Hi!
As exciting and Magical as Disney is, it does lack some thrilling rides, so we toddled over to Universal Studios. This is split into two theme parks; Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and you will have to buy tickets for each park. You can also buy fast passes for both parks (one for each park). It is slightly different to Disney as you don’t reserve a specific time, but just show your fast pass and you go in a separate queue. You can buy the fast pass on the day and it is definitely worth waiting to do that. We hardly had to wait for the rides on the Islands of Adventure. The longest queues were in the afternoon and that was only around an hour.
Marvel Superhero Island
Hulk Rollercoaster
We decided to do Islands of Adventure first as Wendy really wanted to ride the Hulk Rollercoaster. It did not disappoint! It’s definitely one of our favourite coasters ever. As this was the first ride we went on, there was hardly a queue and we went on several times, including on the front row.
Storm Force Acceleration
Just next to the Hulk is the Storm ride, which is an adult version of the teacups. It’s much better and if you spin the cups yourself it does seem to make a big difference and you go really fast, unlike the ones in Disney which are speed limited (sob, sob).
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
This ride has been around for ages, but it is still really good. It’s a 3D ride, but it still has the thrills of a regular roller coaster.
Doctor Doom Fearfall
This is just your usual shoot up/drop down ride. Nice enough but nothing to shout about.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
This area is super popular and it has been built really well. We aren’t huge Potter fans, but the Hogwarts school is pretty spectacular. There is also a ride which allows you to soar through the grounds and meet the different characters.
Flight of the Hippogriff
This is an outdoor coaster aimed at the younger clientele. This wasn’t that exciting and is probably on par with slinky dog.
Village of Hogsmeade
In this world, you can wander through the replica streets and buy yourself a wand or sample some Butterbeer. It’s a must for all Potter fans!
Hogwarts Express
We didn’t go on this as you have to buy a separate ticket/different ticket but it essentially takes you from one park to the other.
Toon Lagoon
This area is very bright and colourful as it pays homage to a lot of old-school cartoon characters. There are several rides here which are worth riding.
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges
This is a great water ride and the best raft ride EVER! You will get soaked on this and it doesn’t matter where you sit. It does have a center table with a waterproof cover to keep your belongings nice and dry as you won’t be when you exit! It’s really refreshing (during the summer) but you may want to bring a spare set of clothes! There are some human dryers, but they cost $5 and they didn’t seem that effective. we personally didn’t try them.
Dudley Do Right’s- Rip Shaw Falls
Another great water ride is around the corner and it’s more of a traditional log flume. There are lot’s of little slides and then a big one at the end. This gets you fairly wet (not as bad as Popeye) so you might as well do both of them at the same time!
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park River Adventure
The area of Jurassic Park is quite disappointing as there aren’t many rides here. The whole set up is pretty cool though. The only good ride is the ‘Jurassic Park River Adventure’, which is another water ride. The special effects are good, but this one you only get a slight splash even though it looks much more epic.
Skull Island: Region of Kong
There is currently only one attraction here and it’s slightly disappointing. The outside design has been done really well, but the actual ride was only mediocre. It’s another 3D ride but things happen on either side rather than in front. This was also made worse by people who think it’s OK to live broadcast a ride. 😡
Next stop, Universal Studios!