How to win Universal Studios Orlando: Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure and HHN

Intro

This is it. The end of my Orlando trip. In this post I will show my last visits to Universal Orlando Resort, including the second visit to Epic Universe, and a second (for the first time ever) visit to Halloween Horror Nights. I could not believe that 10 days of fun were almost over, but repeating experiences felt like the best way to do so, since we would not be rushing to do everything.

You can read all the previous posts 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

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

Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2025: My Ultimate Experience

Back in Epic Universe

My first visit to Epic Universe during this trip had been traumatizing. Long waits up to 4 hours, extended queues, crowds everywhere, rides breaking down. But this time, on a Thursday, I was ready to have the best day. We had done many of the priorities in the first visit, and this time I was not going to let my family decide where to start. I had my rope dropping strategy well planned. But we also needed some luck in our part: that the rides would open earlier, that the park was less crowded, and that the weather was perfect.

We arrived around 15 minutes earlier than last time, and today we were way in front of the lines. We already felt like winners. There was not a single scary cloud in the sky. We were staying in Stella Nova Resort, so we had Early Entry.

Security took its time, and it seemed like we had the worst line in terms of team members scanning the tickets. But we made it through, and instead of going to Super Nintendo World like last time (big mistake), we were going to be rope dropping The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Ministry of Magic™. Half the crowd went to SNW, and the other half to Harry Potter. No one was running this time around, since there were team members guiding everyone into the land.

We made it to Paris, and did a walk on into Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic, waiting basically from Dolores’ office, which is like 15-20 min from boarding. We were out by 9:30 AM. The park was opening to the general public at 10:00 AM. We had 30 minutes to go do another heavy hitter, so we went to Donkey Kong Country at Super Nintendo World.

Donkey Kong Country at Super Nintendo World

The only land in a land in Epic Universe, Donkey Kong Country at Super Nintendo World is one of the most alive areas of this park. We used these 30 minutes we had to spare before the big crowds would come, and rode Mine Kart Madness, on Single Rider, and which we had not been able to ride 2 days before because of the long waits.

With 2 rides done before 10 AM, we were in shock. It seemed that the park was EMPTY (?). It seems like Thursdays have the lowest waits in Epic Universe. So yeah, the best Rope Drop strategy in my opinion is: Go to Ministry of Magic hoping they open early, then go to Mine Kart Madness.

We were feeling lucky, that we even had time to go get some DK Crush Float Tropical Banana Flavor from The Bubbly Barrel. As always, very yummy treat.

Super Nintendo World

We left SNW, but came back later to show Toadstool Cafe to my family. Because it is cute, and they like Mario.

We got the Super Star Lemon Squash, and as always, good drink. Very refreshing.

Next up, in the same land, we went to Yoshi’s Snack Island to get some Mango Yoshi’s Smoothie. Another very tropical, refreshing addition to this park. I loved it the first time I tried it back in Japan.

Could not leave this land without going to Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. The last time we were here, it took us almost 2 hours to get through, now, barely 30 minutes. We were so lucky today!!!

Celestial Park

Now talk about lucky. Last time we spent hours in the extended queue of Stardust Racers. Now, we were in this roller coaster doing it back and forth. From yellow to green to yellow. We could not believe, no line at all, only wait after they scan you. Impressive how 2 days later makes so much difference.

Dark Universe

The luck continued, as we were now looking for more thrills. This time we did Curse of the Werewolf, a very fun roller coaster…

And then we rode Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, not doing Single Rider this time, but the entire pre-show. Those animatronics are amazing, do not skip them.

We came back later for a treat. We got Burning Cheddar Bites from The Burning Blade Tavern. Although once again, the burning blades were not working. A few days later, they would be removed for repair. The bites were a success. We were scared they would actually be charred, but the flavor is quite unique. The sauce is a bit spicy, so be careful.

We rode Curse of the Werewolf once again. The waits were magnificent. I really hope they are like this on my next visit cause I swear lol.

How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk

The last land I would go explore during this empty day at Epic Universe was How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. The most immersive in my opinion of all the lands. We decided to have lunch here. I personally grabbed a PB and J – Pork, Bacon and Jam from Spit Fyre Grill. Probably the longest wait we did today, and it was Mobile Order.

We then did Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, and later that evening, for the first time ever I did Dragon Racer’s Rally. I was so scared for no reason lol.

Helios Grand Hotel

We had so much time to kill today that mid afternoon, we decided to go to Helios Grand Hotel, which has a dedicated entrance from the park. We went immediately upstairs to Bar Helios – 360 Degree Views on the top floor. Which not only has a great art in the dome, but also…

Amazing views of Epic Universe.

Like for example, here we can see How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Stardust Racers, and Meteor Pub and Bar Zenith upfront.

To the right, we could see Super Nintendo World, including the iconic Donkey Kong Country.

We had a Pepsi at the bar (the non-alcoholic were so expensive lmao). And then left. Did a few more rides, and now it was getting dark.

And evening in Epic Universe

The park would close at 10:00 PM, but this week had been so busy, with little sleep, that I promised my family we would leave at 8:00 PM if we felt fulfilled, and it seemed that that was the case today. The sunset over Epic Universe was amazing tho.

The night fell quickly and now we were just basically hanging before we had to leave on this mid October. The portal to How to Train your Dragon – Isle of Berk, is probably the most beautiful one after the main one.

Which by the way I had to capture tonight was well, as we left. So beautiful. Epic was EPIC! No waits, no crowds. A complete 180 from last time. We even left at 8 PM, 2 hours before park close.

Islands of Adventure

The next day we had our last day at Universal Orlando Resort. It was gonna be a triple threat: Islands of Adventure for Early Entry, then Universal Studios Florida, and finally Stay and Scream for Halloween Horror Nights. A long day for sure, from 8 AM to 2 AM, but we had to make it worth. That’s why we took the bus from the Universal Resort we were staying in, and came early for Early Entry. We were one of the first to get inside Islands of Adventure.

The crowds were crazy on this Friday, but we were hoping for the best, and of course we were going to rope drop Hagrid’s. Do not believe those people that say that Hagrid’s would drop their wait times later. That usually never happens.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade

The first The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in the world got an upgrade, when one of the best rides in the world was added a few years back: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. We waited 50 minutes at the beginning, but once having this done, there were not gonna be any exorbitant lines in the park later on.

Hagrid’s was fun as always. But now, we wanted to do the OG ride. Although, it gives me dizziness sometimes, you cannot come to Harry Potter world and not ride the most Harry Potter ride there is.

Getting into the castle is quite amazing. I cannot wait to go back in December with a friend who’s going for the first time ever and see his reaction to all of this.

The morning seemed pretty successful so far, so we decided to have breakfast. I got the Child Traditional English Breakfast from Three Broomsticks™: fresh scrambled eggs, sausage link, English bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms and breakfast potatoes.

We even had time for some entertainment, and saw the Triwizard Spirit Rally. Always fun, although it was super sunny.

Marvel Super Hero Island

Before Marvel was part of Disney, Universal built a land dedicated to these superheroes (and villains). And now, we were exploring it and were about to go on Hulk. Another one of those attractions that give me a headache.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster wait time went triple by the time we got in it. It was so long that when we came back to the lockers, they were charging us to unlock it. We had to talk to a team member to get our stuff back. At least Captain America was out and about.

Spider-Man had a ridiculous wait time, so we went to do Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall, which is always fun to do if you have all the time in the world (not today tho lol).

On the way out of the park, I had to pass by the Universal Orlando Annual Pass Lounge, as a Premiere Passholder. Nothing really crazy happening inside tho. I miss the American Express Lounge, it was so convenient.

Universal Studios Florida

We did the jump to Universal Studios Florida, at around 1 PM. HHN was a bit later, so we had lunch first. I got the El Macho’s Salsa y Salsa Ropa Vieja from Illumination’s Minion Cafe. This is the definition of a tasty, complete lunch. Do not miss out this.

After doing Escape from Gringotts, there was no time for anything else. HHN was approaching quickly.

Stay and Scream

Stay and Scream is basically that phase in between the regular hours at USF and the official start of HHN. We went to pick up our wristbands at Illumination’s Minion Cafe. No regular guests were allowed to be in the park after 5 PM.

This time, we went into the lines for HHN a little bit earlier. The crowds were still huge, but we were waiting almost in the front. We decided to do Five Nights at Freddy’s first since this time we did not have Express.

They handed these tickets to prove that you were part of the OG queue for the haunted house. No friends or family sneaking in at the last minute.

See a full description of Halloween Horror Nights 2025 here. For now, we just had to wait for the first haunted house to open.

Halloween Horror Nights 2025 – Part 2

Second time at HHN, and this is basically all we did tonight:

• Five Nights at Freddy’s
• WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks
• El Artista: A Spanish Haunting
• Fallout
• Gálkn: Monsters of the North
• Dolls: Let’s Play Dead
• Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
• WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks (again)

Only Terrifier and Jason were left out, but for a Friday night with no express we did 8 of the 10 houses. Not bad.

We also went to the show, Nightmare Fuel: Circus of Decay, which my friend had not seem, but my family did not want to see it again, and they went to ride Gringotts.

For food we had some churros by ET, and then went to get Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza (Louie’s Italian Restaurant). It had left a mark on us from the previous days.

And from afar we saw Haunt-O-Phonic: A Ghoulish Journey. Did not get to see it fully this year. Hopefully it comes back in 2026 to be able to go see it. We left around 1 AM and we were exhausted. A great day and evening for sure.

Conclusion

And just like that, my Universal Orlando adventure came to an end. Between Stella Nova, Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida, and not one but two Halloween Horror Nights, this “end of the trip” stretch was anything but chill. Staying at Stella Nova ended up being the best decision ever—waking up with Stardust Racers literally outside my window felt surreal, and being able to just walk to Epic Universe (even if the trees still need to grow a bit lol) made the resort truly feel like an extension of the park. Cosmos Café kept us well-fed, the view of Epic Universe never got old, and having that space-themed, calm bubble to come back to at the end of these marathon days was priceless.

What really made this stay special was experiencing Epic Universe in two completely different personalities. The first visit was pure chaos: four-hour queues, extended lines for everything, rides breaking down, sun, rain, crowds… the full theme-park war story package. And then, two days later, we got the glow-up: empty-feeling walkways, low waits, walk-ons for rides that had tortured us earlier in the week, and the perfect rope-drop combo of Ministry of Magic + Mine-Cart Madness before 10 AM. It honestly felt like the park was apologizing to us. Being able to slow down, repeat favorites, try more snacks, and even sneak up to Bar Helios for those unreal views made this second day in Epic feel like the version of the park I had been dreaming about.

Our “grand finale” day—Islands of Adventure + Universal Studios Florida + HHN in one go—was the definition of making it count. Rope dropping Hagrid’s, doing the classics in Hogsmeade, surviving Hulk and Doctor Doom, grabbing one last perfect Minion Café meal, and then sliding straight into Stay and Scream and another night of haunted houses felt like the most on-brand way for me to end a trip. Even without Express that second HHN night, we still managed to hit eight houses, see Nightmare Fuel again, eat Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza twice in one vacation, and grab those final spooky views of the lagoon and scare zones before stumbling out close to 1–2 AM, absolutely done—but so happy.

Looking back, this Universal stay was everything I love about Orlando trips: intense, exhausting, emotional, full of strategy, full of food, and packed with those little moments that stick with you—the view of Epic Universe from my room, the emptiness of Stardust Racers on a Thursday, crying at Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (again), running for Curse of the Werewolf right before close, and hearing the RIP Tour guides say goodbye at 2 AM. It was the perfect way to close a 10-day adventure, not by cramming in “new” things, but by repeating our favorites and experiencing them in a more relaxed way. And knowing that I’m already planning to come back in December… let’s just say this wasn’t really a goodbye to Universal Orlando Resort—just a “see you very, very soon.” 🌕🎢🎃