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The original park, Universal Studio Orlando Florida is the other park on the Universal lot at Orlando. This park is focused more on their movie franchises, many of which I grew up watching making it easier to relate with. There were many attractions that featured 3D features, unfortunately all kind of 3D make me feel sick. But there are other things to do if 3D doesn't’t work for you. Now, on to the attractions at Universal:
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem – a 3D ride with moving seats in a large theater setup, this movie follows the typical cute minion theme with Gru.
- Shrek 4-D – this is a 4D adventure that begins where Shrek ends, the marriage. Expect sprays of water, blasts of wind, along with your 3D glasses and moving chairs.
- Transformers: The Ride 3D – This is another 3D ride where your roller coaster car moves along a track. I wasn’t expecting much, but was wildly surprised by the story. Ride on a transformer to save the AllSpark.
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – This is the star attraction at Universal Studio in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley. The ride lives up to the hype. From the interaction while “waiting in line”, it makes the longer lines bearable.
- MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack – This is an interactive shooting gallery. Oddly, the car has two rows, 3 people across which makes it very challenging for those in the back row, and even worse if you’re seated in the middle. Other than that, it’s the one ride where you get a score at the end. For those who can’t handle spins, there are a couple of big spins that gave me a huge headache.
- The Simpsons Ride – Is a 3D and moving seat attraction. I found this ride to be very nauseating, but because I grew up with the TV show, I couldn’t skip it! Unfortunately, this ride made me a slightly sick at the end.
- E.T. Adventure – is a very calm and simple ride setup like a bike. As you fly through the world, the main point of this ride is the customization of E.T. speaking your name!
- Hollywood Rip Ride RockIt – this was an intense, but also unique ride. It’s sit down with a simple waist harness (no shoulder support), which implies it never goes upside down. What it does have is customization of music, a vertical climb, and video recording of your entire ride!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley is a hidden world that impressively mimics the world of Harry Potter. I find the park at Universal Studio is much more impressive than the one at Island of Adventure. I happened to see many more interactive wand spots that were more than movements in a window. And you can’t miss the dragon above the Gringotts bank that periodically breathes fire! And make sure you keep an eye out for the section, as you enter when the park turns to England. Also, don’t miss the dark alley!
The next are I really enjoyed was Springfield: Home of the Simpsons. Many of the buildings as you walk through are themed such as Moe’s Tavern, the Quik-E-Mart, the Donut Shop, and more! Make sure you take some time exploring
Because between both Parks (Universal Studios and Island’s of Adventure), only a parade was offered, I made an effort to make sure I didn’t miss the parade. Compared to the parades at Disneyworld, the parade at Universal was dismal. With only a handful of floats (maybe 7 or 8), the parade lasted for less than 10 minutes.