10. Single-Day Epic Universe Tickets Are Here—What You Need to Know

Epic Universe is opening in just 70 days—and now, single-day tickets are available for everyone! But before you hit that “buy now” button, let’s talk strategy. In this episode, I’ll break down why booking a package is still the smartest move (hint: Early Park Access is a BIG deal). Plus, I’ll share sample itineraries for both a full-length trip and a weekend getaway so you can make the most of your time at Universal Orlando.

👉 And stick around until the end—I’ve got a seriously cool update about lockers at Epic Universe that’s going to make your park day so much easier. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!

00:00 Welcome to Unlocking Universal

01:20 New Epic Universe Ticket Options

03:28 Why Booking Packages is Smart

07:52 Pro Tips for Your Visit

09:06 Insider Update: Photo Validation for Lockers

10:52 Conclusion and Farewell

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🌟 As a senior travel consultant and trainer with The Magic For Less Travel, a top U-Preferred agency, I specialize in Universal Orlando vacations—When you're ready to go from dreaming to doing, I'm here for you. My services are free, my excitement is contagious, and your countdown to Epic could start faster than a VelociCoaster launch.

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Transcript

Single-Day Epic Universe Tickets Are Here—What You Need to Know

​[00:00:00] 

Julian: Welcome back to Unlocking Universal, your key to Universal Orlando and beyond! 

Here's your guide in Unfair Advantage, Holli! 

Holli: Imagine this. It's your first day at Epic Universe. The sun is just starting to rise over Celestial Park. The air buzzes with anticipation as guests line up outside the gates. Some have been waiting since before dawn, the gates open and the crowd surges forward. Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World, Wizarding World of Harry Potter- Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and How To Train Your Dragon.

They're all calling. But here's the thing, not everyone will be ready. The ones who planned ahead, they'll be walking through that portal to Super Nintendo World long before the rest of the crowd even steps past the Chronos. That's the power of early park admission, and that's why booking a package versus single day ticket [00:01:00] is still the smartest move you can make.

and stick around until the end because I've got a seriously cool, 'hot off the press' insider update about Epic Universe that I can pretty much guarantee you haven't heard yet, and it's going to make your park day so much easier. Trust me, you're gonna wanna hear this.

Julian: Here's the big news of the day!

Holli: Big news indeed, Julian, thank you.

Today, single day tickets for Epic Universe are finally available to the general public. But here's the thing. While single day tickets might seem tempting, there are some major perks to booking a package Instead, let's break it down so you can plan the best trip possible for you and make the most of your time and money at Epic Universe.

 Last October, Epic Universe released the first set of packages, and these required either two or more days at other parks to get access to Epic Universe. Now, what I mean is the North Campus Parks, the originals, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and even [00:02:00] Volcano Bay. You had to have those included in order to get one day, A single day at Epic Universe included. 

 A few weeks later single day park tickets were made available to Universal Orlando annual pass holders only.

Then in February of this year, Florida residents gained access to purchase single day tickets to Epic Universe. Now, everyone can buy a single day ticket to Epic Universe with a little asterisk. There's always an asterisk, isn't there? Now, the asterisk for this is that the single day Epic tickets are available for visits beginning June 1st. Unless you book it as part of a package. Now let's not get ahead of ourselves because there were two other tickets released today that are going to give guests additional flexibility in planning their Epic Adventures.

And the other two tickets are the one and the two park one day. Tickets plus one day at Epic. I know these's very long names for these tickets, but that's just how they do it. So it's, you can [00:03:00] either have a one or a two park. So you can choose to go to either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure Plus you'll get a full day at Epic Universe.

Or you can choose the two part ticket, which would give you the ability to go back and forth and park, hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for an entire day. While the second day of your ticket, you'll be able to spend that entire day at Epic Universe. And boy, are you gonna need all the time you can get.

So let's talk about strategy and why smart cookies are booking packages. What is a package? What makes up a package? What requirements do we have to call it a package? Very simple. You need one night at a hotel and you need at least two days of park tickets, one hotel night, two days in the parks, boom.

You got yourself a package.

So why do I think that packages are still the right way to go over single day tickets? It's all about the benefits. Now here are the top four benefits.   

The first benefit is that of [00:04:00] being onsite itself. 

Ideal locations, merchandise delivery, resort wide charging privileges, complimentary wifi, fitness centers, all those things. 

Being in the bubble equals a better overall experience.

Next is the ability to stack discounts. Packages can include multiple savings that aren't available with single day ticket purchases, hotel discount bundle, and save multi-day savings. All of these and more can be stacked, which gives you the win right from the start.

The next two benefits are both really big ones, so I didn't know which one to put first, but we're gonna go with the ability to change the date of your Epic visit on the fly. So if you have a single day ticket, it's date specific. You don't just buy a ticket and show up whatever day you want.

You have to choose at the point that you're buying the ticket. When you're going to visit, and if you're buying a single day ticket, a la carte, you're gonna pay for it at the time of purchase. 

You 

Holli: Single day tickets are date specific. That means that you have to choose the date you're going to visit [00:05:00] when you purchase the ticket. Since Universal will be controlling capacity and managing ticket inventory dates may very well become unavailable. So you can change the date of your visit with a single day ticket, but only if , that date is available.

So for an example, what if, you need to change dates for any reason, any reason at all. Or you get down here and a couple of days ahead, you see that the weather forecast is not going to be ideal on your scheduled day. Maybe you can change, maybe you can't. With single day tickets this is an assumed risk that you just won't have to worry about if you have a multi-day ticket in your package,

 Finally we have early park admission. Now this one is going to be crucial for Epic Universe.

 Because it gives you entrance to the park, a full hour ahead of the general crowds. That hour is going to make a huge difference in your day. 

And you can't get that with a standalone single park [00:06:00] ticket. 

Just remember, no hotel stay equals no EPA, which equals sad face.

So here are a couple example itineraries. Let's say you're staying six nights. You could get a three park, three day park to park, plus one day at Epic ticket. That gives you five days of park access. 

You could spend the first three days hopping between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and maybe even Volcano Bay if you want, and then you get to devote two full glorious days to Epic, which you're going to need because Epic Universe is Titanic, y'all. 

There's just no way you could see it all in one day. Heck, I don't think you can see and do it all in two days, but that's a much better start.

What if you can't get through all five worlds in one day? And early park admission's going to help. That second day is gonna give you time to really take it all in and ensure that the main things on your [00:07:00] list are ticked off. So you don't have to be ticked off, you know? Now what if though? What if you just have a weekend?

For a quick three night trip. The new two park, one day park to park, plus one day at Epic Ticket would be a solid option. And here's how that could work. So you arrive on Friday, you can relax, you could explore your resort, take some time into City Walk, squeeze in a few drinks.

Just kind of get yourself ready. Then on Saturday, you could spend the day park hopping between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. 

 On Sunday, you can dedicate the full day to exploring Epic Universe. 

Holli: So when it comes to Universal Orlando and especially Epic Universe, booking a package is still the best and most cost effective starting point. Early park admission alone can save you hours of waiting time, and that's before you factor in the savings from the stacked discounts.

Julian: Now it's time for some Pro Tips!

Holli: Now here are my top three pro tips I have for you today. Number one [00:08:00] is get the park to park ticket versus the base tickets. It maximizes your park hopping between the North Campus Parks, Universal Studios, Florida Islands Adventure and Volcano Bay, if you're adding that as well.

Remember, there is no park hopping that includes Epic, yet. 

Number two, book your hotel package as far out as you can. Don't wait for a discount to drop, because first of all, they're never guaranteed. And rack rates rise as time passes and as travel dates approach. 

 Even if you get a discount, it may not lower it enough to even come close to what that rack rate would've been if you would've booked back when you first knew what your dates of travel were going to be.

And my number three pro tip for the day to maximize your day at Epic consider adding 

Express Pass or a V I P experience. Once they are available, that is. We've been told that they are coming very soon, but for now we just have to wait. Adding either of these is going to give you an edge [00:09:00] over every other guest in the park because your wait times are either going to be cut down significantly or eliminated altogether.

Alright, remember that Cool hot off the press Insider update I teased at the start. Here it is, and it is seriously a next level time saver. Okay, so back in episode one, I told you about photo validation. Do you remember that? If not, you can go back and listen to it later. It's basically facial recognition for entering the parks, and I also told you that it was going to expand into the parks beyond the initial entry points.

Well, Epic Universe is introducing photo validation for lockers. It doesn't sound like a big deal, right? But hear me out. 

 You will need to use lockers because there are several rides at Epic Universe where you, um, you can't carry anything on.

It's called a 'loose article policy' where you can't have anything, like even a lanyard, your phone, anything that could fall out... change in your pockets. You'll go through metal detectors. You have to empty it all [00:10:00] out and put it in a locker just temporarily while you ride the ride. 

How do you open the lockers? You either scan your phone or you use a ticket. Well, that's great, but what happens when after you do that and you put stuff in the locker, you can't keep your phone on you. And what if you don't have pockets stick? If you don't have pockets, you'll be fumbling around and then you'd have to go find a team member and get a temporary ticket from them just to use the locker that you are required to use to ride that ride.

So with introducing photo validation to the Ride lockers. All the lockers at Epic Universe. You're just gonna walk up, scan your pretty face, and boom, locker access granted! This is going to make those rides that require the use of lockers so much smoother.

There you have it. Now you are an insider too!

If you love this episode consider leaving me a review and who knows If it's a good one, maybe I'll pull some strings and get Bowser to go easy on you at Super [00:11:00] Nintendo World. No promises though.

And if you are ready to plan your Epic Universe trip, I'm here to help you unlock the best value and make your Universal Orlando vacation unforgettable.

Julian: Thanks for hanging out today. Now, get out of here and go do something nice for someone.