This land/universe aims to recreate The Isle of Berk from the animated How to Train Your Dragon films. Upon entering you are greeted by a large stone which is inscribed with the story of Berk. After walking around the stone you are met by an immense body of water. Jutting out are two enormous statues, one of which emits fire. They are the same statues from the films.
This land/universe feels sizable, and easily the best and coolest thing about it are the numerous animatronic dragons that litter the land. You won't see them right away, but will come across them as you explore the island. This is something theme park fans have dreamt about forever, integrating animatronic figures into your lands, and to finally see it brought to reality is unreal and incredible. There are walk around characters from the films including Astrid, Gobber, Hiccup, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and several dragons.
Toothless gets his very own meet-and-greet area with wait times regularly running at two to three hours. That's another one I'm taking a BIG L on. I did get to see Toothless and his interactions with guests and he really is amazing to behold. An incredibly impressive animatronic. I just didn't get to personally interact with him.
The only walk around characters I got to meet were Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who were almost constantly out and interacting with guests. They are very fun and lively, and are a joy to talk to. I didn't get to ride Dragon Racer's Rally, but I'm ok with that. The land itself feels more for families or kids, but that isn't a bad thing. It's colorful, animated, and lively. Overall, a pretty fun area to spend some time in.
HICCUP'S WINGED GLIDERS
This is Epic Universe's Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure. There are several launch moments/acceleration points, Hiccup is there with you the entire time via constant voice-over narration, and the ride itself is very smooth, pleasant, and fun. It's more of a family coaster than a kiddie coaster as there are some thrills to be found here. The bare basic plot is that Hiccup has designed a new contraption that will help us fly like dragons. Before he can put the final wings on our vehicle, a jealous Toothless launches us early and thus we have a roller coaster.
There are an animatronic Toothless and Hiccup you encounter before the launch, and several other animatronics of dragons both babies and adults as you coast around Berk. Easily my favorite part of the coaster is flying through what I guess you would call the dragon rookery. The rookery is a large, open-air structure that essentially acts as a bunch of birdhouses for the dragons. As we fly through the rookery, we have to dodge and weave amongst several dragon's heads. It's a really cool, magical moment.
THE UNTRAINABLE DRAGON
If you don't want to wait in a two to three hour wait to meet Toothless, but you still want to see that dragon fly, then getting your butt in a seat for The Untrainable Dragon is an absolute must. It's the best show at the park and is essentially Epic's 'Finding Nemo: The Musical' (talking about the OG version and not the "updated" one). It's a true broadway production with great songs (Universal really should release an album for the show. I would buy one. My favorite song was the opening one), impressive sets, surprisingly cool fight scenes, and lively choreography.
The plot involves a new dragon that arrives on Berk, threatening the island with it's aggressive attitude and untrainable nature. It's up to Hiccup to find a way to train the dragon or else it very well may be slaughtered by Berk's vikings. The highlight of the show is the second scene, where Co2 is pumped into the theater to replicate clouds while images of clouds fill the screens that surround the theater. Then, Toothless swoops in from above.
A fully-realized, fluid, lifelike animatronic of Toothless soars above your heads. On top of Toothless is a live-actor playing Hiccup. A live-actor is riding an animatronic dragon as it's swooping and literally diving over your heads. Hiccup will wave at audience members as this is happening. Then, as if that weren't enough, Toothless proceeds to descend downwards, landing on the stage. Hiccup gets off Toothless, and Toothless flies up into the air and off stage. Absolutely freaking incredible. Mind-blowing. You will believe you saw a dragon fly.
SPIT FYRE GRILL RESTAURANT
This quick-service restaurant has what is undoubtedly the most popular food item at Epic Universe: The Mac and Cheese Cone. I opted for the tastier variety, called The PB and J- Pork, Bacon and Jam. It's a bread cone that is filled with Mac and Cheese, BBQ harissa pulled pork, and peanut bacon jam. I chose to sit at Hooligan's Harbor, which is a covered area that overlooks Fyre Drill, an interactive shooting water ride which seems to have a small footprint (Didn't get to ride this, either). It's a very pleasant area to eat at, but unfortunately the PB and J gave me some painful indigestion for a good two to three hours. Not fun.