rewrite this title I Visited the New Epic Universe. Here’s What to Do and Skip. – NerdWallet

Universal Orlando’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, opens tomorrow, May 22, 2025 — and I was one of the lucky few who got to check it out at a media preview before its official debut. With five immersive worlds based on popular franchises (including Harry Potter and Super Nintendo), it’s the first new theme park in Orlando in more than 25 years.

After spending two days exploring (and 17 years covering theme parks), I can say this: Epic Universe is much better than any other Universal park. It’s definitely on a par with Disney parks. But it’s not cheap, with one-day adult tickets starting at $139. And that’s before extras like monster makeup, Harry Potter wands and Super Nintendo Power-Up Bands.

Universal Orlando invited me to experience the park during opening week, including a three-night stay at the new Universal Stella Nova Resort. My goal: Figure out how to experience the best of Epic Universe without overspending.

Here’s my take on what’s worth your money or time (or both), and what to skip.

Worth it: How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

The “How to Train Your Dragon”-themed land isn’t just for kids and fans of the movie. In fact, I only just watched the first film two weeks ago in preparation for this assignment. Die-hard dragon fan or not, the Isle of Berk (named for the film’s setting) is one of the most stunning areas in the park, bringing Viking lore to life in that distinct, angular DreamWorks animation style.

The main attraction, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, is billed as a family coaster (with a 40-inch height requirement), but it’s surprisingly thrilling and fast. Even though the queue is long, the ride’s length makes the wait feel worthwhile.

Dragon Racer’s Rally is a sleeper hit, with an intricate spinning system that allows you to rotate the dragon’s wings. You can do flips if you choose, or you can fly straight.

The third attraction, called Fyre Drill, is a slow-moving boat ride that will get you soaked. It’s the most skippable of the bunch, but since it boards quickly and has a high capacity, the line will likely be short. It’s worth the stop on a hot day.

I also loved The Untrainable Dragon, a 20-minute show of impressive puppetry, tech wizardry (spoiler: a dragon flies over the audience) and air conditioning.

Skip it: Meeting Toothless (unless the line is really short)

Toothless, the film’s star dragon, is adorable. His meet-and-greet features an animatronic that responds to touch, sighing and closing his eyes when you pet his nose, and perking up when scratched. But since there’s only one Toothless — and each guest gets a lot of one-on-one time with him — you might spend a long time waiting for a photo that’ll end up buried in your camera roll. Fly on by.

Worth it: The Wizarding World’s Ministry of Magic

Inspired by 1920s Paris from Fantastic Beasts, this new version of the Wizarding World captures the charm of one of the city’s most vibrant eras in a way that might be even more appealing to Francophiles than Potterheads.

At first, I was skeptical that the new land was based on the Fantastic Beasts prequels. I grew up with the original, seven-part Harry Potter franchise, which sold more than 600 million books and brought in over $7.7 billion at the global box office. The Fantastic Beasts prequels were much less popular.

Despite that, Universal pulled off something impressive here with this Parisian-inspired land, which leans heavily on the most beloved aspects of the original Harry Potter series.

The marquee attraction, Battle at the Ministry, features Harry, Ron and Hermione from the original series. With real sets, motion simulation, and nearly every modern ride technology, it was a showstopper.

Skip it: Universal Express Pass

I usually argue that time is money (I’m all for Lightning Lane at Disney), but Universal’s version of the line-skipping pass is expensive — and it has some notable exclusions.

While Disney’s Lightning Lane starts at about $30, Universal’s Express Pass starts at $140 per person, per day — and it currently doesn’t cover the popular Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride, which has already attracted long lines. According to Queue-Times.com, which tracks lines at major theme parks, average wait times for that ride during public preview days were about 2.5 hours.

Instead, consider booking a stay at one of the Universal Orlando hotels to take advantage of the early entry benefit. These hotels let you into the parks up to one hour before everyone else, making it easier to beat the lines.

Worth it: Meandering through Celestial Park

If Epic Universe has a soul, it lives in Celestial Park. This central hub is more stroll than thrill (though there is a thrilling coaster), and that’s the point. It’s lush, starry and whimsical, with synchronized fountains and perfectly manicured gardens.

It’s also home to some of the best food in the park. Pizza Moon serves inventive, delicious pies. My favorite, the Pizza Lunare, features multiple types of cheese plus pancetta served on a ube crust (yes, it was purple).

Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant features mostly Asian comfort food like ramen, potstickers and boba. My favorite was The Oak & Star Tavern. Aside from its tasty barbecued meats, its mango bread was one of the best food items I tried in the park. For dessert, Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets was a must-visit, serving picture-perfect treats.

Skip it: $45 Power-Up Bands at Super Nintendo World

Super Nintendo World goes to great lengths to get you to shell out for the interactive Power-Up Band (about $45). You can use the band to collect digital coins and play mini-games. With enough coins, you unlock access to an attraction based on the Bowser Jr. character, which you can only experience if you purchase the band.

But there’s still plenty to do if you don’t purchase a Power-Up Band. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a fun, augmented-reality ride. Mine-Cart Madness is pure joy with clever coaster illusions that make you feel like you’ll fly right off the track. Yoshi’s Adventure, a ride geared toward younger kids, is a relaxing, slow-moving tour through giant piranha plants and blocky, pixel-style architecture. Unless you’re a die-hard completionist or collecting digital coins sounds fun, skip the band.

Now this — this! — is where you spend your money. The DK Crush Float is a Donkey Kong-inspired dessert. For $13, you get a chaotic but tasty mix of banana-pineapple soft serve, pineapple soda, caramel popcorn and toffee — all in a waffle bowl. Add an extra $6 for the version that gets you the souvenir mug ($19 total).

Its bold flavors make it worth the splurge — plus, you’ll get a barrel-shaped mug as a keepsake.