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Epic Universe has an opening date and Disney's response is telling

Universal has announced the new Epic Universe park is coming Memorial Day and Disney's response to this news is quite telling on how they deal with the competition!

By Michael Weyer

Rendering of Isle of Berk entrance at Epic Universe, photo provided by Universal Orlando
Rendering of Isle of Berk entrance at Epic Universe, photo provided by Universal Orlando /
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The Orlando park wars are about to kick up, as Universal has announced when their new Epic Universe park opens! How will Disney counter this?

For over 30 years, the Disney-Universal Orlando theme park battle has been a boon for the state and theme park lovers. It all started in the mid-1980s when Universal announced plans for a new version of Universal Studios in Orlando. Disney countered it by having the Disney-MGM Studios open a year before Universal Studios did. 

For most of the 1990s, Disney easily had the advantage with more parks, hotels, and overall fun. That changed in 1999 when Universal expanded its Islands of Adventure park, offering more thrill rides to entice older guests. They also opened their CityWalk dining/entertainment district and more resorts. 

That kicked Disney up to open attractions in every park and still maintained an edge. It was helped by some bungling at Universal like trying to brand the area "Universal Escape" and an ad campaign hurting their influx of visitors.

Universal finally got the win in 2010 when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened. It was instantly hailed as the best theme park experience in the world, outdoing Disney in terms of imaginative rides and overall experience. Disney has done its best to catch up with Galaxy's Edge, World of Pandora, and more. It was evened up a bit as each pushed for more fun experiences.

Now, Universal is upping the stakes as, after years of buzz, they've confirmed the opening date for their third gate, Epic Universe and it's closer than you think!

When does Epic Universe open and how does Disney respond?

Universal announced Epic Universe will open its doors May 22, 2025. Universal will begin accepting reservations on October 22nd with pricing now including multi-day/park passes. So far, the main deal is a three-day ticket for the three parks, priced at $352 plus tax, which is $118 for each day. As the opening day draws closer, Universal will offer more one-day passes for just Epic Universe itself.

The park has been under construction for the last year and so far, there have been just artists' conceptions of what it will include. The lands themselves all look pretty interesting: 

  • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic: Originally, this was going to be themed to the Fantastic Beasts movie but when that franchise faltered at the box office, it's now shifted to more classic Harry Potter. It mixes elements of the present and the 1920s with the chief ride called Battle at the Ministry, a "lift ride" exploring the films. 
  • Super Nintendo World: A hit at Universal Japan, this brings the worlds of Nintendo's iconic video games to life. Mario Kart: Brower's Challenge is a 3-D based shooting ride with a Donkey Kong coaster ride expected to arrive later. 
  • Celestial Park: A retro-future area boasting the Stardust Racers roller coaster.
  • Dark Universe: Based on the classic Universal Monsters with a dark ride combining Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and more, and a Curse of the Werewolf family dark ride/coaster.
  • How to Train Your Dragon: Island of Berk: Based on the hit animated films with the Hiccup's Wing Gliders coaster, Frye Drill boat ride and a stage show. 

That's just the opening day stuff, as likely more is coming alongside a nice location and theming. Universal is kicking it up, and Disney has to respond.

It's obvious Disney has been preparing for this for a while, with the D23 announcements telling us about the major additions coming to WDW. The big one is a remake of Frontierland with two new Cars rides, even though that's led to a backlash for getting rid of the Rivers of America. The Magic Kingdom is also set to have a Villains' Land. There's also the planned makeover of Animal Kingdom's DinoLand into an area involving Encanto and Indiana Jones rides and a Monsters Inc. area for Hollywood Studios.

The problem is, it's highly unlikely any of this is going to be ready by next Memorial Day. Compare that to 1999, when Disney countered Islands of Adventure with scores of new attractions opening at the same time (Test Track, Rock N Roller Coaster, Winnie the Pooh/Buzz Lightyears rides, DAK's Asia section). It's as if Disney figures Epic Universe is going to get a huge push no matter what so not trying to openly compete right off. 

That may seem like a bad idea, yet Disney could be looking at the bigger picture. They have taken a hit in the economy in the last few years with complaints of a lack of imagination in Imagineering (see the terrible new Communicore). Yet with so much on their plate, Disney may figure a good idea is letting Universal get Epic Universe open, get the early attention, and then, after the initial buzz dies down, start unleashing their own slate of big openings. 

Orlando residents and businesses should be happy about this as the influx of visitors is great for the area. So next Memorial Day, the Disney-Universal war kicks up a new gear and the real winners are the guests getting so many great experiences.

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