Ultimate Guide to Universal’s Epic Universe and Stella Nova Resort

Intro

I had spent the last couples in Walt Disney World, but it was time to go to the main event: Universal, and Halloween Horror Nights. Although, I had been to Epic Universe a couple of times before, this was family’s first time, so I was excited to spend a couple of days there too. You can see the previous blogs for this trip here:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Tips for Early Entry and Lighting Lanes

Exploring Disney’s EPCOT: A Day of Fun and Food in Orlando

A Magical Day at Disney: Park Hopping to Magic Kingdom

And yes, I had been to the Hollywood version of Halloween Horror Nights, but it’s no secret that Orlando does it better. For now, I will get into the hotel at the Universal Resort and go into my favorite park in the entire world: Epic Universe.

Getting to Epic Universe

Epic Universe is Universal Orlando’s newest theme park, set to be a massive, immersive expansion that introduces entirely new themed worlds connected by a central celestial hub. Each land feels like stepping into a different universe, from the colorful realm of Super Nintendo World, to the magical Dark Forest of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, to the whimsical How to Train your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and the dark, monster-filled world of Dark Universe. The park features groundbreaking rides, richly detailed environments, interactive experiences, and a sense of scale and storytelling far beyond the existing Universal parks—aiming to make every visit feel like exploring multiple worlds within one destination.

We arrived one hour early on Early Entry, by staying in Stella Nova Resort, just steps outside of Epic Universe. There was already a line formed outside of the gates. Be prepared with sunblock and umbrellas, because there is no shade in this area.

Not long after they opened the gates, and security let us in. Guests started running towards the Ministry of Magic. We chose to start this time in Super Nintendo World.

Super Nintendo World

I had avoided starting in this land, just because it gets extremely crowded early in the morning. Unfortunately, Universal sells it as the Early Entry land, so a lot of people that do not get too informed about this park, or visit for the first time, just decide to go there to be safe. But all the lands are actually opened during Early Entry, except for Isle of Berk as of the typing of this blog.

My family was amazed by this land, it is just amazing, the biggest of all of the Super Nintendo Worlds in the world, which I have all visited.

There are 3 rides in this World:

• Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: An AR-enhanced dark ride where guests join Team Mario racing through Bowser’s Castle, using augmented-reality goggles and interactive steering wheels.

• Yoshi’s Adventure: A family-friendly omnimover ride where you ride on Yoshi’s back, exploring scenes in Mushroom Kingdom and searching for glowing eggs.

• Mine‑Cart Madness: Located in the Donkey Kong Country section of the land, this is a coaster-style ride themed to the mine-cart levels of the Donkey Kong Video Games.

We decided to go to Mario Kart first, as part of our Early Entry strategy, but the wait time was already high.

It was so high that we were sent to the extended queue section, which I had never seen, although it was nice that we were inside in the AC.

We finally made it to the carts, after one hour and 30 minutes. If I knew I was going to wait 90 minutes on this ride, I would have avoided it. It is not the best overall, which does not mean it’s bad. The park unfortunately was now open to all guests. I had the feeling today was going to be a packed, crowded day in Epic Universe. Oh oh.

We went out and visited Donkey Kong Country, the only land within a land in Epic Universe. I love this section of the park, but the only ride here, Mine-Cart Madness is mad crowded all the time. By this time it was already a 2 hours wait. Insane. We were not able to do this one today.

This is the rest of things you can do in Super Nintendo World:

🍴 Food & Snacks

Major eating locations:

• Toadstool Café: A themed quick-service sit-down style restaurant with burgers, pasta, salads, desserts, and whimsical Nintendo touches (e.g., “Mario Burger”, “Luigi Burger”, “?-Block Tiramisu”).
• Yoshi’s Snack Island: A snack stand offering smoothies, calzones, specialty drinks.
• Turbo‑Boost Treats: A walk-up snack stand themed around the racing side of Nintendo (in the same land).
• The Bubbly Barrel: Located in the Donkey Kong Country portion of the land; tropical/snack-/float-type beverages.

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🛍️ Shopping & Merchandise

• 1‑UP Factory: The flagship store for Super Nintendo World merchandise — apparel (hoodies, tees), plush toys (Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong), “Power-Up Bands”, pins, keychains, drinkware and more.
• Mario Motors: A secondary merchandise location tied to the Mario Kart ride exit, with gear themed to racing and the Mario Kart franchises.
• Funky’s Fly ’n’ Buy: In the Donkey Kong Country zone; merchandise themed around Donkey Kong (e.g., banana-fanny pack, Diddy Kong items).

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🎭 Entertainment & Meet & Greets

• Character encounters: You can meet iconic Nintendo characters including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong.
• Interactive game-elements with the “Power-Up Band” (sold in the land) where you collect digital coins, keys and take part in challenges throughout the land.

Dark Universe

Right next to Super Nintendo World, weird right?, we can find Dark Universe, the land dedicated to the Universal Monsters. The portal is super cool.

This world includes two major rides:

• Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment: A dark ride taking guests into the lab of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, where monsters like Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolf Man break loose. We were able to do it doing Single Rider, and I will always recommend this strategy.
• Curse of the Werewolf: A coaster-style thrill ride (family-friendly but with some intensity) through a dark forest being stalked by werewolves. The line was too long and could not do it, but let’s see tonight ;).

This is a list of other things to do in this land:

🍴 Food & Drink

• Das Stakehaus: A quick-service vampire-themed restaurant where guests dine above catacombs in Dark Universe. Menu includes items like the “Blood” Orange Chicken Sandwich, a vegan stuffed-cabbage option, and burgers with black buns.

We went for Breakfast / Lunch here and it was pretty amazing:

• The Burning Blade Tavern: A tavern styled as a monster-hunter hangout (in a windmill that even bursts into flames periodically). They serve burgers, wings, bratwurst, pretzels, and specialty drinks (e.g., the “Monocane Mocktail” green potion).
• De Lacey’s Cottage: A snack stand near Frankenstein Manor offering sweets and items such as cinnamon-bread-inspired treats and pretzels/snacks themed to the story of the land.

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🛍️ Shops & Merchandise

• The Manor Storehouse: Located in Dark Universe near the exit of the main attraction, this store features Dark Universe-themed apparel, glow-in-the-dark hoodies, accessories, journals, etc.
• Pretorius’ Scientific Oddities: Another merchandise/boutique experience within Dark Universe dedicated to monster lore, themed objects, and immersive retail elements.

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🎭 Entertainment & Meet & Greets

• Guests can meet characters such as the Bride of Frankenstein and the Frankenstein’s Monster in Dark Universe.
• Roaming characters include Ygor (Victoria Frankenstein’s assistant) and the Invisible Man who populate the village atmosphere.
• Additional experience: the “monster makeover” or transformative face-paint/makeup station for guests (so they can “become a monster” in Dark Universe) is mentioned in merchandise/retail previews.

Celestial Park

It was almost noon, and we wanted some thrills after not being able to do Curse of the Werewolf, so we jumped to Celestial Park, the hub of this park, for Stardust Racers. These are the rides on this world:

• Stardust Racers: A dual-launch racing coaster reaching up to ~62 mph and ~133 ft in height.

• Constellation Carousel: A themed carousel with floating animal-carriages, musical/light show, and a “Milky Way” motif.

Unfortunately, I was once again following advice of my family on this trip lol. They wanted to do Stardust Racers but the wait was too long. It was a Tuesday, and apparently this is the day where people visit the most. Oh well, once again we saw the extended queue for the first time, and it was not a nice time to have, especially for me which I had been multiple times to this attraction with virtually no lines. I do not recommend waiting more than 30 minutes, the waits will dissipate at some time.

But these are some other things to do at this land:

🍴 Food & Drink

Notable dining locations include:

• Atlantic: A full-service “surf and turf” restaurant in a Victorian-style aquarium setting.
• The Blue Dragon Pan‑Asian Restaurant: A sit-down Asian-themed restaurant in Celestial Park.
• The Oak & Star Tavern: A quick-service tavern offering barbecue-style fare.
• Pizza Moon: Quick-service pizza location
• Comet Dogs: Quick-service hot-dog stand with cosmic twist
• Frosty Moon: Ice-cream/snack stand with standout treats.
• Star Sui Bao: Asian-flavored quick-service food cart serving bao buns, located near the coaster.
• Bars & lounges:
  • Meteor Astropub – quick-service bar/diner style.
  • Bar Zenith – open-air bar beside Meteor Astropub.
  • CelesTiki – outdoor tropical-themed bar.
  • The Plastered Owl – whimsical tavern with beer taps at its heart.

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🛍️ Shopping & Stores

Key retail locations include:

• Nintendo Super Star Store: A flagship store for Nintendo merchandise (though physically in Celestial Park rather than strictly in the Super Nintendo World land) but listed under Celestial Park shopping.
• Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets: A sweets & confection shop.
• Sensorium Emporium: Boutique-style store with unique merchandise.
• Other Worlds Mercantile: Marketplace of rare finds from across the park’s worlds.
• North Star Wintry Wonders: Holiday-themed gifts, toys, ornaments all year.
• Lens Flare: Store focused on photo-souvenirs and keepsakes.

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🎭 Entertainment & Character / Meet & Greets

Entertainment and character experiences in Celestial Park include:

• Hemisphere Stage: A live‐music performance venue in the park’s hub where musical acts reinterpret familiar songs in a cosmic style.
• Character experiences & roaming performers: The “Celestians” roam the park — costumed characters who might appear like living statues, statuesque performers who suddenly move and engage guests.

How to Train your Dragon – Isle of Berk

We made it to this land that I love. I only watched these movies this year, including the Live Action one at the cinema, just in preparation for this park. And I cry, oh my God, do I cry, every time I ride Hiccups. The portal is just excelent.

Here are the main rides/attractions in the Isle of Berk land at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando:

• Hiccup’s Wing Gliders: A family-thrill coaster where you “fly” on a winged contraption designed by Hiccup.

Once again the crowds were crazy, and the sun was killing us, even with the umbrellas. The extended queue was opened. Incredible. But this is one of my favorite roller coasters in this land, and it was all worthy.

• Dragon Racer’s Rally: A dragon racing ride experience, involving Viking-engineered dragon-riding trainers.
• Fyre Drill: An interactive boat ride where guests aim water-cannons at flame-like targets and other boats. In all my visits to Epic Universe, I have never done it.
• Viking Training Camp: While more of a play area than a ride, it’s an attraction where younger guests explore climbable towers, agility courses, slides and dragon-themed interactive elements.

There are way more things to do in this world:

🍴 Food & Drink

• Mead Hall: A full-service Viking-style dining hall serving hearty entrées (salmon, meatballs, turkey wings) in a stone-great-hall setting with dragon-and-Viking décor.
• Spit Fyre Grill: A quick-service spot near the “Fyre Drill” ride, offering bowls, beverages (including mead) and the viral “mac & cheese cone”.
• Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel: A snack/stand location offering mac & cheese cones and other Viking-inspired snacks.
• How to Treat Your Dragon is a confectionery/sweet-treat shop offering items like “mystery chocolate dragon eggs” (with trading cards inside) and sheep-shaped marshmallows

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🛍️ Shops & Merchandise

• Viking Traders: A themed retail shop in the land selling Viking/dragon merchandise.
• Hiccup’s Work Shop: Retail destination in the land, centered on the character Hiccup.
• Toothless’ Treasures: A shop themed around the dragon Toothless, with related merchandise.

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🎭 Entertainment & Meet & Greets

• Character encounters: Guests can meet Hiccup and Toothless at “Haddock Paddock” in the Isle of Berk.
• Additional roaming characters: Vikings such as Ruffnut & Tuffnut, baby dragons/nightlights, and more pop-up interactions around the village area.
• The Untrainable Dragon is a 20-minute live show featuring characters like Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Gobber. The show uses flying dragons, animatronics, and aerial effects.

We loved seeing this show, escaping from the rain, and heat for once:

Hiccup’s entrance is just EPIC.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Ministry of Magic™

And the last land we explored today was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Ministry of Magic™. And for a reason. We had said we would wait until the end to get in line for the attraction. BUT. Be aware, they intentionally close the ride early, so you cannot get in line right before the park closes. I would recommend to do 2 hours before the park closes if you have not during your stay at Epic.

The world itself is marvelous. A work of art, really beautiful. I love Paris, I love Harry Potter, what else can I say?

The wait was 215 minutes. Absurd. But we needed to do it. I wanted to show this amazing ride to my family.

This would be the 4th Extended Queue we hit in a day. Literally inside. I have never been in this exterior patio lmao.

We waited in there forever, but we finally made it inside. It was definitely going to be 4 hours of wait for sure. My advice: go here first thing in the morning. DO NOT WASTE 4 hours of precious time in this line, although this is the best attraction in this park. The Ministry of Magic is just gorgeous.

The good things about the wait: the queue is beautiful and full of Easter Eggs, and you are also in the shade and the AC lol.

Blinky, the Dolores Umbridge’s elf shows up on the queue. If you see you are close!!!

So yeah, in summary, that is the only ride of this world. But it is incredible. These are other things to do in this land:

🍴 Food & Drink Spots

• Café L’air De La Sirène — A French-wizard-Paris café serving baked goods, sandwiches, full lunches/dinners and desserts.

We went for dessert to get the famous Bieraubeurre™ Crêpe, and as always it did not dissapoint.

• Le Gobelet Noir — A darker themed quick-service restaurant catering to “Dark witches and wizards” offering soups, salads, entrées.
• Bar Moonshine™ — A themed bar/refreshments location within the land.
• Bièraubeurre Cart (Butterbeer & snacks stand) — A snack/refreshment cart for classic wizard-treats.

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🛍️ Stores & Merchandise

• Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique — A wand-maker shop where you can purchase interactive wands and learn about wand crafting.
• Les Galeries Mirifiques — A “wizarding-gear” boutique for apparel, accessories and themed gear.
• K. Rammelle — A sweets and candy shop within the land offering themed treats.
• Tour En Floo — A gift/merchandise store themed around the Floo Network and Ministry memorabilia.

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🎭 Entertainment & Meet & Greets

• Stage Show: Le Cirque Arcanus — A circus-style live show located within the land (wizarding Paris section) featuring illusion, large-scale effects and immersive storytelling.

• Character/Street-Performers & Wand-Interactions: Roaming wizarding students, Aurors, wand demonstrators, and magical creature interactions.

A night at Epic Universe

After spending 4 hours of my life doing a line for Ministry of Magic, we were out and it was fully dark. The park was closing at 10 PM, and we still had some time to get a little bite. Constellation Carousel and the fountains looked so amazing. I love this park at night, it’s so beautiful.

We got the famous Pizza Lunare from Pizza Moon. I had never been in here, but we were so hungry.

The pizza was amazing. The ube flavor was unexpected but welcomed.

Pizza Moon is right next to Dark Universe, and we saw the times had dropped to 15 minutes for Curse of the Werewolf. So after eating that pizza the fastest we could, we ran to that roller coaster lol. The park was officially closing in 10 minutes.

After having the most fun in this very short roller coaster, the park was officially closed. Today had been the busiest day I had had in the about 7 times I have been here. We took advantage of the crowds almost gone at this time, to walk around and see the lands during the nighttime. We saw Dark Universe, and now Super Nintendo World.

Donkey Kong Country was also very bright at night.

The first land that closed was How to Train your Dragon – Isle of Berk. It seems like they were not allowing people inside anymore.

The Moon was so beautiful tonight. We were exhausted from the long lines, the heat, the rain, and all the walking, that this was just so refreshing to see.

We were finally making out of Epic Universe. In summary we did XXX rides:

• Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
• Monsters Unchained
• Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
• Stardust Racers
• Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic
• Curse of the Werewolf

We did all the ones we wanted to do, except for Mine-Cart Madness, plus the 2 shows in the park. So in general it was a productive day. But you are not ready for the opposite to this day when we come back 2 days later on a Thursday. Wow. Stay tuned.

Stella Nova Resort

We stayed in Stella Nova Resort for our Universal week, and it was worthy. I had requested an upper floor room with view of the park, and they literally did all that. I was surprised. The stay was just unbelievable from start to finish.

✨ Theme & Atmosphere

• The resort is space-themed, with design cues that evoke galaxies, stars and interstellar travel.
• Rooms and public spaces feature sleek curves, subtle blues and purples, modern furnishings and a futuristic aesthetic.
• It aims to serve as a “gateway” to the theme-park adventures, while offering a relaxing base.

📍 Location

• Address: 4500 Epic Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819.
• It is situated adjacent to the upcoming Epic Universe park (also part of Universal Orlando’s campus).

🛏 Accommodations & Rooms

• The resort has approximately 750 guest rooms.
• Standard rooms are around 315 sq ft, and sleep up to four guests (typically two queen beds).
• Room amenities include: mini-fridge, coffee maker, flat-screen TV, WiFi, modern décor.

🎯 Amenities & Recreation

• Large resort-style pool: about 10,000 sq ft, plus hot tub, kids’ splash area, lounge seating, fire pit.
• Complete fitness centre with cardio and weight equipment.
• Game room / arcade area for family fun.
• On-site convenience store/market and retail shop for sundries and essentials.

🍽 Dining

• Quick service & market spot: Cosmos Café & Market for breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• Bar and grill options by the pool: Galaxy Bar and Galaxy Grill serve burgers, salads, adult beverages.
• Lobby lounge: Nova Bar, a stylish spot for relaxing in the evenings.

🎟 Additional Benefits & Features

• Early Park Admission: Guests of Stella Nova receive early entry (up to 1 hour before park opening) to select Universal parks, including Epic Universe (when it opens).
• Transportation: Complimentary shuttle service to the Universal Orlando parks.
• Parking: On-site self parking is available (fee applies).
• Check-in time: 4:00 PM. Check-out: 11:00 AM.

The view of the park was amazing tho. Seeing Stardust Racers go late at night and during the day was a dream come true.

To get to the parks you could walk take the bus here…

Or you could walk to Epic Universe. You cannot walk to any of the other parks (technically).

The path is cute but need more trees for sure. It seems they just need to grow.

For breakfast, I miss my Starbucks, highly present in the other Universal hotels, but here, they have Cosmos Cafe, which serve Starbucks drinks.

And for dinner, in one of the nights we stayed here, we got Stella Burger and Salmon Fried Rice from Cosmos Cafe and Market. Both were amazing.