Yes, it’s Epic: Everything you need to know about Epic Universe, the best new theme park in decades

Dragons, monsters, Super Mario and more. Epic Universe, the biggest new theme park in Orlando in 26 years, opens to the public Thursday, May 22.

And it is indeed epic. Themed “lands” extend out from an expansive central garden where weary guests can decompress. To reach each one, you pass through “portals” that use music, clever landscaping and visual effects to create suspenseful, surprising reveals intended to transport guests through time and space, be it 1920s Paris or the monster-filled Darkmoor Village.

The $7 billion resort from Comcast Corp.’s Universal Destinations & Experiences division was announced six years ago. Spanning more than 100 acres, it has over a dozen rides and attractions, 32 dining options, 2 shows, 21 shops and multiple places where guests can meet and greet characters, from the creepy Invisible Man to Princess Peach from the Nintendo Co. video games. But that doesn’t convey the way in which Epic is most inventive, which is its ability to immerse guests in highly believable, fantastical worlds. All throughout are spontaneous opportunities to interact with characters, test your skills at games — such as trying to smash enough ringing alarm clocks to put a giant Piranha Plant back to sleep — and even cosplay as a Viking, wizard or monster.

Epic is a direct shot at Walt Disney Co.’s empire next door, aimed at the same families with younger children, but also appealing to thrill-seeking teens and adults. With Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, Universal now has three theme parks in Orlando, plus three new hotels in a partnership with Loews Corp. that offer perks such as early park access. All that will help the company market its Florida resort as a full-fledged weeklong destination — not just a place to spend a day after visiting Disney.

Bloomberg News got to preview the park in early April as part of a group of journalists, online influencers and Comcast employees given early access.

Here is everything you need to know to navigate the resort, including a personal ranking of Epic Universe’s five themed lands and their must-try thrills.

No. 1: Dark Universe

The concept: The spooky backstory for this land — Universal’s first permanent tribute to its classic movie monsters — posits that the world’s scariest characters have gathered in Darkmoor Village, in the shadow of Frankenstein Manor. To your left, riders scream on the Curse of the Werewolf coaster, and just beyond that, a windmill bursts into flames in a re-creation of the climactic scene from the 1931 Frankenstein film.

Best thrill: The Monsters Unchained ride is set inside the manor where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, descendant of the infamous physician, is trying to harness the power of Dracula. When a 9-foot tall Frankenstein animatronic walks out at the beginning, you’ll see how far Universal has come in creating creatures that outshine what Disney, and even Dr. Frankenstein himself, could make. The ride twists and turns and takes you close enough to the monsters to feel a bit of werewolf spittle.

Surprise winner: Watching a guest try to snag a photo with an awkward, unsmiling Frankenstein as his bride lets out a blood-curdling scream is almost worth the price of admission.

No. 2: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic

The concept: Universal already has popular Potter-themed lands at its other two Orlando parks, so what more could the company do here? Take Potter to Paris, as seen in the Fantastic Beasts series of prequel books and films.

Best thrill: Queuing up for Harry Potter and the Battle of the Ministry — a twisting, turning elevator-like ride — is almost more brilliant of an experience than the main attraction itself. The Ministry’s lobby is awash in fireplaces, green tile, golden statues and offices that seemingly stretch to the sky. Along the way, you’re lectured by Higgledy, the house elf, as a feather duster magically flies around the room, cleaning. The ride pits Potter and his friend Hermione Granger against their nemesis Dolores Umbridge — but look out for the giant, rhinoceros-like Erumpent creature as well.

Surprise winner: The $85 wands at the Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique store vibrate and connect to an app. They unlock magical tricks in the surrounding streets. In one instance, a creature pops his head from inside a fountain and shoots water at wannabe wizards nearby.

No. 3: How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk

The concept: “We, my friends, have dragons!” reads a sign atop the archway to this faux Viking village. The land, based on the “How to Train Your Dragon” novels and films, includes 36 of the fake creatures in various configurations. Snow Wraith breathes icy mist at guests, while Hookfang, a drone ingeniously disguised as a dragon, glides overhead.

Best thrill: On Fyre Drill, a gamified boat ride, passengers shoot water cannons at the winged creatures — and sometimes at each other.

Surprise winner: The cutest part of the land is the photo op with Toothless, the friendly dragon from the films. Guests can pet or hug the animatronic character in his Haddock Paddock home, as he blinks, smiles and gently roars.

No. 4: Super Nintendo World

The concept: Lands devoted to popular Nintendo video game franchises have been a huge hit at Universal parks in Los Angeles and Osaka. Epic’s version includes Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge, an indoor ride where guests don goggles and try to score points by shooting characters while racing through a video-game-like world. Power-Up wristbands, priced at about $40, allow guests to compete in challenges, in some cases with strangers, throughout the land.

Best thrill: The Mine-Cart Madness ride, one of the standouts in the whole park, is an indoor-outdoor family coaster that tumbles into water and seems to go off the rails at several points.

Surprise winner: Unlike Universal’s Los Angeles park, Epic includes a Donkey Kong Country area with a tropical vibe. With palm trees, bongos, thatched huts and a Golden Temple, it’s a fun place just to relax and people watch and eat a banana float from the Bubbly Barrel snack stand.

No. 5: Celestial Park

The concept: Inspired by New York’s Central Park and Paris’ Luxembourg Garden, this central area has trees, statues, fountains and some of the resort’s best dining options. There’s also an old-time carousel featuring zodiac characters.

Best thrill: While the scene here is mostly serene, this land features Stardust Racers, a dual-track roller coaster that tops 62 miles per hour and lets inverted guests stare at riders on the other track as they fly near each other.

Surprise winner: Three times a night, an Apollo statue shoots a glowing arrow across the park as water dances below it. It sets alight the moon of Luna, the goddess whose statue is at the entrance.

A cheat sheet to navigating Epic Universe

A couple of pointers for planning your first trip:

How to get tickets: Guests who want to see Epic Universe in its first week will have to buy three-day tickets to Universal’s properties, which will include one day at the new park. After that, single-day ticket prices will run from about $139 to $199 for adults, depending on the day, with weekends, summer and holidays costing the most.

How to beat the lines: The Universal Express Pass, priced from $140 per person, lets you jump into shorter queues, using facial recognition technology to allow guests to skip the regular lines once per ride. (The tech feature means you can’t let your spouse or kid ride something twice when you don’t want to try it yourself.) For $420-plus per person, guests can get a VIP tour of the park for four hours. Personal guides will pepper them with tips and park trivia and would even let them cut the line multiple times on the same ride. Prices for both options vary by date and demand.

How to get around: Free shuttles connect Universal’s hotels, parks and CityWalk outdoor mall to Epic Universe, which is about 7 miles from Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The park’s best bites: In the Harry Potter land, Café L’air De La Sirène offers worthy French pastries. Get the Butterbeer Crepe to start your day: It’s filled with shortbread cookie butter cream, topped with strawberries and drizzled with butterscotch. Another soon-to-be signature item is the Mac & Cheese cone at Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel snack bar in Isle of Berk; the crunchy, handheld treat comes topped with Goldfish crackers, barbecue pork or pulled chicken.

For the best quick-service food, try the dungeon-like Das Stakehaus in Dark Universe. You order through an app and have your food brought to your table. The Bloody Roast pork belly was good enough to be served at any fine-dining establishment. It came with mashed potatoes and carrots, drizzled with a blood-like red sauce (made from beets). I paired it with a tasty Dead Guy Ale from Oregon’s Rogue brewery, then ordered a brain-shaped panna cotta, dripping with raspberry sauce, for a deliciously macabre dessert.

But sometimes at theme parks you need a place to really rest your feet. Atlantic, a full-service restaurant with glass walls overlooking Neptune’s pool at Celestial Park, has dishes such as sea bass in lemongrass broth with star fruit and snap peas.

Where to stay: Orlando has hundreds of hotels, but the three newest are all operated by Loews and near the new resort. Two lower-priced options, the Universal Stella Nova and Universal Terra Luna, have an intergalactic travel vibe with rooms that look like spaceships at about $200 per night. There’s ample space at the pool and you can walk to the park, but the restaurant is more of a cafeteria. More luxurious is the copper-domed Universal Helios Grand Hotel, which stands majestically at the end of Epic Universe and has a private entrance to the park. Room rates for mid-June run about $700. But it will be the place to watch the water fountains and light shows in the park at night.