Universal Orlando has extended paid previews of Epic Universe for on-site hotel guests, Annual Passholders and other select guests throughout the lead-up to the official opening of the new theme park. This covers pricing, dates & details along with our commentary about attending soft openings.
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 Annual Passholders, on-site hotel guests, and others 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, but they’re typically Fridays through Sundays–and less expensive dates. We wouldn’t worry too much about tickets selling out if you’re contemplating one of the mid-May preview dates. In addition to lower demand, leaked data suggests that Universal Orlando is raising the cap during later preview dates. More on that in a bit.
Here are remaining April 2025 ticket prices for the UOAP previews of Universal Epic Universe:
- April 25, 2025: $136
- April 26, 2025: $136
- April 27, 2025: $131
- April 28, 2025: $123
- April 29, 2025: $123
- April 30, 2025: $123
May 2025 Epic Universe preview ticket prices:
- May 1, 2025: $123
- May 2, 2025: $127
- May 3, 2025: $131
- May 4, 2025: $127
- May 5, 2025: $123
- May 6, 2025: $123
- May 7, 2025: $123
- May 8, 2025: $123
- May 9, 2025: $127
- May 10, 2025: $131
- May 11, 2025: $127
- May 12, 2025: $123
- May 13, 2025: $123
- May 14, 2025: $123
- May 15, 2025: $123
- May 16, 2025: $127
- May 17, 2025: $131
- May 18, 2025: $127
- May 19, 2025: $127
According to Universal Orlando: “During this Preview period, we’re putting the final touches in place and rehearsing, so some attractions and experiences may not be available.”
In addition to Annual and Seasonal Universal Orlando Passholders, active 2025 Military Freedom Pass Ticket Holders, Universal Rewards Signature VISA Card members, and guests staying at any Universal Orlando hotel can also purchase tickets to access Epic Universe during its preview period.
If preview dates don’t sell out, our expectation is that the “additional audiences” alluded to above will expand to include Florida residents next. If that still is insufficient, the general public may follow. Or perhaps there will first be a targeted stop at those who have signed up to receive communications from Universal or the Comcast family of companies.
Along with Epic Universe, Universal Helios Grand Hotel is open for reservations for now through May 19, 2025!
If you want experienced professionals to book Helios Grand Hotel for you or to help determine which Epic Universe packages will work best for your family, we recommend requesting a free quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, a no-fee Universal Preferred Travel Agency.
I’ll have a full review of Universal Helios Grand Hotel and its Club Level soon–hopefully within the next few weeks. For now, consider checking out We’re Live from Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Epic Universe’s In-Park Resort (Photos & Video).
If you have a healthy budget or want to splurge, I’d recommend a Park View Room at Helios Grand and staying Club Level (prioritize view if it’s one or the other). Note that the lounge has a city view, so both Club Level and the Park View Room are ideal. It’s pricey, to be sure, but I found that rates during the previews are less expensive than later this year. But Universal Orlando uses dynamic hotel pricing, so YMMV.
If staying at Helios Grand Hotel, period, would be a splurge, I don’t recommend doing it. Instead of doing the cheapest standard room, save that money and just stay at Stella Nova or Terra Luna Resort. As much as I enjoyed my stay at Helios Grand and am thankful I had that opportunity, it’s pricey and a mixed bag in several ways.
To each their own, but I think the hotel only “works” when you go all out. If you can’t do that, I’d simply opt for Stella Nova or Terra Luna Resort instead. We will definitely be doing exactly that on some future stays!
As for the park, I’ve attended multiple paid previews thus far, and had mostly positive experiences. 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. The data that’s out there is for Annual Passholder tickets, but that’s only one “bucket” of tickets. In talking to Team Members at the Universal Orlando Vacation Planning Center desk, tickets were reallocated from the AP bucket to the hotel guest bucket shortly before sales started and, at this point, there should be more than enough inventory to ensure every hotel guest can purchase an Epic Universe preview ticket. (They were careful to not call it a guarantee, and I know there were some issues before the previews actually started.)
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.
This is why the increased 7,000 ticket cap available for Annual Passholders is pretty much irrelevant. 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. 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.
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, we highly recommend attending a paid preview of Epic Universe (or 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.
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!
