ORLANDO, Fla. – Construction is full steam ahead at Universal’s newest theme park.
Epic Universe, located just a few miles south from Universal Orlando Resort, was originally planned to open in 2023, but construction was delayed for more than a year due to the pandemic.
The 750-acre property, once just a patch of dirt, is looking more like a theme park every day as crews make significant progress on what will be Orlando’s first new theme park in more than twenty years.
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News 6 theme park expert Landon McReynolds shared his thoughts on how quickly Epic Universe is starting to take shape.
“I anticipate some sort of big announcement here soon because you can’t hide it much longer,” he said.
There will be four themed lands inside Epic Universe. Universal has only confirmed one so far, Super Nintendo World, which will serve as the park’s anchor.
McReynolds was in California earlier this year as Universal opened Super Nintendo World at its Hollywood theme park. While similar aesthetically, he expects the one coming to Epic Universe to have a much bigger footprint.
“I think you’re going to have potentially a Yoshi ride,” he said. “You’re going to have a Donkey Kong ride, which they have overseas. They’re going to bring a lot more here, so it’s going to be much more of an attraction.”
As construction is happening inside Epic Universe, it’s also happening outside the park as Orange County looks to keep traffic running smoothly near Universal properties.
There are several road projects underway all through the corridor, including a major effort to extend Kirkman Road. One of the major features of the 1.7-mile extension is the installation of an elevated traffic circle.
The project is expected to be finished by late 2024, just in time for Epic Universe’s anticipated opening in summer of 2025.
News 6 asked Universal Parks and Resort Chief Administrative Officer John Sprouls whether that timeline is still on track.
“This is going to be the coolest thing we’ve ever built,” he said. “It’s on time. I can’t give you an exact date because I’m not allowed to, but everyone who’s been speculating is probably pretty close to the mark. When it opens, it’s going to blow the doors off.”
Sprouls said Epic Universe will also usher in the use of photo validation or facial recognition for guests, something Universal is already testing at its other parks.
“It’s not a requirement,” he said. “You don’t have to have facial recognition, but it does help. We’ve done that, for example, at our park in Beijing. We have facial recognition for everything. You can connect your credit card to your face and basically spend the entire day in the park, whether it’s express lanes, food, merchandise, entering the park, without ever having to take anything out of your pocket. It’s been incredibly well received and we’re hoping that happens here.”
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