by Joe Tracy, Editor of Theme Park Magazine
When Universal Epic Universe opens its gates on May 22, 2025, guests will enter a revolutionary theme park featuring portal worlds and cutting-edge attractions. But as anticipation builds, a key question emerges: is 11 rides enough for this ambitious new park?
Strong Theme Park Competition in Orlando, Florida
In Orlando’s highly competitive theme park market, Epic Universe will face direct comparison with established Walt Disney World parks and other local attractions. The ride count disparity is particularly noticeable when examining the current Orlando theme park ecosystem:
Walt Disney World Resort:
- Magic Kingdom: 20+ rides.
- EPCOT: 11 rides
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10 rides
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8 rides
Universal Orlando Resort (Current):
- Universal Studios Florida: 14 rides
- Islands of Adventure: 15+
Other Orlando Parks:
- SeaWorld Orlando: 14+ rides
- LEGOLAND Florida: 22+ rides
As the newest entrant to this competitive market, Epic Universe’s 11 rides position it with fewer attractions than most established Orlando parks except Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This creates significant pressure for each ride to deliver exceptional experiences and rider count that can stand against Disney’s established classics and newer blockbuster attractions.
The Disney Factor: Competing with the Industry Leader
Walt Disney World Resort remains Orlando’s dominant attraction with four theme parks, two water parks, and 25+ resort hotels spread across 25,000 acres. By comparison, Universal Epic Universe is part of a 750-acre development with the theme park itself occupying considerably less space.
The competition with Disney informs much of Universal’s strategy with Epic Universe. While Disney parks have historically emphasized family-friendly attractions with broader appeal, Epic Universe appears to be following a pattern of focusing on fewer, but more technologically advanced, thrill experiences.
The comparison to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is particularly relevant. When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, Disney created an immersive land with only two rides (initially just one). Instead, the park focused on themed experiences, dining, and merchandise. Despite criticism about insufficient ride capacity, Galaxy’s Edge succeeded in creating an immersive environment that kept visitors engaged. Universal appears to be applying this lesson on a park-wide scale with Epic Universe.
Additionally, the company is leveraging intellectual properties where it can compete effectively against Disney. The How to Train Your Dragon land targets family audiences in Disney’s traditional wheelhouse, while Dark Universe provides a horror-tinged alternative that Disney doesn’t offer. Meanwhile, Super Nintendo World and another Harry Potter expansion continue Universal’s strategy of building on franchises where it has already found success against Disney’s dominant market position.
The Five Worlds of Epic Universe
The park’s 11 rides are distributed across five uniquely themed areas:
Celestial Park (Central Hub):
- Stardust Racers: A dual-tracked racing roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides
- Constellation Carousel: A celestial-themed carousel flat ride
Dark Universe:
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment: A dark ride using KUKA arm technology
- Curse of the Werewolf: A spinning roller coaster based on The Wolf Man (1941)
How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk:
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders: A launched family roller coaster by Intamin
- Dragon Racer’s Rally: A pair of Gerstlauer Sky Fly rides
- Fyre Drill: An interactive boat ride
Super Nintendo World:
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: An augmented reality racing simulator
- Yoshi’s Adventure: An omnimover attraction
- Mine-Cart Madness: A “boom coaster” creating the illusion of carts jumping across gaps
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic:
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: An elevator-themed dark ride
Potential Challenges with Limited Rides
Several key concerns emerge when examining Epic Universe’s ride count:
1. Crowd Management A primary worry stems from a comparison to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a park with a similar number of rides that frequently experiences significant congestion and long wait times. Epic Universe, being brand-new and highly anticipated, will likely attract substantial crowds, potentially leading to similar issues with lengthy queues.
2. Operational Vulnerability When a park operates with fewer rides, any significant downtime could further strain the capacity of the remaining attractions. Early reports of difficulties encountered during preview events have introduced caution regarding the initial operational reliability of some new rides.
3. Value Perception Theme park tickets are a substantial expense for families. Some visitors may question whether 11 rides justify the admission price, especially when comparing to parks offering twice or three times the number of attractions.
4. Ride Capacity Concerns If a significant portion of the 11 rides has relatively low hourly throughput, this could exacerbate the issue of long wait times, even if the total number of rides seems comparable to other parks.
Epic Universe in Historical Context
Opening with 11 rides isn’t unprecedented in theme park history. Several major Disney parks launched with similar or even fewer attractions. Disney’s Animal Kingdom debuted in 1998 with fewer rides as did Disney’s Hollywood Studios (originally MGM Studios) in 1989. Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris opened in 2002 with 11 rides, and Disney California Adventure launched with approximately 11 rides.
Many of these parks initially faced challenges balancing guest expectations with their limited ride lineups. Disney’s Animal Kingdom was frequently described as a “half-day park” in its early years, while Disney’s Hollywood Studios struggled with capacity issues during peak periods. This caused guest dissatisfaction and long wait times for rides. These historical examples suggest that while Epic Universe’s 11-ride lineup can work, the park may face similar growing pains as it establishes itself among Orlando’s competitive theme park landscape. This is especially true because of how the park is marketed.
Quality Over Quantity?
Initial expert perspectives and industry analysis of Epic Universe have been largely positive, focusing on the theming, quality and innovation of the rides and attractions.
The park’s attractions showcase cutting-edge technology: the “boom coaster” technology in Mine-Cart Madness creates the illusion of jumping across track gaps, while Monsters Unchained utilizes sophisticated KUKA arm systems similar to those in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Tom Williams, former Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, described Epic Universe as “the most immersive and innovative theme park” the company had ever created, suggesting Universal is aiming for landmark attractions rather than a high ride count.
The Portal Worlds Approach
Epic Universe’s design philosophy centers on immersive “portal worlds” rather than traditional ride-centric planning. Each themed land functions as a self-contained experience accessed through highly themed “portals” radiating from the central Celestial Park hub.
This approach emphasizes total immersion—each area features distinctive aesthetics reflected in everything from restaurant cutlery to staff uniforms, ambient music, and infrastructure. Seven million individually-controllable embedded LEDs throughout Celestial Park alone demonstrate Universal’s focus on creating environments rather than just ride collections.
Non-Ride Experiences
Epic Universe will include several non-ride experiences to complement its attractions lineup:
- Shows and Entertainment: The Untrainable Dragon show in How to Train Your Dragon land and Le Cirque Arcanus in the Wizarding World
- Interactive Elements: The Viking Training Camp play area and flying dragon drones in Dragon land
- Immersive Dining: Themed restaurants like Das Stakehaus (a vampire-themed steakhouse with no garlic), The Atlantic underwater restaurant, and Mead Hall serving “Yaknog”
- Technology Integration: Power-Up Bands in Nintendo World and interactive wands with lights and haptic feedback in the Wizarding World
While a How to Train Your Dragon show is confirmed, and a potential second show in the Harry Potter land is rumored, the overall balance of rides versus other attractions remains a point of consideration for observers.
Future Growth Potential
Industry insiders have suggested that phase two of the park’s expansion will begin soon after Epic Universe debuts in 2025, with potential attractions for Super Nintendo World revolving around the Luigi’s Mansion franchise. Universal Destinations & Experiences CEO Mark Woodbury stated in a New York Times interview that they are also considering the addition of attractions themed to Universal’s successful two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked.
The Final Verdict
Whether 11 rides will be enough ultimately depends on multiple factors: their quality, capacity, and how effectively Universal integrates non-ride experiences. Historical examples suggest that several major Disney parks opened with a similar or lower number of rides than planned for Epic Universe, indicating that success hinges on factors beyond just the initial quantity of ride offerings. But then again, none of those parks have been hyped as much as Epic Universe.
The immersive theming and storytelling across the park’s various lands have been praised, suggesting that the overall guest experience will extend beyond just the rides themselves. However, the concerns about crowds, wait times, and operational challenges with a limited ride count remain valid considerations.
The ultimate judgment on whether 11 rides are enough won’t be rendered by influencers who were given free advanced access but rather by guests themselves as they experience the park firsthand when the portals open in May 2025.
Explore More: Videos
Epic Universe: Full Tour by Carpetbagger
Explore More: Resources
- Website: Universal Epic Universe
- Article: Universal Epic Universe Tickets and Packages: Everything You Need to Know (Theme Park Magazine)
- Article: Universal’s Epic Accommodations (Theme Park Magazine)
- Article: New Add-On Experiences for Epic Universe Announced (Theme Park Magazine)
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About Joe Tracy
Joe Tracy, the creator, and editor of Theme Park Magazine, is a lifetime enthusiast of theme parks and immersive experiences. The publication was launched under his leadership on June 1, 2021, as a manifestation of his deep-seated love for all things themed. Joe has amassed over 20 years of expertise in both traditional print and online publishing.
