This one difference is what makes Epic Universe so epic.
Epic Universe is more than an amusement park; it’s a different world.
My family vacationed in Florida this October to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Before we headed to Disney, we spent four days at Universal Studios. It was our first time visiting the parks and we were excited to check out the Harry Potter lands.
But we were most excited for Epic Universe, the new park at Universal Studios Florida. This is the first new major theme park to open in the US in over 20 years. And it is a different experience than any of the other parks – including Disney.
Currently, ticket packages only allow one day at Epic Universe. Is one day enough? Well, it depends on how you choose to experience the park.
One day, or multiple days at Epic Universe
If you approach Epic Universe with the expectation that it’s a theme park and you plan to ride the attractions and skip anything else, then yes, you can ride every ride in the park in a single day, with a caveat.
Epic Universe opened its doors on May 22, 2025. I consider the first year to be a soft launch. They are still working on the bugs in their systems. Things are going to break down. Figuring out how many riders can cycle through per hour is going to be hit or miss. Not everything is running at full show. During our visit, some rides were not operating. Some rides opened in the morning and went down by the afternoon. Some came back up, others didn’t. That’s just the reality of a brand new park still trying to figure it all out.
I think this is what gets captured in the online reviews about Epic Universe. This park is not full of rides. There are only two shows. It’s not even a year old. It can feel disappointing if you expect a thrill ride park.
That’s not what Epic Universe is about.
If you want to experience what really makes Epic Universe so special, you need to take part in the experience. You should take your time through each area of the park. And, you should experience them during the daytime and at night.
The magic of Epic Universe
So, what sets this park apart from the other theme parks in the area? It’s all about the immersive storytelling experience. As a marketer by trade, what they have created here is absolute magic. Our single day was not enough and we are already planning to return once multi-day tickets are available.
Creators of the park have said that they wanted guests to feel completely immersed in each world they were visiting. And that starts the moment you enter the park.
The story of Epic Universe
The theme of the park centers around Celestial Park and the Chronos. The park is a place where inhabitants called Celestians use the Chronos to open portals to unique worlds instead of traveling by comets. The Celestians have created this space on Earth where visitors can visit these other worlds.
To bring this story to life, creators have to make you feel like you are in a different place. You are not at an amusement park. You are part of another world, complete with inhabitants of those worlds.
How immersive storytelling works at Epic Universe
Immersive storytelling is a technique used to engage all senses. Audiences are not passive observers. They are active participants in the story.
Each portal takes you into a new land with a unique reveal of the land. At Super Nintendo World, guests go up an escalator designed to look like a pipe. When you come to the top, you are inside Peach’s castle and step out the door to a bright, active land. You are not a spectator here. You are a participant in the activities and the actions you take roll up to a leader board for each day based on a character from the franchise.
When you visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, there are wandering characters who engage in conversation and recommend places to go where you experience more of the story of the area. No matter where you start, these characters guide you throughout the various activities, from Cirque Arcanus, the show, or Battle at the Ministry ride to the little places where you can perform spells or find fantastic beasts hanging out around the area. You are part of the world.
Step into Isle of Berk or Darkmoor and come across roaming characters that interact with you. They are not just performing a show that you are watching. They pull you in and encourage you to role-play along. Ask them questions and they will give you a response that feels realistic and genuine. They direct you to other places where another character is waiting to engage with you.
Sensory engagement that’s breathtaking
In order to give visitors the feeling of being in one of the worlds, there are details galore. It’s not just that the buildings or landscaping look like the world, but the posters on the walls lead you to places. Some windows whisper things to you. The music connects to core memories of watching the movies or experiencing the games. I personally cannot help but dance when walking through DK land.
Everything from a bench to a manhole cover is intentionally designed to fit the world you are in. And if you look close enough, you will find easter eggs, too — references to the movies, or video games, that you are immersed in. Again, you are not visiting a theme park; you are stepping into a curated experience.
Picture left: A statue of a little girl with flowers, from the movie Frankenstein. Picture center: A manhole cover in Isle of Berk. Photo right: A portrait of Bowser with Shigeru Miyamoto’s signature.
Is Epic Universe worth a visit?
Resoundingly, emphatically yes.
I know I didn’t discuss the rides, but they are fantastic. I didn’t go into the food, which was also the best we had during our entire trip.
The interactions are what makes this park so wonderful. The details are fun to explore. The characters are engaging and the staff are friendly.
Currently, you can only purchase a single-day ticket, but to really explore everything that this park offers, you need to take your time and spend multiple days here to soak in every little detail. I am anxiously awaiting ticket releases that allow multiple days because we did not see and do it all during our first visit. We arrived before early entry and left at the end of the day. We missed several rides and tons of details.
I must return.
