How Were Epic Universe’s February Crowds?
Let’s face facts: The crowds aren’t dissipating at Universal Epic Universe.
While Universal officials have suggested that better throughput is coming soon, it’s not here yet.
Universal
And that caused Epic fans to wonder something. WHY DIDN’T THEY DO THAT AT THE START?
I kid. It’s to the theme park’s credit that Epic is protecting the experience of first-year guests.
Universal
We’d rather have fewer people at the parks so that we’re not elbow-to-elbow.
Many of us remember the earliest days of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That was rough.
Universal
Still, I know that many of you are wondering whether the wait times have decreased any.
So, how were Epic Universe’s wait times in February? You’re not gonna like it.
The Wait Times at Berk
Attractions Magazine
How to Train Your Dragon continues to be a blockbuster brand for Universal.
The live-action remake of the original film earned $636 million worldwide in 2025.
Photo: Universal
So, the timing of an entire themed land based on these characters was just, well, epic.
Demand hasn’t softened now that we’ve entered 2026, either.
Attractions Magazine
Fans continue to line up around the block for the Toothless character encounter.
Anyone who has ever had a black cat understands the appeal of this delightful, mischievous character.
Attractions Magazine
Actually, I’m being too specific there and maybe even personalizing a bit much.
As a character, Toothless works for all animal lovers as a reminder of our bond with our pets.
Image: Universal Pictures
Also, the rides at Berk are really, really fun, and there are several of them.
The chief complaint about Epic, the one its owners have acknowledged, is that it needs more attractions.
Universal
For the time being, Berk is the place to go to participate in a lot of the fun stuff.
So, how were the crowds last month? Here are Berk’s average wait times for February:
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – 95 minutes, up 23
- Meet Toothless and Friends – 88 minutes, no change
- Dragon Racers’ Rally – 54 minutes, down 1
- Fyre Drill – 32 minutes, up 17
Universal
I know that your eyes are bulging a bit, but we’ve got two factors at play here.
The first is that Central Florida got warmer in February after a historically cold January.
Attractions magazine
Now, there were still multiple cold spells, but it wasn’t as bad, which led to longer lines at Fyre Drill.
Also, President’s Day Week and Valentine’s Day have become big holiday travel weeks.
Today Show
Since we’re only covering 28 days in February, we’ve got a skew impacting a lot of the data.
The Wait Times at Dark Universe
Universal
We should keep this in mind as we evaluate other themed lands, starting with my favorite.
As a huge fan of Universal Classic Monsters, Darkmoor feels like a personal gift from Universal to me.
Image: Universal
Other fans don’t seem to agree as much, as this is Epic’s least popular themed land thus far.
Now, please don’t get me wrong. It’s still performing very well, just not as well as the others.
Photo: Universal
That’s the thing about a park this popular. It’s going to have winners and losers.
Since Universal themed Dark Universe perfectly, I’m just a bit frustrated when we discuss the numbers.
Universal
Here are the themed land’s average wait times last month:
- Curse of the Werewolf – 75 minutes, up 11
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – 31 minutes, down 1
While the throughput on Monsters Unchained is excellent, I still get annoyed when I say this.
Universal
With regard to theming, Monsters Unchained is the best ride at Epic Universe.
More people need to ride The Frankenstein Experiment! And you should just hang out in Darkmoor more!
The Wait Times at the Ministry of Magic
Comcast
Speaking of The Wizarding World, it remains a draw at Epic Universe.
The one point I’ll make is that fans lament the lack of rides here more than anywhere else.
Universal
We’ve just got the one, plus an admittedly very good show. But the lack of rides is a problem.
As proof, the average wait time for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry was 147 minutes.
Universal
Believe it or not, that’s down 33 minutes, which sounds great until you do the math.
That’s an average wait of two and a half hours, and no ride is worth that kind of time investment.
The Wait Times at Super Nintendo World
Universal
Conversely, the wide world of Nintendo continues to be a huge draw.
At one point during the pandemic, Universal reportedly considered opening Super Nintendo World first.
Comcast, Universal’s corporate owner, was bleeding money at the time.Also, I’m sure the idea would have worked, at least from a financial perspective.
Attractins magazine
The demand for Super Nintendo World is, if anything, higher than I would have expected.
Here are last month’s average wait times here:
- Mine-Cart Madness – 147 minutes, down 8
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – 103 minutes, no change
- Yoshi’s Adventure – 53 minutes, up 1
Yes, you’re reading that correctly. Mine-Cart Madness also had a wait of 147 minutes.
That’s the same wait as Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. This is the first time since the park opened that another ride has claimed this dubious title.
It should go without saying that this isn’t a title that any Epic Universe attraction wants right now.
The Other Wait Times at Epic Universe
Attraction Insight
Finally, here are the park’s other average wait times:
- Stardust Racers – 50 minutes, up 6
- Constellation Carousel – 25 minutes, up 1
Overall, Epic Universe’s attractions averaged a wait of 69 minutes per attraction.
Universal
While that’s five minutes better than in January, which is a bit of a surprise, it’s still a worrisome total.
On the plus side, there’s a chance that the changes that Comcast officials mentioned may already be working.
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Feature Photo: Universal
