The helper is now looking for help, LOL. I may know a lot about WDW, but I don't really have that much of a clue about Universal or Islands of Adventure. We'll be going to both parks on Saturday, and I was just wondering what some typical wait times in the park are around this time of year. I've already got a few rides picked out that I'd like to do, but I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me some rides to go on and some rides to avoid. Also, some places to get good food at a reasonable price would be good too...

Thanks,
~FO

PS-I really want to ride The Revenge of the Mummy ride, but some of my family members are skeptical about riding it. If anyone knows were you can get a good ride video, I'd appreciate it. My brother wants to see how it looks before he rides it. Thanks again!

Universal I must say isn't close to making Disney standards. There is a pretty good restaurant that's kind of fish themed, but I don't remember the name. It's next to a maze ride though. Wait times can be pretty long sometimes. They have fastpasses, but you can barely even get one. They may still have tickets that come with fastpasses for the rides, but I'm not sure if it's still availble. If you are staying at the Hard Rock, Portifino, or other major hotel, your room key is a fastpass for any ride as long as you wait 3 hours to ride the same ride. This probably didn't help, sorry!

The Revenge of the Mummy ride is soooo much fun! its like kinda a mini roller coaster. but its a lot of fun :)
i went there when the ride first opened and the line was like 8 or 12 min. ( i got there when the park just opened ) but i can't really remember so yeah but it was a lot of fun

LOL, thanks for the information, Sleepy. I don't really expect it to be as good and as people-friendly as Disney, but sometimes you just have to try something new. We're definitely eating at the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch, but we're not sure about dinner.

Oh yeah, my dad told me their "FASTPASS" tickets are $5 a pop. You can buy an unlimited FASTPASS for about the same price as a park ticket, LOL.

EDIT: Thanks for the info, PrincessTink. I'm excited to do that! :D

I have had annual passes to both parks for past few years.

Mummy is a roller coaster, no loops.

It is a cross between Indiana Jones & Space Mountain.

It is REALLY REALLY short though.

The Express Passes are free, but very limited, you can sometimes get more than one at a time, it just depends.

Also, if you stay at a Universal Hotel, you dont wait in long lines, you go through the express line at every ride & Show.

Lines are going to be long, it is summer! But before noon, it is usually not that bad.
They do sell a FRONT IOF THE LINE PASS, good for unlimited front of line, but it is over $30.00.

Have Fun.:donald:

Okay, you've come to the right person! SleepyPiglet, I do not appreciate that you are saying Universal basically stinks compared to Disney. Universal is better than Disney in most ways. Less crowds, great (and better) food, wonderful employees, lots of thrill rides, etc.

Now, you say wait times? It depends on the ride. What rides do you ESPECIALLY want to ride? At IoA, the crowds are mainly focused in Marvel. Spiderman most always has the longest line, so you should either get there really early for that or grab a Universal Express pass (which are free). Hulk is also insanely popular, so ride that either before or after Spiderman. Doctor Doom isn't as scary as it looks, but often the waits are horrifying. Skip it if the line's long.

At Toon Lagoon you HAVE to ride Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls. It's an abseloute classic and in my honest opinion it's better than Splash Mountain. Dudley draws some reasonable crowds, but usually the wait isn't too bad. Usually around 30-45 minutes. Popeye has a large capacity and is far surperior to Kali River Rapids. Hardly ever a long wait.

Now, in Jurassic Park, there is a bottleneck: Pteranadon Flyers. The ride usually has a 60 minute + wait and it isn't worth it at all, seeing as I rode it. The River Adventure is awesome though and rarely has huge lines. Expect around 25 minutes.

Dueling Dragons has some big lines, but this can be avoided via Universal Express. The problem with that is you miss the spectacular queue area. Use your own judgement. Poseidon's Fury is a huge dissapointment compared to the original show, so I would reccomend skipping it if time is of the essense. Sinbad is also somewhat mediocre. Skip that, but check out the hilarious "Mystical Fountain" out front. It's the Universal equivalent of Push the Talking Trash Can. In Seuss Landing, you won't find any problems except for The Cat in the Hat, which on very busy days can reach about 45 minutes in waits. Also, if the brand new Seuss Sky Trolley ride is open, expect huge waits.

I will post more later... and shoot, I had a link to a great Night-Vision Revenge of the Mummy video, but I can't access the site that had it... hmm. Well, tell your brother that Mummy is an AMAZING ride that can't be missed. There are some surprises, but they're fun and enjoyable, not overly scary. Expect slightly more than the Haunted Mansion type of scary.

I will post more later... I could go on and on about Universal. And about that fish place, it's called Lombard's Landing and is abseloutely wonderful for a mid-day lunch. Avoid Richter's Burger Co., though... it made me puke. Literally.

-skippyskippy

Universal is preety cool. i was one of the last people EVER to ride the King Kong ride at the original park. a word of advice- never have nachoes for breakfast at magaritaville then go straight on Incredible Hulk. Very Bad Mistake on my fault. poor janitors. Oh you have to ride the jurrasic park river adventure thing where your on the boat and you go into the room and climb upwards towards inpending doom

I too have had annual passes to Universal several years. (Although only sprung for the Disney passes this past year. OK, at Islands of Adventure, definetly go for the Hulk and Spiderman first. They will be the longest waits. Get passes for one and then go on the other while you wait. (Passes are the same idea as Disney's..). The Hulk is the best steal coaster I've ever been on--I do prefer wooden though. Dr. Doom--outside Tower of Terror, not as good as tower. Oh, and the universal version of tea cups is actually really good..not usually a long wait. I think the water rides pale in comparison with Disneys so, I'd skip them unless you seem to have time at the end. And, you will get drenched on both. Jurasic Park ride is fun and worth it. Pterdon (sorry for the spelling) Flyers are fun but, not worth an hour wait and no fast passes here and on windy days they are closed. The Flying Unicorn is a fun, goofy barnstormer like coaster. Dueling Dragons is great-if you only have time to ride one side, go on the blue side. They are completely different. Posiden's Furry is fantastic (contrary to prior report). You'll leave wondering how they did that. Seuss Island does have the new ride (havent' been on it). Cat in the Hat and 1 fish two fish are fun.

Studios side--oh, the mummy ride is awesome! Think Everest--but better in my opinion, much better. Jimmy Neutron is fun. The Shrek 3-D is fun too--express pass that one. Can't go without riding Jaws (jungle cruise). MIB is great-don't miss it. A more grown-up version of Buzz LightYear. Back to the Future is good too--probably one of the best motion simulators around. Woody's Coaster is also like Goofy's Barnstormer. Barney show anyone? It is cute for the little ones. Also, don't skip the Curious George area--it can be a good deal of fun. Terminator and Twister are ok, not my favorites but, others seem to like them. For that matter, we practically lived through Twister with all the hurricanes last year. Not worth it unless you've finished the rest!

Eating? Reasonably? Take it with you. Food not up to Disney standards. Similar pricing. The 50's Diner is ok. You can however buy a refillable drink container which is worth it if you will buy 2 or so normally. Our family all drinks Sprite so, we usually share.


It is a bit less crowded than Disney but, smaller so, ends up being similar wait times. Disney and Universal are both nice places. They could be all in the same family they are so similar in ideas and pricing, lol.
Have a great time! PM me if you have other questions. We actually are going next week i think too. Miss it, haven't been for a year.

The Revenge of the Mummy ride is soooo much fun! its like kinda a mini roller coaster. but its a lot of fun :)
i went there when the ride first opened and the line was like 8 or 12 min. ( i got there when the park just opened ) but i can't really remember so yeah but it was a lot of fun

I agree with you Revenge of the mummy is the best, if you don't mind, going backwards, unexpected drops and going.. well... fast then thats the ride for you, you'll have a blast

There are NO MORE Universal "Express Passes" given out to the general public ANYMORE...

For a hefty extra fee (around 15-30$$$ Don't quote me though...) you can get a Universal Express Pass that allows you to cut the line in any attraction where the "Express Pass" is accepted...

Basically an Unlimited Fastpass that ACTUALLY costs money...

BTW: Walt Disney World is the best for me and anyone I know... Universal Studios basically has the same rides as Disney in my opinion... But which one is "Better" comes down to personal preference...

There are NO MORE Universal "Express Passes" given out to the general public ANYMORE...

For a hefty extra fee (around 15-30$$$ Don't quote me though...) you can get a Universal Express Pass that allows you to cut the line in any attraction where the "Express Pass" is accepted...

They're website still suggests that they still give out Express Passes "at no charge".

We may or may not be purchasing the Unlimted Pass thing. I'll probably bring my own money so I can buy my own or something.

Besides, a lot of Universal/IoA passholders on this site have said they're still available....

EDIT: Not sure about the regular Express Passes. I thought when I saw their site it said they were free but subject to availability. The Express for both parks are $20.00.

They're website still suggests that they still give out Express Passes "at no charge".

We may or may not be purchasing the Unlimted Pass thing. I'll probably bring my own money so I can buy my own or something.

Besides, a lot of Universal/IoA passholders on this site have said they're still available....

I'm surprised more people haven't heard about Universal ditching its "Express Pass" to the general public...

Don't believe me... I'll look up an article...

EDIT: Not sure about the regular Express Passes. I thought when I saw their site it said they were free but subject to availability. The Express for both parks are $20.00.

EDIT (again): It doesn't matter, because the passes you pay for are not available on Saturday (the day I am going). I'm out of luck anyway. Everyone's saying it's not too overly crowded, but oh well...

Ok Let Me Point Out

Islands Of Adventure Is More Of A Thrill Park. As Where Disney Is More Family Based. I Highly Recomend Riding:

The Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman (3-D Ride)
Incredible Hulk Coaster (Roller Coaster)
Dudly Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls (Water Ride)
Jurassic Park River Adventure (Water Ride)
Dueling Dragons (Roller Coaster((Fire And Ice Are Both Good)))
The Eighth Voyage Of Sinbad (Show)
Posiedon's Fury (Walk Through Show((quite cool)))
The Mystic Fountain (Ok So It's Not A Show Or Anything But He Is Funny)

Ok Now For Universal Here Are Some Good Ones:

Shreck 4-D (It's A Show That Is Three D But It......Ill Let You Find out ;) )
Revenge Of The Mummy (Roller Coaster((OK I Highly Recommend This It Is Personally One Of The Best Rides At Universal - Not Islands Of Adventure))
Twister (Ok This Is A Show Type thing But Its Cool)
Men In Black (This Is A Shoot Out Game Its Really Fun)
Jaws (OK This Ride Is Really Corny But Its Funny - its not a must see- )

And That's Pirate's Report On Univeral And Islands Of Adventure

Found an article:

"Universal Orlando is getting rid of its Universal Express service that allowed visitors to skip an occasional long line -- and switching entirely to its Express Plus service, in which people pay extra money for the privilege of cutting lines all day... visitors pay extra -- a fee that ranges from $15 to $50 depending on the season and package." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 02/13/06)

Best Roller coasters-(time of when I went)
1.The Hulk (Looks Scary but Fun) Really long wait
2.Revenge Of The Mummy .. Long
3.Something Dragons....Line is not as long


Most wet
1.Some ride you're in a raft- Has a certain seat in which you get more wet than the other...Line was really long but when the park is closing you can ride it like 5 times (because small line)
2.Jurrasic park -Only fun part of it is toward the end when you drop and you get wet( you can get more wet watching at the side)

And the spider man was Good.....

And all the lines are Full during the day

Just a note: Poseidon's Fury does have some excellent special effects, but the storyline and script are lame. The old one, featuring Poseidon as the bad guy and Keeper as your guide, was far surperior and astounding. The current version has Poseidon as the GOOD guy (since when do good guys bring out fury?) and the villain is some guy named Darkenon. Oh yeah, and instead of Keeper, we get some random boy named Taylor. There must be some obvious winner here...

To be honest, I wouldn't waste my 1 day outing on the new show.

-skippyskippy

I think my parents tried the original Poseidon's Fury when they went and they said it was sort of dumb...

~fo

Well, if they disliked the original, then they'll HATE the new one.

-skippyskippy

What is that ride in the Superhero Land where it has two tall towers or something. It looks like an outdoor Tower of Terror and I'd like to try it. I wonder how long the wait times are...

~fo

doom towers, I haven't been on it, since some kid died while riding it...

Um, any proof of this? The only Islands of Adventure death I know about is the woman who rode Hulk with heart problems.

-skippyskippy

I'm not really worried about riding rides. I don't have health issues or anything, but if the death on the towers (if it actually happened) was because of a ride malfunction, I may just avoid it completely.

I'll Google it.

Islands of Adventure can get very crowded. The main big roller coasters have ahuge wait time. The wait time for those rides is usually between 30 - 90 minutes. The other rides are about 20 minutes. Universal doesn't have nearly as long waits. The most wait would be about an hour. I'll try to find a video of Revenge of the Mummy, it's a great ride :)

Average wait times 30 mins. Hulk,Dueling Dragons, and Revenge of the Mummy My favorite are all 90 minutes I know all this because I have had passes thier since 1998 and passes to Disney since 2001

Here is a Video of the Mummy ride. It's very creepy, but still a great ride ^.^
Let me try pming it to you, it's not wotking on here.
EDIT: I trie pming it but it still comes out the same. it come out with the little ***** thing. Just go to ******* and search Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, it's the second video :)

Ah, didn't see your post about the Towers. Yes, the towers are called Doctor Doom's Fearfall, and I have heard of NO deaths on the ride. If there was one, it was because of guest ignorance. The ride is very suspenseful and great fun to ride (awesome view!), but I've seen glaciers that move faster than the line for it. If you see a short line, definately go on it, but otherwise, it isn't worth it.

-skippyskippy

The Death occured because some kid climbed out, but my Mom still won't let me go on it.

Universal Studios Islands Of Adventure. Home to the world's FIRST inverted roller-coaster, Dueling Dragons. Though, the cars do fly extremely close together. So, if you're seven feet tall, you risk your legs.

Wait times? All depends on the time of year, etc. etc. Around this time of year, the wait times will probably be HUGE because of it being summer.

Let me give you some good tips for going on rides, and food places. First, eat Nachos at NASCAR cafe AFTER you finish the rough rides. Because of what happened to Brer_Nick...And I. Another good place is citywalk. Even though I am not an adult or anything, it still has it all, Gaming areas, even a movie theater. Also, if you're parking in slots, ( Parking area 1A for example ) Brace yourself for a long walk. And The Mummy Ride is the best. Featuring Mummies, and everything that you'd expect out of a good thrill ride. Also, DO NOT go on some "Pteranadon Flight" thing at IOA Jurassic Park. The wait, last time I checked, was over an hour. Jurassic park river adventure is kinda like splash mountain...Just consider it, ah, Splash Mountain after it just drank the energy drink Red Bull. Oh, and back to the future is just plain fun. They also have things from the ACTUAL movies, where you can take picturers of/with. ( The car from MIB, The book of the dead in the gift shop for "Revenge of the Mummy") Universal is very fun.

I think Hulk is one of the best roller coasters there!! Be sure to try it at least once. Its worth a wait.

Honestly, it varies. I've been there at multiple times during the year and each ride can usually be up to 60 minutes or as low as 5. MIB: Alien Attack is usually the longest.

And skippyskippy - I agree, the original Poseidon's Fury was a bit better than the newer one. I still love the newer one, though. :D

Universal Studios Islands Of Adventure. Home to the world's FIRST inverted roller-coaster, Dueling Dragons. Though, the cars do fly extremely close together. So, if you're seven feet tall, you risk your legs.


Actually what you may mean is that Dueling Dragons may be the world's first inverted DUELING coasters. The first inverted coaster ever built was Batman the ride at Six Flags Great America in 1992. Also, it may seem that you're legs come close to touching each other on Dueling Dragons, but believe me even if you are 7 feet tall your little toes will be safe. When I worked at Universal Shaq rode it and he was perfectly fine. :)

About Universal getting rid of their express past program for regular guest, I actually think it was a good idea. Sometimes I think fastpass just makes the line worse in general and doesn't do anyone good anyways unless you show up at the crack of dawn. Also, it's an incentive for people to stay on Univesal property which is smart on their part.

Anyways a tip of mine:

When you first enter the park don't head right to Marvel Superhero island. Everyone goes there first the minute they get in and the lines are crazy. Go to the left and explore the Seuss section first and work your way around. By the time hopefull the lines will have died down a bit. Same goes for Universal, but I recommend starting at the back of the park and working your way forward.

Other than that I think everyone else has it covered. Defintely make sure to check out at

IOA: Spiderman, Hulk, Dudely Do Right, Jurassic Park, Dueling Dragons, Cat in the Hat, and Sylvester McBean's (it should be open when you go, I'm going to a passholder preview the weekend.)

Universal: T2, Shrek 4D, Jimmy Neutron, The Mummy, Jaws (Cheesy but I love it), MIB, and Back to the future.

LOL, I don't want to sound stupid or anything, but what is Back to the Future? I've never heard of that before...:confused:

LOL, I don't want to sound stupid or anything, but what is Back to the Future? I've never heard of that before...:confused:

It's pretty much like Star Tours. You chase Biff through time in your Delorean in an Imax like screen. It's a GREAT ride, you'll enjoy it.

Is the Spiderman attraction a 3D show? Or is it a character greeting place?

The Spiderman attraction is a one-of-a-kind 3D ride that literally takes you from one room to another to fight the evil bad guys. You ride in cars and wear 3D glasses. It is an experience that you will not get at any other park around as this is the only one. This is a must-see.

LOL, yes Spiderman is a meet-and-greet. (sarcasm)

No, like Mamjo said, it's the very first combination of a 3D show, a thrilling simulator ride, and a dark ride all meshed together. It's tied with Revenge of the Mummy as one of the greatest rides of all time.

-skippyskippy

LOL, yes Spiderman is a meet-and-greet. (sarcasm)

No, like Mamjo said, it's the very first combination of a 3D show, a thrilling simulator ride, and a dark ride all meshed together. It's tied with Revenge of the Mummy as one of the greatest rides of all time.

-skippyskippy

Hey. Stop. That wasn't nice, LOL. :D I haven't been to Universal so gimme some credit.

Sounds fun. My dad told me you feel like you're falling of the Empire State Building or something...the 3D part sounds cool.

Yes, there is a 400-foot "sensory drop".

Want to know a cool secret about the ride? In one scene, there is an abandoned movie theater with a phone number on it. If you call this phone number, you get a cool answering machine message!

If you'd like to know any other easter eggs on the rides, just ask. :)

-skippyskippy