Planning a trip to Universal Epic Universe? From Express Pass secrets to rope drop strategies, here are 10 essential Epic Universe tips you MUST know before you visit Orlando’s newest theme park.
10 Tips You MUST Know Before Going to Epic Universe
I was absolutely blown away by Universal’s Epic Universe. It has officially claimed the top spot as my favorite theme park in Orlando—and yes, as a lifelong Disney super fan, I know exactly how big of a statement that is!
I had a hilarious “truth from the mouths of babes” moment recently while riding the elevator at Disney’s Riviera Resort. A couple asked a little boy what his favorite part of his trip had been so far, and without skipping a beat, he shouted, “Epic Universe!” The irony of hearing that in the heart of Disney had us all laughing so hard.
To help you plan the perfect visit, I’ve put together the 10 essential tips and tricks you need to know before you visit Universal Epic Universe. Going to the other parks as well? Don’t miss my post about the 10 Things You Must Do At Universal Orlando.
Side note: The food is also amazing! I will share a whole separate article with my top picks for food later.
Tip 1: Get to Know the Worlds Before You Go
Here is a run down of all the Epic Universe worlds and the attractions in a list form. I will highlight* the MUST DO attractions.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
Step into an amazing life-sized video game where you can challenge Team Bowser on Mario Kart, explore the colorful Mushroom Kingdom, and blast through the jungle on a high-speed mine cart adventure with Donkey Kong.
Super Mario Land
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge*– An interactive ride using AR technology that puts you inside of the video game.
- Yoshi’s Adventure – A family-friendly ride through the Mushroom Kingdom.
- Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown – An interactive “key challenge” boss battle.
Donkey Kong Country
- Mine-Cart Madness * – A short coaster that simulates jumping gaps in the track.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – ISLE OF BERK
Set between the second and third films, this vibrant world lets you live the life of a Viking in a village where humans and dragons coexist.
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders*– A thrilling coaster that flies around the Isle of Berk.
- Fyre Drill – An interactive boat battle where you blast water at targets.
- Dragon Racer’s Rally – A high-flying trainer ride where you control your own rotation.
- Viking Training Camp – An interactive play area for young vikings.
- The Untrainable Dragon*– A live musical show featuring Toothless and other dragons.
- Toothless Meet & Greet at Haddock Paddock* – This will be one of the longest in the park, often 50+ minutes.
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER – MINISTRY OF MAGIC
This world transports you from a wizarding park in 1920s Paris to the 1990s British Ministry of Magic for a high-stakes adventure where you join Harry, Ron, and Hermione to witness the trial of Dolores Umbridge.
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry* – A high-speed ride through the British Ministry of Magic.
- Le Cirque Arcanus* – An incredible live stage show featuring fantastic beasts and amazing acrobats! NOTE: There is a pre-show in a super packed standing room only area, but this opens up into a theater with seating after about 12 minutes.
DARK UNIVERSE
In the village of Darkmoor, you’ll enter a world where the experiments of Victoria Frankenstein and the legends of Universal’s classic monsters come to life through intense attractions and fun spooky experiences. Keep an eye out for the Invisible Man and Ygor as they roam the eerie streets to interact with guests.
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment* – An intense dark ride featuring classic monsters. Not for young children. This usually is only 15–30 minute wait and one of our favorites!
- Curse of the Werewolf – A fun spinning coaster set in a wagon camp.
- Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience – An interactive space where you can be transformed into a monster.
CELESTIAL PARK
- Stardust Racers* – A dual-launch racing FAST coaster that reaches speeds of 62 mph. Stardust is THE BEST coaster I’ve ridden in my life… don’t skip it! It’s a wild ride – you have to love speed and drops to endure this ride.
- Constellation Carousel* – A cosmic twist on the classic carousel featuring twinkling celestial lions, dragons, and peacocks.
- Astronomica – An interactive wet-play area with dancing fountains.
Tip 2: What You Need to Know About Epic Universe Early Park Admission and Rope Drop
Maximize your day and beat the crowds with these essential strategies for a successful early entry and rope drop. At Epic Universe, “Rope Drop” and “Early Park Admission” are two different things. Here’s how it works:
Early Park Admission
- Who gets it: Only guests staying at Universal Orlando hotels and select Annual Passholders.
- The Benefit: They get into the park up to one hour before the official opening time.
- Strategy: Arrive at the gate 30-45 minutes BEFORE the official early park admission opening time.
Regular Rope Drop
- Who gets it: Everyone
- Strategy: Arrive at the gate 45–60 minutes BEFORE the official opening time to get in the line.
- Parking: The parking toll plaza typically opens about one hour before Early Park Admission begins.
Tip 3: What To Ride First Strategies
What you ride first depends on your family! Your plan should be set before you arrive. What do you look forward to riding the most? Most people start in Super Nintendo World. If you aren’t staying on property, you can skip those crowds and head to another world for less crowds.
Warning: If you wait to enter Super Nintendo World, just know the lines most of the day will be 60 minutes or longer. On one trip, we waited an hour before closing to enter those ride lines. By then, we only waited 20-30 minutes and even got back in the line to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge a second time.
Want to skip the Early Park Admission crowds in Super Nintendo World? Here is a suggestion:
First Ride: I would start with Hiccup’s Wing Gliders in the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk world. This is my favorite ride in the park and would be a quick ride to knock out in the morning!
Want to meet Toothless? Get in the line to meet and greet him in the morning, as the line will be 50+ minutes the rest of the day.
Second Ride: Next, I would walk directly to the Harry Potter World to get in the line for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
Good news: The line in the Battle at the Ministry has a lot of fun things to see and entertain you while you wait. You could also save this ride for the end of the night for a shorter wait, but if you love Harry Potter as much as I do, it will be hard to wait until the end of the night! I would ride it a second time later in the evening.
Want to start in Super Nintendo World? Here are Rope Drop Tips:
I heard most early admission people rope drop Donkey Kong Country’s Mine-Cart Madness. This is the short ride that goes “off track”. It’s cute, but not worth a super long wait in my opinion, so it makes sense to ride it first.
First Ride: Start by entering Donkey Kong Country to ride Mine-Cart Madness. It’s on the first floor, so don’t take the escalator up through the main warp pipe, enter the lower level direct entrance. Walk past the escalator to the right and behind the Mario Fountain through the doors which will keep you downstairs. Walk straight back to Donkey Kong Country.
Ride the escalator later. If you have early park admission, you should be able to walk right onto Mine-Cart Madness.
Second Ride: Head upstairs to Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. This is our favorite ride in this world. It’s adorable and so fun! If I had to pick one to NOT SKIP, this would be the ride.
What about Yoshi’s Adventure? It’s cute, but save this ride for the end of the night. It’s not worth an extra long wait.
Tip 4: Epic Universe Express Pass Tips & Are They Worth the Price?
If you have only one day and want to splurge, I say absolutely worth it! If you don’t have Express Passes, I would suggest going to the park for two days to have a chance to experience everything.
Having experienced both a two-day trip without express passes and a single day with them, the total cost actually balanced out, but the Express Pass experience won. It transforms your day into pure, stress-free fun by eliminating the need for crack-of-dawn rope drops and complex strategies.
What You Need to Know About Epic Universe Express Passes:
- Epic Universe requires its own dedicated Express Pass: These are separate from the passes used at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. You’ll need this specific version to skip the lines within the new park.
- Plan to purchase in advance: Express Passes will sell out and you most likely won’t be able to buy them the day you arrive.
- Unfortunately there are still wait times on popular rides: If the park is crowded, you’ll still have to wait in line for the most popular rides. The express pass line eventually merges with the regular line, but it will take your wait time from 100-120 minutes to 20-30 minutes.
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Tip 5: Where to Get Butterbeer aka Bièraubeurre
Since you are in Paris, Butterbeer is called Bièraubeurre. Here’s where to find it:
- Bar Moonshine: This fun speakeasy-style hidden bar in the back of the Harry Potter world has all kinds of Butterbeer, plus cocktails. This is our favorite spot for drinks in the park!
- The main Bièraubeurre Cart: This outdoor snack stand is located near the entrance of the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride. It serves cold, frozen, and hot Butterbeer.
- Café L’air De La Sirène: The French wizarding café where you can order Butterbeer along with your meal or on its own at the counter. It is the exclusive location for the Bièraubeurre Crêpe along with beautiful patio seating.
Tip 6: Understanding the Super Nintendo World Power-Up Bands
Power-Up Bands are interactive wristbands designed to turn the entire land into a real-life video game. You can purchase these for $45 (plus tax) at several locations, including the Nintendo Super Star Store in Celestial Park or the 1-UP Factory inside Super Nintendo World. They come in eight character-themed designs.
How The Power-Up Bands Work
The bands link directly to the Universal Orlando Resort app via a QR code. Once connected, they allow you to:
- Collect Digital Coins: Punch the yellow Question Blocks and brick blocks throughout the land to hear the iconic sound and see your coin count rise in the app.
- Track Your Score: Compete on daily and all-time leaderboards for attractions like Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.
- Play Key Challenges: You must complete interactive mini-games to earn three digital keys, which unlock the “boss battle” attraction, Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown.
- Amiibo Functionality: Outside of the park, the bands work as amiibo figures for your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2.
Tip 7: Where to Watch The Cosmos Fountain Show
The main evening light show is the Cosmos Fountain Show, which takes place at the large basins in Celestial Park at the end of the night. It’s gorgeous and you can see it pretty much from any location in the park, but here are a few tips:
- Best Place to Stand: The best ground-level view is directly in front of the Universal Helios Grand Hotel, looking back toward the park entrance. This allows you to see the fountains, the colorful lighting on the portals, and the Chronos tower all in one frame.
- The “Secret” View: If you’re looking for a less crowded spot, the outdoor patio at Meteor Astropub or the seating area near Bar Zenith offers an elevated view of the water and light choreography.
Tip 8: Best Kept Secrets of Epic Universe
The “Back to the Future” Easter Egg: On the Stardust Racers coaster, look at the back of each vehicle. You’ll find a Flux Capacitor strapped to the rear. The story is that a famous time-traveling doctor once visited Celestial Park and used his tech to help stabilize the racing comets. It’s a fun nod to Universal’s history!
The Vanishing French Ministry: In the Ministry of Magic, look at the large mural of the perfume advertisement to your right as you enter. It’s beautiful on its own, but if you use a translation app or look closely at the surrounding posters, the “Muggle” advertisements actually shift and change into magical ones once you cross further into the land, a subtle design detail that most people walk right past.
The Werewolf “Transformation” Path: In Dark Universe, as you walk through the village of Darkmoor, look down at the ground. There is a specific path of footprints that starts out as human tracks and gradually transitions into werewolf paw prints as you get closer to the Curse of the Werewolf ride.
The Burning Blade Fire Show: The windmill at the Burning Blade Tavern actually bursts into flames periodically throughout the night using impressive fire and light effects. Don’t miss it!
Monster Glow: Many of the Dark Universe village’s props and set pieces have hidden lighting that only becomes visible after sunset, giving the land a much more menacing and beautiful feel.
The Secret Dragon “Nightlights”: In the Isle of Berk, everyone lines up for Toothless, but the real secret is the Nightlights (Toothless and Light Fury’s babies). There are no set times for them, but they occasionally appear in a small group near the Haddock Paddock. If you see a crowd suddenly forming away from the main line, run over! You might catch a rare interaction with Dart, Pouncer, or Ruffrunner!
The “Golden Egg” in Yoshi’s Adventure: While everyone is focused on getting a high score on Mario Kart, there is a hidden Golden Egg tucked away somewhere along the track of Yoshi’s Adventure. If you spot it and tap your Power-Up Band at the right moment, you unlock an exclusive digital stamp that most guests never get.
Tip 9: Best Must Get Snack
I’ll write an entire article about the food, but for now, the best snack in the entire park is the PB&J Mac and Cheese Cone at Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel, Isle of Berk.
Don’t let the name scare you, the “PB&J” stands for Pork, Bacon, and Jam. It’s creamy mac and cheese served in a garlic bread cone, topped with harissa pulled pork and a peanut bacon jam.
Tip 10: Where to Stay
All of the Universal Orlando Resorts have bus transportation to the park, but for the closest location, stay at one of the newest resorts nearby.
- Universal Helios Grand Hotel – A luxury Loews Hotel that opened in 2025 and located above the waters of Celestial Park. It’s the closest stay to Universal Epic Universe with a private park entrance just for hotel guests.
- Universal Stella Nova Resort – This Prime Value hotel has 750 rooms, dining, and recreational amenities. We stayed here and loved it! It’s the closest of the two new value resorts.
- Universal Terra Luna Resort – Opened March 2025. This Prime Value hotel has 750 rooms and is inspired by discovery and exploring the unknown.
Best Attractions That are a MUST Do!
Just for fun, here are the Top 10 Attractions that I would NOT SKIP at Epic Universe:
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
- Mine-Cart Madness
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
- The Untrainable Dragon (Show)
- Meet & Greet Toothless
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
- Le Cirque Arcanus (Show)
- Stardust Racers
- Constellation Carousel (Ride at night for the magical twinkle lights.)
