Best Rides at Universal

Best Rides at Universal

Universal has been on a tear in the last seven years dropping amazing rides one after another. How do they stack up against themselves? In some order.

Men in Black—An absolute classic at Universal Studios. I know the property is starting to get dated. Unfortunately, the last Men in Black movie gave the franchise its death sentence. Even with a dying property lineup, this shooter attraction is still the best in Florida. The physical sets are something that is in short supply at Universal, and I am glad this attraction remains untouched. A relic of the past but still is able to hold its own today. The queue is fun with some animatronics, and great story elements which elevates the theming.  It is well over 25 years now and Father Time is still undefeated. The Simpsons, Men in Black, and the Fear Factor stage could all be taken away to create one huge land. I have some great memories on this attraction, so I will be a bit sad when the final red button is pushed for the last time.

Jurassic Park River Adventure—Maybe it’s the ride I went on my first date with my fiancé on. Maybe it is her favorite ride. I know time or Universal maintenance hasn’t been kind to this attraction, but I had to put it on here. This is one of my favorite water attractions and has a killer drop at the end. It once again has a story, stakes, and thrill. Not to mention the threat of getting absolutely soaked. As long as you aren’t in the front row you can usually stay dry. The huge doors when you enter Jurassic Park, the music, and the entire Raptor Containment area section with a T-Rex makes a fantastic ride. 

Amazing Adventures of Spider Man—This is a Universal classic attraction. Universally accepted as one of the best rides of the previous years. This ride was so successful that they decided that the hybrid attraction, screen plus physical movement through the sets was a staple in many later attractions. This is a fun adventure through the Marvel world. It still holds up today as a very good ride even though I have developed motion sensitivity. I love that the screen interacts with the physical environment. When Spiderman jumps on the car and when the Hob Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb it causes a physical explosion on the ride. This ride has some great moments as you fight the enemies of Spiderman.

The Mummy—One of the best rides in Orlando. This attraction has a great story with great theming. The queue moves quick and is themed well. The “Story” of this attraction sometimes isn’t picked up by regular theme park goers if they don’t spend time in the queue. On set of filming a Mummy movie, when the Mummy is real and tries to take your souls. “Are you insane, get out of here, the curse it’s real” Themed roller coasters are some of my favorite attractions in the world, and this attraction is one of the first great examples of this. It has a launch, dark ride scenes, stakes, and two fun coaster segments. The final scene before the picture is fantastic. One of the best scenes on a ride.

I think I have given enough love to yesterday’s Universal.

Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure—A fantastic, themed roller coaster. This attraction is very accessible; it doesn’t have the over-the-top thrill like some of the roller coasters in Universal’s lineup. It stays close to the ground, at a fast enough speed to be thrilling enough but hits it out of the park with theming. It has several launches, several animatronics, a dark ride scene, and it goes backwards. All of these elements combined make an attraction first rate. The knock I will HAPPILY give this attraction is the queue. The capacity is dreadful… It routinely has waits that are hours long. The last time I rode in a couple months ago, we waited 90 minutes. The worst part is that it does not move. A great attraction, but I have trouble waiting in the queue.

Velocicoaster—Lighter theming and less elements than Hagrid but it is pushed over Hagrid’s by great capacity and a ride layout that kicks ass. The queue is okay, I love the animatronics of the Raptors, and the safety video by Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). The queue moves fast though, a blessing when compared to Hagrid. This ride is incredible, it has two launces, a huge climb and drop, and feels like two coasters smashed together. The first half has a launch, and a few head choppers. Zipping around the Raptor paddock coming face to face with some static Raptors. Then you go into that second launch and it turns the dial to 11. You shoot up the top hat, do a few elements while giving a better view of the park, and then you do the Mosasaurus roll. It is the best coaster element that I have experienced. It feels like you are going to be slung out of your seat and into the water. This attraction is amazing. The best of a thrilling coaster being enhanced by its theming. It is also never the longest wait in the park, the line moves constantly, and there is a single rider option.

Stardust Racers—Recency bias? Maybe. This is the newest big coaster for Universal and I think it is a homerun. Day rides and night rides are both elite. At nighttime, the trains add to the night skyline of Epic. There is a flux capacitor, a nod to Universal’s past and my favorite movie of all time. Dueling coasters reminds me of my first favorite coaster, Dueling Dragons. The theming might be extremely light, the queue has little theming. But the line moves quick with double the capacity being available than one 10 row train. I have ridden this ride, all over the train and the best version is sitting in the back. Sitting in the front during a rain storm…. Not so much, felt like I couldn’t see or breathe but what a memory. The double launches into all of this ride layout while you dance with the other train makes this ride elite. One of the best that Universal has to offer.

Monsters Unchained—I still can’t get over this ride. It delivers one of the best experiences that any ride can. This is the best ride in the park and it is commonly a walk on. I have been to Epic several times since it opened a little over a year ago, and the longest I had to wait for this ride was 20 minutes. When the ride broke down. The front façade is one of the best that Universal has. Walking into Frankenstein’s manor at nighttime is incredible. You work your way through the winding halls, see some cool elements in the queue, great music, and then you hit the two preshows. The first one is funny, but the second one is awesome. Seeing the monster animatronic is incredible. This queue could be a walk through attraction, and I wouldn’t even need an attraction at the end. But Universal takes it a step further and delivers one of the best attractions I have ever been on. The theming is spectacular. The physical sets are strong, and are amplified by the screens and animatronics. The best ride scene that I think I have ever been on is when the Phantom is playing the piano. One of the best moments on any attraction. Did I mention that this ride is commonly a walk on? It is smooth, won’t cause motion sickness, and delivers a thrilling, fun attraction. The only knock I will give is how the animatronics can go down, and there is no B-mode. They just become static figures looking at you. Maybe recency bias, but in what park, are you able to walk onto the best ride there? The only one I can think of is Monsters Unchained.

Universal has been on a heater lately. Monsters, Stardust, Velocicoaster, and Hagrids are all world class attractions. But it is hard to forget the Universal classics that have been around for over 20 years and still deliver a great experience today.