Revelio hosts Nicole and Amy recently had a chance to visit Universal Epic Universe, and it’s safe to say their time there was “epic.” For a detailed conversation about their experience in the park (especially the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic themed area) make sure to listen to Episode 23 of the podcast. For some general information, tips, and favorites, read ahead!
Our Stay at Terra Luna
Since most theme park vacations begin with checking into your hotel, we wanted to take a moment to mention our stay at Terra Luna, one of the new hotels built to accommodate guests going to Epic Universe.
Amy arrived first, and before the designated check-in time. The receptionist was friendly and quickly got us in the system to receive a text message as soon as a room was ready. Only about 15 minutes passed between checking in and receiving a text.
Our quarters were clean and comfortable, with a view of the pool. The rooms at Terra Luna feature real NASA photographs of space on the walls, which is a fun touch! Our one critique is that the air in the sleeping area was very dry. Other than that, Terra Luna is a great, budget-friendly option for a Universal vacation.
There are two restaurants in the hotel. One is off the lobby, and the other is by the pool. There’s also a lobby bar and a quick-service café/coffee shop that serves Starbucks. The coffee line does get long in the morning, and there aren’t many baristas there, so it might be faster to get your caffeine fix once you’re inside one of the parks.
We utilized the free shuttle from the hotel, which takes about five minutes to get to Epic Universe. To get to CityWalk, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Early Park Admission
Since we stayed at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel, we were able to get into Epic Universe before the general public. If you only have one day in the park like we did, definitely utilize that extra hour. While a lot of people rush to popular rides like Battle at the Ministry or Bowser’s Challenge, however tempted you may be, remember that the Ministry of Magic themed area is not included in early entry, so you will be waiting an hour already before the ride even opens. Personally, we didn’t think that was worth it. Instead, we headed to Dark Universe (which is one of the portals open during that time) and got to look around with hardly anyone else there. This made for some great pictures! The wait time for Monsters Unchained was only 10 minutes, so we rode that ride back-to-back because it was that good.
Battle at the Ministry
As one of the most popular rides in the park, Battle at the Ministry takes some strategy in order to hit the queue when the wait time is low. After monitoring the Universal Orlando Resort app in the weeks leading up to our trip, we determined that the line seems to be shortest in the early afternoon. This makes sense since, by that point, the park goers who rushed the line first thing in the morning will have cycled through. Keep in mind, if it rains, the wait time will go up dramatically since it’s a good place to wait out a storm.
The queue is absolutely incredible. Guests enter through the Metro Floo, where green “flames” engulf you and you emerge inside the atrium of the British Ministry of Magic. The sheer scale of this room is impressive and truly a feat that sets the bar high for theme park attractions going forward. After the ride, you exit back into the atrium, so there’s plenty of time to get your fill of the ambience without feeling rushed.
We appreciated the added detail of having guests exit the atrium by going through the Floo Network again to be transported back to Paris, but while there was thought put into the logistics of getting guests across the English Channel, there doesn’t seem to be any explanation for how we travel in time from the 1920s to the 1990s. Like most theme park rides, suspension of disbelief is needed!
For those who get motion sickness or even have just a little bit of sensitivity to screen-heavy rides that also have a lot of jerky movements, do be a little wary when riding Battle at the Ministry. Nicole took some Dramamine beforehand and made it through fine, but there are a few moments that definitely can be quite disorienting or nausea-inducing if you are prone to that.
The ride was fun and entertaining, and the technology and animatronics are amazing, but it did not instantly become our new favorite Wizarding World attraction. However, we both agree that we need to go on it again to really solidify our opinions because it’s so hard to take it all in after only riding it once.
Wizarding Food Options
Epic Universe definitely levels up what theme park quick-service dining can be. We ate at Café L’air De La Sirène and Le Gobelet Noir, so keep an eye out for our in-depth reviews of both of these establishments!
Neither restaurant felt like we were eating in a theme park due to the menu options, the quality of the food, and the presentation. In both cases, everything was plated beautifully and served on real dishes with real silverware. No plastic forks breaking mid-meal here! We loved what we got and cannot wait to try more off of these menus.
We also indulged our sweet tooth with some macarons and truffles at K. Rammelle. The shop’s candy counter features themed sweets, including macarons with recognizable symbols from the wizarding world such as a Chocolate Frog on the chocolate one, the Beauxbatons crest on the blueberry one, and the Ministry of Magic logo on the pistachio one.
The macarons weren’t our favorite since they didn’t seem as fresh as they could have been, but the pistachio truffle (with coloring inspired by the Ministry of Magic) that Nicole got was delicious!
Our Favorite Parts of Wizarding Paris
We both agree that the details and atmosphere of the Ministry of Magic themed area are what makes it special. The highlights of our day were wandering around wizarding Paris, admiring the details, and performing wand magic.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that the Battle at the Ministry ride is not our favorite attraction in the wizarding world section of the park. That honor goes to Le Cirque Arcanus, the show based on the circus seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. This show is a heartwarming return to the world of Newt Scamander and his beasts, packed full of beautiful animatronics and practical effects. Maybe pack some tissues because this one hit us right in the feels.
If only we had a Portkey so we could instantly transport ourselves to Epic Universe whenever we want. We cannot wait to go back!
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