Everything We Know About Universal Epic Universe
The biggest news in the theme park world has nothing to do with a whale, a dragster, a princess from the Bayou, or even a mouse – no, the biggest news in the theme park world has everything to do with Disney’s “little brother” down the street in Orlando who will be growing up quite a bit next year in 2025. Universal Orlando Resort announced some EPIC news a few months back and has been dripping new information ever since. In summer 2025, Universal Epic Universe will be opening with 5 distinct worlds themed to various IP’s. Today we’re going to dive into what we know so far.
One quick note here – I don’t have any insider knowledge. I don’t work for Universal and being a travel planner doesn’t make me privy to knowledge that the general public doesn’t have. But, what I have done is compiled what is out there along with some Internet speculation and rumors and put it into this one concise place. So, enjoy!
The Worlds
Celestial Park
Universal Epic Universe’s first “world” is what they are describing as the “heart” of the park: Celestial Park – “where wondrous discoveries await among lush greenery, treen-lined walkways, and dancing fountains.” The concept art for Celestial Park looks, forgive me for the pun, OUT OF THIS WORLD. Whether it’s the Stardust Racers which allows riders to blaze through the skies of Celestial Park with a dual-launch racing coaster, or the Constellation Carousel which allows riders to ride celestial lions, dragons, and more as constellations take form. In addition to great attractions, Celestial Park will be home to amazing dining including an undersea adventure at Atlantic which Universal describes as “everyone can enjoy exceptional seafood and steak while giant illuminated fish gracefully circle above” guests. There’s also going to be the Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant. Also, because Universal is likely betting on Super Nintendo World as being one of their most popular worlds, there will also be a Nintendo Super Star Store that will allow guests to buy Nintendo-themed products.
A unique feature of Celestial Park will be the placement of the Universal Grand Helios Hotel which will be inside Celestial Park. This 500-room hotel will have unparalleled park views and will have its own dedicated entrance into Universal Epic Universe. As Universal puts it, “it was designed to transport guests to a world where the heavens and earth unite.” You can learn more about Celestial Park by clicking here.
Super Nintendo World
Each “world” will have a specialized gateway into and out of it. These 4 gateways will lead to Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, and Dark Universe. As of this writing, June, 9, 2024, Universal has revealed further details about How to Train Your Dragon and Super Nintendo World, and we are awaiting details on the Ministry of Magic and Dark Worlds.
Super Nintendo World will include two lands: Super Mario Land which will include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge which is also present in Universal Japan and also opened last year at Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as Yoshi’s Adventure which is present in Universal Japan, but not at Universal Studios Hollywood due to space limitations. Moreover, the theming rivals any other “land” guests have ever been to. With the purchase of Power Up Bands, guests can also take place in a ton of interactive elements which are an attraction all themselves. I wrote about my experience at Universal Studios Hollywood last year, which you can find by clicking here.
New for Universal Orlando will be Donkey Kong Country which will allow guests for the first time to take part in a Mine Kart Madness attraction! For fans of the original Donkey Kong Country, they know that this original level from the Super Nintendo favorite is a must-do, among many other fun experiences in the world.
Super Nintendo World will have a lot more than just the attractions too! Whether it’s Peache’s Castle, the interactive experiences they call the “key challenges” that you’ll use your Power-UP Band to complete, meet and greets with Mario, Luigi, and Princes Peach, or the infamous Toadstool Café where you can enjoy some of Toad’s favorites like Toadstool Cheesy Garlic knots, the Super Mushroom Soup served with truffle oil, the Pirahna Plant Caprese, the Luigi Burger, or the Bowser Fireball Challenge!
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
This immersive world will allow you to journey to a rock isle and “discover a village populated by rugged Vikings and rambunctious dragons.” And the fun is all around you! You can ride with a Dragon’s eye view as Hiccup’s latest flying contraption sends you swooping and soaring above and around the Isle of Berk. There’s also a live show where a new dragon presents a challenge to Hiccup, Gobber, and Astrid called “The Untrainable Dragon.” You can race at Dragon Racer’s Rally which allows you to practice aerobatic maneuvers on Viking-made dragon riding trainers. Take on a water battle on Fyre Drill which is a watery boat battle where teams of Vikings compete to outscore and out soak each other! And, all that training will work up an appetite so you can head over to Mead Hall to feast on a hearty menu of meats, fish, and drinks including a variety of meads, ciders, and ales! You can learn more about How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk by clicking here.
Ministry of Magic and Dark Universe
As I mentioned above, Universal is releasing their details in drips and drabs as they lead up to their Summer 2025 release, so there isn’t much to know about these two lands yet except Harry Potter Ministry of Magic’s description states “From 1920’s Paris to the 1990’s British Ministry, explore international wizarding communities and the magic that connects them in the Wizard World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.” And, Dark Universal’s description reads “From the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to a shadowy landscape where monsters roam, Dark Universe is a world of myth and mystery.”
What We Don’t Know
As you have probably guessed, there are plenty of unknowns. We don’t have an official opening date. We don’t know how much it will costs. We don’t know how this will affect Annual Passholders. We don’t know how tickets will be sold. There are a lot of rumors out there and I don’t like to give a lot of credence to them because, let’s be honest they are often as wrong as they are right. So, I imagine that this article will continue to grow as more information is released, so please check back often as Universal releases more information.
Be the First to Know
Planning a Trip As a Universal-certified Travel Planner, I will be one of the first to know about opening dates, and additional information. And, I can help you get there in 2025 and beyond, all at no extra cost to you! With Universal Epic Universe, Universal Orlando officially enters the Orlando landscape as a week-long destination for its guests. The days of taking a 6-night trip to Disney with a one-day excursion to Universal may be paused for a while as many guests may be doing the flip – a 6-night excursion to Universal with a one-day trip over to Disney to get the highlights. I can help you accomplish whichever is important to you. If you want to be on my planning list for when Universal Epic Universe officially starts selling tickets, please sign up for my wait list so you can be the first to know when tickets become available, and I can start planning your trip among the many requests that will be coming in!
Magical Memories by Casey 