ORLANDO, Fla. – Much like that first climb of a roller coaster itself, there’s been an energetic build-up for the opening of Universal Orlando’s fourth theme park.
Epic Universe — deemed the most immersive and innovative park ever built — opens in 2025, and since the start of 2024, Universal has been releasing details on the five worlds within the park that are connected by mystical portals, just some of the ground-breaking technology guests can experience.
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There will be dining, shopping and, of course, over 50 attractions, many of which will promise plenty of thrills.
To celebrate National Roller Coaster Day on Aug. 16, here is an overview of roller coasters coming to the largest Universal theme park in the United States.
Epic Universe opens in 2025 and test runs are well underway on all these roller coasters.
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Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
At How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Universal isn’t skimping on the dragons, and Epic Universe will combine dragons with what has become a growing amusement park trend, the family coaster.
From Hiccup’s workshop comes his latest invention, which invites Vikings to prove they’re brave enough to speed through the sky with dragons.
According to Universal, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is “a winged flying machine that launches aspiring dragon riders into the air, swooping and soaring and encountering Hiccup and Toothless along the way”.
Guests will reach speeds up to 45 mph and the height requirement is 40 inches, typical for a family-style coaster.
Mine-Cart Madness
Epic Universe is powering up another family coaster in Super Nintendo World, this one deemed a “first-of-its-kind.”
At Mine-Cart Madness in Donkey Kong Country, guests will “hop into a mine cart and careen through the jungle to help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong protect the coveted golden banana.”
The mine carts will also perform maneuvers seen in the Donkey Kong video game, including getting blasted out of a barrel.
A long “arm” fixed between the “fake rails” visible to riders and the “real” tracks underneath will allow the mine carts to simulate jumping gaps on the rickety track.
The height requirement is 36 inches, but Universal has not revealed the top speed.
Curse of the Werewolf
Guests will face the curse in the mysterious world of Universal Orlando’s newest theme park.
Inspired by “The Wolf Man”, Curse of the Werewolf at Dark Universe is another family coaster, but for riders to escape a pack of werewolves, they must spin and weave through the woods.
The experience starts by entering the encampment of The Guild of Mystics, where Maleva will greet them. In the classic 1941 film, Maleva is the fortune teller and mother of the wolf man who then passes on the curse. It is she who warns guests they bear the mark of the werewolf.
Curse of the Werewolf will reach speeds up to 37 mph for over 2 minutes of thrill, racing through a dark foreboding shed with mysterious figures baring teeth and claws. The height requirement is 40 inches.
Stardust Racers
The stars are aligning for National Rollercoaster day, here is a first look at Stardust Racers! Coming to Epic Universe in 2025. 💫 pic.twitter.com/fRyLcKYwqb
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) August 16, 2024
Among all the new coasters coming to Epic Universe, there’s one that stands above the rest.
Actually, it stands above pretty much everything.
Reaching max speeds of 62 mph, Celestial Park’s Stardust Racers — one of the largest roller coasters Universal has ever built — is a cosmic trek featuring dual-racing trains. A top hat, hills and multiple launches make up 5,000 feet of track with heights reaching up to 133 feet.
The star maneuver is an inverted crisscross, known as the “Celestial Spin.” Coming out of the second launch, one vehicle will invert the other, allowing guests to look down at the train below. The trains will then trade places.
There’s an original soundtrack and experiencing this coaster at night is a whole other kind of thrill. The comet-resembling trains are equipped with blazing colors that will really pop on the unlit track, so the coaster will look like actual shooting stars across the night sky.
The height requirement is 48 inches.
Enjoy!
On Friday, Universal Orlando Resort dropped a behind-the-scenes look at the dual-launch coaster. You can watch that video below.
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