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Review of
Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure with Kids
I would recommend a day
for each park, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, especially if it is a time of the year when the parks are
more crowded.
You will find that the
name Islands of Adventure absolutely fits this high adventure park.
The park is divided into six uniquely themed areas that include: Marvel
Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter, The Lost Continent and Seuss Landing. Many of the
rides in this park are geared toward older children so you must check
height restrictions to see if your child will be able to get on them.
I would do this in advance and review it with your child so that they
know their options. I saw many an 8 - 10 year olds in the park break
into tears because they could not get on a ride.
Seuss
Landing
 
Seuss Landing is
dedicated to younger children. It is home to the Cat in the Hat which is
a popular attraction where you ride on a couch
through the pages of the famous Dr. Seuss book. One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish
is a ride where you steer your fish through an obstacle course
of fountains that squirt to the music (Under 48 inches must be
accompanied by an adult). The Caro-Seuss-el is a merry-go-round where
you ride Suessian characters. If I Ran the Zoo is an Interactive play area
filled with creative and fun ways to entertain the kids. Height
requirement 36 inches and under 48 inches must be accompanied by an
adult. High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride will give you a great
view of all the characters in Suess Landing. This has a height
requirement of 36 - 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult.
Toon
Lagoon
This is the home of the
infamous water rides and yes you will get wet. Dudley Do-Right
Ripsaw Falls is log flume ride with a 75 foot drop that is filled with
heroes and villians. Height restriction is 44 inches. Popey and
Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barge is where you will brave white water rapids
twisting and turning on a raft to save Olive Oyl from Bluto.
Everyone will get wet on these rides so don't be surprised if you are
completely soaked when it is over. Height requirement is at least
42 inches. Me Ship, the Olive gives kids some great interactive
play on Popeye's three story ship.
The
Lost Continent
This is the area where
myths and legends come to life. The Duelling Dragons is a heart
stopping roller coaster where the Fire Dragon and the Ice Dragon
narrowly pass within inches of each other 125 feet in the air at high
speed. It is up to you to determine which of the two roller
coasters you ride as you hear the Wizard Merlin daring you to choose
your fate hot or cold, freeze or burn, fire or ice? This ride has a
height requirement of 54inches. Poseidon's Fury is a walking tour
of the temple of Poseidon equipped with fire, water and lasers. The
adventure begins as you walk into caves that containing ancient Greek
artifacts The
Eight Voyage of Sinbad is a stunt show featuring Sinbad and his sidekick
Kabob. The show is great entertainment and a way to get out of the
sun for a while. The Flying Unicorn is a kid's roller coaster
through an enchanted forest. The height requirement for this ride
is 36 - 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult.
Jurassic Park
This part of the park
brings the Juarassic Park movies to life. The Jurassic Park River
Adventure is log flume type ride through Jurassic Park, which ends with
a T-Rex ready to eat you and an 85 foot plunge. You will be a little wet
on this ride. Try and get here early because there will be lines. The
height restriction is 42 inches for this ride. Camp Jurassic is
home of the Pteranodan Flyers which is a ride that requires anyone over
56 inches to be supervised by a kid. You get to fly on the back of
a Pterandodon with a 10 foot wing span. Also in this area you will
find areas like caves, lava pits for the kids to explore. The
lower floor of Jurassic Park Discovery Center is filled with interactive
experiences for the kids.
Marvel Super Hero Island
 
This island is home is
some of the most thrilling rides in the park. The Adventures
of Spider Man which is a 3D adventure ride that has you swinging high
above city streets and plummeting, in a free fall, to the ground below
to avoid enemies. Special effects include fire and water.
The technology used for this ride will have you totally immersed in the
story. This is a very popular ride so try and get to it early in
the morning to avoid lines. The height requirement is 40 inches.
The Incredible Hulk Coaster launches you from 0 to 40 mph in two seconds
and sends you through twists, turns and many inversions at 110 feet
above the ground. It is a must for all of those adventure seekers
in your family but the height requirement is 54 inches. Doctor's Dooms
Fearfall is a thrill ride for those who enjoy being propelled 150 feet
straight up in the air and then freefalling back down. The height
requirement for this one is 52 inches.
Click Here for The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Park Tips
The best way to see the
park is by getting there when it opens.
Wear comfortable shoes.
You should have sun
block, sun glasses and even a hat.
You are allowed to
bring water bottles and snacks into the park and I would advise you to do so.
Food is expensive.
This is a very wet park
so
if you plan on doing the water rides you should consider a change of
clothes. You WILL get wet!!
Preferred parking gets
you close to the entrance especially if you are there when the park
opens.
Do your homework in
advance and know where in the park you want to start to try and avoid
crowds and lines. We started in Harry Potter World and it was a
great decision for us.
There are a number of
rides where you can not take any items on with you and your belongings
must go into a locker. Lockers are free so it is just a bit of a
hassle.
If you are traveling
with teens and you are not a roller coaster fan you will be waiting for
them to enjoy the rides so find a shady location and be sure to have a
bottle of water with you.
Lastly, if you are
traveling with older children or all adults try using the "singles only
line" for the rides. We did this for the first time this trip and
it cut the wait time from 40 minutes to 10 minutes. I was worried
at first that we would get separated but we were within a minute of each
other at all times. We did this on the high intensity roller rides
where you really can't talk to the person next to you anyway.
The single line just fills in the ride when there are not enough for an
individual group to fill it. For instance if the ride holds 4
people and there is a group of 3 they will take one from the single line
to fill the ride. Works great so give it a try!!!
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