Why Universal’s New Theme Park Has Us Excited to Visit & For Disney’s Response

Epic Universe is a brand new theme park coming to Universal Orlando featuring five lands focused on popular franchises like Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, and Universal Monsters. This will be the first major theme park built in the Orlando area since 2000 and will be a giant addition to the already impressive Universal Orlando Resort.

Universal Orlando is Walt Disney World's major competitor as its just a short 15 minute drive away. This new theme park also brings three new hotels further expanding the size and scale of Universal. Should Walt Disney World be concerned about this new theme park opening down the road? We dive into what this new park could mean for Disney on both coasts.

I visit Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando frequently and as a big fan of both theme parks I am going to talk through what we are MOST excited for at Universal's Epic Universe and why I think competition for Walt Disney World is a good thing. You can read our full guide to Universal's Epic Universe to see more about this brand new theme park including the new Harry Potter and Super Nintendo lands.

Universal's Epic Universe

Universal's brand new theme park Epic Universe will join the other three theme parks: Island's of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and Universal's waterpark Volcano Bay.

Universal has confirmed Epic Universe will have five brand new lands including:

• Celestial Park
• Super Nintendo World
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
• How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
• Dark Universe

There are also three new hotels being built including a hotel INSIDE Epic Universe called the Universal Helios Grand Hotel. This is is a huge expansion for Universal Orlando. Personally, I am already planning my Universal Orlando vacation!

Let's get into what we are MOST excited for at Epic Universe and why we think this competition might push Disney World in a good direction.

Starfall Racers- NEW Thrilling Roller Coaster

Starfall Racers has already been dubbed the MOST thrilling roller coaster experience coming to Epic Universe. Based on that proclamation alone, I predict this ride will be one of the most popular in the park. Universal has already demonstrated its skill with developing thrilling and technologically thoughtful thrill riders as we've seen with Jurassic World: VelociCoaster.

Starfall Racers is a dual launch racing coaster which reaches speeds of up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track. This coaster will feature an unique maneuver called the “Celestial Spin,” in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air.

I am also impressed by the entire concept of Celestial Park which is based on original creativity and not just a replication of existing IPs. This is a great move to make by Universal especially as they intend on putting their most thrilling rollercoaster in this land!

Better have your Express Pass tickets ready for this new rollercoaster!

Super Nintendo World's NEW Donkey Kong Ride

Super Nintendo World has been a huge hit at Universal Studios Hollywood and this will be an even larger land with MORE attractions. The new Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe will likely model the original Super Nintendo World that opened in Universal Studios Japan which includes a Mario Kart attraction like the one at Universal Studios Hollywood and. Yoshi themed dark ride.

Based on construction reports and the existing rides at other Universal theme parks, I am most excited for the potential for new rides in the land. It is nearly confirmed, that a brand new Donkey Kong Mine Cart rollercoaster is coming to Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe. This ride features an unique ride system that will make riders feel like their mine cart is jumping gaps in the track- just like the video game! I am most excited for this ride at Super Nintendo World. Universal Studios Japan is also in the process of bringing this attraction to their park.

The new Donkey Kong attraction will also likely join a Mario Kart ride like the incredibly popular one at Universal Studios Hollywood. There are also credible rumors of this Super Nintendo World including Yoshi's Adventure- a family-friendly omnimover-style dark ride that already exists in Universal Studios Japan.

No question about it, Super Nintendo World in Epic Universe is going to be a hit! It's a no brainer to devote a large space to this area as the success for these properties are well documented. Nearly everyone has some connection to Nintendo so kids and adults alike will love this area. I just can't wait for more details, especially about this new Donkey Kong ride!

New Harry Potter Land Coming to Epic Universe

Another no brainer to add to this new land is this new Harry Potter land to join the lineup of existing Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions at Universal. It was confirmed by Universal that this new land will be a blend of the 1920s Paris from the Fantastic Beasts films and the British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter series. If you look closely at the concept art above, you can see the symbol of the Elder Wand above the entrance. The Elder Wand is a predominant weapon in both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast films which is a nice way to symbolize the blending of these franchises.

Building permits have given us indication that this new land will have a large theatre and dark ride. The dark ride is rumored to be where guests can enter the Ministry of Magic like in the Harry Potter films.

The possibilities are endless for this area and I am most curious about the purpose of this new theatre. Will we see some type of Fantastic Beasts stage show? I cannot wait to see the popularity of Harry Potter at Universal expanded on. This land will be a clear winner with guests as these Harry Potter lands are consistently popular.

Emphasis on MORE Popular Franchises

The other two lands in Epic Universe will focus on the popular How to Train Your Dragon films and the classic Universal Monsters.

How to Train Your Dragon is an incredibly popular Dreamworks franchise and this land will be the area focused mainly on younger children and families. But I think the theming of this land will be a draw for guests of all ages as Universal intends to bring the Isle of Berk to life. These animated movies are beautiful and I am looking forward to seeing how this theming carries over into the land.

Universal Monsters and the rumors of a land surrounding these classic characters is Universal's version of the “Villain's Land” rumors we've always heard at Walt Disney World. This area will be fantastic and I am especially curious to see if this will lead to an expansion of Halloween Horror Nights in the future in this new area.

NEW Universal Hotel With Theme Park Access

Epic Universe brings three brand new hotels to Universal Orlando Resort but the most exciting of these is the new Universal Helios Grand Hotel. This new hotel is located at the end of Celestial Park inside Epic Universe and will be the first Universal Orlando hotel with its own theme park entrance!

This new hotel will have 500 rooms and is designed to transport guests to a “world where the heavens and earth unite.” I anticipate this will be the most luxurious of the bunch and cannot wait to see how Universal incorporates it into the theme park.

Competition For Disney World Is A Good Thing for Disney Fans

In the press releases for Universal's Epic Universe, Universal directly called out why the addition of Epic Universe can easily give guests the opportunity to enjoy a full week at the resort. This a strong pushback against those that might see Universal Orlando as just a day trip add-on from Walt Disney World.

And they're right! With the addition of Epic Universe, you could easily build your entire vacation around Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando already has two major theme parks, a water park, a downtown district style shopping and dining center plus a plethora of on-site hotels. Epic Universe is only adding on to that by adding an entirely new theme park plus three more hotels.

This greatly increases competition for Walt Disney World as guests may begin to see Universal as the way they often view Disney: the main stop vacation destination. While I don't think we'll ever see Walt Disney World outpaced for good, this does give guests more comparable options to consider for their Orlando vacation. And that in itself is competition for Walt Disney World.

When the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando drew new visitors to the resort. In 2010, Islands of Adventure experienced a 30% increase in attendance because of the new land. It also kicked off a decade of expansion at Universal Orlando that is culminating with Epic Universe. Though by no means has Walt Disney World suffered in recent years, these expansions do draw crowds away from Disney.

I think this is a good thing for Walt Disney World as the increase in competitors will hopefully push them towards finalizing future projects and move at a quicker pace when expanding the parks. It's no secret that Walt Disney World is slow with construction. TRON Lightcycle / Run is a great example of this as this new ride become a five year construction project in Magic Kingdom. In comparison, it only took a little over two years for Universal Orlando to build Jurassic World: VelociCoaster.

As of now, the only new projects on the books for Walt Disney World are themes to existing attractions like the highly anticipated Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a redo of the prior Splash Mountain attraction. We have been teased of upcoming ideas, possibilities, and expansions at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland but nothing has been set in stone. That said, Disney has started on their campaign to expand in the next decade with a promise to turbocharge the Disney theme parks.

Disney has teased an expansion in Magic Kingdom that include possibilities ranging from Villains land featuring Maleficent at the center of the concept art, a land featuring the village from Coco or an area focused on the magic of Encanto. None of these ideas were set in stone announcements, just simply potential ideas.

Disney has also mentioned the possibility for expansion at Animal Kingdom expansion with Moana and Zootopia along with teasing the inclusion of the Indiana Jones franchise in the park. These plans seem more likely to come to fruition first as DinoLand at Animal Kingdom is in much need of a refurbishment with Indiana Jones likely taking over the DINOSAUR attraction which uses a similar ride model.

All of these plans are long term ones with nothing concrete being announced and mainly ‘teases' being the main source of information Disney fans have received.

Disneyland is also in the midst of hazy expansion details with an Avatar experience teased in early 2023 and the concept of a full Disneyland expansion in the planning phases. In all fairness, it's far more difficult for Disneyland to expand since they are constrained by the city of Anaheim so this requires far more planning steps before they can truly move forward.

Many Disney fans are growing weary of vague details and would love to hear specific announcements especially with Walt Disney World as the path forward for expansion is much more accessible there. Here's hoping this new competition from Universal Orlando will light a fire under Disney to finalize expansion details sooner rather than later.

Universal Continues to Expand Around the Country

Universal's Epic Universe isn't the only project that is coming soon. Universal has steadily been expanding their theme parks around the country with a new horror experience coming to Las Vegas plus a brand new theme park opening in Texas.

Universal recently announced plans to open a year-round horror experience in Las Vegas which will likely draw inspiration from their already successfully popular Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Universal Kids Resort will be a new family-friend park in Texas focused on themed lands with family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, and more. Universal Kids Resort will feature lush green landscapes designed for kids.

On a recent earnings call, Comcast (owner of NBCUniversal) President Mike Cavanagh commented about the regional parks saying “If we see these projects pencil out for good return, we'd be excited in the years that follow — can't predict when — to continue to give the parks and experiences business whatever capital it requires.” Universal appears to be all in on continued theme park growth.

Universal is moving quickly as they expand their theme park offerings and this latest development for Epic Universe should have you planning your 2025 Universal vacation!

Looking to Plan a Vacation to Orlando?

At Mickey Visit, we can help plan your next vacation to Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World. We offer a free newsletter to keep subscribers updated on theme park news. Also, our staff of writers remains in touch with the latest events at Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Resort. For more information to help plan your next vacation, we placed links to more resources below.

• Express Pass Universal Orlando
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• Best Universal Studios Florida Rides
• Universal Orlando BEST Hotels