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Universal’s Epic Universe soft opens to public ahead of May opening

The highly-anticipated Epic Universe resort has soft opened to the public, with guests able to preview Universal’s latest theme park before its official opening on May 22

Guests can preview Epic Universe until May 19

Epic Universe, the newest theme park addition to the Universal Orlando resort, has soft-opened to the public with visitors able to experience the park ahead of its official opening.

Preview tickets, previously limited to those with Universal Orlando annual passes, hotel guests and Universal credit card customers, went on general sale on April 29 and will be available until May 19. The park will be closed on May 20 and 21 for a media event before its official launch on May 22.

Billed as Universal Destinations & Experiences’ most ambitious and technologically advanced theme park to date, Epic Universe offers an “unmatched” level of storytelling, innovation and theme park immersion.

The park spans 750-acres and features five immersive lands; Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Celestial Park and Dark Universe, each promising groundbreaking experiences.

Epic Universe offers five highly-immersive themed worlds for guests to explore   CREDIT: UNIVERSAL

It is Universal’s first major theme park to open in the US in 25 years and represents Comcast’s, Universal’s parent company, largest investment to date, rumoured to be approximately US$7bn (€6.2bn, £5.3bn).

The park offers 50 attractions including entertainment experiences, as well as themed retail and dining outlets and three hotels; Universal Stella Nova, Universal Terra Luna and Universal Helios Grand Hotel.

Described as the ‘crown jewel’ in Universal Orlando’s accommodation portfolio, the Universal Helios Grand Hotel opened earlier this month and offers 500 rooms, including How to Train Your Dragon-themed suites, as well as a dedicated park entrance.

Prices for Epic Universe’s preview tickets start at US$144 (€127, £108) for adults, classified by Universal as anyone over the age of 9. Some attractions and experiences may not be available during the preview.