originally posted on 8/4/2025
Photo: Marlon Scott. View full-sized image.
Like many roller coaster fans, there’s nothing quite like the buzz of a new ride announcement — but when an entirely new theme park is revealed? That’s a different kind of thrill. Remember the giddy excitement of August 2019 when Universal Studios announced Epic Universe, a park that promised to change the game entirely? Even though the announcement was vague, the name alone — Epic — felt like a promise.
Epic Universe is a complete expansion of the Universal Orlando Resort featuring hotels as well as a new theme park.
Photo: Krista Keyes. View full-sized image.
Of course, reality set in quickly; years of waiting lay ahead. Artist renderings were amazing, but it was still hard to imagine what this park would truly feel like. Fast forward to May 22, 2025 — the day the gates finally opened — and it all became real. Walking into Epic Universe in early June, after an extensive preview period (with reviewers and critics around every corner of the internet giving their perspective) and years of anticipation was more than satisfying. It felt like the start of something huge, especially for a roller coaster enthusiast.
Celestial Park is the first thing guests see upon entering Epic Universe, likely followed by Stardust Racers.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Photos: Marlon Scott. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Universal didn’t just open a new park — it launched four uniquely themed, beautifully crafted roller coasters that cater to every level of thrill seeker, all built into five intricately designed lands: Celestial Park, Super Mario World, Isle of Berk, Dark Universe and The Ministry of Magic (not home to a coaster — yet!— but still beautiful and a highly realized concept).
Here’s a ride-by-ride look at Epic Universe’s opening coaster lineup — and why it was worth every day of the wait.
Curse of the Werewolf.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Curse of the Werewolf – Dark Universe
Themed to the 1941 film, Curse of the Werewolf is a Mack spinning multilaunch coaster built for family thrills, but with a delightfully eerie vibe.
The coaster is surrounded by copious amounts of netting because of its proximity to the midway.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
The queue sets the stage perfectly: glowing lanterns, gypsy wagons and tarot cards create an atmosphere and are also items from the movie. After being secured in the train, a surprise-filled launch hurls riders back and forth through a creaky barn before sending them out into the darkened woods. The spinning ride vehicles create a different experience for everyone, and the visuals — creepy trees, werewolf shadows, animatronics — give the impression of racing through a classic monster movie. It's a fantastic introduction to thrills for younger guests but has enough atmosphere to keep seasoned riders grinning. As a spectator, the meandering path under the track provides excitement and visual thrills.
Dark Universe also includes a dark ride called Monsters Unchained.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Mine Cart Madness is a nod to Donkey Kong Country — the character’s series of outings on the Super NES gaming system.
Photo: Krista Keyes. View full-sized image.
Mine-Cart Madness – Donkey Kong Country
Stepping through the portal to Super Mario World is sensory overload in the best way — colors, music and interactivity everywhere. Once headed deeper into Donkey Kong Country, visitors will find a unique coaster.
Mine Cart Madness can be considered an ambitious, modern interpretation of the mine train coaster that leaps “gaps” in the track.
Photo: Marlon Scott. View full-sized image.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Mine-Cart Madness is a wild “boom coaster” in which riders appear to leap over broken tracks straight out of the classic Donkey Kong games. The trick? The train is really riding on a hidden track below, while the visible track gives the illusion of impossible jumps. The theming is impeccable: lush palms, golden temples, barrels, bananas and rhythmic bongo beats.
Every twist feels playful, and the “track jumping” illusion gets genuine gasps. For Nintendo and non-Nintendo fans alike, this coaster is an absolute must-do for its innovation and fun factor.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders.
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Hiccup’s Wing Gliders — Isle of Berk
Theming of Isle of Berk is impressive even for those not super familiar with the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Think hand-carved wood beams, rock cliffs, Viking banners and a shimmering lagoon — and then soaring above it all on the back of a dragon.
Don’t be fooled by the name — Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is a coaster, not a flat ride.
Photos: Marlon Scott. View full-sized image.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Much of Isle of Berk is an aquatic wonderland.
Photo: Krista Keyes. View full-sized image.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, built by Intamin, is a smooth, multilaunch coaster that mimics flying alongside Toothless and friends. Trains reach speeds of 45 mph, cruise over water, encounter surprise launches and even pass by animatronic versions of Hiccup and Toothless. The dual-loading station is a beautiful touch, and the ride has a graceful, immersive quality that’s just pure fun from start to finish.
Stardust Racers — a dueling coaster in the spirit of the much-missed Dueling Dragons — is arguably the park’s most significant.
Photo: Krista Keyes. View full-sized image.
Stardust Racers – Celestial Park
This is the big one. Stardust Racers is the icon of Epic Universe, visible from across the park — and with good reason. The queue and station feel like a celestial observatory meets Victorian train terminal, glowing with cosmic energy and elegant steampunk vibes.
Stardust Racers.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
The ride itself is a dueling launch coaster from Mack Rides, with two tracks: Pulsar (green) and Photon (yellow). Each features dual launches (the first with a lightspeed-style secondary boost), 133-foot-tall elements, high-speed duels and the show-stopping “Celestial Spin” — when one train flips over the other in perfect choreography.
Stardust Racers’ trains impressively keep pace with one another throughout the ride.
Photo: Krista Keyes. View full-sized image.
It’s an engineering marvel. The trains race through approximately 5,000 feet of intertwined track at 62 mph, with near-miss moments, airtime hills and glowing lights that make night rides feel like rides on literal comets. To top it off, onboard audio and glowing train packages complete the space-race fantasy.
A favorite little touch? If one train falls slightly behind during the first half, the second launch compensates to ensure a dramatic photo-finish.
Constellation Carousel.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Final Thoughts
From flying with dragons to racing through the stars, Universal’s Epic Universe isn’t just a theme park: it’s a full-sensory leap into new worlds. Each coaster has its own story, style and thrill level, and the attention to detail across all five lands is second to none.
For coaster enthusiasts, this is a dream realized: four wildly different coasters, each with groundbreaking technology, immersive theming and re-rideable magic — the kind of lineup that feels very thought out and well rounded.
Even without a coaster, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic is impressive. And yes, Butterbeer is available.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
A hope for the future would be to get a coaster through the portal of Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic, but there’s time to make that happen.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
Photo: Paul Daley. View full-sized image.
Epic Universe isn’t just about the roller coaster scoreboard. It opened with some thrilling immersive dark rides too, including Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. Monster’s Unchained quickly rocketed up into this author’s top dark ride experiences with its extremely long ride time, clearly understood storyline, jump scare moments and a beautifully detailed queue. All in all, the ride package for this brand new theme park is stunning.
Now if you’ll excuse me, there are werewolves to chase, tracks to leap, dragons to ride and stars to race.
— Kevin S. Fyffe
#ACENews