outdoor portion. Good thing is that some of the rumors are leaning towards indoor rides, so it should be fine.

One thing I'm interested in knowing is if Universal (and Disney) are looking at indoor lands as people start to avoid the summer months. Last year was absolutely miserable, can't imagine they're happy with crowds now shifting away entirely.

I know that there are other attractions, mostly indoor, but amongst a subset of theme park fans, only *rides* count.

2 of which are major shows... so those should count. So 5 "solid" tickets are open during weather delays.

 

[MisterPenguin]

2 of which are major shows... so those should count. So 5 "solid" tickets are open during weather delays.

Shows count as attractions. Not rides.

Rides count as attractions.

So, yes, you count them if you're counting attractions. But again, there are those (not me) who are only interested in *rides,* and they call some parks half-day parks because they can polish off all the rides in half a day, even though the park may have plenty of other non-ride attractions to make it a full-day park.

 

[aladdin2007]

is the music in the video from the films soundtrack?

 

[Tom Morrow]

That's kind of the design of the movies...?

I'll have to see more detailed viewed of the other lands to see if they follow suit of this design or not. I'm going with "probably not" but it does give this area sort of a "Busch Gardens" level of theming look to it.

DAK is my favorite park, but calling it a full day park at the same level of MK/Epcot is a bit of a stretch. If you take your time walking around, waiting 2 hours for Flight Of Passage, 60-90 minutes for Na'vi, etc. of course you'll have a full day there lol

You can spend a solid 3-4 hours in Pandora alone if you are brave enough to hit both rides back to back utilizing standby.

I mean, on a slow day I can plow through USF in like 3 hours. "What is a full day park?" is somewhat subjective.

 

[Andrew25]

I'm going with "probably not" but it does give this area sort of a "Busch Gardens" level of theming look to it.

Alright let's settle down now lol

I mean, on a slow day I can plow through USF in like 3 hours. "What is a full day park?" is somewhat subjective.

Obviously subjective, but the general consensus is that DAK is a half-day park with a number of experiences available while Epic Universe provides more experiences.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I mean, on a slow day I can plow through USF in like 3 hours.

That's awfully fast. Perhaps a case of premature perambulation?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Alright let's settle down now lol

I meant like, the attraction entrances and some of the kiosks. Busch doesn't do things like the mountain centerpiece of course.

That's awfully fast. Perhaps a case of premature perambulation?

My girlfriend assured me it was an appropriate amount of time to spend in the park

 

[Jakesky40]

Looks awesome so what is Disney doing oh that's right " we're gone" translates do nothing

Hey now they are hard at work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! Who needs a whole new land filled with great looking attractions as well an Epic Universe when you can just experience a re-themed 40 year old attraction and pay more for the pleasure!

 

[trr1]

 

[trr1]

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Characters are around every corner in How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk! Guests will have the chance to encounter Hiccup and Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and the Night Lights Baby Dragon as they explore, plus see Gobber at his forge! At night, Monstrous Nightmare or Gronckle dragons can be spotted soaring in the sky!

THIS JUST IN: Universal Orlando Resort has just revealed what’s coming to one of Epic Universe’s five worlds, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk! Here are the major attractions:Hiccup's Wing Gliders – soar around Berk on Hiccup’s newest invention Dragon Racer's Rally – practice aerobatic maneuvers on this Viking-made trainer Fyre Drill – compete with other Vikings in a boat battle Viking Training Camp – little Vikings can explore and play in this interactive area The Untrainable Dragon – take in a breathtaking stage show where Hiccup and pals encounter a new dragon Haddock Paddock – meet Hiccup and Toothless, as well as other familiar friends

Have you ever seen views like those at How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk? We can hardly wait to see this Epic Universe world come to life!

 

[trr1]

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Viking-sized hunger calls for a feast! At How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk's Mead Hall, you can satisfy your appetite with a menu of meat, fish, sandwiches and desserts, along with meads, ciders and ales.

Per Universal - The world of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk encompasses 15.5 acres with a total of 162,500 square feet of rockwork.

There are so many exciting details about Epic Universe's How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk! Let us fly you through everything revealed so far: https://orlandoinformer.com/blog/how-to-train-your-dragon-at-epic-universe-details-revealed/