How Were Epic Universe’s Crowds in April?
Spring Break has come and gone, as has Easter.
Historically, these are busy times on the annual theme park calendar.
Universal
We don’t really know that about Universal Epic Universe, though.
After all, the park just experienced its first Spring Break and Easter season.
Photo: Universal
So, we don’t really know what to expect when we evaluate this park.
How were Epic’s crowds in April? Let’s discuss what we know.
The Wait Times at Berk
Photo: Universal
In case you haven’t kept up, two experiences at Epic tower above the rest.
One is the only ride at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which makes sense.
Image: Universal Studios
Universal Studios fans have obsessed over Potter for nearly 20 years now.
The only experience is the one that may surprise you with its crowds.
Attractins Magazine
Since How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk opened, people have done the right thing.
They have swarmed Toothless, the wonderful Night Fury from the film franchise.
Photo: Universal
As someone who has befriended his share of black cats, I heartily endorse this choice.
The phenomenon doesn’t appear to be dying any time soon, either.
Attractions Magazine
Here are Berk’s average wait times in April:
- Meet Toothless and Friends – 76 minutes, up 1
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – 51 minutes, down 7
- Dragon Racer’s Rally – 44 minutes, down 6
- Fyre Drill – 27 minutes, up 5
So, people wait nearly as long to hug Toothless as to ride the top two attractions here.
Photo: Universal
As for Fyre Drill, its crowds should increase as the weather gets warmer in Central Florida.
Frankly, I’m a bit surprised its wait was this long, given the fluctuating temperatures.
The Wait Times at Dark Universe
Image: Universal
This is where I reiterate my monthly complaint that this themed land should be more popular.
Dark Universe is THE best thing at Epic Universe, and I will proudly die on that hill.
Universal
The theming here is immaculate while also paying tribute to Universal’s storied history.
We should all revere Dark Universe, but for whatever reason, casual tourists aren’t into it.
Universal
How were the crowds at Dark Universe in April? Let’s find out:
- Curse of the Werewolf – 70 minutes, up 4
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – 21 minutes, down 1
Folks, if you can ride Monsters Unchained multiple times in an hour, you MUST do that!
The Wait Times at the Ministry of Magic
Comcast
As mentioned, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter remains an action spot.
Even though Epic’s version is more experiential than the others, it’s still quite popular.
Universal
That’s partially because the theming and activities here are exceptional.
Still, I’d argue that the main reason why guests flock here is the ride.
Universal
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is Epic’s biggest single draw.
I’d expected that ride to be Nintendo-related, but it’s not.
Universal
During the early days of Epic, this ride approached a four-hour wait.
More recently, it’s hovered in the range of two hours and 40 minutes.
Universal
Did that trend hold in April? No! Battle at the Ministry averaged a wait of 117 minutes.
A couple of times, I’ve mentioned that Universal officials intended to improve throughput.
Photo: Universal
In 2026, that strategy appears to be working, as this wait is actually seven minutes longer than in March.
I know that waiting two hours for a ride seems like a lot, but you weren’t here last May.
NBC
Fans were begging and pleading for a sub-two-hour wait…and here we are!
The Wait Times at Super Nintendo World
Universal Japan
For its part, Super Nintendo World continues to be a huge draw in and of itself.
While this themed land doesn’t have anything as popular as Potterland, there’s a reason.
Universal
The Wizarding World only features one ride and one other attraction.
Guests find a plethora of choices at Super Nintendo World, which splits the crowd.
Universal
As proof, here are the park’s April wait times:
- Mine-Cart Madness – 118 minutes, down 22
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – 93 minutes, up 8
- Yoshi’s Adventure – 57 minutes, up 11
So, that’s three rides whose waits average out to roughly 90 minutes.
If this themed land only featured a single ride, it may be just like Potter.
As things stand, Mine-Cart Madness was worse than Battle at the Ministry in March.
The two rides flipped positions this month, but this behavior tells the story.
The only reason why the Nintendo rides don’t seem as long is that there are more of them.
The Other Wait Times at Epic Universe
Universal
Finally, we have the Celestial Park attractions, one of which is the bane of Universal’s existence.
Stardust Racers was actually down during the latest attempt to solve its woes.
Universal
The ride returned on March 25th and has largely avoided controversy since then.
Let’s hope Universal maintains this trend, although the latest theme park injury report was grim.
OC Register
The “good” news is that Stardust Racers didn’t list injuries for three months.
However, guests suffered three strokes, a seizure, and two “chest pressures” last quarter.
Attraction Insight
So, it’s still not going great at Universal Orlando Resort.
Anyway, here are Celestial Park’s wait times for April:
- Stardust Racers – 33 minutes, down 6
- Constellation Carousel – 25 minutes, up 5
Attractins magazine
Overall, Epic Universe attractions averaged a wait of 61 minutes in April.
Notably, that’s the same average as March, which suggests the throughput problem isn’t solved.
Today Show
The park does seem to be doing a better job of distributing guests, though.
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