Hello adventurers!
Today I’ll be finishing up Part 2 of my Best of the Park guides for the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure!
I will say, I am writing this guide with a little sadness because the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened today, and I missed it. However, I won’t say I’m disappointed to have missed the 10-hour line to ride it. Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to include it in this review. But I trust some of you will comment below once you’ve been and let me know how it was!
Of the two parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure), Islands is definitely the more exciting experience from a ride perspective. Where Universal Studios favors 4-D rides and shows, Islands of Adventure is packed with rides, particularly coasters, thrill rides, and water rides. If you love thrills and have to choose between the parks, I would definitely recommend Islands of Adventure of Universal for that reason.
Islands of Adventure is split into six main sections plus Skull Island: Reign of Kong, which makes up its own area. The main parts are Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter–Hogsmeade, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. Except for The Lost Continent, the areas are tied directly to specific movies and franchises, whereas The Lost Continent focuses more on myths and legends.
Quick Note: a lot of these rides prohibit loose articles due to water or just the amount of action. However, Islands of Adventure provides complimentary lockers at all the rides that you can’t take your stuff on. Just be sure to keep either your park ticket or a memorable code handy so you can store and retrieve your items safely.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
3-D and 4-D Rides
Unlike Universal Studios, Island of Adventure only has three multi-dimensional rides: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The first two are both good options for riders who want a calmer experience, or for when there’s a short rain shower, and you want to duck inside for a bit (It’s Florida. It happens almost daily).
Best Ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a must-ride attraction for everyone (who doesn’t get motion sick)! While I love roller coasters, this was definitely my favorite ride in the park. This incredible attraction really starts back in the line. Riders weave through a very detailed Hogwarts Castle as they progress toward the ride. You’ll see interactive paintings, a dragon skeleton, and even Ron, Harry, and Hermione. The actual ride seats four riders side by side in a car connected from above, so your feet swing free.
The ride has a very coaster-like feel to it in many places because the car moves a lot, and the accompanying video adds to that effect. You’ll feel as if you’re riding a broomstick up and around Hogwarts castle, dodging dragons and Dementors. The 3-D video is exceptionally well done, and you definitely get the effects of flying straight downwards and zooming forward at exhilarating speeds. At one point, the car even flips you on your back as you dart around the Forbidden Forest. Altogether, it is a fantastic experience and has my highest recommendation.
Most Family-Friendly Ride: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man has a great storyline accompanied by well-timed twists and tilts of your small car. Along with the video feed, a couple flames, and a bit of water, this 3-D experience has some very realistic feelings to it. Although your car stays grounded (or pretty close to it) the whole time, you still feel as though you’re swinging through the streets and over the rooftops with Spider-Man. Personally, I’d recommend this ride for anyone–movie fans, thrill-seekers, or general park-goers alike.
Most Disappointing Ride: Skull Island: Reign of Kong was a missed opportunity in my opinion. After passing the ride up for two days due to the hour and above wait times, I had high expectations going into it on our third day. The entrance to the ride is pretty phenomenal with its dark, creepy tunnels and crevices and the native’s temple–although the weird witch-doctor woman in the temple has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. But then you get to the bus.
Just like the Fast and Furious ride over in Universal Studios, this ride was designed for crowds over experience. Had this ride featured smaller, more movable cars of 8 to 10 people like Spider-Man, this ride would have been over the top incredible. The actual storyline is pretty intense and well planned. Your bus travels through a dark cave, complete with giant bats, and you watch a couple people got to their deaths before “racing” through the jungle to escape. Your bus comes across two T-Rexes whose predatory intentions are evident until Kong jumps in and saves you. The bus falls through a lot of vines and swings back and forth for a bit before getting back on solid ground. The effects are great, and the video is solid. But due to the bus’s lack of mobility, it doesn’t feel real. It’s more like watching a movie from a very uncomfortable chair.
Roller Coasters
Islands of Adventure has two standard roller coasters, including the famed Incredible Hulk Coaster and the Flight of the Hippogriff.
Best Coaster: The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a coaster-lovers dream. With seven inversions and speeds of up to 67 mph, the Incredible Hulk Coaster is undoubtedly a wild experience and definitely overshadows the two family-friendly coasters in the park. The ride also goes through a couple trenches on the ground and sends up a satisfying spray from the lake as it speeds through. This is definitely an intense coaster, so stomach-sensitive riders be warned; but for those who can handle the thrills, it’s worth the wait time. If you choose to ride in the front row, it’s fantastic, but you may wait at least twice as long to get a seat. I’d recommend just staying in the main line. The ride is still incredible from the back rows, and you’ll get to ride a lot faster.
Most Family-Friendly Coaster: Flight of the Hippogriff is a very calm, albeit jerky, roller coaster located in the Hogsmeade area. The ride is very short and has no loops or intense drops. It’s supposed to imitate the swooping movements of the Hippogriff from the Harry Potter movies. It is an excellent choice for families or those who want calm rides. However, if your tastes lean towards more daring adventures, I’d recommend skipping this ride altogether.
Water Rides
Of the two parks, only Islands of Adventure has water rides (unless you want to count Fievel’s Playland water slide in Universal Studios, which I don’t). Universal used to have the Jaws ride, but they cut it out in 2011 to make room for Diagon Alley. This actually works out very well, particularly for those with Park-to-Park passes, because you can plan to get wet only at Islands of Adventure and get it all out of the way at once.
Best Water Coaster: Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls is an exciting mix of water and roller coaster elements. Based on the old T.V. show, the ride follows a fun storyline where Dudley hurries to save Nell from the nefarious Snidely Whiplash. You’ll spend a lot of the trip on the edge of your seat bracing for the next drop or unexpected splash of water. The ride culminates in a breath-taking plunge off the Ripsaw Falls. The ride is full of fun scenes and slides, but it can be a bit intense for some. And be warned: you will get soaked.
Most Family-Friendly Ride: Popeye & Bluto’s Bile-Rat Barges brings the classic cartoons to life in a drenching raft experience. The ride goes through a ton of waterfalls, sprays, and outright dumps of water, so there’s absolutely no escape from getting wet. There are also several small drops and fast currents, but it’s altogether a relatively calm and fun experience. The Popeye story that plays out along the riverbanks is also a fun touch, especially if you’re already familiar with the cartoons.
Most Intense Ride: The Jurrasic Park River Adventure goes from calm to crazy very fast. Riders start out in a large raft that drifts serenely along a tropical river beside a variety of gentle dinosaurs. Then the sudden appearance of a Parasaurolophus (random water dinosaur) sends the raft floating into the compromised raptor unit, and the atmosphere starts getting rather psychologically intense. The ride stays at a rather painfully slow pace as your raft drifts through the raptor unit and past several of those nasty little Dilophosauruses (those tiny but terrifying frilled dinosaurs) spitting venom (a.k.a. normal water) at the raft. The tension builds as the threatening roar of a Tyrannnosaurus Rex rumbles through the building and culminates in a steep plummet to the river below. The actual ride is pretty calm besides the final drop, but the atmosphere of the trip can be pretty frightening, especially for kids. However, it’s an all-around fantastic ride, and it’s a great tribute to the movies.
Shows
If you want a break from the rides, there are a few shows in Islands of Adventure that are worth a look.
Best Show: The Frog Choir in Hogsmeade is a surprisingly whimsical and catchy performance. Accompanied by animatronic frogs pounding out the baseline, four acapella singers perform a variety of melodies. Harry Potter fans will particularly enjoy their rendition of Double Double, Toil and Trouble.
Most Unique Show: The Raptor Encounter in the Jurassic Park zone offers a fun glimpse into what life in a real Jurassic Park would look like. Guests assemble in front of a trainer to meet Blue, one of the iconic raptors from the Jurassic World movies. The animatronic raptors are very realistic, and the concept of the show is just plain cool!
Most Magical Show: The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle are gorgeous. While it’s not on the same level as a Disney Illuminations light show, the Hogwarts lights are still pretty spectacular. The entire castle lights up in a tribute to all four Hogwarts houses, and the narrator gives a short description of each house in turn. Shows run every twenty minutes from dusk to closing time, but the actual show time is between five and ten minutes. Be sure to arrive early for a good view of the castle, and be aware that when the standing room fills up, you’ll be forced to wait another twenty minutes for the next show.
Most Whimsical Show: Poseidon’s Fury is a quirky underground experience featuring gods of legend and some pretty cool water and fire effects. While this experience often gets a bad rap, it’s actually pretty entertaining if you view it as “mobile show.” Guests follow a guide through the ruins of Poseidon’s temple and discover the secrets of Poseidon’s trident along the way. The guide is funny and interacts with the crowd as the story line progresses, pulling the group further underground and away from danger. One of the experience’s most fascinating aspects is a swirling vortex of water that guests pass through to the main temple. Overall, it’s a refreshing experience with a lot of good elements to it, and it’s a nice, air-conditioned change of pace.
Interactive Experiences
Around the park, you’ll find a variety of hubs that include hands-on entertainment. These include small areas such as interactive playgrounds to grander buildings that will fascinate adults and children alike.
Best Experience: The Jurassic Park Discovery Center is an excellent spin-off experience from the Jurassic Park movies (Can you tell I love this area?). This large building has a restaurant and gift shop on the ground floor overlooking a large experimentation area. The giant head of a T-Rex skeleton peeks just over the top of the balcony, enticing guests to come explore. In the discovery center, you can see the world from the view of different dinosaurs, watch a baby velociraptor hatch, and even do an experiment to see what your DNA would look like as a dinosaur!
Funniest Experience: The Mystic Fountain looks innocent, but you’d better watch your step. The fountain “magically” talks to the guests around its basin and will play different games with them or ask questions. However, it will also get mischievous and squirt people with water, so be prepared!
Best Character Experiences: You’ll find a lot of character meet-n-greets around this park that you or your kids may want to hop in on.
Spider-Man and the Marvel Superheroes gather daily in Super Hero Island, so check your schedule and be prepared for decent lines, depending on the hero.
If you prefer Classic Comic Strip Characters, you can meet a bunch of them over in Toon Lagoon.
Finally, if you have small children or grew up loving Dr. Seuss’s books, you’ll find plenty of characters in the Seuss Character Zone in Seuss Landing. These characters are more likely to interact a bit with children, while characters in other zones may only take a quick picture.
And that does it! Obviously, this doesn’t include every single ride in the park, but I pointed out all the ones that I felt were noteworthy in a category. If you have a question, feel free to drop a comment! And once again, if any of you visit Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Ride, comment and tell me about it!
Happy adventuring!
P.S. If you’re considering a visit to Universal Studios instead of or with your Islands of Adventure trip, check out my guide to Universal Studios!
For even more fun amusement park guides, visit the Amusement Parks page!