Epic Universe set for official debut Thursday: ‘It’s a different world’

Disney4me · 2025-05-17T11:00:50Z

Jesse DeMello and his 8-year-old son, Liam, got a sneak peek of Epic Universe two weeks ago, and they left dazzled by Orlando’s newest theme park.

In Super Nintendo World, coins twirled as Mario’s iconic soundtrack played. A school-bus-sized creature flew overhead at the Untrainable Dragon show. Frankenstein’s monster and bride sprang to life in Darkmoor Village, the section of the park dedicated to Universal’s classic monsters.

“It feels like you are in a different world,” said DeMello, a real estate agent from North Port, south of Tampa.

Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe officially opens on May 22, the first major theme park development in Central Florida in 26 years. After billions of dollars and eight years of planning and construction, its formal premiere sets a new standard for the 21st century theme park.

Rather than transforming the experience, Epic Universe culminates recent trends in immersive surroundings, high-tech thrills, top-quality refreshments, and park-goer spending. It looks almost certain to extend Central Florida’s reign as a tourist destination, luring millions of visitors to a must-see new offering while spurring competitors to even greater heights.

Jesse DeMello and his 8-year-old son, Liam DeMello, pose with Mario and Luigi during their preview visit to Universal Orlando's Epic Universe. The new theme park officially opens on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Jesse DeMello) — Jesse DeMello and his 8-year-old son, Liam DeMello, pose with Mario and Luigi during their preview visit to Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe. The new theme park officially opens on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Jesse DeMello)

The grand opening marks the realization of a lifetime of dreaming for Scott Verble, an executive producer who worked on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic section of the park.

The 33-year-old Florida native grew up with midnight “Harry Potter” book releases. He played RollerCoaster Tycoon, the computer game where users design and run a simulation theme park. He studied at the University of Central Florida and dreamed of one day designing a theme park in real life.

Now he is part of an immense team, from civil engineers to culinary experts, who helped make Epic Universe a reality, starting with initial brainstorming in 2016. As a producer, Verble coordinated and worked across all those disciplines to execute the park’s creative vision.

“We want to create memories for people to last a lifetime, and I think that’s what Epic Universe does better than anything else we’ve ever done before,” Verble said.

Universal started previews of Epic Universe on April 17, operating what it called “technical rehearsals.”

It is already getting rave reviews from many theme park enthusiasts, who praise its immersive qualities and Universal’s attention to detail. Some say Universal’s efforts are a compelling draw that will surely put industry leader Disney on notice, rivaling such blockbuster attractions as Pandora: The World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Verble said the team tackled such granular details as ensuring stones in wizarding Paris gave an aged appearance similar to what visitors would see if they were actually in the City of Lights during the 1920s. Team members visited Paris and the “Fantastic Beasts” film sets for inspiration. It’s those little details that transport visitors into another world, he said.

“We want to make sure that the deeper the guests look, the more they find,” he added.

The theming even extends to toilets and urinals. In the area of the park dedicated to movie monsters, they are black.

Karyn Locke, a theme park journalist from Pittsburgh, said Universal put together an experience that allowed her to leave her worries behind at the entrance gate.

“You want that magical theme park bubble where you don’t have to think about anything else, and you’re transported into that land,” she said. “They’ve done the job extremely well. I think everybody who are theme park fans, or even casual theme park admirers, will enjoy this park.”

Epic’s central hub is known as Celestial Park. It features dancing fountains and the 500-room Helios Grand Hotel, where a stay starts at about $370 a night, or $310 with a Florida discount. The luxury hotel offers a dedicated entrance to Epic, placing guests mere steps from the park’s attractions.

From there, tunnels, known as portals, transport visitors to different lands — Super Nintendo World, the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts”-themed Ministry of Magic, monster-filled Dark Universe and Isle of Berk, inspired by the “How to Train Your Dragon” movie franchise.

The Chronos portal (the entrance) to Celestial Park at Epic Universe on April 22. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) — The Chronos portal to Celestial Park at Epic Universe on April 22. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

So far, the Potter-inspired Battle at the Ministry ride is getting a lot of buzz for its elaborate storytelling and the meticulously crafted waiting queue that sets the stage for the main ride. Theme park fans have lauded other rides, too, including the Stardust Racers rollercoaster, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness.

The food offerings — from mac-and-cheese cones to butterbeer crepes — have garnered praise for raising the bar for theme park cuisine. DeMello’s favorites included cake pops and the Yoshi green smoothie.

Another advance is the park’s use of facial-recognition technology for lockers and express lanes. No more fumbling for tickets or keys.

Early Epic visitors have shared a few gripes, too, such as a lack of shade and high demand for the marquee Battle at the Ministry ride. The virtual line has filled up in seconds, leaving some parkgoers frustrated.

A single-day adult ticket starts at $139 and goes up to $199 for peak-demand days. An express pass, allowing quicker access to rides, runs another $130 to $330. Florida residents are eligible for a three-day ticket that includes a day at Epic Universe, starting at $119 per day for an adult.

A theme park ‘boxing match’

With Epic Universe’s grand opening, the theme park wars in Central Florida are heating up, said Dennis Speigel, owner of International Theme Park Services, a consulting firm that advises attractions on design planning and operations.

“Make no mistake: Universal and Disney are in an armaments war of the greatest proportions,” Speigel said. “It’s a boxing match of the champions, and Universal has come on strong in that market in the last 15 years. … They are challenging Disney on every front.”

The pressure will be on during opening day. Ride malfunctions plagued Universal’s arrival to Orlando in 1990, prompting newspaper headlines of “Opening Day Goes Bust.” In 2010, visitors waited six hours or longer to get inside a Harry Potter expansion to an older park.

Epic Universe survival guide: What to pack for the new park

Speigel, who has opened major theme parks in the United States and internationally, said he thinks Universal is on track for a smoother opening with Epic.

“I think what they realized is let’s get ourselves better prepared, and they have,” he said.

Walt Disney World has dominated since it opened in 1971, now attracting about 50 million visitors annually to its four theme parks, two water parks and more than 25 hotels.

With Epic’s opening, Universal offers three theme parks, a water park and 11 hotels.

Universal’s two existing parks — Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure — attract about 20 million visitors a year. Company officials are hopeful Epic will help them narrow the gap with Disney.

“Epic Universe doubles the size of our park footprint in Orlando, transforming our collection of resorts into a weeklong vacation destination,” Mike Cavanagh, president of Universal’s parent company Comcast, said during an earnings call last month.

Speigel projects Epic could draw as many as 8 million visitors during its first year of operation. That’s about the same number as Disney’s Animal Kingdom draws, according to the latest statistics from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM. Disney World’s flagship Magic Kingdom attracted nearly 18 million visitors, the most of any amusement park worldwide, according to the report.

Disney is gearing up for its own expansion with plans to invest $17 billion over the next 10 to 20 years. Several projects are already in the works.

An addition to the Magic Kingdom will have a villains theme and include two new attractions, dining and shopping, company leaders said in August. A “Monsters, Inc.” land is also in the works at Hollywood Studios, along with a Tropical Americas project at Animal Kingdom that will feature “Indiana Jones” and “Encanto”-themed attractions.

Economic Windfall

Epic will benefit the entire region, including its competitors, by elevating Orlando’s reputation as the world’s theme park capital, said Jakob Wahl, CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

“We often see a rising tide effect when a major attraction opens,” he said. “It drives increased tourism, hotel bookings and longer stays. It benefits surrounding attractions, restaurants, small businesses.”

With a reported price tag of $7 billion, Epic Universe is one of the most expensive theme parks ever built, said
Jorge Ridderstaat, a tourism economist at the University of Central Florida. That construction work created an estimated 65,000 jobs nationwide, he said.

Pictures: A first look at Universal Epic Universe

The park is expected to generate a $2 billion economic impact for Florida within its first year of operation and support 17,500 jobs nationwide, according to a Universal-commissioned study conducted by UCF economist Sean Snaith. He expects the park’s benefits will go beyond the tourism sector, touching all parts of Central Florida’s economy.

“Over time, you are going to see Epic Universe triggering a lot of development in that area,” Snaith said. “It creates these additional business opportunities that will impact the economy and create additional jobs.”

DeMello, a theme park aficionado, said he’s already wanting to come back to Epic with his son.

“There’s no other park I want to go to more right now,” he said.