Universal Stella Nova Resort

Universal Stella Nova Resort opened on 21 January 2025, four months before Epic Universe, and it was built for it. The theme starts from the vastness of the unknown universe: calm teals and mauves, round spacecraft-porthole windows, galaxies on the walls, a star mural above the beds. It holds 750 rooms, all identical, in Universal's Prime Value category.

What your room key gives you

Early Park Admission, up to one hour before official opening. That is the decisive benefit of staying on site, and it counts most at Epic Universe: there, early entry is reserved for guests of the resort's eleven hotels, and even Premier annual passholders are excluded. Every member of your party needs their own key card in their own name.

Added to that are free transport to all four parks, delivery of in-park purchases and charging privileges across the resort. A vacation planning centre with ticket sales sits in the lobby.

Free Universal Express Unlimited, on the other hand, stays reserved for Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and Loews Royal Pacific. Stella Nova does not qualify, and it is worth adding that Universal Express, even purchased separately, is valid neither at Epic Universe nor at Volcano Bay. Epic Universe sells its own express product.

The rooms

There is only one configuration, which is this hotel's strength and its limit. The room runs about 29 m², has two queen beds and sleeps four. Views split between standard and pool. Accessible versions exist with a roll-in shower or an adapted tub, along with layouts for guests who are hard of hearing.

Every room has a fifty-five-inch television, automated heating and cooling, a two-compartment bathroom that lets two people get ready at once, a safe, an iron and a hairdryer. Pack and Plays are lent free on request, in limited numbers.

One point to know before booking for a family that eats breakfast in the room: there is a small refrigerator and a pod coffee maker, with no microwave and no kitchenette. And there are no suites at all: to sleep five or more you need two rooms, or a look at Cabana Bay and Endless Summer.

The pool and the facilities

The resort-style pool covers about 930 m² and comes with a hot tub, a children's splash pad, and a bar and food counter you can walk up to from the water. A fire pit, lawn games and movie nights complete it. There is no water slide.

The fitness room is complimentary, with cardio, free weights and changing rooms. The recreation room, at roughly 110 m², holds a self-service arcade. A self-service laundry is on site, which counts on a week-long stay. There is no spa; the resort's only one is at Loews Portofino Bay. Pets are not accepted and parking is charged.

Eating on site

Cosmos Cafe and Market serves all three meals as quick service, ordering at a kiosk, with a grab-and-go section. Galaxy Bar and Galaxy Grill handle the pool. Nova Bar holds the lobby with cocktails, wine and beer, in full service. Pizza delivery to the room runs until midnight. There is no full-service restaurant on site: for a proper table, Bar Helios and Flora Taverna at Helios Grand are minutes away.

Getting to Epic Universe and the other parks

The walking path is Stella Nova's advantage. Universal's own blog gives five to ten minutes on foot to the Chronos gate; other surveys report fifteen minutes from the lobby. Allow ten to fifteen minutes depending where you start and the street crossings. It is the only Prime Value hotel with that option.

Buses leave every ten minutes for Epic Universe, Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and CityWalk. In pure travel time the bus beats the walk, though waiting makes the two comparable. The hotel is not on the water taxi network.

Who this hotel suits

It suits families of four coming first for Epic Universe, anyone who wants to walk back mid-afternoon without depending on a shuttle, and travellers who would rather put the budget into park tickets than into the room.

It suits you less as a group of five or more, since there are no suites, if you want to cook a little, if you travel with a pet, or if included express access matters to you. Your Voyages AquaTerra advisor can compare all eleven resort hotels with you at 1-866-628-6241.