We went to Universal Epic Universe before it opened to the public, and we rode EVERY ride in the park!

Epic Universe

Across two different previews, we’ve checked out all the rides, and we’ve been sharing our experiences in the park so that you know what to expect when Epic Universe opens to the public on May 22nd, 2025. And if you’re hyped about Super Nintendo World, we’re here to share exactly what it’s like to ride Mine-Cart Madness!

Mine-Cart Madness is the new Donkey Kong-themed coaster in Epic Universe. It’s located in the Donkey Kong Country area of Super Nintendo World, and it has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve in terms of special effects.

Mine Cart Madness

This is described as one of the family coasters in the park, so it’s made for kids and adults alike to enjoy. But the neat thing about it? There are parts of the ride where you appear to jump OFF the track, just like in the video games you know and love. 

Mine Cart Madness

Even though this is a family coaster, we found it pretty thrilling because of the fact that it looks like the track drops out from under you. It makes the drops feel droppier and the jumps feel jumpier! The illusion is pretty good overall, however, there were some times when our ride vehicle was supposed to have “jumped” and it didn’t truly feel like we were airborne.

Donkey Kong Country

The main caution we’ll give you with this coaster is that it is incredibly herky-jerky. Especially on the “jump” portions, there’s a lot of shaking that makes you feel like you’re being thrown around a little. But all that jerkiness really just adds to the overall thrill. We would definitely say that this coaster is a level above Curse of the Werewolf in terms of thrill.

The ride vehicles

Even outside of the thrill, this ride has some truly incredible theming. You go both indoors and outdoors, and you get a great view of the Donkey Kong Country set pieces throughout. The end of the ride features a giant Donkey Kong animatronic, and you get the golden banana, which would be really fun for fans of Donkey Kong as a franchise. Nintendo lovers will appreciate the storyline and theming — it’s really immersive!

Portal Entrance to Super Nintendo World

So that’s our experience with Mine-Cart Madness! We’ll continue to share updates from Epic Universe, and if you want to learn more about the new park, check out our video below.

Stay tuned to DFB for more news from Universal Orlando!

Click Here to Step Inside Epic Universe With Us!

Are you going to Epic Universe in 2025? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Universal Orlando to attend their media preview of Epic Universe. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ