Universal Fan Fest Nights 2026

[kingcooger]

I went all three nights

Basic Idea is this

1) Get HP done at rope drop with Early access and you wont have to wait the 60-120 mins to get on it

How early do they allow you to line up for this and where does the line begin?

2) Unless you have EA, I'd skip meeting Sailor Moon or the One Piece characters. Sailor moon take up t0 about 90 mins to 2 hours for most guests because of the system they have.

Much like HP, how early do they allow lineup and where does the line begin?

4) One Piece food sometimes isn't as bad before the event starts but most of the time there is a line out the door during the event.

How has mobile ordering been working with this? Can I do an order for the food BEFORE 6pm with a later pickup time?

5) The 4 Colored Yoshis are all easy to meet, just get there and either start meeting them or wait for them to do their little dance about every 30 mins (at the spot Mario meets normally) and then go meet them. I've never had an issue meeting the 4 Yoshi's in the land within 30 mins, this area just works. You can meet Mario and Green Yoshi but the line has been too long for me to try it yet

Are there aleast Yoshis out or do they go on break at the same time as one another?

8) Jurassic Area is open for EA, and not to busy but nightime is the best time to be in this area for photos and the Raptor show. The Raptor show seems to happen like one an hour, same with the triceratops, so every 30 mins there should be a show in this area, along with live island music happening normally when one of the Dino shows are not going

Were the set times for the mini shows at all consistent?

What time do the regular daytime attractions close for the event?

Specifically eyeballing SLOP, Tram, and KFP.

Also, can you switch from upper to lower lot or vice versa during early entry?

 

[Jerroddragon]

How early do they allow you to line up for this and where does the line begin?

Much like HP, how early do they allow lineup and where does the line begin?

How has mobile ordering been working with this? Can I do an order for the food BEFORE 6pm with a later pickup time?

Are there aleast Yoshis out or do they go on break at the same time as one another?

Were the set times for the mini shows at all consistent?

What time do the regular daytime attractions close for the event?

Specifically eyeballing SLOP, Tram, and KFP.

Also, can you switch from upper to lower lot or vice versa during early entry?

1) If you have EA you can line up at the Land entrance near the Plaza/middle of the park, they walk you to the castle...you want to get there before 7:15 PM thats when they let you walk to the Q for the attraction. Also they do line you up near the Simpsons land entrance as well but let in the main entrance before from what I see
2) Sailor Moon meet at 6 PM, meaning you need EA and a AP to really make this line. I was in line at 5:20ish PM and closed before 5:30 PM....you can line up for the next meet and greet but will have to wait until 7:30 PM, meaning you'd use all your EA time to meet one character.
3) For One Piece they start at 6:30 PM, so get there no later then 6:15 PM, you want to go towards the WW exit and you should see a line of people waiting to go back to the One Piece meet and greet around 6:30 PM, they will stop meeting guests at 8:15ish PM because of the show
4) I don't know if it has mobile order for One Piece, have not looked but with the lines assume its line only
5) All Yoshi's leave and enter at the same time, its really quick. Unlike the anime characters its like 5 mins or less when they exit and then re enter to do the little Yoshi dance then meet people, at least the two nights I saw them I had NO issues meeting them all within like 30 mins, just the Green and Mario meet and greet has longer lines normally
6) I think the Jurassic shows have set times but not sure when they are but its One show...then 30 mins later the next show and so on until shows are done. At least the TMs I tried to talk to always just drop hints and like never want to give out times, no Idea why times aren't on the app
7)I think most ride lines close by 5:30 PM but the Tram closes 1 hour and 45 mins before the park closes, so like 4:15 PM is when that closes.
8) Yes if you have EA, you can go to the lower lot or upper lot no issues but can't do that if you don't have Early access

 

[kingcooger]

1) If you have EA you can line up at the Land entrance near the Plaza/middle of the park, they walk you to the castle...you want to get there before 7:15 PM thats when they let you walk to the Q for the attraction. Also they do line you up near the Simpsons land entrance as well but let in the main entrance before from what I see
2) Sailor Moon meet at 6 PM, meaning you need EA and a AP to really make this line. I was in line at 5:20ish PM and closed before 5:30 PM....you can line up for the next meet and greet but will have to wait until 7:30 PM, meaning you'd use all your EA time to meet one character.
3) For One Piece they start at 6:30 PM, so get there no later then 6:15 PM, you want to go towards the WW exit and you should see a line of people waiting to go back to the One Piece meet and greet around 6:30 PM, they will stop meeting guests at 8:15ish PM because of the show
4) I don't know if it has mobile order for One Piece, have not looked but with the lines assume its line only
5) All Yoshi's leave and enter at the same time, its really quick. Unlike the anime characters its like 5 mins or less when they exit and then re enter to do the little Yoshi dance then meet people, at least the two nights I saw them I had NO issues meeting them all within like 30 mins, just the Green and Mario meet and greet has longer lines normally
6) I think the Jurassic shows have set times but not sure when they are but its One show...then 30 mins later the next show and so on until shows are done. At least the TMs I tried to talk to always just drop hints and like never want to give out times, no Idea why times aren't on the app
7)I think most ride lines close by 5:30 PM but the Tram closes 1 hour and 45 mins before the park closes, so like 4:15 PM is when that closes.
8) Yes if you have EA, you can go to the lower lot or upper lot no issues but can't do that if you don't have Early access

Thank you for all of this!

If I wanted to do Sailor Moon and hopefully still get a good spot for HP, would you think that’s achievable by going to Sailor first and then immediately over to HP?

 

[Jerroddragon]

Thank you for all of this!

If I wanted to do Sailor Moon and hopefully still get a good spot for HP, would you think that’s achievable by going to Sailor first and then immediately over to HP?

If you are in the park already for EA and have 2 PM or an AP then yes, hit Sailor Moon meet and greet then her show and head to HP

If you have to wait for Sailor moons 7:30 PM meet and greet time then just do it whenever because its going to take 2ish hours anyway and at opening you get on HP in under 40 mins vs the rest of the night

 

[DTH]

Watched the videos and I think I'll be skipping the event again. Hopefully next year it'll be at a level that I am good at. Hearing about the crowds and that even with Express, people are not able to get everything done, sounds like it'd be a miserable experience with GA -- which is all I'm willing to invest on this event since these IPs are not really my thing.

The Scooby Doo/Monsters tram was my most anticipated and it doesn't really look like it quite hit the mark. There's some things I love about it, like being in Little Europe, but overall, just seems a little underbaked for the types of crowds it is getting for it to be a satisfactory experience and everyone crowding things.

The One Piece stunt show looks cool, but end of the day, just looks like the WaterWorld show to me with the stunts and explosions in a different order. Maybe if I was a fan of this IP, it'd do something for me, but as of now, I am fine missing it.

The Harry Potter walkthrough looks...okay. With the high praises, I thought it'd be more scenes, but it legit looks like 4 set ups, one of them being a fairly cool ending I must admit, but everything else I'd be underwhelmed by.

Jurassic is a fine little museum piece. Sailor Moon is what it is. And I didn't have much interest in seeing D&D last year.

Not interested in food or meet and greets, so none of that will get me there either.

 

[Brian G.]

 

[ParkExplorer9513]

View attachment 29682

That was how I learned Sanji has fire powers, lel

 

[highdefrex]

Oh, but when I light myself on fire at the park, no one's entertained and I'm branded a menace.

 

[Jaden]

Listen if this show comes back, I hope they bring on Franky.

You know damn well the audience would scream along “SUUPEERRRRRR!”

 

[Jerroddragon]

Listen if this show comes back, I hope they bring on Franky.

You know damn well the audience would scream along “SUUPEERRRRRR!”

My hope is the show can slowly evolve

No idea of next year but I hope we at least see more meet and greet characters and go from there

 

[Viator]

Robin and a full-body Chopper should be the next major things for One Piece.

Chopper specifically for M&G's--having him join the M&G crew in rotation feels like something that would bear fruitful. It's also not like Chopper in full body isn't possible either--look no further than Japan and the One Piece cafes.

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

Also I heard Hollywood and dine might open for day guest with the one piece food

 

[ParkExplorer9513]

Also I heard Hollywood and dine might open for day guest with the one piece food

It does. I got there around 2:20 on Friday and got my lunch there. Had the meat on bone, watermelon salad, and tangerine breeze, really good selection!

 

[quinnmac000]

Robin and a full-body Chopper should be the next major things for One Piece.

Chopper specifically for M&G's--having him join the M&G crew in rotation feels like something that would bear fruitful. It's also not like Chopper in full body isn't possible either--look no further than Japan and the One Piece cafes.
View attachment 29683

You mean like this?

 

[Jerroddragon]

So thoughts on the first weekend

The first night had a lot of little issues that just snowballed into the event feel just off. This year for sure it feels more crowded not sure if they let more people in or the IPs that are hot just have more people then last years attractions or because of attraction capacities

The Positives of the event are the attractions are high quality, the meet and greets are fun and its amazing walking the sets of little Europe.

One Piece, its really great we have a mini land for the characters. The Meet and Greet is amazing but the theme of this event is this is all amazing but because of operations you will wait in a long line. Last year we had three meet and greets for One Piece and now its one, so yes its full all night but also there is less of a chance to meet the characters because there is only one line and the line stops when a show is going which was not the case TM preview nights from what I was told
The food I've heard is good, nothing amazing but good. The plate sizes for some meals I know are a little small for the price but that is now becoming the normal with these kinds of events. The Food lines can be shorter if you are in normal park hours but mostly during the event its out the door and sometimes all the way back to the Fan Fest store (used to be wicked store)
The One Piece show can sell out so come a little early, and the best seats are the middle but its an amazing show. Just super Creative use of the effects they can do at this stage. For example have a character reflect bullets and then making the stage light up with. bunch of effects as if the bullets really did bounce off him and back at the stage or a character warping by using a fire effect to mask the character jump or moving off stage just to reappear somewhere else. It has lots of action, is funny and uses the full effects of this show with some colorful fireworks. The show just moves at a great pace and is fun for fans and none fans alike

Scooby Doo X Monsters is very unique. The sets are so cool to see in person, the new lightening is nice, the music makes you feel like your in a Scooby Doo episode.The issue's here can be the over crowding of the area's with the Mystery Inc gang, and Clue locations. These area's become just messes and when your trying to solve a mystery would be helpful to have some room and places to think but not really what can happen because of limitations. The Monsters on the other hand are much easier to get a moment with and do these cool little Vignettes, They have three locations and the first location where they enter for me was the weakest but the other two locations I think are cool, one uses shadows and projections to allow the Monsters to become stars and the second location at the court of Miracles allows them more room to stomp around and look up at the cool projections on the buildings before ending with some cool poses in front of the fountain. Last note if you can interact with the Scooby Gang they are amazing but just most the night its hard to get close to them.

The Scooby Doo Reveal show is where you exit and can get jammed packed. On Sunday it took me 3 shows before I got into it and then on the third tram, I was taken back over 40 mins to basically leave the area and yes you can skip the show....buy mostly I rather not do that. So wish they could speed up the tram process, the next tram needs to be seconds behind the one leaving to keep that line low.

Harry Potter because of the amount of people who can go through this attraction, it has long waits all night. It is very cool but also if you get stuck in the back, good luck you will get like...a moment or two of things but can't always hear or see whats going on. This is a very hit or miss experience, its like walkting through a HHN house that sometimes isn't fully staffed...so to some it will me amazing and other will be like I waited 2 hours for that? The Puppet at the end is amazing and whenever they are done using this attraction for Fan fest, would be really cool to update the Hargrids Q with some of these extra set pieces and what not like the niffler cave and Pixies and so on if possiable

Sailor Moon show works well, the pre show is a basic set up for the events of this show. The Main show is colorful and has cute moments. It features all the main characters as they fight a new villain who does whatever Villain does in the main show and go after the Legendary Silver Crystal. None fans should enjoy this enough and people who have watched the show, should enjoy every character has a moment to shine and little references to the show. The Meet and Greet is very cool and at nighttime they project a Moon over her, the only issue they only have one person. So unless you get in line at 5:20ish PM you have to wait for 7:30 PM...meaning you have to wait 90 mins or 2 hours most of the time to meet her unless you have EA and can also get into the event before EA.

Jurassic World Through the Era's, The actors here are amazing. For people who go all the time you will see a few dinosaurs that have come out in the past but for most guests this is all new and easy to see it all in an hour or less. The new Characters are pretty much perfect, John greets you and takes photos in front of the JP sign, Dr Woo will talk to you about the Dinosaurs, Dennis will roast you or make you laugh and Malcolm is just a smooth criminal and is the coolest person you can talk to at the event. The Raptor show is great, at night it is better but its not a bad show during the day. The Raptor is just a fun watch and a little interactive and many times before the show the TMs nd some actors will walk around interacting with people. The only issue is there are no show times..so ts hard to plan around seeing that show

Yoshi's at SNW - This Meet and greet works so well, like you just show up. The Yoshi's do a little dance every 30 mins and then you go and take pictures with them all and if somehow the lines are too long to meet them all in 30 mins they are back in 5 mins or less from when they leave...they dance and bam back to meeting guests. Super easy and wish they did this with the Anime characters, splitting them up and having like 5 in one area would really help with lines I think along with the quick in and out process
You can also meet Mario and Green Yoshi if you do a little puzzle scavenger hunt, the line was too long for me to meet them but good idea to match up some characters. Would love to see Mario and Peach together

D&D This is still an amazing attraction and can get lines, it kind of just is either 30 mins to an hour....or no wait there is not much in between, lol. They tried to add some more ways for you to interact but the best part of this outside the amazing puppet and sets, is the cast. The Main two people you are with are just even funnier this year and they seem to be allowing the actors to just have fun and it works really well. I'll just note Frieren the anime has a walkthough in Japan...so maybe next year this would be a cheap retheme that I would assume would be 60-120 Min waits no matter what

The Plaza is some DJ from the radio....saw almost no one in here...just...sorry but wasting space. Photo ops would have been cool but nothing

This event is great, the issues are some things are too popluar and the upper lot is just more stacked then whats going on downstairs, the Nintendo Drone show and an anime downstairs would help spread people out more I think. The Yoshi meet and greets and Jurrassic area flows as they should while the One Piece and Salior moon meet and greet are just....painful. If you are going and don't care about meet and greets one night is enough if you want to meet and characters and eat the cool food and see everything then two nights. Express is only really useful for HP, the rest you can find a time to get on without too much issue. The issue here isn't there is too much to do its the time it takes you to travel to all the locations combined with the long lines for food and the anime meet and greets but if you don't care about those things I think you will not too many issue with the event

Its a solid year and no idea how to rate it yet because for me the content being great is wonderful but the issues with some things like how slow HP loads, how long it takes to do Scoody doo because of the loading/how crowded it gets at key areas and what not for me hold the event back from being amazing. I think its a solid event and I enjoyed last years, I think better because it just worked and was ment for you to see everything in one night and it was fun, this year you need more of a plan or could be left disapointed.