Flying dragons and omnidirectional elevators: Inside Epic Universe, one of the largest, most expensive theme parks ever made

The elaborate How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk is one of the four worlds. Universal Studios via CNN Newsource

As if the words from “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” have jumped off the page into reality, fluorescent green fog shrouds people walking through a wizarding world Floo Network transit tunnel, to be greeted on the other side by an atrium with soaring ceilings depicting moving storm clouds. It might be the first time Muggles (non-wizards) have been inside the Ministry of Magic.

That is just one jaw-dropping moment for guests to experience when Universal Orlando Resort officially opens its third and newest theme park, Epic Universe, on May 22. It is the first major theme park to open in central Florida in 26 years.

At 750 acres, including both guest areas and backstage space for employees, it is believed to be the largest theme park in the world and estimated to have cost up to US$7.7 billion to build, according to Dennis Speigel, owner and founder of consulting firm International Theme Park Services. Universal hasn’t commented on the park’s cost.

“I’ve seen them all,” Speigel said of theme parks around the world. And Epic Universe, he said, is “too damn good.”

That first impression has everything to do with Universal’s use of the most advanced technology available coupled with intentional design to build a sense that the visitor is truly in a fantastical space with no glimpse of the outside world.

At a media preview ahead of the public opening, CNN saw each of the park’s “worlds” and the experiences in them, including technology never seen in a theme park before.

Let’s take you through each section.

When you enter

It all begins with walking through Chronos, a portal that takes guests into the main hub of Epic Universe: Celestial Park.

Here, guests will find Stardust Racers, a dual-track roller coaster, as well as Constellation Carousel, beautifully lit with animals that spin in different directions.

There are shops, restaurants and bars nearby. But that’s just the beginning. From this hub, guests can choose to enter four other portals, each leading them to a different world.

The four ‘worlds’

“It’s as if all of the worlds of Epic Universe are closed off from the rest of the park,” said Alicia Stella, owner of Orlando ParkStop.

Stella, who has been tracking the development of the park since its inception, said “when you enter those portals … you are no longer in a theme park. You are in the Isle of Berk, from ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ You are in the video games of Nintendo. You are in the Wizarding World, and you are in the world of Universal monsters, at Dark Universe.”

When guests are inside one of these spaces, the only thing visible beyond its walls and sets is perhaps the top of Helios, a glittering new hotel located in the center of the park.

Through one portal, in the world called Dark Universe, Universal brings to life its signature monsters including Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man. The anchor attraction in this world — and one of the best in the park — is Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, utilizing some of the most advanced, life-like robotic technology ever created.

But it’s through another portal, to Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, that the resort has introduced its most ambitious ride to date. Universal Orlando Resort already has two themed Harry Potter areas in its existing parks, but the third installment within Epic Universe brings people into the 1920s Paris of the “Fantastic Beasts” offshoot story, full of street atmosphere, shops and restaurants.

Guests will then be expected to time travel to experience the impressive ride, Harry Potter: Battle at the Ministry, going via metro tunnel from 1920s Paris into 1990s London, after the original Harry Potter series has concluded. Staff at the awe-inspiring Ministry of Magic are preparing for Dolores Umbridge’s trial, and guests will ride an omnidirectional elevator, chasing her through the building.

Epic Universe’s third portal transports guests to the first-ever theme park land devoted to the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise. Guests have told CNN that they have seen tests of large, extremely life-like dragons flying through the sky via drone, although those were not on display during media previews. Guests will find roller coasters and a kid-friendly boat ride in the midst of an elaborate Isle of Berk, where dragons breathe fire and ice. A technically impressive show inside a theater features Toothless, the lovable dragon from the series, who flies above the audience, landing on stage.

Super Nintendo World, which currently exists in Universal’s Japan and Hollywood park locations, now comes to Epic Universe through a fourth portal with a beloved Mine-Cart Madness ride themed to Donkey Kong, in addition to the go-kart racing ride, Bowser’s Challenge. Guests can wear special “Power-Up” bands on their wrists to play games and win points, running around a life-sized video game while Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach mill about.

The rides people will be talking about

Universal officials told CNN the company invented new technology and secured patents for Epic Universe experiences, including special animating effects, ride design and robotics.

The results are most obvious on two rides guests are most likely to be talking about after their visit: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

The Harry Potter ride feels like an experience combining elements of Universal’s existing Spiderman ride and Disney’s Rise of the Resistance. It features trackless ride systems, augmented reality, and high-resolution projections combined in new ways.

For all the children who waited at midnight for the release of a new Harry Potter book a generation ago, “this is our new midnight release,” said Ryan Clavin, host of DIS Unlimited: Universal Show on YouTube.

What it costs to visit

Like many theme parks, Universal employs dynamic pricing for tickets, which varies depending on the season and how busy the parks are anticipated to be.

Single-day tickets for Epic Universe recently became available, starting from $139 for adults and $134 for children ages 3-9, plus tax. Those prices currently apply to some weekdays in September, with the most expensive single-day tickets priced at $199 and $194 for children, plus tax, during the late December holiday season.

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the most visited theme park in the world, also has a ceiling of $199 during the same time frame.

Multi-day ticket packages are also available, which allow guests to visit Epic Universe on one of those days. Per-day pricing on multi-day tickets is lower than single-day tickets.

Universal’s “Express Pass,” which allows guests to enter attractions through a faster line, can vary by date. These passes often cost more than the park ticket itself. For example, buying an Express Pass for the busy July 4 holiday at Epic Universe will cost $250 for a single day, a cost in addition to the ticket price.

Stella said she believes these prices are in line with existing parks.

“I think it’s priced appropriately. Actually, a lot of us who are big fans of the theme park industry are surprised at some of the price points being as low as they are, because I feel like there was an opportunity to charge whatever they wanted for opening,” Stella said.

She added that Universal’s brand-new hotels near Epic Universe are also priced more affordably than she expected.

What the new park means for Universal’s biggest competitor

With so much buzz around Universal’s new park, industry experts are watching for Disney’s response.

“Disney and Universal are in the greatest boxing match they’ve ever been in at this point in time, and it’s a slug fest,” Speigel said. “I believe that within 12 to 16 months, Disney will announce its fifth gate theme park, because it’s necessary.”

Disney, still the dominant leader in the theme park industry, currently has four theme parks on its Walt Disney World property in central Florida, the last of which opened in 1998. For the moment, the company has announced a slew of new themed lands and attractions within existing parks, but no new theme park.

“Is [Epic Universe] going to put Disney out of business? Absolutely not. Is it going to put a chink in their armor? Yes, it will,” Speigel said.

Universal’s momentum has ramped up ever since it opened the first area themed to the Harry Potter franchise in 2010 at its second Orlando theme park, Islands of Adventure. Speigel said Universal Orlando Resort saw a 36% increase in attendance in the year that followed, the biggest one-year increase he has ever seen in any park attendance in history.

In Disney’s 2024 fourth quarter earnings call, Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer of the Walt Disney Company, highlighted positive early bookings for this summer and said, “The history of other non-Disney parks opening in Florida has been positive for Disney bookings.”

While that may be so, Stella believes the typical family vacation where most of the time is spent at Disney World, with a small portion of the week at Universal, may shift in balance.

“I could definitely see it being, ‘Well, we need two or three days at Universal, so we’ll only do two or three days at Disney,‘” Stella said. “If they’re coming to Orlando anyway, or if they’re coming to Epic Universe on purpose, will they decrease their stay elsewhere, like Disney? Will they skip Sea World altogether?”

Speigel said, “Everybody subscribes to a rising tide floats all boats, but it does eat up some of the market too.”

He added that he expects 2025 to be a year of heavy discounting by all parks, not just to compete with Epic Universe, but to anticipate a worsening economy.

Even with the stock market roller coasters and Goldman Sachs predicting that recession odds are rising, Speigel predicts at least 6 million guests will visit Epic Universe within its first year.

Clavin said what he saw on the Harry Potter ride is indicative of the spectacle Universal has created in the entire park: “This is sort of a very good example of why we love theme parks … Where else can you literally step into a movie like this?”