ORLANDO — Parents with a pack of tweens and teens will find a pop-culture cornucopia of fun this summer in the current iteration of Universal Orlando’s pair of theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
Nowhere on the planet but Florida will thrill-seekers find all housed in one adventure location — a fire-breathing dragon, growling raptor, everyone’s favorite web-slinger and a massive transforming robot team.
Mixing movie, comic book and fantasy genres with high-tech and traditional rides, shops and quirky restaurants, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida make for an overwhelming experience.
Those armed with park passes (price packages vary from $105 per person and higher depending on visit and promotions), and looking to begin the quest for thrills, should start with a stroll over to the older theme park first, Universal Studios Florida, that came to life back in 1990.
Some may fondly remember the days when King Kong and the shark from “Jaws” dominated the park’s attractions for guests. Don’t fret, visits with these famous beasts attractions have been replaced with an equally potent supply of multimedia star encounters over the years.
Let’s start with the best of the Universal Studios Florida rides for the pop connoisseur. They include:
SEE ALSO: Blu-ray review: ‘Minions’
Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride — This indoor, steel coaster offers a near three-minute thrill thanks to some heavy-duty propulsion, the addition of some toasty special effects, a pesky wrapped villain and an army of scarabs. With a story tied to a cursed movie set and actor Brendan Fraser having a hard time getting a cup of coffee, the attraction boasts the return of a favorite decaying character from the Stephen Sommers’ “Mummy” franchise.
By the way, I consider this rollercoaster experience, one of the best ride of the Universal Studios Florida park. Also, see how many odes to King Kong you can find in the attraction. It replaced the Kongfrontation ride back in 2004.
Despicable Me, Minion Mayhem — This 4-D motion simulator ride replaced the Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast attraction back in 2012 and offers visitors the chance to audition to become the yellow, pint-sized henchman of evil genius Gro. Take a seat, pop on the three-dimensional glasses and become immersed in a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants action covering a really large screen. The preshow (right before entering the ride) is as almost as entertaining as the main event and features the voice of actor Steve Carell reprising his role as Gro and offering some sound advice and smelly sensations for his Minion wannabes.
Transformers: The Ride — It’s another look at the never-ending battle between Autobots and Decepticons playing out in a multistory 3-D dark ride. Visitors enter a Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty (NEST) base and get moved around on a motion system upgraded from The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride to get immersed in the voyage. Although not as impressive or not as visually sharp as Spider-Man, it’s a must for fans of the Hasbro toys and Michael Bay movies. Those exiting the ride may even run into smaller-sized version of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime ready to take a picture.
Men in Black: Alien Attack — Prospective recruits of the secretive extraterrestrial monitoring organization strap into a special vehicle and wield an S4 Alienator laser pistol to exterminate hostile aliens in New York City streets. It’s actually a four-minute, tracked dark ride through a massive video-game shooting arena with players picking off assorted creatures popping up in an impressive multimedia update to old-time target ranges. Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent Z (Rip Torn) encourage players throughout the experience and expect to meet the tentacled alien twins, Bob and Bhnxaxx, during the wait in line. I’ll also offer a hint to all prospective players. Listen carefully for the correct time to hit that red button on the vehicle’s dashboard and collect a massive amount of points.
Other rides worth noting in Universal Studios Florida include the 17-story-tall Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster (a harrowing trip that allows each ride to choose its own music during the event) and The Simpsons Ride.
The latter motion simulator is quite the event in itself and is also surrounded outside by a wonderfully colorful world of the Simpsons. Guests can enjoy drinks and food at such venues as Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck (yeah, it’s a truck), Moe’s Tavern and Krusty Burger for a tempting hunk of cow on a bun.
Short of hanging out in Matt Groening’s cartoon, there is no cooler place to appreciate the famed universe.
Life on the Islands
Visitors purchasing access to both parks have two ways to get over to the Islands of Adventure. They can walk (a not-too-distant jaunt through Universal’s CityWalk) or wait in line for the actual Hogwarts Express train (more about that later).
Entering Universal’s Islands of Adventure allows access to the themed areas Toon Lagoon, Marvel Super Hero Island, Jurassic Park, Seuss Landing and The Lost Continent.
Top stops for the journey include:
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man — Not only do I consider is this also one of the best rides in either park since it opened in 1999, but the three-dimensional, tracked motion simulator ride even got better due to a massive visual upgrade with the massive onscreen digital animation enhanced to a 4k resolution in 2012.
Now as riders put on the 3-D glasses and board a 12-passenger vehicle nicknamed Scoop, they venture out on the streets of New York and help Spidey deal with the Sinister Syndicate featuring Doctor Octopus, Hydro-Man, Electro and Scream and Hobgoblin. The updated visuals pop from the screen with life-like textures on Spidey’s costume or Scream’s face and razor-sharp teeth being too realistic.
Pay close attention during the journey as another addition features co-creator of the webbed wonder, an animated Stan Lee appearing four times during the roughly 5-minute-long adventure.
Jurassic Park River Ride Adventure — Based on the series of scary films starring dinosaurs recreated with genetic magic, this water journey takes riders in a boat to encounter a series of prehistoric creatures. After a slog through a damaged water treatment facility, riders have a run in with a Tyrannosaurus Rex before dropping nearly 9-stories straight down to their potential drenching doom. Besides the cool ride, those who survive can seek out in the Jurassic area an encounter with fairly well-tamed, 9-foot-tall Velociraptors looking for a pat on the snout. Don’t worry about getting devoured; trainers are on duty.
Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges — Don’t quite towel off yet from the T-Rex encounter. Stroll over to Toon Lagoon to jump aboard a saturating water ride starring the spinach-pounding sailor attempting to rescue his sweet Olive Oil from the clutches of the evil thug Bluto. Up to 10 folks sit in circular-shaped barges and take about a 5-minute-long white-rapids journey. They’ll appreciate a giant octopus during their sock-soaking travels, with the set decoration offering a cartoony version of the famed “Popeye” movie starring Robin Williams.
Oh yeah, those not wishing to ride can operate water cannons from above to further drench family member and new enemies frantically floating by.
Muggles and wizards unite
The latest addition to the massive Universal complex offers a bridge between both theme parks and its presence is the most magical of all.
Specifically, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter features two incredible areas sharing parts of each park presenting a bunch of meticulously themed attractions and use of a real-life Hogwarts Express train to get between each in a near-mile-long trip.
Visitors can either wait at the Hogsmeade station at the Islands of Adventure or the Kings Cross Station at Universal Studios Florida to travel between the two areas.
I suggest first checking out the excellent replica of London’s Kings Cross Station and stopping by the signs for Platform 9 and Platform 10. There, you can actually pass through a wall and get to Platform 9¾, a pretty slick illusion sure to delight the Potter movie fans
Once aboard and locked in the compartments, travelers are treated to not simply a ride but a multimedia show as they look through the windows or shaded door and see a mini adventure unfold starring Ron, Harry, Hermione, Hagrid and some nasty Dementors. By the way, each ride between the parks is different, so it’s worth going back and forth to appreciate the effects wizardry.
As far as multimedia adventures, both areas excel with thrills.
Here’s a brief rundown of the slickest rides located in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — A detailed tour of Hogwarts castle turns into stomach-churning event for those who dare enter the mansions walls in this premiere dark ride, flight simulator.
After a leisurely walk through the castle, a chat with some ghosts coming to life from the paintings and a welcome to muggles from Dumbledore, visitors are strapped into a bewitched bench and on a journey of epic proportions to help Harry, Hermione and Ron. Encounters with Dementors, dragons, spiders and an animatronic Whomping Willow are highlights along with getting dumped into the middle of a high-speed Quidditch match.
I offer two tips before appreciating this spinning and twisting maelstrom. First, the vertigo-inducing trip should not be repeated multiple times in an hour or you will be forced to sit out the next few hours in Seuss Landing trying to revive. And second, most importantly, do not drink glasses of butter beer before jumping aboard. The projectile results will not be so magical.
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts — While strolling through Diagon Alley and stopping to admire a life-size dragon with a penchant for breathing fire while perched atop a building, visitors stumble across the entrance to Gringotts Bank where they take part in an unforgettable 5-minutes of pure multimedia might.
Under the guise of setting up an account at Gringotts, customers walk through the beautiful marbled teller area past some impeccably sculpted, animatronic goblins, hard at work, and get a welcome from head teller Bogrod.
Soon, they are plopped into a mine car along with a dozen other passengers and in a speedy fight for their lives against Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort. The dark ride mixes 3-D and practical effects with a motion-based steel roller coaster and features plenty of Potter guest stars besides the legendary villains.
• It’s worth noting that the above two rides do not offer fast pass access and will require waiting in multi-rider or single-rider lines. Suffice to report, it’s worth the pain.
Two other more adrenaline-fueled, but less immersive, rides worth mentioning include the child-friendly roller coaster Flight of the Hippogriff and the meatier adult Dragon Challenge featuring a pair of intertwined roller coasters with the heads of a “Hungarian Horntail” and “Chinese Fireball” dragon that each offers serious twists and high-speed thrills.
Lines will seem even longer on the Dragon Challenge as riders must leave their cell phones in lockers, meaning actually having to talk to other humans to pass the time (mercy).
Let’s also not forget that Universal has tried to create all of the shops and street atmosphere known in both the movies and books.
That translates in admiring cobblestone walkways and ornate building designs and street performers. For example, visitors will love a fantastical recreation of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, complete with Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, Magical Menagerie, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Borgin and Burkes establishments.
One of the cooler finds is a stop by the Ollivander’s Wand Shop. It will thrill the kids, but parents will need to have a credit card handy.
A shop owner picks out a few lucky wizards in the making and finds a wand for them among a near limitless group of shelves to try out, or rather, the wand picks them. The young wizards perform a few tricks with the wands and the show concludes.
Those budding wizards do not get to keep the wands but must purchase one of two versions. Either a static wand ($39.95) or a truly interactive wand ($47.95) that works within the Universal Potter grounds and exhibits.
Children can then explore the streets and shops, cast spells by reciting special words and wave the instrument at roughly three-dozen hot spots to get a surprise. For example, they can illuminate lanterns, push a plunger down a toilet, levitate a quill and repair a broken suit of armor with the wave of the magical stick.
Best of the magical action was found in Knockturn Alley using the Dystal Phaelanges spell. With wand in hand, junior wizards will find an X-ray of a troll skeleton and it will mimic their movements, so feel free to dance and watch the bones follow.
After the wandering, Potter-smitten families can visit some local wizard hangouts for a drink or grub.
None perhaps more famous than the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry first met a disciple of Lord Voldemort. Patrons stand in line to order, and then sit in a massive dining hall to consume mass quantities of decidedly British cuisine delivered by the staff.
The menu features generous portions of Fisherman’s Pie; Beef, Lamb and Guinness Stew; Bangers and Mash; and Toad in a Hole (sausage baked into a Yorkshire pudding and served with onion gravy) as well as less adventuress fare such as fish and chips. Don’t forget to order a mug of hot or cold butter beer.
Additionally, Universal offers plenty of other food options outside the parks at its CityWalk. They range from New Orleans’s favorite Pat O’Brien’s to the Hard Rock Café, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and the most unusual The Cowfish.
As the name sort of suggest, The Cowfish offer burgers and sushi as well as an unusual fusion of both. It’s a recommended experience worth saving room and savoring after a long day in the parks.
Overall, Universal Orlando has helped define cutting-edge, theme-park attractions for the past quarter of a century, and it continues to evolve as a premier family vacation destination.
IF YOU GO
Where: Universal Orlando Resort, Kirkman Road and Interstate 4, Orlando, Florida.
Fun factor (out of 5): 4.5.
Hours: Each park is open seven days a week averaging between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. depending on the day. Check the Universal website for any park hour changes.
Price range: Single general admission ticket to access both parks starts at $155. Look to the website to find other combo deals tied to park admissions and multiple-day access.
Special pricing packages can help with the pain of the long lines. First, look to add the Universal Express Unlimited option (starting from $239.99 that does include ticket price) for much shorter wait times that skips the lines.
Or, for families on a tight schedule, try the V.I.P. Experience featuring priority entrance to eight of the major attractions and a guided tour by a actual friendly and fact-filled human (starting from $199 per person for both parks, does not include the price of park tickets).
Website: https://www.universalorlando.com/
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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