PotterSpotter

     Hey there, Spotters, we finally had the chance to visit Universal’s newest park, Epic Universe! Strap in because we are here to give you the play-by-play.

     Our trip was, in a word, delayed. We visited Epic Universe for about a day and a half. Most of our time in the park was spent in long lines with inevitable “technical” difficulties or “delayed” announcements for many of the attractions we chose. We also encountered constant entry issues, which we attempted to resolve on several occasions. Even at the end of our trip, the problem remained unresolved. That said, the park was still breathtaking to walk through, and we eventually got to ride every attraction we queued for.

     Without further ado, here’s a walkthrough of our trip to Universal Epic Universe:

EPIC UNIVERSE DAY 1

7:30 a.m. – Left Stella Nova for the walking path to Epic Universe

7:40 a.m. – Arrival at Epic Universe

    (This was just as three buses arrived.)

8:00 a.m. – Gates opened

8:15 a.m. – Security gates opened

8:28 a.m. – Rope Drop

8:30 a.m. – Entered the park and waited at North Star Wintry Wonders for entrance to Super Nintendo World

    (This time includes a delay due to our party members’ tickets having a problem at the entrance.)

8:50 a.m. – We walk with team members to Super Nintendo World

    (When you get to the Portal, you must have your room card out and ready to be checked.)

9:00 a.m. – Entering Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

9:12 a.m. – Got Delay Announcement

9:42 a.m. – Extended Delay/Officially Delayed and left the queue

    (No express pass received.)

9:45 a.m. – In Mine-Cart Madness queue

    (Despite team members announcing that all attractions in Super Nintendo World were closed, Mine-Cart Madness was in fact open.)

10:15 a.m. – Off of Mine-Cart Madness

    (Despite arriving at 7:45 a.m., we did not get off our first attraction until 10:15 a.m.)

10:30 a.m. – In line for Curse of the Werewolf

11:20 a.m. – Off of Curse of the Werewolf

    (Posted time was 40 minutes, we were off in 50.)

11:25 a.m. – In line for Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

11:50 a.m. – Off of Monsters Unchained

    (This was the best and most impressive ride at Epic Universe. The preshow was unfortunately down, but all animatronics on the ride were working.)

11:55 a.m. – Lunch at Pizza Moon

    (We were surprised to see team members handing out boxes as they stopped giving them out a short while ago.)

12:10 p.m. – Pizzas arrived

_{Source: PotterSpottter.com
Pizza Moon: Cheese and Pepperoni Pizzas}

12:20 p.m. – Finished eating at Pizza Moon

12:30 p.m. – In line for Stardust Racers (Green side)

1:10 p.m. – Off of Stardust Racers

    (One of our party members described it as “the most intensive rollercoaster” they had ever been on.)

1:20 p.m. – In line for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

_{Source: PotterSpottter.com
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry}

2:20 p.m. – Announcement for technical difficulties

4:20 p.m. – Evacuating ride for longer closure

    (This time we did get express passes. We received one EPIC Single Attraction Pass and one EPIC Single Attraction Pass Plus per person. The difference between passes is that the Pass Plus is valid for all attractions, while the non-Plus Pass is not valid for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry nor Mine-Cart Madness.)

5:10 p.m. – Arrived for dinner at The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant

6:15 p.m. – Arrived at the entrance for The Untrainable Dragon

    (There was a slight delay of about 10 minutes before the queue opened.)

_{Source: PotterSpottter.com
Isle of Berk: The Untrainable Dragon Entrance}

7:00 p.m. – Entrance to the showroom

7:07 p.m. – Announcement that Toothless would not appear during this show

7:11 p.m. – Show start

7:14 p.m. – Announcement of a Technical Delay

7:17 p.m. – The show started again

    (Fun fact: if the Toothless Dragon is not working, Hiccup will run through the audience benches to the front of the stage for his entrance. The effects were not working during this showing either. This was not notable as we did not notice until our second viewing when the effects were working.)

7:37 p.m. – Show Ended

7:40 p.m. – Arrived at the tent for the Le Cirque Arcanus show

7:43 p.m. – Show Delayed

    (Most attractions at this time started to close due to a weather delay.)

_{Source: PotterSpottter.com
Le Cirque Arcanus}

8:03 p.m. – Show Closed/Cancelled for the Day

    (At least with waiting around, Stardust Racers started testing ride vehicles.)

8:14 p.m. – In line for Stardust Racers (Yellow side)

8:26 p.m. – Off of Stardust Racers

8:32 p.m. – In line for Hiccups Winged Gliders

8:47 p.m. – Delayed announcement

    (Due to the lightning, we chose to leave the line.)

9:00 p.m. – In line for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

    (Attempt 2)

9:24 p.m. – Delay Announcement

    (This was not a technical issue, but a medical emergency. We started moving shortly after.)

9:40 p.m. – Delay Announcement

10:06 p.m. – Off of Mario Kart

    (Most of our party members rode with the goggles and enjoyed the ride. I found the goggles a bit heavy and disorienting, so I chose to ride without them. Despite not wearing the goggles, the ride was more enjoyable than I expected, with the theming and animatronics especially impressive. Unfortunately, we did get stuck on the attraction twice. We missed most of the Nighttime Spectacular and left as the park was now technically closed.)

Epic Universe Day 2

9:10 a.m. – Left for Epic Universe

    (We left later due to the fiasco the day prior. We took the walking path again.)

9:30 a.m. – Scanning to Enter and delayed due to tickets again

    (Yet again, an attempt was made to fix tickets. We were able to enter the park, but the tickets are still not fixed.)

9:40 a.m. – Entering the Ministry of Magic portal and going directly to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

    (We used our Epic Single Attraction Pass Plus express passes we received yesterday.)

10:00 a.m. – Off of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

_{Source: PotterSpottter.com
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry Queue}

10:10 a.m. – The Le Cirque Arcanus show was delayed

10:20 a.m. – In line for Hiccups Winged Gliders

    (We used our Epic Single Attraction Pass express passes we received yesterday.)

10:40 a.m. – Off of Hiccups Winged Gliders

10:50 a.m. – Entered the Mead Hall

    (We tried the Monster Energy Viking Berry, Toothless Plasma Blast, and Yaknog. We all enjoyed the three drinks.)

11:10 a.m. – In line for Le Cirque Arcanus show

    (Attempt 3. Due to the excessive wait time for Battle at the Ministry, they were actually using the queue for the Le Cirque Arcanus show for Battle at the Ministry instead. There was also a delay in the preshow room due to a guest being sick.)

12:00 p.m. – Out of Le Cirque Arcanus show

12:10 p.m. – In line for The Untrainable Dragon

    (Attempt 2)

12:20 p.m. – Seated for the show

12:22 p.m. – Show Delayed

    (Toothless again was unable to perform, but the rest of the show operated as normal.)

1:00 p.m. – Mobile Ordered Mac and Cheese Cones from Spit Fyre Grill

    (We tried the Classic and it was an all-around favorite.)

After eating, we stopped by some shops and headed out.

And that was our trip to Universal Epic Universe!

For details on Universal Epic Universe, check out our prior articles!