Orlando: Epic Universe park-hopping riding bus between parks

ORLANDO, Fla. — Epic Universe isn’t exactly next door to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, or CityWalk. In fact, it’s about four miles away—on the other side of I-4.

So, what happens if you’re planning to park hop between the parks?

Channel 9 rode the bus to find out.

Our day began at CityWalk, where standard parking costs $32. From there, we made our way to the bus bay to catch a ride to Epic Universe.

Universal Orlando bus Epic Universe is about 4 miles away from Universal's other theme parks. (WFTV staff)

After a 20-minute wait, we boarded the bus. It was packed — which wasn’t a surprise, even though this was only a preview day.

Still, we managed to grab a seat before the bus took off.

Once you leave Universal property, you mix with local traffic on Kirkman Road. Then, you’ll hit your first ride before you enter the park — the new elevated traffic to enter Epic Universe.

It’s massive, efficient, and includes dedicated bus lanes to keep things moving.

“They can get in and out of the park without any congestion,” said Ken Leeming of Orange County Highway Construction.

We timed it. From the moment the bus left CityWalk to our arrival at the Epic Universe bus loop, the ride took 14.5 minutes. From there, it was just a short, three-minute walk to the park’s main entrance.

Prefer to drive? We’ve got you covered. On our preview day visit, it took about 10 minutes to get through the parking gates.