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WHAT TO DO BEFORE GETTING TO
THE PARKS? I have been
going to Universal since before it official opened and I have
been going back ever since, so I have picked up a lot of
helpful information to help you plan the perfect vacation.
Lets start with what you should do before arriving at
Universal Orlando, here are a few helpful tips you should
really consider before arriving.
• Buy your tickets in
advance, you don't want to waste time at the front of the park
buying tickets, you can buy them online at Universal's Official Online Ticket
Booth.
• Never buy your tickets from Discount Ticket booth
or Discounted Ticket website, they don't work and you would
have blown your money and your vacation will be spoiled. I
have had people share that nightmare on my yahoo group so
don't do it.
• If you buy your tickets in advance or
online check to see if they have expiration dates or redeeming
dates on them, this would only apply to Annual Passes and
Consecutive Day Passes. So if you are not getting one of those
you need not worry. Again I have people share that nightmare
of showing up at the get with an expired ticket and not being
allowed in.
• Be sure to check the weather before you
go out to the parks, Florida is not the "Sunshine State" it's
the "Rainy State" so check the weather reports on the local
news channels. It might look beautiful outside and in an hour
you get caught in a severe thunder storm.
• If you
tend to burn easily in the sun you might want to put on some
sunscreen before heading out, towards winter time the weather
is nice and the sun is shining bright and since it's in the
60's to 70's you won't feel your skin burning.
• If you
don't want to pay Theme Park prices for food you might like to
pack a cooler in you car and fill it with sandwiches, you can
always leave the park and come back if you get your hand
stamped. It might sound stupid but I have seen families eating
lunch in the parking deck from a cooler in their car. You can
bring a backpack with you inside the park with drinks and
snacks so you can do it that way if you want.
• Bring
some Ziploc bags with you. Their are plenty of water areas and
water rides at the parks and it would be a safe plan to put
your cameras, wallet, or anything you don't want to get wet in
them.
• One of the most common items I seen people
buying at the parks on hot days are those portable misty spray
bottles with the fan. They are rather expensive at the parks
so if you are going on a 90+ Degree day you might stop at a
drug store and pick up a couple. You should be able to buy
about 3 for the price of 1 at Universal.
• Bring some
Advil or Alieve with you, if you are not use to loud noises
and thrills of a theme park you'll probably get a headache
fast, plus if you are not use to walking a lot or being on
your feet all day you will start to feel it and nothing is
worse then standing in line with your back or feet hurting and
having a headache that will ruin a vacation really fast.
• Money, I would say bring at least $75 in cash with
you, because something's you can't buy with a card you might
want to give some money to the kids for food and drinks if you
part ways. |
PARKING AND GETTING TO THE
PARKS? Two of the most
common questions I am often asked are about parking and
getting to the parks. So I'll answer those questions hear and
hopefully this can help you.
• If you are staying
around I-Drive or neat Universal, most of those hotels have
free transportation to the parks.
• http://www.yourride.net/ or http://www.golynx.com/ or http://www.mearstransportation.com/
or http://www.iridetrolley.com/ will
take you to Universal and are relatively cheap and fast.
• Some people can't decide between Preferred, VIP
& Regular Parking at the parks. So I'll honestly say
Preferred & VIP Parking are a waste of money. VIP Parking
takes you to the final moving sidewalk before you hit
CityWalk. All 3 parking will give you a good walk to the parks
so regular is the way to go if you don't want to waste
money. |
ONCE AT THE PARKS!
The #1 Tip is get to the
park early, half an hour before it opens that should be enough
time to park, get to the front gate. Once you get to the gate
get a park schedule and start to plan which shows you want to
see and when you want to go and see them. This will help you
plan out your day faster without any hassle.
Depending
when you go to Islands of Adventure you may want to hit
Islands of Adventure's most popular rides first before the
crowds build up around 11am. Here are Islands of Adventure's
most popular attractions in order from most popular to least
popular.
• The Amazing
Adventures of Spider-Man
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
•
Incredible Hulk Coaster
• Dueling Dragons
• Dudley
Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
• Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat
Barges
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• The Cat in the
Hat
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
•
Caro-Seuss-el
• Storm Force Accelatron
That
would be the order I would ride them, or you can spend $20 at
for an Express Pass Plus pass to ride all the rides once
without waiting. |
| TIPS FOR RIDING
RIDES: Alright this is your job, you need to know
that you are able to fit on a ride, you have to know if your
kids are tall enough to ride a ride, you need to know if you
can bring a wheelchair onto a ride. You would think the
employee would point these things out to you before you got
on, but most don't want to be the barer of bad news. I have
seen it several times where someone hasn't tested the
"Display" seat out in front of an attraction and were told
they were too big to ride the ride and had to exit the
attraction. I have seen people bring their kids who were too
small on the ride and get all the way to the loading station
to be told the kid is too small and can't ride and then the
parents get really pissed off. So just know what the
restrictions are and all that stuff before riding.
(TIP FOR
SEATING) You can always request a seat on a ride, where
you would like to sit and usually the employee is nice and
will seat you in that spot. If it is busy, then you can
request to sit in a certain row. I do this all the time on
Jaws, I did it for Kong as well and I did it for Mummy. So all
you have to do is ask. |
| The
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man- This is the most
popular ride in the entire park, this is the 1st ride you
should ride. *The best seat is the front, as far as having the
best view. The back is the
best if you want a bumpy ride. I am surprised how bumpy the
back is and how tame the front is.* Spider-Man has Single
Rider Lanes so if you are alone or don't mind splitting up
your family you can use that to shorten your wait
dramatically.
TIP: If you become motion sick, you may want to close your
eyes or look at the ceiling or props and not at the screens.
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| The
Incredible Hulk Rollercoaster- The hulk has temp lockers for storage, before
you ride you should put you belongs in there. So you don't
loose them on the ride. Check the net above the bridge
entering the Island, those shoes, or hat, or glasses could be
yours so put them in a locker its free.
|
| Doctor Doom’s Fear
Fall- There
are no real tips for this, unless you want to see Universal
next door or downtown Orlando you would sit on the right side
of the lift. The Front face the park, the left faces Toon
Lagoon and Dr. Philips High School. |
|
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw
Falls- A very popular ride
in Islands of Adventure, toward the afternoon when it gets hot
that line will be PACKED. Therefore, before noontime
you should ride it or just before closing time ride it.
Towards closing people, do not go on it because they do not
want to be soaked while they are driving home. You might want
to get a front seat because the middle and back are not too
comfortable plus you don't have to look over someone's head to
see what is coming next. |
|
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilage Rat Barges-
This is the “WETTEST” ride in the park.
Therefore, a good tip is to leave your wallet, cameras, and
anything that will be ruined by water with family or friend
you are with. They have pouches on the raft to store things in
but to be on the safe side I would bring a ziploc bag for
extra protection. The rafts spin so if you see someone get off
the ride with just splashes and you take his seat, guess what
you are not going to be as lucky. They don't follow a track,
the water spins you so it's never the same ride twice.
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|
River Adventure- The most common
questions I hear people ask the employee outside the ride are
“How long is the drop? How bad is it? and Can my son
ride it?” I will answer them for you here. It is an 85-Foot
Drop at a 61 Degree Angle. It really feels like a free fall,
but the feeling lasts 2 seconds it is over that fast. If your
son is tall enough 42 Inches is the height requirement.
*If you want to get great video or pictures the best
place to sit is the front middle seat*
*Bring a Zip Lock
bag with you to keep your camera in when you go down the
drop*
*If you don’t want to get soaked, wear a poncho or
sit in the very back* |
|
Camp Jurassic- This is a really
well themed kid’s area, I really find it fascinating, there
are so many surprises that you never know what is around the
corner. I just recently found out these dinosaur footprints,
if you step on them, they make dinosaur sounds in the woods.
There are caves, slides, water guns, waterfalls, and it is
really a cool place. Your kids will love it, so expect to be
here for awhile. |
| Pteranodon
Flyers- There part of Camp Jurassic and there not
for adults, unless you are with a child 46 inches or under. If
you get into the park early before the crowds get in, they are
usually nice and let adults on, as goes for off season times
as well. However this has never worked for me, but I have seen
several adults get on. |
|
Dueling
Dragons-
Fire & Ice are the 2 coasters what is the
difference between the 2? Most prefer Fire as the better
of the 2.
Here
are the differences between these two
coasters.
|
FIRE: |
ICE: |
|
Drop |
Drop |
|
Immelman |
Inclined helix |
|
Camelback Hill |
Zero-G Roll |
|
Spiro-loop/Immelman-Helix
Combo |
Cobra Roll (2
Inversions) |
|
Vertical Loop |
Vertical Loop |
|
180-Degree Left-Hand
Turn |
180-Degree Right-Hand
Turn |
|
Flatspin |
Flatspin |
|
S-Curve |
S-Curve |
|
Flatspin |
Turn Into Brakes |
|
180-Degree Left-Hand
Turn |
Brakes |
|
Brakes |
| |
| The Flying
Unicorn- This is a kids
coaster and a pretty nice one too, it’s better then
Universal’s Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, which in
itself is ok too. Adults who are afraid of the bigger coasters
can ride this coaster as well. Top Speed is 22MPH so hold on
tight. |
| The
Eight Voyage of Sinbad- If you want to be part of the show sit in
the front row to the left of the boat in the small bench and
if you are video taping or taking picture Kabob will take your
camera and take a picture or video of the crowd then one of
himself. He did that with my camera on 10.3.02 while I was
there. I thought it was pretty funny. |
|
Poseidon’s Fury- If you want to have the best spot to view
the Chamber of Secrets once you get in to the first chamber,
head to the wall on the left. You will see a slit in the wall
that is where you want to go. Once the door opens head to the
left to the railway there head all the way down. Then as that
show is coming to an end the vortex wall will open head
through it head all the way to the front middle and you will
have a great view of the final act. |
| The Cat in The
Hat- This is a cool ride for Adult as well as kids.
I really liked it, it is pretty fun. You sit in this little
couch and you ride through the book. I recommend everyone to
ride it. The couches do spin and can create some good G-Force,
if you don't want the couch to spin you can request to the
attendant to turn it off. |
| CHARACTERS &
AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS: Islands of Adventures has
several characters around the park that pose for pictures and
sign autographs, so you need to check your "Attraction &
Show Times" schedule for Character Locations and Times. So you
know when and where to meet them. Some will just be out and
about strolling the park.
Here is a list of Islands of
Adventures current characters.
Rocky &
Bullwinkle
Popeye & Olive Oyl
Bluto
Beatle
Bailey
Woody & Winnie Woodpecker
Storm
Rouge
Wolverine
Captain America
Spider-Man
Lord
Darkennon- (Villain in Poseidon's Fury)
Kabob
& Sinbad- (Sinbad Performers)
The
Princess & Queen with Villain- (Sinbad
Performers)
Cat in The Hat
Thing 1 &
2
The Grinch (Chartoon
Version) |
