ICYMI, Epic Universe has been open for over a year now, and I think it is safe to say Universal’s newest park has already become a major hit. Spanning five lands — Celestial Park, Dark Universe, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, and Super Nintendo World — it adds 11 wildly immersive rides to Universal Orlando’s lineup. But when I am planning a trip to Epic, especially if I am also trying to squeeze in the other parks, the logistics matter. Which Epic rides can a 42-inch kid actually ride? Where does Express Pass work? And which attractions should motion-sensitive riders think twice about?
For context, Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure have a combined 31 rides: 14 at Universal Studios Florida, which is around 108 acres, and 17 at Universal Islands of Adventure, which is around 110 acres. At 110 acres and 11 rides, Epic feels like a true third arm of Universal’s existing parks in both size and ride count. Still, trust me when I say it also feels entirely different from any theme park I have ever visited.
In this guide, I am covering height requirements, Express Pass availability, intensity levels, and the little details I would want to know before going. So, here is what I would keep in mind before your own trip to this — gotta say it — truly *epic* (¯_(ツ)_/¯) theme park. And if you are wondering which rides are actually worth the longest waits, I would also check out this ranking of the best Epic Universe rides.
One Note on Express Passes Before We Dive In
When Epic Universe opened back in May 2025, three rides were noticeably missing from the Express Pass lineup. Two of them — Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry and Mine-Cart Madness — have since been added, leaving Dragon Racer’s Rally as the only ride at Epic that still does not accept Express Pass.
Epic has also introduced Express Pass Now, which lets me purchase a one-time Express Pass for select attractions for $25. Express Pass Now is only available through the Universal Orlando Resort app once I am inside the park on the day of my visit. It is also subject to availability, so it only opens when certain attractions have capacity.
Epic Universe Ride Info
Stardust Racers (in Celestial Park)
- Height requirement: 48" minimum
- Express Pass: yes
On this massive dual-launch coaster, riders “board a comet and rocket to the furthest reaches of the stars” — in other words, they climb up to 133 feet high, hit speeds up to 62 miles per hour, and race along 5000 feet of track. I am a coasterhead, and I would absolutely put this in the category of rides enthusiasts will rave about. It is not quite as fast as Universal Islands of Adventure’s Velocicoaster, which reaches up to 70 miles per hour, but it gets close. Add in the inverted crisscross action and the second coaster blazing around you, and it messes with your brain in the best way. One guide in the park told me the two tracks represent different intensity levels, kind of like Mission Space at Disney’s Epcot. I rode the yellow side, which I believe is considered the less intense side… and it was still pretty intense.
A few other fun facts I loved: Stardust Racers has no external track lighting, so the ride vehicles are the only illuminated element at night. That makes them look like actual comets shooting across the Celestial Park sky. I would also keep an eye out for the “flux capacitor” on the back of the coasters — it is a small Back to the Future Easter egg.
Dragon Racers Rally (in Isle of Berk)
- Height requirement: 48" minimum
- Express Pass: no, this is currently the only ride at Epic not included in Express Pass.
If you are a How to Train Your Dragon fan, you already know dragon racing is a big deal on the Isle of Berk. On this aerial ride, I got to become a new Viking and practice my own aerobatic dragon-riding moves. Each wing has a handle, so I could control them individually, almost like flapping the wings, and adjust how intense the ride felt. It is possible to do a barrel roll, although only one person in our group managed it. A team member told us his personal record is five.
The intel I got is that flipping is much easier if you are in a glider at the front or back of the ride. The gliders in the middle are better for riders who just want to cruise and take in the scenery. And since you reach heights of up to 67 feet, there is a lot to see.
Fyre Drill (in Isle of Berk)
- Height requirement: no minimum height, but children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes
On Epic Universe’s only water ride, Viking twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut have turned Berk’s Fyre Skööl into a soaking-wet boat battle. Since there are fire-breathing dragons everywhere, I suppose we all need to be ready to extinguish whatever comes our way. For this interactive experience, I boarded a ship, took my seat, and grabbed the water-blasting cannon handle. There are three types of targets: red/flames, orange and green, and blue. Hitting the first earns points, hitting the second shoots water at the opposing boat, and hitting blue shoots water back at you. The boat with the most points earns bragging rights and becomes a full-fledged Viking firefighter crew.
My pro tip: The cannons shoot more than 28 feet into the air. So, if I am feeling a little mischievous, I can aim right over the targets and land direct hits on the Vikings in the opposing boat. Either way, you are going to get soaked, but on a hot day, that might make this ride jump straight to the top of the must-do list.
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (in Isle of Berk)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum, and children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes
This super-fun coaster is Hiccup’s latest contraption. He is trying to create a winged flying machine that can launch Dragon Riders into the air sans dragons. I was not totally sure what to expect from this one, but it ended up being one of my favorites. It is faster and swoopier than I expected, and it sends you above and around the Isle of Berk, dipping over the lagoon, which was easily one of my favorite moments. You also get to see an animatronic Hiccup and Toothless, and I will never complain about a Toothless cameo.
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (in Ministry of Magic)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum
- Express Pass: yes, added to the lineup in Aug. 2025
I am going to level with you: I still do not know how to adequately describe this ride. The scale is unlike anything I have experienced before. For hardcore Potterheads, I think this will be the ride that stays with you long after you get off. The gist is that Dolores Umbridge is about to stand trial, so I travel by Métro-Floo from Paris to the British Ministry of Magic™ to meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But as the journey moves deep into the Ministry’s many departments, a few… uninvited guests appear.
This dark indoor ride uses cutting-edge technology that lets the ride vehicle move in a truly omnidirectional way: up and down, forward and backward. I am sure the “lift” I was seated in did not actually move as dramatically as it felt, but it genuinely seemed like we were rising, dropping, and zipping around at impressive speed. Even when the wait times are high, I think fans will still find the queue worth it. I actually wanted enough time in line to soak it all in, from the enormous atrium with tens of thousands of dark green tiles to Umbridge’s office, complete with moving cat plates, and beyond.
The ride also marks the first time Universal has created an original Harry Potter-themed story for a ride, which makes the whole thing feel even more special.
Curse of the Werewolf (in Dark Universe)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum
- Express Pass: yes
Maleva, the all-knowing leader of the Guild of Mystics, welcomes riders to a secluded wagon camp in Darkmoor’s woods for this spinning family coaster. But it becomes clear pretty quickly that we are not alone: glowing eyes, gnashing teeth, and haunted howls all hint at the predators waiting nearby.
This is the kind of ride I might have been tempted to write off as a “kid” coaster, but that would have been a mistake. It is genuinely fun for the whole family, with the possible exception of anyone who gets spinning sickness. It is fast, clocking in at 37 miles per hour, and it moves forward and backward on the track while spinning, which makes it feel delightfully unpredictable.
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment (in Dark Universe)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum
- Express Pass: yes
This was one of the rides I was most excited to experience, and it did not disappoint. It is one of those attractions where I could not stop noticing how big, sophisticated, and cool everything felt. The backstory is that Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, continuing the misguided work of her ancestors, has created a laboratory beneath the Frankenstein family estate to experiment with controlling monsters. Naturally, things go horribly wrong beneath the towering manor when Dracula leads a monster revolt.
If you are a horror fan, I think you will completely nerd out over seeing so many iconic monsters from classic Universal Pictures films: Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster, who is kinda hot, FWIW, along with the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more. From the crackle of electric ropes as I boarded to the catacomb walls made of skulls, then onward past all the animatronic monsters, it felt like a ride and a movie rolled into one.
It uses a robocoaster arm similar to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, only next-gen, so I got similar vibes with less of the wooziness some people get from Forbidden Journey’s use of screens. The ride itself did not feel terribly scary to me, since it is not super fast and is only a little jerky, but I would still call it better for more mature riders. “Creepy” kids who gravitate toward horror will probably dig it, while the darker atmosphere could scare other young riders.
Mine-Cart Madness (in Super Nintendo World)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum, and children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes, added to the lineup in Aug. 2025
How do I love this ride? Let me count the ways. The goal is to help Donkey Kong protect the Golden Banana, which means boarding a mine cart and racing through the majestic Golden Temple. If you are a fan of Donkey Kong video games, especially the OG ones, I think you will LOVE this ride. The unique track system makes it look and feel like the cart is leaping over gaps and switching tracks, so I really felt like I was inside the game. I rode with a group of adults, but I cannot wait to see my kids’ reaction to “jumping the track” on this one.
My only warning is that the ride is meant to feel like a mine cart, so it does jerk and jostle you. If anyone in your group is sensitive to that kind of movement, they may want to sit this one out or at least be ready for the bumpiness.
Yoshi’s Adventure (in Super Nintendo World)
- Height requirement: 34” minimum, and children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes
Of all the rides I rode, I would call this the most family-friendly. In the Universal system, it feels similar to the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. If Disney is your reference point, think People Mover. In this slow-moving experience, I rode on a Yoshi while searching for glowing eggs. When I spotted one, I pressed the matching egg on the Yoshi car, with the goal of “collecting” them all.
Will it appeal most to the little littles? Yes. Can bigger kids and grown-ups enjoy it, too? Absolutely. It includes plenty of classic characters, including Kamek, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Pokey, Paratroopa, and more. It is both indoor and outdoor, which gives it a nice balance. Indoors, I got a break from the hot Florida sun. Outdoors, I got to see the full breadth of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (in Super Nintendo World)
- Height requirement: 40” minimum, and children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes
No real surprises here: this ride is a blast. Once I was in my kart, I put on special goggles, and yes, they look hilarious, that transported me into an augmented reality world where I could collect coins and throw shells at enemies while trying to beat Team Bowser. Between the AR, projection mapping, and 3D sets, it does not get much more immersive. It basically drops you inside Mario Kart, and as a Mario Kart fan, I felt like I had died and gone to that great big gaming system in the sky.
While this ride also exists at Universal parks in Hollywood and Japan, it has multiple outcomes, so different rides can play out differently. My biggest reminder: Aim with your head.
Constellation Carousel (in Celestial Park)
- Height requirement: no minimum height, but children under 48” must be accompanied by a supervising companion
- Express Pass: yes
As the name suggests, this is a carousel inspired by constellations in the sky. I got to hop aboard celestial creatures for what feels like a one-of-a-kind merry-go-round; each carriage turns 360 degrees while lifting riders up to six feet in the air. It is really beautiful, and I give it bonus points for being one of the few shady spots in the park.
Other Important Stuff to Know
I found the rides to be pretty size-inclusive for both taller and larger-bodied guests. Some rides are definitely more snug by design, especially coasters like Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and Stardust Racers, since the restraints need to keep riders safe and secure. That is worth considering if you get claustrophobic. The rides also have tester seats, so I would use those to see how comfortable you feel before committing to the line.
If you are traveling with children who are not old enough or tall enough for certain attractions, but other people in your group still want to ride, I found the family rooms and child swap areas to be genuinely helpful. They were large, had plenty of seating, and, very importantly, had ice-cold A/C.
Inspired by this post on Scary Mom.
