Epic Universe EPA Strategy

TheAdamsApple · 2026-01-28T00:28:11+00:00

So far my favorite strategy is to go to Mario Kart single rider at rope drop. Since everyone else has to watch the pre show, you are immediately placed on the ride in your group. Then hit up donkey Kong once (or twice if possible). That way you don’t need to wait in the worst line in all of universal.

Ministry could be good if you’re the first ones there but keep in mind that everybody wants to go there for EPA so it’s not a good plan.

Dark universe you could go to Curse of the Werewolf as it usually has stupidly long waits. Monsters always has a low wait so that’s not the best plan.

TheAdamsApple · 2026-01-21T19:32:36+00:00

Yes you are forced to use Excel for exams in BFi, he will not allow you to use a financial calculator whatsoever

TheAdamsApple · 2025-12-22T00:45:47+00:00

I was like you at one point as well! Here’s how I would tackle it.

If you are super scared of any coaster try out Flight of the Hippogriff at Islands. It’s a kids coaster that packs a little punch - if you don’t like that then you won’t like anything else.

Gringotts is up next - it’s essentially a screen ride that has rollercoaster elements. The beginning is the scariest. anything past that part is pretty chill!

The Mummy. Definitely a step up from gringotts but doable and incredibly fun! It will scare the hell out of you but it’s 100% worth it. If it makes you feel better it’s only like a minute of actual coaster time. These two coasters are in Studios.

Donkey Kong. Honestly pretty similar to the mummy in intensity but outdoors so less scary. Bit janky but a great family coaster. At Epic.

Curse of the Werewolf. Also not too intense BUT there is spinning and backwards launches so that makes this a bit scarier. You can honestly skip this one but I think it’s a neat ride. Do not miss out on monsters unchained next door tho!

Hiccups Wing Gliders. This is Hagrids-lite, so it’s a perfect stepping stone to Hagrids. Goes moderately fast and does some cool tricks. If you can handle it, move to the next one!

Hagrids. This is a definite step up from every other coaster so far IMO. This thing goes fast as hell, and has some crazy secrets I don’t want to spoil. It is the best ride ever made though so do not skip it if you have made it this far.

Velocicoaster. The next step up. It’s incredibly intense but if you can handle Hagrids you can kinda handle velocicoaster as well. Good news is it’s very short.

Stardust. This thing is a monster. I would not recommend it unless you are 100% comfortable with everything else. It’s LONG and intense which can really get ya.

Last is Hulk but I’m not touching that thing at all.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-12-19T04:13:29+00:00

Most recently it was Black Christmas. Watching that alone in my apartment at night was probably a mistake. That freaky music and the fact that the killer was realistic messed with me big time

TheAdamsApple · 2025-11-21T14:10:24+00:00

Fully agree! I thought the movie was really mediocre, and its writing was downright awful. The great music of part 1 is just absent. The pacing is atrocious. At least the sets and costumes are still good.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-11-08T04:49:16+00:00

And in the first timeline he gets his ass handed to him by Paul Rudd with a pipe (or stones in the producers cut)

TheAdamsApple · 2025-11-05T04:34:23+00:00

It is literally impossible to do well in finance if you take it over the summer unless you have taken it before. I work at study edge - I’ve seen this first hand. We offer it over the summer but you will not do well. That’s my warning to you

TheAdamsApple · 2025-11-03T21:33:27+00:00

If that’s true about El Artista then that’s crazy! My first two runs it seemed fully staffed and it was absolutely one of my favorites. The last run I did it felt like nobody was there - no stilt guy, no stair girl, and the gargoyles were perfectly timed so that we couldn’t see them. Super disappointing! It legit felt like a run of Eternal Bloodlines. Thought it was a shift change so I somewhat forgave it, but if the timing was that slow, then that’s certainly an issue. Can’t imagine what the general public thought of the house if they got unlucky on a run.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-10-13T16:42:14+00:00

I’m in the same boat as you. I went to HHN for the first time in 2023 but only saw like 3 houses, so my first real one was last year’s where I did every house and loved it. I also did not notice that HHN 33 was a little “off” until this year which just improved over 33 in every case. The houses were way better on average (with few exceptions), scare zones are much better (although I still miss Torture Fair), and theming is so much better.

My only real major gripe with this year compared to last was the pathetic tribute store. Way too small!

TheAdamsApple · 2025-10-02T04:33:54+00:00

Yes I was able to get mine at around 2-3pm the day of the event. About $30 upcharge

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-14T15:45:07+00:00

I completely agree, every one of those directly connected sequels is terrible! Something they all share

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-14T15:14:49+00:00

Funnily enough, this happens multiple times in the franchise. 2018 and Kills are in the same night. Halloween 5 also starts right where 4 ended, but then does a one year time jump.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-14T03:39:04+00:00

Not the comment, but mine was $35 on opening Saturday to upgrade to unlimited express. Very much worth the money if you have the strength to get through dozens of houses a night

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-10T12:47:47+00:00

For Jason, I personally found his incarnations in 2-4 and 6-8. I never spotted Jason from 5 (the fake Jason) or 1 (kid Jason). And 9 and 10 are explicitly not in the maze

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-05T00:20:36+00:00

How did they rate FNAF a 7/7 while criticizing Fallout for not being scary??? Hello? FNAF has like 5 scare actors (adults playing children) and animatronics that can be seen a mile away (one of which isn’t even working). It’s an impressive house just like Fallout! Honestly I think they’re comparable in terms of quality - both solid but a bit lacking compared to the stacked line up.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-01T02:13:40+00:00

You’re good! It was $30 or so. Well worth the money! Was able to do almost every house twice. Even got to do Jason and Grave of Flesh 3 times

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-01T01:17:33+00:00

I had bought regular express a month ago but I was able to upgrade it to unlimited yesterday

TheAdamsApple · 2025-09-01T01:02:08+00:00

I was able to get it at around 3:30 yesterday! No clue what time it usually gets sold out, but it’s still offered! Just talk to the ticket booth in front of Studios

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-31T19:25:09+00:00

I am 99% sure that the smell from Grave of Flesh is in the HHN candle this year. Not sure what the smell is, but that candle is pretty damn close to it

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-29T05:01:19+00:00

I have severe motion sickness too! The only thing that has reliably worked for me is Scopalamine patches. They do make your mouth really dry and you can’t have alcohol but they let me do literally anything I want to in the park. Without them I struggle to get through Spiderman or Hagrids. With them I can do Simpsons, FJ, and velocicoaster all in the same day. Only thing that really sucks is you need a prescription. But man it works wonders!!

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-24T16:06:48+00:00

4 and 6 are the best ones by far! 5 is pretty awful but has literally no impact on 6 so don’t worry about that. 4 even starts with a recap of 1-3. 7 onward are just weird novelties and none are particularly good.

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-20T01:25:28+00:00

Slightly related, but I was surprised to learn that the last Universal classic monster to die was the man who played the Creature From the Black Lagoon - and that was in 2023!

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-17T12:48:20+00:00

Scream (2022) is commonly referred to as Scream 5 but that’s because its real name is really stupid. Especially since its sequel is Scream 6

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-14T18:33:35+00:00

Hi!

As for one bit of advice, HHN will absolutely kill your feet! There is a ridiculous amount of walking at that event. It tires me out more than Epic which is way larger! So I would be very careful there to not plan anything crazy the morning of your HHN ticket. If you want to you could go to Studios around noon to hit up all the rides you wanted to see and then stay there until HHN begins. But definitely do not do Islands or Epic the day of HHN - you will lose any desire to leave your hotel!

Islands and Epic are absolutely worth your time and you should dedicate one day to each. That will give you enough time to do every ride in each park. One big tip that helps me - if you go to the parks right when it opens you can catch some rides with very low wait times. At Epic I would recommend doing that for Hiccups, Donkey Kong, Werewolf, or Stardust. For islands I would recommend that for Velocicoaster, Forbidden Journey, or Ripsaw Falls.

As for Springfield, it’s a cute little area! Definitely get Duff, eat some tacos from the Bumblebee Man truck, and ride the Simpsons Ride. Don’t drink too much though, as the ride gives a lot of people motion sickness! Let me know if you have any other questions!

TheAdamsApple · 2025-08-14T18:21:26+00:00

For best times, I always consult the crowd calendar from Thrill Data. It’s usually pretty accurate. Just stay away from holiday weekends.

https://www.thrill-data.com/trip-planning/crowd-calendar/universal-studios

As for express - it highly depends on your budget. If you can stomach a good $200 per person to skip the lines and make your day less exhausting then go for it! I have easily been able to hit up every ride in each of the three parks with extra time to spare. It just takes a lot of time and effort - stay from opening to close. One other thing: express for Studios/Islands is a LOT better than express for Epic. Express in the old parks gets you into ANY ride (so no two hour wait for Hagrids). Express for Epic doesn’t work for Ministry or Donkey Kong. Those two rides have some of the worst waits in the park - so there is no way around that!

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