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Tldr; Epic Express saved us 760 minutes (approx 12.5 hours per person).

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If you’re planning a once in a lifetime trip to Universal Epic Universe and want to experience everything with a peace of mind, this is the exact express pass strategy I’d follow again especially during peak holiday crowds. We visited on Monday, December 29, 2025 - right between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, during Epic Universe’s first-ever holiday season.

Yes, Epic Express is very expensive. Ours was $340 per person (holiday pricing), and on average it’s closer to ~$200 for non-holiday. This guide is all about making every dollar count and helping you maximize your time. This itinerary is for people who:

• Preview every available tip, tool, and resource to maximize their experience
• Don’t mind walking a lot (we clocked ~24,000 steps each)
• Are okay NOT hyper-optimizing walking paths
• Want to soak in ambience, eat well, and still crush rides efficiently
• Want to get extra value out of Express by riding top attractions more than once (day and night hits differently)
• Planning to stay from park open to park close

Express Pass Hack 🎟️

Epic Universe was sold out online for our date, but we noticed Epic consistently releases Express passes morning-of around 8:15–8:30am. We bought ours directly in the Universal app.

Morning Strategy 🐉

Most early-entry guests sprint to Nintendo. We did the opposite. Park opens: 9:00am, but plan to arrive by 8:30am (park will open slightly earlier than posted time).

• Rope Drop: Dragon Racers Rally
  • Why first: Not included in Express due to low capacity (only ~24 riders per cycle). The ride also opened up early at 8:45am (instead of 9am opening park time).
  • Our wait: ~20 minutes
  • This ride balloons quickly later in the day - rope drop is non-negotiable. Historical averages hover ~40 minutes with peaks well over 2 hours during holidays.
  • After this, head straight into Dark Universe, which stays empty early.
• Curse of the Werewolf
  • Entered 9:25am, on ride by 9:50am
  • Posted waits later hit 50+ minutes
  • Strategy: Use standby in the morning and save Express for nighttime when crowds build. Ride once in daylight, then again at night with Express for maximum spookiness.
• Monsters Unchained (Frankenstein)
  • Standby only in the morning - save Express for nighttime when it gets busier
  • Entered 10:00am, on ride by 10:20am
  • Strategy: Use standby in the morning and save Express for nighttime when crowds build. Ride once in daylight, then again at night with Express for maximum spookiness.
• 🧀 Snack Break (Epic Food Is Legit)
  • Burning Cheddar Bites – ⭐️ 9/10 (must-get)
  • Hunter Garlic Stake – ⭐️ 4/10 (fine, skippable)
  • Oak & Star Tavern Mango Bread – ⭐️ 10/10 (elite snack)
  • Epic clearly invested in food quality - it exceeded expectations across the board.

Midday: Super Nintendo World (Where Express Prints Time) 🍄

Nintendo becomes chaos by late morning. This is where Express really earns its price.

• Yoshi’s Adventure
  • Entered 11:10am, on ride by 11:30am
  • Posted wait: 95 min
  • Time saved: ~65 minutes