I spent a day at Universal's new Orlando theme park. These 6 things impressed me most — and 2 left me disappointed.
I visited Universal's newest theme park, Epic Universe, which opened on Thursday.
The unique meet and greets and creative food and drink options really blew me away.
However, I wish the park had more shade and didn't rely as much on mobile ordering for restaurants.
Epic Universe, the newest major theme park in Central Florida in years, opened on Thursday.
The Universal park consists of five themed worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park.
After a full day in the park, I was blown away by how immersive it felt. I rode every attraction, tasted some of the many food and drink offerings, and met iconic characters.
For those wondering if a visit is worth it, I've put together a list of things that impressed me most at Epic Universe — plus two of my biggest disappointments so far.
I love how open and immersive the main corridor of Epic Universe is.
After walking under the Chronos, the park's main entry structure, you're inside Celestial Park. This themed world is packed with star imagery, plus tons of greenery and flowers.
I loved how wide the sidewalks are and how open this area feels. The floral landscaping and water features really do make it feel like a park or garden.
All of this gave me a great first impression of Epic Universe as a whole.
The park's meet and greets have some incredible characters.
I love meeting characters from my favorite movies and franchises, and all around the park, there are opportunities to meet icons like Princess Peach and the Invisible Man.
The one character you must see is Toothless, a dragon from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The interactive animatronic is impressively cute and lifelike.
I liked how interactive the new Harry Potter-themed world is.
There are several Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter throughout the world in places like California and Japan. Even so, the newest Orlando addition focused on the Ministry of Magic is exceptional.
There are so many small details and interactive areas inside the world that you could really spend all day enjoying it.
Even the queue for the ride Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was breathtaking. Between the giant wizard banners, intricate statues, and lighting design, I felt like I was inside the movies.
I also appreciated that this land had many spots where guests can use special wands to interact with "magical" objects and buildings.
Dark Universe ended up being a hit for me, mostly because it's packed with entertainment.
I typically don't like spooky, scary, or intense things, so I was surprised I really enjoyed Dark Universe.
It's themed after famous monsters and creatures, from Dracula to Wolf Man. It has two rides, and I found myself especially impressed by how much walk-around entertainment was packed into this land.
As I walked through, I passed tons of storytellers and characters ready to interact with guests and take photos. I especially loved meeting Gregor, a funny monster hunter who hangs around at the land's Burning Blade Tavern.
I appreciated how easy it was to get to the park from my room at Universal Helios Grand Hotel.
I stayed at the newest Universal Orlando hotel, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, during my visit. It opened earlier this year and has its own entrance into Epic Universe.
Staying here meant it was incredibly easy for me to walk to the park. I was able to get from my room to Epic Universe in under five minutes.
For me, it's always a win when theme parks have hotels just steps away.
The inventive and fun food and drink options impressed me.
I've been to many theme parks over the years, but I still found myself impressed by the creative and delicious culinary options at Epic Universe.
My favorite sweet treat ended up being the DK Crush Float from Super Nintendo World. It's pineapple-and-banana-swirl soft serve in a waffle bowl topped with caramel popcorn and chocolate pieces that's loaded into a cup filled with pineapple soda.
However, I wish the park had more shaded areas.
As I walked around Epic Universe, I noticed it didn't have many shaded spots.
This felt especially unbearable when the day was at its hottest in the afternoon. Light-colored paths throughout the park seemed to reflect the Orlando sun.
Although there are some air-conditioned restaurants and attractions in Epic Universe, I could see this sun exposure being especially tough for young guests or those who struggle with the heat to navigate.
I also didn't enjoy the fact that nearly every restaurant relies on mobile ordering.
Most quick-service restaurants at Epic Universe rely on mobile ordering instead of having guests wait in line. Although this seems like it could be time-saving and efficient, I struggled to use this system during my visit.
My phone wasn't able to get a strong enough signal for my order to go through or for me to input my table number in many spots throughout the park.
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