Universal Orlando Resort’s ambitious new theme park, Epic Universe, was originally supposed to open its doors in 2023. But the company has reportedly “paused” development on the park, and while no one from Universal or its parent company Comcast has provided an updated opening date, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says senior officials at Universal told him the project would be “delayed by a year.”
To make the wait a bit more bearable, one site has received permit plans which reveal the entire park’s layout. Let’s dive in and see what the park might look like when it does finally open its doors.
Epic Universe Park Layout
Orlando ParkStop obtained these permit plans through a public records request, and the map reveals every major structure that’s currently being planned for Epic Universe. Theme park junkies might be able to take one glance at this and start seeing the park come to life in front of them as if they’re looking into that green code from The Matrix, but for the rest of us who aren’t as jacked in to that world, Orlando ParkStop has provided this handy map breaking down the latest rumors for what is supposed to be included in each section of the new park.
For those who may not have been following this closely since it was first announced, here’s the breakdown of each separate “world” within this universe and the type of attractions expected to be in each one. I believe Super Mario World is the only one of these to be officially confirmed by Universal so far (patents have already been filed), but the others are open secrets in theme park fandom.
Super Nintendo World: Yoshi-themed omnimover ride, Donkey Kong roller coaster, Mario Kart dark ride
How to Train Your Dragon: Roller coaster, boat ride, Gerstlauer Sky Fly rides, stage show
Universal Classic Monsters: High-tech dark ride, possible stage show
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Interactive dark ride, possible tower ride system, theater show
Side note: ThemeParkInsider says Universal has “paused” the development of the new park expansion, but the Orange County mayor also said the company is “going to continue with $300-plus million in construction that is really underway at this time.” How can those two things be true simultaneously? Are just the ride designs being paused, but things like land clearing and infrastructure construction are still up and running? Curious choice of words there.
In any case, head over to Orlando ParkStop for a much more in-depth breakdown of the park (including its Central Hub and hotel area) to see all the nitty-gritty details we skipped in this summary.
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