Universal Island of Adventure, Orlando is the best theme park for rides and roller coasters. These rides beat Disney hands down!
Jurassic Park River Adventure - admittedly the pre-amble to this river log-boat ride now seems a bit dated. A few plastic dinosaurs peep out from behind bushes, and you are alerted that the T-Rex has escaped the enclosure! But the final vertical drop over the edge (85ft) is worth it! You could get totally soaked, or not at all depending on where you sit.
The Hulk has to be the BEST rollercoaster here at Universal Studios islands of Adventure. You can't miss the Hulk! Themed on the famous comic book character, the Hulk coaster packs a punch.
To begin, you'll be launched out of a tunnel with the same G Force as an F-16 fighter jet! Then there's no hesitation and you're into an inversion, the ride continues with several loops, and countless twists and turns - some under a tunnel close to the water beneath.
Dueling Dragons is the world's only two track 'racing' roller coaster! As you stand in line and get closer to the launch point, you'll be able to choose to ride either the red 'Fire Dragon' or the blue 'Ice Dragon'. As you climb aboard a shoulder harness is fixed over your head and your feet will be dangling beneath you (don't wear flip flops or loose fitting shoes - you'll probably loose them!)
At 3 points during the ride, the two dragons almost collide! At one point, the riders feet are just 12ins apart - it's scary and it's the best part about this ride - you come steaming along face-to-face with the rival train and their passengers, then just as you think it's going to be a head-on collision, you shoot upwards in the air! It's amazing!!!
Lines are long for this ride but it's well worth the wait.
Dr Dooms Fear Fall - if you're terrified of heights you'll hate this! Dr Doom's Fear Fall consists of two towers side by side. You'll be seated at the base of one of them in a ring with other riders. Then there's a nerve wracking countdown and you shoot vertically upwards in the air 150ft. You can see all over Orlando!
Before you've had chance to located your stomach, you're on the way back down faster then gravity itself - that's a weird feeling too!
Adventures of Spiderman - this isn't a traditional coaster type ride, but the excitement and sheer enjoyment of it will put this at the top of any best ride list. Spiderman ride is completely indoors. It's a 4-d motion simulator ride. You'll wear some naff looking 3-d specs, but that's where the naffness ends, because the effects are AMAZING.
You'll be transported through Hell's Kitchen in New York, just like in the comic books. All sorts of monsters and vilans will try to shoot and destroy you, some even jump on the front of your car - well the effects are that REAL that it seems like it! You'll feel the heat of the Hobgoblins' fire balls and the chill of Ice Man's presence.
The ride culminates in a 400ft vertical drop off the edge of a New York skyscraper - the ending is the best part of the ride.
This is so much better than Terminator 2 3-D and Men in Black Alien Attack over at Universal Studios. Spiderman is in a whole different league!
| Price : $69.99
