Sami

Jan 5, 202310 min read

Unraveling Universal: Best Rides in the Parks

When talking about favorite rides at Universal, there is a lot to take into consideration: the ride itself and what kind of ride it is (a "real" ride or screen-based), the theming of the line (because you spend a lot of time here), and if you can re-ride it. The list below is simply my opinion and is based on the rides that were in operation in November of 2022. Making the list of the top 3 rides in for both parks was difficult, but for different reasons. Universal Studios was difficult because I prefer the Islands of Adventure for rides, but Islands of Adventure was hard too because deciding on the third ride was hard. The first two were automatic when I thought about it, as with almost anyone in the parks, just a matter of which one is first and second.

Universal Studios

Number 3: Men in Black - Alien Attack

Men in Black - Alien Attack comes in as a strong third place because of the great theming and simply being a fun ride. The line is never incredibly long for the ride, which is nice (I've never waited more than 20 minutes but have seen the wait time up to an hour). From the Universal website, the ride is described as: "New York has been hit by an epidemic of aliens and it’s up to you, Agent Trainee, to blast them into oblivion. Use your laser gun to zap those little suckers and rack up points before they zap back at you, sending your car spinning out of control. With the fate of the Earth in your hands, you'll become a full-fledged MEN IN BLACK™ agent."

Story/Theming/Ride: Before the pre-show, the line for the ride is outside and is not themed, other than a few MIB-Universe-themed posters. Once you are in the pre-show, the line goes pretty quickly. The pre-show consists of being welcomed into a room by a current MIB agent to start training to become a new MIB agent. Once through this orientation, you walk down a short hallway to find yourself above the main MIB office floor, straight from the movies. Through one more doorway and you can start making your way down to the training vehicles.

The ride is set up as a laser gun game between you and alien targets. The ride takes you through a simulated version of the streets of NYC shooting target aliens until a warning broadcast comes out and you find yourself in the middle of a real alien battle. I wish you luck as you spin around to try to beat your friends' high score next time you ride.

Rideability: Men in Black is a great ride for any age, as it is fun, interactive, and you don't need to know the story of the movie to enjoy it. This ride is great for riding multiple times. You can try to beat your own score, or your friends' scores, or your team can try to beat the opposing team's score. The more you ride, the more you pick up on where to shoot and where the high-point targets are.

Number 2: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts comes in as my number 2 favorite ride in the park for the remarkable theming of the line and the surprises and special effects of the ride. The line for the ride can be quite long (I have waited 80 minutes before), but the line is inside and there is plenty to look at to help the time seem to pass faster. From the Universal website, the ride is described as: "Enter beneath a massive fire-breathing dragon and journey deep underground on this multi-dimensional thrill ride. As you navigate perilous subterranean vaults, you'll encounter Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But you'll have to evade the wrath of villains Voldemort™, Bellatrix, trolls, and other creatures that stand between you and a safe return to Diagon Alley™."

Story/Theming/Ride: Heading into the line be sure to look all around so you don't miss any details. Walking in you will see goblins at work on either side of the bank lobby. Once you are through the lobby, you will head through the office area and see some of the "inner workings" of Gringotts Bank. Keep an eye out for newspapers that are left out to look at and an ear open to hear some conversations happening behind closed doors. You will come to a pre-show room that shows Charlie Weasley and Griphook joining you for a tour of the vaults, you will move to another small pre-show room of elevators that will take you to the ride loading area. On your way, make sure to pick up a pair of 3D glasses for the ride.

Once you are seated, put on your 3D glasses and be ready for the unexpected. From surprise drops to water sprays and a couple of jump scares, this ride has a little bit of everything as you progress through Gringotts and down to the deepest vaults.

Rideability: This is a great ride for those that are fans of the Harry Potter series because the story line of the ride touches so much of the story that we know. The ride itself is good to ride a few times to catch the entire story and see all of the special effects, but after that, it is fun to ride again and hear other people's reactions to the ride.

Number 1: Revenge of the Mummy

Revenge of the Mummy is my top pick for a ride at Universal Studios for immersive theming, a fun ride, and the ability to re-ride it. The line for this ride is typically posted as 25-60 minutes but generally doesn't take as long as it says. The longest I have waited for this ride is 30 minutes when it said 45-50. From the Universal website, the ride is described as: "Digging your nails into the safety rail, you'll hold on tight as you rush forwards and back on the track, fleeing from the evil Mummy Imhotep. Just as it seems you might've escaped, you'll plunge straight down into a pitch-black abyss with no end in sight. Will you ever see daylight again? Or will you remain sealed inside this tomb forever?"

Story/Theming/Ride: This ride has an extensive line, all well-themed with Mummy artifacts everywhere. There are no pre-shows in this line but as I said, the line moves pretty quickly and you don't stay in any one spot very long. As you walk past various artifacts, you get closer to the ride and the background noises in the tomb get louder until you finally get up to the ride. Once you board the ride you head into the tomb and are almost immediately met with the residents of the tomb.

Through the ride you are taken to the middle of a crypt, under a falling wall, into a room of beetles and around several turns. You pull up to an exit platform and hear an attendant say, "Thanks for riding" and the Mummy returns just in time to see you shoot off to the real end of the ride, but only once you go through a dark room and several drops and turns. There are real effects of fire, heat, animatronics, and a falling wall, which are all enhanced by the screened special effects of images on the wall and the false ending.

Rideability: Between the twists and turns of the ride, the real and screened special effects, and the unexpected continuation of the ride, this is a ride you can go on over and over again. It's also a fun ride to go on with people who haven't ridden before to hear/see their reactions.

I actually don't have any pictures of this ride or the line, the ride is not picture friendly as it is pretty dark and I didn't get pictures of the line because I didn't think it was going to be my favorite and would need pictures.

Islands of Adventure

Number 3: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey comes in third for Islands of Adventure by no fault of its own, it just has great competition. The theming of the line and getting to walk through Hogwarts is incredible and the ride itself is exciting and takes you through several familiar parts of the Harry Potter story. This line can be rather long, especially if the weather is poor, as it is inside. I have waited for about an hour for this ride but have seen ride times up to 2 hours. From the Universal website, the ride is described as: "Enter through the towering castle gates and make your way down the familiar passageways and corridors of Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then soar above the castle grounds as you join Harry Potter™ and his friends on a thrilling adventure. Groundbreaking, state-of-the-art technology (and a little magic) creates a one-of-a-kind ride."

Story/Theming/Ride: Walking into the line means walking into Hogwarts, which is a huge bonus for any Harry Potter fans. The attention to detail in the castle by including so many artifacts from the series gives everyone plenty to look at while in line. As you make your way to Hogwarts, take a moment to appreciate the winged boars on either side of the entrance, which starts the immersive theming of the line. You will see is the outside of the greenhouses and many familiar artifacts, including the griffon-blocked staircase, House Points hourglasses, and the sorting hat. You will pass the Fat Lady who is sad she can't make it to the Quidditch match, which starts to set the story for the ride.

When you load onto the ride you will quickly find yourself being thrown into a Floo Powder fireplace by Hermione to make it to the top of the clock tower to meet Harry. You will fly over the grounds of Hogwarts, away from a dragon, through a Quidditch match. It's here that you meet a dementor and go through a whirlwind of "bad" scenes from the series that are induced from the dementors. In the end, Harry comes to save the day and returns you safely to the castle.

Rideability: This ride is great the first few times, as you catch all of the little details thrown in but has a lower ability to be ridden repeatedly in my opinion. This ride gets the third spot mostly from theming and the story of the ride, even though the ride itself is great the first few times.

Number 2: Velocicoaster

As the current newest ride at Islands of Adventure, and Universal Orlando as a whole, Velocicoaster quickly became a favorite almost everyone I have talked to and from articles I've read online. The theming and nostalgia of the line and the way the ride is designed makes this my number 2 pick for Islands of Adventure. The line can be quite long, I've seen 2 hour waits, but only ever stood in line for 60 minutes. From the Universal website, the ride is described as: "From lifelike Velociraptors to breathtaking roller coaster maneuvers with two intense launches and four inversions. It’s a new species of roller coaster: Jurassic World VelociCoaster."

Story/Theming/Ride: If you are in line during a high wait time, you will be without a lot of theming for the first part of the line, unfortunately, but if you end up by the lagoon the ride goes over, you will see informational signs about different dinosaurs that you may see while at Jurassic World. Once at about the 45-minute point for a wait, there are screens that start the immersive theming of this ride, bringing with some nostalgia from the original Jurassic Park movie. The line is set up as if you are walking through the paddock of the velociraptors in Jurassic World, you will see Mr. DNA on several screens explaining how the velociraptors, and other dinosaurs, were created. Right before the loading area, there are giant screens with Claire Dearing and Owen Grady discussing the benefits (or potential problems) of having a roller coaster inside of a velociraptor paddock.

When boarding, the ride doesn't have an over-the-shoulder harness, which makes Owen Grady's concerns just a bit more real. You move slowly into the paddock entry area and then get flung in, dodging raptors the entire way. Weaving in and out of the paddock and leads you to the second launch of the ride, which sends you up to the typical "big drop" of a roller coaster and several other twists and turns, including upside down over the water.

Rideability: Velocicoaster is a great ride to do multiple times, both to catch more details in the line and for the ride itself. The ride feels different based on where you sit in the train of cars (front, middle, or back). In my most recent trip, I rode this ride 5 or 6 times and it was great each time.

Number 1: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

The second newest coaster in the parks comes in as my number 1 pick as the best ride at Islands of Adventure, and at Universal Orlando as a whole. In my opinion, this ride has the most immersive theming of any ride, is the most memorable, and has a built-in ability to be ridden repeatedly so that you can see everything from both point of view. This line is becomes the longest line in the park very quickly, I have never seen the wait time below an hour, but have seen is as high as 3 hours. I try to jump in line when I see it at an 80-100 minute wait time. From the Universal website, the ride is described: "Now’s the time to join Hagrid™ as you fly deep into the wilds of the Forbidden Forest, beyond the grounds of Hogwarts™ castle, on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the paths of some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures."

Story/Theming/Ride: The line starts on a pathway to Hagrid's cabin and then past it to some of his giant pumpkins and then across a bridge into an old part of the castle. You will quickly come up to the first pre-show room where Hagrid and Mr. Weasley are talking about the lesson and enchanting the motorbikes for mass transportation of students, setting the basis of the story of the ride. Once through that room you continue through several storage rooms with miscellaneous belongings of Hagrid. Take a look around all of the rooms you pass through as there are details in every corner. In the final room in line before loading, look to the ceiling and you will see some blast-ended skrewts crawling around on the roof and sometimes Hagrid on his motorbike.

When it is your turn to start the class, you will board the motorbike or sidecar, and very shortly you will be off for the best lesson of your life, both seats give very different ride perspectives. The ride starts off the first of several launches to get to you to see a skrewt, then a second launch to go past Fluffy. Here the ride gets even more exciting and has some unexpected directional changes and a couple more launches before making it safely back to the castle.

The most impressive part about this ride is that it is entirely real roller coaster, there aren't any special effects on the track to make it better, it's all built into the track itself. To see a great video about how the ride works, check out one here. It is long and about 30 minutes long, but it does a great job of explaining how the ride works.

Rideability: This ride has the most for you to gain from riding it several times, at least twice, once in each seat, but then it varies from front to back of the train of cars. It is also different once you know what is coming and you can start seeing things for how they actually work.