Ranked: The Immersive Attractions of Universal Epic Universe

The portals of Universal Epic Universe are now officially open! With five incredible and immersive lands, you may be wondering how these attractions stack up. In this new edition of ranked, we are going to tell you Laughing Place’s top rides and attractions at Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park.

Today is the official opening day of Universal Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort! Announced back in 2019, Universal commenced an unprecedented $7 billion expansion of their Florida property. Adding 750 acres, the Epic Universe theme park, and three resort hotels, Universal Orlando Resort has entered a new chapter of memory-making adventures. Across the park's five immersive lands, which include Celestial Park, How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and Super Nintendo World, Epic Universe boasts an impressive 14 major attractions. But how do they stack up against each other?

In this episode of Ranked, members of the Laughing Place team who have had the opportunity to visit Epic Universe voted on their favorite attractions at the park. Let’s take a look at the results.

14. Yoshi’s Adventure (Super Nintendo World)

Coming in at number 14, Super Nintendo World’s Yoshi’s Adventure sits at the bottom of the list. This mostly outdoor omnimover, while adorable, is disappointingly short. Featuring just one indoor show scene with Baby Mario and Luigi, the ride ends before it truly begins.

13. Viking Training Camp (Isle of Berk)

Next up, over in Isle of Berk, is Viking Training Camp. The play area provides a ton of immersive ways for kids to create their own epic dragon-filled adventures. The interactive play area is low on the list, as the activities are mostly meant to engage younger visitors at the park. While our team may not be the key demographic, this is a great attraction for families.

12. Dragon Racer’s Rally (Isle of Berk)

This “dueling" flat ride provides guests with the ability to create their own mild or wild experience. Using wings on the side of each seat, guests can flip themselves upside down as the giant flat ride rotates towards the sky and back towards the ground again. While a fun supporting attraction at the park, this off-the-shelf ride just doesn’t stack up against most of the park’s unique offerings.

11. Le Cirque Arcanus (Ministry of Magic)

Combining magic, stunts, and magical creatures, Le Cirque Arcanus invites guests into a vibrant live performance using puppetry, aerial performers, special effects and more. While our team generally enjoyed this show, it also just couldn’t compete with the stellar lineup of attractions found throughout Epic Universe.

10. Fyre Drill (Isle of Berk)

The first to break the top ten is Fyre Drill in Isle of Berk. This attraction is part boat ride, part shooting game, creating an interactive and exciting way to cool down on a hot Florida day. Described as a training ground to fight the fires created by Berk’s dragons, Viking twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut and ready to invite you to their own version of Berk’s Fyre Skööl. Why not as impressive as many of Epic’s incredible “E-Tickets," you’ll have a great time on Fyre Drill.

9. Constellation Carousel (Celestial Park)

Constellation Carousel is the perfect twist on a classic theme park attraction. With its gorgeous glass dome, unique rotating and dancing vehicles, and a serene original score, you’ll definitely wanna make sure you take a spin on Constellation Carousel.

8. Curse of the Werewolf (Dark Universe)

This spinning coaster was a late addition to the park, and in some ways, it shows. Shoehorned into an area that was originally intended to be a green space, Curse of the Werewolf is incredibly short and sticks out in an otherwise highly detailed land. With that being said, Curse of the Werewolf is an incredibly fun roller coaster. With one standard launch and a second swing launch, this family-thrill coaster is a perfect attraction for those not quite ready to take on Stardust Racers. If the layout consisted of more than a handful of turns, it would probably rank higher.

7. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (Super Nintendo World)

The headlining attraction of Super Nintendo World lands at number 7. While many expected a Mario Kart-themed attraction to be fast and thrilling, Universal Creative took a different approach. Embracing the Mario Kart’s video game origins, the attraction uses AR headsets to simulate racing against other players and using power-ups. That is not to say this is a screen-based attraction. In fact, it boasts some of Universal’s most impressive physical sets. Riding very much like Men in Black over at Universal Studios Florida, Bowser’s Challenge merely traverses many iconic maps from the game rather than racing through them. While it lacks a bit of the excitement from the top-selling racing game, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is an incredibly re-rideable and fun addition to Universal Orlando Resort.

 6. Mine-Cart Madness (Super Nintendo World)

Next up, we have Donkey Kong Country’s Mine-Cart Madness. Universal developed a brand new ride system for this roller coaster to simulate “jumping the tracks" like in the iconic Donkey Kong video game series. Both on and off the ride, our team agreed that it is so much fun to experience this illusion. While a little bit rough, Mine-Cart Madness is a really fun roller coaster. Where this attraction doesn’t quite hit the mark is its indoor sections, many of which feel hollow and empty. However, this attraction will be a hit among families. We recommend hitting this one early in the morning to avoid long wait times.

5. The Untrainable Dragon (Isle of Berk)

This stage adaptation of the hit DreamWorks film How to Train Your Dragon is an incredible feat of theatrics. Originally debuting at Universal Studios Beijing, this show features life-like dragon puppets, animatronics, and flying. Even those who find themselves uninterested in entertainment offerings at theme parks will wanna check this out. It’ll also be an ideal way to escape into the air conditioning on a hot day. A double win!

4. Stardust Racers (Celestial Park)

If you are wondering whether Stardust Racers beats Velocicoaster, our team still can’t decide. This racing roller coaster, which in many ways is a spiritual successor to Dualing Dragons, is an airtime-filled thrill machine. With two different tracks, yellow and green, you’ll wanna experience Stardust AT LEAST twice. The “Celestial Spin" element, which flips both trains over each other, is a disorienting mess of track that is one of the highlights of the attraction. This ride also comes alive at night with gorgeous LED-lit trains, which appear as shooting stars flipping through the night sky. With Florida’s impressive lineup of roller coasters, Stardust Racers may be the new king.

By the way, we originally had each track of Stardust Racers listed separately for our team to vote on — but they ended up tying.

3. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (Ministry of Magic)

Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is one of, if not the most immersive attraction Universal has ever created. Combining an unforgettable queue that battles Rise of the Resistance and Flight of Passage with a unique new ride system, Battle at the Ministry is a theme park masterpiece. Continuing the story of the Harry Potter universe, guests are invited to the trial of Dolores Umbridge. Stepping aboard a multidimensional elevator, everything goes awry as guests are thrown about through different areas of the Ministry. This attraction combines physical sets, animatronics, and screens seamlessly to recreate environments from the film series. It rides similarly to Spider-Man over at Islands of Adventure. While the attraction promises “drops," many of those moments do feel more like an elevator than Tower of Terror. This will probably be the hardest attraction to get on in the resort for a while.

2. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (Isle of Berk)

This launched family thrill roller coaster soars and dives throughout the Isle of Berk, creating sky-high kinetic energy. On board, the ride packs more of a punch than you’d expect. With two show scenes located at both of the coaster’s launches, the already exciting roller coaster is elevated to the next level. Walking into the land, fans will see Hiccup’s Wing Gliders dive underneath the park's main pathway with a splash. Universal really knocked it out of the park with this one. Those who found themselves disappointed with Slinky Dog Dash will love Hiccup’s Wing Gliders.

1. Monster’s Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

Back in 2010, Universal debuted the Kuka Arm ride system on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which revolutionized the theme park industry. Taking another stab with the ride system, utilizing one of their most beloved properties, Monster’s Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment sits at the top of our list. Inviting guests into Dr. Victoria Frankenstein's manor, an experiment gone wrong leads to thrilling adventure with encounters from iconic Universal characters such as The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula and more. This attraction boasts a humongous collection of ground-breaking animatronics, a thrilling ride system, and a really cool story. While not as scary as a Horror Nights house, you’ll definitely find some jump scares along the way on this impressive attraction.

Last night, Universal hosted a special Grand Opening celebration for Epic Universe. The evening ended with an equally epic firework spectacular, featuring music from all five of the park’s lands. You can check that out below:

For those looking to head out on an epic adventure, Laughing Place recommends Mouse Fan Travel for all your Universal Orlando Resort vacation needs.

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