One new theme park, five new worlds and possibly the best rollercoaster of all
thrill-ogy |
Stardust Racers in EPIC competes the Universal coaster thrill-ogy
Set over five distinct worlds, the expansive theme park promises a lot but never in my wildest dreams did I think that one of the new rollercoasters would have such an impact on me and be able to compete with Hagrid and Velocicoaster in the other established nearby parks.
Step forward Stardust Racers, which is just one of the four new coasters to accompany 16 new attractions designed and created since 2019 when EPIC was announced and costing an estimated €6bn in total.
Last week I was invited to get a sneak peek at the park and enjoy its offerings for two days before they opened the over-the-top gates to the public. I even got to stay in one of their three new hotels, The Stella Nova, which is just a two-minute bus journey from the park.
So, armed with enough SPF50 to bathe in, a selection of hats almost as over the top as the park itself and the all-important 'media' lanyard to get me in through the spectacular 'Chronos' clock gates, I did the Lord's work to be able to tell you if the reality of EPIC matches the hype.
Daragh at Super Nintendo World
It is 6.30am and I've been in America for less than 11 hours and the jetlag is real. But there is no time for self pity as we are herded off to the makeshift media centre where travel bloggers, influencers, content creators and one pasty white Irish travel editor are prepared for what lies ahead at the opening of the first theme park to open in the Floridian city for a quarter of a century.
Since Universal broke ground in 2019, it has spent an estimated €6.2bn on turning the 'wasteland' adjoining their other three theme parks into what we now known as Universal's Epic Universe.
There has been a lot of hype building up to this week, the kind of hype that can damage a brand in advance of opening due to the heavy burden of expectation.
But Universal is unlike any other brand in the travel industry.
Whether it is the duelling rollercoaster Stardust Racers (way more on this later), the Frankenstein-shaped pretzels at Dark Universe or the French-speaking staff at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (1920s Paris setting), every little detail has been cleverly crafted and thought out to ensure the user experience is second to none.
How to Train Your Dragon
Since 1990, this sun-soaked city in Florida has been home to the iconic Universal Studios and the accompanying Islands of Adventure (which opened in 1999) and Volcano Bay (2017), and has become synonymous with theme parks. Which is saying something, considering Walt Disney World is just 14km south on Highway 4.
But this week, Universal has gone one step further towards the title of being the ultimate Orlando theme park by opening the stunning gates to Epic.
Divided into five Worlds, the gathered media all got exclusive access to each one throughout the two days. Told at the outset to try to do anything and everything we wanted, we headed off to delve into the various lands.
First up was How to Train your Dragon: Isle of Berk — an instant hit with everyone gathered. It brings the enchanting world of Berk to life, and I got to take on the first new rollercoaster of the week: Hiccup's Wing Gliders. In fact, I got to do it twice and loved every second of it. It is ridiculously smooth and fun.
The Grand Helios Hotel stands tall at the front of the new theme park
There is also the Dragon Racer's Rally, which is a pretty good attraction for younger thrill seekers but won't give you the rush of the Wing Gliders. A brilliant 18-minute show in a giant theatre wouldn't look out of place in the West End, by the way, offering guests welcome respite from the heat outside too.
If you are into the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, you will adore this. Personally, I don't know the difference between Hiccup and Fishlegs (I had to look them up), but it is still amazing.
Luckily for me though, my favourite video game from my childhood was next up on the to-do list.
Quite simply, I challenge anyone to mount the green escalator to Super Nintendo World and walk out on level 3 and not say 'wow' to yourself... or even out loud for that matter.
Power-up wrist bands allow you to collect gold coins and points around the park, adding to the clever, user-friendly gaming element that has already proven to be a huge success in similar worlds in Los Angeles and Japan.
You and your family can play interactive activities all over this world as you encounter Goombas, Piranha Plants and more.
Daragh at the gates to Epic
You also get to steer through iconic Mario Kart courses (pangs of nostalgia coursed through my veins, to be honest), search for the glowing eggs on Yoshi's Adventure and speed through Donkey Kong Country on a mine cart. I know full well that this world won't excite some as much as me but for anyone who grew up on the NES game from the late '80s, the whole place is a joy.
Third up on my whistle-stop tour was The Ominous World of Dark Universe, which is dedicated to Universal's Classic Monsters (if anyone is familiar with Halloween Horror Nights, you'll know) that brings beloved characters like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman to life through an array of attractions and genuinely spine-tingling experiences.
You can escape science gone wrong in Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment or speed through the woods on Curse of the Werewolf (so good I did it a handful of times) before heading to Darkmoor Village to become a Shopping Monster, or enjoy scarily good drinks in the Burning Blade pub.
The final (almost) world was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, which is a magical space where adults can be kids and kids… can just be themselves. Inspired by the Fantastic Beasts, it is Parisian 1920s in style compared to Hogwarts or Diagon Alley (like in Universal Studios down the road).
We took the Métro-Floo to the British Ministry of Magic and were plunged into a brilliantly fun interactive ride that uses technology and animatronics really well. You could spend hours here watching the world go by, but if it is adrenaline fuelled fun you want then be prepared to queue as the Ministry of Magic ride is surely going to be one of the biggest draws in Epic for years to come.
The Ominous World of Dark Universe
Those four worlds are all separate areas of Epic Universe and are entered through unique portals to add some more wow to the theme park, but in the middle of the whole area is a world called Celestial Park, which somehow seems calm and tranquil with luscious green space and hypnotic fountains. The bosses claim it puts the 'park' back in themepark, but I would love to see what it looks like in the height of summer.
There are giant restaurants, merchandise shops, old-world carousels and it became a go-to for 'quiet' this week. But there is a giant asterisk on that calm, because just off to the left is what I think may actually be the company's best ever rollercoaster.
Currently, I rate Velocicoaster and Hagrid as their top two, but now you can add Stardust Racers to the thrill-ogy. I did it a half dozen or so times over the two days and each time it got better.
The creators here decided to run two coasters side by side in a race against each other. With each meander and undulation you edge ahead of the other and there are times when you are travelling upside down looking at the others. It is pure genius.
This park may not be a household name yet, but it won't take long for Universal's Epic Universe to gain momentum and popularity.
There are already plans to expand on some of the Worlds, so you can expect even more from Epic. But for now, you will just have to make do with a very-family friendly theme park with exhilarating rides, brilliantly genius attractions, stylish merch, delicious food and possibly the greatest roller coaster I have ever been on.
■ Daragh was a guest of Universal Studios. ■ Single day tickets start from around $139 (€123) to $199 (€175), depending on the day, but you can also buy multi-day and multi-park tickets. The Universal Express Pass, from $140 (€123) per person, lets you jump into shorter queues. universalorlando.com ■ There are direct flights from Dublin to Orlando with Aer Lingus. Alternatively, British Airways Holidays is running a series of deals to mark the launch of the new theme park, flying out of Gatwick. aerlingus.com; ba.com
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