Last Tuesday was the first day my son (who is 9) was officially tall enough to do whatever he wanted, but would he be brave enough?
Roller Coasters at Universal are much more intense overall than at the other parks down the street. My goal is that he would try at least one of the following that would be new to him: Escape to Gringotts, The Incredible Hulk, Rip Ride Rockit, or Velocicoaster. Well we got him on one... and a couple other "new to him" experiences.
Thank You Universal!
First, let me say THANK YOU to Universal Orlando for giving him a ticket for the day (and surprise) adding Unlimited Quick Queue to the ticket so we could try a couple extra rides. We are heading to Universal Studios Hollywood in just a couple weeks!!
First, All Things Harry Potter!
He wanted to check out Diagon Alley first... and I loved that idea. I swear it is 10 degrees cooler in this part of the park! He wanted to try wand spells first so we did... no lines and great pictures for sure. Everyone has their own vision of "rope drop" and this one worked perfectly!
Traveling as a single parent, regardless of the reason why can be very tricky. It's also difficult to get good pictures of your group but these turned out wonderful! He did about 7 spells and also had Knockturn Alley all to himself... these experiences are irreplaceable in my mind!
By the time we walked back to Escape to Gringotts it was only a 15 minute wait (non-express) so I think that time was well spent! And YES he rode Gringotts, I think he gave it a 7/10 mostly because of the scary theming. I will also say he's never watched any of the Harry Potter movies or read any of the Harry Potter books, so I get it ... Voldemort is a little creepy.
After the ride we did a few more spells before leaving Diagon Alley, checked Men in Black (closed at that time) then headed back to Hogwarts Express. You need a park-to-park ticket to ride this as the trip ends at Hogwarts in Islands of Adventure.
Make sure to definitely ride it this direction as you get to walk through the wall at Platform 9 3/4!
The train ride itself is amazing and different both directions so make sure you ride it both ways for the whole experience. It's honestly one of my son's favorite experiences at the parks!
Once we made it to Hogwarts, the line for Hagrid's Motorbike was 90 minutes... we decided to come back here later and jumped on the Flight of the Hippogrith. This roller coaster is a step up from Woody Woodpecker and is actually fun. A good beginner coaster for sure!
After obligatory Hogwarts pictures, we headed to Jurassic Park for the River Adventure, lunch, dinosaur egg identification and Camp Jurassic, my child could spend all day here.
Beware: Dinosaurs Ahead!
Camp Jurassic is the perfect place to let the kids run around... and even has a splash area.
The playground has great views too!
Another tip for hot days is definitely but the refillable mug. Since we only bought one it was $17.99 but you can get refills including icees all day!!
Back to rides, Jurassic Park River Adventure is a little scary and the drop is steeper than I remember but my son enjoyed it... we're going to try the Jurassic World version in Cali soon!
Have you been to Universal Studios Orlando?
Yes, love it!
Not yet!
Another New Adventure
Jordan decided to be brave enough to try Skull Island: Reign of Kong this year. He actually really liked this one which surprised me with how much he has been getting spooked. It's a "safari style" ride but the graphics and theming could be frightening. Lots of different beasts attacking the truck and the characters in distress... just a warning. Despite that he gave it 1.5 thumbs up.
Characters at Universal
So many fun, unique character interactions at Universal. The raptor encounters are my personal fave but we skipped them this day. Scroll below to see who we met!
The best interaction of the day was definitely Captain America! Check it out here.
The Transformers are our other favorite meet and greet. Bumblebee is my pick but Optimus Prime and Megatron also make appearances.
BEST Roller Coaster at Universal?
SOOO I really wanted to get Jordan on Velocicoaster BUT we "settled" for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure... just kidding that is not settling because Hagrid's is INCREDIBLE. Both are quick, but Hagrid's never goes upside down and I think that was the deciding factor. Hagrid's has lots of theming, backwards movement and a drop if your kiddos are wondering.
More rides and shows!
After the roller coaster adventure, we decided to take a break in the air conditioning. One of the BEST places to do this is The Bourne Stuntacular. Stunning technology and jaw-dropping stunts make this a "can't miss" at Universal Studios.
Another one of Jordan's "Universal Favorites" is Transformers: The Ride 3-D... a huge smile and two thumbs up from this kid. Beware if you get motion sick otherwise this is a fun ride!
Men in Black: Alien Attack is another fun ride! Cruise around with your blaster while scoring points for shooting aliens... sounds like a win-win for us.
We finished off the rides with Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. Both of these are big screen attractions with movement involved. We really enjoy them both but again this could be rough for people with motion sickness.
A First for Both of Us!
Even though we were both exhausted, we decided to stay for Universal's nighttime entertainment, Cinematic Celebration! I was pleasantly surprised with the combination of music, water screens, projections and fireworks. Definitely worth staying for and we walked up to the front row about 30 minutes before the show.
After 14 hours, we were ready to go. We were tired in all the best ways. I was proud of Jordan for trying new things and overcoming some fear... maybe next time we will get him on Velocicoaster!
Thank you again to Universal Orlando for hooking us up... this time with my son in the parks is precious and we can't wait to come back again.
Need help booking a trip?! I'd be glad to help :)