Spring Break 2013 - Universal Orlando Trip Report

[Tony Perkis]

Yesterday, my college friends and I returned from our three day Spring Break vacation at the Universal Orlando Resort. The last time I went the complex, February 2012, my brother and I skipped through some of the less advertised attractions in order to get things done in the time allotted. This time, there was no such rushing.

We did not mess around with anything Disney-related with this trip. Those parks left an incredibly bad taste in mouth a year ago that we just did not even bother. Attractions were in obvious need of renovation and were in a state of disrepair; Disney Creative used Pixar to fill attraction voids when necessary, even when the property made no sense (why is Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland?).

So, when we decided to spend our last Spring Break as college students (mind you, 24-25 year old graduate students that work either part-time or full-time), we decided to only spend time at Universal. We booked a room from Sunday, March 17 to Wednesday, March 20 at the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort, celebrated St. Patrick's Day at Citywalk and Pat O' Brien's for the Hurricanes (which I will NOT be divulging because it led to an incredibly painful headache the next morning).

Just to tease my general opinion, it was an absolute blast.

Hopefully you continue reading! I'll be posting over the next several days.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Allow me to start with the hotel. While very clearly being the value-luxury option of the Loews resorts, this is a beautiful hotel. While the room itself is a bit on the small size, the beds were comfortable (including the rollaway, which I slept on), the shower was relaxing, the toilet paper was quality (always a HUGE overlooked detail when looking at hotels), the food was good, and the bars were fun. On Monday and Tuesday nights, my friends and I, after dinner at the Citywalk and some time at the pool/hot tub, we'd head to Jake's for a few drinks.

Trust me, with the amount of snoring by half of our group, it was one of the only ways to truly get a good night's sleep. That may sound awful, but you spend a night with two people snoring at the top of their lungs when you're an abnormally light sleeper that takes, on average, an hour to fall asleep.

Back to the hotel...obviously, one of the reasons this hotel was so high on our list was the vital Unlimited Express pass. Seriously, I have never seen a bigger perk for staying at a on-property location. On top of the that, the hotel has a very easy walk to IOA and USF and the water ferries are incredibly convenient. The location and Express Pass perks alone make the hotel reservation worth the money. Not only are the prices very comparable to the best Disney resorts, but the locations and benefits vastly overshadow them. Every time we plan an Orlando trip from now on (and very much so when Universal is the focus), one of the three Loews hotels (not Cabana Bay) will be 100% where we stay. Next time, I'm hoping to stay at the Portofino....that places looks fantastic.

Well, Monday morning, not in the best shape to go on roller coasters and thrill rides, we made our way to Islands of Adventure for the day. Until the next post...

 

[BryceM]

Awesome! Can't wait to read more.

 

[Zman-ks]

Wonderful....can't wait to hear more.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Sorry for the delay. I was out-of-state without my laptop for the past few days.

Now, Islands of Adventure. I maintain that this is the single best theme and/or amusement park ever constructed. The level of detail, the innovation of the attractions, the incredible theming....not to mention that it is home to the two best attractions ever created, the best water raft ride ever, and 2/3 of the most unique roller coaster designs of any park I've seen. This is Disney on steroids, and as someone who strongly believes that Disney is banking on nostalgia over innovation in the Florida parks, Universal has completely passed them in terms of who is earning my dollars.

Onto the park during this trip, though.

As I've mentioned, I was recovering from a night of Irish celebrations, so I was not in the best head space. That doesn't mean I planned on taking it lightly, though. Like most patrons at 9:00am, we headed directly to the single best theme park expansion in the history of parks: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I'm an unabashed Potter fan, both the books and the films. I think the films can boast some of the most impressive production design of any franchise to ever have been released, and the books are just wonderful tales. This is my second time in this section of IOA, and just like the first, I was in awe.

The attention to detail is incredible. From the familiar decorations in the Zonko's window, Gilderoy Lockhart's moving book covers, the animatronic hog in the Hog's Head, to the poster of Sirius Black outside of The Three Broomsticks....this section is a Potter's fan heaven. That said, I had two goals in the first hour in this section: get a frozen butterbeer, and ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

And I did just that.

The frozen butterbeer is one of the tastiest snacks out there, and it's the perfect way to enjoy the already impressive line of the ride even more. The wait, at the time, was 30 minutes, so the four of us jumped in. Seriously, there is no substitute for this queue: in many cases, this line is just as much an attraction as the actual ride itself. It does a fantastic job of telling the story as to why us mere Muggles were actually allowed in the castle, the moving portraits further the details within that story, and the projections of Dumbledore/the trio build it up even more. In particular, the three inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom explaining how they'll get us on the magical benches (including Ron accidentally making it snow or causing thunder & lightening) is a level of intuitiveness that is unparalleled. After a fun safety guide by the sorting hat, it was onto the ride.

The use of the KUKA arms provides an experience that is just too difficult to describe. What I can say, however, is that it allows guests to get closer to the practical sets and effects than even in rides like Spider-Man, and the ride motion is incredibly smooth. I can't wait to see what Universal has in store for the Gringotts coaster, because the techniques used to get this attraction up and running is so far away from anything else attempted. It actually makes Spider-Man and Indiana Jones in DL seem dated, and those were the pinnacle of ride technologies before. Universal absolutely knocked it out of the ballpark with this ride, and it very comfortably sits as my favorite theme park attraction ever created.

Fun things I didn't notice during the last time I was here: during the Dementor's Kiss scene, our faces were all projected on the mist. Very cool effect. Greatly enjoyed.

Next up was a quick ride on Dragon's Challenge, which seems to be stuck in forever 5 minute waits (not that I'm complaining). It's a shame that this coaster no longer runs dueling, because it really has one of the most unique B&M inverted designs I've ever seen. The near misses and close proximities to the other tracks should make this a top tier attraction, but as it stands, it is simply a very good roller coaster. We rode Red this time, and even at nearly 15 years old, this coaster is still incredibly smooth. It runs fantastic. My only real criticism? After the heavily (if downgraded from Dueling Dragons) theming of the queue, the ride just sits on top of the land with no basic theme. Maybe this will change when the Hogwarts Express and Potter 2.0 open, but the ride looks out of place compared to the rest of the land. But as a thrill ride, it's a blast.

We had some fun in WWOHP, but we were getting a bit warm, and by now, it was close to 10:30am. We were ready to hit a water ride, so the Jurassic Park River Adventure was next.

A bit of inside joke back story before this ride: my friends and I actively use reddit. And one of our favorite things we found on that site was this (I'm just posting the link since there is strong profanity):

http://www.justlaugh.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/tumblr_m2fl7hrmAX1qdce0no1_5001.jpg

So, obviously, during the ride when all hell breaks loose, we couldn't help ourselves. We had to blame Phil.

When we saw the raptors taking over the camp, YOU HAD ONE JOB PHIL! When we ran into them during the ascent before the main drop, THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS PHIL! When we saw the T-Rex before the awesome last drop: THERE WERE RAPTORS IN THE KITCHEN, PHIL! PEOPLE DIED!

Eh, we thought it was funny.

But as an advanced chute-the-shoots style water ride, this is one of the best in the world. The theming is consistently excellent (we're seriously in another world on this ride), the animatronics, especially considering some of them are both outside and in water every day, were good. The thrill of that final drop puts the entire thing over the top though, such a rush! This is an absolute must do.

However, with that said, for young adults and thrillseekers, this section needs another ride not aimed at the younger kids. Camp Jurassic is fun, but it really isn't for us. Same for the small coaster, which has to hold the record for lowest capacity per hour of any coaster design out there (we wanted to ride, but we were all too tall and not accompanied by a kid). Hopefully this rumored jeep expedition attraction comes to fruition, because this island needs another E-Ticket.

A bit of a break, but next, probably the most unabashedly fun island in the park, Toon Lagoon.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Some people say that this section of the park is outdated because today's youth doesn't know who Dudley Do-Right, Popeye, Blondie, or any of the other Sunday funnies characters are. To those people, I say to hell with that. Splash Mountain is based on a film that Disney has been trying to sweep under the rug for years, yet (when properly renovated), it's a pure E-Ticket attraction. And despite these supposed licensing limitations, Toon Lagoon is home to two top-tier attractions: Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges.

First, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.

I love this ride on a pure enjoyment level more than most, though I recognize some of its limitations. On one hand, from the water bridge, it's a marvel of cartoonish theming and display. It absolutely looks incredible from this angle. However, as you get closer, you notice some of the theming limitations, mostly once you are on the ride: some of the show rooms are nothing more than a semi-dark black room with audio playing. Some of the animatronics are clearly in need of repair (namely, the Inspector Fenwick and Horse tied up). Worstly, there is very little attempt to hide the speakers throughout the ride; it kind of takes you out of the experience, which can't be said regarding a fully functional Splash Mountain.

However, these shortcomings don't destroy the overall experience, and that's because the ride design and layout are top notch. There are a few great drops (namely the small down-and-up segment and the final drop). There are a ton of clever jokes throughout the ride ("Crossing.....Double Crossing" and "Scenic Overlook Ahead....Overlooked Scenery"). And enough cannot be said about that final drop. It absolutely destroys the thrills provided by Splash Mountain; going under the bridge and back up is an incredibly exciting experience, and make no mistake, you will get soaked. Knowing this going in to the ride, it's hard not to have a smile on your face.

As I said, I love the ride on a purely enjoyment and thrill level, and I applauded the ride design, but there are show elements that need to be addressed. There are several parts of the ride that look like they were either rushed toward completion or have deteriorated in quality over the past few years.

Next, Popeye's.

Now, usually, I am not a huge fan of river raft rides, mostly because the vast majority of them suck. You don't get that wet, there aren't many thrilled, and they're slow. Popeye is none of these. You get absolutely drenched, there are many thrills, and there are more than enough drops to keep the pacing strong.

The first half of the ride isn't necessarily thrilling. It's the slower portion with a few huge splashes dispersed, and some gimmicky tricks to water down riders (spraying, sudden water gushes...). However, unlike most raft rides, the main ascent is not at the end of the ride back into the station, but in the middle. From here on, it's nonstop drop and thrills throughout. Huge splashes, fast sailing, great cartoonish scenery.....this second half solidifies Popeye's as the best raft ride out there. It's only competition is Grizzly River Mountain at Disney's California Adventure, but even the large drop in that cannot compare to the rush of the second half of Popeye's. This turned out to be the biggest surprise of Islands of Adventure, and I had an absolute blast on it.

Next, lunch and Marvel Super Hero Land.

 

[BryceM]

I love when people post their Universal trip reports! I agree with you that Universal's Islands of Adventure is one of the best theme parks ever built. The theming and details put into each land and the state of the art attractions within them just make it a beyond stellar park.

And Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges is, without a doubt, the best rapids ride in the world. It's fast, fun and the theming is top notch. It's relentless in every category. And I also agree with you on Dudley. The facade is fantastic, one of my favorites out there! Just the show scenes is where it's weaknesses lie. The outside "show scenes" look good though, especially after the recent refurb the ride just went under. There's just too many empty spaces in the interior.

 

[Tony Perkis]

I love when people post their Universal trip reports! I agree with you that Universal's Islands of Adventure is one of the best theme parks ever built. The theming and details put into each land and the state of the art attractions within them just make it a beyond stellar park.

And Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges is, without a doubt, the best rapids ride in the world. It's fast, fun and the theming is top notch. It's relentless in every category. And I also agree with you on Dudley. The facade is fantastic, one of my favorites out there! Just the show scenes is where it's weaknesses lie. The outside "show scenes" look good though, especially after the recent refurb the ride just went under. There's just too many empty spaces in the interior.

There's just amazing how clear it is where Dudley can be improved to be known as one of the best water attractions in the world. These is a case where it isn't far from repair at all.

 

[BryceM]

There's just amazing how clear it is where Dudley can be improved to be known as one of the best water attractions in the world. These is a case where it isn't far from repair at all.

I still think its probably one of the best log flumes in the world. It's just leagues behind Splash Mountain, and even behind Timber Mountain Log Flume at Knott's Berry Farm. It's just that comparing to Splash Mountain makes it look bad, but it should rightfully be compared considering how its located in one of the best theme parks in the world!

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Loving your report! My fiancée and I will be visiting our friend Potter on our upcoming honeymoon. We absolutely love the Wizarding World too. We can't wait for the expansion.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Loving your report! My fiancée and I will be visiting our friend Potter on our upcoming honeymoon. We absolutely love the Wizarding World too. We can't wait for the expansion.

Thanks! Hope you have a blast!

 

[danpam1024]

So glad you had a great time!

 

[Tony Perkis]

Again, sorry for the excessive delay. I'm very bad about sticking to schedules for internet postings and such.

By now, it was roughly 12:15-12:30pm, and we were hungry. Since we did not have a reservation for Mythos until the next day, and we wanted a place to sit down for a half an hour to relax, we decided to venture into Confisco's Grille in the Port of Entry island of IOA. Despite having some nice ratings on TripAdvisor and being dubbed as one of the better in-park dining options, the quality of the food was pretty poor. Granted, the menu was mostly typical Americana (wings, pizza, burgers, nachos), but everything tasted as if it had just came out of a freezer, and little-to-no care was taken in the preparation and presentation of the food. The service was good, the atmosphere was decent, and it was comfortable just sitting down for a while, but the food was below par and disappointing. Oh well.

Up next, Marvel Super Hero Land.

This is basically the "thrill ride" section of the park, and two of the three main attractions in this section are some of the best of their kind in the world. Since we just ate, obviously, Dr. Doom and Hulk were not the top priority. That leaves us with two choices, Storm Force Acceletron and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. The choice was obvious.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. This was the first time I ridden the attraction since its renovation. In fact, the last time I rode it was in February 2012, just a week before it closed for such improvements. When I last rode it, its age was incredibly clear, especially on the newer projections. The animation was definitely stuck in the 90s, and there was excessive ghosting/double imaging (especially when SM points his fingers into the SCOOP). In addition, after riding the new version, a new problem with the original version was evident: the ride tried to combine real-world sets with heavily-stylized animation meant to be reminiscent of the comic, and that conflict was slightly jarring.

Not anymore.

Before Potter, Spider-Man was my favorite attraction of all time, and there was nothing else in the world that I could compare to it. Its age even in consideration, I always viewed Spider-Man as a marvel of a theme park attraction and easily one of the best theme park entertainment options ever assembled. Now, it's even better. The animation is simply beautiful, with incredibly attention-to-detail in everything from facial movements to the costume stitching. The audio is better than it has ever been, and the new animation perfectly blends reality and fantasy together, damn near seamlessly. I still put Potter as the best attraction in the park, in the country, and very likely the world, but the renovation of Spider-Man closed that gap. Depending on my mood, I may be more apt to rank them as 1a and 1b instead of 1 and 2. The only change I didn't care for? Adding Stan Lee's voice to the exist station over the soundtrack; I've always been a fan of the ending music, and I wished IOA would have continued to let that play. Oh well, a minor annoyance doesn't hurt the incredible ride much at all.

Next, was Doctor Doom's. I'm not going to spend much time on this one. It's a typical S&S space shot with a lengthy pre-show video. It's a lot of fun, and I tend to enjoy these rides, but after riding the 300 foot Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Over Texas and Power Tower at Cedar Point, this one seems rather tame. The pre-show video could use a remastering, but other than that, few complaints. It's mostly a decorated off-the-shelf attraction.

Next, The Incredible Hulk. When I rode this in 2001 for the first time, I was taken aback by the launch. I have never experienced a sensation on a ride like this before, and as a 14 year old, this made it the best ride ever immediately. When I rode again in 2012, I was surprised at how rough it had become (to be expected, given that it's a year-long operation B&M steel coaster). I still enjoyed it, but it was clearly showing its age and needed some nice, quality TLC. In 2013, while I'm convinced that nothing drastic was done to the ride, it rode much, much smoother and was more enjoyable. I actually loved it again, and that launch is still second-to-none.

By now, I was exhausted, and the adverse effects from last night were taking their toll, so it was back to the hotel for a quick nap by the pool in order to reload for round 2 at IOA.

 

[Tony Perkis]

We walked back to the Royal Pacific Resort, and by now, my body felt like a Bond drink: shaken, not stirred. I felt miserable, I had a slight headache, and my stomach was bugging me. So, naturally, I went to the pool, got ice cream, and then passed out for an hour. The ice cream was delicious (though I wish they had an option to add peanut butter cups, I love those things), but it took a while to fall asleep. An emcee with a mike was doing a cannonball contest for some of the younger kids (and older kids at heart), and being a light sleeper, I couldn't fall asleep. Still, I closed my eyes, and after the contest was over, I was out. Gone. It was a beautiful 75 degrees, just a slight overcast, and the lounge chair was relaxing as hell. This little nap solved everything, and I felt fantastic once I woke up.

I changed back into my park clothes from my pool clothes, and the group of us, all rejuvenated, walked back to Islands of Adventure for a round of re-rides and catching up on attractions that we skipped the first time through.

As we walked through Port of Entry, we turned right into Seuss Landing.

Seemingly repainted since I was last here, this place is probably the most detailed and energetic family/kiddie section of any park I've ever been to. To be honest, I did not do all of the attractions in this area, but I can greatly appreciate the theming. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish looks like it was ripped directly out of the book, and Caro-Seuss-El is just a love letter to all things Seuss, right up to Horton at the top of the attraction.

The two rides we rode were The Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.

First, The Cat in the Hat. I did not ride this when I was younger in 2001, but I rode it last year, and was very pleasantly surprised by this. It very effectively captured the increasing zaniness and tomfoolery of the book, and the ride itself packed a surprising punch. The ride vehicles some resemblance to that of Spider-Man, with spinning movements based on the particular show scene. Overall, it's a very fun family attraction that is better than anything Disney has added to Fantasyland since its original attractions.

Next, was one of the most relaxing rides, High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. Very similar to the Peoplemover at the Disney parks, this ride basically takes riders above all of Seuss Landing, through buildings and attractions, and provides a leisurely break from many of the more thrilling attractions. This was the kind of attraction that's perfect for later in the day.

After looking around the island and seeing some of the more subtle references and inside jokes of the Seuss world, we made our way into The Lost Continent to enjoy two attractions that I've never experienced: Poseidon's Fury and the Sinbad stunt show.

Poseidon's Fury is a blast, an absolutely engaging, heavily detailed show with some great effects. Immediately, just walking up to the show is a feast for the eyes; you are damn near transported to an entirely different world of Greek mythology. You are no longer in Orlando; it's that convincing. The attraction is clearly dated in the 90's, but the live performance mixed with some very impressive fire/water practical effects makes this attraction a must for however long it's going to be there. It could use a Spider-Man type upgrade with some for the video elements refilmed to make it look like it's not stuck in the 90's (plus hiring better actors for the Greek gods), but in terms of performance based attractions, this is near the top of the heap, up there with The Great Movie Ride. Not saying it's better (it doesn't have that classic film charm), but it's still monumentally better than the vast majority of options out there.

I won't go in depth into Sinbad; I just don't care much for stunt shows. The Batman stunt shows at the Six Flags parks were always a waste, the Indiana Jones one at DHS doesn't interest me much, and this is no exception. For some reason, for most major parks, these type of shows are a must to build, and while I'm sure the oohs and awws from the general public keep these things alive and open, they just aren't my cup of tea. Nice enough to relax and sit down for a while, but I wouldn't go out of my way again unless someone in my group just had to experience it.

Honestly, the best thing about this attraction is the talking fountain in front of the entrance. This has to be one of the most entertaining jobs in the park, and despite obviously a set script to follow, the improv skills by whoever is manning this thing is incredibly impressive. I probably stopped to watch this thing 4-5 times throughout the trip, and each time, I was laughing. Some of the jokes (from pop culture references to self deprecating gags) are hilarious. This is a nice little touch by IOA that exemplifies why this is a world class resort that looks at not only the big picture (Potter), but also the smaller details (a mere talking fountain).