Everything You NEED to Know About Epic Universe in 15 Minutes

Everything You NEED to Know About Epic Universe in 15 Minutes

i’ve got 15 minutes to tell you everything you need to know about Epic Universe before you go can I do it only one way to find out [Music] hey everybody it’s AJ for Disney Food Blog and that’s about all the personal introduction I have time for in just 15 minutes I’m going to give you the basic nitty-gritty about Epic Universe and that means we’ll be going bam bam bam through each point to make sure this video can be easily watched when you’re on a lunch break or when the kids down for a nap or whatever 15 minutes you might have to spare during your busy day okay let’s go number one an epic overview epic Universe is made of five different lands or portals in this case the first one you’ll enter is Celestial Park the only land that doesn’t feature IP but instead is built around astronomical and mythological elements then going from left to right you’ve got Super Nintendo World based around those classic Nintendo video game characters that adults and kids are going to love within this land there are actually two sections to explore first being Super Mario Land and the second being Donkey Kong Country next we’ve got Dark Universe a land solely dedicated to Universal’s classic movie monsters like Frankenstein’s monster Dracula the Invisible Man etc moving right along and past the Helios Grand Hotel we’ll talk more about that later we’re now in the third wizarding world for Universal Orlando Ministry of Magic this is going to take you into 1920s Wizarding Paris which is an ornate shopping district lined with cafes stores and lots of windows that hold secret interactions ready to be activated with just the wave of your wand and finally we’ve got the land that several of you have probably been waiting way too long for how to Train Your Dragon is of Burke this is a land filled with Vikings and colorful buildings and of course tons of dragons now before we move on to the next point I need to say two important things when it comes to Epic Universe first it’s not part of the regular Universal Orlando Resort bubble over on Universal Boulevard instead it’s about 15 minutes away from there on Epic Boulevard just off Kirkman Road and two Epic Universe has three new hotels within walking distance or at least a super short bus ride from the park the first one which I mentioned in passing is Helios Grand and that’s the signature meaning expensive hotel that has a dedicated entrance leading straight into Celestial Park and the other two are much more affordable prime value hotels and Teral Luna for those who want to pay basically hundreds of dollars less to stay near the park all trip long i know we’re going to be super speedy through all this but when you have time later on to really plan out your Epic Universe day at your own speed you can use our free Epic Universe Ultimate Guide to help build your itinerary and narrow down your park priorities just scan the QR code you see on the screen now or if you’re watching this on your phone head to disneyfoodblog.com/epic after this okay at the time of recording Epic Universe still isn’t operating at full capacity so tickets can sell out faster but the crowds are still much more manageable for the most part there are a few attractions that I do want to call out real quick for being the most popular and therefore having some of the most intense lines the first one I need to bring your attention is Harry Potter and the Battle of the Ministry many folks have claimed this state-of-the-art ride is the best ride in all of Epic Universe but with that title comes some mighty steep wait times when Epic was still in early preview mode we saw Battle at the Ministry use a virtual line system via the Universal app and that could be the case again during your next visit however at the moment Epic has been using just a regular standby line and the wait times can get up to over 300 minutes not kidding even if Epic isn’t using the virtual line system when you’re there I’d recommend still downloading the Universal app so that you can be notified about those weight times throughout the day and that’s not just being notified about updated weight times for Battle at the Ministry but for any Epic Universe ride that you’re wanting to see the weight times drop down for it might also be worth checking on the Single Rider line status if Single Rider is available for the ride that day single Rider might not give you a short weight by any means but it could still potentially cut down your weight super Nintendo World’s two major rides Minecart Madness and Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge also see some mighty high weights during the day which could start racking up even before the park officially opens universal Hotel guests receive an early admissions perk which allows them to enter certain parks on certain mornings up to an hour before the park opens to the general public and that goes for Epic Universe too but the only rides that actually open during this early admissions period are Stardust Racers in Celestial Park as well as the Dark Universe and the Super Nintendo World attractions so those Nintendo lines rack up big time right at the start of the day if you’re not using early admission that day you might be better off waiting to get in line for these rides more towards later afternoon or evening after the bulk of the guests have already completed them earlier on and the last attraction I want to warn you about when it comes to lines isn’t a ride but it’s actually the most popular meet and greet you’re going to find in this new park Toothless toothless is definitely Epic Universe’s main celebrity but the good news is that he tends to hang around Isa Burke all day so you’ll have several chances to meet him that being said make sure you don’t wait until the very end of the day to meet him cuz his line could cut off an hour before park close to make sure everyone who’s already in line gets the chance to say hello there’s also a good chance you’ll have to adhere to a two photo per party limit to help keep the line moving along with Toothless and friends there are other character interactions you can check out around Epic Universe inside Dark Universe and the Wizarding World character interactions can be sporadic and pop up at any time giving you more of that immersive feel within each land note the Dark Universe characters will match your energy if you’ve got kids who are more timid then these monsters will be super gentle and easy to interact with but if you’re an adult who’s strutting around and living their best horror movie life with full vampire makeover post dark more monster makeup experience then the monsters might be a bit more inclined to mess with you meanwhile over in Super Nintendo World you’ll find Mario Luigi Princess Peach Toad everyone loves Toad and Donkey Kong at more stationary meet and greet locations also can I just fan over the way these characters can talk to you like how awesome is that while Toothless still tends to be the number one meet and greet character parkwide Mario and friends can rack up the wait times pretty quickly too and while the Universal app doesn’t usually post updated weights for the characters it’ll still tell you when the characters are scheduled to make their next appearances so Express Passes are Universal Orlando’s premium skip the ride line service that is also available as an add-on to your Epic Universe tickets but here are some things to remember one there are currently no express pass unlimited options available for Epic Universe so the express passes you purchase will give you the chance to skip the lines for select rides once but not multiple times two express passes for Epic start at $140 per person on top of your regular ticket price but can get as high as $330 during peak season and three express passes are not available for every ride so even with a purchase you still won’t be able to skip the lines for rides like Minecart Madness Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Dragon Racers Rally in Isisle of Burke so you’re really going to have to weigh the pros and cons of this add-on and find out if it’s going to be worth the splurge in the end lockers are back yep those complimentary ride lockers are still a thing over in Epic Universe the more intense rides of the park will require you to stow away loose articles in one of their complimentary lockers which are a whole lot bigger than the complimentary lockers over at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida just saying nice upgrade lockers are available at Hiccups Wing Gliders Monsters Unchained the Frankenstein Experiment and Stardust Racers stardust Racers will also have you walk through a metal detector before you get in the queue just to make sure all those loose articles are out of your pockets before you get on the ride it’s a safety thing when it comes to the rest of the rides in Isle of Burke you won’t find complimentary locker systems but you will find places to store your stuff in the meantime dragon Racers Rally has free cubbies and Fire Drill has two covered chests inside each boat to keep your stuff dry with coasters like Curse of the Werewolf and Dark Universe and Minecart Madness all you’ll need to do is set your bags between your feet before the ride takes off keep in mind that Epic Universe does use facial recognition to activate its lockers but if you don’t feel comfortable with that system you can always choose to scan your park ticket to open your locker instead so this is a question that lots of parents have asked us lately is this park younger kid-friendly the answer is yes and no epic Universe is not Disney while there are a couple of all rider attractions and meet and greets and fun play areas for the kids to climb around this isn’t necessarily a park where you’re going to want to bring your toddler or baby especially with the park’s lack of shade which could lead to some really cranky little ones as the sun starts to beat down even Super Nintendo World which is colorful and cartoony and looks like it’d be the perfect place for all ages can be kind of overwhelming for the younger members in your group this place is loud and in your face and highly overstimulating pretty fun but a lot to take on especially if you’re new to the world i’d say probably the most all ages friendly area of Epic Universe is of Burke not only are there so many dragons to walk around and meet but they’ve also got a fun all ride or fire drill water ride and a Viking training camp kids playground for little ones and the big kids to go out and explore if you or someone in your traveling group has a disability here’s what you need to know about some of the accessibility for Epic Universe’s rides straight from one of our DFP reporters who navigates the parks with a wheelchair each Epic Universe ride has its accessibility measures but those measures look different depending on the attraction the rides that use alternate entrances include Stardust Racers Dragon Racers Rally Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure the rides that feature wheelchair accessible vehicles meaning no transfer is necessary and you can stay in your chair at all times include Constellation Carousel Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge Yoshi’s Adventure and Fire Drill warning though your chair will get wet other rides use pull down transfer accessible vehicles which means even though you’ll have to transfer out of your wheelchair in order to ride these ride vehicles are designed for you to roll up as close as you can to the ride to make the transfer happen smoothly this is what you’ll find for rides like Curse of the Werewolf Minecart Madness Dragon Racers Rally Hiccup Wing Gliders Battle at the Ministry and Mario Kart yep both WAV and TAV are available for Mario Kart in general our reporter told us this is one of the most accessible parks she’s ever been to does that mean it’s perfect no but it seems as if Epic Universe is taking great strides to make sure their rides can accommodate a greater variety of guests if you or someone in your group needs a full transfer just give the team members at the front of the attraction a heads up so they can call ahead and let the team members inside the rid’s loading area know that you’re on your way if you’re concerned that you or someone in your group may not fit on certain rides around the park Epic Universe does have test vehicles or test seats right outside the cues for you to try if you press down on the lap bar and the test light turns green you should be cleared for takeoff much like today’s video where we’re packing a lot of info into a limited amount of time Epic Universe has a lot of places to eat but you’ll only have so much time and stomach space to spare so if you can only pick one place to eat and drink inside the parks for each portal here are the ones we personally choose based on our most recent reviews and experience in Dark Universe the Burning Blade Tavern this is a quick service restaurant that pays homage to the iconic windmill from Universal’s 1931 classic Frankenstein oh and that Burning Blade referenced in the name this tavern erupts into flames several times each hour on the 15 minutes what we’d recommend here is the Dark Thorn mead burning cheddar bites and the charred loaded potato but I’m going to cheat a little bit and tell you to go right next door to Delacy’s Cottage and get those cinnamon bites because they are incredible okay Super Nintendo World Toad Stool Cafe there’s nothing at the Toad Stool Cafe quick service that isn’t themed to the max every menu item references something in the Nintendo world like Piranha Plants or Superstars or Power-ups and popular characters like Mario Luigi Princess Peach and Bowser what we’d recommend here is Bowser’s Fireball Challenge the Piranha Plant Capres Toad Stool cheesy garlic knots and the Mario Burger and if you got a group get the Princess Peach cake in Isisle of Burke we’d go to Spitfire Grill or Hooligan’s Grog and Grl yep doubling up because you can get those famous mac and cheese cones at either location stand in line at Hooligans or mobile order through Spitfire Grill now the Spitfire Grill mobile order option might save you some time waiting in a physical line if things are pretty crazy over at Hooligans and if you don’t want a mac and cheese cone then Spitfire can also get you things like Hiccup Salmon Bowl or Vulka’s Vegan Bowl in the wizarding world go to Cafe Lair Deeren this might just be our favorite place to dine in Epic Universe period this quick service spot offers both indoor and outdoor dining throughout the day with a menu full of French baked goods and sandwiches platour and desserts there’s even breakfast some of our recommendations are the famous butterbeer crepe as well as the cassule vegetitalen which is basically a hearty and flavorful vegan stew i also personally loved the French onion soup here it’s my new favorite and finally head to Celestial Park and go to Pizza Moon this is an early 1900’s Victorian theater converted into a spectacular eery the whimsical vibe that starts on the outside continues inside featuring cardboard cutout-l like scene decorations like you might find in an old Victorian theater you’ll definitely want to explore this one and eat the pizza too top recommendations the pizza lunar with an ube crust and a trip to Vuvio loaded with several toppings including a hot honey and the brownie eclipse for dessert if you really want to there’s better stuff to eat around moving on to must-see shows universal Orlando is usually more known for rides rather than shows but Epic Universe has two live stage shows that you might very well fall in love with the first is the Untrainable Dragon over at Isisle of Burke during this performance Toothless Hiccup and all their friends work together to solve the mystery of a dragon that appears to be untrainable the whole theater is highly immersive and has stadium style seating so benches with high backs it also features amazing puppets as well as a standout moment when spoiler alert Toothless flies over the audience then you’ve got Lergar Canoe over at the Wizarding World this is the first ever live full-scale theater experience inside one of Universal’s Wizarding World locations much like the Untrainable Dragon this show features amazing puppetry along with live performers aerialists and brilliant special effects the show follows Ring Master Scander who has recently stolen N Scavenger’s suitcase in case you don’t know who N is he’s the protagonist from the Fantastic Beast films so now it’s up to circus employee Gwen to rescue these creatures from Scander’s greedy hands before it’s too late while we recommend seeing both shows if you’re able The Untrainable Dragon tends to be the best show option if you’re traveling with younger kids or just fans of the series in general but Circ Canoe has a bit more of a story line going on in a more intimate setting the good news is you don’t have to choose just one if you want to prioritize them both each performance happens several times throughout the day all right our 15 minutes and probably a little bit more are up but that doesn’t mean the Epic Universe planning has to end be sure to check out our other Epic Universe videos already on the channel we’ve got an ultimate guide we’ve got a bunch of secrets we got things to eat we’ve got great coverage of Epic Universe if I do say so myself and don’t forget to download our free Epic Universe ultimate guide right now over at disneyfoodblog.com/epic thanks for listening everyone and thanks for watching as always this is AJ for Disney Food Vlog and we’ll see you real soon

Everything You NEED to Know About Epic Universe in 15 Minutes

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