BubbaisSleep
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Hope you made it down Knockturn Alley at least.
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Hollywood Studios vs Islands of Adventure
- Thread starter DisneyAndUniversalFan
- Start date
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
Favorites wise, I'm going to say Hollywood Studios. That's definitely the Star Wars fanboy in me talking. It's probably controversial on this board but I love Galaxy's Edge; it's not perfect (it needs more walk around characters & another ride) but it really makes me feel like I'm in the Star Wars universe. Rise of the Resistance is so wonderful, the first time I rode it I was so happy. It's a magical ride.
Combine that with one of the best rides there is (ToT), a bunch of other fun rides (I like all of the rides in that park) & two of the best theme park shows as well (Indy & Muppets), it's just so much fun for me.
It definitely needs some more attractions & show to balance out how popular it is though. The Animation Courtyard is just begging to be rethemed & get something new there. It's honestly embarrassing how little there is to in that section right now.
But objectively, Islands of Adventure is better. I'd say it's the best park in Orlando after Magic Kingdom. If someone only had two days to spend in Orlando, I'd suggest that they go to those two. They're the best bang for your buck. Both parks actually have options, you don't HAVE to do every ride in the park to get the most of your day & money. That's something the other WDW parks & Universal Studios don't really offer.
There's so many great rides in IOA; it's crazy how much quality stuff they were able to fit into that park. I was there last week & had so much fun. That was my first time getting to ride Velocicoaster & Hagrids; absolutely amazing rides, Veloci is probably my third favorite ride now & Hagrids is in the top 10. That's on top of fantastic classics like Spider-Man, Hulk, Popeye & Jurassic Park. I even really like Kong, which I know isn't the most beloved ride.
I do have a couple issues though. The Marvel rides are all a lot of fun, but man that theming is buns. It's just a bunch of giant cut outs of the heroes. It really should've been NYC, nice & simple, just have a bunch of actors doing superhero things to give it some life. It's even more sad after I heard of the amazing plans they had for DC before that fell through.
This issue extends to Toon Lagoon for a bit too; the area going from Marvel into Toon has the same issues, but it becomes good with the mini-Popeye area.
Seuss Landing is also in desperate need of some renovations. That area is DIRTY right now, it has the same griminess to it as a local playground. Cat & The Hat needs to be entirely remade; that might be the worst ride I've been on. It's gross, the animatronics are decaying & it just feels like a fever dream. Finally add the heavily rumored Grinch kiddy coaster too!
Combine that with one of the best rides there is (ToT), a bunch of other fun rides (I like all of the rides in that park) & two of the best theme park shows as well (Indy & Muppets), it's just so much fun for me.
It definitely needs some more attractions & show to balance out how popular it is though. The Animation Courtyard is just begging to be rethemed & get something new there. It's honestly embarrassing how little there is to in that section right now.
But objectively, Islands of Adventure is better. I'd say it's the best park in Orlando after Magic Kingdom. If someone only had two days to spend in Orlando, I'd suggest that they go to those two. They're the best bang for your buck. Both parks actually have options, you don't HAVE to do every ride in the park to get the most of your day & money. That's something the other WDW parks & Universal Studios don't really offer.
There's so many great rides in IOA; it's crazy how much quality stuff they were able to fit into that park. I was there last week & had so much fun. That was my first time getting to ride Velocicoaster & Hagrids; absolutely amazing rides, Veloci is probably my third favorite ride now & Hagrids is in the top 10. That's on top of fantastic classics like Spider-Man, Hulk, Popeye & Jurassic Park. I even really like Kong, which I know isn't the most beloved ride.
I do have a couple issues though. The Marvel rides are all a lot of fun, but man that theming is buns. It's just a bunch of giant cut outs of the heroes. It really should've been NYC, nice & simple, just have a bunch of actors doing superhero things to give it some life. It's even more sad after I heard of the amazing plans they had for DC before that fell through.
This issue extends to Toon Lagoon for a bit too; the area going from Marvel into Toon has the same issues, but it becomes good with the mini-Popeye area.
Seuss Landing is also in desperate need of some renovations. That area is DIRTY right now, it has the same griminess to it as a local playground. Cat & The Hat needs to be entirely remade; that might be the worst ride I've been on. It's gross, the animatronics are decaying & it just feels like a fever dream. Finally add the heavily rumored Grinch kiddy coaster too!
DisneyfanMA
Well-Known Member
I did see they recently repainted and fixed up the caro-seuss-el ride....but yes I heard cat n the hat was falling apart. Never the less seuss land might be one of the primary reasons we chose IoA for the kids over US
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Your assessment is correct. Diagon alley is much more themed and over the top. It has much more and better shops and shows. Alleyways are incredible and the detail is impeccable. The ride however isn't nearly as good as either ride at hogsmeade. Hagrids is the only ride in Florida I would consider waiting over 2 hours for.
There's no doubt about your analysis, Diagon is far better, but at least you get something at IOA for a taste. ;-)
The magic is when you have a 2 park pass, and the train is running (and frankly, have express pass) and can hop between parks with a little show.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
It's crazy that Universal Studios is doing so well, I think that's by far the worst of Disney/Uni's Orlando parks. It's even crazier with Islands being a 5 minute walk away & being infinitely better. I wonder if it's largely because of HHN?
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Diagon Alley is at Universal Studios and that's probably the best themed land in Orlando; that's likely a large part of it.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. That land is insane, if I was a bigger Potter fan it probably would've made me cry lol
I wish the ride lineup was better though. I wouldn't give any of the rides in that park anything above a B.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I think Revenge of the Mummy is an A and one of the best rides at Universal -- it's probably the best story coaster at Universal or Disney, except maybe Big Thunder Mountain (and likely Hagrid's but I haven't been on that) -- and E.T. is a fantastic classic dark ride. Those are the only two attractions I really care about at USO, though (haven't been on Gringotts).
The attraction lineup at USO was significantly better in 1995 than it is right now.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
For whatever reason, I just can't get into Mummy. I've rode it three times (including 2 in one night last week) & it just doesn't click with me. I sort of feel left out lol
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Spot on, and I would still consider MIB the best shooting ride at either resort. I will also add that the Bourne stunt show is really impressive. I went in with a very low expectation and was blown away at the technology that they used for it.
Schweino
Well-Known Member
Oh come on - Toy Story Mania!!!
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Yeah, not even close my friend.. Toy Story mania is a Nintendo wii game. MIB is tons of physical sets and AAs not to mention the queue and pre-show are kind of neat.
I think he was being sarcastic
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
For me IMO it's one of the best coasters in Universal. The story is good but the best part is it is actually thrilling. Something that Disney coasters lack.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
Interesting. I honestly feel a lot of Disney coasters have more thrill to them, from a pure coaster perspective. But maybe the story helps intensify that ride for most people.
Disneyfanman
Well-Known Member
For me, it tips to DHS because my family demographics have changed. For my wife (who has mobility issues) and families with smaller children, DHS has MUCH more stuff that they can all do together. For active families without either of those issues IOA. I love IOA, but all of the action based attractions really split my troops. If IOA had one more family dark ride and a great family friendly show (like Fantasmic) then they would be the clear winner for me. I really think that UO could go for the win with a few minor tweaks. For now, the multiple shows and dark rides that are family friendly at DHS gets my vote.
SpectreJordan
Well-Known Member
How much more room for expansion does IOA have? I can't imagine it's a lot, sadly.
I think if Universal really wants to get to that next level, revamping Studios is their next step. That park needs massive revamps, hopefully they do that after EU.
I think if Universal really wants to get to that next level, revamping Studios is their next step. That park needs massive revamps, hopefully they do that after EU.
PrinceCharming617
Well-Known Member
I think a more favorable comparison would be Hollywood Studios or Universal Studios. Because I think Islands is now head and shoulders better than either of them.