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? Attractions and portals open during Early Park Admission vary from month to month. Keep an eye on this blog as we continue to update with the changing landscape and be sure to check signage as you enter the park.
- 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 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.
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. Here's what's available during that extra hour From April 1 to June 30, 2026:
Right now, you can Buy 3 Days and Get 2 Days FREE at Universal Orlando Resort (including Epic Universe!)! Valid for visits through Dec. 16, 2026, excluding blockout dates.
Select Participating Attractions at:
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic
- SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
- How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk
- Celestial Park
Be sure to double-check signage as you enter the park as offerings are subject to change. On our most recent visit, we noticed that Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment was listed as an Early Park Admission offering for the day on the digital information boards at Security. (That being said, because that line stays short all day, we do not recommend utilizing your extra hour in the morning to explore Frankenstein Manor!)
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.
Once you enter through Chronos, you'll head left at the Luna statue if you're utilizing Early Park Admission. Your room key will be checked in front of Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets. If you're at the park prior to Early Park Admission beginning, you'll line up in front of the Super Nintendo World portal. Once the park opens, you can then head into the portal of your choice! Hop tip: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic is on the complete opposite end of the park, so if you want to be at the beginning of the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry line, be sure to arrive early so you can be at the front of the pack. Or better yet — stay the night at Universal Helios Grand Hotel for closer access to the portal in the morning using the hotel's dedicated entrance into the park!
With the current Early Park Admission offerings, where you'll want to head to first very much depends on what your priorities are. (That being said, feel free to walk right past the Celestial Park attractions and start entering some portals. We don't recommend devoting the first hour of your day to either Stardust Racers or Constellation Carousel as those lines tend to remain fairly short throughout the day.)
If you're a gamer at heart, Super Nintendo World is a great idea. We highly recommend starting with Mine-Cart Madness where we waited about 45 minutes bright and early in the morning and then were able to hop over to Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge where we only about half an hour! (The wait for Yoshi's Adventure also tends to stay incredibly low all morning and begins to spike at around 11 a.m. until about 4 p.m.) Mine-Cart Madness will remain steady at over two hours for the vast majority of the day and only tend to start dipping at around 9 p.m., when the park closes on most days. Safe to say if you don't run here first thing in the morning or you don't have a Universal Express Pass (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 wait for Mario Kart, on the other hand, will start dipping at around 7 p.m., so if you miss it in the morning, you can always try later in the day.
If magic runs through your veins, you might want to head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic to hop on Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. We headed straight there and ended up waiting about 70 minutes — using up that whole extra hour. The good thing is that we got it out of the way first and didn't have to worry about it the rest of the day as wait times for this attraction tend to stay long. We have noticed wait times beginning to dip at around 8 p.m., but we also know this attraction also frequently closes early due to capacity, so it's not a guarantee that you'll be able to witness the trial of Dolores Umbridge if you wait until the end of the day. The good thing is you're right in Place Cachée and can enjoy a delicious breakfast at Café L'air de la Sirène once you return to Paris!
Lastly, that brings us to How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk. We were able to live our best Viking lives here when we entered this portal first. Within the first hour, we met Toothless, Chief Hiccup and Astrid (which took about 10 minutes), rode Hiccup's Wing Gliders (which also took about 10 minutes), rode Dragon Racer's Rally (which took about five minutes), went shopping, met Gobber and even had time to hop over to Super Nintendo World to race Team Bowser on Mario Kart. Talk about productive! (If you decide to forego this portal first thing in the morning, the waits for Hiccup's Wing Gliders and Dragon Racer's Rally start dying down at around 5 p.m. and the wait to meet Toothless and friends starts dying down at around 7 p.m.)
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
Keep hopping!
