With world class movie and television themed rides and attractions to suit both thrill seekers and families, Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure are packed full of incredible attractions from rollercoasters to water rides and state of the art simulators. Take a look at some the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort.
Things change quickly at Universal Orlando Resort and every visit seems to offer a different experience. The constantly evolving theme parks mean we say goodbye to many classic rides, for them to be replaced by new state of the art attractions themed around newer Universal franchises. The two main parks – Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure sit side by side, both featuring areas of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. More recent years have seen the addition of the impressive Volcano Bay waterpark and 2025 will see the grand opening of a brand new park – Epic Universe.
One thing that doesn’t change at Universal Orlando Resort is the quality of the attractions and the immersive nature of the theme parks. The themed areas are impeccable, to the minutest detail. One minute you can be waling through Hogsmeade, before almost seamlessly meandering into the lush tropical surroundings of Jurassic Park. Taking a look at both of the main theme parks, here is my take on the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort.
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EXPLORING UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA: THE CLASSIC UNIVERSAL PARK
Universal Studios opened its gates to the public in 1990 – a theme park which focused heavily on attractions and live shows based around the movies and television. With classic rides such as Jaws, Back to the Future, Twister, ET and Terminator it was the go-to park to ‘ride the movies’, as one of their early slogans advertised.
Many of the above original rides have now been removed to make way for the newer and modern franchises, but the park still maintains its charm with some great theming which really does give you the feeling of being on a movie set. With a number of rollercoasters, classic attractions and screen based rides, here’s my take on the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort: Universal Studios Florida.
Transformers: The Ride | Take a ride onboard a motion based N.E.S.T. vehicle joining Optimus Prime and Bumblebee through some very elaborate set pieces utilising impressive 3D screens and practical special effects, for an epic battle that really immerses you into the action.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit | A unique rollercoaster with a vertical lift hill, non-inverting loop and lots of twists and turns. Not only this, but you get to choose the music that plays in your headrest speakers. Top tip: Search online for some codes to secret songs that are not in the general selection. This coaster also looks great at night with some lighting features on the trains. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit will be retired in September 2025, so now is your final chance to ride.
Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride | This high speed indoor rollercoaster is full of twists, turns, launches and backwards sections with some incredible special effects, with much of the ride happening in complete darkness.
Taking a break from the attractions, the New York and San Francisco areas of Universal Studios are great to wander through, admiring the scenery. I particularly like the theming in the New York area, it does really feel like a movie set and it’s worth checking timings for The Blues Brothers live shows, which are greatly entertaining. The San Francisco area is also home to one of the theme park’s best full service restaurants – Lombard’s Seafood Grille, located on the dockside.
Back onto further attractions, heading around to the rear of Universal Studios Florida, there are two popular indoor attractions. First up, a huge building houses Men in Black Alien Attack – an interactive dark ride where guest are tasked to join the MIB training facility and kill aliens using the laser guns provided in the ride cars. Secondly, leading around to the Springfield area, you’ll find the main attraction being The Simpsons Ride, a 3D simulator ride featuring a rollercoaster ride through Krustyland. If you are a fan of The Simpsons you are likely to spend a fair bit of time in this truly immersive area. Why not pop into the Kwik-E-Mart for some supplies or call into Moe’s Tavern for a Flaming Moe or a Duff Beer.
As a final stop before arriving back to the entrance of the theme park, having completed the loop Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone is unsurprisingly an area for children featuring some popular characters such as Woody Woodpecker himself, Barney and Curious George, it will definitely keep the smaller children amused for a little while. It’s worth taking a ride on the E.T. Adventure while you are here. The ride may be a little bit dated, but for the Gen X and Millennials among us, it provides a little bit of magic and nostalgia from the 1980’s.
Before heading out of the park, or doing another loop, the Hollywood area is a wonderfully themed area with a variety of shops and restaurants – Mel’s Drive In is worth calling into if only to check out some of the classic cars outside.
DON’T MISS UNIVERSAL’S HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS
Both of my visits to Orlando have been during October and the reason for this is to check out the Halloween events of the Florida parks. Universal Studios hosts arguably the most famous Halloween event out there – Halloween Horror Nights. Running since 1991, this is now a staple for any theme park fan’s season.
A separate ticketed event, the park re-opens in the evenings during September and October with a variety of Haunted Houses, some based around the movies or TV and some original concepts which change every year. On my visits we have been through haunted houses based around the Halloween movies, The Exorcist, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Thing as well as a host of others. The set pieces are fantastic, the actors intense. There are also many scare zones throughout the park, with many roaming characters. The atmosphere is excellent, but the event can get very busy.
TAKE A LOOK AT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS HERE
THE BEST RIDES AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT: UNIVERSAL ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened to the public in 1999 along with CityWalk, forming the Universal Orlando Resort alongside Universal Studios Florida. For me, this is the perfect theme park – beautifully themed lands that flow seamlessly into each other, with world class rides and entertainment. Where Universal Studios focuses mostly on the indoor ‘screen’ based attractions, Islands of Adventure has the added visual impact of large scale rollercoasters and fantastic water rides in an incredible setting. Comprising of eight individually themed lands, Islands of Adventure immerses you and takes you on a magical journey, experiencing the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort.
Entering the park via Port of Entry, the level of theming and detail becomes apparent. The immersive area leads to a boulevard of shops and services heading up to the lake and centrepiece of the park, providing great views of what’s in store.
MINGLE WITH MARVEL SUPER HEROES
Heading clockwise, the next area is Marvel Super Hero Island. This comic book land is home to two of the best and iconic attractions in the park, offering completely different experiences.
The Incredible Hulk Coaster | You can’t miss this coaster which can be seen and heard from across Islands of Adventure. A multi looping rollercoaster with a launched lift hill, reaching speeds of 67 mph and taking you through seven inversions. It dominates the skyline of the park and packs a real punch.
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman | Often praised as one of the world’s best dark ride attractions, Spiderman is definitely one of the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort. Standing the test of time, this high definition 3D ride experience mixes the use of 3D screens, real special effects and motion sensitive vehicles which create an amazing ride experience. Some sections of this journey are so exhilarating, you can’t help but feel completely immersed.
PREPARE TO GET SOAKED IN TOON LAGOON
Based around comic strip characters such as Popeye and Bluto, if water rides are your thing then Toon Lagoon is the area of the park for you. My one recommendation here would be to pack a change of clothes. It’s not that there is just the potential of getting wet, you are more than likely to get soaked to the bone. Normally I am not a fan of water rides, I don’t really enjoy wandering around theme parks in soggy clothes, but the water rides in Toon Lagoon are highly entertaining and not to be missed.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls | The park’s Log Flume style attraction has numerous drops leading into the final 75ft plummet into a dynamite shack, this is great fun and you will certainly get a little damp. If you somehow manage to escape the water, never fear as the spectators nearby can pay to soak you using water cannons.
Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Barges | When all your belongings have to be placed in a waterproof section to the centre of the raft at the start of the ride, you know there is going to be a lot of water. The first time I rode this, I genuinely did not expect it to be so wet. Neither did the lovely couple on our raft with their expensive clothes, fancy hair and expensive camera (which my friend luckily suggested they put away). It was a hilarious experience for us, but perhaps not for them. This addictive raft ride has very little queue on the day of our visit and we re-rode four times as we were having so much fun. An absolute gem of a water ride.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE BENEFITS OF STAYING AT THE ONSITE UNIVERSAL ORLANDO HOTELS
MEETING THE GIANTS OF UNIVERSAL ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
One of the newer areas of the park Skull Island features the impressive Skull Island: Reign of Kong attraction which takes riders on an expedition truck to a mysterious island where they come face to face with the giant ape. While this is mainly a screen based attraction, the scale of the ride creates some fantastic effects.
Moving on, we come to classic area of the park featuring another set of giant creatures – dinosaurs. The Jurassic Park area is absolutely beautiful, entering through the giant wooden gates with the Jurassic Park music booming, you are immediately transported onto the lush tropical island where the movies are based.
Jurassic Park River Adventure is the classic attraction of this area. A scenic riverboat ride through the park gives you some great close up views of the more friendly dinosaurs before something goes very wrong and you come face to face with some of the more menacing dinosaurs on the loose, ending with an 85ft drop to the lagoon below. It’s also worth spending a little time acquainting yourself with the parks Raptors at the Raptor Encounter experience. You can get up close and personal with them, but be warned they won’t always do as their handlers say!
Since our last visit, this area has seen the opening of Jurassic World VelociCoaster, widely regarded as one of the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort, if not the world. This incredible, multi launch coaster has a launch of 70mph in 2.4 seconds, travelling through the Raptor Paddock with high intensity. I can’t wait to ride this coaster one day.
THE LOST CONTINENT AND SEUSS LANDING
The Lost Continent is another beautiful area of the park, based around myths and legends featuring an Arabian marketplace and the Lost City. The area is worth visiting if you are feeling a little peckish. Mythos Restaurant has won the ‘Best Theme Park Restaurant’ award numerous times so we decided to call in on our most recent trip. The restaurant is beautifully themed with rock formations, waterfalls and ancient carved figures, with a great menu offering.
Last but not least, the Seuss Landing area of the park mainly aimed at children, although not exclusively – my partner is a great fan of the Caro-Seuss-El! A land based around the stories and characters of Dr. Seuss, with attractions such as The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, it’s an often amusing journey around this area. You will lose count of the amount of Thing One and Thing Two T-Shirts you will see around the park – a marketing person’s dream.
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last fifteen years you may be wondering why I have skipped a large part of both of these parks – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The vast scale of both these areas and attractions combined, means they deserve their own section.
From the streets of London to the magical Hogwarts Castle, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is separated into two parts. Diagon Alley is located within Universal Studios Florida, whereas Hogsmeade is situated within Universal Islands of Adventure. These two areas combined create one of the most immersive experiences I have ever seen at a theme park. It really is something special.
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER: DIAGON ALLEY
Starting the journey in London with the large facade of Leicester Square Station, Charing Cross Road and the classic townhouses of Grimmauld Place (keep an eye out on the windows here as you never know who you will see) it’s worth popping to see the Knight Bus before you explore too much further.
Passing through a secret passageway next to Leicester Square Station you enter the magical streets of Diagon Alley. The attention to detail in this area is amazing. The rickety buildings housing many recognisable shops from the movies lead you up to Gringotts Bank where your eyes will immediately be led to the domed roof of the building and the dragon perched menacingly above, which will occasionally let out a deep growl and spew out a huge fireball into the sky above Diagon Alley.
The main attraction in Diagon Alley is Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. Travelling deep into the vaults of Gringotts Bank, this high speed rollercoaster laden with special effects takes you on a great journey with lots of familiar characters and a few surprises.
Aside from this attraction, there is so much more to see around Diagon Alley. Head down into the darkness of Knockturn Alley. Grab a drink at The Leaky Cauldron. Call into Ollivanders Wand Shop to watch a wand choose its wizard. Stop off in the Gringotts Money Exchange for some interaction with the goblin and trade your money for some Gringotts bank notes that you can spend in the park. The list is endless.
When you have tired yourself out at Diagon Alley, what could be better than a relaxing train journey through the countryside? Exiting back into the streets of London and turning right you will find yourself outside Kings Cross Station, where you can take the Hogwarts Express all the way to Hogsmeade.
Boarding the full sized train where you will have your own cabin just like the Harry and his friends, this interactive journey takes you from the streets of London out into the countryside and along to Hogsmeade, where along the way you will meet plenty of characters from the movies. As you would expect, it’s not all plain sailing and there are interesting moments along the way.
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER: HOGSMEADE
On arrival at Hogsmeade station it is clear that you have entered a whole new magical area. This area, by far, is the most impressive of both the parks, in my humble opinion. Leaving the station, you pass through a stone archway and onto the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade with its snow-capped roofs and wonky chimneys.
Passing by many familiar places along the way there is plenty to keep you occupied here. Buy some chocolate frogs at Honeydukes or call into The Three Broomsticks for a bite to eat and the Hogshead for a Butterbeer (if you have a very sweet tooth), before sending a letter from the Owl Post.
Reaching the end of the streets of Hogsmeade and turning the corner you arrive at the gates of Hogwarts School with the building and pointed turrets towering over the park on the clifftop. The Hogwarts building houses the area’s main attraction – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – quite possibly the greatest dark ride experience currently in existence. I know that’s a big accolade, but I feel I can confidently say that, clearly making it one of the best rides at Universal Orlando Resort.
The walk through the queue line is magical in itself, this is possibly one of the only rides where I hope that there is a queue so I can spend time wandering the corridors of Hogwarts taking in all the details on offer.
The ride itself whisks you on a journey where you follow Harry, Ron and Hermione on their broomsticks out of the castle and come face to face with some of the more threatening characters from the stories. A mix of screen based technology and live action effects, it is so disorientating and immersive that it’s quite difficult to figure out how the ride technology works. Take my word though, this is one amazing ride experience.
For the younger thrill seekers, Flight of the Hippogriff is a family friendly rollercoaster situated next to Hagrid’s home at the base of the castle and a recent additional to the line up of rollercoaster at Universal Orlando Resort is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, another attraction which has opened since our last visit to Florida.
It’s worth noting that the Hogwarts Express can also be taken from Hogsmeade back to Kings Cross, offering a completely different story on the return leg of the journey. To ride the Hogwarts Express, you need to have a valid ticket for both parks.
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT
GETTING THERE | Our flight operator of choice from the UK is Virgin Atlantic who offer flights from both London and Manchester. Universal Orlando Resort package holidays can also be booked via Virgin Holidays, along with tailor made options including car hire options which are useful if you are planning on visiting Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, Sea World and Kennedy Space Center.
TICKETS | One thing to note when staying at onsite Universal Orlando hotels is that park tickets are not included within the price and need to be purchased separately. Whilst these can be purchased directly through Universal Orlando Resort, we have always purchased Florida theme park tickets through Attraction Tickets, who do a number of Combo-ticket deals which give access to all the parks for 14 consecutive days. This is a great was to plan and budget. Individual park tickets are also available.
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I feel very fortunate to have been at the park to ride Jaws, Back to the Future, and some of the other older rides before they were phased out. I still have an illogical grudge against the Simpsons ride in particular. :p
The highlights were definitely my Dad and I getting our picture taken with Doc in front of the DeLorean and seeing the Blues Mobile rolling down the avenue.
I loved the Jaws rose and the Amity area in general was gorgeous. Of course Harry Potter is more suited to today’s crowds but every time one of these old rides leave, a little bit of magic disappears
Universal needs a “Classics” Park. :p
Interesting read to see which rides have survived so long and which are sadly no longer with us. I’ve been to Orlando four times but the last of those was in 2008 so there’s been a few changes in that time – the Harry Potter area wasn’t finished back then so it’s something I’d like to go back and see!