Adventure seekers may be thrilled about the opening of one of the year’s most highly anticipated new theme parks. But it’s also about to become more expensive to hop on a plane and get there.
Ahead of the May 22 opening of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, fans eager to visit might be in for a shock.
According to data from Hopper, the average price of flights to Orlando has jumped to over $200 for the dates around the opening. Around the same time last year, flights were averaging $179.
“Prices for flights to Orlando from U.S. cities for the first 10 days of Epic Universe are 17% higher than the same 10 days last year,” Hayley Berg, Hopper’s chief economist, told USA Today.
“This is not surprising, as airfares to Orlando are higher for all dates in May compared to last year.”
Flights to Orlando are even higher between June and August at $217, an increase of about 8% from last year, according to Hopper.
But there is some good news.
According to new data from aviation analytics company Cirium, 12 major airlines are increasing their capacity by 11,000 seats compared to May 2024, USA Today reported. There are also planned capacity increases for the peak summer months.
Epic Universe is the first major theme park to open in Florida since Universal Islands of Adventure debuted in 1999. The new park features five distinctively-themed sections: Celestial Park, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, and How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berke. It also boasts a 500-room hotel.
With the addition of Epic Universe, the total number of Universal Studios’ Florida theme parks rises to four.
Single-day park tickets start at $139 for adults but jump to $199 during peak periods.
Those prices aren’t far off from crosstown rival Walt Disney World. Single-day admission to one of its four parks starts at $119. That starting price jumps to $174 during holidays and other high-volume periods.
