Is Epic Universe the Future of Theme Parks? Here’s How to Save When You Go

Hello, this is Matt from the Explorers Podcast.

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That's the Explorers Podcast.

It is currently 4:42 a.m.

I am walking up to Universal Epic Universe on its opening day.

Now, technically, the rideshare, the parking, the shuttles don't even start operating until 7 a.m., but there is already a huge crowd of about 100 people waiting to be the first to get inside this park.

I think they've walked up just like me.

Let's go talk to them.

What time did you get here today?

We got here at 10:45 p.m.

yesterday.

A little before 2:30.

4 a.m.

4 a.m.

sharp.

4 a.m.

I feel like we got here a little late, to be honest.

I know there's already people in the front.

Why are you here so early?

We want to be here opening day.

I wanted to be one of the very first people as soon as they opened the gates.

I definitely want to be one of the first to like see everything.

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people to come here on an opening day of a theme park.

To be here and be part of history is absolutely amazing.

Sally, I can't believe how many people were at Epic Universe.

That's the newest Universal theme park that opened in Orlando, Florida.

If all those people were there that early, they are committed.

Super fans.

Yeah, they are prepared to shell out a lot of money for this new park.

I was there to figure out what is worth it and how to save money at the most anticipated new theme park in the U.S., Epic Universe.

You're listening to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars.

I'm Megan Coyle, back from two weddings in Italy.

One suitcase almost didn't make it, but that's the story I'll save for another episode.

I am Sally French.

No lost luggage.

I'm back in the studio after a wild week at Epic Universe.

Before we dive into my Epic Universe trip, let's share what else is going on in travel.

But can't forget our usual disclaimer.

We'll talk about a few credit card companies that are NerdWallet partners in this episode, but that doesn't influence how we discuss them.

The benefits, terms, and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can change, and some offers may have expired by the time you're listening.

For the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.

Now, the first airline all over the news is United.

They announced a reciprocal benefits partnership with JetBlue.

It is called Blue Sky.

This is awesome for members of both United and JetBlue's loyalty programs.

United's Mileage Plus members will soon be able to earn and redeem United miles on JetBlue flights, while JetBlue's TrueBlue members can earn and use their JetBlue points on United flights.

And also elite status members of both programs will receive benefits like priority boarding, extra legroom seats, same-day standby when they fly on either airline.

And each airline's flights will show up on the other's website and app.

So you'll be able to book tickets that have these mixed itineraries where one leg could be on United and the other could be on JetBlue and everything's very seamless.

You don't have to recheck your bags.

It's all on one ticket.

And hopefully not lose them.

Like what happened to you?

Yeah.

Now, this is not a full-on merger or a co-chair, but it is a significant collaboration.

It's called an interline agreement.

This could really reshape how loyalty members fly, especially if you're based in New York or Boston, because JetBlue just really dominates there.

Now, those travelers have access to United's giant network.

And even though it's not a merger, it is still subject to regulatory review.

So I'm still sad that JetBlue's earlier reciprocal alliance with American Airlines was blocked back in 2023.

But there are a few key differences between that agreement and this new one.

The first one is that United and JetBlue will not coordinate on pricing or scheduling.

So assuming that everything gets approved, this Blue Sky program could launch as early as this fall.

That's not all with United News.

Other things to note, Megan, I think you have a new piece of news.

Oh yeah, United announced that their excursionist perk is getting the axe.

That means starting August 21st, you'll no longer be able to score a free one-way flight on a multi-city award ticket.

That's the type of ticket that lets you fly to multiple destinations, different legs, all on points.

But it let you get three of those flights for the price of two award flights.

So it was a a really awesome sweet spot in the Mileage Plus program that's going away in August.

Super sad for those United super fans.

Also, sad news going away on August 21st.

That is instant upgrades for premier members.

So now all premier members have to get on the wait list for upgrades.

Ouch.

And by November 24th, United will switch to dynamically priced upgrade awards.

So that means the airline will no longer publish a chart that tells you how many miles you'll need for an upgrade.

Yikes.

I mean, anytime you hear the word dynamically priced, that just means that something is going to cost more for the busy in-demand flights.

I know.

It's such a bad word.

I swear the only thing left to become dynamically priced on airlines is the snack boxes.

They'll be like, there's four left.

It's going to cost you $25 now instead of 15.

And the United News has not stopped.

Last one, I promise.

This change went into effect yesterday.

That's June 3rd.

United flyers have an earlier cutoff time to check in.

If you are flying domestically and not checking a bag, now you must check in at least 45 45 minutes before departure.

That is up from the previous 30 minutes before departure.

I will say those check-in deadlines can really sneak up on you.

I've never missed the check-in time, but I have shown up too late to check a bag and that was so sad.

Like they made me gate check the bag, which means I had to go through the TSA security checkpoint and I had to throw out all of my liquids.

So I had to toss all these Christmas gifts I'd gotten like full-size hair products, like a bottle of wine.

I was like, please, someone just drank this for me.

I'm so sad.

I have to let this go.

Well, I got to to say, at least Southwest has trained me well.

I'm always the person who's checking in exactly 24 hours in advance anyway.

Speaking of Southwest, they have joined the baggage fee club.

They

know.

They kind of teased this in March, but now it is confirmed.

The bag fees are here.

And it was sort of sneaky the way they announced it, or rather like didn't announce it at all.

If you purchase basic, want to get away or anytime fares now, you'll have to pay $35 for your first checkbag and $45 for the second check bag.

That's pretty on par with what the other airlines like American Airlines and Delta Airlines charge as well.

But at least we're here with the tips.

Southwest credit card holders still get one free checked bag.

So that's one potential workaround.

We will post those credit cards in the episode description.

Southwest is rolling out all sorts of changes this year, all in different phases.

So the open seating policy is still around.

But starting next quarter, you'll start to see the ability to buy extra legroom and assign seating on Southwest.

You know, Megan, I have to say, I'm still shocked.

In 2025, how many people do not understand Southwest's open seating policy?

So I was just on a Southwest flight two weeks ago, and there was this lady who's like, I am C14.

This guy is in my seat.

The flight attendant was like, no, ma'am, that is not your seat.

This is open seating.

Well, not for long.

Okay, done with airline news.

Time for hotels.

Marriott has a bunch of stuff going on recently.

They now allow Emirates Skyward members to convert their airline miles to Marriott points at a three to two ratio.

I always forget Marriott has all these airline partners.

It's definitely worth looking into, especially if you have elite status, because sometimes you can earn airline miles for your Marriott stays, and all you have to do is link your accounts.

So the transfer ratios don't always make it worth it.

For example, if you're converting Marriott Points to Emirates miles, then three Marriott Points is equivalent to one Skyward smile.

Yeah, so losing a bit of value there.

Marriott also has some summer deals.

If you book from June 4th to June 8th.

The one that started today, it's 20% off at participating hotels or 25% off if you book through the app.

This deal is good for stays between June 9th and July 6th.

So that includes the busy 4th of July holiday weekend.

And don't worry if you miss this sale, you can still catch one at the end of the month starting June 28th.

Geez, that kind of reminds me.

4th of July is coming up too fast.

Yeah.

If you have not booked flights already, get on it.

I actually just updated our story on best days to fly around 4th of July.

we will also link to that in the episode description tldr friday is fourth of july because it's a long weekend i anticipate more people than ever will travel avoid flying on thursday or sunday to avoid those peak crowds i'm flying the monday after fourth of july because it was a hundred dollars cheaper than flying on sunday great minds think alike i'm going to san antonio for fourth of july and also flying home the next day All right, let's go back to Universal Orlando.

Yes, I've got so much to share from my trip.

So for theme park enthusiasts, the park you need to know about this year is Epic Universe, which just opened May 22nd.

Sally, you are there.

This is a brand new theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, which brings their total number of parks to three.

Well, four if you count Volcano Bay, which is a water park.

Now, I will say new park openings are kind of rare.

I remember in 2001 when I went to the Disney's California Adventure Grand opening, it takes years to develop and build theme parks.

Universal Studios Florida is the first of the Universal Parks in Orlando.

That opened in 1990.

Then we got Islands of Adventure in 1999.

Volcano Bay, that one came along in 2017.

That's the water park now here in 2025.

We have Epic Universe.

What's interesting about Epic Universe is that it's almost an entirely separate campus from the other three parks.

Those are all clustered walking distance around City Walk, which is their outdoor dining and shopping district.

Epic, the new park, is about a 15-minute drive from that main campus.

It's also more expensive than the other parks.

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure's one day park tickets start at $119 per day, though of course, like higher demand days can be even more expensive.

And Epic Universe, if you just want that one day park pass, is $139 per day.

at the start.

So Sally, is this park $20 better?

Megan, it is so much more than $20 better.

If you compare those parks, they're fine, but this new park, I really have to say, it is my top contender for possibly best theme park ever.

Absolutely worth it.

Whoa.

I know.

That's a glowing review.

So you and I have both been to Universal Studios Hollywood.

I was going since I was a kid.

I went to Universal Orlando in 2023.

They are good parks, but they do kind of feel like this mishmash of just rides here and there, whatever trendy movie we throw in a ride with Epic Universe.

The whole main entrance is so thoughtful.

They have this area called Celestial Park.

It's kind of this utopian space wonderland.

And then from there, you have what are called these portals.

And then those branch off into themed worlds.

And those worlds are each highly curated to individual franchises.

That all makes sense.

So bring us back to opening day.

What was the vibe like in line?

So many super fans in line.

Why don't I just go ahead and introduce you to one of the most excited guys I met.

His name is Matthew Prevor.

He got there at 10.30 the night before.

I met him at about four the next morning.

I hung out with him and a bunch of other fans.

Before the gates officially opened, Matthew was the first person to get to walk through the gates.

And where are you from?

I'm from Boca Richelieu, Florida.

Did you just sleep on the cement here?

Well, yeah, well, we were here originally, and then they actually made us go across the street, and then at 4 a.m., we were able to come back.

So we created another line on the other side, and then we came back.

Any like top attractions and why?

Monsters and chains.

I love horror.

Big Halloween Horror Nights fan.

And

you know, I just love that the Universal Monsters finally have a permanent home.

We're here to see the opening ceremony.

Whatever they're going to do, they've kept kind of wraps.

And I think we're about to get going.

Okay.

Can everybody hear me?

Yay!

Wow, Matthew is such a super fan and he's a huge fan of the dark universe, which is one of the new lands.

There's a bunch of lands that you kind of talked about a little bit earlier from this main celestial park area.

There's a new Harry Potter land and a Super Nintendo land.

Both of those already have versions at Universal's other theme parks in Florida and California.

But Dark Universe and how to train your dragon, those are completely new lands people have not seen before.

And I will kind of correct you.

The Super Nintendo land is so much bigger than the other lands, and there's a whole back area called Donkey Kong Country.

And then with this Harry Potter land, this is unlike anything you have been to before.

This one is set in 1920s France, which is much different than the worlds that you would see in, say, Universal Hollywood.

So what were some of the first attendees excited for among all these new lands?

Yeah, you mentioned Dark Universe, and I was so surprised how many people are super fans of Dark Universe.

Let's go ahead and just play some interviews of other people I met who were there at 4 a.m.

Where are you headed first today?

The Super Nintendo world.

So my inner child is just going to be sealed.

Skip shop.

Merchandise store so we can get some opening game merch.

Our first stop today is merchandise.

Second stop today seeing if we can get into Ministry of Magic.

We will be springing to Harry Potter first I believe and then we will be transitioning over to Dark Universe.

Besides the gift shop after that probably Dark Universe.

Oh definitely Super Mario wants to get power-up band.

More on those power-up bands later, but I'm still honestly surprised how popular the gift store is because as a theme park lover myself, that's an end-of-the-day activity for me.

And even then, it's something I try to avoid if I'm trying to save money at the park.

Money was definitely not top of mind for people who were there opening day.

Are you doing anything to save money today, or is this a once-in-a-lifetime thing you're not worried about it?

Or Splurging?

This is the only time in my life, I think, that a theme park like this will be opening.

So, money is no subject for today because the money will come back in the future.

This is Splurge Day.

I've been saving up for about a month, working overtime.

We haven't been eating out for the past like three weeks.

We'll try and do a budget, but usually like everyone else here, you never follow it.

Still expensive.

That's why we work hard for our money.

So I do want to make sure our listeners are spending money and time at Epic Universe wisely.

So what is your favorite land?

Which is the one that you think people can probably spend the most time in?

Megan, I have to say, I would not consider myself a how to train your dragon fan.

In fact, I only just watched the movie a few weeks ago in preparation for this assignment.

But Isle of Burke, which is where that movie is set, is easily the best world in this whole park.

It's also the biggest of worlds.

It has an amazing water feature in the center, so it really feels complete.

It transports you to this Viking island.

There are dragons everywhere, including if you get lucky, there are some drones disguised as dragons.

Whoa, that's super cool.

And then there's also some rides here that make you feel like you're riding a dragon.

Is that right?

Yes, this world also felt like the most complete array of rides.

There is a coaster.

It's a family coaster.

I would not call this a kids coaster.

It's called Hiccups Wing Gliders.

Really impressive animatronics.

Cool backwards segment.

So it's got some thrill action in there.

And then Megan, my favorite ride was actually called Dragon Racers Rally.

I don't know if I could recommend it to you if you have a fear of heights, but it's super smooth.

It takes you up around in the air.

You can rotate around, feel like you're riding a dragon.

Also a water ride called Fire Drill.

That's F-Y-R-E.

Not something too exciting, but probably nice on a 95-degree Orlando day.

Basically, you just blast a bunch of water at each other.

And then there's also an amazing show, which I love the costumes for.

Tell us about that.

Yes.

Besides the costumes, the puppetry is amazing.

That is the show called Untrainable Dragon.

It is so much more than an air conditioning and seat break.

It's genuinely well done.

Even if you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it.

It's really sweet.

From everything I've seen, this Isle of Burke land seems like it'll be my favorite because as a theme park lover, I love the storytelling in the lands and this one feels like it got all the details right.

Okay, I will definitely take you back because I'm already waiting to go back.

I want to know more about this supposedly different wizarding world of Harry Potter lands.

So stay with us because that's up next.

Back to Harry Potter.

So each of the main theme parks at Universal Orlando now has a tiny piece of the Harry Potter universe.

At Universal's Islands of Adventure Park, you can visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle.

At Universal Studios Florida, there's a recreation of Diagon Alley.

And today, now at Epic Universe, we have the Ministry of Magic.

This puts you in 1920s Paris, but Make It Magical.

Home to one of the best attractions in the world, Battle at the Ministry.

That's the one that reportedly has five-hour lines, right?

I saw that on the internet.

Luckily, I did not have to wait five hours to try it myself.

Even still, I can't say I would wait five hours, but the queue was really well done.

If you do find yourself waiting that long, they basically have you walking through a full recreation of the ministry, all the way down to the part where you take the flu network to get there.

And what is the flu network exactly?

Harry Potter fans know this, but it's like the dust you get to suddenly appear in the Ministry of Magic instantly.

But they do this cool effect where you step in this like green poof of smoke and then you step into this big room and then you go through all of the ministry.

They have little animatronic animatronic house elves in line.

It's unbelievable.

Wow.

Okay.

So there's only one ride in that world.

What else can you do if you're unwilling to wait in that line?

That is the downfall.

Only one ride.

There is a theater show.

It's something I would recommend you see, but the really top-tier attraction really is the ride.

Other things to do is just generally take some photos, appreciate 1920s Paris, appreciate the butterbeer crepes.

So I actually talked to Anitra Pritchard.

She is senior manager of entertainment operations and show direction at Universal Orlando all about it.

Guests can, for the first time in 1920s Paris, live amongst the wizards there.

They get to see the musicians.

They get to

go and meet Cosme Aquajor, who is our wand expert over there.

And they can talk to Living Portraits.

So it seems like the world that everyone is really looking forward to is Dark Universe.

That's for fans of Halloween horror nights.

This is like special event at Universal during Halloween where they create all these little mazes with people who jump out at you.

They're all themed.

It's very scary.

And I feel like I always get targeted to get the jump scare when I go through these.

Megan, little mazes, I would not undersell it.

These are like huge productions.

Yeah.

They're not that big though, but this land is a big land.

This is all for Halloween horror nights fans.

So tell us a bit more about what you can find there.

There is a class of people who love Halloween horror nights.

They go every year.

The tickets sell out.

Halloween is always a popular season for theme parks.

This is basically a year-round land just for them.

The ride that everyone is talking about is Monsters Unchained.

Wow.

Okay, so I don't want to get too many spoilers about it, but what can you tell me about the ride?

Okay, how about I don't tell you?

How about I just introduce you to one of the women who made this ride?

I am Frances Franceschi.

I'm the production designer for Monsters Unchained.

This is a ride dedicated to our Universal Monsters and also our new character, Dr.

Victoria Henry Frank, Dr.

Victoria Frankenstein, who is essentially the great-great-great-granddaughter of Henry Frankenstein.

That's kind of a thrill ride, but also kind of a dark ride.

How would you describe that?

It's a perfect blend of the two, right?

It is a dark ride in the sense that it's in a black box, you know, but we have so much thrill with the way that we are delivering our monsters, the ride vehicle itself, and just the environment.

Very thrilling.

Going through Dr.

Victoria's catacombs at the Frankenstein Manor and seeing all of her experience, her experiments as she's you're working your way through the catacombs.

All right, the fourth world you can definitely take your kids to.

This is Super Nintendo World.

I actually did a version of this one at Universal Studios Hollywood.

This land has a version of Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge, which is like this dark ride and you put on goggles that are attached to cute little Mario hats.

It's actually not that racing.

Like it doesn't go that fast.

No, I was like kind of disappointed because I wanted to do a Mario Kart ride and I wanted to like race a car and you don't really do that in here.

So that was a bit of a letdown.

And then there's also Toadstool Cafe, which is a mushroom themed food slash dining experience that I actually really liked.

Not the food, but like the

experience.

Oh my gosh, the theming is so cute.

Okay, what else is there in this Super Nintendo land?

Because the one in California is not that big.

This one is bigger.

It has a really kid-friendly ride called Yoshi's Adventure.

It gave me people mover vibes, which I love.

I love a good people mover in this.

So you're just kind of like slowly mosing around the world.

And then there's a whole back area, which you don't have in Hollywood.

This is called Donkey Kong Country.

It has a coaster called Minecart Madness.

And my favorite theme park dessert of them all, that is the DK Crush Float at the Bubbly Barrel.

I saw your photo on Instagram of this.

It looks like too much.

I'm going to be honest.

I mean, it was too much.

It was too much.

Like, not in a bad way.

For Disney Dolwit fans, it's kind of like that, but this is combination banana, pineapple, soft serve.

It is set in a cone, placed on top of Fantasoda.

Then they top it with toffee and caramel popcorn.

The popcorn really puts it over for me.

No, No, no, no.

And then you can pay like $4 more for the souvenir mug.

10 out of 10.

You got to do that.

Oh, gosh.

Okay.

So we're already on the food.

What's the best non-dessert food you ate?

So I would say non-dessert food, easily the mac and cheese cones at Hooligan's Grog and Gruel inside Olive Burke.

I told Tess about these last week.

The cheapest cone, it's plain.

It's $12.

It's mac and cheese topped with goldfish, served inside a cone-shaped hunk of bread.

I did not go for that one.

I did go back twice, once on each day.

The first day I had what's called the Dragon Fire Chicken Spire.

That one is the mac and cheese stuffed in the bread, but they add some spicy chicken with like hot honey, peppers, chimichurri, crispy onions.

Oh my God, so good.

Okay, all of this I can get behind.

I like the spicy.

I like the mac and cheese.

I like the cone.

Everything sounds good.

And then the second day I had the PBNJ.

That stands for pork, maple, and jam.

Each of those are about $15 expensive, but definitely shareable.

So over in the wizarding world, I'm sure they have butterbeer, and then they also have the butterbeer crepes you mentioned earlier.

That sounds really good.

So, Megan, I actually got to talk to one of the chefs who created the food for this park.

Here he is.

I am with Robert Martinez Jr.

He is the director of culinary here at Epic Universe.

We're here at Mead Hall, where there are tons of protein options, and I'm especially intrigued by the Thaw Fest platter because this seems like something I could get for my family and share it and save money that way.

What's the best value value here?

You hit it on the head.

That is the price value here.

You can't go wrong with the golf house platter.

It literally has a little bit of everything from the menu.

So what are we looking at here?

We're looking at some roasted chicken when it has a

wild berry barbecue sauce that's been glazed on top of it.

Some roasted carrots, some delicious Nordic fries, some grilled sausages.

So this is really a price-valued meal here.

I think a party of four could eat this easily.

I like that sharing energy that you can share with all the people you came to Universal with.

Yeah, and then it's just like motivation that you get to buy way more things because you just try everything.

So, one of my favorite things to consume at Universal is actually not the food, but the drinks.

The best thing I had at my last trip to Universal was the boba in Super Nintendo.

Man, I had so many drinks there, both boozy and non-boozy.

So, in the wizarding world, there's this place I also went to twice called Bar Moonshine.

It's a small hideaway tucked in the back.

I think people don't even know it's there.

I tried the Lobe Blaster.

They said this is their most popular drink.

And this is wild.

It had absinthe in it.

It was $18, very Instagrammable.

I don't think there's that much absinthe in it because, like, it's a theme park.

Come on.

But layer of colorful drinks.

Like, so they have lemon juice and then a soda layer.

So I mentioned Speakeasy Vibes and Harry Potter.

Over at Dark Universe, they have this really interesting bar.

If you've followed Epic at all on Instagram, you've seen it.

It's called the Burning Blade Tavern.

It's like this windmill that actually lights up, like, you know, come on, Burning Blade.

So I met up with Universal's beverage program manager there to talk more about it.

I'm here with Josh Frank, who are the beverage program manager.

For people who can't see it because we're listening, what does it look like?

So the Burning Blade Tavern is built underneath a periodically still burning windmill.

This is kind of the lodge and the hangout for the monster hunters when they're done with a long day of hunting monsters.

So they can expect when they order a drink here to try something that is part of this world, that belongs in this world.

And we do that a couple of different ways.

We have certain drinks where we do very direct references to various movies and other properties.

For instance, monocaine is a reference to the secret ingredient in the invisible man's potion that makes him invisible and also quite insane.

I think our darkthorn mead is a really important one.

So this is a Florida-made session mead flavored with blazonberry, blackcurrant, and pink peppercorns, which kind of take that fruity, bright flavor profile, bring it back, make it a little spicy, a little smoky.

There's even like a roasted meat element to the pink peppercorn.

Okay, that drink sounds so good.

The other thing that cracked me up about your visit is all those people you interviewed who said their first stop was the merchandise.

I know.

I was like, I didn't buy anything.

And I was like, did I make a mistake by not buying stuff?

Wow, you didn't buy a single thing.

I mean, come on.

I'm saved by Sally.

I'm not like, I'm trying to be cheap.

But.

I do have a suspicion that they were all trying to buy the opening day merchandise.

There were these coins that everyone was trying to get their hands on.

And I've since seen them on eBay for like $5,000.

Oh my gosh, you missed out.

I was like, oh man, I should have bought this.

So the other two pieces of merchandise that everyone is talking about, those are the power-up bands.

at Super Nintendo World and the wands at Wizarding World.

Now, I will say Universal very kindly gifted both of these items to all of its media guests, myself included.

So I did not pay for it, but I did have it.

I still have it in my closet because they wanted us to try it out.

So it is now early hot takeoffs time.

Are you ready?

Hit me.

No need to wait for the end of the episode to do hot takes.

Okay.

So I have to say, I did not enjoy either of these things.

I am a minimalist and this is already antithetical to my lifestyle, but I was exhausted just trying to carry this thing around.

At least with the power-up bands, it's kind of like a watch or step tracker where it's just on your wrist.

But with the wand, I'm like, where do I put this?

It doesn't fit in my pocket.

It's sticking out of my bag.

I'm worried it's going to fall out.

Also, it was expensive.

So I really don't want to lose it.

Yeah.

How much was the wand?

I got the model that was $65, but there is an $85 model.

That one lights up and has haptic feedback.

Okay, that one must have real magic,

which is, how does it work exactly?

So there is high-tech in there.

I love that there are no batteries, nothing to charge on the $65 version.

Basically, there is this reflective tip on the end of the wand.

And then when you point and move it in certain ways in front of various areas of the wizarding world, it kind of like forces those things to engage.

So you can, let's say, point point it at some pots that boil water and then ultimately they shoot out water and it's like a fun, cool effect.

So who would you say these wands are for?

You should buy them and spend $65.

I do not want to poo-poo the wands entirely because I know a lot of people are really excited about them.

If you love the idea of casting a spell, you are a diehard Potter fan.

Your dream in life is to be able to cast your own spells.

Totally do it.

No nag on that.

Also, in some of the other Universal Parks, there is an Olivander's wand shop.

So Olivander, he's like the shop owner, he picks out a guest from the crowd to go through the experience of selecting a wand.

I've done that twice now.

It's super sweet.

The first time, Olivander picked this little kid and they went through some little spells.

And the kid honestly believed that, you know, he casts a perfect spell.

It was so heartwarming.

The second time I did it, Olivander picked me.

You were the kid.

Dude, Olivander thought I was the child.

I'm 4'10, so I can't blame him.

I played along, but I was like, this is definitely better if you're an actual child.

yeah and then they presented you the bill and you were like sorry i'm safe with sally

so basically i would say if you're buying a wand for a child who truly believes that they are a wizard i love it if you're a diehard potter fan go for it but if you are someone who has to ask yourself should i spend 65 on this wand the second you ask that the answer is no I like that for a philosophy around whether or not you should buy them.

And honestly, life philosophy for anything.

Yeah.

So are you also out on the Nintendo power-up bands too?

I hate to say it, but I am.

And rather than me tell you about it, I'm just going to take you with me to Super Nintendo World so you can hear for yourself how these bands work.

Now that sound you're hearing is the sound of power-up bands collecting coins.

Now, these power-up bands are something that you can purchase for about $45.

They're a wearable device, and you can go around Super Mario World collecting coins.

You can also play some physical games to collect coins as well.

Then you track your status in the app and see how you've done.

The question, should you spend $45 on these bands?

And it's not just $45.

Everyone in your family might want these bands.

So that way you could all outbeat each other on who collects the most coins.

My take, I think this is something that you can skip.

Okay, so I did buy two of these bands the last time I went.

Yeah, I took two of my sisters and my boyfriend.

And like you said, it all adds up very quickly.

Ooh, so two across four people.

Yeah, we bought two for four people.

But at least in LA, the Nintendo land is so small that there's actually not that much to do if you don't have the bands.

I think you would just spend maybe an hour waiting in line for the ride and then you eat it to a school cafe and then that's it.

Right.

So I actually think if you want to have this very full experience and spend a lot of time there, you actually do want the power bands.

So it sounds like at LA you need the bands.

Yeah.

But I think there's a lot to do in the Epic Universe version in Orlando.

You do not need the bands.

That's good to know.

And you can actually use them across both.

If you have been to the LA one and you bring your band with you to the Florida one, you can absolutely use it there.

Yeah.

So when we hang out in LA, I'll bring my band.

So we'll use it.

Perfect.

I'll get the one for my sister.

And I think that brings me to my next tip.

If you really are on a budget, see if you can get a band from someone else.

Like your sister, I will let you borrow my band, people.

You know, what you could really do is you could buy one, assuming it's in working condition on on a site like eBay or Poshmark.

No guarantees that they sent you a real one.

But if it works, then you could use it yourself.

Totally.

And my last tip is that there's like this final showdown mini-game that you unlock with the bands.

And I actually thought that was my favorite thing to do.

Was it the one where you have to like wave your hands around?

Yeah.

I won't give too much away about what you actually have to do, but I thought the technology behind that was super cool, like way cooler than the Mario Kart ride.

I was into it.

I did it as well.

And to finish this show out, what else did you learn from the guests at Epic Universe on opening day?

Megan, how about we just hear from them?

Definitely Monsters Unchained.

It is just as amazing as everyone says it is.

Monsters Unchained is my favorite ride I've ever been on in my entire life.

I love ministry.

The queue alone is amazing.

I love the Howard Trainer Dragon area.

It is stunning.

Hiccups Wing Glider.

I think it's the best coast of here.

I like it more than Stardust.

Nighttime is surreal.

It's probably the best nighttime environment and feel I've ever seen in my life.

The feeling that you get when you walk through that chronos in East Portal, it's a feeling like you don't get any other theme park.

It's the next step in the future of theme parks.

I have to agree, the future of theme parks is here, and I really believe this one is worth it.

Sally, thanks for all these dispatches from Epic Universe.

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