Epic Universe Fans Were Pumped Walking To Stardust Racers As It Opened, But Wait Times Were Wild

Fans wandering into Epic Universe on Saturday were frenetic. The energy was palpable and cheers went through the crowd, despite the darkened clouds and ponchos dampening the day. After 17 days Stardust Racers reopened, and notwithstanding the tragic loss of life last month, theme parkgoers were pumped to get on the ride again. Nowhere did that show so clearly than in the wait times for the ride.

But first, see what I mean about the crowd energy? People were legitimately stoked to be there, rain or shine, as one X users showed.

Of Course Epic Universe Reopening Has Led To Insane Wait Times

Epic Universe only has 11 rides and a few show attractions, so wait times have already been notable since the new Universal Orlando theme park opened in May. There’s a lot to do and see that’s not a ride, but Harry Potter and the Battle At The Ministry has been known to incur long waits since the very beginning. Since Stardust Racers is a dual coaster with two tracks, its wait times have varied based on a variety of factors, but until yesterday it didn't really have a reputation of pulling together the longest queues.

Yet, on the day the coaster reopened, theme park fans flocked to the dual coaster, leaving some of the park’s typical heavy hitters a bit easier to ride on in comparison. One X (formerly Twitter) user noted the dichotomy in a post, joking that “nature is healing.”

On Sunday morning, this wait had calmed down considerably, though it was still a bit of a line to catch the Epic coaster. The park opened at 10 a.m. and wait times quickly jumped to 35, then 45 minutes. By 10 minutes to 11 a.m., the attraction was already at a 60-minute wait, but that’s still not so wildly out of the stratosphere as wait times seemed to be on Saturday. (Note: and it subsequently dropped.)

Some guests who rode the attraction over the weekend noted some of the signage had changed on the ride, which squares with an internal memo making the rounds.

Following a safety inspection from Florida state inspectors, the ride had been reportedly been confirmed to be working properly and the team had followed safety checks on the day Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died. President and COO Karen Irwin also noted “systems” and “equipment” functioned “as intended” in a letter to staff. While the lawyer representing the family of Zavala, Ben Crump, has spoken out against the reopening, the coaster operated yesterday into the evening with no notable reports, at least outside of the wild wait times.