Just Wandering

One Day at Universal Orlando Resort

know before you go: parks, tickets, and express pass

To start, it’s important to note that Universal Orlando is divided into two separate theme parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Universal Studios is the classic park, featuring many rides found in Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, but features Diagon Alley from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Note this Harry Potter area is different than the one found in LA and other Universal theme parks worldwide, as other Harry Potter worlds typically feature Hogsmeade, and this is the case too with the other park at Universal Orlando - Islands of Adventure.

Islands of Adventure, despite its name, does not necessarily contain rides that are much more scary and/or ‘adventures’ compared to its counterpart. With the exception of the The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom's Fearfall, and two flume rides (the classic Jurassic Park: The Ride and Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls) no other rides feature intense falls (how I personally define the ‘intensity’ of a ride!)

Three quick things to note:

I personally think one full day is enough to see both parks provided you get Express Pass. I cannot emphasize enough how useful we found the express passes - this is definitively what made Universal a better experience than Disney World for me - the ease with which you can purchase fast-track passes that allows you to skip most lines, and queue in a usually much shorter Express lane was invaluable. Also, the cost of the benefit isn’t double or triple the usual cost of a ticket which is typically the case at Disney theme parks. The standard Universal Express for two parks pass costs rather reasonable $89.99 on top of your park tickets (the 2-Park 1-Day Ticket is $170/person) - with the option to purchase the perk once you’re inside the park as well.
The Hogwarts Express train ride is only accessible to ticket holding tickets to both parks, because the train connects Diagon Alley in Universal Studios to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. You can ride the train in either direction, but remember the Express Pass will only let you skip the lines once per ride.
Finally, be strategic about where you go first. During my trip in October 2019, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was the only major ride not included in the Express Pass program. Had I know this - I would’ve started off my day at Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park, and made that non-Express Pass eligible line the very first stop at park opening (typically 8AM). If I recall correctly, the line at this time should be 30 minutes or less, much shorter than later in the day / the afternoon, when it was consistently a cool 120 minutes. And so sadly you won’t see that ride in this post - but from what I understand, it was/is one of the most anticipated new rides for Universal, and likely more than worthy of a stop.

Guide to Rides at Universal Orlando: Universal Studios

Starting our day at **Universal Studios Orlando,** our first stop was **The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Diagon Alley.** Even before one enters the amazingly realistic world tucked away behind two walls within the park, fans will be hard-pressed not to recognize familiar landmarks in the area…
**12 Grimmauld Place**

Definitely the most impressive replica of Harry Potter world I’ve seen across both Universal Studios Hollywood as well as Universal Orlando - **Diagon Alley** is specific to Universal Studios in Orlando. At both Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure, you’ll find the classic **Hogsmeade Village.**

Opened in July 2014, the overwhelmingly realistic replica and the surrounding London landmarks from Harry Potter are sure to delight fans young and old. When visiting, definitely don’t forget to purchase an inter-park ticket to experience the full scale replica of King’s Cross, Platform 9 and 3/4, and ride the Hogwarts Express.

Besides the marquee ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts detailed below, the alley features an array of classic shoppes fans would be familiar with.
Some that may be worth a visit include:
**Ollivanders**
**Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes**
**Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour**

And last but not least, no trip to any Harry Potter world is incomplete without butterbeer. Don’t forget to stop by The Fountain of Fair Fortune for a mug of the (very) sweet cup of magical goodness
Since I’ve tried the classic version of the concoction at Universal Studios Hollywood, and figured I’d go for the frozen butterbeer on tap here. Extremely sweet and decadent, probably best if shared - though the icy factor was great consider the hot day.

**Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts**

**ENTRANCE TO THE RIDE**
One of the most highly anticipated rides of the Harry Potter World franchise at Universal, Escape from Gringotts was by far one of our favorite rides at the park that day. Just the right amount of thrill optimally enhanced with technology, the ride is a ‘3-D motion-based steel roller coaster’ and certainly features intense movement and twists & turns. It, however, certainly wasn’t as intense or scary as most full-on roller coasters may be, and contains [spoiler alert]: only 1 semi-small drop. As long as one is over the height limit, definitely, definitely worth going on!

One of my favorite aspects of rides at theme parks like Universal and Disney has to be the amount of attention, effort, and detail that is put into the construction of not only the ride itself but the *waiting areas* as well. I suppose this also makes sense, as these are places where patrons spend up to 10x their time versus on the actual attraction.
The briefing area is more high-tech - featuring holograms of Bill Weasley discussing the upcoming mission deep into the labyrinth of Gringotts with the globlin Griphook.

**BOARDING AREA**
As it is a 3-D coaster, glasses needed to be worn for the ride. You’ll be asked to pick up a pair as you near the boarding area, so be sure to watch out for signs that instruct you to collect them!
Overall, this ride was one of my favorites of the day. Breakdown of ratings below:
**Graphics/tech: 10/10**
**Thrill: 7-8/10**
**Overall fun: 9/10**

Located in the World Expo area of the park - the decor and overall tech behind the ride may be somewhat dated, this vehicle-based shooting game was nice interactive break from the more thrilling rides within the park.

As you’ll see on the vehicle, each rider gets their own handheld blaster and an individualized score on the display in front of them. As the vehicle moves, various targets will appear (more like pop-up, reminds me of an old time-y arcade) for you to shoot.
**Graphics/tech: 3/10**
**Thrill: 2/10**
**Overall fun: 6/10**

After the somewhat un-stimulating experience with the Men in Black ride, my expectations weren’t high for this similarly seemingly dated ride located next to MiB in the World Expo area of Universal Studios.
I was really pleasantly surprised, however, by the overall quality of the ride. A motion simulator - the ride took us on an epic journey through Springfield that was both quite immersive and realistic.
**Graphics/tech: 7/10**
**Thrill: 5/10**
**Overall fun: 7/10**

**E.T. Adventure**

Yet another what might be called an oldie but goodie ride at Universal Studios, this nostalgic adventure takes riders (on individual bikes attached to one moving vehicle) on an aerial journey with E.T.

As you’ll see here, each seat is actually an individual stationary bike - I was particularly impressed by the fact that the ride was accessible, as the ‘bike’ next to me was actually a space for attaching a wheelchair.

Though, as with MiB, somewhat dated in terms of hardware, I personally felt the ride was still worth a stop, especially for nostalgia’s sake.

Graphics/tech: 5/10

Thrill: 3/10

Overall fun: 5/10

**QUEUING AREA**
Don’t let the name fool you - this 3-D ride is actually a ‘4D motion based dark ride!’ I don’t remember too much about the ride itself, except it seemed like one of the newer additions, and the ride itself was pretty fun. I’d say if you’ve invested in tickets and especially the Express Pass, might as well hop on every ride you can given the lack of lines!

**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 6/10**
**Overall fun: 7/10**

One of the more popular rides at the center of the Universal Studios park, Minion Mayhem is an adorable, fast-paced 4-D ride through Gru’s laboratory. As with most rides we did that day, this one also required googles for the journey (sadly, they didn’t come in minion google form!)

Below is a photo taken at the beginning of the ride itself. You’ll see the theater like screen in front, with the seating platform moving up and in motion throughout the ride. I forget what kind of ‘mission’ we were taken on, but the adventure featured the three girls, Gru, and our favorite cyclops minion so I was happy to follow along!

**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 5/10**
**Overall fun: 8/10**

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon

This one was a somewhat unexpectedly enjoyable ride - though I’d never thought The Tonight Show could be made into a theme-park ride?! The ride itself is located in a replica of Rockefeller Center. The show, sorry, ride, had some pretty elaborate pre-boarding queuing areas, and even featured a short show onstage in the replica ‘studio’ prior to the main event itself.

Seen here the previous batch of guests leaving the ride itself, riders are ushered into a small auditorium like setting, told to put their seat-belts on, and join Jimmy Fallon as he speeds (and I mean speeds) through New York City. I was hesitant about the randomness of the ride given the Tonight Show didn’t strike me as particularly…adventurous as far as a Universal production was concerned, but was pleasantly surprised with the range of motion and graphics on the 4-D ride.

**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 5/10**
**Overall fun: 7/10**

So this ride, also a classic at Universal parks, we did *not* realize was roller coaster till after it started. Looking back though, the seats on the ride should really have given it away 😥
As you can imagine, the realization that it was a full-on coaster dawned pretty quickly on us after the first drop, annnd let’s just say it went from there. Definitely a thrilling ride, especially given all the twists, turns, and drops happen in the dark!
**Graphics/tech: 6/10**
**Thrill: 9.5/10**
**Overall fun:** 5-9/10 (depending on much one likes thrill rides)

One of the newest additions to the park, the ride officially opened in April of 2018. Throughout the queuing areas, riders are greeted with full scale replicas of various scenes from the movie (including the gang’s garage, seen here). In addition, there are various pre-show elements to introduce the storyline, featuring live actors and again familiar settings from the franchise.

Despite the long-winded introductions, the actual ride itself was somewhat underwhelming and anti-climatic. As far as 3-D motion based rides go, King Kong in Islands of Adventure is a better bet.
**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 5/10**
**Overall fun: 5/10**

rides not reviewed in universal studios park:

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Coaster

Presumed thrill factor: 10/10

Shrek 4-D Ride

Presumed thrill factor: 4/10

The Park Connector: Hogwarts Express

King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios Orlando

Definitely a not to be missed attraction at Universal Orlando, the Hogwarts Express and its boarding area (King’s Cross and Platform 9 3/4) in Universal Studios was realistic in both scope and detail. Step onto the platform in the train station and one feels transported to the movie set. All that’s missing is a hidden pillar to run (or ram) your luggage cart through (or into)!

The train itself, in addition to serving as a connector between the two Harry Potter worlds in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure (just like the books, King’s Cross in London to Hogsmeade, and vice-versa), is also an experience in of itself. See below for what the minutes long ride offers during the journey.
**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 3/10**
**Overall fun: 6/10**

Guide to Rides at Universal Orlando: Islands of Adventure

The Harry Potter world located in Islands of Adventure - centered around a replica of **Hogsmeade** village - is the same as those found in Universal theme parks world-wide, including Universal Hollywood. As I’ve been to the one in LA back in 2015 - the full-scale remake of the village was less impressive to me as it might be to some who are seeing it for the first time.
At Hogsmeade, shopping options include **Dervish and Banges™, Honeydukes™, Owl Post™** and **Ollivanders™.** And don’t forget to stop by the **Three Broomsticks™** for a butter beer, or if looking for something more adult - try **Hog's Head™** located right in the back 😉

The marquee ride in this part of town is a ride known as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is located inside a scaled replica of Hogwarts castle seen above. A motion-based dark ride through the grounds of Hogwarts with Harry and his two friends, it too requires 3-D glasses to properly enjoy the journey. This ride is the marquee ride found at of Universal’s Harry Potter Worlds across the globe as well. Though my second time experiencing the ride, it was still just as fun and thrilling as I remembered it the first time!

**Graphics/tech: 8/10**
**Thrill: 7/10**
**Overall fun: 7/10**

As mentioned previously, due to the lines for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure being prohibitively long by the time I got around to it, and it being the only ride that wasn’t accepting Express Passes - I consoled myself by going on the kiddie coaster Flight of the Hippogriff, the third and final ride-based attraction found at Hogsmeade. Overall a pretty fun ride - though definitely designed for smaller ones!

Graphics/tech: 6/10

Thrill: 4/10

Overall fun: 5/10

Aside from the rides, children young and old can be entertained by the many magical features found here. As with all Harry Potter lands, purchasing a wand with the embedded interactive feature will allow you to perform a series of movements around the park, both in Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure and at Diagon Alley in Universal Studios.
Other features include this magical fountain found on the right, which entertained an endless amount of kids who shrieked and screamed as the fountain sprayed them at random with jets of water.

And last but not least, can’t forget the souvenirs! Trying not to buy too much, we got a pumpkin juice, chocolate frog, and two wands (one collectible, one interactive).

**JURASSIC PARK: THE RIDE**
Perhaps the most classic rides at Universal theme parks across the globe, this is the classic shoot the chute ride that will get riders pretty soaked towards the end. It is also the quintessential Universal ride picture, featuring the roaring dinosaur right behind riders as the boat plunges into its splashy ending.
Based on previous rides:
**Graphics/tech: 5/10**
**Thrill: 7/10**
**Overall fun: 6/10** (depending on how much you don’t mind the water)

A 3-D dark ride that puts riders on a moving vehicle (with no track) , the ride begins outdoors in the ‘jungle,’ and moves into the much darker Temple of Doom for the latter half of the ride. One of Universal Orlando’s newest rides, I’d have to say though the ride wasn’t as long as I would’ve liked - overall it was pretty fun.

Graphics/tech: 8/10

Thrill: 6/10

Overall fun: 7/10

The Cat in the Hat ride at Cartoon Landing, from what it seemed, was for smaller kids, so we didn’t venture inside. Later, I found out through research that it was a 4-D ride, making me wonder if it might’ve been like the Simpson’s ride over in Universal Studios. Either case - I can’t comment on this one!

not reviewed bUt also in toon lagoon area

Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges: River raft ride

Sadly, this ride was closed that day, but from what it seems like a pretty run-of-the-mill barge ride (you know, the kind where everyone circles in a circular barge and there’s a giant wheel in the middle you can spin, and the barge speeds down a rapid river?)

**The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man**
In operation since 1999, the attraction certainly wasn’t one of the newer additions to Universal.

Hesitant to go on yet another ‘3-D motion based dark ride’ - let’s face it - you’ve heard me mention some combination of those words to describe almost all of the rides I went on, I found the experience about average.

Due to the ride being little older, some aspects of the experience could have been more immersive, but overall worth a stop of you’re in the area.

Didn’t go on this ride, but just by looking at it (and having gone on similar free fall rides at other amusement parks!) I’d say thrill factor: 10/10? Unless you’re one of those rare individuals that don’t see to free the negative Gs as you free fall…!

Another ride we didn’t go on (in retrospect, I regret this one). Didn’t seem like the drop was especially bad at the beginning, and the rest of this pretty classic seeming coaster features a couple of full loops. Which, I guess depending on your tolerance for hurtling through the air at 100mph while sometimes being upside, might be really fun (or vomit-inducing 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Presumed thrill factor: 9/10

Poseidon’s Fury wasn’t actually a ride, despite its elaborate exterior and pre-show elements featuring live actors. Though this surprised (and disappointed) some in line, it turns out this live show was actually well worth the slight wait (showtimes are every half-hour)! Though obviously one of the older attractions at Islands of Adventure, there were definitely some impressive and astounding elements to the ‘show’ (much more engaging than one might expect given the lack of motion). Don’t believe me? [Spoiler Alert] See photo of water tunnel below (yup, that’s swirling water above our heads, not lights!)

Graphics/tech: 5/10

Thrill: 3/10 (Still a show, after all!)

Overall fun: 7/10 - definitely some unexpected elements!

Probably one of the most action packed and efficient days I’ve ever had at an amusement park, our Universal two park, one day journey was just fantastically filled with so many rides. And I promise I’m not being sponsored to say this or anything, but we personally found the Express Passes so worth it in terms of saving us time in lines. Even though we went in October, which isn’t technically busy season, many of the rides still had a good amount of wait on average, and all the marquee Harry Potter rides will be upwards of 40 minutes to an hour in queuing time. So definitely, if you’re thinking of attempting to pack Universal Orlando into one day, keep in mind that a. it might be tight in terms of scheduling (one ride to the next with little breaks) and b. definitely consider the Express Pass!
Ultimately, I found our day to be incredibleLy action packed. Though I have to say: a seemingly overwhelming amount of rides were 3-D motion simulators or 4-D rides, to the extent I questioned if this some kind of cost cutting mechanism, or just the newest tech? But nonetheless, probably the best day I’ve had at any theme park in a while. 🥳 Definitely, definitely don’t overlook the two Universal parks in Orlando for the four at Disney World when in town!