Universal’s Helios Resort
We visited Universal Orlando on the second week of the official opening of Epic Universe, just as the capacity for park attendance was increased after the preview and grand opening. We were excited to be part of the early visitors to Epic Universe, and unsure what to expect as they started a more routine operating schedule. We split our two-night stay between Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Helios Grand Hotel.
Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel opened in May of 2025, is was probably the newest resort hotel we’ve ever booked for vacation. It shares the same level of amenities and luxury accommodations as the other Signature Collection resorts at Universal Orlando. The main difference between Helios and Hard Rock Hotel/ Loews Royal Pacific Resort/ Loews Portofino Bay Hotel (aside from proximity to Universal City Walk and adjacent park entrances) was that a stay at the Helios resort did not include Universal Express Pass to any of the parks. It was understandable that Epic Universe wouldn’t be included, but we did feel that the cost of the stay at Helios (comparable or more than the other Premier Resorts) should have included the same benefit for Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.
Rooms
There were a few room options available, and we chose the most affordable for a family of three: a two-queen standard view. Upgrade options included theme park view and club-level. We were especially happy with our room’s location on the 7th floor and just down the hallway from the elevators leading to the Epic Universe entrance lobby. Guests staying at Helios had much a much shorter walk to get in line for the most popular ride, Harry Potter and The Battle at the Ministry, and to the rides at Dark Universe.
During our two days at Epic Universe, we stayed at both Helios Grand Resort (a signature property) and Stella Nova (a prime value property). If Helios is in your budget, it provides a dedicated entry that allows for easy access to your room and hotel amenities throughout the day. We had park tickets on our check-out day and were able to go back to our room at check-out time to escape the heat and change into swimsuits. Luggage can be stored in your car if you opted to drive and pay the parking fee, or stored with baggage services. a locker room and showers were available for guests using the pool amenities after check-out. So, essentially a stay at Helios is like having access to a swimming pool within a 5-minute walk from inside the park as part of your day.
Resort Layout & Epic Universe Entrance
Dedicated Park Entrance
We arrived at the queue for 9am Early Park Entry at 8:30am and it wrapped through the hallway, by the pool entrance, and into the front of the resort. The line moved very quickly through security and dedicated ticketing, and we were in the park by 9am. During our stay most of the Portals were open for Early Park Hours, with the exception of the Isle of Berk. We had to show our room key for early entry, but all park guests were able to visit Helios to dine and reenter through the dedicated entrance.
The biggest drawback to our stay at Helios was the bus transportation between the resort and Universal City Walk. On check-in day we had a 1-day park-to-park ticket for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and we planned to visit in the morning, take a midday break at the hotel when our room was available, and then to return to the Parks in the evening. While the bus stop was close to the lobby we waited over ½ hour for the bus to return and head back to City Walk. It’s possible more buses were running during opening and that our experience was an anomaly, but it was disappointing that there was just one bus looping between the two locations. When we left the parks we opted to walk to a nearby resort and take a rideshare back to Helios.
Restaurants
There were three table-service dining options at Helios. While we didn’t dine at any of them, our late afternoon beverage needs were met with lattes from Aurora Market, a quick service market in the lobby, and drinks from The Lotus Lagoon, the poolside restaurant. When we returned from Islands of adventure that evening we attempted to have drinks at Bar Helios, the rooftop lounge/restaurant overlooking Epic Universe, but it was especially busy at park closing and walk-ups weren’t available. The bar at the main table service restaurant, Flora Taverna, was a great back-up option. We enjoyed chatting with the bartenders, who had transferred to Helios from other Universal properties, about the excitement for both guests and staff about addition of the new resorts and park.
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