A new indoor coaster is coming to Universal Orlando’s newest park! Let’s break down this announcement, including what we know and how it fits into the park and resort as a whole!
Universal Orlando confirmed yesterday that a new indoor coaster is coming to Dark Universe, one of the lands at Universal Epic Universe, the newest park at Universal Orlando Resort.
While this may have come as a surprise to the general public, work had actually already begun on a plot of land for this project. Universal tends to save big announcements for later in the project than Disney, and this announcement is actually a little early by their standards, I’d say.
As for an opening date, the best I can find is a post saying it will open in “coming years,” which would seemingly mean 2028 at the earliest.
How Does This Indoor Coaster Fit Into Epic Universe?
Let’s start with some numbers. We count 13 roller coasters at Universal Orlando Resort, with four of those at Epic Universe. Of those four—Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Mine-Cart Madness, Curse of the Werewolf, and Stardust Racers—none are indoor. This will be the first indoor roller coaster at Epic Universe and only the third at Universal Orlando Resort (Revenge of the Mummy, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts).
Homing in on Epic Universe, we can look at the ride counts in the various lands:
Celestial Park - 2 rides
Ministry of Magic (Wizarding World) - 1 ride
Super Nintendo World - 3 rides
Isle of Berk - 3 rides
Dark Universe - 2 rides (plus this new one coming)
What jumps out about this list is that Ministry of Magic only has one ride. It also has a show, but more notably is has space for expansion that looks to already be receiving some attention.
I’m a huge fan of the Dark Universe land, and I think it’s wild that Monsters Unchained doesn’t get longer lines—it’s a fantastic ride. But I’m pretty disappointed in Curse of the Werewolf. I’ve had long waits (even with Express Pass), and I just don’t think it’s that good a ride. It’s maybe a little silly that the land is adding another coaster, but in my mind it’s just (hopefully) getting a second good ride.
Should Epic Universe Continue to Invest in Thrills?
On the topic of what sort of ride this “should” have been, let’s start with a look at family-friendliness. This indoor coaster will almost certainly have a height requirement, and of the 11 current rides at Epic Universe, 9 have height requirements. This addition will bring those numbers to 10 of 12.
On that note, it’s worth remembering that Dark Universe will not be a favorite of many young kids (some, of course, but not many). Even if you thought your kid might like the theme, I’m not sure you’d want to commit to, e.g., a 10-minute-long, monster-filled boat ride.
It’s the old school monster land, it’s not FOR kids.
A third ride makes sense in this land, and there’s little reason to think it should be family friendly. Conversely, we might look at the space available at Ministry of Magic, or whatever will replace Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure, and wonder whether those are better places for family friendly attractions.
I’d also point out that I’m quite happy with Universal Orlando’s family friendliness. They tend to have very good playgrounds, shows, and kiddie coasters. Epic Universe has a good batch of rides kids unlock when they hit 40 inches. The resort as a whole is not as family friendly as Walt Disney World, but that’s fine.
Viking Training Camp at Epic Universe
Finally, let’s talk thrills overall. Not all adults want the most thrilling experience, either. Overall, I’d categorize 7 of the 11 rides at Epic Universe as “thrill” rides. The four I’d exclude are: Yoshi’s Adventure, Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, Constellation Carousel, and Fyre Drill. If you rule of Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge because of nausea issues…it’s not a great lineup.
I don’t know why Universal Orlando isn’t seeing the attendance they hope for, but Epic Universe is certainly part of the problem. Capacity, reliability, and park hours all underwhelm. Adding a coaster will help, but this topic can’t be discussed without mentioning that Universal Orlando’s single biggest news story last year involved a death on Stardust Racers.
Altogether, I’m just perplexed by the timing of this. It’s an early, vague announcement. There are plenty of other developments seemingly coming to Universal Orlando (Ministry of Magic expansion, Lost Continent replacement). In 5 years, it’s likely the “complete” picture of these changes will look great. But in this moment, it’s odd to me they would go out of their way to highlight adding a thrill ride to a thrill-heavy park that recently experienced a tragic death on a thrill ride. And it’s odd that it’s a coaster in a land that already has a coaster.
I’m excited for this change, as I both like the land and enjoy riding coasters. But from a business perspective, Universal Orlando is not in an enviable position, and I’m not sure this announcement helps—it may even hurt.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Guide to the Hotels of Universal Orlando Resort!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide, a Universal Islands of Adventure Rides Guide, and a Universal Epic Universe Rides Guide.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, our Universal Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers Hagrid's, Velocicoaster, and more, and we even have a One Day Guide to Epic Universe covering Universal's newest park.
Want to know how to get on rides without the long waits? Read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort. Plus, early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks.