Epic Universe Ride Guide: New park rides ranked from tame to super scary

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Dragons, wizards, classic monsters and videogame legends all live in Epic Universe. Their five themed worlds have a big theme-park element in common: Rides.

At Epic, the attractions range from calm kiddie rides to elaborate, technological marvels that transport passengers to disorienting alternate dimensions. Here’s what to know — along with a Fear Factor Guide (1 being mildly scary and 10 being toe-curling terrifying) — before braving the 11 rides of Epic Universe.

Yoshi’s Adventure

Fear factor: 1

The family-friendly Yoshi’s Adventure ride gives guests a unique vantage point of Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: A kiddie ride

Where: Upper level of Super Nintendo World.

What to expect: It’s the most low-stakes, all-ages ride at Epic. Passengers glide by scenes from Mushroom Kingdom and participate in an egg-based scavenger hunt. See one? Press a button.

Visitors stand at the entrance to the Yoshi’s Adventure ride in Super Nintendo World. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? Maybe like the Cat in the Hat ride at Islands of Adventure but without the verve.

Fear factor explained: Virtually none, unless you’re triggered by slow forward motion, mild altitudes or the blazing Florida sun in a couple of stretches.

Height requirement: 34 inches (although under 48 inches requires a supervising companion)

One ride, three words: Yo, slow go

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Constellation Carousel

Fear factor: 2

Constellation Carousel, which spins under the central dome of Celestial Park, can be seen from the Helios Grand Hotel. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: A kiddie ride

Where: Celestial Park, under the big dome near the entrance of Epic Universe

What to expect: Heavens-inspired merry-go-round featuring starry creatures in lieu of horses. (Teaching moment: Lepus is a hare constellation that’s below Orion and represented by a rabbit on this ride.)

The animals are spaced out more than on a typical carousel. Eventually, the ride reverses course and goes backward.

The Constellation Carousel is one attraction within Celestial Park, the central hub of Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The design of the floor is one big rotating circle with three subset circles that also rotate. It’s a spinning scheme also seen on Wild Tea Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, but at a much more leisurely pace than those teacups.

Fear factor explained: Another oddity is that the figures rise higher than usual, up about 6 feet. Riders are harnessed so it’s not a biggie except for extreme acrophobiacs.

Height requirement: Children under 48 inches must be accompanied by a “supervising companion,” Universal says, and hand-held infants are not permitted.

One ride, three words: Circling the skies

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Fyre Drill

Fear factor: 2

Guests take a ride on Fyre Drill within How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: Fyre Drill, a water ride

Where: How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

What to expect: Slow-moving ride without splashdowns. Passengers aboard Viking boats shoot water cannons at fire-inspired targets and, on a couple of occasions, other boats. There’s no scoring or champion designation.

Fyre Drill is the water ride attraction within How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? Like firing from atop Me Ship the Olive onto Bilge-Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure … but on the move.

Fear factor explained: None unless you’re so sweet you’ll melt. (Heads up, bystanders.)

Height requirement: None, but children under 48 inches must be accompanied by a supervising companion. Hand-held infants are not permitted.

One ride, three words: Wet not wild

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Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

Fear factor: 4

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is an interactive ride within Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: An interactive dark ride

Where: Super Nintendo World

What to expect: Glide into a way-larger-than-life videogame with Mario and Luigi, throw shells, blast at things and collect digital coins. Compete with three other passengers, each outfitted with special goggles.

Guests prepare to take off on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, a ride with gameplay and augmented-reality glasses. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? There are moments of Men in Black: Alien Attack attraction from Universal Studios, plus some Toy Story Mania (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) moves.

Fear factor explained: The twists and turns are not too severe. The goggles might trigger claustrophobia and/or frustrate non-gamers.

Height requirement: 40 inches (but under 48 inches requires a supervising companion)

One ride, three words: Big-time game time

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Dragon Racer’s Rally

Fear factor: 6

Dragon Racer’s Rally is a swinging ride within How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: An aerial and acrobatic ride

Where: How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

What to expect: The attraction lifts 10 riders on individual dragons, taking them into sweeping, swooping motions. Leaning passengers affect their own wobbles, which, in theory, proves a dragon racer’s worthiness.

Dragon Racer’s Rally tests whether riders have what it takes to fly atop a dragon. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? It’s unique among Central Florida theme parks, but it might strike some as an extremely themed carnival ride.

Fear factor explained: Height and openness would be two variables to consider. The dragons will go completely upside-down but it takes quick and focused leaning. It won’t happen by accident, and folks have about five rounds for topsy-turvy attempts.

Height requirement: 48 inches

One ride, three words: Driving diving dragons

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Mine-Cart Madness

Fear factor: 6

Donkey Kong Country glows golden at dusk within Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: An indoor-outdoor roller coaster

Where: Donkey Kong Country, a subset of Super Nintendo World

What to expect: The family coaster rollicks through a jungle setting four passengers at a time with Golden Temple and Golden Banana theming.

Epic Universe visitors ride Mine-Cart Madness at Donkey Kong Country, a subset of Super Nintendo World. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The intensity is a bit more than Flight of the Hippogriff coaster at Islands of Adventure, possibly because of the rapid shifts in scenery.

Fear factor explained: The videogame-inspired gaps in tracks might look scarier from spots away from the ride, but the attraction is loaded with close calls and jump scares.

Height requirement: 40 inches

One ride, three words: All monkey business

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Curse of the Werewolf

Fear factor: 7

Guests take a ride on Curse of the Werewolf, a spinning coaster inside of Dark Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: An outdoor roller coaster

Where: Dark Universe, just past Frankenstein Manor

What to expect: The thriller has a non-traditional ride vehicle and track layout. Passengers are in several four-person cars strung together to form a long train, and each car spins around repeatedly while in forward motion. The scenery keeps changing, including those folks once directly ahead are now nowhere to be seen.

The journey, set in a dark forest, encounters dead-end hills and then backtracking, all the while spinning. Part of the fun is the continued disorientation. (Another part of the fun: Watching other passengers whirl and trying not to hurl.)

Passengers on Curse of the Werewolf, a spinning coaster, ride in four-person cars strung together to form a long train. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The flinging sensation is kind of like that surprising security-troll moment in Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios, plus some feelings found aboard the Ice Breaker roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando.

Fear factor explained: Curse of the Werewolf is neither too high nor too fast, topping out at 37 mph. It’s not the mph, it’s the motion. What appears to be endless spinning can be scary and stomach-turning, but there are giggles heard too. Monsterwise, there are stretches with howling effects as well as brief werewolf sightings.

One ride, three words: Epic’s spin master

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Hiccup’s Wing Gliders

Fear factor: 8

Guests shout and raise their hands while riding the Hiccup’s Wing Gliders coaster in the How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk world during a preview day for Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: An outdoor roller coaster

Where: How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

What to expect: It’s a thrill ride with punch and surprises, particularly in the second half of the journey. Passengers are not on a dragon but rather a mechanical contraption designed by the Hiccup character as a test of bravery or so the story goes. There will be dragons, including a Toothless sighting.

Visitors crest a hill amid Viking and dragon carvings while aboard Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, part of the Isle of Berk section of Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The romp through parts of Berk might give off vibes a la Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — with a Viking twist.

Fear factor explained: It’s another coaster that’s not as tame as it looks from ground level. Its top speed is reportedly 45 mph. Those riders look relaxed and happy though.

Height requirement: 40 inches

One ride, three words: Swift and airy

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Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

Fear factor: 9

Frankenstein Manor is illuminated, coming alive at night within Dark Universe at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: A dark ride

Where: Dark Universe, inside a goth mansion in the 5th Century town of Darkmoor

What to expect: Unchained riders witness Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s attempt to redeem her grandfather’s legacy by exacting revenge on assorted menacing monsters, including Dracula, Wolf Man, the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

It gets harrowing quickly and stays that way as the current Dr. Frankenstein’s electricity runs amok in the bowels of the family manor.

A new Frankenstein’s monster and Dr. Victoria Frankenstein appear in the pre-show of Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The robotic arm system, the on-your-back stretches plus dangling legs, harkens to the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park.

Fear factor explained: Classic monsters, sometimes appearing in the form of lunging animatronics, can be startling and closer than expected. Universal has touted this as its “most chilling ride ever.” Passengers do not go completely upside-down, but the motion could be a nausea red flag.

Height requirement: 48 inches

One ride, three words: Dark and stormy

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Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

Fear factor: 9

The queue for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry features Delores Umbridge, whose trial is the focal point of the ride. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: A dark ride with omnidirectional movement

Where: In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, there’s a gateway from 1920s Paris to 1990s London

What to expect: It’s an amped-up motion simulator that follows Harry and his friends during the trial of Dolores Umbridge. Things go horribly wrong, and there’s an intense, sometimes body-rattling, visually stimulating chase through the British Ministry while folks – passengers and characters – are traveling via magical lifts (Translation for Americans: Magical elevators.)

Pre-opening chatter has marveled at the queue, which is rooms and rooms of “Harry Potter” scenes large and small from the Ministry. The reality of this fiction is off the charts.

The queue for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry takes guests inside the Ministry of Magic. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? The seating is like a posh Tower of Terror (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), the action is presented a la the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure) but more unrelenting, and movements akin to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios but more unpredictable.

Fear factor explained: This attraction is active enough to throw riders around pretty good, with sudden shifts in direction and refocusing required. Motion-sensitive peeps should beware, as well as folks with issues with erumpents (Repeat to yourself, friends: It’s not a real magical horned creature, just a very large animatronic.)

Oh, and spoiler alert: Justice is served.

Height requirement: 40 inches

One ride, three words: Magic plus mayhem

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Stardust Racers

Fear factor: 10

Epic visitors make the rounds on Stardust Racers, a dueling roller coaster in Celestial Park, during a preview day for the theme park. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

What: A dual-launch, dueling coaster

Where: Celestial Park, just beyond the portal to How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

What to expect: It starts and ends with side-by-side tracks – officially dubbed Photon and Pulsar – that are similar but not twins. Their interstellar journeys interact multiple times, particularly in the second half of the ride, speeding by (and over and under) each other.

Stardust Racers is an intense coaster in the Celestial Park part of Epic. In the foreground of the photo is the hand and wand that are atop the portal for the neighboring Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Feels familiar? It compares favorably and fearfully with Jurassic Park VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure, although its top speed is about 10% slower (70 mph vs 62 mph). Stardust is a sneaky attraction that doesn’t look as intense from the ground as it is in real rail life.

Fear factor explained: There is one inversion per rail and two launches. Several tricks and hills are tucked away on the back side of the ride, but you can see them coming while on board. There’s just nothing that can be done about it at that point.

Height requirement: 48 inches

One ride, three words: Oh. My. Stars.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

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

• Epic Universe: Exec blends arts, engineering in theme park roles

• Epic Universe preview: An early walk (and rides) in the park

 

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