A few weeks back, my husband and I flew down to Florida and spent three days exploring the ins and outs of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We had an incredible time in both parks, and the time span allowed us to do pretty much everything at least once.
Both parks have so much to offer, but they do have specific themes and focuses between the two. For those of you who may be planning a trip to these parks, this guide is for you! I’ll be highlighting the best (and sometimes worst) of everything to help make your trip a little easier and give you some ideas on where to focus your time.
Now, I will say, I am a roller coaster junkie. I love the rides that fling me upside down and through dark tunnels where I have no idea what will happen next. However, knowing that you may not like roller coasters, I’ll be sure to point out warnings and recommendations for all parties. I promise!
Universal Studios has eight main areas: Production Central, New York, San Francisco, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter–Diagon Alley, World Expo, Springfield: Home of the Simpsons, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone, and Hollywood. Each area has at least one ride that specifically fits into that theme, and the surrounding buildings mimic the architecture from specific cities as well. It creates a fun, albeit busy atmosphere within the park. Many of the buildings are empty or house a single shop, although the outside appears to be several stores side-by-side.
Universal Studio’s entertainment focuses primarily on shows and 4-D rides. While this makes the park an excellent choice for those who want calmer rides, it still offers plenty of excitement for visitors who crave some action. If you’re bringing children, you’ll also find several character meet and greets here from Gru and his Minions to Transformers.
3 and 4-D Adventures
Universal Studio’s 4-D rides are really amazing. I know they’re becoming more popular in theme parks everywhere, but Universal has an impressive collection of them. If you’re really sensitive to motion sickness, these may be hard for you, but they’re a great option for those who want just a step below a coaster.
Best Ride: Transformers combines a wide array of effects to create a great adventure. Guest are loaded into separate cars that move around a track in front of 3-D screens. The cars spin and tilt with the videos to create the sensation of falling, driving at fast speeds, and fighting Decepticons. The ride also incorporates small sets of crumbling buildings and dead Decepticons to keep the flow between screens. You’ll really feel as if you’re speeding through the streets with an Autobot and taking on Megatron.
Most Intense Ride: Despicable Minion Mayhem takes the multi-dimensional experience up a notch. The auditorium seats are split into small sections which allow for a lot of movement with the video. Beware that this experience can easily cause some motion sickness. The experience happens from the point of a minion bouncing and falling all over Gru’s workshop, and the effects are very well done. However, the number of falls and “hits” is rather high, and if may be hard to handle if you struggle with motion sickness. Otherwise, it’s a fun and whimsical ride that kids and adults can enjoy.
Calmest Ride: Shrek 4-D is a very family-friendly experience. Guests enter a large auditoriumwith seats that rumble and tilt slightly with the video. The experience is based right after the first Shrek movie. You’ll follow Shrek as he attempts to rescue Fiona from ghost-Farquad. The occasional squirt of water and seat movement add to the 4-D experience, but it’s overall very calm.
Worst Ride: Fast & Furious–Supercharged did not live up to its name. While fans of the Fast & Furious movies will probably enjoy walking through the set full of custom cars, the actual experience left much to be desired. The ride starts out with two live-performers greeting the group and acting out a phone call with Dominic and Hobbs. Then, everyone loads up onto a 72-person bus and “drives” away from a police raid. The 3-D effects in this ride happen without the use of special glasses. While this is fun in concept, it results in slightly blurry pictures on the giant screens. Additionally, the only movement is the bus bumping around rather painfully in a sad attempt to mimic a high-speed getaway. Personally, it was a missed opportunity for a very cool car chase. However, it’s a good option for visitors seeking low-intensity rides.
My Personal Favorite: Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon was one of my favorite rides of the whole trip. Guests once again sit in auditorium-style rows with one large screen in front of them. What made this ride so great, though was the video and effects. It combines Fallon’s humor with a realistic roller-coaster feel. The seats moved and tilted just enough to recreate floating, flying, and falling without going overboard. It’s a pretty smooth ride altogether, and the places you “visit’ along the way were recreated very well. I loved how realistic the experience felt and how much we laughed along the way.
Roller Coasters
Unlike its counterpart, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios only has a few actual roller coasters. However, they are great! Universal obviously went with quality over quantity with their coasters. I recommend riding all of them if you can!
Most Intense Coaster: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a must-ride for coaster lovers! This ride allows guests to select a music track to play during their high-intensity 65 mph adventure around the track. The coaster features an intense 17-story drop following a 90-degree climb to the top and a breath-taking loop. Another fun feature for this coaster is the continuous video feed during the ride. Instead of purchasing your ride photo at the exit, you can buy a video full of your wind-blown facial expressions and screaming.
Best Movie-Themed Coaster: Revenge of the Mummyis another high-intensity coaster with a lot to offer. Due to its all-around outstanding features, this ride was my personal favorite coaster. Fans of the Mummy franchise will not want to miss out on this well-executed indoor experience. The atmosphere surrounding the lines to the coaster is incredible and sets the mood perfectly for the terrifying tale. The ride follows a short storyline similar to the movies where the Mummy has been released and is terrorizing everyone–including your ride operator! Fun features include sudden plunges into pitch-black tunnels and a ceiling covered in flames that you’ll feel down in your seat! This ride is definitely not for the faint of heart, but all brave, adventurous souls should be sure to ride it!
Calmest Coaster: The Escape from Gringotts, located in Diagon Alley, is a reasonably friendly-family coaster with some multi-dimensional elements. If you’re looking for a wild ride, I will tell you, this isn’t it; however, it’s still a fun coaster. Guests wear 3-D glasses while their car rumbles along a track similar to a coal cart in a mining shaft. The ride does take place in a primarily dark environment, but there is only one notable drop. The fact that your 3-D glasses barely even budge is a good indicator of how calm it is. The action is mostly a combination of twisting along the track alongside large 3-D screens depicting the majority of the action. Occasionally the cart picks up speed, but it’s never intense. As far as the storyline, Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort try to prevent you from leaving the Gringotts’ vaults while Bill Weasley helps you avoid danger. In the end, the giant Gringotts’ dragon breaks free and enables you to escape the vaults. The 3-D effects are fun, albeit a little blurry, but there is a decent bit of action, and the coaster is an overall enjoyable experience, especially for Potter fans. Outside the coaster, be sure to stick around long enough to see the Gringotts’ dragon breathe fire!
Shows
You’ll find a wide variety of shows around the park from street musicians to Fear Factor Live. Most of these performances happen multiple times a day, so you should be able to catch most of the ones you want to between rides. Several of them also happen right in the streets, such as the Blue Brothers Show and the Beat Builders.
Most Creative Show: The Tales of Beedle the Bard in Diagon Alley takes the story of the Deathly Hallows and brings it to life through actors and large marionettes. A main storyteller describes the tale while several accompanying actors move the puppets around a small stage. The show is only a few minutes long, but the combination of the actors and marionettes is very well done, and Potter fans will enjoy the live rendition of the Deathly Hallows.
Funniest Show: Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show is surprisingly light and enjoyable for its name. While the performance does feature some grimace-worthy events like fake blood and severed limbs, the show’s hosts keep the laughs coming and invite a lot of crowd participation. They’re also very good at improving with the audience alongside their pre-planned script. You’ll learn a few Hollywood secrets, but you’ll also get some good laughs while you’re there.
Interactive Experiences
If you like hands-on entertainment, you’ll enjoy the various interactive experiences scattered around the Universal Studio’s park. Children especially will have numerous chances to meet beloved characters or immerse themselves in worlds from beloved movies.
Best Character Experiences
If you want to see minions, the animals from The Secret Life of Pets, and more stick around the Hollywood Character Zone for a while. Different characters station themselves there from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. most days, so you’ll get plenty of chances to meet lots of characters.
Alternately, if your children want to get a little more involved, hop in on one of the Character Parties near the entrance. Characters such as Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob, and their supporting cast will dance around with kids and play hula-hoops and other quick games with them.
Most Immersive Experience: Ollivander’s presents an inside look into the wand-choosing process from Harry Potter. A small group of guests enters the wand shop, and one to two people are chosen to participate in the small show. The shop keeper directs the participants to try out a couple different wants on items in the shop until the right wands choose their owners. It’s a fun experience to watch due to charming special effects and the all-around magical look of the shop. When the show is over, guests exit into the main shop area and can choose their own wands to take home and use around the park.
Most Relaxing Experience: The Hogwarts Express offers an excellent opportunity for those with Park-to-Park passes to rest up while traveling between parks. You might have to stand in line for a while in King’s Cross station, but the atmosphere is fun, and the train ride is a nice break from standing in lines and walking all over. The journey involves a short video played in the window depicting various events along the way to Hogwarts. The video changes when you come from the other direction, so be sure to catch both!
Obviously, this is not a completely exhaustive list of the rides and shows at Universal Studios, but hopefully, it helps you choose where to focus your time, especially if you only have one day. If you’re looking for more thrill rides and movie-immersive zones, be sure to stay tuned for my guide on Islands of Adventure!
Happy adventuring!
For more fun amusement park guides, visit the Amusement Parks page!