Universal Is Shutting Down My Favorite Epic Universe Attraction Ahead Of Opening, But I'm Stoked About One Thing That's Happening

(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

Universal Orlando Resort’s new Epic Universe theme park still doesn’t officially open for a couple more weeks, but the park is actually available for guests to visit right now, as long as they’re willing to deal with potential problems, as the park is still in a testing phase.

Several attractions have experienced downtimes during the previews, which can be frustrating, but load testing is part of what previews are for. Unfortunately, my favorite attraction at Epic Universe is about to experience more than just a simple breakdown, as it's actually being closed for a week ahead of Epic's official opening.

Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry Is Closing During Previews

According to the Universal Orlando Resort website, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry will close down for a week, starting this Saturday, May 10, through Friday, May 16. The Viking Training Camp playground inside the How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk land will also close from May 12 -16. Both attractions will reopen on the 17, ahead of the park’s official opening on May 22.

Reports have indicated that Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry has, like many brand-new complex attractions, been going through some growing pains. The ride has been down for a significant portion of the Epic Universe preview, and when it’s up, it requires a virtual queue, which is opened up to guests at unannounced times. It’s likely Universal wants to give the attraction some TLC ahead of Epic Universe's official opening.

The Queue For Battle At The Ministry Is Staying Open

However, if you’ve already bought preview tickets for one of those days, all is not lost. While the brand new Harry Potter attraction, which was my favorite part of my Epic Universe preview, will be closed, the queue, which is a not insiginficant portion of the reason that Battle at the Ministry is so good, will remain open, for “self-guided tours” which is a nice way of saying you can wander around the Ministry of Magic on your own.

While the Battle at the Ministry ride is pretty incredible, in fact, all of Epic Universe's Wizarding World is, and it’s unfortunate that some will not be able to check it out, it’s pretty awesome that the queue will remain open. This means guests will be able to travel through the “Metro Floo” and enter the Ministry. They’ll also be able to see the animated figure of the House elf Higgeldy.

Higgeldy the house elf in the Ministry of Magic attraction queue — (Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

There are a lot of fun details in the Ministry queue for fans to find. I wasn’t able to spend nearly as much time as I wanted while I was there because I had an attraction to get on. Without that pushing people forward, those who want to can spend as much time as they want there, and that’s pretty cool.

This is an opportunity that almost certainly won’t be there during normal operating hours, so it’s nice that Epic Universe is taking the opportunity to give guests what they can, when they can. Hopefully, the added downtime will help make sure that Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry officially opens in good working order.

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CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis. Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.