Universal's Stella Nova Resort opened Tuesday, January 21! This 750 room hotel is located right next to Epic Universe and the hotel's sister hotel, Terra Luna (which is planned to open March 25). You can walk from the hotel over to the park if the bus line is really long once Epic opens. Bus transportation can take you to any of Universal's parks and hotels. Eventually, the buses will be able to travel on their own dedicated road, but it has not been completed yet. These new buses are now electric.
I have not been there, but I have watched many volgs and heard from people that it was very nice. Everything looks clean and new, and plenty of lights. The rooms aren't as big as Endless Summer Resorts (I have stayed at Dockside) but look cooler with the "space/galaxy" vibe. From what I've heard, the beds are on the firmer side, but they all had really good sleep. Some showers have tubs in the bathroom, and others have walk-in showers. Same goes for a small couch: there are rooms with them, but others don't have them. Kind of weird. I think the room that didn't have a small couch was a corner room, so it was slightly smaller.
For food, there is a quick service marketplace where guests can grab something quick while heading to the park. For those who don't mind sitting and eating a little while, there is a cafe that serves different grill items and other items you would get at a food place like burgers, pizza, salads, deserts, etc. I heard that the burger was good as well as the cheesecake. The pizza didn't look very good because the marinara sauce looked like anything but marinara sauce. They also have refillable drink mugs similar to the ones at Endless Summer.
For prices, it is in the same price range as the Endless Summer resorts and Stella Nova is starting at a price of $225.75 a night for two queen beds. Endless summer hotels are around the price of $171.68. Honestly, I really enjoyed Dockside but I think Stella Nova is just as good. We'll have to see if it differs any different to Terra Luna when it opens in March.
Something cool: since the ceiling of the entrance hall in the hotel is in a weird shape, they couldn't put rooms directly over it. So, they made the hallway full of stars and cosmos instead of a blank hallway.
One last thing: inside Stela Nova, there is a Universal Studios Store and contains Epic merch. They have merch from Harry Potter, Nintendo World, Dark Universe, and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. They have photo frames, wands, and pins. One of the pins is a mystery pin for Dark Universe featuring all of the monsters. Each mystery pin set features a chaser pin.
To learn more about this hotel in depth, check out Rix Flix on Youtube! He has a great channel and is very knowledgeable about all things Universal!
We are now one step closer to the final product: Epic Universe opening day. Only a few months remain until May 22!!!