Epic Universe New Details, Expansion Plans, Soft Launch, & Previews | Universal Orlando Resort

[@Javachacin]

I know Universal has ptsd on water rides after Jaws, but I really, truly hope Creature gets its own experience

[@TheNobleWay]

Yeah it’s time to bring one to Epic! They are adding the water gun ride to How To Train Your Dragon area but that’s quite different so hoping for something more like Jaws or River Adventure 👌🏼

[@JacxonLRyan]

I’m in LA - we still have Jaws. What happened to the Jaws in Orlando?

[@TheNobleWay]

@JacxonLRyan it got replaced with Diagon Alley! Sad but Diagon Alley is an amazing replacement to be fair lol! 🤣

[@ottot3221]

Creature of the black lagoon was going in the back of the land. There is a long stretch of land behind the main building all the way to behind the windmill. That are is the expansion plot and it's still there to be developed.

[@jjrudy41]

Thats what I heard as well.

[@dangerfindertreasureseeker8905]

Having a Haunted Luigi Mansion next to Dark Universe would make an excellent transition from Nintendo World . Maybe have the Boat ride for the Creature from the Black Lagoon ride be another portal . This is going to be so much fun. 😊

[@Mr-fl8iq]

Another amazing video! A horror themed water ride would be EPIC(pun intended)!!!!

[@andrewk1916]

What a great way to talk about those things coming out and there is clearly a lot of excitement around Epic! Keep up the great work reporting, speculating, and commenting on things come to come!

[@TheNobleWay]

Thanks Andrew! 👌🏼

[@jasonmalafarina4636]

I would love to see Universal revive the Beetlejuice Rock-N-Roll Graveyard Revue in Dark Universe. Since EU already has live shows planned in Harry Potter and HTTYD, having a 3rd fan-favorite show could round out the live entertainment portion. New costumes, new sets, new lighting and special effects including projections could make it a truly great show!

[@TheNobleWay]

Totally agree! Beetlejuice is awesome!

[@JP-1990]

I would prefer a Beetlejuice/Tim Burton area in Islands of Adventure, where you could house multiple attractions like a Graveyard Revue but also a spooky dark ride. If I were to imagine a live show for Dark Universe, it ought to go to Phantom of the Opera.

[@TheNobleWay]

@JP-1990 phantom would be awesome - definitely miss the graveyard revue!

[@richardperhai8292]

Dark Universe is a celebration of Universal monsters, which BJ is not. Plus his irrelevant tone would be in conflict with the theme of the land

[@zarajenkins6948]

Thank you for a great video, we're getting so close now to opening! Dark Universe will be my go to land when it opens, it looks amazing!

[@TheNobleWay]

Same here! Can’t wait to see it in person! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@kennethrohloff7535]

Interesting video. Thank you

[@TheNobleWay]

Thank you!

[@claudinejones-bourne]

I'm interested in VIP tour speculations. Universal Studios' VIP tours are usually worth every penny.

[@TheNobleWay]

We expect that info soon!

[@GueroFamoso]

Amazing Video 🎉

[@TheNobleWay]

Thank you Mario! 👌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@robertpolk9910]

I was surprised that Universal announced a grand opening in late May for Epic. Construction crews were told a year ago that the park was aiming for a Spring Break 2025 opening. They will have previews & soft launches in March and April, so I guess they weren't 100% ready to fully open a month or two earlier. They did delay the Terra Luna Hotel opening by one month, so something obviously wasn't going to be ready for an April park opening. I think the Helios Grand Hotel was on pace to be open in April, but Universal played it safe...which prevents bad press from a botched opening.

[@TheNobleWay]

Yes for sure - it’s also possible if they get done earlier they could open things up sooner with more pass options! 👍🏼

[@jjrudy41]

The only water attraction is a dumb battle boats style ride in HTTYD land. I hope we get a Creature from the black lagoon style water ride in Monsters land in the expansion. Maybe like Jurassic park style and not jaws. To give it thrills with the ability to get a little wet.

[@livdavidson535]

Do you know if single day passes for epic universe can be purchased alone without having to buy the full 2 park ticket for universal and islands too? I am in the uk non annual pass holder and can currently only get an epic universe pass if I buy the 14 days ticket for universal and island but would love to be able to just buy an epic universe ticket on its own?

[@TheNobleWay]

Yes, single day tickets will be made available for non-passholders very soon - keep checking back! 👌🏼

[@livdavidson535]

@ amazing Thankyou any news about 2 day epic passes?

[@TheNobleWay]

@livdavidson535 none yet but expect those packages to be released at the same time.

[@JP-1990]

I would like an area dedicated to toys; Barbie, GI:Joe, He-Man, Transformers, etc.

[@YannR34]

I bet on the last Mack Rides development for the water ride. It would be perfect for that.

[@cjhan47]

I'm curious about how they would go about hiring and training staff for a brand new park opening. Are they hired ahead of time and work in the other parks, or is it just a bunch of brand new people working in a brand new park?

[@TheNobleWay]

A lot of people will come over from the other parks and they will backfill them with new hires to the old parks. They will also hire new people as well ahead of time and do training prior to soft openings!

[@themeparkenthusiast771]

I actually auditioned to be a singing performer at Epic, they sent a casting call out last year around this time, with auditions in April. They also put auditions for dancers, characters, and others performers. Sadly I didn’t get the job, there were so many amazing performers who were clearly way more qualified than I for the type of music they’re doing. As for regular team members, I’m pretty sure they’ve been slowly hiring people over the last couple of months and will continue to do so until opening day

[@themeparkenthusiast771]

However, I’m sure there will be plenty of team leads and managers present from the other parks in the first year of operation. I’m sure a bit of the staff from the other 2 parks will be moved over, at least for the opening month

[@TheNobleWay]

@themeparkenthusiast771 ah that stinks, but I’m sure it all works out for the best - something else is in store for you! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

I'm going in Dec and really hope they have reasonably priced VIP tours available. :) I'm going to try and avoid KZbin Videos next year when it opens. I really want to try and be surprised. I didn't watch or have a KZbin account back when Wizarding World opened and I was amazed.

[@drewhull7313]

Helios grand gate + early park access is going to be a cheat code for getting to Dark Universe and Ministry of Magic

[@TheNobleWay]

Yes!!! Exactly! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 it’s a must do!

[@donquiote60]

That's what I'm hoping for!

[@Atyomommahouse-p2m]

@8:45 it’s steel. No wood at all. Just painted to look like wood.

[@TheNobleWay]

Yeah for sure! It’s awesome how the crafted it to look so amazing and survive the burning - I expect it will need refurbs fairly regularly. 🤣

[@cosmicgrub360]

Makes sense because being wood would literally mean it would eventually burn down and collapse

[@JP-1990]

They need to relocate the Mummy ride here.

[@danielsmith4351]

Hi i am from the UK and have booked a 2 week holiday to Orlando next year, I will book combo tickets to get in to Disney and Universal but with just 1 day allowed for epic universe I am actually thinking of cancelling the holiday. 1 day at epic with a 3 year old just seems too much and I can see the day being spoilt because 1 day isn't enough. Do you think there is a chance for someone out side of the US to buy single day tickets a couple of months after epics opening??

[@alanblaze7]

Hi! Have you heard anything about how will early park admission work on the Helios hotel for the opening day? I bought a 3-day ticket package for opening day and I’ll be staying at the Helios hotel from May 22-25, I don’t know if I will be able to go to the park on May 22 or if I’ll have to wait until May 23 though, any information you have on that would be super helpful

[@TheNobleWay]

You should be able to get early access on opening day as when you stay at the hotels normally you get express pass for check in day AND check out day. Not sure how it will work but I’m assuming info will be coming soon! 👌🏼

[@alanblaze7]

@ Yeah, I always take advantage of that express pass perk when I visit the parks jeje. Check in at 6am, leave bags at bell services, and head for EPA 🤘🏼 The thing is, there’s even a Reddit thread discussing if Helios will be up for that or if they will make some kind of opening ceremony later on that day, so that would make it impossible for us to leave the bags at Helios’s Bell services as early as 6am and then head to the park.

[@hannahwatson7419]

Has there been anything said about when you can visit epic universe multiple days like the other 2? I don’t wanna go until I’m not limited to going just 1 day I wanna explore every aspect of it!!

[@RandyHorner-c2d]

When will they come out with multi day tickets for epic?

[@TheNobleWay]

Likely within the next couple of months, but won’t be effective until quite awhile after opening, more than likely not until 2026. 😢

[@creativemom5195]

@@TheNobleWay fingers crossed for August

[@waxabi2336]

Yea I believe I heard dark universe still has room to add another ride which would be cool to see it added there. I hope that big area next to Nintendo is kept for future Nintendo rides/lands cause out of all the lands Nintendo right now is half the size of all the other lands at 7 acres while all the others are 13 and 15 acres. Would love to see Luigi’s mansion land and more Nintendo to add capacity to Nintendo land.

[@TheNobleWay]

I suspect that it will be used for both or potentially could be used for a new land completely!

[@yankeesusa1]

Meanwhile at Disney.... They are closing thunder mountain railroad lol

[@wmmxDoreen]

It’s “Royal PACIFIC” hotel 😉

[@TheNobleWay]

Haha yeah I don’t know why I said it that way - I guess I thought it sounded cooler if you add the “o” to the end of it! I realized it during the edit but by then it’s too late!

[@disneylandx123]

They have permits for parade float tent/storage but have not built them yet. I also don’t see a good path for a parade. The “bunker” for the fireworks has also not been built, but there are permits for them. Also the firework show (The Cosmos) were removed from the latest concept arts and removed “firework view” from Helios. Looks like entertainment is taking budget cuts before they even open.

[@TheNobleWay]

Yeah not sure they are going to land those right out of the gate - we’ll see as it gets closer if they can pull it off or not. Also haven’t seen much about the flying dragon lately but we’ve seen it in person and it’s wild! 👌🏼

[@volleyballpro1997]

I think you need to change your wording from Passholder Previews to Passholder Soft Openings since I doubt they will let Passholders in for free. Pretty sure passholders will have to pay a cheaper price but still pay for entrence to Epic Universe for that Soft Opening period. It would be a huge waste of money if it was free for Passholders.

[@TheNobleWay]

I’m purposely leaving it open ended at this point until we know more. Friends and Family and Media previews are always free and AP previews as well - with a new park you may experience limited attractions being open, only certain areas of the park, and even limited hours as they work out the bugs. They very well may offer these at discounted prices but also may offer them for free or some combination of both. We attended the soft launches for Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley which of course were free, but being a separate park definitely throws a wrench in that. Once we know more we’ll update for sure! 👍🏼

[@scottbergeron9515]

Why do you say Terra Luna and Stella Nova are sold out for opening weekend? Im booked already but i just tried and tgey are both available for that opening fri thru mon

[@TheNobleWay]

What dates are you using and what website? It’s sold out on Universal and Loews websites for all dates from May 21-25

[@scottbergeron9515]

@ i just tried to book a 3 day package for Terra Luna right on Universals website and it was letting me book from fri May 23-26

[@scottbergeron9515]

Maybe they only released a certain block of rooms initially i dunno.

[@TheNobleWay]

@scottbergeron9515 packages that include tickets are different - those are held aside for the packages. I’m referring to booking a hotel room seperately, hope that helps!

[@TheNobleWay]

@scottbergeron9515 yeah, it’s possible they will release room inventory if they don’t sell all the packages by then - will have to wait and see

[@benjaminlee2842]

Hi do you think there is still a chance for lord of the rings to come to epic as a phase 2 expansion

[@garykleinberger3704]

Are they going to bring back The Beetle juice Graveyard Revue at the Dark Universe

[@TheNobleWay]

No plans for it right now sadly - there was always speculated to be a show but that never really materialized.

[@cindynelson1226]

I hope universal gets a Pokémon land and a Zelda themed land and rides. That would be amazing

[@TheNobleWay]

Currently we believe Simpson will be replaced by Pokémon and the Lost Continent will be replaced with Zelda or Lord of the Rings. 👌🏼

[@cindynelson1226]

Lost continent would make an amazing Zelda world with a water labyrinth ride and they should have link riding epona chasing Gannon throughout the land greeting guests. That would be amazing

[@VerbilKint]

I have nothing to back this up other than intuition. It seems like Passholder previews would be free, as soft openings would be a charge. The email I got specifically said "Passholder soft opening". I'm going to assume there will be a charge. I'm also assuming. maybe more hoping, that it will not be full retail price.

[@TheNobleWay]

Yeah it’s definitely hard to determine based on the language they are using - really hoping for free! 🤣

[@volleyballpro1997]

@@TheNobleWay Business-wise, would make zero sense for them to offer AP discounted tickets this early and then offer free admission for a soft preview, most wouldn’t waste the money on a regular ticket if they can get in for free for a “Preview”. So yeah we can hope it’s free, but it would make no sense for the business to make it free (big miss for the company to earn additional money) so realistically, should be telling people that they will most likely need to pay since it’s a Soft Opening and not a Preview. 👍🏽

[@Nickzilla84]

You are seeing lots of creature from the black lagoon stuff because it's the 70th anniversary this year

[@TheNobleWay]

There’s also been a movie reboot in the world for awhile and who knows if we’ll ever see it!

[@SilverSonic118]

How many Epic Universe days can Annul Pass holders purchase? And can they be back to back days?

[@TheNobleWay]

As many as we want and yes can be back to back - however it must be an active pass meaning you have scanned into the park at least once!

[@stevenn4020]

What would be cool is if they built an under ground subway like the one in Harry Potter 5 to connect the parks from like Kings Cross station to the new area in Epic Universe.

[@TheNobleWay]

Ha! That would be cool!

[@CapeManCoral]

I would really like that. Would connect all three much better as one huge.

[@jonoconnell-df8wx]

Is this channel your full time job

[@TheNobleWay]

Haha! No I just have no life outside of work and this channel! 🤣🤣🤣

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

I wonder what type of Movies and TV Shows this land will "inspire" for Universal. They aren't going to have this IP Heavy Park without having TV Shows and Movies.

[@TheNobleWay]

Maybe we’ll get lucky and it will revive the monsters universe they failed on! 👌🏼

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

@@TheNobleWay I would almost bet on it.

[@aquaticfury5273]

I don’t think they are going to give creatures from the black lagoon a ride because it couldn’t even get its own house for HHN 😢

[@TheNobleWay]

Haha! Yes that was so disappointing! Maybe next year!! 👍🏼👌🏼🙌🏼

[@juliamcgee9607]

I wonder if Universal is stopping you from buying multiple packages like two 3 day packages in order to get 2 days at Epic Universe. What do you think?

[@TheNobleWay]

You should be able to purchase multiple 3-day packages if you want!

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

How can they get away with selling a Epic Season Pass but then say you can’t use it until 2026? That’d be nonsense😊

[@TheNobleWay]

Basically they will start selling Epic APs for 2026 within the next few months - or add on for your current pass. You wouldn’t start paying for the AP price increase until 2026. Hope that makes sense lol!

[@mikey_owens]

Is Zelda coming?

[@FhangMedia]

They keep hinting at it. I mean, it was in one of the Epic Universe opening date teaser videos.

[@TheNobleWay]

We’ll see - with Pokemon and Lord of the Rings coming there is a lot happening!

[@stevepage4504]

Zelda will be going to Islands of adventure but not for few years. Studios will see numerous projects once Epic opens then Epic will get lord if rings and a couple of lands extended for its 5th anniversary. Islands is arguably stronger than Epic as has more attractions so wont get the investment to after

[@TheNobleWay]

@stevepage4504 yes, it’s highly expected to replace the lost continent! Most of the investment once Epic opens will be pouring into the existing parks now that they can start tearing down backstage building and empty attractions with more cash flow coming in. 👌🏼

[@thedirector1]

Totally wrong about the CRTBL location. It was speculated to be on the land earmarked for dark universe expansion BEHIND monsters unchained. Aprox 3 acres.

[@georgepratt3721]

Could you please reduce the volume on the music, it gets really annoying after the first minute or so?

[@TheNobleWay]

Sorry! I’ll take a look, it seems to depend on the speakers or headphones you are using, on some you can’t hear it all and others it’s way too loud - I’ll see if I can lower it. Thanks!

[@animeluver22113]

i didnt even know there was even music in the video i can barely hear it 🤣

[@TheNobleWay]

@animeluver22113 hahaha!! Seeeeeee!! I told you lololol 🤣🤣🤣🤷🏽‍♂️

[@richardperhai8292]

If AP isn't good until 2026, I can't see any reason why I would renew it until then (I imagine that will be the case for most people whose AP's expire after May). Might as well wait after the previews and let it go. (which is dumb, as thats throwing away years of goodwill and millions of dollars)

[@remconet]

It is not 'the' Das Stakehouse. It's just das Stakehous. 'Das' is German for 'the'.

[@TheNobleWay]

Oh ha! I do that a lot - my wife gets mad every time I say “the” Magic Kingdom too! 🤣🤣🤣

[@remconet]

@@TheNobleWay That's different, I approve of that one. 😂

[@oceanairboy]

Royal Pacifico? Lol.

[@TheNobleWay]

Yeah I don’t know why I said it that way - guess I thought adding an “o” to the end of it made it sound cooler 🤣

[@aidenwilliams7066]

None of the hotels are sold out for opening week I’m pretty sure, and if so only helios

[@TheNobleWay]

All of the Epic hotels are (Helios, Stella Nova, and Terra Luna) - the Universal ones are still available!

[@aidenwilliams7066]

@ Stella/Terra aren’t sold out, I just checks

[@TheNobleWay]

@aidenwilliams7066 where are you checking? They are all sold out for May 22-25 on Universal website and on Loews.

[@dwayitis]

Please NO water rides. I don’t want to get wet when I go to the parks. Do a family ride that doesn’t involve water.

[@TheNobleWay]

I also hate to get wet!! 🤣

[@ItsameBS]

bring back Jaws for Dark Universe. Can make a ghost town version of Amity and an all new boat ride.

[@TheNobleWay]

Ha! That would be cool 👌🏼

[@Tracking825]

I’m ok with the park being more geared towards older kids and adults =Less strollers to deal with!

[@Atyomommahouse-p2m]

FYI expansion cost 2-3 times the amount when the park is open. Universal has never expanded any park. If they were doing it it would be now. Not later

[@StevieL1979]

How about rein of kong in IOA? That was on an expansion pad. I’d argue Hogwarts Express too. Also Men In Black was an expansion pad originally too. So I’d say you’re not quite right there.

[@TheNobleWay]

Sorry, I’m not understanding this comment so can you clarify? Diagon Alley was an expansion at Universal Studios - although it did replace Jaws and surrounding areas that’s only because they are landlocked in that space. That’s the reason they created such a massive back of the house area at Epic so they could move operations of all the parks to that space. That allows them to destroy back of the house buildings at Universal and Islands and replace them with new attractions. For Epic they have purposely held aside expansion pads so they don’t run into a similar landlocked issue with the new park.

[@fluffybunnyz]

I really hope people dont pay for this greed trap. pricing structure is so stupid...