US/IOA - what's to not be missed?

[DznyGrlSD]

:wave: I will be at "The World" for 2 weeks in December and I bought a 7 day ticket for US/IOA with a Blue Man Group ticket as well. I've never been to US or IOA and I was wondering what's NOT to miss as far as attractions and shows. ANY advice is appreciated!

 

[CaptainMichael]

It's a tricky time for IoA because Lost Continent is a mess. Prior to WWoHP construction, it was the best section of the park. When WWoHP opens, it will be even better. I say just do everything.

US-Shrek, The Mummy, Men in Black, The Simpsons
IoA- The Hulk, Spiderman, Dueling Dragons, Poseidon's Fury, Cat in the Hat

 

[coasterphil]

You're honestly going to have plenty of time to do everything, so a must see list isn't really that necessary. With that in mind I'll just list the things that I think are a waste of time.

USF
Twister
Beetlejuice
Fear Factor

IOA
Storm Force
Jurassic Park Discovery Center
Pteranodon Flyers (unless there is no line)
High in the Sky Suess Trolley Ride

 

[Skip]

Even if you only use 3 days of that pass you should be able to do just about everything. The main not-to-be-missed attractions are (in my opinion) are:

Islands of Adventure
The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man
The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Dueling Dragons (ride both, they're two completely different coasters)
The Cat in the Hat
The High and the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride

Universal Studios
Revenge of the Mummy
Men in Black: Alien Attack!
The Simpsons Ride
Jaws
Disaster
ET Adventure
Terminator 2: 3D
The Universal Horror Make-Up Show

Just avoid waiting anywhere over 20 minutes for Pteranadon Flyers or Fear Factor and you'll be A-OK. Have a great trip, I'm sure you'll have a blast! :wave:

 

[disney4life2008]

You're honestly going to have plenty of time to do everything, so a must see list isn't really that necessary. With that in mind I'll just list the things that I think are a waste of time.

USF
Twister
Beetlejuice
Fear Factor

IOA
Storm Force
Jurassic Park Discovery Center
Pteranodon Flyers (unless there is no line)
High in the Sky Suess Trolley Ride

I agree with this poster. All of these attractions are a waste of time. If you have AAA, make sure you take your card for discounts on food and merchandise.

 

[agent86]

Even if you only use 3 days of that pass you should be able to do just about everything. The main not-to-be-missed attractions are (in my opinion) are:

Islands of Adventure
The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man
The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Dueling Dragons (ride both, they're two completely different coasters)
The Cat in the Hat
The High and the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride

Universal Studios
Revenge of the Mummy
Men in Black: Alien Attack!
The Simpsons Ride
Jaws
Disaster
ET Adventure
Terminator 2: 3D
The Universal Horror Make-Up Show

Just avoid waiting anywhere over 20 minutes for Pteranadon Flyers or Fear Factor and you'll be A-OK. Have a great trip, I'm sure you'll have a blast! :wave:

I mostly agree with this poster, except for a few he listed that I would not consider to be "not-to-be-missed" (i.e. Seuss Trolley, Jaws, and Horror Make-Up Show). One great thing about the Universal parks is that I think they have more attractions with re-rideability than Disney does. The attractions with the best re-rideability are the ones I've highlighted in red on this poster's list.

One additional bit of advice: On at least one of your rides on Dueling Dragons, sit in the very front row and make sure to keep your eyes open during the entire ride. It's a different experience that way. Have a great trip!!

 

[CaptainMichael]

One additional bit of advice: On at least one of your rides on Dueling Dragons, sit in the very front row and make sure to keep your eyes open during the entire ride. It's a different experience that way. Have a great trip!!

I've never flown (no pixie dust), but I imagine that riding in the front of Dueling Dragons gets pretty close. It's an intense feeling.

 

[Philo]

I would generally agree with Skip although I would miss out Zeusses Landing and include Poseidon's Fury (not a great re-ride but some of the effects are spectacular)

If you have some spare time then you must try and get on the front of Dueling Dragons (IMO this is better on the ice dragon due to more near misses with various objects). Also remember that once you leave either coaster, look for the re-ride signs to get back in the queue without having to walk all the way to the exit and back in again (it is a long, long queue)

 

[kcnole]

It really depends on the age of the group you have going.

I'll just assume an adult group.

USF:
Do Not Miss:
The Horror Makeup Show (Quite possibly the best show in all of Orlando)
The Simpsons Ride
Jaws
The Mummy
Men In Black

Other Good things:
ET (A bit dated, but the inside queue is worth the wait all by itself. Still one of my favorite rides)
Shrek (Way overrated, but a decent experience and should be seen once)
The Blues Brothers Show
T2-3D

IOA
Do Not Miss:
Spiderman (Quite possibly the best dark ride ever)
Dudly Do-Rights Log Flume
Popeye river rapids (These are both water rides so if its cold you may want to skip)
Jurassic Park River Adventure (You get a bit wet but not too bad)
Dueling Dragons (If you're into coasters its quite good)
The Hulk (Again, you have to enjoy coasters, but its pretty good)
Mythos (Its the only restaurant I've ever listed on a must do list, but I try to go there every trip. They're only open for lunch hours normally though so make sure you go during lunch. The Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter banana cake is worth the visit alone)

Other Good Attractions:
If you have kids all of Seuss Island is fun, even if you don't I recommend The Cat in the Hat and the trolley ride (as long as you can express pass or the line is short. Its not worth waiting in a long line for).
Poseidon's Fury (Fun walkthrough attraction)
Sindbad stunt show

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

the urinal

 

[JROK]

Since you'll be there in December, don't miss out on the Macy's Holiday Parade at USF, this year featuring an Ice Skating Rink! Also don't miss the Grinchmas celebration in Seuss Landing at IOA.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

Holy cow, seven days at Universal?! I love the place, but I think you will be bored out of your mind after about three days! You won't need more than two days to do every single thing in both parks, three tops if you are going in late December. I would recommend using one of those days at SeaWorld, and if you have the money and into that kind of thing, Discovery Cove.

 

[kcnole]

I have to agree, while I love Universal and have been about 7 times in the past two years, there's no way I could spend 7 days there. If they added a new park or a water park then I could probably do 7 days. But after about 3 I'd be bored to death.

 

[rwdavis2]

3 days and you should be able to everything in both parks. Nobody mentioned riding Jimmy Neutron. I think it's a great ride.
BD

 

[kcnole]

There's a reason I didn't mention Neutron. I absolutely despise that ride. It's a very old simulator system that is very outdated, beats you around like a cat in a dryer, and gets you very motion sick. Nevermind that the film for it is so narrowly focused that very few of the guests will like that portion either. It was much better when it was Hanna Barberra, although the ride system would still be a problem.

 

[SirGoofy]

There's a reason I didn't mention Neutron. I absolutely despise that ride. It's a very old simulator system that is very outdated, beats you around like a cat in a dryer, and gets you very motion sick. Nevermind that the film for it is so narrowly focused that very few of the guests will like that portion either. It was much better when it was Hanna Barberra, although the ride system would still be a problem.

Agreed, but I also think Simpsons stinks. I was really disappointing with it.

To the OP: Spiderman is the best ride in Central Florida IMO. Definitely do it. But since you have a 7 day pass, you can reasonably do everything at US/IOA multiple times.

 

[kcnole]

From a "ride system" perspective Simpsons isn't as good as it could be. From a story and enjoyment perspective its great. Its one of the funniest rides I've ever been on.

 

[agent86]

From a "ride system" perspective Simpsons isn't as good as it could be. From a story and enjoyment perspective its great. Its one of the funniest rides I've ever been on.

I second that!! It also has one of the most hilarious and entertaining queues (i.e. lots of inside jokes and references to BTTF as well as poking fun at some classic Disney and Universal attractions).

 

[DznyGrlSD]

:wave::wave:

Thanks everyone!! I got a good 'deal' on the 7-day pass and I have a feeling I'll probably only use 2-4 days of it. I'm excited to try IOA as I'm a roller-coaster junkie and I can't WAIT to see Blue Man Group

Thanks again everyone for the input :sohappy: