Epic Universe has five worlds filled with family fun. Kids can fly with dragons in How to Train Your Dragon,cast spells in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, race against Team Bowser, mingle with monsters and sail through the stars
It’s a whole world of family fun. But if you haven’t been to Epic Universe with kids yet, there are a few things you need to know. Here, we answer the most important questions and give you our best tips so you can conquer Epic Universe with kids. You’ll learn:
- Which Epic Universe rides are best for kids
- What to do at Epic Universe with young kids
- How many days you need to do Epic Universe right
Tip 1: Stay in a Hotel Near Epic Universe
Universal Orlando built three hotels near Epic Universe—Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort—that put you right next to the park, but guests staying in any of Universal Orlando’s hotels get perks like complimentary theme park transportation and one-hour early entry to Epic Universe.
Most of Universal’s hotels are located closer to the original Universal parks — Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida — and it takes longer to get to and from Epic Universe when you stay at one of those hotels. If you plan to spend most of your time at Epic Universe, I would recommend one of the closer hotels.
Read More:
- There’s a Universal Orlando Hotel for Every Budget. Which is Right for You?
- Universal Helios Grand Hotel: What You Need to Know
- Universal Stella Nova Hotel Review
- Which Epic Universe Hotel is Right for You?
Tip 2: Arrive Early and Stay Late
One of the most important reasons to stay at an official Universal Orlando hotel is that you can get into Epic Universe one hour earlier than other guests. This can be the difference between waiting two hours for the park’s most popular rides and waiting only 10 or 15 minutes.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Plan to arrive at the park 30 minutes before early entry starts. This will give you time to get through security and get to the front gates before early entry begins.
You should see signage at the front of the park letting you know which attractions are open during early entry, but the two rides that get the longest lines are Mine Cart Madness and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
If those are open for early entry, head there first. We left our hotel about an hour before early entry and were waiting at the front gates when they opened for the day. We headed straight for Super Nintendo World and rode Mine Cart Madness with a 20-minute wait.
Tip 3: You Might Want More Than One Day to Explore the Park
You definitely can do Epic Universe in one day, but if you have the option to split your time into two days, you can go at a leisurely pace and even take an afternoon break to nap or swim instead of powering through the park.
We arrived for early entry at 9 a.m. and stayed until the park closed at 10 p.m. We rode every ride in the park during that time and had time for meals, shows and exploring the play areas.
That said, it was a packed day and we didn’t have time to re-ride any of the attractions the kids were begging to do again because they loved them so much.
Tip 4: There’s More to Do for Older Kids
Like a lot of theme parks, most rides at Epic Universe have a minimum height requirement that excludes younger kids.
Constellation Carousel and Fyre Drill are the only rides without a minimum height requirement, but both specify that hand-held infants are not allowed. In addition to rides, Epic Universe has a massive play area in the “How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk” land and a splash pad in Celestial Park.
There is an interactive water play area called Astronomica in Celestial Park and a massive Viking Training Camp play area in Isle of Berk, suitable for kids of all ages.
Tip 5: The Best “First Roller Coasters” at Epic Universe for Kids
The majority of what I would consider “kid-friendly” rides at Epic Universe have a minimum height requirement of 40 inches. This includes:
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
- Mine-Cart Madness in Super Nintendo World.
Both of these are suitable as a kid’s first coaster, and marking such an important milestone at Epic Universe will make your vacation even more memorable.
Tip 6: You Don’t Have to Wait in Line to Meet Characters
You can line up to meet characters like Frankenstein’s Monster and his Bride, Mario and Luigi or Toothless and Hiccup from “How to Train Your Dragon,” but the wait can be long. You can expect to wait at least an hour and a half to meet Toothless (the others are much shorter).
If you don’t want to wait in line, there are actually a lot of walk-around characters in some of the lands. You’ll see Vikings (and possibly a baby dragon) in the Isle of Berk and some monstrous characters in Dark Universe.
You can also see characters (and more dragons) at “The Untrainable Dragon” show in Isle of Berk or your favorite Fantastic Beasts at Le Cirque Arcanus in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.
Tip 7: Utilize Child Swap
Epic Universe rides also have a child swap room where one parent can wait with a child while the other rides, The swap means the other parent doens’t have to wait in line to ride the ride.
For indoor rides, these child swap rooms are located inside the queue, giving you another chance to escape the heat. Most have family restrooms and televisions with programming themed to the attraction. If you want to use child swap, tell a team member at the ride entrance and they will tell you what to do.
Tip 8: Dark Universe May Be Too Scary for Young Kids
To give you an idea of how creepy Dark Universe is, even I let out a scream on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. My 6-year-old watched a ride-through video of the attraction on YouTube and then proclaimed he would not be riding the “monster ride.”
He even felt a bit apprehensive walking through the land and stayed a safe distance away from Frankenstein’s Monster when my two older kids lined up to meet him.
Every kid is different, though, so I would recommend showing them photos or videos of the land ahead of your visit to gauge their comfort level with vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night.
Tip 9: Show Your Kids the Movies that Inspired Epic Universe Before You Visit
You don’t have to be familiar with the entertainment franchises each Epic Universe world is based on to enjoy your visit, but it helps. If your kids haven’t seen “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Harry Potter” or the Universal Classic Monster films, I would recommend watching at least some of these before you go to Epic Universe. While not necessary, it adds to the excitement and world-building nature of the park.
Tip 10: Invest in Interactive Wands and Power-Up Bands
There is so much more to do at Epic Universe than just the rides, including interactive games in some of the lands.
In The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, you can use an interactive magic wand to perform spells at “wand spots” around the land. And in Super Nintendo World, you can use a Power-Up Band to punch blocks and earn coins or play mini games—including one where you can defeat Bowser Jr.
You can purchase interactive wands and Power-Up Bands at several locations around Universal, including in their respective lands. You don’t need these items for your visit, but if your kids are Harry Potter or Nintendo super fans, I recommend it. They add an element of fun to your visit and give you something to do if the ride lines are getting long.
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