Universal Orlando Resort's newest theme park, Universal Epic Universe, has so much to discover. From the whimsy of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and the delight of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk to the danger of Dark Universe and the immersion of Super Nintendo World, packing everything into one day is not exactly easy. That's why one of our favorite Universal Orlando Resort hotel perks is Early Park Admission! That extra hour in the park goes a long way in helping us hit our must-dos. Here's everything you need to know about Early Park Admission and our best tips on how to spend it.
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FAQs
- What is Early Park Admission? Early Park Admission gets you into the Universal Orlando Resort theme parks and on select attractions up to an hour before the parks open!
- Who receives Early Park Admission at Universal Epic Universe? Currently, Early Park Admission at Universal Epic Universe is only available for Universal Orlando Resort hotel guests.
- What's open at Universal Epic Universe during Early Park Admission? Select attractions in Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe are currently open during Early Park Admission.
- What do I need to take advantage of Early Park Admission at Universal Epic Universe? You need your Universal Epic Universe park ticket and Universal Orlando Resort hotel room key to enter attractions open during Early Park Admission.
Overview of Early Park Admission at Epic Universe
Helping you make the most out of your day, Early Park Admission gets you into Universal Orlando's thrilling theme parks up to one hour before the park officially opens! This perk is available for guests of Universal Orlando hotels (and, usually, annual passholders, but not currently for Epic Universe) and is also available for use on the days you check in and check out of your hotel. You do need to check into the hotel first to receive your room key so you can present it to team members at the park at the entrances to Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe and select attractions in Celestial Park.
The available attractions and times for Early Park Admission vary based on operational and weather considerations and are subject to change without notice. Attractions and entertainment may also close due to refurbishments, capacity, weather or special events, changes in operating hours and otherwise change or be discontinued without notice.
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Rides Open During Early Park Admission at Epic Universe
At Epic Universe, you get to hop on select attractions up to one hour prior to park opening! Keep this page bookmarked because we'll update in case available attractions shift. Until Dec. 31, 2025, these are the attractions open during Early Park Admission:
Super Nintendo World
Celestial Park
Dark Universe
You can also check the sign at the entrance to the park for the list of available attractions open on any given day.
Tips for Utilizing Early Park Admission at Epic Universe
There are many ways you can go about utilizing your extra hour in a park as expansive as Epic Universe. After about a dozen or so visits, here are our top tips.
Attractions Open During Early Park Admission
My first piece of advice is to not spend that hour in Celestial Park. So far, in our experience, Stardust Racers rarely sees wait times above an hour, and Constellation Carousel rarely sees wait times above 45 minutes. (The latter only even gets that high come sunset as the ride beautifully lights up in the dark and normally only sees wait times of 20 minutes or less the majority of the day.)
Moving into Dark Universe, I'd only head there first if you're a die-hard Universal Monsters fan and want to beat the crowds on Curse of the Werewolf. Its highest wait times are about 100 minutes, but on average, you're looking at about an hour wait mid-day. If you can beat that 11 a.m. rush for this spinning coaster, do it. That being said, I'd still look to other portals first thing in the morning because waits for this ride do tend to start dying down at around 6 p.m.
As for the other attraction in Darkmoor, do not waste your precious extra hour on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. While a fan-favorite ride, this attraction is a capacity machine and cycles out riders faster than any other attraction in the park. (It was the first Epic Universe attraction to hit one million riders in early August 2025 — just over two months after the park officially opened!) On average, the highest wait time this ride sees is about half an hour. Any time of day is a frogtastic time to visit Frankenstein Manor. (Note that you will see wait times spike for this ride upon coming back from any downtime, but it should mellow out within the next few hours.)
This leaves us with one last portal: Super Nintendo World. Let me start with Yoshi's Adventure and say I would not start here. After hitting an obligatory spike of around 75 minutes at 11 a.m., this ride mellows out for the rest of the day and rarely sees wait times above 45 minutes. If you have time to spare in the afternoon, you can get on and off this tadpole-friendly attraction fairly quickly.
Which brings us to Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge. Out of all the attractions open during Early Park Admission, this is the one I would flock to. Once again, at around 11 a.m., it hits an average spike of about two hours, but other than that, it stays at around 60 to 90 minutes the rest of the day. Wait times for it do tend to get shorter at around 8 p.m., but there are other attractions (read: Stardust Racers) I like to leave toward the end of the night. Let me just share that if this is your game plan, plan to get to the park about an hour prior to Early Park Admission beginning, so you're one of the first in line when the ride opens. The wait gets long fairly quickly and is only worth it if you're near the front of the pack.
Other Ways to Spend Early Park Admission
Believe it or not, you can get in line for other attractions and experiences during this extra hour and, truthfully, this is how I would spend my time. That being said, what I recommend you beeline toward depends on what your highest priorities at Epic Universe are.
If you're a diehard Nintendo fan, head to Mine-Cart Madness in Donkey Kong Country. Out of any ride in the park, this ride sees some of the highest wait times by far. If you don't get on it first thing in the morning (and unless you feel like you can spare two hours at any point), you may not get on it at all during your day, as the ride may close early due to capacity. The queue may open up (and the ride may even start operating) at any point during Early Park Admission, but it's not guaranteed. Regardless, you would be getting ahead of a whole load of people who are going to help Donkey Kong secure the Golden Banana later in the day.
Now, if magic courses through your blood, our favorite piece of advice is to head to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry first thing in the morning. (Note that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic portal is open to all guests in the morning, not just those with Early Park Admission.) While the ride may not start operating at the beginning of Early Park Admission, the queue will open up. We usually spend about half an hour or so waiting in the Ministry Atrium before the ride starts operating, and then we are on and off the ride within another half hour when the lifts start moving. This is another attraction that sees significantly higher waits throughout the day (we're talking over two hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and so doing it first thing in the morning is always our go-to move when visiting this park. Wait times for this ride do tend to start dwindling come 7 p.m., so later in the day is definitely your next best option ... but know this is another ride that can close early due to capacity.
There's one final portal I haven't touched on yet, and that ... is How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. If your heart longs to soar with dragons, lining up to meet Toothless is another solid Early Park Admission play that I love doing! The thing with Toothless is that his wait times aren't on the app. You'll only find that number at the meet-and-greet itself or on digital information boards around the park. Still, his wait time ranges from around 60 to 90 minutes throughout the day. If Berk is calling your name, use your extra hour to line up in front of the portal. At about 10 minutes before park opening, team members will open the portal for all guests. Walk right past that pristine lagoon (you can always get photos later!) and beeline straight to Haddock Paddock. We've never waited more than 45 minutes to meet the Alpha dragon himself utilizing this strategy. Note that Toothless' companions switch out every 30 minutes or so, so you never know who you'll get (Chief Hiccup, Astrid or another friendly Viking). You may even see Stormfly or Ruffnut and Tuffnut while you're waiting in line!
Do you have any questions about Early Park Admission at Universal Epic Universe? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: Our Top Tips for Epic Universe
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