March 1-6, 2026
Backstory – our friend and neighbor landed his dream job as an engineer at either Disney or Universal in 2020. He moved with this family and spent years building EPIC park! Super cool, right? We’ve been wanted to see what Mark built. Since tickets started allowing more than 1 day at EPIC we figured it was time. I am a die hard Disney > Universal person and I felt like we were cheating on Disney so we also did Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom and Epcot while there. What even is sleep?
>>Getting Around
Superstar Shuttle – we paid extra to ride this shuttle from the airport to our hotel and back; it was super worth it being our place was the first stop from the airport and we didn’t have to wait for the bus to drop everyone else off first
Bus Transportation – gets you from your Universal hotels to EPIC park & CityWalk (which is where you go to visit Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure parks)
Walking Path to EPIC park – we chose our hotel based on price point and proximity to EPIC since that was our main place to visit this trip, from the front door to security at the park was about a half mile and the walk was well lit and easy
Uber – I prebooked Uber rides from our hotel to MK & back, then hotel to Epcot & back for after hours nights; each ride only ended up about $20-22 from prebooking (some of these rides were at 1:30 am & 12:45 am) compared to the $14 I paid to meet our friends for dinner a half mile away on short notice but it was raining so we weren’t walking
>>Stay
Stella Nova Resort – this hotel is only a year old and all rooms have views; the concept is kind of modern space vibes; everything was airy and clean; the food wasn’t bad on site and the pool seemed to be popping every evening (we never made it out there); has a nice bar in the lobby; room is spacious and bed was comfy; walking path was a great bonus. My only complaints were pretty minimal: the pillows were SUPER fat and fluffy without options, there are no ceiling fans or fans to be borrowed to move the air, the water pressure in the shower was lack luster, and the only TRUE problem was an automatic light in the bathroom that drove me crazy because I get up at night to pee.
>>Eat
There isn’t a dining plan like Disney, so I’ll try to blow through where and what all we ate and in which park it can be found; all the draft beers are themed to different areas of the parks and we never had the same thing twice; * = fave spots
Cosmo’s Cafe (Stella Nova hotel) – prices for food weren’t bad; portions were good but flavor was a little lacking; expensive canned beer; they also offer decent grab & go pizza to bring up to the room or late night pizza room service deals
*Hooligans Grog & Gruel (Epic) – Berk area; tried both the PB&J and Dragon Fire mac and cheese cones and they lived up to the hype! Almost went back for more another day; mobile ordering and pick up at the counter made this super easy
Star Sui Bao (Epic) – had the dumpling on my mind but the server said Kimchi Bao was the way to go; both enjoyed since it had lots of flavor; order at kiosk and grab a seat next door in the shade
Mead Hall (Epic) – Berk area; super fun vibes inside; each ordered a draft beer using mobile ordering and it was delivered to our table, then we walked out with our drinks to explore more
*Burning Blade Tavern (Epic) – Darkmoor area; good drinks, fun themed cocktails, and good vibes; burning cheddar bites are a crowd favorite for good reason!
Cafe L’air de la Sirene (Epic) – Ministry of Magic area; interior was beautiful; popped in to mobile order butterbeers to our table – here they offered hot, cold, or frozen with or without a souvenir cup
*Pizza Moon (Epic) – Pizza Lunare aka “the purple pizza” looked simple but it was SO GOOD and plenty to share between 2 people; also had a few draft beers; sadly didn’t save room for Brownie Eclipse dessert; never made it back to order dessert only but this place filled us up before a 6 hour night time adventure at Magic Kingdom
*Auntie Gravity’s (Magic Kingdom @ Disney) – y’all know I needed a salted caramel cold brew float to kickstart my night before the fireworks show
Starbucks (Epic)– we had $100 in gift cards we saved from Christmas and the starbies after security came in super clutch; the prices were REGULAR and not jacked up theme park amounts so we grabbed breakfast, coffee, and afternoon coffee here most days
Green Eggs & Ham Cafe (Islands) – Suess area; after early entry rides we shared the Green Eggs and Ham Tots; with a little salt and pepper they were very tasty; sat behind the building next to the playground where it was quiet and shady to enjoy our brunch
Three Broomsticks (Islands) – Hogsmead area; since it was Butterbeer month I really wanted to try the limited time Butterbeer waffle and it was pleasant; also shared chicken and ribs platter – not something to write home about but the potatoes were great; got draft beers from adjacent Hog’s Head Pub
*Oak & Star Tavern (Epic) – sat at the bar and listened to live acoustic music; service was spectacular and mixed drinks were delicious (I suggest the Steel Drum Smash); shared a 2 meats, 1 side platter of pulled pork, herbed chicken, mango bread, cheddar biscuits, and homemade pickles; they have 4 house made barbecue sauces and honestly this meal had a surprising amount of flavor for a theme park bbq joint
*Blue Dragon (Epic) – made a reservation and was not disappointed; shared Snowflake Potstickers and Beef Xi’an Noodles (they were spicy in the best way!) which was plenty of food for 2
Toothsome Chocolate Emporiom (CityWalk) – also had a reservation but it didn’t seem necessary at lunch time; shared warm chocolate almond bread (what we came back here for honestly), the au poivre burger with fries, and each had a draft beer
Hopping Pot (Universal) – Diagon Alley area; wanted beef pasties but honestly wasn’t hungry so we each had a draft beer
*Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor (Universal) – Diagon Alley area; the line was too long the other day we tried so I made it a point to get here early on our last day; butterbeer softserve in cones just hits different
Epcot After Hours/Flower & Garden Eats: Nectar for tuna poke bowls (for $8.79 each they were a fantastic deal), France for croissant chevre and wine, draft beers happened all along the way
From my list but didn’t make it there – London Taxi Hut potatoes (Universal), Troll’s Treats Soft Serve (Universal), Mytho’s for grilled cheese (Islands), le Goblet Noir for German dishes (Epic), de Lacey’s for cinnamon roll bites (Epic/Darkmoor), Pizza Moon for Brownie Eclipse (Epic)
>>Play
TICKETS: we had a 4-Day 3-Park Ticket with 3 Days of Standard Express Pass – standard express passes got us onto most rides once without waiting in the standard line and it was SO WORTH IT; plan was 2 main days at EPIC and 1 day to hit up our favorites from a previous visit to Universal & Islands; final day was revisiting anything we wanted to do again because adding a 4th day was super cheap and I wanted the option to go into EPIC to eat (we stayed an extra night to do another Disney After Hours)
EARLY PARK ADMISSION: arriving to the desired park about 20-30 minutes before early entry starts (this is a perk of staying at a Universal hotel) was the sweet spot; ride favorites a few times without using up an express pass or waiting in a long line
SINGLE RIDER LINES: single rider lines were not as abundant or useful to us this trip, but they were open here and there and we did get to use them a few times
FINAL THOUGHTS: This is my OPINON and not everyone will agree, but I still find Disney to be simply more… more magic, more entertainment, more to do. However, with the addition of Epic park the Universal family has really stepped up their game with attention to detail, food, and fun. They are trying to compete with the big dogs. I still feel that you can do all of this in 2 days, with a full day at Epic, then a half day split between Epic and the other 2 parks. Oh and the BIG ride of Epic was down for our whole trip – Stardust Racers. Don’t worry. Every single person told us we were missing out on the best haha. I’m proud of what our friend built (Darkmoor was his baby) and that he can bring his kids there to show them. Epic is a huge step in the right direction.
How Our Days Played Out (EP= used express pass)
MONDAY @ Epic: 8:30 in line for early entry – Mine Cart Madness but didn’t get in single rider line which was a huge mistake, waited in line for almost the entire extra hour and wasn’t worth it – mac cones in Berk for lunch – EP Wing Gliders – did Dragon Racer’s Rally and each pulled off 1 barrel roll – beer and bao snack break – EP Curse of the Werewolf – beer break at Burning Blade – EP Monsters Unchained, EP Ministry of Magic – EP Mario Kart Bowser ride – dinner at Pizza Moon – after hours at MK (rode Tiana’s first since it was closing with the park, grabbed coffee, watched fireworks, then rode everything open to our heart’s content with 15 min or less waits til 1 am – sadly Big Thunder was still under refurb)
TUESDAY @ Islands: slept in and grabbed breakfast at Starbucks when Epic opened for us at 9 – bussed to CityWalk – Suess Carousel – Escape from Gringotts – EP Flight of Hippogriff – EP Hagrid’s – lunch at Three Broomsticks – EP Velocicoaster then got in line to ride again – Hogwarts Expressed to Universal to try to get icecream but it was slammed – Villain Con Minion Blast – dinner offsite at Half Barrel Beer Project with the Deroche family (it rained this entire day)
WEDNESDAY @ EPIC: early entry line by 8:30 – straight to Berk – Dragon Racer’s x2 (I flipped 4 times) – Wing Gliders x2 – Oak & Star for lunch – Monster’s Unchained – Curse of the Werewolf – room break – Burning Blade for beer and burning cheddar bites – Blue Dragon for supper – Untrainable Dragon Show – met Igor & Invisible Man in Darkmoor – Curse of the Werewolf x2 as park closed during full moon
THURSDAY: 7:40 at security for Islands early entry – Hagrid’s x2 – Velocicoaster x2 – Hulk (rain hurt my face) – Hogwart’s Express for icecream break at Diagon Alley – grabbed beers too – met Shrek, Donkey, & Puss In Boots at Dreamworks area – EP Hagrids – EP Velocicoaster – lunch @ Chocolate Emporium – bus to Epic – Constellation Carousel – EP Curse of the Werewolf – Dragon Racer’s (Jason flipped 4-5 times) – Fyre Drill ride in the pouring rain – room break before Epcot After Hours til 12:30 am (Remy’s – Frozen – Guardians x3 [Disco Inferno, September, Disco Inferno] – Test Track – Guardians one more time [Everybody Wants to Rule the World])
Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – don’t try to wear cute shoes because you’re gonna walk til ya drop every day; bring a poncho (some rides will get ya wet and it does rain in Florida); Disney After Hours includes free unlimited popcorn, mickey bars, strawberry bars, and cokes with almost no wait times on every ride – but they do not have every single ride in that park open
Breauxs Geaux 