Universal Day One

My daughter's orchestra went on the school music program's trip to Orlando, Florida. They would perform at Universal Studios Resort and spend the rest of the trip enjoying the parks and each other's company.

The day we arrived was the day before the performances, so we had the whole day to enjoy two Universal parks--Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Like many commercial endeavors, we had to walk through a shopping area before getting to the fun.

Universal Orlando Resort entrance

Chocolate restaurant and Hard Rock Cafe

Islands of Adventure entrance

My first ride was The Incredible Hulk, a metal coaster. The line has videos of various people being irradiated with gamma rays and turning into hulks. The ride itself was amazing, looping around and bank in all sorts of ways. It's a fast and exciting ride. The line was fairly short, especially since I could use the "single rider" line to skip ahead.

Hulk entrance

The "gamma launcher"

Next, I rode the Storm Force Accelatron, which was basically a tea-cup spinner. They had a lot of lights and music to make up for the less exciting toss-around ride. The cups spin more if you pull on the metal ring in the middle. It was okay, I was happy I didn't stand in a line for it.

X-men ride

More of the Marvel zone

I tried to get into the Amazing Adventures of Spider-man, but it shut down for maintenance while I was in line. The line goes through the Daily Bugle offices, a fun set-up (and they have a working water fountain for guests!). The screens show cartoons setting up the plot of the ride--Doctor Octopus leads the Sinister Syndicate in an attempt to take over New York City. I left for other parts of the park.

Popeye statue in Toon Lagoon

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, which I did not ride

The line for Skull Island: Reign of Kong was short so I gave it a try. They even have a single rider line, which got me on even quicker. Riders are in the back of a truck going around the island as various dinosaurs and monsters fight on either side in a 3D animated show. It was fun but I was in the front row and stuck behind the cab of truck, so I had to crane my neck left or right to see the action. Sitting further back would have been better.

Skull Island ride

Right by Kong is Jurassic Park, a section with themed rides, stores, and food vendors. I did not go on the river ride (I guess I was avoiding water). The Velocicoaster is a new ride that is amazing and exciting, another metal coaster with lots of flips and loops. I had a 40 minute wait even in the single rider line. It was worth it.

The end of the river adventure

Entrance to Velocicoaster

The line inside

No escape from the coaster

The section also has a discovery center with shops, exhibits, and food. I opted for lunch here, a cheeseburger with a chocolate milkshake.

"Educational" bit

Lunch

I went back to the Marvel section and rode Doctor Doom's Fearfall. The line was short. As a single, they sent me around a corner to the fourth door to join three other riders. They happened to be three eight-year old girls who, on seeing me, told me, "Our parents are on the other side of that door." I guess I looked like stranger danger? The ride is a typical rise and drop thrill that was fun.

Diplomatic immunity!

Posing with actual villains

Fantasticar--not a ride, just a photo op

I decided to leave all the Harry Potter stuff for the next day, so I walked over to the studio park (which is on the other side of the City Walk area). On the way, I walked down the side of the Hard Rock Cafe where a piece of the Berlin Wall is hidden in the back. I only knew about this because it is what you are supposed to find for a virtual geocache.

Bit of Berlin Wall

Just in front of the studio entrance is a Universal globe. I took a photo there for another geocache find.

Phone was too slow to get the first part of the word

After scanning in the entrance (our tickets were for both parks), I walked down the Minions street (this was all Shrek stuff last time I came 20 plus years ago).

Minions all around you

I rode the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, a steel coaster that plays a song you choose as you are riding. Again, the single rider lane put me with a group of three pre-teens. These kids were cool--they fist-bumped me as their fellow rider!

Rip Ride Rocket

I walked further into the park and road the Revenge of the Mummy ride. It's an indoor coaster with a lot of surprises along the way. I liked it a lot.

Headed into the New York part of the park

Revenge of the Mummy!

From New York, it's a short walk to San Francisco (definitely a movie thing). I rode the Fast & Furious Supercharger ride. It was a bit disappointing. Like the Skull Island ride, passengers are in a high-capacity vehicle while all the action happens on screens on the side. The original cast is part of the story but the ride is not that exciting. We didn't do anything other than get jostled around. The next day at breakfast I was chatting with the lady at the omelette station said the Fast & Furious ride in California is better, riders are in one of the chase cars, not just being chased.

Needed to be faster and furiouser

I broke my plan about leaving Harry Potter till the next day when I got near the entrance to Diagon Alley. Outside the alley is the Knight Bus with a shrunken head that provides comic interaction with passers by.

The Knight Bus

Diagon Alley is lovingly recreated and amazing to walk around. It has a lot of shops and eateries and the awesome Escape from Gringotts ride.

Diagon Alley

More of the alley

Entrance to the Gringotts ride (sorry for the slanted pic)

The park app said the line was 20 minutes, but I walked down the single-rider line and went straight on to the ride without breaking my stride. It is a fun 3D indoor coaster with a lot of motion simulation.

Goblin on a pile of money

The 1964 World's Fair is the location for the Men in Black attraction, and indoor ride and shoot-em-up. I had a mediocre score, less than half of my seatmate's!

Men in Black: Alien Attack ride

Not far from there is the Springfield area, dedicated to The Simpsons. The Simpsons Ride is a fun motion simulator that runs riders through a Krusty the Clown amusement park that is being attacked by Sideshow Bob. It has the typical wit and frenzy of the show.

Simpsons ride

One store is a Kwik-E-Mart where I bought a choc-bacon bar to take home. It was tasty if not super-bacony.

An appealing bit of merchandise

Just outside of the Simpsons area I saw the Delorean from Back to the Future!

If only I could time travel and tell myself not to ride Fast & Furious!

I rode the E. T. Adventure, a ride from the park's opening. I have fond memories and it was a chance to get out of the sunshine (and the line was short). The story is a little weird--you have to go with E. T. to his home world to help out the environment, but you just sit there and look at the creatively imagined world with animatronics from thirty years ago. It's quaint and I am surprised that it is still around. I haven't watched the movie in thirty years.

E. T. entrance

By this point, the park was about to close, so I walked back to City Walk for dinner.

A cool neon sign, though they don't actually have dancing

I went to a sandwich shop and, in honor of the high school trip, ordered a grilled cheese and tater tot meal.

Not even on a plate!

That was our first day. We headed back to the hotel where we checked in. The chaperones did room checks on all the students, which was not as much of a problem as I was anticipating. It was a long day but a lot of fun.