Epic is so..well..Epic!

Sometimes when life hands you an EPIC, once in a lifetime opportunity you have to say yes.

This is what happened to me, I was offered a chance to visit Universal’s newest theme park, EPIC Universe, before the official opening, a chance to preview the park during technical rehearsals. How cool is that?!  This is the first major theme park to open in almost 25 years, and I got to be there for the preview. I debated this opportunity for approximately 2 minutes, before I decided that yes, this not something I should pass up. So two weeks later I hopped on a plane and flew to the complete opposite side of the US.

My excitement was through the roof, I was tracking the app and scrolling social media to find any little details that I wanted to make sure not to miss.

The day was finally here! Myself and three other amazing agents from Part of That World Vacations were standing in line waiting for the gates to open. Finally the gates opened and it was time to scan in. As each agent scanned in we all cheered, this was momentous! We were finally in and able to experience this brand new park.

The detail and thought put into this new park is astounding. It is big, the walkways are large and the theming is immersive. The first portal you experience coming from the main gates contains a glimpse of the five themed lands that await you. Celestial Park, Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, Isle of Berk and Dark Universe.

Upon entering this portal you are first transported to Celestial Park. Greeted with stunning view of Helios in the distance. The pools of dancing water and ornate décor creates the perfect location for the first picture of the day.  

The first stop of the day was to the new dueling roller coasters, Stardust Racers. If you are a roller coaster junkie, you do not want to miss out on the one! You can choose the green or yellow side. Truth be told I didn’t notice much a difference between the two, however it is rumored that the green is more intense. Both sides were equally fun, fast and intense. I love the use of free locker rentals that Universal provides for these rides. A new upgrade at EPIC is the use of a photo to access your locker vs scanning a ticket. This made it flawless.

Celestial Park is beautifully decorated and easy to navigate. The food options are really top notch. The quality and options available are amazing. We had a late lunch at Atlantic, and I was super impressed with the options and pricing. I feel the pricing was absolutely fair for the quality of food.

Super Nintendo World

This land brought back all the childhood memories. Walking on the rainbow bridge through the portal to be transported by the green pipe was just the beginning. Yes, it makes the noise.  As you walk out of the castle, you are surrounded by dancing coins, spinning turtle shells, mushrooms, coin blocks, and so much more. The colors are vivid and really draw you in. You could spend hours in here finding all of the interactive areas. Donkey Kong Country feels like you are right in the game, complete with DK barrels around. The ride is fun and definitely brings back those old memories of jump, jump, jump!!!!!!

Boswer’s Challenge was a lot of fun, even though I had no idea what I was doing half the time. This ride is worth riding multiple times so you can find your groove and gain higher scores. The queue for this ride is so much fun, there is so much to look at, explore and read. Standing in line would not be horrible as there are plenty of things to keep you occupied while waiting.

Yoshi’s Adventure is a sweet short continuously loading ride. You get to see the whole themed area from a different perspective, while riding in a Yoshi and seeing different characters from the games.

Dark Universe

This land definitely lives up to it’s name. It is dark, and a bit eerie, and you never know who you or what you might find lurking. Somehow we spotted the Invisible man, and for being invisible he is quite sassy.

The Buring Blade Tavern hosts a good selection of tasty drinks. Make sure to grab yourself the Pure of Heart. A whiskey based drink that is apparently made with werewolves blood. The bartender will place it in a special glass jar and fill it with smoke to make it safe to consume.

Monsters Unchained is absolutely amazing. I struggle with the screens and movement on some rides, makes me a little nauseous. This ride, however,  with the stunning screen quality and the smooth motions, even while being jerked around, was amazing. It was flawless, and I can’t wait to experience this one again.

Curse of the Werewolf is an exciting new roller coaster, and as we learned, the experience can be quite different for every rider. This coaster will spin you, and I was lucky enough to be on a car that spun me around multiple times, however, others only spun 1 or 2 times around.

Isle of Berk

How to train your Dragon!!!! Do I really need to say more? The details, the sheep, the silliness of the characters…the Dragons!!!!!! The Viking Training Camp looked like a great place to let the littles ones burn off some steam. Climbing and exploring in a mostly shaded area.

Dragon Racer’s Rally teaches you how to fly! If you have enough coordination you can even make yours do a barrel roll!  Might take you a couple of tries, but it can be done! You can make this ride as thrilling or tame as you please.

Hiccup’s Wing Gliders roller coaster is a blast with multiple launches, swooping and soaring as you fly though the whole Isle of Berk.

Make sure you explore every corner of this land, you never know who you might find.

Ministry of Magic

Let me start off by saying, if you have not watched the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” series, I highly recommend you do. This new land will make so much more sense.

After you pass through the portal, you are transported to the streets of Paris, where you will find many shops with decadent treats, souvenirs, and so much more. Make sure you explore every corner, even that dark alley. Don’t forget to bring your wand. There are so many locations to test your skills and see what you can uncover.

When the time comes to visit the British Ministry of Magic, you will first go through the Metro, so you can travel using the Floo Network to reach your destination. The British Ministry of Magic is truly jaw-dropping. The queue line is built beautifully and could keep you entertained for hours. Make sure to keep an eye out for the little details. The ride itself is also an adventure, the visuals are well done, and the movement is smooth, but it can still lead to a little bit of motion sickness if you are highly susceptible. It is fast-paced with a lot of movement, but very well done.

Short of being cliché this new theme park definitely earned its name. It was EPIC!  The food, the drinks, the space, the merchandise and the rides are incredibly impressive. It was so worth taking a very quick trip for, and I can’t wait to go back and do it all again and again and again.

-Trisha Marsh

Trishamarsh@partofthatworld.com