Universal Orlando just dropped a lot of information about its new Epic Universe theme park, including details about some rides, restaurants, and other features coming to the new, immersive lands. But there are some more SECRET facts hidden in the announcements!

We dug into the latest announcements and spotted four hidden details that you won’t want to miss!

The Dining Room at Atlantic Gives the Illusion of Being Underwater

One of the new restaurants coming to Celestial Park at Epic Universe is Atlantic. This full-service restaurant is located “across the shimmering waters of the Neptune pool” and specializes in seafood and steaks. Universal describes it as “an undersea culinary fantasy.”

The decor turns the dining room into “an enormous Victorian aquarium,” complete with starfish and illuminated fish. Universal shared this fun fact about the dining room: “The decorative fish that line the ceiling are surrounded by metallic curtains that shimmer as they sway, creating the illusion of being underwater in a massive aquarium.”

But that’s not the only hidden fact about this restaurant. There will also be a BAR inside! You can grab a cocktail at the Aquaria Bar.

The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant Has Easter Eggs Hidden in the Decor

Another restaurant coming to Celestial Park is The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant.

Here, visitors dine “inside a bustling courtyard, where it’s always evening under the glow of ethereal lanterns.” The restaurant serves Pan-Asian cuisine.

Universal shared more details about the decor of this spot, noting that “dazzling neon dragons chase across the walls.” There’s also a Tiger Bar with a big neon sign! But the decor is more than just pretty — it’s also filled with easter eggs!

Universal said, “Be sure to keep your eyes open while dining. The signage hanging around the restaurant contains many easter eggs of Celestial Park you won’t want to miss.”

Ride Vehicles on Starfall Racers Will Really Look Like Comets at Night

We can’t WAIT to ride Starfall Racers, which is a dual-launch roller coaster with ride vehicles that are decorated to look like comets.

This ride sounds like it’ll be awesome any time of day, but there’s one very important reason why you might want to ride it at NIGHT. Universal shared, “With no external track lighting at night, the fully illuminated ride vehicles appear as comets shooting across the night sky above Celestial Park.”

Since the ride vehicles are lit up but the track isn’t, it’ll look like the track isn’t even there in the dark!

The coaster will reach speeds up to 62MPH with a track that’s 5,000 feet long and reaches up to 133 feet high.

Don’t Forget To Look Up When You Ride Constellation Carousel

Another ride coming to Celestial Park is Constellation Carousel. This carousel will have carriages shaped like celestial lions, peacocks, dragons, and more.

Each of those animals turns 360 degrees and lifts up to six feet in the air. But you won’t want your attention to just be on the animals — you’ve got to look up to see some cool features on the ceiling! Universal said, “The ceiling of Constellation Carousel is a Star Tracker featuring rotating celestial star patterns, with a center Mesmerizer creating a ribbon cone effect above you while riding.”

We can’t wait to see all the new attractions when Epic Universe opens in 2025. Want more news about this new theme park? Check out these posts:

• Universal Confirms 5 Themed Lands for Epic Universe
• Universal Announces 3 NEW Rides Coming to Epic Universe
• 5 New Restaurants Announced for Universal’s Epic Universe
• 8 Huge Announcements About the Celestial Park Land Inside Epic Universe

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest updates!

Click here for our complete guide to Epic Universe.

Are you planning a 2025 trip to Epic Universe? Let us know in the comments!

The post 4 Secret Facts REVEALED About Universal’s Epic Universe first appeared on the disney food blog.

It’s been a while since we’ve stopped for a quick snack in EPCOT that wasn’t a festival food offering.

While we’ve been trying all the food booths from the Festival of the Arts and envisioning covering our walls with the latest Disney-inspired artwork, we needed to take a moment to stop by one of our favorite snack spots for a quick bite to eat. And we’re sure glad we did!

On a recent trip to EPCOT, we found ourselves strolling through the beautiful France pavilion, and suddenly realized it had been a while since we’d stopped by one of our favorite snack spots! Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie at EPCOT is almost the very definition of a “hole in the wall” snack shop because it resides right inside the shop at the Beauty and the Beast sing-along exit.

We typically like most items that come from this restaurant, and their “grab and go” style of service really helps keep us moving through the rest of our day at the park. We were browsing the menu a bit when a new offering caught our attention. We spotted a new snack that had been added to the menu, the Patisserie a L’abricot. 

We picked up this little cutie for $4.95 and were instantly chomping at the bit to try it! It’s made of a lightly toasted croissant that has a sweet and buttery inside with a sliced apricot on either side topped with powdered sugar.

So. Much. Yum!

This is the Patisserie a L’abricot from Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie for $4.95!

It’s an apricot filled pastry topped with powdered sugar! pic.twitter.com/zzQaganeui

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 29, 2024

 

 

This snack really surprised us! There were pros and cons to it. We thought it was fairly straightforward in its presentation. A slice of apricot is lightly baked into each of the toasted croissant’s open sides, giving it a nice fruity flavor. It’s a little tart (as you would expect a ripe apricot to be), but it’s delightful against the soft flaky croissant.

However, there’s nothing inside the rest of the croissant, which was a bit disappointing. We were hoping to get more of the fruit inside the croissant and not just on the ends, but that was not the case. This might explain why it’s priced so well.

Overall we enjoyed this as a quick bite to curb our appetite and to keep us going. But be aware that this croissant is not filled with apricot throughout. If that’s what you’re looking for, we would suggest another one of their fruit pastries.

We’ve reviewed EVERY snack, treat, and restaurant in Disney World, so check out all of our reviews below. Be sure to stay tuned with us for more food and snack reviews at Disney Food Blog!

REVIEW: Fried Oreos and Spiked Lemonade? You’ve Got Our Attention, Disney!

Have we tempted you enough to try this new Disney snack? Give us your thoughts on it in the comments below!

The post REVIEW: There’s a NEW Treat at Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie in EPCOT! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Tons of HUGE announcements just dropped about Universal Orlando’s new theme park, Epic Universe. All of the details about the five immersive lands have us seriously excited for the park’s 2025 opening!

Universal confirmed a few new rides that are coming to Epic Universe, and now we’ve discovered a key detail about two of those rides: the height requirements! If you’re thinking about planning a trip, you’ll want to make note of this info so that you know whether your little ones will be able to go on the new rides.

The rides that Universal confirmed are both coming to Celestial Park, which is the central hub of Epic Universe. There’s a roller coaster that’s themed to the cosmos and a beautiful carousel!

Starfall Racers

To ride this coaster, guests will need to be at least 48″ tall.

Starfall Racers is a dual-launch roller coaster, so two vehicles launch simultaneously and “race” each other! The coaster will reach speeds up to 62 miles per hour, and the track will reach up to 133 feet high. In total, there are 5,000 feet of track.

The ride vehicles look like comets, and they “race along an inverted crisscross, known as the ‘Celestial Spin’ in a dazzling display of blazing colors and ethereal music.”

Universal shared this cool fact about the coaster: “With no external track lighting at night, the fully illuminated ride vehicles appear as comets shooting across the night sky above Celestial Park.”

Constellation Carousel

There is no height requirement for the Constellation Carousel, so the whole family can enjoy this ride.

This “imaginative carousel” is themed to the constellations. The animals in the carousel include celestial lions, dragons, peacocks, and more.

Every animal rotates 360 degrees and lifts riders up to six feet in the air! Universal said, “Celestial music and color dazzle your senses as you whirl and twirl together across the Milky Way.”

We’ll keep watching for more updates from Universal Orlando, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest news.

Click here to learn more about Epic Universe!

The post NEWS: Universal Announces Height Requirements for 2 NEW Rides Coming to Epic Universe first appeared on the disney food blog.

Universal Orlando Resort confirmed that an Epic Universe preview center will open at CityWalk later this year.

Epic Universe Preview Center

In a press release about Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort wrote that “an interactive preview center at Universal CityWalk” will open later in 2024 and offer a sneak peek of the park.

The Universal Legacy Store closed in early January and we speculated the space would become an Epic Universe preview center. Universal did not confirm that location would house the preview center but it makes sense.

On Tuesday, Universal Orlando Resort confirmed the five themed lands of Epic Universe, released a behind-the-scenes video, shared Celestial Park details, and released Epic Universe concept art. Epic Universe is scheduled to open in 2025, with new Universal Orlando Resort hotels opening in January and February 2025. Epic Universe will also have the in-park Universal Helios Grand Hotel.

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The post Universal Confirms Epic Universe ‘Interactive’ Preview Center Coming to CityWalk appeared first on WDW News Today.