Universal Parks have family rooms on most rides with a heigh restriction where non-riders can wait for their family members to ride the attraction. The Epic Universe family rooms are awesome. Some of their best family rooms yet. You can also use this space to do a rider swap.
Not all Family Rooms are the same though. Here are some of the family rooms at Epic Universe that we used.
Epic Universe Family Rooms
Stardust Racers
- Air Conditioned
- Seating
- TVs playing advertisements
- Enclosed
Mine Cart
- Seating
- Not Air Conditioned
- Small
Monsters Unchained
- Air Conditioned
- Private Bathroom
- Seating
- TVs playing advertisements
Battle at the Ministry
- Air Conditioned
- Private Bathroom (just outside room)
- Water Fountain
- Limited Seated
- TVs playing advertisements
The family room at Monsters Unchained was my favorite as it had the most amount of seating and a bathroom. Keep in mind that you do go through most of the queue for the attraction before you get to the family room. The family room is usually the last thing before you board the attraction. This means your entire travel party will see the queue/pre show area and if you feel the queue is going to be too much for them (scary, dark, etc) then you will want to touch base with a team member at the entrance.
Rider Swap
Rider swap is a great option when you have a member of your travel party that can’t ride and needs someone to wait with them. This is a quick an easy process. For example, a family of 2 parents and 3 children are in line for a ride and 1 of the kids is too short to ride. The first parent rides with the 2 taller children while the second parent waits with the smaller child. When they get off, the second parent can get back on with the 2 taller children and the first parent can wait with the smaller child.
As you approach the attraction and meet team members by the lockers/metal detectors, you will need to let them know you are using the family room or doing rider swap and they will direct you where to go.
Other Uses for the Family Room
Although rider swap is one of the most common reason to use an Epic Universe family room, it does have other purposes. On our last trip, I was not able to ride attractions due to recent surgery. I used the family room to wait for my travel party to ride. I enjoyed going through the queue and waiting together.
Family room is also great for older members of the travel party that are not as adventurous. It allows them to get a “taste” of each ride and have some experiences without riding the attraction itself. It can be a lot of fun and keep them from spending the day just waiting outside.
It can also be a good chicken out area. Maybe you have a family member that thinks they want to ride, but changes their mind. You can have them wait in the family room.
This is also a great option for a single parent taking their kids/teens. Maybe the parent doesn’t want to ride everything the kids do. Since you stay together just until boarding, you can wait together and then duck out at the family room. The kids/teens can ride without you, but you are together most of the time. This only works if the kids are over 7.
The Epic Universe family rooms have so many uses and they are an important feature of the park. It helps make the park more accessible for everyone and helps everyone have fun together.
