Universal’s newest theme park, Epic Universe, is a trip through some of the biggest and best franchises in the company’s catalog. Each immersive area — Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Celestial Park, the Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe — feels like its own entity. And each and every attraction brings a part of those worlds to life, whether it’s flying your own dragon through some aerial acrobatic moves or fleeing from a rabid werewolf. As a thrill-seeking, nostalgic-for-Nintendo mom who just went, these are the best rides at Epic Universe (plus the one I’d skip).
My Personal Skip: Constellation Carousel
This is no fault of the carousel’s, but in the scheme of rides, I can ride a carousel most anywhere while everything else at Epic Universe feels unique to this park. That said, if you’re looking for a shady ride to catch your breath on — because shade comes at a premium at Epic — you should check this attraction out.
10. Fyre Drill
I have a lot of sensory icks, and the heavy chlorine smell and wet clothes sensation I associate with water rides typically put me off of them. However, it can get seriously hot at Florida theme parks, and even the water ride haters can get drawn in. Fyre Drill feels like a really original attraction — you board a Viking ship and take up arms with your own personal water-blasting cannon.
(There’s a people dryer nearby for a $7 full-body blow dry, if that changes anything for you.)
9. Yoshi’s Adventure
This is the most family-friendly ride at Epic Universe — truly, any age of park-goer is welcome here. You walk onto your own Yoshi and cruise ever so slowly through a Nintendo landscape, looking for colorful Yoshi eggs among the scenery. It’s fun to take in all the adorable vignettes and animatronics, and a nice way to get a bird’s-eye view of Peach’s castle.
8. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
OK, it’s probably a very hot take putting this ride this low on the list. I just can only get enthused for so many simulation rides, and this one felt so similar to Escape from Gringotts back at Universal Studios. If you love one, you’ll love the other; this is just not the genre of ride that gets me going.
That said, the queues for the HP rides are always so immersive and impressive. You should definitely walk into the Ministry of Magic and take in the scale and detail of it, whether you want to hop on this ride or not.
7. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
It pains me to rank this ride this low; it’s the one I was most excited about at Epic, as I hold so much love and nostalgia for the Mario Kart games. The augmented reality aspect, which lets you fire shells at rival racers on Team Bowser, was just a little confusing and hard to master while also trying to take in the cool surroundings of the ride itself. I think this one would take a few rides to really enjoy, and unfortunately the line was too long to make that possible. That said, my family did love it and we’d happily ride it again!
6. Dragon Racer’s Rally
Proof that a ride does not have to be fancy or full of effects to be fun: Dragon Racer’s Rally, which hoists you up many stories in the air in your very own practice dragon. You can control your training apparatus’ wings, with some riders even managing to pull off a barrel roll, or you can be more hands-off and just enjoy getting swung around and seeing the sights.
5. Curse of the Werewolf
This smaller coaster is a world of fun — it goes forward and backward on the track and spins, so every ride is a little different, and the unpredictability makes it even more exciting. It gets up to 37 miles per hour, but there are no upside-down sections or crazy drops, so it’s more family-friendly than, say, Stardust Racers.
4. Monsters Unchained
I’m not any more into the classic monsters than your average Joe, so I didn’t expect to like this ride as much as I did, but it’s honestly a delight. The waiting area with a demo of the ride is honestly hysterical. I have never ridden a ride like this — you’re on a four-seat wide bench on a swinging, rotating arm — and it was just so cool and impressive and fun. The jump scares were the perfect amount of scary to be fun (I’m a big chicken). This is the ride I tell everyone to check out simply because it’s freaking cool.
3. Mine Cart Madness
I was expecting the Mario Kart ride to make my heart swell with nostalgia, but actually, this is the ride that gave me that feeling. Drawing on the iconic runaway mine cart gameplay from the Donkey Kong games, this roller coaster makes it look and feel like you’re riding in your very own runaway mine cart, complete with “hopping” sections of broken track. I sat in the front left of the cart and couldn’t see the mechanics of the coaster helping us jump those areas, so the illusion was maintained for me, making the ride extra fun. My 5-year-old loved it too!
2. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
The ride so nice we rode it twice! This is a super fun family coaster that’s great for elementary-aged kids and up. It’s fun and fast without needing to flip you upside down or rattle you around, so even coaster-wary kids might end up loving it. It’s an outdoor coaster so you can see most of it while walking around the Isle of Berk, if you want to get an idea of the speed before waiting in line.
1. Stardust Racers
Listen, if you like roller coasters, this one is top tier. It’s a dueling coaster with tracks that spin and bank together in such cool ways. It’s fast, like it takes your stomach and doesn’t give it back until you’re getting off the ride. It’s even more thrilling to ride at night when the coaster and the entire park are all lit up. I rode this one three times and my neck was toast after the third — those G forces are no joke — but I have zero regrets.
source https://www.scarymommy.com/lifestyle/best-epic-universe-rides-ranked
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