SATURDAY SIX – 6 Reasons We Love ISLE OF BERK: Part 3 (The Attractions and Characters!)

This week’s SATURDAY SIX concludes our in-depth look at the ISLE OF BERK in Universal’s Epic Universe. Part One of our series kicked off with a deep dive into the overall atmosphere of this incredible world, including our favorite details such as Gothi’s hut, the incredibly themed benches carved out of logs, amazing bathroom signage, and – of course – all the dragons! You can read Part One by CLICKING HERE.

Part Two looked at the dining and merchandise in Berk, which included the viral mac & cheese cones, Mead Hall, and the you-gotta-experience-this Dragon Adoption at Toothless Treasures. You can read Part Two by CLICKING HERE.

Today we are going to look at the main draws of the Isle of Berk: the attractions and characters you will enjoy in the land. From E-Ticket thrill rides to what just might be the best stage show in ANY theme park and everything in between. We’ll kick everything off with…

# 6 – Viking Training Camp

What Universal has done with interactive play areas is one of the least talked about aspects of their parks, despite the amount of criticism the company gets for not having attractions geared to younger kids. Camp Jurassic in Island of Adventure’s Jurassic Park just might be the greatest kid’s playground ever built. Could Universal top it with the Viking Training Camp?

As a huge fan of theme park maps, I personally love the map inside Viking Training Camp showing where all the interactive experiences area. As a kid, I loved taking the Disney and Universal paper theme park maps home, unfolding them and looking at all the fun things to do and this map gives me that same feeling.

Each of the individual play areas inside Viking Training Camp has signage telling you exactly what it’s Berk name is.

I know why *I* think Viking Training Camp is cool, but I’ve never been to Epic Universe with any young kiddos, so I reached out to a parent to get their perspective of the area. Take it away @caitlizgrace…

Our two year old absolutely loves theme park playgrounds. We often spend hours of our day letting her run and jump and get the wiggles out in these spaces, and Universal has absolutely exceeded our expectations with Viking Training Camp.

One of the best parts for us at this stage is the toddler spot, where little ones can climb and slide on age appropriate deconstructed Viking ships without feeling like they’re in the way of the bigger kids. There’s also plenty of seating for grown ups to take a break while the kids play.

Viking Training Camp has a wide variety of activities for kids of all ages, slides of all sizes, accessible pathways and bridges for kids of all abilities, and a soft squishy floor to cushion falls for daredevil kids! There’s also many interactive elements that assist with the immersion — you’re training to be a Viking, learning about dragons, and seeing some of the best views of Berk, all in one big play area.

As a parent, I love seeing my daughter explore the Viking Training Camp on every visit to Epic Universe. She still loves the slides in the toddler area, but as she gets bigger and more confident in her abilities, her new favorite thing to do is climb all of the stairs. It’s a workout for mom and dad, but it’s a great way for her to run out her energy!

Universal also had the (excellent) foresight to put family restrooms within the confines of the playground, so there’s no need to take the kids away from the playground area when restroom needs occur.

Overall, as a parent, I can tell so much thought and care went into making Viking Training Camp one of the best theme park playgrounds. It takes the immersiveness and climbing from Camp Jurassic and pluses it with convenient restrooms, interactive elements, and team members excited to share the lore of Berk. It’s become a must-do during our visits to Epic Universe.

Thanks Caitlin! As a fan of the How To Train Your Dragon films, I love the nods the area pays towards events in the movies. For example, the franchise starts off with Vikings and dragons being at odds with each other for generations, but ends with them becoming friends. So one play area of Viking Training Camp has a section called WARNING BELLS, to alert other Vikings of incoming dragons. The signage has been crossed out and replaced with the word FRIENDSHIP.

There are a ton of great photo-ops in the area as well, including ones that are pretty elaborate.

But also many cute little dragons as well for your young kiddos to play and pose with.

Anyone who has seen The Untrainable Dragon – which we’ll get to later in this article – knows that baby dragons love butterflies!

It needs to be repeated, like Camp Jurassic, Viking Training Camp has elevated areas that can give any guest an amazing look at Epic Universe you can’t really get anywhere else in the park.

I mean, c’mon, how cool is this?

 

# 5 – The Characters

One of the biggest reasons the How To Train Your Dragon series of films became so successful (including spawning several television spin-offs) is the characters in the film  really connect with the audience, both Vikings and dragons. One of the biggest strengths in Isle of Berk is that the world is FILLED with a whole bunch of characters you can encounter!

While walking through the land you may interact with Tuffnut and Ruffnot, two of the main characters from the film series.

Fan favorite Gobber the Belch can be seen both at his Forge as well as occasionally walking throughout Berk.

Gobber’s apprentices are a lot of fun to have conversations with.

I’ve always said that two things never go out of style. Dinosaurs and dragons. Isle of Berk has a whole bunch of “real life” dragons that kids will lose their minds seeing in person. First up we have the Night Lights: three dragon offspring of Toothless and the Light Fury.

Not only is it cool seeing these dragons walk around and do tricks, but they are completely adorable as well.

Like Chip & Dale at Disney, Ruffrunner’s appearance from his brother Dart is noticeable once you know the differences. Ruffrunner has green eyes (Dart has blue) and the white fur on Ruffrunners paws goes higher up than Dart’s.

By far and away the most popular character in all of Berk is meeting Toothless himself. This meet-and-greet draws huge lines daily. So much that Rumors and Innuendo suggest that Epic Universe is fast tracking having multiple meet-and-greets available to guests similar to what Disney does with their Mickey character in Main Street  USA.

Toothless will always have a Viking with him, and that Viking will usually either be Hiccup or Astrid from the movie series. So essentially you’re getting two meet-and-greets in one.

The interactions with Toothless are so good that  you’ll immediately realize why this draws such a long line every day. This is theme park magic.

Toothless may also be seen with other Vikings from Berk.

No matter who Toothless is with, this is one character How To Train Your Dragon fans are going to want to go out of their way to meet!

# 4 – Dragon Racer’s Rally

In the film series, Vikings of Berk challenge each other in dragon races by capturing sheep which have been jettisoned into the air. So you have to love that the marquee for Dragon Racer’s Rally has a sheep set up in a gigantic crossbow ready to be launched straight up into the sky!

Dragon Racer’s Rally is a new generation of the amusement-park classic “spinning ride.” If you’re familiar with Disney’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant or Magic Carpets of Aladdin, the basic concept here is familiar: You and your ride vehicle spin around a central axis while going up and down.

Two things make Dragon Racer’s Rally different. The first is that instead of being given a control lever to make the ride vehicle go up or down, you’re given two wooden “wings” with handles on top.

Each wing is hinged, allowing you to push it down or pull it up with its handle. And each wing acts like it does on an airplane: pull them back to go up, push down to descend.

The second difference is that each wing operates independently, meaning you can pull one up and other down, which swings you almost 90 degrees to one side. And when you push both of them down, you’re pointed down at a very steep angle – enough to be aware that the only thing preventing you from going *splat* on the ground is the sturdy shoulder harness clamping you down.

It’s not 100% intuitive, but don’t worry, there is a whole bunch of signage in the queue giving you directions on what to do.

There are two separate load areas at Dragon Racer’s Rally. One leads to blue dragon and the other leads to a red dragon. Both experiences are exactly the same.

Once on the attraction, each individual rider is in control of their “dragon.” It’s definitely something that you get better at each time you ride in terms of fully understanding the controls and how they affect your flying.

# 3 – Fyre Drill

Fyre Drill is a boat-based ride whose story idea centers around the idea that with fire-breathing dragons now in Isle of Berk, the local villagers have to be prepared to extinguish the occasional accidental bonfire here and there.

Like all of Berk, there is fun signage in the area including this Smokey Bear reference.

As a new villager, you’re enrolled in Berk’s Fyre Skööl, where you’re trained to fight fires using specially-designed boats.

Each boat holds eight people, and each person controls their own water-spraying cannon. As you float down the training track, you’ll see wooden targets painted to look like flames. Point your water cannon at the targets to “put out” the fire.

Of course, with so many villagers to train, there’ll be lots of people on lots of boats nearby. Maybe some of them point their firehoses at you, maybe you point yours at them. It’s all in good, wet, fun.

Keep an eye out for graphics including characters from the film series.

Fyre Drill also contains one of my favorite Easter Eggs in all of Epic Universe. This banner using the quote “Things are just starting to heat up” is a direct reference to an oft-quoted line from one of the greatest theme park attractions ever built – The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure.

Have to give Fyre Drill props for also having a ride vehicle to purchase in the gift shop. If I had my druthers, pretty much every single attraction in any Universal or Disney park would have a ride vehicle toy/model that you could purchase.

As a kid I would have lost my mind being able to take one of these Fyre Drill model kits back home and relive my fun on the ride.

I also like the fact that the Fyre Drill shirt is one of those rash guard gimmicks that you can wear into pools and to places like Volcano Bay to prevent sun burns.

# 2 – Hiccup’s Winged Gliders

Hiccup’s Winged Gliders was the true surprise in all of Epic Universe when I went for the very first time. I had my expectations set for several attractions in the park, including Monsters  Unchained, Mario Kart, and Stardust Racers, but I pretty much went into Hiccup’s Winged Gliders without knowing anything.

For any fan of the How To Train Your Dragon series, the queue has some solid references to Hiccup’s workshop and the various designs he works on.

The backstory of the ride is that Hiccup is building us a dragon so that we can experience what it’s like to ride a real one.

The queue also contains something EVERY theme park queue should have, themed water bottle stations. This is a game changer.

Hiccup’s Winged Gliders is a high speed, thrilling roller coaster experience which features several launch sequences (one that features Toothless himself!)

For me personally, Hiccup’s Winged Gliders was the coaster I wanted Slinky Dog Dash to be in Toy Story Land. I love the multiple launches, the dips and turns, and multiple story elements you encounter during the ride. It’s just a total blast!

Like the VelociCoaster in Jurassic Park, there is just something extra cool about going over water features in a roller coaster. I absolutely love it!

The coaster adds a lot to the overall kinetic energy of the Isle of Berk, and also lets our favorite photographers get some really cool shots! This is a classic Michael Scott win-win-win scenario and I can’t wait to ride it again.

# 1 – The Untrainable Dragon

We have been blessed with some truly great shows inside theme parks over the years. Some of my personal favorites include Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical in Animal Kingdom, along with the Bourne Stuntacular in Universal Studios Florida. After watching The Untrainable Dragon in the Isle of Berk, I’m ready to make it my all time favorite theme park show.

The seating area for The Untrainable Dragon is large, and there’s not a bad seat in the house.

There are drummers on both sides of the stage who perform throughout the show.

Near the start of the show is one of the most amazing spectacles you will see at any park, Hiccup riding Toothless inside the theatre!

It is such an indescribably cool moment when combined with the fantastic How To Train Your Dragon score playing in the background.

The show features many of the memorable characters from How To Train Your Dragon…

…including Astrid…

…Astrid’s dragon Stormfly…

…and even Gobber the Belch!

The story of The Untrainable Dragon focuses on a gigantic dragon that has entered the village of Berk. The puppetry work in the show is second to none and the scale of this “invading” dragon has to be seen to be believed as its gigantic. The dragon appears to be terrorizing Berk, and also seems to be unable – or unwilling – to bond with humans and become trainable.

Long story short, it turns out this huge dragon is looking for her egg, which happens to be in Berk’s nursery.

There’s a lot of baby dragons in the show, all cute, but the dragon which comes out of the egg is extra adorable.

The show is filled with action, humor, and a whole lot of dragons. Worth going way out of your way to experience, if not booking a day at Epic just to check it out. It’s that good.

So there you have it: The SAT SIX looks at Isle of Berk part 3! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on BlueSky (@derekburgan).

If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following: 

6 Reasons We Love ISLE OF  BERK Part 1 – Atmosphere

6 Reasons We Love ISLE OF BERK Part 2 – Dining and Merchandise

6 Reasons We Love DARK UNIVERSE Part 1 – Darkmoor Village

6 Reasons We Love DARK UNIVERSE Part 2 – Dining and Characters

6 Reasons We Love DARK UNIVERSE Part 3 – Monsters Unchained

Our Favorite EASTER EGGS and Details in Universal’s Epic Universe

Our Favorite Pieces of Epic Universe MERCHANIDSE

The SAT SIX Snacks Their Way Through Epic Universe

SATURDAY SIX Presents: Artist Inspired by Epic Universe

Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHide and you Potterheads will enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.