Epic Universe One Year Later & Halloween Horror Nights Review: Express Pass, Ride Waits, Best Houses and Scare Zones

Caitlyn is back from maternity leave (welcome, baby Clara!) and Steve and Lisa are just home from their annual Labor Day weekend at Universal Orlando, this year with a new addition: a full day at Epic Universe before Halloween Horror Nights.

First up, an honest Epic Universe review now that the park has had time to settle in. Is Express Pass worth it? (Short version: if you're only there for one day, yes, and note that Epic's Express is a separate ticket that isn't included with the Universal hotel unlimited Express perk.) We talk about the jaw-dropping walk into Super Nintendo World, why Mine-Cart Madness and Ministry of Magic were down until the afternoon and what a Universal team member told us about ride safety sensors and reset times, how long the Express lines really were, and the difference between Stardust Racers green and yellow (think Slinky Dog on overdrive versus a lap-bar coaster that's more intense than VelociCoaster). Plus the food finds: the DK Crush float in the Donkey Kong barrel mug, pumpkin juice and quiche for breakfast in the Wizarding World, a hidden German restaurant down a back alley in Paris, and Burning Blade Tavern. And a warning about the stairs. So many stairs.

Then it's on to Halloween Horror Nights: how the new Stay and Scream wristband setup works, why the gates opened late, whether HHN Express is worth paying more than the admission ticket (we did all 10 houses in about four hours), and our picks for the best houses this year, including the Ozzy Osbourne tribute, Sinners, Hellraiser, Stranger Things, Jack and Oddfellow, Madlands, and the delightfully corny H.R. Bloodengutz house. We also cover the scare zones (the Fortnite zone got so packed security was routing people around it), the improved food booths, the all-new closing show, and the annual tradition of buying $100 worth of Universal umbrellas.

We wrap up with a surprise reunion with Bob from the original Mouse Chat crew and a story about the time Disney gave us a real recording studio to tape an episode.

Mouse Chat is sponsored by Pixie Vacations. Ready to plan your Universal Orlando, Epic Universe, or Disney World vacation? Our agents plan it for free at PixieVacations.com. Questions or comments for the show? Email us at comments@mousechat.net.