Starfall Racers ride construction rumor at Universal Epic Universe

The Universal Epic Universe park is continuing to grow at a rapid pace, but with strong construction progress comes stronger rumors. Thanks to Peaceful Thrill Seeker on Instagram, we got a fly-over view of the (one day) largest Universal theme park in the United States. Let’s take a look at the upcoming dueling roller coaster Starfall Racers – and whether or not it will confirm the rumors.

Starfall Racers construction moves ahead swiftly at Universal Epic Universe.

Universal Epic Universe is filled with construction crews, cranes, new projects, and overwhelming rumors. Many of the rumors we can confirm as construction continues, like Super Nintendo World and the Donkey Kong roller coaster.

Others are still ideas floating around Twitter and forums like ThemeParX. Many of these have come to fruition, and it may happen with the major rumor regarding this dueling coaster as well.

The Universal Orlando Resort is bold

The Universal Orlando Resort is not afraid of change, and has proven they are willing to gamble on shows, rides, and park operations. Not every gamble works out, but you have to give Universal credit for trying large-scale projects.

An overview of Starfall Racers construction in Orlando.

This yellow and green coaster, which many believe is called Starfall Racers based on a submitted trademark, has a very specific land placement. That may be a rumor come true.


Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit paved the way

Located at Universal Studios Florida, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was originally planned to be open to CityWalk, even after the theme park closed. The coaster itself soars outside of the boundaries of the park, coming within feet of guests of the CityWalk dining and entertainment district. This wasn’t a sizing issue, as Universal had looked at ideas of late night rides for CityWalk patrons.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort

Rumors suggest maintenance issues, combined with the thought of putting alcohol filled CityWalk visitors on a roller coaster, quickly put an end to this option. But, that doesn’t mean it still couldn’t happen. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is open during Halloween Horror Nights, the annual fan-favorite, after-hours horror event. This event doesn’t shy away from late night roller coaster operations and doesn’t withhold alcohol either.

Does that mean this coaster will begin nightly operations for CityWalk next week? No, and it will probably never happen. But that doesn’t mean that Universal forgot about this idea. For Universal Epic Universe it seems they have upgraded this idea even farther.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Front-Row POV at Universal Studios Florida

Universal Epic Universe concept art gives us a hint

Looking at the concept art for Universal Epic Universe, we can get an idea of what is to come. Concept art is usually intentionally vague so expectations aren’t set too early, but the overall park layout is expected to be accurate. That’s where we see something important: a centerpiece of the park with three areas of water, each with their own structure in or next to them.

Universal Epic Universe part concept art.

These three areas are expected to be a high-end restaurant, a carousel, and a water lagoon show. From this central area of the park, guests will be able to head to each of the lands, Universal Classic Monsters, Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and How to Train Your Dragon.

The item to notice here is the dueling roller coaster, Starfall Racers, does not reside in any of these lands. This high-speed coaster appears to be the second attraction located in this central area of the park. That leads up to our theme park entry rumor.


Portals archways offer more than just immersion

Starfall Racers, from all construction photos so far, appears to be connected to the central entrance area of the park. The lands each have a portal archway, like the one pointed at below for the How To Train Your Dragon land.

Entry portals at Universal Epic Universe lands.

The word immersive has become a favorite in the themed entertainment world the past few years. While these portals will help separate views of lands and keep it immersive, their main purpose is rumored to help Universe operations and actually save guests money.

Imagine going to a major theme park and arriving later in the day. You plan to go to the park for a full day tomorrow, but for tonight, you just want to run in and do a ride or two. Or maybe you just want quick access to grab a meal. The rumor is that Universal will allow just that. All signs are pointing to Universal doing a multi-entry ticketed approach for Universal Epic Universe.

What does this mean?


All-day access versus individual access tickets

Seen below is the construction progress for Super Nintendo World, with a rumored BBQ restaurant located on the right side. Again, we can see a portal archway to enter a land.

Super Nintendo World construction in Florida.

The rumor suggests that Universal will sell tickets for all-day access, as well as individual access to specific lands. If you only want to go to Super Nintendo World, but steer clear of the scarier attractions of the Universal Classic Monsters area, you can. And, it will save you money. Theoretically, Universal can learn from ticket sales to see exactly what guests want.

Does the How To Train Your Dragon land sell out every day, but the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section only sells out on weekends? Universal could use this information to increase the number of Team Members working in one land to help capacity, but also work on a long term solution to entice more guests to explore the less-visited area.

This would also help with crowding problems. Universal will sell all-access tickets, but on busy days they can halt sales of individual lands or give day-of discounts to the less popular areas. Universal can coerce thousands of people with sales, late night land openings or parties, and early morning access to special areas of the park. These portals give Universal control and customization, a powerful set of tools for a major theme park.


Free admission to a theme park

If each of the lands are separated behind land-specific turnstiles, what do you do with the center of the park? That is where the bold rumor offers a wild marketing trick. Imagine wanting to go to Magic Kingdom park, not to ride a ride, but just to sit on Main Street U.S.A., buy some popcorn, get some merchandise, and see the fireworks. Now imagine that was free (except for paying to park).

An overview of the center of Universal Epic Universe.

A wild concept, but one that could set a precedent for theme parks for years to come. A theme park, in its most basic form is a park – a place for people to enjoy with friends and family. The Universal Orlando Resort has seen great success with CityWalk and Walt Disney World has seen great return on Disney Springs. These two areas are free to enjoy, other than Universal CityWalk requiring a fee to park.

Taking the concept to another level

Take that to another level. Instead of Universal trying to get people to shop and dine outside of their park, bring them in. Let them get a taste of Universal Epic Universe. Let them see slightly into lands, let entertainment surround them, let them head to a restaurant or grab some merchandise. Most importantly, let them do it for cheap.

For Orlando, I personally head towards free parking or places that offer parking in exchange for movies or meals. Icon Park is a great example. This outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment space is in a prime location to offer nightlife to the masses. The Wheel is the icon to grab attention, and the numerous businesses bring back patrons again and again. I myself have been to Icon Park countless times, and have brought family and friends because there are so many options to pick from.


Taking on the World's Tallest StarFlyer on International Drive in Orlando

A quick sell for StarFlyer

Icon Park offers The Wheel, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life Orlando, and numerous other attraction offerings, like the StarFlyer. While not for the faint of heart, StayFlyer is a truly unique experience that gives fantastic views of International Drive with a good dose of adrenaline.

Most of the time, I don’t plan to ride this attraction. Mostly, I was nearby and thought, “for just a few dollars, I could experience a world record-breaking ride with friends.” It is a quick sale after I get that thought. Don’t take this as me downplaying Icon Park at all. My visits aren’t a throwaway thought, but the upsell to me is easy.

And upsell is key to this Universal Epic Universe rumor. Universal is a major name in the theme park industry, and offers some of the greatest rides and experiences in the world. In Orlando they’ve grown from a single park to a multi-day resort.


A new and ambitious theme park

Announcing a new theme park in Orlando is a major industry-shaking moment. In the theme park wars of Florida, this is a battleground moment. To be truly successful in this world of instant gratification and nonstop record-setting offerings, you need to be ambitious.

Universal's Epic Universe Announcement - Full Press Conference

Universal Epic Universe is set to do exactly that. A theme park that can offer entry to the center of their park, for free. This doesn’t have to be every day; it can even be at select times of day. But the idea of individual access tickets is ambitious as these lands are expected to make news around the world when they open.

I see a few possible offering ideas:

  • Offering access to the center of the park two hours after official park opening, giving paying guests heading to the lands more time to enjoy and spread out. After that, a non-ticket guest can simply pay to park, go through security, and enjoy the center of the park.
  • This concept could also be offered to only Universal Orlando Resort guests. You don’t need a ticket to all portions of the park, but anyone staying at their hotels are given access to this section of Universal Epic Universe.
  • This section could be totally free-roam, with no restrictions except security checks and parking, and would be operated just like Universal CityWalk.
  • The most likely option is that this area could be operated on an ever-changing schedule. In slow months, it’s open for all, during the busy season it’s locked down to all day ticket holders, and, on select event nights, it can be limited to all day ticket holders, annual pass holders, and event ticket holders.

The final option could allow Universal Epic Universe to theoretically close at 8 p.m., but keep a singular land open for a special ticketed event. Regular park guests would be slowly funneled out of the other lands but allowed to stay in the center of the park for a few more hours. Whereas special event ticketed guests could freely pass from the center of the park to their assigned theme park land.


Starfall Racers ties it all together

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget that this article began with Starfall Racers. This ride is sure to be a world-class offering when it opens. Why not attach it to a major land? Its non-IP based storyline and placement allows it to be fluid. It can open early, or stay open late. It doesn’t need a special intro or a billion dollar land to lead up to it. Instead, it cements the center of the park as a place to be.

Starfall Racers, a soon-to-be world class roller coaster offering.

The center of Universal Epic Universe will be impressive, we are sure of that. But, this attraction makes it a destination instead of a transition point. This center land will have restaurants, a rumored nighttime lagoon show, various entertainment offerings, shops, a classic carousel ride, and a massive dueling roller coaster. This isn’t a place to visit, it will be the place to be for many park goers.

Starfall Racers takes the idea of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and creates a park to accommodate that idea. It places a thrill at the heart of the park, right next to entertainment and a classic amusement park attraction. No land left behind, especially the first area you explore at Universal Epic Universe.

20,000 tons of steel (so far)

According to WESH 2, construction crews have used 20,000 tons of steel, constructed more than 85 buildings, and laid 6,500 miles of cable at Universal Epic Universe so far. Starfall Racers is certainly a major aspect of that feat, with two dueling steel tracks intertwined with each other. In the middle of all that track is the large load and unload building.

Starfall Racers will be connect to the center of Universal Epic Universe.

We don’t yet know if this attraction will offer a pre-show or a specific on-ride theme. Universal’s coasters almost always feature audio elements of some kind, so we can safely assume this roller coaster will have on-ride music or narration. Storyline is up in the air for now, but what we can see are the thrills.


This element, currently titled as the Celestial Spin, is not for a kiddie ride. Tommy Hawkins on Twitter suggests this element is 148 feet in the air (based on permits and ground estimates). If correct, this section of the track, which has been titled as the highest point of the attraction, is just a few feet shorter than VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure.

Thrill wise? This coaster may be aiming for king of all of Orlando. Turn-after-turn and drop-after-drop, we can see this coaster is winding left and right all over its given space. Universal seems to be pushing ahead with a full budget on this offering.


Starfall Racers is just one of numerous attractions coming to Universal Epic Universe, but it is one of the easiest for us to follow along. Unlike rides in other lands, this coaster is almost entirely visible, allowing us to see exactly what Universal is up to.

Summer 2025 is on the way. We have seen dirt turn into mounds of steel in just a few months at this site. We will have plenty more to learn as the months continue on. What attraction are you most excited for? And what rumors have you heard?

Starfall Racers Roller Coaster 'Free Admission' Rumor For Universal Epic Universe Construction
MouseFanTravel

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *