Epic Universe opening day trip report
Waking up at 3 a.m. to attend the grand opening of the all new Epic Universe sounds like a horrible idea. What if I told you it was the best park day I have ever had?
I was called crazy. “You’re going there on opening day? It’s going to be so crowded!” Attending previous opening days of theme park attractions had prepared me for the biggest undertaking of them all, Epic Universe, Universal Orlando’s newest theme park.
For months, I had this preconceived notion that May 22, 2025 would be the “best, worst day of my life”: exciting, of course, but that excitement would be met with insufferable crowds, attractions posting wait times of multiple hours long, and opening-day break downs. If you told me opening day would have been the easiest, smoothest, most relaxing park day I have ever experienced, I would call you nuts.
I woke up at 3 a.m. to start getting ready. Staying at the nearby Universal Stella Nova Resort, we used the hotel’s walkway for access to Epic Universe. We sat at the gates in a line filled with way more people than I was expecting. After about an hour or so, we were let into the entrance to line up for security. At about 6:20 a.m., we were inside the park. My group split off to see the opening ceremonies at the different portals across the park. I chose one the closest to my heart, Super Nintendo World.
8 a.m. saw the start of the grand opening ceremonies. Once Super Nintendo World had finished its portion of the celebration, I bolted out of there to meet up with my friend who was near the entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, hoping to get early access to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. This ride’s delayed operations were truly the only downside to the day. (Experiencing technical challenges, Battle at the Ministry did not open until a little after 3 p.m. It was stressful wondering if we’d be able to experience it at all, but I’m happy to report we were able to ride it THREE times by day’s end.)
We decided to leave the Battle at the Ministry queue, our choice fueled by the low wait times around the park. Wanting to take advantage of something that might not last all day, we set our eyes on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. However, after our trip to the catacombs, we noticed something: wait times were not going up. They were staying below 25 minutes. We wondered if it would stay all day, and to our absolute delight, they did.
A brand-new, highly anticipated theme park was relatively empty during its entire first official day of operation. This type of park day is special and unlikely to happen again, so we took advantage of the opportunity we were given.
With more freedom to do whatever our hearts desired in the park without the constraint of high wait times and crowded pathways, our group learned a lot about this park we had already visited plenty of times before during previews. One of our most shocking revelations? Dragon Racer’s Rally has to be the best ride in the park. Is this bold claim because I finally learned how to do a flip on the ride? Absolutely. The infectious laughter that comes out of riding this attraction had us coming back for more, so much so that we rode it five times throughout the day. Additionally, being able to finally take time and play the games throughout Super Nintendo World had my inner child smiling while I sat back and took in how special that land is to me.
Epic Universe is a one-of-a-kind theme park. The risk of attending its opening day along with everyone else who wanted to be part of the celebration was one I was willing to take, and I’m very glad I did so. Not once did I feel rushed to get from attraction to attraction, instead taking my time soaking in the detail and grabbing food and drinks, all while making the absolute best memories with some of my closest friends.
I always anticipate opening days like a grand event filled to the brim with people, leaving open the possibility that the day might not even be all that enjoyable. Epic Universe once again subverted my expectations. Its opening day was the type of day you dream about. By the end of the day, I had experienced 25 attractions. That includes four rides on Monsters Unchained and four on Mine-Cart Madness. While this type of day might never be replicated, I know in my heart that it’s just the beginning of a lifetime of special days at Epic Universe. How? The Chronos told me so.
Video of opening fanfare during a special event on May 21, the night before Epic Universe’s grand opening:
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