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Epic Universe Is Putting Viking Training Camp on Ice - Just Weeks Before the Park's First Birthday
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Epic Universe Is Putting Viking Training Camp on Ice - Just Weeks Before the Park's First Birthday

Michael Travels
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Published
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Epic Universe is turning one in a few weeks, and it’s celebrating by… quietly closing one of its biggest kid spaces. Universal confirmed this week that the Viking Training Camp play area inside How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk will go dark for refurbishment from May 4 through May 22, 2026. That reopening date is no accident — it’s exactly one year to the day after Epic Universe’s May 22, 2025 grand opening.

Viking Training Camp play area at How to Train Your Dragon Isle of Berk in Epic Universe Viking Training Camp inside How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk at Epic Universe, shown at the park’s May 2025 launch. Image: Universal Orlando Resort.

What Viking Training Camp actually is

If you haven’t been yet: this isn’t a ride, it’s a land. Tucked between Dragon Racer’s Rally and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders on Isle of Berk, Viking Training Camp is a sprawling play space built for kids who can’t quite clear the height bars on the big Berk rides. Going offline May 4:

  • Climbable Viking towers and the full agility course
  • A Toothless-themed teeter-totter that’s reliably the most photographed spot in the land
  • Baby Gronckle dragon climbers for the littlest guests
  • An interactive sheep-launcher game (yes, really — you launch the sheep)
  • Musical Viking drums and chimes
  • Slides sized for pre-K visitors
  • The upper-deck viewpoint overlooking Dragon Racer’s Rally and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders

Basically: the whole thing.

Young guests climbing the Toothless-themed play structures at Viking Training Camp Young guests climb, slide, and explore the Toothless-themed play structures — all offline from May 4 to 22. Image: Universal Orlando Resort.

Why this one actually matters

Epic Universe is, frankly, a kid-sized-hands-up park in a lot of places. The rides at Isle of Berk have teeth — Dragon Racer’s Rally is a 44″ requirement, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is 40″ — and across the park’s five worlds there aren’t a ton of dedicated spaces for the under-40″ crowd. Viking Training Camp has become the default “drop kids here for 45 minutes” spot for families. Disney Dining put it bluntly: “It wasn’t just a playground. It was a release valve.”

Pulling it for three weeks in the early-summer travel window is going to be felt. If you’re planning a Berk day in mid-May, that’s the plan to tweak.

The second Isle of Berk refurb of 2026

Here’s the part that has Universal fans raising an eyebrow. Fyre Drill, another Isle of Berk attraction, was already pulled for maintenance earlier this year. So Viking Training Camp is the land’s second refurbishment inside twelve months — on a park that hasn’t yet celebrated its first birthday. Whether that’s heavy opening-year use, the Florida climate, or just Universal staying on top of upkeep before the anniversary, it’s worth tracking.

The rest of the Universal closure picture

Viking Training Camp isn’t alone on the 2026 maintenance board. Across the resort, here’s what else is currently down or coming down:

  • Jurassic Park River Adventure (Islands of Adventure) — closed, reopens November 20, 2026
  • Me Ship, The Olive play area — closed May 26 – June 9, 2026
  • Burger King Whopper Bar (CityWalk) — closes April 20
  • Finnegan’s Bar & Grill — closed through Winter 2026

If you’re visiting in May or June, itinerary-check before you lock in that Berk-heavy day.

Planning around the closure

  • Push Berk to the back half of May. Reopening May 22 means anything after that date gets you full-strength Isle of Berk again.
  • Rebalance kid time. Ministry of Magic at Wizarding World and the quieter spots in Celestial Park absorb younger guests well while Viking Training Camp is out.
  • Budget an extra hour at Dark Universe. Curious Corner of Hieronymus’ Garden has a lot of play-discovery beats for younger kids.
  • Hotel pool days aren’t the worst idea. Helios Grand and Stella Nova pools are legitimately good — lean into them on a hot mid-May afternoon.

Sources

Image credits: Official press photos courtesy Universal Orlando Resort.

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