Two Day Insight at Epic Universe
Good, Bad, and the What Have You at Epic Universe
Epic Universe is the newest theme park opened under Universal Studios Orlando. I was fortunate enough to attend two days for this epic adventure, and staying within the grand Helios hotel. This article will cover the rides I’ve managed to get on and the hotel(s) I’ve stayed. Please bear with me as I wanted to simplify cover as much as I could without having to separate them into multiple categories. Food will be covered separately!
Let me start off by saying that the trip did not start off the way I thought it would. We landed, we took a rideshare to get to Helios, and…. it turned out our dates were wrong. We were supposed to check in the next day! The front desk clerk was able to assist us, despite Helios being full, by connecting to Stella Nova down the street and getting us a room for the night.
Stella Nova is close to Helios and has the benefit of early admission (though not as early and convenient as Helios). The theme of the hotel is very pretty and their cafeteria/food court (Cosmos Cafe and Market) is nicely priced – which I’ll cover in a separate post.
Stay-wise, this is a great location for those who aren’t able to shell out the $500 + / night at Helios. The rooms are nicely spaced and the view isn’t much to look at. But it’s very close to Epic Universe and has buses that run every 15 – 20 minutes heading to the other parks within Universal.
One of the horrible parts about Stella Nova that I didn’t enjoy is the floors do not have a water station. In order to get this, you have to journey all the way to the first floor. Remember to bring a water bottle with you or get the little water cups in your room, because the water station is located in the Cosmos Cafe and Market’s Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine. If not, you’ll need to go to the receptionist/front desk and beg for a little cup. Alternatively, the market does open in the morning around 7am (this was about 6am when I went downstairs).
Another downside is hot weather + long hallways + many foot traffic = bad smell. The hallways do not smell great, especially for those with a sensitive nose. I had to quickly get to the room because the lingering smell of spoiled food (guests would leave their dirty trash of food outside in the hallway) and sweat permeates the hallway. I wonder if the hotel has a suggestion box to ask for Aroma diffusers or HVAC scenting systems installed.
Helios Hotel was definitely an upgrade from Stella Nova, but at the hefty cost of paying over $500 + / night. There is a greeter welcoming you when you walk through those doors. There are at least 3 receptionists to assist you in checking in.
If you are early enough, you can leave your bags with the porters. They definitely understand that if you’re a guest at Helios, you probably want to line up early with the other guests to get into Epic Universe. The line normally forms a little before 7am even though early admission doesn’t start until 8 am. At Helios, they open the security around 7:30 am to get the lines moving.
In the image above, you can see red marks which is roughly where the line stops after you cross security. From there, two locations are close to Helios guests – Ministry of Magic and Dark Universe. For “rope droppers”, Battle of the Ministry is the go-to location even if the ride doesn’t technically start until later. Our group was probably the lucky few that ran/speed walked to the ride.
“Rope dropping” is worth it if you are located at Helios. The ride itself…not as exciting compared to the other Harry Potter rides. It’s probably last on my list, to be honest. It’s too much screen, not enough movement. I’ve heard people say that it makes them nauseous, I was mostly bored. The building itself is gorgeous. You can spend a good chunk of time walking around, starting at everything.
If you see the last image with the “M” on it, you’re at the threshold and you’ll soon be boarding the ride!
Le Cirque Arcanus is located within Ministry of Magic. It’s a small show (maybe 15 minutes long). The tent placement is located in the center line when entering the Ministry of Magic portal. A small tent will be waiting for you, and when you enter, you quickly notice how large it is until you reach the back. From there, you’re made to wait until the show starts.
Beware!
The wait can be quite long and boring, so bring something to entertain yourself with because there are no mini-shows like with the Minions or with the DreamWorks Theatre Kung Fu Panda show. I sincerely hope that Le Cirque will update their waiting room to have a mini show while their guests wait.
The show itself once it starts is nicely orchestrated with its visuals and small storyline. It’s worth visiting again since it’s spacious and the menagerie that Gwenlyn encounters are dazzling.
To that note, I really hope in the future that maybe the Ministry of Magic can have a dedicated ride showcasing Newt Scamander and the fantastic beasts he has in the suitcase.
The most “magical” experience in the Ministry of Magic portal is the interactive aspect. There are plenty of actors that walk around, blending into the feel that you’re in Magical Paris. Some shops have magical creatures within the window display. My favorite one is the Demiguise that can only be seen with the spell “Revelio”!
Isle of Berk is probably the best portal out of the available lands within Epic Universe. The number of activities you find inside is mind boggling. There are hidden dragons, there are sheep cosplaying as dragons, there are fire breathing monstrosities and more.
Sadly, I couldn’t explore everything within those two days but I will certainly be back for more. I enjoy walking around, finding out deceptive knickknacks that you can interact with. As an example, there are at least two wooden contraptions you can turn to make a figurine flap its wings, and another that blows out random noises!
The Untrainable Dragon is a musical meant for the family. A lot of singing and cheesy situations, but that’s what family-friendly shows are meant for. The highlight is definitely seeing Hiccup with Toothless sailing through the room. I also enjoyed the many animatronic/puppetry that takes place on the stage. It’s worth going to when the sun gets too much to bear.
What I missed during Isle of Berk is the Meet & Greet with Toothless, and encounters with the actors that walk around the world. I heard there were mini dragons separate from Toothless as well! As for the flying dragon/drone, I heard that was put away due to the news from other parts of the world with malfunctioning drones. I am hopeful that in the future we do see the flying dragon!
Dark Universe ended up being one of my favorite portals to go through out of the ones I’ve entered (I did not go to Nintendo World, only because I knew it would one of the busiest). To be honest, I’m a coward and I was worried I’d be frightened the whole time I was there. That was not the case, the place felt incomplete compared to the other portals. I hope that Epic Universe team keeps working on it to be just as interactive as the other portals! The merchandise in Dark Universe fit the theme really well, and I believe that this place is best visited in the evening!
Monsters Unchained was a ride that I worried about constantly but I was determined to ride it. This ride did not disappoint and I highly recommend this to people who aren’t even into monsters but are vaguely familiar with the monsters of the past.
My favorite part about this ride is how you can ride it x10 and still find other tidbits hidden inside the ride that you may have missed from your last run-through!
From the rides I’ve ridden and portals I’ve visited at Epic Universe, I would rate the following.
Best Ride: Monsters Unchained – repeatable ride that doesn’t disappoint! Hiccups’ Wing Glider is second just because I enjoyed seeing the Toothless animatronic in the beginning.
Best Portal/World: Isle of Berk – very interactive! You can walk around without getting bored.
Best Merchandise: Sensorium Emporium has a collection from all the other portals rolled into one. So if you didn’t find it in the Portal itself, it may end up being at the Emporium!
Have you been to Epic Universe? Which was your best ride, best find, etc.? Check out the food section for the meals I have had.