- August 14th, 2019, 9:15 pm
#107966
The Universal Orlando parks have been on my bucket list of parks to get to ever since I saw a POV of Transformers. I had never seen a ride like it that seamlessly integrated 3D with practical sets, so to me, it looked like the ultimate form of immersion. Six years after seeing that POV, we finally made the trip in celebration of my high school graduation.
Prelude
We drove into Orlando at around 5PM on Sunday, and our hotel was offsite. So if you're looking for a nice play to stay without necessarily breaking the bank by staying on site, I highly recommend Comfort Suites Near Universal. It's just a short drive away and they offer shuttle service by appointment if you're not looking to drive.
We headed to Citywalk around 6PM to get something to eat. I could see the parks from the Citywalk lagoons, and my first impressions were that Rockit looked much taller in person, and Hulk much smaller. Nonetheless, I anticipated both very much.
We ate at Bob Marley: A Tribute to Freedom and it was pretty decent. I think there's much better and more authentic Jamaican food here in Charlotte, but for the price of the meal, they at least delivered on portions. I don't know if I'd eat here again but I'd probably still recommend it to first-time visitors.
After dinner, we headed browsed some of the gift shops in Citywalk and eventually headed back to the hotel. I could barely sleep with the anticipation I had. But eventually, I dozed off, poorly-rested up for the first day.
Day 1:
Our first park of the trip was Universal Studios Florida, as the forecast called for it to rain/storm for a good part of the day, and we figured it would be better to be at the park with more indoor attractions. We got into the park around 10:30, and made a beeline to...
HOLLYWOOD RIP RIDE ROCKIT
I rode in the second row and it was really enjoyable! Our train voted on "Stronger" as the song, and that really made the ride for me. There's a decent amount of floater and ejector airtime, especially in the non-inverted loop, and it was butter smooth. A great way to start off the day.
After jumping off Rockit, we headed to the attraction that I came here for:
TRANSFORMERS: THE RIDE
We had about an hour queue, though the app only read about 40 minutes, but the ride was about as good as I expected it to be. The screens seemed to integrate seamlessly with the sets just as I had expected; and the heat, water, and wind effects added another dimension to this already fantastic ride. I particularly enjoyed the missile scene.
After getting off Transformers, we wandered about the New York area searching for a restroom and a bite to eat, and excluding Diagon Alley, this was definitely the prettiest section of the park. It looked like an authentic New York street, open fire hydrants and all, and every building looked incredibly detailed. After a bathrom break and a pit stop at Auntie Anne's, we headed to...
REVENGE OF THE MUMMY
The queue for this is like a museum exhibit on steroids which is probably the aesthetic they were going for, so kudos to Universal Creative. The ride itself is both one of the best dark rides I've been on and one of the most fun coasters I've ridden, with incredible special effects (fire, projections, animatronics) and a layout that kept you guessing. My brother and my mom agreed that this was the best ride of the day at USF.
We took a quick mid-day break and headed back in around 2. Our next attraction was on the other side of the park, and it was...
E.T. ADVENTURE
With most of the rides at the park being thrill-based, E.T. was a nice change of pace. It was a scenic, leisure ride through the forest and to E.T.'s home planet, with some truly amazing sets and animatronics. I hope whatever they do to Kidzone in the future doesn't involve this ride's removal, because it is an absolute gem.
After checking the Universal Orlando App, we headed to...
THE SIMPSONS RIDE
We only waited about 30 minutes. However, I'd say that this was definitely the least impressive ride of the trip. I couldn't shake the feeling that the ride needed 3D, and despite the jokes, it still felt like a run-of-the-mill simulator attraction to me. The queue was great, but I'd probably never ride this again if I returned.
Following this, we made our way to...
MEN IN BLACK: ALIEN ATTACK
I don't remember the cast member's name, but she made the queue experience really fun. The elevator room gag was really funny, and a great way to set the mood for the ride.
The ride itself is the best shooter I've ever been on. There's plenty of animatronics, but the most impressive scene by far is the "big bug" that you pass under which is absolutely massive. The spinning added a thrill to the ride and wasn't too nauseating. Overall, I'd put it as a mid-tier attraction and definitely one I'd ride on a return visit.
Men In Black was our last non-Harry Potter attraction for the day. After exiting the ride, we made our way to London and headed into Diagon Alley. We had to cut out a lot of stuff on this visit due to crowds, but if there's one thing I actually regret, it's not fully exploring the Wizarding World beyond the rides. This was the most detailed, most immersive theme park land that I had ever been in, and exploring the land itself could have easily taken up a day. All the more reason to return, I suppose.
We made our way to the area's flagship attraction, which is of course...
HARRY POTTER AND THE ESCAPE FROM GRINGOTTS
Oh my god, the theming here is incredible. The queue line itself is worthy of gushing over. The moving newspapers, the goblins in the lobby, the elevator shaft down, etc. The queue itself was an amazing attraction. The ride didn't disappoint either. It mixes coaster and simulator elements perfectly, and the music accompanying the ride was beautiful. Honestly, as pure attractions go, I enjoyed this on the same level as Mummy, but as I'm a coaster enthusiast, my tastes tend to skewer towards more coaster-based attractions, so Mummy took the title for best ride at Universal Studios Florida.
After getting off Gringotts, we picked up some Butterbeers from a nearby shop, and I do not regret spending over $25 on these during the trip. They're delicious and I wish I could take them home with me.
We made our way to King's Cross to ride the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure and get our money's worth on the park-hopper tickets. The ride itself was pretty cool, with views of the English countryside out of one window, and dementors in the other. I just wish the temperature dropped significantly when the dementors appeared, it would have really added to the immersion. Unfortunately, we did not ride the train back to USF and ended our day at Islands of Adventure. We were exhausted, so we decided to bail on riding anything in favor of dinner and going back to the hotel.
Universal Studios Florida is an awesome park and definitely one of the my favorite, but this is only part one of the trip. As I'm exhausted from the drive back to Charlotte, I'll be posting my thoughts on our second day at IoA tomorrow.
Prelude
We drove into Orlando at around 5PM on Sunday, and our hotel was offsite. So if you're looking for a nice play to stay without necessarily breaking the bank by staying on site, I highly recommend Comfort Suites Near Universal. It's just a short drive away and they offer shuttle service by appointment if you're not looking to drive.
We headed to Citywalk around 6PM to get something to eat. I could see the parks from the Citywalk lagoons, and my first impressions were that Rockit looked much taller in person, and Hulk much smaller. Nonetheless, I anticipated both very much.
We ate at Bob Marley: A Tribute to Freedom and it was pretty decent. I think there's much better and more authentic Jamaican food here in Charlotte, but for the price of the meal, they at least delivered on portions. I don't know if I'd eat here again but I'd probably still recommend it to first-time visitors.
After dinner, we headed browsed some of the gift shops in Citywalk and eventually headed back to the hotel. I could barely sleep with the anticipation I had. But eventually, I dozed off, poorly-rested up for the first day.
Day 1:
Our first park of the trip was Universal Studios Florida, as the forecast called for it to rain/storm for a good part of the day, and we figured it would be better to be at the park with more indoor attractions. We got into the park around 10:30, and made a beeline to...
HOLLYWOOD RIP RIDE ROCKIT
I rode in the second row and it was really enjoyable! Our train voted on "Stronger" as the song, and that really made the ride for me. There's a decent amount of floater and ejector airtime, especially in the non-inverted loop, and it was butter smooth. A great way to start off the day.
After jumping off Rockit, we headed to the attraction that I came here for:
TRANSFORMERS: THE RIDE
We had about an hour queue, though the app only read about 40 minutes, but the ride was about as good as I expected it to be. The screens seemed to integrate seamlessly with the sets just as I had expected; and the heat, water, and wind effects added another dimension to this already fantastic ride. I particularly enjoyed the missile scene.
After getting off Transformers, we wandered about the New York area searching for a restroom and a bite to eat, and excluding Diagon Alley, this was definitely the prettiest section of the park. It looked like an authentic New York street, open fire hydrants and all, and every building looked incredibly detailed. After a bathrom break and a pit stop at Auntie Anne's, we headed to...
REVENGE OF THE MUMMY
The queue for this is like a museum exhibit on steroids which is probably the aesthetic they were going for, so kudos to Universal Creative. The ride itself is both one of the best dark rides I've been on and one of the most fun coasters I've ridden, with incredible special effects (fire, projections, animatronics) and a layout that kept you guessing. My brother and my mom agreed that this was the best ride of the day at USF.
We took a quick mid-day break and headed back in around 2. Our next attraction was on the other side of the park, and it was...
E.T. ADVENTURE
With most of the rides at the park being thrill-based, E.T. was a nice change of pace. It was a scenic, leisure ride through the forest and to E.T.'s home planet, with some truly amazing sets and animatronics. I hope whatever they do to Kidzone in the future doesn't involve this ride's removal, because it is an absolute gem.
After checking the Universal Orlando App, we headed to...
THE SIMPSONS RIDE
We only waited about 30 minutes. However, I'd say that this was definitely the least impressive ride of the trip. I couldn't shake the feeling that the ride needed 3D, and despite the jokes, it still felt like a run-of-the-mill simulator attraction to me. The queue was great, but I'd probably never ride this again if I returned.
Following this, we made our way to...
MEN IN BLACK: ALIEN ATTACK
I don't remember the cast member's name, but she made the queue experience really fun. The elevator room gag was really funny, and a great way to set the mood for the ride.
The ride itself is the best shooter I've ever been on. There's plenty of animatronics, but the most impressive scene by far is the "big bug" that you pass under which is absolutely massive. The spinning added a thrill to the ride and wasn't too nauseating. Overall, I'd put it as a mid-tier attraction and definitely one I'd ride on a return visit.
Men In Black was our last non-Harry Potter attraction for the day. After exiting the ride, we made our way to London and headed into Diagon Alley. We had to cut out a lot of stuff on this visit due to crowds, but if there's one thing I actually regret, it's not fully exploring the Wizarding World beyond the rides. This was the most detailed, most immersive theme park land that I had ever been in, and exploring the land itself could have easily taken up a day. All the more reason to return, I suppose.
We made our way to the area's flagship attraction, which is of course...
HARRY POTTER AND THE ESCAPE FROM GRINGOTTS
Oh my god, the theming here is incredible. The queue line itself is worthy of gushing over. The moving newspapers, the goblins in the lobby, the elevator shaft down, etc. The queue itself was an amazing attraction. The ride didn't disappoint either. It mixes coaster and simulator elements perfectly, and the music accompanying the ride was beautiful. Honestly, as pure attractions go, I enjoyed this on the same level as Mummy, but as I'm a coaster enthusiast, my tastes tend to skewer towards more coaster-based attractions, so Mummy took the title for best ride at Universal Studios Florida.
After getting off Gringotts, we picked up some Butterbeers from a nearby shop, and I do not regret spending over $25 on these during the trip. They're delicious and I wish I could take them home with me.
We made our way to King's Cross to ride the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure and get our money's worth on the park-hopper tickets. The ride itself was pretty cool, with views of the English countryside out of one window, and dementors in the other. I just wish the temperature dropped significantly when the dementors appeared, it would have really added to the immersion. Unfortunately, we did not ride the train back to USF and ended our day at Islands of Adventure. We were exhausted, so we decided to bail on riding anything in favor of dinner and going back to the hotel.
Universal Studios Florida is an awesome park and definitely one of the my favorite, but this is only part one of the trip. As I'm exhausted from the drive back to Charlotte, I'll be posting my thoughts on our second day at IoA tomorrow.
Coaster Count: 63