Had my first visit after official opening yesterday (June 2) having done a preview in early May. I wondered if having already been might dampen my love for this park on a return visit… NOPE. Not at all. I love it even more and am having to remind myself that it WILL have an AP option of some sort in the future and I really cannot afford to keep buying day tickets - because I’d honestly ditch my WDW plans the next few days and go back to
Epic if I could!
Weather was much kinder this time vs my preview day: much of the day was slightly overcast this time and there wasn’t as much heat build up. Except in Berk, where it literally was like walking into an oven. The wood planking remains a questionable choice IMO. Forecast was for storms in the early afternoon, but they never materialized - a light rain came from about 8-8:30pm, and it did shut down Mine Cart and Yoshi, but Hiccup’s, Stardust, and Carousel kept running.
Wait times were not fantastic, but I was able to do the things I most wanted to. I have a disability that makes being in many queues difficult to impossible for long stretches of time, and I forgot the earbuds that help me wait in those conditions a little longer than I can without them, but I did okay. My day…
Arrived around 11:30a and went straight to Hiccup’s: posted wait 60, TP estimate 30 - actual wait was 60 on the nose. Definitely the limit of how long I could handle being in that queue and I needed some time away from crowds after that. Love that ride, though, and saw things I missed the last time!
Tried to do lunch at Mead Hall, but there was a line to get in and it looked way too people-y for me, so I went to Oak & Star: that was perfect! Found a table off to the back in a half-empty room and had a salad and cheddar biscuits -both were good. I lingered there a while, soaking up AC and relaxing, then caught the end of a set from a live jazz band playing outside, and popped into the SNW gift shop to check it out.
Wait times were high all around at that point, going on 2pm, but Stardust dropped to 45 and I jumped on it. That queue was a challenge with nothing really to look at it, but was spaced well enough that I was okay. Rode the yellow side and am SO glad I tried it - I LOVED it! Might be my most favorite coaster ever. SO. MUCH. AIR!!!
Made my way back to Berk to catch the 3:45p Untrainable Dragon, stopping along the way to rehydrate and re-sunscreen. The show seemed like it went off without a hitch and it was perfection. I’m SO glad I caught it! Just gorgeous - the puppetry, performance, sets, music, lighting, choreography - really just top-tier. A must-do IMO. It got a standing ovation and deservedly so.
Wait times were still more than I was willing to take on: 180 for BatM, over 100 at Mario and Mine Cart, Monsters around 45, Werewolf 70, even Yoshi was near an hour. So I went to Wizarding Paris and had a Gigglewater on the sidewalk cafe at Cafe l’Air before doing a walk-through of the Metrofloo and Ministry. I then treated myself to a 2nd generation wand at Cosme Acajar and spent time casting spells. Even had a nice chat with Madame Acajar herself on the street! Caught the live jazz band performing there, and then had dinner at Le Gobelet Noir. I took a chance on the cod - COD?? IN A THEME PARK?! - and it was delicious! Took my time there to soak up AC and relax.
Wait times had started to drop, but most were still hovering around 45-60 and I just didn’t have it in me to do lines that long again. And it was getting very cloudy and looking like rain was imminent. So I headed to Dark Universe, which was much more pleasant under dark clouds than bright sunlight! Had a beer and strolled around - caught the Burning Blade actually burning and saw Igor and the Invisible Man. Rode Monsters with a posted wait of 35 , actual wait of 15ish - some elements that worked on my preview day weren’t this time, and others were totally new to me so either I missed them then or they weren’t working at the time. Either way, I enjoyed it a lot more the second time and considered going for a third, but still wanted to see SNW and catch the evening show.
It was raining by then, and FYI: SNW can get very slippery in the rain. But also was really pretty in the dusk! Mario was 60 mins with no single rider open, so I skipped it. Mine Cart and Yoshi were down for weather.
With 30ish mins to kill before the evening show, I considered going back to Le Gobelet for a piece of cake, but stopped at the info kiosk to ask if it was still open - nope. But I had a really nice chat with the TMs there about Epic and how much I’m enjoying it! I checked out some shops in Celestial Park and then walked around during the goodnight show, which is absolutely stunning - the entire park interacts with the music, including fountains, lights, and even the kids’ water play area! Highly recommend strolling through during it instead of sitting just in front of the big fountain.
I used the free valet parking on my Premier AP and was SO glad I did - it’s right outside the gates and not having that walk through the parking lot was amazing.
In case I haven’t adequately expressed it, I’m blown away by this park. It has, IMO, the perfect blend of thrills and relaxation. I love a lot of down time in a park visit - time to take in the details and enjoy the quality of the work that went into all of the design elements: Epic delivers epically on that. I look forward to a day when with it in an AP I can visit for half a day or an evening and not feel like I’m wasting an expensive day ticket.
