🌎 This Week At Universal

Making your Universal Orlando trips smarter, one email at a time.

In this post you'll find:

• Epic Universe EPA details

• New photos of Epic Universe

• Stella Nova grand opening

• and more!

🗞️ Recent News

Early Park Entry details revealed for Epic Universe

Universal has announced more details on Early Park Entry for Epic Universe. It will begin on May 23rd, 2025, one day after the grand opening day.

I’ve seen people bummed that it’s not available on grand opening day, but obviously they are going to do a big grand opening ceremony and that would conflict with EPA, so it’s not surprising to me at all.

The available attractions are as follows:

• Mario Kart™: Bowser's Challenge

• Yoshi's Adventure™

• Mine-Cart Madness™

• Stardust Racers

So essentially just Nintendo Land and part of Celestial Park. We aren’t sure yet if the other areas of the park will be roped off similar to what they do at Islands of Adventure, but I will keep you updated.

Drone photos of Epic Universe construction

I’m probably as hyped as anyone for the opening of Epic Universe. Bioreconstruct on X does a great job of snapping drone shots of the construction.

This is a shot of the mansion in the Dark Universe land. Man, it is looking AWESOME. I love the gothic architecture, this looks straight out of a horror movie.

This is…you guessed it, Nintendo Land! Peach’s castle is really coming together. One thing I love about Universal is that they really nail the vibe and feeling of the IP they are emulating.

Another shot of Nintendo Land, you can see a bit of Bowser’s castle on the left. The scale of this just looks awesome, I cannot wait to explore this on a ground level and see how the sight-lines make you feel like you are really in a Mario game.

What are you most hyped for in Epic Universe?

Stella Nova Resort officially opens today

I know we talked about Stella Nova Resort last week, but now it’s officially open as of today, and Universal put out a cool grand opening video that I thought y’all would enjoy watching!

I think all the little details are a really nice touch like the rounded rectangle windows, star-like lights on the ceiling, and of course the beautiful iridescent exterior. Are you planning on staying here anytime soon?

🚧 Upcoming Ride Closures

Just a note that I received word that the Hogwarts Express has actually been closed periodically over the past week or more. Not sure exactly what is going on there, but just a heads up that these dates are always subject to change!

Universal Studios Florida

• Hogwarts Express: January 28 – January 31, 2025

Islands of Adventure

• The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle

• Pteranodon Flyers

• Jurassic Park River Adventure: January 6, 2025 – January 23, 2025

• Hogwarts Express: January 28 – January 31, 2025

• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges: February 1, 2025 – March 15, 2025

Universal Volcano Bay

• Ohyah and Ohno Drop Slides – January 2 – February 13, 2025

• Puka Uli Lagoon – January 2 – February 13, 2025

Volcano Bay itself is closed on the following days:

• January: 22, 23, 27, & 28

• February: 5, 6, 10, 11, 18, 19, 24, & 25

☀️ Weather

Rain for the next couple days, boooo! But, I will say that that usually means crowds will be much lower. Grab a poncho and some water proof shoes and have a blast, don’t let the rain scare you away!

For the rest of the week into next week we are starting to see it warm up!

👥 Crowds

A lot of days here that are super low crowd volume! Of course Mardi Gras starts in February so expect crowds to go up because of that.

If you want to plan an impromptu trip to Universal, this week or next week is a great time to do it!

Weekly Spotlight

Bourne Stuntacular

This week i’m highlighting the Bourne Stuntacular show that is in Universal Studios Florida. I find that this show is often overlooked or that people just pass right by it because the entrance can be a little unassuming, but man is this a must-watch show!

The show follows Jason Bourne as he runs from the watching eye of the CIA trying to track him down. This spectacular show is a combination of real moving sets and a giant 3,640-square-foot screen that works in tandem to create a super realistic show.

The first time I viewed this show it literally blew my mind the way the set and the screen worked together to create a hyper-realistic illusion.

I won’t spoil too much of it for you, but it has a little bit of everything that you get in a classic spy thriller. Gun fights, fist fights, police chases, explosions, stunts, and more!

❓ Question of the week

Hey Kim! The Freestyle cup is $18.99 currently and they often run deals where you can buy 3 and get 1 free, and if you buy more than one they get progressively cheaper.

As far as re-activating it, that costs $11.99 to get an extra day of refills. You can also use your Passholder discount on both the cup purchase and the re-activation!

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