Universal's Epic Universe - News and Discussion

[Captain UP]

Blog Mickey just posted a pretty fun ride ranking for Epic U.

Not sure if I'm allowed to link to it, but you all know where to find it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

There were so many bottle refill stations even in line queues. We had brought Liquid IV for our water bottles. It saved us a ton of money and kept us hydrated all day. I highly recommend bring your own water bottles and Gatorade, Liquid IV, or whatever packs to make you water fun and flavorful. Stay hydrated my friends.

We bring a refillable bottle that is 1 liter. It folds up (we put in the velcro patches ourselves to make it fold up) and clips to our park bag. It is very useful for sure! I personally liked the fold up part because I didn't want the bulk of an actual bottle, we just toss it in the park bag when not in use or when we had a smaller park bag just clipped it to it with the carabiner when noting use.




Side note how did you feel about the liquid iv? I've seen it so many times at the store but just haven't ever used it. I have heard people feel more refreshed with it than plain water.

 

[GhostHost24]

I never bring a bottle with me becausse Im too lazy to carry it and I liked being able to pass all those people going to the lockers

 

[fatmanatee]

Blog Mickey just posted a pretty fun ride ranking for Epic U.

Not sure if I'm allowed to link to it, but you all know where to find it.

BM should be ok unless something changed recently.

https://blogmickey.com/2025/05/universal-epic-universe-ride-rankings/

 

[PrincessV]

Something new reported on the shade front: there were a few good sized areas when I did the preview that were outdoors but sheltered by a full roof and two walls - I recall seeing them in Wizarding Paris and Darkmoor. They were well themed, but contained nothing. Today, the one in Darkmoor now has tables and chairs to provide outdoor seating for Das Stakehouse. So at least in one location, shaded seating is being added.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I never bring a bottle with me becausse Im too lazy to carry it and I liked being able to pass all those people going to the lockers

My husband uses me for that

I don't like us having big bulky bags, we've been using a packable eddie bauer backpack and never filling it up the past couple of theme park trips. It's been good for Universal lockers and the rides that we can bring bags on without also being in the way of other guests in lines and such. But we bring portable chargers, the water bottle, and sunscreen. On our last trip we did decide to bring extra clothing for the water rides at IOA (we didn't other trips but opted for this one) and just did a park locker that day and carrying things minimally around with us.

 

[hertamaniac]

Something new reported on the shade front: there were a few good sized areas when I did the preview that were outdoors but sheltered by a full roof and two walls - I recall seeing them in Wizarding Paris and Darkmoor. They were well themed, but contained nothing. Today, the one in Darkmoor now has tables and chairs to provide outdoor seating for Das Stakehouse. So at least in one location, shaded seating is being added.

I was actually there last Tuesday for my meal.

 

[Captain UP]

Here's what I bring to every theme park ever:

Nothing.

Seriously, I literally just bring my ID, phone, and two credit cards in case one isn't accepted. MAYBE a new rain poncho that I can stuff into a pocket.

And that's it. You THINK you'll be freaking out about needing something, but I find it wildly liberating.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Here's what I bring to every theme park ever:

Nothing.

Seriously, I literally just bring my ID, phone, and two credit cards in case one isn't accepted. MAYBE a new rain poncho that I can stuff into a pocket.

And that's it. You THINK you'll be freaking out about needing something, but I find it wildly liberating.

I don't bring a rain poncho if I'm going to get wet because of the rain it is what it is

Sadly apps are battery hogs and I've got an old phone..really..the battery gets drained so a charger tends to be a must though Disney's app is always worse than Universal however I think we'll be using Universal's app much more with Epic than we have previously.

You're right about the ID and payment methods, we've had Disney gift cards in recent years for usage for food and merch (though 2017 merch was way better and thus much more bought than 2022 merch).

I will say we did bring small travel umbrellas with us in Tokyo but that is very common to be used there just for shade/heat. We largely didn't use it for that but did have to use it for a passing rain while waiting to get in one morning.

I bring sunscreen because why intentionally get burned? And one application in the morning before you leave the hotel room is not at all enough. But we use a travel sized 3 oz one we just refill from a large bottle. That goes with us on all vacations.

I haven't found cooling towels to be my thing but I know people use them or small handheld or neck fans to be useful though those also are not my thing.

There's certainly people who bring the kitchen sink but there's still some basic that many people would do well to use, it's not completely a flex to bring nothing especially when you're dealing with the elements

 

[Captain UP]

I don't bring a rain poncho if I'm going to get wet because of the rain it is what it is

Sadly apps are battery hogs and I've got an old phone..really..the battery gets drained so a charger tends to be a must though Disney's app is always worse than Universal however I think we'll be using Universal's app much more with Epic than we have previously.

You're right about the ID and payment methods, we've had Disney gift cards in recent years for usage for food and merch (though 2017 merch was way better and thus much more bought than 2022 merch).

I will say we did bring small travel umbrellas with us in Tokyo but that is very common to be used there just for shade/heat. We largely didn't use it for that but did have to use it for a passing rain while waiting to get in one morning.

I bring sunscreen because why intentionally get burned? And one application in the morning before you leave the hotel room is not at all enough. But we use a travel sized 3 oz one we just refill from a large bottle. That goes with us on all vacations.

I haven't found cooling towels to be my thing but I know people use them or small handheld or neck fans to be useful though those also are not my thing.

There's certainly people who bring the kitchen sink but there's still some basic that many people would do well to use, it's not completely a flex to bring nothing especially when you're dealing with the elements

I certainly wasn't trying to "flex", Mackenzie. Just my style.

Regarding sunscreen, I hear you- but we normally take a midday break back at the hotel, so that's when I reapply.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can see why Frye Drill is low on Blog Mickey's list.

At IOA they benefit from having the 3 water rides at Universal so you can choose to ride them back to back but you gotta accept you might get wet and will definitely get wet on Popeye and Bluto and so many bypass it for that reason alone. We rode Kali in 2022 at AK because we were with our DISer friends but had we been alone we would have skipped it. It's the only ride in that park that gets you wet so don't want to deal with the hassle of that.

So I would anticipate Frye Drill to be the attraction most used on very hot and humid days but not high on someone's priority overall because it's a water ride. However, I'm glad they put that in there because if they didn't have one people would be complaining even more than they already are. Water rides tend to be well-received on the days you really need them but not so much on the rest of the days.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I certainly wasn't trying to "flex", Mackenzie. Just my style.

Regarding sunscreen, I hear you- but we normally take a midday break back at the hotel, so that's when I reapply.

I hear ya

I usually apply sunscreen 3 to 4 times a day when exposed for long stretches (which is basically all of my vacations) at the very least sometimes 5 times and sometimes I still manage to get burned especially on my nose and up by my neck. My legs almost never burn. We don't take a mid-day break, so I get you there, but it wouldn't be with enough frequency for me personally even if we did, 3 to 4 times isn't even near the recommended every 2 hours or after 80mins of sweat or swim. I do after a while hate the icky feeling of sweat and sunscreen day after day and can't wait to wash it all off each day

Sadly the first bag we brought in 2011, a very small bag, the next phone I got (which wasn't even all that big compared to today's age) was too big for that bag so had to switch out to something else, then we moved onto the backpack in later years. At Universal it is harder to get by if you're doing the bigger rides with no bag as things in your pocket normally have to be removed too like it's supposed to be at VelociCoaster.

 

[Tymeece]

We bring a refillable bottle that is 1 liter. It folds up (we put in the velcro patches ourselves to make it fold up) and clips to our park bag. It is very useful for sure! I personally liked the fold up part because I didn't want the bulk of an actual bottle, we just toss it in the park bag when not in use or when we had a smaller park bag just clipped it to it with the carabiner when noting use.

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Side note how did you feel about the liquid iv? I've seen it so many times at the store but just haven't ever used it. I have heard people feel more refreshed with it than plain water.

We love Liquid IV or Gatorade Zero packets. My kids love the Firecracker Liquid IV flavor. 30 calories and taste like the ice cream trucks red/white/blue bomb pop. We used Owallas and it kept the water colder than a basic water bottles. The way I look at it is that it saves enough for a souvenir and everyone’s regular bottled water gets hot.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We love Liquid IV or Gatorade Zero packets. My kids love the Firecracker Liquid IV flavor. 30 calories and taste like the ice cream trucks red/white/blue bomb pop. We used Owallas and it kept the water colder than a basic water bottles. The way I look at it is that it saves enough for a souvenir and everyone’s regular bottled water gets hot.

Very good to know especially the taste. You're right about the temperature, the water bottle we use is not good for long term out in the elements storage of water on warm days as it won't keep it cool at all but it is good to fill up and use a bit more quickly. I found it was nice to use in queues when that thirst hits you.

I don't think we've ever paid for bottled water TBH but I know I'm in the minority in saying the FL water doesn't hit me the same as it clearly does to others. The strongest taste I had was actually at Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom with the meal but not from either the courtesy (which should be filtered) or the water fountains.

 

[PrincessV]

I was actually there last Tuesday for my meal.

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Yep, that’s the spot! Looks like a decent amount of seating, too.

 

[Keladry84]

Harry Potter, I mean the ride doesn't work with the land and I understand why but that is a HUGE land for just one ride. Hoping another is in the plans for the empty space behind some fake facades. Ride wait was anywhere from 210 - 325. DS#1 has an AAP so we waited 3.5 hours outside the line and 1 hour inside the line. It was constantly going down. We were VERY lucky that our line moved fairly steady until the final hallway and it went down again. Luckily we were next to load so DS could sit and face the empty hallway to stay composed.

Do you know about how long you were in the AAP line until getting to where it went down? I'm trying to figure out what to expect when I am there (I also have AAP).

 

[HopperFan]

Do you know about how long you were in the AAP line until getting to where it went down? I'm trying to figure out what to expect when I am there (I also have AAP).

Using my timed photos ... we walked pretty briskly for about 8-10 minutes as there were hardly anyone walking with us, then we slowed in a few rooms and then stopped for about a total of 30 minutes, then we walked to loading, loaded and rode in 10 minutes. Then it is a long walk out and we stopped to take a few photos ... another 5 plus minutes. So in line and stopping was about 45 minutes and completing entire thing it was about 60 minutes.

 

[Kit Jackson]

There were so many bottle refill stations even in line queues. We had brought Liquid IV for our water bottles. It saved us a ton of money and kept us hydrated all day. I highly recommend bring your own water bottles and Gatorade, Liquid IV, or whatever packs to make you water fun and flavorful. Stay hydrated my friends.

Another similar product that I am big a fan of is the Propel powder packets. (A doctor recommended them). There have only been one or two flavors that I did not like.

We bring a refillable bottle that is 1 liter. It folds up (we put in the velcro patches ourselves to make it fold up) and clips to our park bag. It is very useful for sure! I personally liked the fold up part because I didn't want the bulk of an actual bottle, we just toss it in the park bag when not in use or when we had a smaller park bag just clipped it to it with the carabiner when noting use.

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I use the Vapur bottles for my park trips, which is very similar to this bottle. I like that the carabiner clip can be used to keep the bottle folded up when empty/not in use.

There's certainly people who bring the kitchen sink but there's still some basic that many people would do well to use, it's not completely a flex to bring nothing especially when you're dealing with the elements

Huge YES to this. I bring a small crossbody to the parks to keep things with me that I want at a moments notice. They are same pocketbooks that I use in normal life and I have never had a problem fitting them in a ride locker or regretted having the bag with me.

 

[hertamaniac]

Yep, that’s the spot! Looks like a decent amount of seating, too.

The few tables along the wall are freaky. You are sitting almost at coffin level right next to the tombstones. If I heard any knocking, I'd be running out of Das Stakehaus.

 

[Keladry84]

Using my timed photos ... we walked pretty briskly for about 8-10 minutes as there were hardly anyone walking with us, then we slowed in a few rooms and then stopped for about a total of 30 minutes, then we walked to loading, loaded and rode in 10 minutes. Then it is a long walk out and we stopped to take a few photos ... another 5 plus minutes. So in line and stopping was about 45 minutes and completing entire thing it was about 60 minutes.

So it seems like the majority of the wait was the stop for about 30 minutes (probably ride down).