A brand-new theme park is set to shake up the Orlando theme park scene—Universal’s Epic Universe is officially opening on May 22, 2025. With new lands based on Super Nintendo, classic monsters, and more, students are eager to see what the park has to offer.
Many students have been anticipating the opening of Epic Universe for a while now.
“Yes, I have heard about it for a while now,” said Braxton Donald (11). “I was surprised and excited for a new theme park.”
“I’m actually kind of excited to see how this new theme park will play out,” Daisha Rosboro (11) said.
One big question surrounding Epic Universe is whether it will give Universal an edge over Disney. Rosboro believes it will, noting that Disney has faced challenges in recent years.
“I think it will because Disney has been going kind of downhill with their park and their movies,” Rosboro (11) said.
However, Donald sees things differently.
“I don’t believe Universal will gain more traction than Disney, because Disney has a lot of parks,” Donald (10) said. “Epic Universe might make more than Universal Studios itself.”
With five themed lands—Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World’s Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon’s Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park—there’s a lot for fans to look forward to.
Donald is most excited for Super Nintendo World. “I grew up with Nintendo,” Donald (10) said. “It also looks like you are inside the world, and my top ride pick would definitely be Mario Kart because I played it as a kid, and it seems fun.”
While students are excited, some concerns remain—especially about cost and crowd levels.
“I am pretty concerned about the prices and crowds,” Rosboro (11) said. “It’s a whole new theme park, so there will be many crowds. The tickets will be expensive, but hopefully not to Disney’s level.”
She also noted that Epic Universe’s location, about 10–15 minutes from the current Universal parks, could be both a positive and a negative.
“I think it’s a good and bad idea. It isn’t near the center of the other parks, so there will be some space between them,” said Rosboro (11). However, Universal will be very crowded during the summer, and I think it will still cause this space to become crowded with people wanting to go to the new theme park.”
With just a few months to go until Epic Universe opens, students remain eager to see how it will compare to Universal’s other parks and Disney. Whether it becomes a game-changer in the theme park industry or just another fun addition to Orlando’s attractions, one thing is clear—Epic Universe is already making waves.
