12 Coolest Things We Saw at Universal Epic Universe

The expansive opening of Universal Orlando Resort’s newest taxable park, Universal Epic Universe, is connected the horizon, and IGN got the breathtaking accidental to acquisition the entire park successful the lead-up. I spent a full 9 hours exploring Epic Universe’s 5 worlds and rode conscionable astir each ride–here are my archetypal impressions of the parkland and immoderate of the coolest things I experienced.

Before I dive into the coolest things, here’s immoderate inheritance accusation connected Epic Universe. The parkland consists of 5 uniquely themed worlds: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Dark Universe (a gothic satellite of Universal Monsters featuring Darkmoor Village and the Frankenstein Manor), and Super Nintendo World, which besides includes Donkey Kong Country.

The representation of Universal Epic Universe

It’s a clever premise. From the loosely space-themed Celestial Park, the “heart” of the park, you’ll find 4 portals to the different worlds (and the on-site Helios Grand Hotel). Though lacking the hyper-immersive theming of the different worlds, the archetypal Celestial Park has dazzling agleam fountains, statues, and well-manicured gardens, making it bully capable to stroll done betwixt portals, and it’s smartly laid retired to marque it casual to get to wherever you’re trying to go.

I loved the portal thought and it’s executed superbly. Walking done each of the portals for it to unfastened up into a wholly immersive caller satellite was incredible, each satellite unsocial and spectacular connected its own.

The portal to Super Nintendo World successful Universal Epic Universe.

It’s a dense parkland with tons to spot and interact with, not adjacent counting the rides. Though I spent 9 hours determination and skipped each enactment portion connected the media tour, I consciousness similar I hardly scratched the aboveground of everything that Epic Universe has to offer. This is with lone a one-hour luncheon interruption and astir 45 minutes of “free” time. I didn’t adjacent get to play with the interactive spots that utilize the Harry Potter wands successful the Ministry of Magic oregon the powerfulness bands successful Super Nintendo World (both, admittedly, astatine an other cost.) I besides didn’t get to conscionable Toothless, which I was beauteous bittersweet about. That’ll beryllium a next-trip goal.

Now that you’re primed connected what Epic Universe is, here are my favourite things I noticed oregon experienced that sparked a unsocial benignant of joy, successful a wholly arbituary order.

1. The Intense Stardust Racers Coaster

A presumption of the tracks of Stardust Racers.

Sure, a small cliche to see the park's “signature” coaster, but it truly was so memorable. I grew up successful Florida, truthful I’ve been connected a batch of coasters astatine each the parks successful the sunshine authorities (bar the much precocious launched Jurassic World VelociCoaster, unfortunately), and I tin accidental this is easy the astir aggravated roller coaster I’ve ever ridden–and my media radical member’s agreed it was much aggravated than the VelociCoaster, too. I don’t privation to “spoil” the acquisition for anyone, truthful I’ll conscionable archer you this: it starts with the strength of a shooting prima and maintains it with hardly a azygous infinitesimal of reprieve but with a assortment of movements that kept maine surprised. Add connected the dueling coaster aspect, wherever the different coaster bid is right there, and you person a prima of a ride, adjacent if the lead-up to it successful the enactment is simply a tad under-themed compared to the elaborate set-ups galore of the different rides astatine the parkland have.

2. All the Dragons

Okay, I emotion dragons, truthful the Isle of Berk was perfectly my jam. There are moving dragons, large and tiny (and sheep!), each astir the How to Train Your Dragon-themed world, and I emotion them each excessively overmuch to prime conscionable one. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot an awesome small robot of Dart, 1 of Toothless’ and Light Fury’s children, being escorted astir the park, too. There’s besides a peculiar conscionable and greet with Toothless and Hiccup you tin hold successful enactment for, and occasionally you’ll spot Astrid and her dragon Stormfly (who is simply a idiosyncratic successful a suit, not a robot, but inactive cool!)

3. This Donkey Kong Themed Float (and Mug)

My circuit ended conscionable 30 minutes earlier the parkland closed, and with my escaped time, I backtracked to Donkey Kong Country to bull 1 of the fancy floats I saw astatine The Bubbly Barrel, a snack basal adjacent to the Minecart Madness thrust entrance. The enactment was long, but it moved reasonably rapidly and was worthy the wait. The DK Crush Float includes pineapple soda with banana and pineapple Dole Whip, topped with toffee and cocoa caramel corn, surrounded by a caller waffle cone. (Quick note, I’ve never seen Banana Dole Whip?) I opted to get it served successful this souvenir DK Barrel Cup, which should astir apt beryllium utilized to clasp integrative cups similar successful this lawsuit alternatively than beryllium utilized consecutive up. The tasty concoction deed the spot and near maine $19 poorer, but the souvenir mug is chill capable to warrant it for me. I enjoyed my dainty sitting beside the Mine-Cart Madness thrust with the DK taxable playing successful the inheritance arsenic the prima began to set–not a atrocious mode to extremity a agelong day!

4. One of The Longest Most Intricate Queues for a Ride I’ve Ever Seen

The Harry Potter and the Battle astatine the Ministry of Magic thrust has a enactment that took astir 1,300 steps to get through–which is astir a half-mile–but the full happening is decked retired to the nines to look precisely similar the to-scale wrong of the British Ministry of Magic. I person a full abstracted nonfiction astir however the Battle astatine the Ministry of Magic's enactment is fractional a mile long, going implicit the “magic” of this place, but beryllium prepared to beryllium impressed and, hopefully, entertained capable arsenic you hold for this attraction.

5. These Custom Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines

Okay, I’m definite not everyone volition beryllium perfectly stunned by the styling of the interior of a restaurant, but I’m a nerd who appreciates William Morris and loved the American craftsman (or “arts and crafts”) vibe of the Oak & Star Tavern successful Celestial Park. It adjacent had customized Cocoa-Cola Freestyles to lucifer the crafty, woodland-inspired theming. The full edifice had maine wanting to unrecorded there, which is insane, but you similar what you like, right? I privation I had been capable to sojourn immoderate of the different restaurants because, by the look of this one, I presume they indispensable beryllium good enactment unneurotic astatine the least. May I besides add, that the BBQ astatine the Oak & Star was incredible–I highly urge the brisket and the mac and cheese.

6. This Little Guy Messing with a Lock

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic satellite is mostly acceptable successful the 1920s “wizarding Paris” from the Fantastic Beasts films, and it does a large occupation astatine tricking you into reasoning you truly are successful a metropolis wherever determination are plentifulness of cafes to effort and model buying to indulge in. One of these windows included piles of ornate locks, and wrong was a moving Bowtruckle. This cute small feline made adorable sounds arsenic it worked astatine picking a lock, thing Bowtruckles are adept at. It’s discovering tiny, missable details similar this that greatly heighten immersiveness and small moments of joy.

7. Pikmin!

It’s called Super Nintendo World, but this satellite is intelligibly Super Mario World that leads to Donkey Kong Country. Stepping done the archetypal greenish warp-pipe portal leads you to the parlor of Princess Peach’s Castle, and conscionable outside, the agleam colors and galore moving parts of the Mushroom Kingdom greet you, implicit with Question Blocks, Piranha Plants, Goomba, and adjacent Bowser’s Castle. Turn a country down the stairs, and you’ll spot the wide entranceway to Donkey Kong Country–but to the near are a fewer reddish Pikmin connected the wall! What are you doing here, small guys? What a delightful small discovery.

8. Captain Toad Repeatedly Saying, “Thanks to you, We Found the Golden Egg” successful His Silly Toad Voice

Super Nintendo World, due to the fact that I don't person a representation of Captain Toad, since we were not allowed to instrumentality photos portion connected rides. He's determination up determination to the close of the Thwomp!

The Yoshi’s Adventure thrust successful Super Nintendo World is decidedly a slow-moving “kiddie ride,” but it’s highly produced, plays nostalgic euphony from acquainted games throughout, and tasks you with uncovering 3 colored eggs during the thrust by pressing their corresponding buttons erstwhile you spot them. At the end, if you recovered them all, Captain Toad enthusiastically acknowledgment you for the help. Well, since this is the extremity of the ride, we were a small backed up, and proceeding him accidental this repeatedly successful the silly Toad dependable had maine and my thrust spouse (The Nerdist’s beauteous Rotem Rusak), cracking up.

9. Fragrant Gardenias successful Celestial Park

I admit this is simply a small silly to see connected a “coolest” list, but thing astir the infinitesimal the lush scent of gardenias deed maine portion I took successful the views astir the statue of Luna, the Goddess of the Moon, stuck with me. I grew up with the fragrant achromatic flowers successful my tiny yard, truthful it’s a nostalgic scent for me. When I commented connected them, our circuit usher said Celestial Park is designed to enactment the “park” backmost successful “theme park,” and this small infinitesimal that encouraged maine to halt and odor the “roses” decidedly backed that sentiment up.

10. An Intimidating Vampiress with a Violin

Dark Universe is simply a spooky, gothic municipality with a foreboding castle arsenic its centerpiece and monstrous denizens that inhabit it. I lone got to precise concisely spot 2 of these characters–The Invisible Man, who menacingly said thing on the lines of, “I retrieve what we talked about,” to our circuit usher earlier stomping away, and a violin-playing vampiress. The vampire stood connected a abbreviated balcony, telling america we’re lone live due to the fact that they let america to be, earlier aggressively playing her violin and walking away. These characters look similar they’d beryllium so amusive to interact with, and I heard determination are many, galore much to find astir the park.

11. The Underwater-Themed Super Mario Bathroom

Everything successful Epic Universe is themed, immoderate much heavy than others, but you tin stake that adjacent the bathrooms lucifer wherever they’re placed. No boring, bland, beige bathrooms present (at slightest of what I saw!) Though not the fanciest, my favourite was astir apt the Super Nintendo World bath that not lone had this cute underwater taxable but played the Underwater Theme from Super Mario Bros., too.

12. Getting Spit connected By the Wolf Man

The Wolf Man of the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride, courtesy Universal.

Okay, look, hear maine out. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment was an incredible thrust with immense accumulation worth and the coolest effects. To committee the ride, you beryllium down connected seats that are moving connected a conveyor loop of sorts. As I approached, I noticed the seats were wet, truthful I asked the formed subordinate why. He said with a mischievous smile, “Don’t interest astir it,” past followed up with, “don’t you cognize this goes underwater?” Okay, cheeky, I didn’t interest astir it. But I was inactive amazed that the crushed those seats were bedewed was due to the fact that erstwhile the Wolf Man ferociously snarls astatine you during the ride, his drool slings each implicit you. Gross. But also, cool.

Universal Epic Universe volition officially unfastened connected May 22 successful Orlando, Florida. What are you astir looking guardant to experiencing astatine this immersive, ambitious taxable park? Let america cognize successful the comments below.

Casey DeFreitas is simply a lawman exertion of guides astatine IGN and is the team's nonmigratory Floridian. Catch her connected societal media @ShinyCaseyD