Ever since Epic Universe was announced Sam and I knew we wanted to go. Mine Cart Madness looked promising and I was pumped to ride both Monsters Unchained and Harry Potter: Battle at the Ministry. There was one other ride, well I guess two really, that was what I wanted to ride more than any other, though. That ride was Stardust Racers.
The layout for Stardust Racers looked wild. I watched animated POV during its construction so many times. I showed friends and said how it was going to be at the top of my coaster bucket list. And I’m a sucker for Mack Coasters. I love Copperhead Strike at Carowinds so much. And over the summer Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City (SDC) was a favorite of Sam and I both.
Time would pass, the park would eventually open, and I heard nothing but great things about Stardust Racers and a lot of the rides throughout the park. I really wanted to go. So imagine my surprise when Sam tossed out the idea to go to Florida and make one of the parks we visit Epic Universe. I got to researching ticket prices, combos, package deals, etc. Long story short, we made it happen.
We landed in Florida on Wednesday, September 17 and visited both Fun Spot America (FSA) Florida parks before calling it a night. Epic Universe was going to be our first full day in Florida. We were both excited beyond belief.
Sad News Only Hours Before
We woke up early and I made my way to the bathroom to get my morning shower. While brushing my teeth, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw the news. A man had died on Stardust Racers the day we landed. No one knew anything more than that, but one thing was for sure, there was no way Stardust Racers would going to be running. It probably wouldn’t run for sometime, let alone while we were in Florida. This was a massive heartbreak for both of us, but it is one that was understandable with what had happened.
After I was done in the shower, we made our way to the park with an aim to ride everything else. I brought my camera and although Stardust was closed, the staff had no problems letting me take some awesome photos of the ride. I wasn’t sure if they’d shoo people away with all the press covering the park over the accident. Helicopters were constantly flying over the park throughout the day. But nope, I could shoot anywhere around the ride. That just made me even more impressed seeing it in person. I will go back for this ride sooner rather than later.
Harry Potter: Battle at the Ministry
We had no idea which way to go when we entered the park. I had heard it was a good idea to rope drop Harry Potter: Battle at the Ministry, although it didn’t open early like some of the other rides. With it prone to downtime though, others said it was a good idea. So that’s what we did.
The Ministry of Magic portion of the park was already a madhouse by time we made our way over. We got in line and stood outdoors baking in the morning sun. Thankfully they opened the indoor portion of the queue not too long after which meant air conditioning and a chance to finally check out all the amazing theming. And man, is it ever impressive. The shear size of some of the rooms is wild alone, but to see storytelling elements everywhere you look is crazy. I’ve never been to a Universal park before and I was in awe.
Just walking through this show building was impressive enough, but when we got to the ride, things picked up even more. The large elevators you board had way more motion to them than I expected. Each one of the scenes that played out were all stunning and I loved the mix of animatronics and video. Some looked better than others, but none of them looked bad. I especially loved the Death Eater on top the bookshelves. He is probably what inspired me to buy a Death Eater wand a few days later at Islands of Adventure (IoA).
Monsters Unchained
After riding Battle at the Ministry, I was even more excited to try Monsters Unchained. If it was anything like Battle, it was going to be good. Plus I liked the idea of a ride focused around the classic Universal monsters.
I was immediately impressed with the castle. The one thing that surprised me though was the low wait time. It was reading 10 minutes. I figured no one had ventured back to this area of the park yet because I assumed this ride would be one of the park’s most popular. Little did I know that it would stay like this all day. Apparently it’s a people eater, so the waits are never long. At least that’s what I’ve seen on other’s videos and now with my own experience.
After walking through yet another amazing show building to get to the ride, we boarded our train/car. I didn’t realize how much motion these would have until we started turning on all different axis points, even facing upward. It was more than what we had on Battle at the Ministry. With all the physical props in this ride, that movement put you right where you needed to be. I especially liked the set pieces for the Phantom of the Opera and the brides of Dracula. Who am I kidding? I liked pretty much all of them to be honest. This is a must ride.
Hiccup's Wing Gliders
With Stardust Racers closed my favorite coaster at the park ended up being Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. Curse of the Werewolf could be cool, but it’s way too short and surrounded by netting everywhere you look. And Mine Cart Madness was rather ho hum to me. It looks way cooler than how it rides.
With Hiccup’s I was immediately impressed by the setting and theming. Just walking up to it in the Isle of Berk had me in awe. I began taking tons of pictures, which came out so good. They’re some of my favorite photos from Epic Universe. That’s why I used one for this trip report’s banner image.
The ride is also a fun one with some pops of airtime and some fun launches. Don’t expect them to be powerful and punchy, but you can certainly feel them. I’m also a sucker for a good coaster that goes over water. I mean, I liked Anaconda at Kings Dominion, so guess I’m a sucker for a bad coaster over the water too?
Final Ride Counts
Curse of the Werewolf (1)
Frye Drill (1)
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (1)
Harry Potter: Battle at the Ministry (2)
Le Cirque Arcanus (1)
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge (1)
Mine Cart Madness (1)
Monsters Unchained (2)
Yoshi’s Adventure (1)
A Return Trip is a Must for Stardust
I had quite a fun day at Epic Universe all things considered with Stardust Racers. I certainly want to go back and again and have even pondered flying back down for a mini-trip just to get it. It would be rather pricy though and I’m not even sure when it’s going to open back up. Guess I will just wait and see.
We still have plenty of awesome parks and coasters left to do on this trip, though. Losing Stardust sucks, but there is still Iron Gwazi and Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa (BGT) tomorrow. Mako at SeaWorld Orlando (BGT) on Saturday. Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando (USO) Sunday. And then Velocicoaster, Hagrid’s, and Hulk at IoA on Monday. All will be okay! Lots of fun left to be had.
Epic Universe Photo Gallery - September 18, 2025
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Mine Cart Madness, Curse of the Werewolf, Hiccup's Wing Gliders
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Mine Cart Madness, Curse of the Werewolf, Hiccup's Wing Gliders