Have a picture of Orlando, Universal's Islands of Adventure?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of dan@reviewcentre.com.
| Value for Money | 9.6/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 10/10 |
By Jamezz
on 13th Aug 2006
| Date of visit (month/year) | September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Ages suited for | Teenagers |
| Other info / Tips? | Buy an Express Pass for jumping the long queues |
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 10/10 |
 Jamezz's recommendation | |
Fantastic theming, epic music, the latest in cutting edge technology and a lot of thrilling fun. A theme park enthusiast's dream park in every aspect noted.
None. Absolutely none.
Let me start off by saying I had heard a lot about Islands of Adventure. I heard about its revolutionary rides its use of cutting edge technology and its beautifully themed queue lines and so my expectations where very very high. I have to say that from the moment you enter the themed car park till the moment you leave IOA the hype is utterly and completely justified. After walking across a wooden bridge toward the entrance area you can hear and see exactly what this park is going to be: A complete and utter masterpiece of ride design, theming, music and some of the best thrill rides in the world!
The real experience begins when you've payed your admission and stepped into the parks first themed area "Port of Entry". Though relatively small and without any rides the area is surely a milestone in amusement park theme park? The area, mainly influenced by English, Greek & Scandinavian folklore, is a bit like walking through a Brother's Grimm fairytale - The sense of thrills and mystery waiting behind the closed doors of the toymaker's and blacksmith's. The tranquil water features and distant clanking of wind chimes adding to the effect of old time mystery. Also here are cast members waiting to take your photograph as you enter the parks gates - a great momentum of what will be a fantastic day out.
Upon walking out of Port of Entry your path splits in two and you have two choices - To the left is teen-oriented Marvel Super Hero Island and to the right is the kid friendly Seuss Landing. If you want to hit the main attractions first I suggest you head clockwise through the park and turn left over to Super Hero Island.
The first thing you'll see (and hear) as you cross the bridge to this area is the giant green Incredible Hulk Coaster to your right. A true goliath in coasters the rides green pillar supports stretch into the lake below while riders come perilously close to getting very very wet! The area itself is filled with cardboard cut out animations of favourite Marvel Superheroes (and villains) and, though not the best themed area of the park manages to pull off everything its main demographic desires and more as well as being very nice to look at. The area also contains three of the park's most admired/advertised/talked about attractions: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk Coaster and Doctor Doom's Fearfall.
First up for us was Spider-Man. I'd heard great things about this ride with it being voted number one consistently as one of the best ride experiences of all time but since the descriptions of what the ride actually was were rather cryptic (and advertising campaigns would suggest it was a motion simulator) I had no real idea of what to expect. Let's begin at the beginning: The queue line itself is a marvel (no pun intended) of design and unlike most "cattle pen" queue lines manages to thoroughly engage everyone waiting for long amounts of time while telling a story (that is fairly easy to pick up) throughout. You begin queuing at the offices of the Daily Bugle newspaper where employees desks are surprisingly empty. A video message from the Bugle's boss presents riders with the "SCOOP" vehicle and explains how said vehicle will advance the paper's journalistic possibilities. Next you move into a large room where a large screen shows the villains of the Spider-Man cartoon series explaining their plot to steal the statue of liberty with Doctor Octopus's anti-gravity cannon. Next you walk past a miniature model of the "SCOOP" vehicle before collecting your 3-D glasses and moving towards the station. Expecting a motion simulator of sorts I was surprised (and delighted) to observe a procession of twelve person "SCOOP" vehicles in a "dark ride" fashion. Now completely unsure of what to expect I finally boarded the vehicle and after a quick move forward I began to feel our car rise up above the track and set off on what would fast become my favourite ride of all time.
The ride begins as a dark ride. You move (or rather "float" due to the smoothness of the ride vehicles) through a moonlit New York City with model buildings either side of you. Then you turn a corner and the the "SCOOP" vehicle grounds to a halt in front of a large 3-D cinema screen and the action REALLY begins. Spider-Man himself jumps onto your car and warns you to be very careful as this could be "the most dangerous night of my life... AND yours!" I won't spoil the rest for first-time riders but I have to talk about the penultimate scene in which you are being lifted (via Doc Ock's anti gravity cannon) up 100's of feet above New York City before dropped and then being saved at the last minute by Spider-Man is THE ride experience to top anything you have or are thinking of going on anywhere in the world. In addition to being a fantastic experience and a technological wonder it is almost a ride for all ages (excluding those younger than 8 for whom I believe it will be too intense) and a brilliant one at that. Fantastically crafted and very fun - 10/10.
I now knew (If I didn't know previously when I first set eyes on the park's entrance) that IOA was capable of great things. After a short rest we joined the short 20 minute queue for Hulk, another attraction widely admired by theme park enthusiasts. I have to say that this ride is brilliant. Not the best ride in the park or the best ride ever for that point but nevertheless brilliant. Another very well-themed queue line gave us a tour through what appeared to be a forgotten laboratory of sorts with green being the dominant colour. From there you board the large green coaster cars and are launched at a ridiculously fast speed (0-60mph in mere seconds I believe) and begin gliding over the lake below before throwing yourself into the giant cobra rolls, barrel rolls and any other roll you can think of (accept maybe Swiss). Then it's all over and you're shaking like crazy! A very good ride. Not anything phenomenal like Spider-Man but still very well executed - 9/10. After a quick frightening look at Doctor Doom we decided we'd move onto the next area.
Next up was Toon Lagoon. As we approached its newspaper gates I was awestruck. Surely this a dream? Surely a park area can not be themed as well as this? I was mistaken. It was! Even though the main audience hear is young kids (and preteens for the bigger rides) the area is still very appealing for all ages. This comes from the amazing attention to detail. The area is "contained" within large newspaper pages in which ice cream parlours/shops are embedded. The effect is that you are walking through the cartoons page of a newspaper and it is very successful. We headed first to "Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges" which is a rapid ride on a smaller scale. Now I've been on a few rapid rides and none of them have got me soaking. A bit wet perhaps but never soaking. This one did. And not just me - everyone was soaked. The ride is very short but what you get from the short time is a brilliant experience - and sopping wet. And this how EVERYONE gets wet: the ride's brilliant design. You are get splashed and soaked when you least expect it and while you are laughing at one side of the boat's misfortune you are, with in seconds, as soaking wet yourself. Overall it's great fun and brilliantly themed throughout. You'll need a change of clothes however... I know I've said this a lot but your REALLY DO get wet - 9/10.
ext up was "Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls". Another brilliantly themed queue line. Talking moose heads mounted on a wall deliver witty dialogue and help pass the long wait by. When you eventually get into the log boat you make your way around some cartoony scenes with an animatronic Dudley trying to save his girlfriend from the dastardly Snidely Whiplash. After some very convincing fake drops you finally plunge down the huge falls and "underneath" the water level into the pitch black and then quickly emerging completely soaking wet. I'm not joking we were SOAKED. If we'd got soaked on Bilge Rat Barges we were now the equivalent of drowned rats with our hair plastered to our faces with our eyes tightly shut and water dripping from our chins. Then before we could even open our eyes we were soaked a second time when a large jet of water pelted us right in the face. By this time we needed a rest and a chance to dry off in the Florida sun before deciding what we thought of the ride. In terms of what is inside the ride is very average. The animatronics have limited movement and you don't really know what's going on. However the rides is brilliant in fooling you at every turn so that you think you're about to plunge down that steep drop at any second and the drop itself is absolutely fantastic even if you're too wet and confused to comprehend what happened afterwards. As a dark ride this attraction gets a 5 but as a thrill ride it gets a 10.
Next we ventured forward into Jurassic Park which, I have to say, is the ultimate themed area of the park. I'd seen Toon Lagoon and Port of Entry and been awestruck but Jurassic Park definitely gives IOA it's theming hatrick. The huge towering trees along with the epic music as you pass under the giant "Jurassic Park" gateway will immediately blow you away. As you stroll down the large pathway that leads to the main ride you are surrounded by a sort of rain forest ambiance making you feel not just on a film set/on a attraction but actually at Jurassic Park. It's just so well-themed you can't help but stand and stare for a while and look at the scenery. After I'd closed my mouth and composed myself I ran to the area's main ride the "Jurassic Park River Adventure".
In the queue line stakes IOA have done it again. Though the queue line is not overly themed it is just understated enough to create a balance between the magical and the realistic. The easy comparison I can give is the queue line for Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom - like a wooden enclosure, with TVs showing off the various species of dinosaurs that are cared for on the island while you are surrounded by lush vegetation and the sound of the ride's big splash finale. Once you board the large "raft" or boat you take a scenic journey down a large river filled with all manner of surprises I won't spoil for you! The animatronic dinosaurs are brilliant and I have to say very realistic. Suddenly the tranquil family ride is substituted for a terrifying trip into the raptors' quarters (You'll have to wait and see!) Before riders narrowly miss being eaten by a giant animatronic T-Rex and are instead flung 85ft downwards into the fantastic splash finale. I have to say this is a brilliant and under-rated ride and you don't even get too wet despite the large drop and big splash. This ride works very well as a means to see the area in all its' glory and as a thrilling experience that pretty much everyone can enjoy (again the younger kids will find this too intense) - 9/10.
Unfortunately due to sharing our time between IOA and Universal Studios I didn't get to see much of the Lost Continent which would of really been great but I can honestly say that what I did see and do at IOA has made me very very fond of it. The park works on two levels - as a park for people who are looking for a great day out and as a park for those (mainly theme park enthusiasts) who really appreciated good theming. This park is without a doubt a masterpiece of design as well as a park full of fun and thrilling attractions that may not suit the whole family but will always give them something wonderful to look at. 10/10.
| Helpful | Unhelpful | Agree | Disagree |
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Total Respect: +1
Universal Studios Islands of AdventureWould you like to see a review that's not being listed?
KirstyYorkhire on 26th Apr 2008