Universal Orlando has expanded paid previews of Epic Universe to the general public, meaning you no longer have to be an AP, on-site guest, etc–anyone can buy pre-opening tickets! This covers pricing, dates & details along with our commentary about attending soft openings ahead of the new theme park’s official opening over Memorial Day weekend.
This is the second wave of Epic Universe previews, with the first starting last week and continuing through May 8, 2025. This extension runs right up to grand opening week, with tickets now available for everyone through May 19, 2025. As a reminder, Epic Universe will have its grand opening on May 22, 2025 and it’s likely that there’s a multi-day media event May 20-21, so this is probably it on previews.
Some dates of the Epic Universe previews have started to sell out for Annual Passholders (at present, there’s still full availability for everyone else), but they’re typically Fridays through Sundays–and less expensive dates. We wouldn’t worry too much about sold out dates out if you’re contemplating one of the mid-May weekday preview dates.
Here are remaining April 2025 ticket prices for the general public previews of Universal Epic Universe:
- April 29, 2025: $144
- April 30, 2025: $144
May 2025 Epic Universe preview ticket prices:
- May 1, 2025: $144
- May 2, 2025: $149
- May 3, 2025: $154
- May 4, 2025: $149
- May 5, 2025: $144
- May 6, 2025: $144
- May 7, 2025: $144
- May 8, 2025: $144
- May 9, 2025: $149
- May 10, 2025: $154
- May 11, 2025: $149
- May 12, 2025: $144
- May 13, 2025: $144
- May 14, 2025: $144
- May 15, 2025: $144
- May 16, 2025: $149
- May 17, 2025: $154
- May 18, 2025: $149
- May 19, 2025: $149
You might notice that these tickets are all more expensive than Annual Passholder tickets by about $20 per ticket. All of these prices are pre-tax. In an interesting twist, these tickets are actually less expensive than preview tickets for hotel guests–at least for the dates I purchased, which were $180 after tax. I would hazard a guess that hotel prices now match off-site guests.
Here’s the announcement from Universal Orlando: “Don’t miss this unique opportunity to take part in a special preview before the May 22, 2025 Grand Opening of Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park.
“During this Preview period, we’re putting the final touches in place and rehearsing, so some attractions and experiences may not be available.”
Limited availability, tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Restrictions apply. Prices vary by day, plus tax. Epic Universe Grand Opening is May 22, 2025.
Members of the general public can buy tickets online here.
Annual Passholders, on-site resort guests, and members of other select group who already purchased tickets are likely to now be worried about crowds with Universal expanding Epic Universe previews to the public. That’s a fair concern, and we would expect attendance to increase as a result of this move.
We’ve been warning that this was likely to happen, as Universal needs to stress-test Epic Universe with crowd levels more closely approximating those it’ll experience opening day. However, the caps are still pretty low, so we wouldn’t worry too much. Moreover, the demographics most likely to purchase tickets already have done so. The biggest outstanding “bucket” is Florida residents who don’t have Annual Passes.
Even tourists visiting Walt Disney World are unlikely to take advantage of this expanded eligibility. There will absolutely be some who do, and they’re probably disproportionately readers of a blog like this one. But the average guest makes their vacation plans months in advance, is on a budget, and has already bought park tickets to Walt Disney World. They aren’t going to drop everything to visit Epic Universe in large numbers.
As you might’ve noticed from our increased Epic Universe coverage, I’ve attended multiple paid previews thus far, and had mostly positive experiences. That’s just me, though. Sarah and Megatron have not yet attended.
For Walt Disney World visitors contemplating a day at Epic Universe, I’d highly recommend it, albeit with some caveats. This is not a normal Universal park, meaning that guests who have issues with motion sickness won’t have as many problems here. With that said, those who aren’t good with thrill rides will still have issues at Epic Universe.
The least intense “family” roller coaster is more intense than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train–more on par with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but smoother. It would be the best Universal park for Sarah (not a high bar), but she still couldn’t do several rides, and a handful others would be one-and-done. Setting aside the rides, it’s a fantastic theme park, and you could have a lot of fun and satisfying day only doing a few attractions.
Families with young children should probably steer clear of Epic Universe entirely. There are some things that our daughter could do, but that list is limited. We’ll be testing that in-person soon, but my biggest negative realization with Epic Universe is that it is, once again, more a park for me as someone with zero ride limitations, than it is for our family.
The biggest upside to visiting Epic Universe during a preview is crowds, or the lack thereof. Attendance has very clearly been capped well below Epic Universe’s estimated full capacity of around 40,000. Based on leaked data that paints an incomplete picture, we’d estimate that Universal Orlando is currently releasing 15,000 tickets available for sale each day.
Note that this is how many tickets are available and not how many are selling. Aside from weekends, Annual Passholder preview tickets have not been selling out, nor have hotel guest tickets. This means that the 15,000 ticket cap (or thereabouts) is irrelevant, because they’re actually selling under 10,000 tickets. On some weekdays, that number is probably much lower than 10,000–so we’re talking less than one-quarter of the park’s total capacity.
I haven’t seen any data yet for general public ticket availability, but I’d expect those numbers to both increase. My assumption is that the cap immediately jumps to 20,000 tickets and they start selling over 10,000 tickets per day. Perhaps over 15,000 on weekends.
This is why the increased ticket caps aren’t that big of an issue. We would hazard a guess that most Annual Passholders already purchased their tickets during the first wave of sales. Aside from the diehards who just can’t get enough (and have plenty of disposable income), this next wave is going to sell worse, not better, with APs. I’d be shocked if any weekdays sell out–and unsurprised if weekends don’t.
Hotel guests are a different story, as they’re primarily tourists who are constantly refreshed. Someone doing a trip in mid-May didn’t have the (realistic) option of buying Epic Universe preview tickets in April. If anything, their uptake could be higher as awareness and positive word-of-mouth about low crowds spreads. Same goes with the general public.
Still, locals are likely the primary audience for Epic Universe previews, so all of this is a recipe for low crowds. You’re probably not going to have another chance to experience Epic Universe at one-quarter of total capacity. (And if what I experienced is any indication, you’re definitely not going to want to be there when attendance is 25,000 or higher!)
Ultimately, I highly recommend attending a paid preview of Epic Universe (ideally two) if at all possible. There’s a lot more we could say about the pros & cons of attending Epic Universe previews, but I’m guessing there’s not much of an audience for it. These previews last another ~6 weeks before the park opens, and I’d imagine that not many planners are reading this in the first place.
Those who are reading have probably already made their decision whether to attend Epic Universe previews or not. Perhaps I’m underestimating interest (in which case, let me know!), but we have a lot of Epic Universe coverage to come, and focusing on previews seems low-priority. The biggest piece of advice I can offer for now is to study up on the virtual queue so you don’t miss the park’s best ride: How to Join the Virtual Line for Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be attending Epic Universe previews? Excited for Super Nintendo World, Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe/Classic Monsters, or the How to Train Your Dragon lands and/or attractions? Think Epic Universe will be a third gate that’s a worthy addition to Universal Orlando Resort…and potentially on par with Disney’s best lands? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
