Make It Epic

This summer, my husband’s national convention was in Orlando, so we unexpectedly decided to make the most of the trip and turn it into a theme park extravaganza.

We worked with my friend Nicole, a vacation planner with Off to Anyland Travel, as this adventure was intimidating for us first-time visitors. My friend worked some magic and got us an extra day at Epic Universe. We had not planned to visit that park since it was new, but as a bonus, what did we have to lose?

If you add Epic Universe to your itinerary, these are the tips I would share.

1. Stay on a Universal Property: We stayed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The shuttles were great. For the trip to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk they arrived every 10 minutes. For the jaunt to Epic Universe, a bus was there every 15-20 minutes. And if Volcano Bay is on your list, it is a short walk from your room. If you stay at a Universal property, you can get into Epic Universe an hour before everyone else.
2. Upgrade to the Express Lane: If you’re only doing Epic in one day, like we did, and want to ride as many rides as possible, the Express Lane Pass will help. In the time it took to walk from the front entrance, the line at Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry went from a 60-minute wait to 220 minutes. 

   

3. See the Magic without the Ride: The wait for Battle at the Ministry was long on our day, too long for our family. If you head to the single rider line and tell the staff member you only want to see the Ministry, you will walk through the Floo Network and take in the majesty. The attention to detail was mesmerizing (see if you can find the office where the mail is flying around out of control). An awesome staff member let us get even closer for a family picture in front of one of the statues, and we wouldn’t have gotten that waiting in line for the ride!
4. Pack Your Patience: The park is just a little over a month old, and there are still some kinks to work out. We waited for two shows that were eventually canceled, and some of the rides became closed or delayed throughout our day. If there are any issues with your visit to the park, customer service is very accommodating.
5. Timing is Everything: The most popular rides (Ministry of Magic and Mine-Cart Madness with Donkey Kong) did have shorter wait times during the lunch hour, so if you can adjust your lunch schedule, it is worth it. 

   

6. Shopping: The souvenir shops are very unique to the worlds at Epic. If you find souvenirs at the other Universal Parks you want, make sure to pick them up before heading to Epic. If you’re staying on a Universal property, your purchases can be sent to your room, especially helpful if you want a chocolate frog, and don’t want it to melt.
7. Hydration is Key: The summer heat is intense. The refillable Coca-Cola Freestyle cups were clutch. We got one with refills for the entire day (we messed up at Islands of Adventure and purchased a cup that only had one refill for the day). We learned on our last day that you can also refill your water bottles at the freestyle machines for free.
8. Find the Shade: There are not as many shady places at Epic Universe, or maybe we just failed to find them. But one great spot was in the Isle of Berk across from the Spit Fyre Grill. We also really liked the food there.

   

9. It is Unlike Anything Else: With the park set up in four unique worlds, you are fully immersed. It almost helps you better prepare for what you’ll experience next. Even after three days at the other Universal Parks, the wow factor and the intense attention to detail make Epic Universe unlike anything I have ever experienced.

I am by no means an expert in the world of theme parks, but I hope you find my list of tips after our first visit helpful. And whatever you do this summer, I hope you make it epic.