After spending an entire day exploring five worlds that make up Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort's latest destination that officially opens on May 22, 2025, to the public. Before the big day, Universal has been hosting preview events, including one for media that I had the opportunity to attend on behalf of Screen Rant.

During the media event, I toured Epic Universe's five immersive "worlds": Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, Super Nintendo World, and as mentioned, How to Train Your Dagon - Isle of Berk​​​​​​. While I had a lot of fun experiencing what the theme park had to offer, I it that I had different expectations for each area. In fact, I truly thought Dark Universe would be my favorite based on my love of horror, but my top park turned out to be Isle of Berk for several reasons.

6 Isle Of Berk's Park Design

Universal Built Something Special For HTTYD's World

Before I entered How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, I was familiar with artist renderings of the "world," but I was still pleasantly surprised when witnessing it in real life. After walking through the portal, you encounter a large inscribed stone introducing Berk, the home of How to Train Your Dragon's main characters. I was then immediately drawn to the giant statues in the lagoon, which were an impressive design element at the center of the park. Surrounding the lagoon were structures that made it feel like I had been dropped right into the universe.

The architectural design for the Viking village used wooden structure designs that were expertly hand-carved, giving the scenery an extra special feel. Though water was a major element, there's also a lot of greenery to present Berk's "rolling hills." The food areas, shopping, and other attractions surround the lagoon, but thanks to that design, I found that there were plenty of spots to explore and hide from the hot Florida sun.

5 How To Train Your Dragon Elements That Appeal To All Ages

There's Something For Everyone In Berk

Not every Epic Universe guest who enters Isle of Berk will be familiar with the How to Train Your Dragon movies, and that's perfectly fine. The immersive world features aspects that will entice visitors of all ages, whether they are existing fans of the franchise or not. Unlike Dark Universe, which could be a little intense for younger visitors, or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, with its more mature appeal, Isle of Berk had plenty to see and do for those at any age without needing to spend extra money (more on that later).

I probably could have spent all day in just Isle of Berk, and I predict others will feel that same way.

If you want to catch How to Train Your Dragon-inspired rides, there are options for that. If you need time to relax, enjoy the surrounding environment, and drink a cold beer like a Viking, there are plenty of opportunities for that. In fact, there's also a live show, special character encounters, and visual elements taken right out of the movies, including flying dragons throughout the park. I probably could have spent all day in just Isle of Berk, and I predict others will feel that same way.

4 No Extras Needed To Enjoy How To Train Your Dragon - Isle Of Berk

All The Fun Is Included With Your Park

One of my favorite aspects of How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk was that the interactive aspects of the park didn't require extra spending. At The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, there were many franchise elements to explore and find, but some of the coolest aspects of the park were only accessible after buying interactive wands at an extra cost. Similarly, you could play interactive games in Super Nintendo World, though it required purchasing a Power-Up band. That wasn't the case with getting the most out of Isle of Berk, at least in my experience.

All three rides within Isle of Berk will be accessible to Epic Universe visitors, in addition to the live show and character meet-and-greets. Aside from those, I greatly enjoyed checking out the areas around the park that featured moving set pieces, like the baby dragons fighting over a fish, the frost-breathing Snow Wraith, and the sheep hiding in disguises. And those weren't the only park designs that brought the movies to life.

3 The Untrainable Dragon Live Show

Berk Features A Theater Performance With Notable HTTYD Characters

As part of Epic Universe's media preview event, I had the awesome opportunity to attend the park's two new live shows, including Isle of Berk's The Untrainable Dragon. Without giving too much away, the story behind the show centered on Hiccup helping Astrid and Gobber with what they consider an "untrainable" dragon. In addition to live actors portraying the characters, there were musical performances, action scenes, and animated sequences.

Since cameras weren't allowed around the live performance and some ride areas, a few images used in this article are artist renderings of attractions from Universal Orlando Resort.

Of course, my highlight from seeing The Untrainable Dragon was the actual dragons incorporated into the show. Like some of the creatures brought to life (sort of) that wander around Isle of Berk, the live show featured several dragon species, including Toothless, Hiccup's trusty companion. If his appearance isn't exciting enough, I must add that Toothless will be flying right over the heads of the guest seating area multiple times during the show.

2 How To Train Your Dragon - Isle Of Berk's Ride Variety

There Are Options For Different Ride Intensity Levels

I certainly couldn't declare How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk my favorite without mentioning the park's ride options. It was the only park within Epic Universe that had three different ride options: Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Dragon Racer's Rally, and Fyre Drill. Hiccup's Wing Gliders was the most intense, serving as the park's big roller coaster, which notably incorporated Hiccup and Toothless. I especially enjoyed how the coaster utilized the lagoon area to make it feel like you were gliding around the island.

Dragon Racer's Rally had a thrilling design, too, but it also featured a personalized approach where you could control the maneuverable seating area, making each ride unique. Then there was Fyre Drill, which not only served as a water ride for visitors of all ages. I must add that Epic Universe gave Isle of Berk another advantage with Viking Training Camp, a play area for younger guests that included an agility course, slides, dragon climbers, and more.

1 How To Train Your Dragon - Isle Of Berk's Character Meet & Greets

You Have The Chance To Meet The Franchise's Biggest Characters

Several factors came into play when deciding on my #1 "world" within Epic Universe. That said, the character encounters were my favorite part about How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk. As an adult, it might sound silly to get excited about meeting versions of animated characters being the highlight, but I swear I won't be alone in this thinking. Character encounters weren't unique to just Isle of Berk. However, there was something special about randomly walking into actors portraying Astrid and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, especially since they all nailed the looks and personas of their animated counterparts.

It sounds like Dart will also be making appearances at How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, so be on the lookout for the baby dragon.

Then there were the official meet and greets, allowing guests to come face to face with certain characters and their dragons, or in this case, life-like animatronics that responded and reacted to guests. During the meet and greet, Toothless allowed me to give him a pat on the head before giving me a giant smile when I asked if he was ready for a photo. If you have meet-and-greets on your to-do list, I suggest getting to Haddock Paddock early since it will be a popular destination at Universal Epic Universe, but it was totally worth any wait.