My Top 10 Rides/Shows/Attractions in Universal Studios Florida

In the 1960’s Disney found its newest competitor in the theme park industry, Universal Studios. The original theme park in Hollywood opened up its doors on July 15th, 1964. With the success of the park and to also compete with Disney once again, a new theme park would open up in Orlando in 1990; Universal Studios Florida was born and since its opening it has become one of the most successful theme parks in the world. While it’s nowhere as huge as the original theme park in Hollywood, Orlando’s version has a very huge fan base and still collects over 10 million guests each year. Last year I could include myself as it was my very first time experiencing Universal. It was really fun and while I will still always pick Disney World over Universal, I really enjoyed the more adult oriented themes in the park from walking into the World of Harry Potter to adventuring into the world of Jurassic Park; this park really made me a fan of the park and while I think it did lack a few things, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an amazing first time experience for me. With all this said I couldn’t resist not making a Top 10 list for Universal Studios Florida. Much like Disney World, Universal has some really incredible rides, shows and attractions. From the themes of the rides to the themes of the lands in the park, Universal really impressed me with how the park looks entirely. From Universal Studios to Islands of Adventures, Universal Studios Florida is such an experience that I highly recommend doing it if you haven’t already. Just like my Disney World list I will be ranking my favorite rides/shows/attractions in Universal Studios Florida. And yes some ground rules need to be in effect. Unlike Disney, Universal had a Halloween event that is a part of the park but is more like an attraction/show so it will count on the list. Also I am basing this list on what I experienced so if you don’t see a ride/show/attraction it’s because I didn’t experience it. Well I think that is about it, time to head to Universal and rank my Top 10 Favorite Rides/Shows/Attractions at Universal Studios Florida.

10. E.T Adventure – This ride is actually the only ride in the park that has been running since the park first opened in 1990. Now I had a tough time deciding between this and Transformers: The Ride 3-D but because it has had longevity and is a fan favorite ride, I chose the one remaining E.T ride in all of the Universal parks. E.T Adventure is a dark ride based off the Steven Spielberg film, E.T the Extra Terrestrial. The ride was actually put together by both Universal Creative and Steven Spielberg as he wanted to put his charm into the ride while it also having parts of the film in the ride and the sequel novel, E.T: The Book of the Green Planet. This ride is a very cute ride that families would love and enjoy. The ride system is kind of like Peter Pan’s Flight where the ride vehicle is in the air, making it seem like you are flying with E.T. I actually really enjoyed the rides queue as it was very decorative with trees and bushes and made you feel like you were in the scene when E.T is in the woods hiding from the government. We also get a pretty cool looking animatronic called Botanicus, one of E.T’s friends. The ride itself is pretty chill and it had tons of animatronic figures. They look pretty dated but this is a classic ride that still holds a lot of love from Universal guests. The finale has a pretty cool feature as well as prior to going into the rides queue you tell an agent your name in the finale E.T says goodbye to each guest by saying their names. This ride does look dated and is more of a ride for kids but I still think it deserves to be on this list for longevity and I’m a sucker for Spielberg as he is my favorite movie director. Plus it has been said if they close this ride Spielberg will end his contract with Universal. Don’t know how true that is but I’m not trying to find out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmH39LJ3Gr4

9. Skull Island: Reign of Kong – After the closure of Kongfrontation, it was only a matter of time when King Kong would once again make his presence known in Universal Studios Florida. And well in 2016, Skull Island: Reign of Kong opened up in Islands of Adventure and it has become a must see attraction since its opening. The ride is a 4-D themed dark ride with a trackless vehicle. The ride also incorporates both screens and audio animatronics as this ride holds one of the biggest animatronic in the park, King Kong. The ride itself is pretty cool as I love that while you can tell that they aren’t there because of the screens, you kind of feel like you are in Skull Island being attacked by Dinosaurs and the creatures of the island as well as feeling Kong jump around the ride. I really love the queue for this ride as it really feels like you are in Skull Island and the animatronics in the queue look life like. As for the Kong animatronic I think he looks very life like as well and while it isn’t as huge as Kongfronation’s Kong, he still looks incredible and huge. The ride has been given many positive reviews and has found a huge fan base over the years. I really enjoyed the ride and my love for King Kong is a huge reason on why I love this attraction for sure. I feel like the ride could use a bit more screens and effects, maybe even a couple of more scenes, but I think it’s an incredible ride that will leave you with a pretty lit experience.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VthDPmlqlU&t=453s

8. The Simpsons Ride – If there was any cartoon in the park that deserved a huge part in the park and also a crazy ride then well we will have to talk about The Simpsons. The Simpsons Ride is a part of the themed area specifically for the Simpsons. The ride itself is a blast as while it isn’t your average thrill ride or slow dark ride, it’s one of those motion screen rides that make you feel like you are actually in the Simpsons cartoon. Usually with these motion simulator rides you usually get 3-D glasses to make you feel like you are in the ride but with this ride in particular you actually don’t need any sort of glasses; which I think is pretty cool cause it makes the imagining you are in the ride feel much cooler. Now with all this said the ride then feels like a thrill ride when on it as it is a bit bumpy and seems like it’s putting you on one of the wildest rollercoaster rides known to man. The original voice actors from the show return to voice all of their characters in the ride/queue/pre-show and I love the queue in this ride as many of the side characters in the show make an appearance and the way it’s done is like a carnival and it’s so amazing how Universal put it all together. Added bonus is the additional clips from the shows also being used in the queue. You will want to ride this ride multiple times, unless you aren’t good with motion rides but regardless it’s worth all the puking and feeling light head.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdPylyjZUDc

7. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – When you walk into Diagon Alley and look up at the fire breathing Dragon just know you are experiencing something incredible. The building right next to the fire breathing dragon holds one of the coolest rides in Universal Studios Florida, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The ride itself is set during the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part II as Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to infiltrate the Gringotts Bank in order to obtain the Horcrux so they could defeat Lord Voldemort. This ride is literally an insane ride as it is both a 3-D motion simulator ride but it is also an indoor steel rollercoaster. As soon as the ride car went up in a certain scene and I was staring down onto a track I knew this ride was going to be something else. While it isn’t the craziest rollercoaster in the park, it gets much love from me and many fans of both the parks and Harry Potter as it has so much hidden details, some life like animatronics in the queue and it’s got so much beloved characters from the Harry Potter films. I loved every second of it as while the wait times could become long as it’s one of the more popular rides in Universal, it is well worth the waiting as you get so much in just a 5 minute ride. It’s crazy to think that this ride is almost 10 years old and yet it still manages to feel fresh and new. Then again it was new to me as it was my first time riding the ride and experiencing Universal but the ride itself felt like it is brand new as it’s very smooth and looks like something out of this world; more like something you haven’t seen done ever. If you love the Harry Potter books/films then you should 100% ride this ride on your next trip to Universal Florida.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8FSuOjoy8w

6. Jurassic Park River Adventure – I remember watching many ride through videos of this ride and praying to one day go to Universal and ride this ride and after 10 years of waiting I finally did it and I loved every minute of it. This water ride is what you expect it to be as it is a ride that brings you into the world of Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg’s beloved film was honestly the perfect film to obtain a ride centered around it as the ride itself makes you feel like you are in the movie and a real life Jurassic Park and it’s not just the environment or even the John Williams composed theme song of Jurassic Park but the dinosaurs. And if I could be honest, this ride does need a little bit of work. Some of the animatronics do look a bit outdated but I mean this ride has been around since the 90’s but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the experience as the ride itself is a spectacular. The finale of the ride is a splash as the huge T-Rex animatronic looks incredible and it stares you down as it roars and tries to attack you and of course while you escape you go down an 85 foot drop. And yes you will get wet as let’s not forget this is a water ride. The drop is 50 mph and let’s just say both times I was on the ride I wasn’t fully tight in the ride and well I had to hold on tight is what I’m trying to say. As I said before I loved every minute of this ride and while I hate going on water rides and getting wet, this one manages to make me not care if I get wet or not, which luckily I didn’t get that wet. It’s been a long time coming but I’m very glad I was able to ride this ride. I don’t know how long this version will be open as Hollywood’s version closed and was changed to Jurassic World so only time will tell but until then I will continue to enjoy the original ride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9hC57s-Tgg

5. Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show – Not many people truly know this about me but I am a hardcore fan of horror but I’m also really into horror make-up. I have this crazy fascination for movie special effects and make-up for movies, including horror, and for a while I have been watching shows/documentaries/behind the scenes that are towards horror make-up/effects. Face-Off on Syfy was a big part of my love and now this show will be as well. Universal’s Horror Make-Up Show is honestly the only show I watched during my time in Universal.  Not a lot interested me but this one truly gained my interest. The show is an original attraction from the opening day of Universal Florida and has been making guests fully entertained for over 30 plus years. The show is a live demonstration of Universal Pictures legacy of horror movies and their uses of prosthetic make-up and special effects. It has undergone a few changes over the years from displays and props being used to the changes in the lobby which is considered a mini museum for Horror. The show includes two hosts, Alex Ross and Mark/Marty James. While the show is all about horror it is very funny. Both hosts play off each other very well from their dad puns to pop culture references and the comedy also comes from the help of the audience as they play off the audience as well. The show is anywhere from 20 – 25 minutes long and I could honestly re-watch this show 100 times in a day; it was so good and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you are a true fan of horror and love make-up effects like myself then this is a must do when you go on your next trip to Universal Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRsLeEATlc

4. Revenge of the Mummy - Out of all the rides I went on in Universal, this one was the biggest surprise for me. I say this knowing how popular the ride is but I also didn't know considering I thought I was just your average coaster ride but I was far off with that idea as this ride was way more than your average roller coaster ride. The ride opened up in 2004 and replaced Kongfrontation as Universal was planning on creating a dark ride for the movie The Mummy. With a max speed of 40 mph after being launched, the coaster ride also includes multiple different angle turns, multiple animationics, special effects and tons of fire. Now while the ride itself is stunning and extremely cool, the queue is actually one of the best looking queues in the park. The ride and the queue is centered on the film The Mummy but behind the scenes of the film as you are visiting the set and then a curse is put on the set of the film and many parts of the set begin to come to life and wreak havoc on the set. The queue looks exactly like a Backlot of a movie set as it has props, a huge Egyptian tomb and so much more. You will have to see it to see how extremely cool this entire ride is and the whole thing was much more than what I thought it was. I was going into this ride thinking it was like Dinosaur or the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland but I was once hundred percent wrong as this ride is an extreme version of both those rides times 1000. I highly recommend riding this ride and I really wish I did it more than once as it is a ride I would definitely want to do 3 or 4 times in a day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYmL72KOnQ

3. The Many Adventures of Spider-Man - Considered by many as the best ride in Universal's history, The Many Adventures of Spider-Man is an S Tier ride as it has everything from amazing effects, sharp turns, an amazing queue and of course a Universal favorite, FIRE! The ride itself is a 3D motion simulator dark ride. It opened in May 1999 and has been a must do attraction when visiting Universal Orlando. In this ride you become Daily Bugle reporters and your mission is to find the Sinister Syndicate. However you are then caught into a crossroads and you then are in the middle of a fight between the Syndicate and Spider-Man. The queue for this ride is probably one of my favorites in the park as you literally are inside the Daily Bugle and the best part is the T.V screens that shows a little pre-show of what is to come and the way they do it is nostalgic as the pre-show uses the cartoon of the rides same name to show guests what our story is going to be about. Everything about this ride is amazing as it really feels like you are in New York City fighting the Syndicate alongside Spider-Man. Oh and it wouldn’t be a Marvel/Spider-Man experience without having a cameo from the legend himself, Stan Lee. I loved every minute of this ride and knowing that this ride had such high praise over the years and I never even watched a video/ride through ever so experiencing it the first time and seeing it with my own eyes really made the experience 100 percent better. Plus my love for Spider-Man truly gains my love for this ride even more and while I only rode the ride two times it would be safe to say that I might of done it about 10 more times because it was such a fun ride and experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c4UOorCt9A

2. Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure – The best ride in Universal Orlando by far was this ride as Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure was everything I thought it was and then some. Now to some of you that statement may not mean much but for theme park lovers and the many fans of Harry Potter this statement is a cold hard fact on how amazing the ride is but also how well it was put together by Universal. The rollercoaster made its debut in the park in June 2019 and it’s been one of the most popular rides in the park, possibly even the most popular ride in Universal. First of all I need to talk about the cost of making this ride as it cost Universal $300 million dollars and while there have been even more expensive rides, it feels pretty crazy to think that this ride cost so much and you can see the detail work that was put onto this ride from the theming, ride vehicles, animatronics, queue/pre-show and of course the ride itself. Seven launches and a tops speed of 50mph with a 17 ft drop that came unexpectedly, this ride truly made me want to come to Universal again in the future. Now with such a popular/expensive ride and being it is outside the ride does get a lot of down time as when it rains/thunderstorms it can’t run but other times it does have technical issues. But that doesn’t take away the 120 minute plus wait time this ride averages daily. People will go running for this ride once it goes back and running and as a true Harry Potter fan I got to witness it in person how crazy people go for this ride. From the extremely beautiful ride structure/layout to the amazing looking animatronics, to having to kiester my cheeks the 2nd time I went on the ride (mainly for the drop part), this ride deserves a 10 out of 10 from me. I love the fact that you can ride either the motorcycle side or the motorcar side, both ways must be experienced so if you are lucky like me and get to ride this ride twice in a day while long wait times are happening then well you truly are going to love this ride. Plus it felt really good to hear Robbie Coltrane voice Hagrid one last time in this ride as this is one of the last projects he worked on before his unfortunate death in 2022.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMtR5_TinqE

1. Halloween Horror Nights – For 10 years I watched countless amount of videos of Halloween Horror Nights scare zones, houses, terror trams and so much more. From the history of the event to literally scaring kids outside on Halloween like I was a part of Halloween Horror Nights, it was a dream to go to Universal and attend the event. I was planning on doing it in 2020 but thanks to the pandemic it never came to be and the next two years I didn’t have the funds. However this year my dream came true. Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween themed event in Universal Studios theme parks. The event in Florida is the longest running event in Universal’s history as it’ original name, Universal Studios Fright Nights, began horrifying guests since 1991. This year’s event marked the 32nd year the park ran the event and every bit of it was amazing. I love horror and seeing this event up close and personal was something I never thought would become real and when it finally did I never wanted that moment to end. The moment of being in the park where scare actors terrorize you, all you see are people in costumes and make up, houses where you either will be scared to death or if you are like me get spooked here and there but love every minute of it and most of all the stories that were told from this event was spectacular as it was all centered around Universal’s original character, Dr. Oddfellow. From the incredible detailed Stanger Things house to the nighttime show Nightmare Fuel: Revenge Dream, every fucking thing in this event made me want to go back every fucking year. I am going to try my best to make this a annual thing every year as my love for Horror, Halloween and most of all this event made me truly want to go every year. I loved going into the scare zones and seeing either the Vamps or the characters from Dr. Oddfellow’s circus, I loved going into each house I did get to experience and getting spooked here and there from characters like Chucky, The Invisible Man and of course the clickers from The Last of Us. If I could tell that teenage boy 10 years ago that he will experience HHN one day in the future and fall even more in love with it then I would also tell him dream big and make that dream a reality because one day you will get to walk around Universal and be haunted by every character you see. It was the best thing I did on my trip to Universal and I knew that going into making this list that this was going to be my number one and nothing was ever going to surpass it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUgV6oj77tI

Nightmare Fuel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xmUYkEC35M