Universal Studios Orlando has a lot to do! With many shows, dining, and the thrilling rides. In this list I break down the top 10 rides that are a MUST at both the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure Park. As a side note, if you attend Universal Studios Orlando, getting a Park Hopper pass is also a must.
1: The Velocicoaster
This ride is crazy. With being able to reach speeds of 80 MPH, two launches, and a 155ft climb up an inverted loop, this ride is crazy. The ride has a really fun queue as it takes place inside Jurassic World and it is as if the creators of Jurassic World built a rollercoaster at the raptor encounter. The nicest part about this ride is you can ride with no fear of losing your belongings because all items are put into lockers before entering.
2: E.T. Adventure
This one may be a little controversial. While this ride may not be the most exciting, the ride is just such an important part of Universal and film history, it is easy to take the second best ride for me. The queue is fun because you get to watch a video of Steven Spielberg talk with E.T. and introduce guests to the ride. You then enter into a room where it is designed to look like a forest it is as cold as one too. When seated in the ride, you are sitting in a bike with handle bars and everything. The ride has some amazing views, turns, and drops as you eventually end up on E.T.'s home planet and it is beautiful.
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3: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
This ride is insane. To begin the thrill, the ride is an automated loading system so getting on the ride itself feels terrifying. You then go up a 90 degree rise of 177 feet, then plummet downward and launched into a inverted loop. This ride has some of the best views that you can get at the park and the surrounding Orlando area.
Photo credit: Universal Studios Orlando, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalorlando.com%2Fweb%2Fen%2Fus%2Fthings-to-do%2Frides-attractions%2Fhollywood-rip-ride-rockit&psig=AOvVaw2Bw_s0NT0F75gjfIBbSTdi&ust=1653764666306000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCLDf5vevgPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
4: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Taking place IN the Hogwarts Castle this ride delivers on the magic of Harry Potter. The story of this ride is that you are following Harry Potter through a Quidditch match and then you encounter dangerous of the Harry Potter World such as Dementors, a dragon, and the Weeping Willow that throws you around. The following was a picture of the ride at night I took.
5: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
This ride is one of the most misleading rides of the whole park. When you are in line for the attraction, you understand that there will be a simulator but all you expect is a simulation short ride moving back and forth and then you are done. Ooh boy is that far from the truth. This ride takes you through the streets of New York City with the Daily Bugle as you follow Spider-Man in his attempt to take down the Sinister Syndicate with villains such as Dr. Octopus, Electro, and Hydro. This ride is based off of the Amazing Spider-Man cartoon, so everything has a cartoon feel to it which is just an amazing design. The ride has high speed chase sequences, an elaborate elevator effect where you are taken up to the skyscrapers of NYC, and a burst of fire as the Hobgoblin throws a pumpkin bomb at your cart.
Photo credit: Universal Studios Orlando, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalorlando.com%2Fweb%2Fen%2Fus%2Fthings-to-do%2Frides-attractions%2Fthe-amazing-adventures-of-spider-man&psig=AOvVaw2nZ1izqtEgz6xXFbQFsEbT&ust=1653765930257000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCMCfhNO0gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF
6: Storm Force Accelerator
Not many people enjoy this ride or even know it exists, which is why I love it. Basically, just imagine a ride similar to the Tea Cups at Disney, add in Professor X of X-Men, and increase the speed and turning of your cart. Increase dizziness after riding this ride too. This ride is fun for your family and friends to just laugh in as you spin as fast as you can. The other benefit to this ride is that there is normally there is almost no wait time, so it is a great way to still have fun if you don't feel like waiting in another 60 minute line.
Photo credit: Universal Studios Orlando, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalorlando.com%2Fweb%2Fen%2Fus%2Fthings-to-do%2Frides-attractions%2Fstorm-force-accelatron&psig=AOvVaw2OMjhLoob7FtKL2Aij3GBQ&ust=1653766420720000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCJjCl7u2gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
7: Jurassic Park River Adventure
This ride made it into my Top 10 list because of the history and icon that this ride has to Universal Studios as well as the Jurassic Park franchise. To me, this ride is iconic. With a ride that takes you through a beautiful boat tour of Jurassic Park where you see many amazing animatronics, the feeling of nature, and the final T-Rex at the end before the drop. The T-Rex at the end really just steals the show of this ride and will keep you wanting to ride the ride over and over again.
Photo credit: Universal Studios Orlando, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalorlando.com%2Fweb%2Fen%2Fus%2Fthings-to-do%2Frides-attractions%2Fjurassic-park-river-adventure&psig=AOvVaw26sCxUXGfsphRMV64TSQcK&ust=1653766768656000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCPDym-G3gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAK
8: Transformers: The Ride 3-D
This ride follows a similar layout to Spider-Man, but much more intense. In this ride you are able to follow along with the Transformers as they protect Earth from Decepticons. This is a high speed indoor rollercoaster as you follow along with screens of the Transformers fighting ending with a practical effect of a defeated Decepticon. While the queue does have some redundant and annoying audio and video going, the thrill of this ride and visual effects make up for this flaw. Outside the ride there are also amazing robotic Transformers that guests can meet and take pictures with.
Photo credit: Universal Studios, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universalorlando.com%2Fweb%2Fen%2Fus%2Fthings-to-do%2Frides-attractions%2Ftransformers-ride-3d&psig=AOvVaw0876TPrTV09lu6Yolvss2m&ust=1653767256329000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCMCjvsy5gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAR
9: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
In this ride you are in a cart and it takes you deep into the vaults of Gringotts Bank. This is a full on rollercoaster. The combination of 3-D visual and practical effects make this ride just outstanding. The ride features a cart track and a real waterfall in the ride. The beginning also comes with a surprise of raising the riders at a dropped angle, then plummeting them downward. This ride is fun, but wow does the wait time ruin this ride. The wait time of this ride is constantly a minimum of 45 minute wait. Along with that, the whole queue and chambers just echo. So it makes it very loud the whole 45 minutes of waiting. While the queue and ride are just awesome, the people and how the ride is created really just ruin this ride for me.
Phot credit: Orlando Informer, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Forlandoinformer.com%2Funiversal%2Fharry-potter-escape-from-gringotts%2F&psig=AOvVaw0UZc0ocMTGKDpbOI5EJ_Wb&ust=1653767869877000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCOCKpvC7gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAW
10: Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure
Similar to Gringotts, the wait times and people just ruin this ride. The ride itself is interesting as the riders are set in a side by side motorcycle as they go through the Forbidden Forest and encounter so many magical creatures and scenery. The ride reaches a point where your motorcycle "breaks down" then you are thrusted backward. The ride is really fun, and I hate to seem like it isn't but I just don't find the ride to be worth the wait times. This ride doesn't really deliver for the thrills, or the magic of Harry Potter. Most the time you are going so fast you can't even tell when the magical creatures appear. While it is a ride worth experiencing, I don't see it as a ride that needs to be rode more than once.
Photo credit: Orlando Informer, https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Forlandoinformer.com%2Fblog%2Fhagrids-magical-creatures-motorbike-adventure-tour%2F&psig=AOvVaw13unLHMEg0yAlbcKXX_0LA&ust=1653767957273000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCJjXw5i8gPgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABBE
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