Universal Studios

Universal Studios Orlando Florida	Universal Studios entrance Universal Studios, Orlando Florida
Transformers Universal Studios, Orlando	Simpsons the ride Universal Studios, Orlando Florida
Rip Ride Rockit Universal Studios, Florida	Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Universal Studios, Orlando
Universal entrance Universal Studios, Orlando resort	Terminator 2 3-D Universal Studios, Florida
Simpsons the Ride Universal Studios, Orlando	Rip Ride Rockit Universal Studios, Florida
Big loop on the Rip Ride Rockit Universal Studios, Orlando	Men in Black - Alien Attack Zap aliens and score as many points as you can
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Universal Studios, Orlando	Universal Studios Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios Orlando, Florida	Universal Store Universal Studios, Florida

Florida guide report - Universal Studios, Florida

Universal Studios is situated around 25 minutes from Florida Ridge Villa and the vacation villas in Kissimmee and Championsgate area. Getting to Universal could not be easier, follow the Interstate 4 north to junction 74 and then follow the signs for Universal Studios.

When planning a day at Universal Studios you really do need to set aside a full day due to the amount of activities and rides there. This will mean arriving at the park around 8.45am (when it opens) and then stay until late (this can be 6-10pm depending on the time of year). Depending on the time of year you go will also determine how busy it is. If going during a peak period having a full day might seem like a long time, but when Queuing time is added in, does seem to go rather quickly. Some of the Queues in the summer months can be in excess of 1 and half hour for the main attractions! Arriving early does also have its advantages in respect you get the best parking slots nearer to the Universal park entrance.

When you arrive at the front of Universal you can’t but help to be impressed with the main entrance. Towering over the entrance is the famous Universal tall columns and smaller World Globe. Most people stop here in the morning to take a photo, so my advice is wait until the end of the day when it is less busy and the sun is in a better location. If you do not want to queue for your tickets we would always advise getting these before you travel. We would suggest the 2 -day ticket, as this can be up to half the daily price of buying on the gate. By purchasing your tickets before you arrive will allow you to miss the entrance queue and make your way straight into the park.

When inside the main attraction that everyone heads for straight away is the Hollywood RIP RIDE ROCKIT. This is a vertical drop rollercoaster not for the faint hearted and can reach seriously high speed. The main unique selling point for this ride is the fact you can actually custom the ride by selecting one of 30 music tracks while you ride. My advice if you do arrive early enough into the park is to head straight for this ride, after 30 min the queues (even on a not so busy day) can be longer than 1 hour. We arrive there normally around 9. 15am and as such you normally only wait 15 min to get on. Failing this try the single rider queue, as this tends to be much quicker.

Universal has some excellent rides to go on from MEN IN BLACK (being the a very popular ride with the children) were you go through the galaxy shooting aliens. Whoever gets the top score wins! Another great ride for the family is the SIMPSONS, where you chase Maggie around Springfield trying to stop the evil Sideshow Bob. Some of the other popular rides include The MUMMY (indoor rollercoaster), DISASTER (where you star in your own disaster movie), SHREK 4-D (a must for the children). One of the most popular shows is DESPICABLE ME 3-D. This is opposite SHREK and does get busy during the day, but if you can put up with the long queues you will really like the ride.

What makes Universal Studios a great day out is the backdrop and feel to the park. It is designed around New York City and has everything you would expect downtown New York to have. Even the shops are life like and give the feeling you are there. Everywhere you look the attention to detail is first class and really adds to the feel. One of the smaller shows which plays in downtown New York is the Blues Brothers, who play on the street corner opposite to the MUMMY Ride. You need to look hard as sometimes you will actually miss the board that tells you the times they are playing. Leave it too long you can end up hearing the songs and missing half the show. What is really good about the show is they get everyone involved dancing and singing.

Another thing that Makes Universal lead from the front is the fact they are always trying to update and freshen up their rides. Even though some of them (KING KONG) were very popular, they were not high tech and almost 30 years old. Universal are not afraid to remove them and put another ride in their place. This has now also happened to KING KONG by being replaced by the MUMMY indoor roller coaster and JAWS being replaced by the new HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS express and Kings Cross Station. They also have a great knack of being able to squeeze something into very little space as displayed by the addition of RIP RIDE ROCKIT on the east side of the park.

If buying a Universal Park ticket it is always best to purchase the two day ticket that incudes a ticket to Islands of Adventure. By purchasing these in advance does save you a lot of money on the gate rates, which don’t offer the same discounts. If you need tickets these can be purchased off our website. Why not include Seaworld and Busch Gardens and get an Orlando Flexi Ticket for even more discounts.

Overall you really do need to ensure that Universal and Universal Islands of Adventure are on your Orlando Park Tickets selection. It is great for the whole family, has excellent rides and allows the children plenty of chances to come up close with the Simpsons, Scooby Doo and all the other Universal Characters. The addition of some very good rides and the new HOGWARTS express to Islands of Adventure is a real plus and will only make the park more desirable to go to. Couple this with some nice food (better than Disney in my view) and you have an excellent day out. Just remember to get there nice and early to get some very good parking places and also head to the busy rides first.