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Universal has finally announced the details of their third Orlando theme park Universal Epic Universe, starting with the gateway land, Celestial Park! https://media.universalparksusa.com/press-releases/universal-orlando-resort-shares-first-official-look-and-details-about-its-highly-anticipated-new-theme-park-universal-epic-universe/ In 2025, Universal Orlando Resort will unveil its next gamechanger for theme park entertainment with the debut of its most ambitious theme park yet: Universal Epic Universe. Epic Universe will present a level of theme park immersion and innovation that is unmatched – transporting guests to expansive worlds featuring more than 50 awe-inspiring attraction, entertainment, dining and shopping experiences that come together to create an unforgettable adventure that is nothing short of epic. The addition of Universal Orlando’s fourth theme park will also transform the award-winning resort into a weeklong vacation destination filled with the most compelling experiences imaginable. Today, Universal Orlando reveals more details about Celestial Park – the heart of Universal Epic Universe and the first world guests will encounter at the new theme park. CELESTIAL PARK With acres of rolling gardens, chasing waterways and strolling pathways, Celestial Park puts the “park” back in “theme park.” As soon as guests enter the imaginative world, they’ll embark on a journey of discovery, thrills and excitement as they wander through lush living gardens nestled along shimmering waters surrounded by stunning architecture inspired by astronomical and mythological elements. Here, guests can relax while taking in the sights and sounds around them, board a shooting comet for an exhilarating roller coaster adventure, dine on delectable cuisine, shop exclusive merchandise to commemorate their visit and more. PORTALS TO OTHER EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS Plus, Celestial Park will be the gateway to explore the four additional worlds of Epic Universe – each bringing to life extraordinary adventures that go beyond guests’ wildest imaginations. Through a set of majestic portals that capture the imagination and creativity of each world, guests will embark on a transformative experience as they journey from Celestial Park to: • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, where guests will discover a different era of the wizarding world in an all-new land that blends 1920s wizarding Paris from Warner Bros. Pictures’ Fantastic Beasts films with the iconic British Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter series; • SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, where guests will enter the iconic green pipe and discover a new way to play as they step into the worlds of beloved characters like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong; • How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, where guests can soar with dragons in a colorful world filled with Viking adventures based on the wildly popular How to Train Your Dragon film franchise; • and Dark Universe, where guests encounter everything from the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to the shadowy landscape where monsters roam in a world of myth and mystery. CELESTIAL PARK ATTRACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES Here are additional details about some of the other wonders guests can enjoy while exploring Celestial Park: • Starfall Racers, a dual-launch racing coaster that sends guests rocketing through the skies aboard comets in a race to see who’s the fastest of them all. Reaching speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track, Starfall Racers will be Epic Universe’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers such as the “Celestial Spin,” in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air – creating an “out-of-this-world” adrenaline rush. • Constellation Carousel – the grand centerpiece of Celestial Park. Here, explorers of all ages will take a fantastical whirl aboard constellations that glide forward, backward – and even make 360-degree rotations – through the milky way in a choreographed dance of music and starlight. • Astronomica, an interactive wet-play area that also doubles as a giant compass rose to the many wonders of Epic Universe, featuring crystal blue fountains that spring to life and dance around guests; • An array of unique dining experiences ranging from full-service restaurants to quick-service locations that offer something for every palate, including Atlantic – a full-service “surf and turf” restaurant set inside a Victorian aquarium complete with captivating views of Celestial Park; and The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant – where diners take a culinary journey across Asia as they enjoy authentic Chinese, Japanese and Thai fare in this full-service restaurant accented with neon dragons and ethereal lanterns. Additional “must-eat” locations within Celestial Park include The Oak & Star Tavern, where guests can enjoy savory barbecue, Pizza Moon, which will serve up a tasty menu featuring a variety of pizzas, and more. • Incredibly detailed retail locations, including the Nintendo Super Star Store, where guests can shop an assortment of merchandise themed to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD; Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets, where guests can satisfy their cravings with a unique selection of sweet treats, and more. • Plenty of exciting entertainment, including various fountain shows throughout Celestial Park’s seven acres of water where a multitude of fountains sway, dance – and even reach heights up to 135 feet in the air – to music and interactive lighting from day to night. And located inside Epic Universe at the end of Celestial Park is Universal Helios Grand Hotel, designed to transport guests to a world where the heavens and earth unite – complete with 500 rooms, one-of-a-kind views and its very own dedicated entrance into the theme park. Plus – in addition to raising the bar for theme park innovation, Epic Universe is Universal Destinations & Experiences’ latest development to integrate energy efficiency and sustainable construction practices.

It's gutter trash. You're given a gun that's way too bulky and told to stand on a dot while the moving sidewalk drags you through the seven circles of hell. We only went into the building because it started raining. Funnily enough, that's the same reason we ended up on Jimmy Fallon's Dumpster Fire. Why couldn't the rain show up outside of a decent attraction? Christ on a cracker, I can't imagine what this place is going to cost per night.

Last weekend and this weekend we stopped by SeaWorld Orlando to bring our son to see some animals, shows and yesterday, to meet Blippi. Progress on Penguin Trek is visible from a few places in the park—most clearly over at Pacific Point Reserve. The coaster has only two track pieces left to install, but plenty of thematic elements and construction still to complete before the ride is ready to open. From the temporary path leading to the Pacific Point Preserve you can see the bulk of the coaster's outdoor section, including of the ride's two launches as well as its unique brake run. It will be interesting to see the coaster flying by from this view in the future. Lots of work still to be done despite most track work being complete. One of the highest points of the coaster is this turnaround, which will have netting around the track since it comes so close to guest and animal areas. I expect some fun little pops of air on these two hills. Some nice B&M curves over here... A look at the initial exit from the former Antarctica dark ride building into the coaster's first launch. The re-entry into the coaster's show building/station looks quickly carved out, so I'd expect it to be refinished or for some rockwork to be added around it to make it look a little less hasty. From the other side of the park, Penguin Trek's turnaround is tall enough to be see on the park's skyline.

Mostly a travel day. But that's not to say it wasn't interesting. 21: Delicious Nut Cheese Remember: You can't spell Stockholm without ABBA. Yeah, that's cute. But where's our plane? If visiting other countries and seeing how they do things is a little bit weird (which is the point, of course), then Finland is another step up from where we've been so far. Not that this photo really shows that. In fact, this looks a bit like Germany. It's not, though. What are you accusing me of...? Arrived at our onsite hotel at Power Park. The story I heard is that there's a family that got rich running a power utility, but one of the kids grew up with no real business acumen, so they just give him money to play around with his theme park. Of course, I've also heard that this is the northernmost amusement park in the world, that the Finns are the happiest people on Earth, and that that there are people--even in the US--that actually like ABBA. So who knows what's true? We're staying in Baba Yaga's chicken-legged hut. But Texas was also apparently an option. This large modern-looking building next to the hotel seemed to be part convention center, part movie theater. We probably should've spent more time investigating, but Mr. Bobcorn scared me off. [Photo by Andy] The TPR Grand Prix was originally supposed to be the day after Power Park, but we made such good time here they decided to do it the day before Power Park instead. I say, "they" because Smisty, Goldballs, and I weren't too interested. Instead, we walked over to Road House. It's about 1 kilometer away from the hotel. Or, in other words, I have no idea. It rather looks like a grocery store from the outside, but it's more like a tiny mall. Okay, sure. Well, everyone needs to have their dreams. This is actually a really clever caption, as it's a quote from The Spy Who Loved Me. See, when Bond.... Nevermind. I'm not going to say who I think this is supposed to be, because I fear it will just make *me* look racist. As Scandinavia is to the world in its love of licorice, so Finland is to Scandinavia. Which is to say the Finns are *really* into it. Happily, the mall that looks like a grocery store from the outside does in fact have a grocery store inside. And I'm pretty sure the whole place is owned by Power Park. I may have mentioned this before, but at the start of the trip I was willing to try some licorice things. But by this point, I was in no mood for double layer licorice. Ta-da! I tried to look this up on google maps to see if this structure had a name or something. No luck there, but I did find the gas station, which has 5 reviews, the top one of which reads, in its entirety: "Good liquid." Now that's a skyline. Back at the hotel, the lobby of which is themed to...um...boaty stuff? TPR dinner and Grand Prix awards presentation. I don't remember who won. I just know I'm a loser. Wow. Dark. And also, why? Dinner was quite good, but very long. Turns out this is a Finnish thing. We encountered it in the Netherlands as well in 2019, but it's even more pronounced here. Fancy dinners aren't fast. If it's '69, you were expecting me! See, in Moonraker.... Every part of the hotel had a door or a gate with a code on it. It's like the world's most whimsical prison. Turns out we could've watched the Grand Prix from our room. Yeah, Finland. This is where the trip report is going to get good! Just kidding. It will never get good. And also, I do kind of like ABBA. Moonraker sucks, though.

My dining plan is to eat somewhere else.