ORLANDO, Florida – Welcome, travelers. You’re in for a delightful journey.

Universal Studios’ new Epic Universe amusement park uses travel as a theme – taking visitors to 1920s-era Paris to meet Harry Potter, the Isle of Berk to meet Hiccup and Toothless, to the Dark Universe to meet Frankenstein and Dracula – even inside a video game to meet Mario and Princess Peach.

And the place unifying all these disparate destinations? A gorgeous park, with colorful flowers and lush greenery, dancing fountains, plus places to dine and rest and ride some more.

More than eight years in the making, Epic Universe had its grand opening last week following several weeks of previews. This place delivers on its name, elevating the Universal experience in Orlando, upping the competition with neighboring Disney World and giving theme-park fans everywhere a new destination for their bucket list.

The place is not perfect, however. As with any new theme park, Epic Universe has some kinks to work out. The technology in this park is astounding – with flying dinosaurs and robotic monsters and 4-D effects that will truly transport you.

New technology is prone to glitches, however, which is how I found myself in line for 3.5 hours to ride one of the park’s signature rides, Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic.

Was it worth the wait? A 10-year-old boy asked me that question in the pool after my visit, the day before he was headed into the park.

Yes, I told him, I believe it was.

This is Universal’s fourth park in the Orlando area, which is also home to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay, a water park. Epic Universe is located about 4 miles south of the company’s first two parks, which sit side by side in southwest Orlando.

Officials hope the new park will make Universal Orlando a weeklong destination, not simply a couple-day add-on to a Disney vacation.

And it’s not just the new theme park that Universal is banking on. The company recently opened three new hotels in the vicinity of Epic Universe – including one, an upscale property called Helios Grand – that is located inside of Epic Universe.

“It’s the first hotel anywhere that’s built in a theme park,” said Jill Andreozzi, with Loews Hotels and Resorts. “We’re sure our competitors will follow suit.”

The park is organized into five themed areas: How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; Super Nintendo World; Dark Universe; the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; and Celestial Park. All of the areas offer rides, attractions, character meet-and-greets, restaurants and other activities.

These areas are all accessed via a portal – a circular entryway off the central park area that leads you into the themed land.

The portal into Harry Potter, for example, transports you into the Paris Metro; at Super Nintendo World, the portal takes visitors up an escalator through a green illuminated warp pipe into a video game.

There are two themed areas here that Universal hasn’t created anywhere else – Isle of Berk, based on the 2010 film “How to Train Your Dragon” (with a live-action remake coming out next month); and Dark Universe, featuring the monsters from decades of Universal storytelling, including Frankenstein, Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy and numerous others.

The centerpiece ride in Dark Universe is called Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, a dark ride that transports riders into the catacombs in search of Dracula. The ride’s narrator is Victoria Frankenstein, the great-great granddaughter of Henry Frankenstein, who is out to salvage her family name.

It was, in my opinion, the best ride in the park – one of the best I’ve ridden anywhere – filled with terrific animatronics and special effects, including fire, water, seat vibrations and more.

The queue area for this ride is also terrific, with lab tools and specimens, scary film clips and creepy lighting effects. Both the ride and the queue area may not be appropriate for younger children, however, particularly those who are afraid of the dark.

Also in the Dark Universe area: Curse of the Werewolf, a terrific, too-short roller coaster that features spinning cars and a werewolf hiding in the barn; plus several themed restaurants and bars, including the Burning Blade Tavern which catches fire every 15 minutes.

The Isle of Berk area was absolutely charming, with a viking vibe and dozens of robotic dinosaurs scattered throughout, including several that actually fly.

The longest queue in this area was to meet a very lifelike Toothless, the Night Fury dragon that is one of the stars of the film.

Rides here include Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, a smooth, family-friendly coaster; Dragon Racer’s Rally, where individual riders use levers to soar and spin in their seats; and Fyre Drill, a slow, interactive boat ride that is guaranteed to get you soaked.

The highlight in this area, however, is “The Untrainable Dragon,” a Broadway-style show that features Hiccup, the young Viking star of the films, his love interest Astrid, plus Toothless and several other eye-popping prehistoric creatures.

The storyline is a bit hokey, involving a dragon that is believed to be untrainable, but the music and dancing are infectious and the special effects are terrific.

There’s a second show at Epic Universe that’s also amazing – even better than The Untrainable Dragon – located in the Harry Potter area.

Le Cirque Arcanus features acrobats, dancers, a bubble artist, the “quidditch sorcerer in the sky,” plus numerous eye-popping creatures from the “Fantastic Beasts” series. Don’t miss it.

The signature attraction in this area is Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, a dark ride that features 14-person elevator cars that transport passengers on a journey through the Ministry of Magic in search of Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry official who is scheduled to go on trial for her close connection to villainous Lord Voldemort.

The ride is terrific fun, with the cars traveling up, down and all around, with video and animatronic characters in every direction. The queue, too, is entertaining, with riders passing through magical subway floos (flues) to access the Ministry in 1990s-era London, then winding past elaborate offices, robotic vacuum cleaners, talking elves, through locker rooms, up and down hallways.

Even so, 3.5 hours in any line is a bit much.

The ride, filled with cutting-edge technology, has been beset by huge crowds and long delays in recent weeks.

During my first day in the park, part of Epic Universe’s soft opening in early May, I waited in line more than 3 hours for the ride. For at least 45 minutes of that wait, the ride was shut down.

A word about the Orlando heat: During my visit, the city was experiencing near-record temperatures, with highs in the mid and upper 90s. The park, fortunately, has plenty of places to escape the sun and heat -- although the air conditioning in the Ministry queue was set way too low. Several of us in line were frigid while we waited.

Reminder: This is the third Harry Potter-themed area in the three Universal Orlando parks. Islands of Adventure features the original area, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, open since 2010; with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, set in London, open at Universal Studios since 2014.

This third area is set in Paris, with numerous shops and eateries to sample, including a terrific butterbeer crepe at Café L’air De La Sirene. All three areas are thematic wonders, must-visit spaces for Potter fans.

There are other Super Nintendo World areas, as well – at Universal Studios Hollywood in California and Universal Studios Japan – but none as large and immersive as Florida’s. It’s like you’re wandering through a life-size video game.

There are three rides here: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, where riders, wearing augmented-reality glasses, steer vehicles and shoot at targets, trying to defeat Mario nemesis Bowser; Yoshi’s Adventure, a slow meander through the Mushroom Kingdom, past glowing eggs, piranha plants and animated toadstools; and Mine-Cart Madness, a Donkey-Kong themed coaster that goes off the track, literally.

In addition to the rides, there are interactive games and puzzles that gamers will certainly recognize but that mostly went over my head. Then again, I’m not exactly Nintendo’s target market.

Adam Bankhurst, who grew up playing Super Mario Bros. with his mom in Beachwood, loved the theming and the hidden Easter eggs throughout the two-story land.

“It’s all led up to this moment,” said Bankhurst, 37, of Columbus, who writes for IGN , a video gaming website. “It’s so surreal. It’s really, really cool.”

For an extra immersive element, guests can purchase a power-up band for $40, which provides access to additional activities and games, along with the ability to compete in the Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown.

The area that connects these four disparate spaces is known as Celestial Park and it’s worth exploring, as well.

There are two rides here, including Stardust Racers, a terrific, traditional racing roller coaster that surprised me with its intensity. The coaster features a top speed of 62 mph, a top height of 133 feet and lots and lots of air time.

Also here: Constellation Carousel, a merry-go-round featuring characters from the constellations, including rams, bulls, hares and lions. In addition to moving up, down and around, the animals also spin individually, in an elegant dance set to music and lights.

Celestial Park also features several notable restaurants, including Atlantic, a sit-down seafood eatery, plus shops and pathways through gardens and water features.

“We like to say we put the park back in theme park,” said Adam Rivest, vice president of creative management and branding for Epic Universe, explaining the back story of Celestial Park. “All the travelers come back here to tell their stories. It’s a celestial crossroads.”

It’s a lovely space, a respite from the sensory overload that permeates all of the other areas.

It also serves as a convenient way to get from one area of the park to another, making Epic Universe seem more accessible and pedestrian friendly than its sister parks. This, despite the fact that Epic Universe, at 750 acres, is considerably larger than each of Universal’s other Florida properties.

There’s lots of room to grow, too.

The Harry Potter area, in particular, could use another ride to appease the insatiable appetite of Potter fans.

For now, though, Epic Universe stands on its own, a terrific addition to the Orlando theme park lineup. Put this place on your bucket-list, theme park fans.

Where: The park, at 1001 Epic Blvd., is about 12 miles east of Orlando International Airport near the Orange County Convention Center. It’s about 4 miles south of sister parks Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.

Where to stay: There are perks to staying in a Universal hotel, including early admission to the parks, complimentary shuttle transportation to the parks, in-park room charging and more. This year, Universal opened three new hotels, all space or mythology themed, to accompany its new park: Helios Grand, a high-end resort with 500 rooms located inside the park; plus nearby Stella Nova and Terra Luna hotels, each with 750 rooms, accessible to the park via shuttle or a walking path. I stayed at Stella Nova for about $200 a night and took advantage of the 10-minute walk to the park entrance.

Daily admission: Single day tickets to Epic Universe are $139-$199, depending on the day, for ages 10 and up; $134-$194 for ages 3-9 (per-day prices are less if you buy multiple days).