Top 10 Rides in Epic Universe

Top 10 Rides in Epic Universe

We’re about to rank the rides of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe. And believe me, this was a lot tougher than we thought it would be. Once we get up to those best of the best rides, the competition heats up and the winner might surprise you. Hey everybody, it’s AJ for Disney Food Vlog. Ready to find out which ride is hands down the best cannot miss ride in Epic Universe, and which ones you can definitely skip if you run out of time? Here at DFB Guide, we’re ranking the top 10 rides in Epic Universe to find the most thrilling, most exciting, and the most innovative rides at Universal’s brand new theme park. And don’t worry, we’ve ridden them all several times at this point. Number 11 on our list, we’re starting worst to best here, friends. Constellation Carousel. We had to give a shout out honorable mention to the 11th ride of Epic Universe that just didn’t make the cut in our top 10 list. Without a doubt, every single ride in Epic Universe is fun, but the other rides in the park are a little bit better. Now, this is not quite your ordinary carousel, so credit where credit is due. Universal did a great job with making a carousel something a little more fun and whimsical. This one is themed around, yep, constellations, so the animals you’re riding are represented in the night sky. The movement of the carousel is also unique in that the animals will kind of twirl and dance rather than just racing around in circles. One thing to note is that while many of the carousel animals seat too, you might want to think twice as it’s a little saddle in front of a big saddle and you’ll be quite cozy with your fellow rider. Great for kids and maybe some couples, but most people will want their own seat. There are also more accommodating seats that are a bench type if you don’t feel like hoisting yourself up on a celestial steed. Just a heads up though, Universal Orlando does not allow filming on any of their rides. So for rides that are not visible from the outside, we’ll be showing you the queue and some other elements and explaining the plot. There will be mild spoilers, but you won’t see ride footage of Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry or Monsters Unchained, for example. Number 10, Dragon Racers Rally. So, get ready for an arm workout. Dragon Racers Rally comes in at the bottom of our top 10 list today. It’s definitely a great ride, but to really get the most out of it, you got to put in some effort. This is a spin on an aerial carousel, and if you’re afraid of heights, this one might not be for you. Think Astro Orbiter and Magic Kingdom in terms of height. If you don’t work on flapping those wings, you’re going to have an experience pretty similar to Astro Orbiter, where you leisurely cruise around in a circle going up and down with the ride’s axis. But if you want to kick the thrills up a notch, start moving those wings as soon as the ride begins to get a full rotation and flip upside down. It’s almost like a rowing motion to get those wings moving to rock you from side to side and ultimately achieve that flip. If you want to keep moving those wings the entire ride and keep up the same momentum until you start to feel your vehicle tilting higher and higher, you’re most likely going to get the flip when the ride starts the incline. Smaller kids and those without some strong arm muscle might struggle with this one, but it’s still enjoyable if you don’t get that inversion, just not quite the best in the park. Number nine, Curse of the Werewolf. Now, Curse of the Werewolf is one of four coasters in Epic Universe. And despite those massive werewolf animatronics you encounter, we’re ranking this lower in the coaster lineup since it lacks the thrills or more intense theming of Epic’s other coasters. The cars on this coaster track have the ability to spin. And based on weight distribution in the car, you’ll either spin a lot or a whole lot. We wouldn’t consider this coaster too intense, though that spinning action does add some thrill since you don’t know which way you’ll be facing on those drops and around those turns. There’s been some criticism of the netting surrounding this ride, but to be honest, we were spinning so much and keeping an eye out for werewolves that the netting wasn’t a dealbreaker for us. Still, the general aesthetic of this ride is a bit lackluster, which is why it lands at number nine on our list. The other ride in Dark Universe, though, that one could go all the way. Want to be even more prepared for the opening of Epic Universe? We have a free guide with everything you need to know about the park, from ride height requirements, info on every single restaurant and show, plus maps to help you navigate the park. You can get your guide for free by scanning that QR code or if you’re watching on your phone, heading to disneyfoodblog.com/epic. Number eight on our list, Yoshi’s Adventure. Super Nintendo World brings you right into your favorite classic games, and Yoshi’s Adventure is a continuation of that. The other rides in this land are great, but this tame ride really makes you feel as if you’re inside the world of Mario and gives you some incredible views of Super Nintendo World. This is the ride for littles. It’s not scary at all, and there’s the right amount of interactive element to keep everyone entertained. Throughout the ride, you’re on the lookout for different color eggs, which you’ll collect by pressing buttons, and older kids who love thrills might be a little bored by this one, but the theming makes it a solidly fun ride that balances out the more thrilling rides of the park. Number seven on our list, Fire Drill. This is perfect for those hot Orlando days because there’s a good chance you’ll get pretty wet on this ride over in Isisle of Burke. You’ll work together with your boat crew in order to hit targets, and some of these targets will shoot water back at your boat and battle another boat. This is a really fun ride that does rely on working as a team, so you’ll be bonding with your family or making fast friends with those riding with you. If you’re sitting toward the front of the boat, aim for that blue X in order to soak the rest of your teammates. Or if you’re feeling nice, don’t do that. You may even get wet in the queue of this ride, as some of those water cannons can reach pretty high up. Keep that in mind if you’re using your phone in the queue. There are dryers located near the ride, and they’re themed like a dragon’s breathing on you to dry you off, which is pretty cute. One thing to note, though, there are no lockers in the queue for this ride. There is a crate on board to store some of the things you don’t want to get wet, but heads up if you got giant backpacks and stuff. Heading back to Super Nintendo, this is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge at number six. If you’ve ever wished you could play Mario Kart in real life, now’s the time. We can actually show you bits of the ride since they have the same ride in Universal Hollywood and they are much less strict with filming guidelines over on the West Coast. Before you ride, you’ll be given a little tutorial on how to steer, collect coins, and throw shells. If you’re wearing a powerup band, you can sync up with the ride to collect points during each ride, too. This one does rely quite a bit on screens, but you are primarily moving through physical sets, making for a more realistic and well-rounded experience. You are wearing AR visors, so if you’re sensitive to 3D rides, you might get a bit disoriented by this. But the movement of the ride isn’t too spinny or jarring, so most folks will be just fine. For number five, this is Minecart Madness. While Minecart Madness isn’t the most intense coaster in Epic Universe, it definitely will be a bit too intense for some folks. This coaster may not be fast, but it’s rough. You’re getting jostled along as you carine through mines and you jump the track. The track jumping effect is really cool, and there’s a bit of a launch to it, so it really does feel like your coaster car is jumping into the air. As for thrill level, this is still on the beginner coaster end of things, and it is likely a skip for those of you who don’t enjoy jerky rides, then we’d say this ride is a definite must do if you’re a major Donkey Kong fan. By the more. Number four on our list, Hiccups Wing Gliders. We’d still consider Hiccups to be relatively tame coaster, but it is definitely a step up in terms of thrills when compared to many of Disney World’s coasters. We’d say it’s most comparable to Slinky Dog Dash in Hollywood Studios, but still very different. For Universal comparisons, think along the lines of Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, just without the drop and not quite as fast. You’ll still have a double launch within the ride and you’ll still get to see some great animatronic sections throughout. Hiccup talks to you the entire ride as you train to fly a real dragon. We’d say the theming on this one is at least a 9 out of 10 and the views from this coaster are incredible. You get some great vantage points of Isisle of Burke. This is a very smooth gliding coaster. It’s a perfect introduction to some larger thrills for those who may be averse to more intense coasters like the next contender on our list. Number three, Stardust Racers over in Celestial Park. Stardust Racers is the big thrill ride of Epic Universe. We’ve heard people compare this coaster to Veloca Coaster in terms of intensity, and we’d agree. This is a dueling coaster, and you’ve got two sides to choose from, green on the right and yellow on the left. We rode both sides and can say both are very thrilling, but a lot of folks are gravitating towards the green side as the hill that drops you into a corkcrew is a little higher than the yellow side. If you can ride front row on the yellow side, we’d say that more than makes up for the height difference in the thrill factor. Plus, you’ll probably save some time waiting in line since so many folks are headed to the green side for that little boost in intensity. This is another incredibly smooth coaster with an impressive amount of airtime and a gorgeous aesthetic. It’s easily ranking as one of, if not the best coaster in Orlando for us, but it’s not quite the best ride in Epic Universe. As we get into the very tough decision of the top two rides here, I wanted to share a few quick tips that might help you out on your day at Epic Universe. One thing that could help you save some significant time would be taking advantage of those single rider lines. A lot of major rides in Epic Universe offer them, but you won’t be able to ride with your family as you’ll be split up to fill in single seats. If you want to keep the group together and you’re down to splurge a little bit, many rides at Epic Universe offer Express Pass, Universal’s paid skip the line service. Express Pass starts at $129.99 per person per day. This will likely sell out fast, so grab it as soon as you can if you want it. And if you want to ensure an even more exclusive experience, Epic Universe is offering VIP tours starting at $380 per person. Tickets are on sale now to visit Epic Universe, including those one-day tickets for dates beginning in June. Universal has not announced how they plan to handle crowd levels in the opening days of Epic Universe, but we’re expecting there may be timed entry to lands and rides through the use of virtual cues like we’ve seen for Harry Potter and Battle at the Ministry during annual passholder previews. We’ll let you know as soon as we learn more. All right, those last two rides, we’ve got Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. Which one is going to take the gold today? Number two on our list, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. This ride captures the thrill of watching a monster movie without being too intense of a ride in itself. We’d say dark and spooky is the vibe over straight up scary. As for the ride itself, it’s very similar to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Islands of Adventure with the seats on an arm that will twist, tilt, and turn you to face different elements of the ride. The movement seemed a lot more fluid than on Forbidden Journey, though motion sickness is still going to be a concern for a lot of folks with this one. You are moving and tilting a lot, so it can easily mess with your equilibrium. Story-wise, Victoria Frankenstein has been conducting experiments on the monsters, and she’s attempting to bring Dracula under her control. The experiment goes wrong, and Dracula releases all the monsters, who are then chasing you. Bummer. There are so many animatronics, and they are huge. Most of them move with incredible fluidity and impressive speed. There are some moments of jump scares from the monsters, but nothing like Halloween Horror Nights. Again, spooky, not scary, though, we can easily see it being a bit too much for some anxious kiddos. Overall, this is one you should not miss if you’re visiting Epic Universe. It encapsulates the vibe of Dark Universe and the immersion and theming that is a major part of Epic Universe as a whole. And our number one today, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. The queue alone here is jaw-dropping. It includes one of the most incredible practical effects when you literally travel by flu network straight to the Ministry of Magic. This ride tells a little side story where we get a front row seat to the trial of Dolores Umbrage, but things go wrong and she escapes. And from there, the ride follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they chase Umbrage and some death eaters through the Ministry. You’re going to find yourself in parts of the Ministry we haven’t seen on film before. The Department of Magical Creatures and in the Time Room. The ride itself is a motion simulator and does use screens, but the technology is way beyond that of other Wizarding World rides in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. There are no 3D glasses, and it’s hard to tell at times what parts of the ride are screens and which are physical sets or animatronics. All those elements are in the ride, but they blend together seamlessly. There are some small drops in this ride, similar to Rise of the Resistance, but not quite as intense. It’s also quite similar to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Islands of Adventure. This is definitely going to be the most popular ride in Epic Universe, which is why even during previews, it’s already using a virtual queue. Currently, you can join the queue at three times throughout the day, 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. That early time will likely fill up fast. We’ve had better luck with the later queue drops. Wi-Fi has also been a bit finicky in the park, so if you can, don’t use the universal Wi-Fi when attempting to join the virtual queue. All right, so which are you most excited to ride when you visit Epic Universe? Let us know your favorite or the one you think is going to be your favorite in the comments. And be sure to subscribe to get even more Epic Universe info, including our top eats in this new park. We’re snacking our way around, so you know what you’ve got to try. It’s that Mac and Cheese Cone most likely. And be sure to sign up for our free newsletter. Our newsletter subscribers get all that info first. The link to sign up is in the description. Thanks for coming along with us today. We are having a blast at Epic Universe. And we’re not just going to show you the rides and the restaurants and the lands. We’re going to tell you how to get the best bang for your buck when you go to Epic Universe. Thanks for listening everyone and thanks for watching. As always, this is AJ for Disney Food Blog, and we’ll see you real

We’re about to rank the rides of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe and believe me, this was a LOT tougher than we’d thought it would be. Once we get up to those best of the best rides, the competition heats up and the winner may surprise you!

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