Whether seeking thrills or smiles, Universal Studios can provide both for a while! This blog will provide honest reviews of the amazing rides at Universal Studios, Orlando FL.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man has taken riders through the streets of Manhattan while getting tangled up in a battle between Spidey and the Sinister Syndicate!
Let me just start off and say this is a ride that has been apart of Islands of Adventure for as long as I can remember (opening in 1999) and is a ride I’ll always try to ride - no matter the wait time.
The line has riders enter the Daily Bugle and pass through the many abandoned cubicles. Televisions are tuned into an urgent new stations reporting that the Sinister Syndicate has been out in New York, wreaking havoc throughout the streets and stealing the Statue of Liberty.
From there, riders enter a room with a large screen that plays a video of Doc Ock threatening the crowd with his anti-gravity gun and J. Jonah Jameson informing the viewers that they will be out capturing the news in the Daily Bugle’s new newsgathering vehicle the ‘Scoop’ .
From there riders pick up their 3D glasses and are ushered into the Scoop to join the web-slinging hero.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man does a fantastic job immersing the riders into its cartoon reality. The overall 90s retro-comic book look of the ride is found everywhere from the bright purple uniforms of the workers to the mint green croissants found at the desks.
The music, thrills, and updated animations have helped this ride maintain its status over the years but I think the true beauty of this ride is it’s classic comic book charm. The 90s animations of J.Jonah Jameson fat cigar, Peter Parker’s quirky speech, and even Doc Ock’s bowl cut are all characteristics that date this ride.
As a time capsule of the 90′s, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is an incredible experience for all riders. All future riders should prepare for a great comic book story brought to life and told by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
Coming out in April 2018, the Fast & Furious - Supercharged ride is one of the latest addition to the Universal Studios Orlando theme park. Taking over the once Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You! and Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue. The story behind the ride is guests being invited to celebrate a victory race with Dom when they are suddenly ambushed by the villain of the series, Owen Shaw.
Upon entering, guests are sent through a long queue that is filled with various cars and automobile parts. The indoor area resembles a mechanic shop and is filled with up beat party music.
While the music can be a bit overwhelming, the queue is filled with many things to gander and has projections of epic car scenes from the F&F films. After winding through the queue, guests enter a room filled with images of characters from F&F and meet Pat, a mechanic who receives phone calls from Tej and Mia. While Tej (AKA Ludacris) is able to casually interact, Mia is an incredibly stiff and almost creepy character whom I highly disliked.
From there, guests are sent to the “War Room” where they meet Jaimie, a live actor who is in charge of - who knows? Both Jaimie and Pat seem unnecessary (and acknowledge their lack of necessity multiple times), as the phone calls between the F&F characters seem to explain everything the guests need to know. Through the phone calls from Tej, Hobbs, and Dom, you find out that Shaw is after an important witness hidden within the crowd as Dom reassures the guests safety.
After exiting the “War Room”, guests are led to another queue that once again bring you back to the dark and gritty mechanic shop again where a lone screen shows the leader board of F&F trivia, accessible through the official Universal Orlando Studios app. After a few more twists and turns, guests are then loaded onto the party bus.
From there, guests sit back and watch as multiple screens take you on an action pack ride on the freeway while watching madness ensue: Letty uses a crane to smash someone into a wall, Hobbs is doing something on the left screen, and Dom is kicking rockets into places. Lots of action. Lots of noises. However, not a lot of thrills?
The format of the ride makes it hard to see the screens with so many people in the way. If you get lucky enough to be seated on one side of the row, you’ll have the best view of that side and be virtually oblivious to the things happening on the other.
The queue was cool and a nice break from being in the blazing sun. Lots of interesting things to look at for car lovers or not and the trivia game is a nice way to pass the time. While I find the live actors unnecessary, they did bring life to the conversation where Mia’s creepy, slow cadence did not.
Overall the ride missed many marks. There was a strong lack of excitement and was too similar to the neighboring park’s Skull Island, yet somehow worse? The lack of enthusiasm from the live actors reduced the whole experience and gave off the vibe that they too felt unneeded. The only true scream that I gave came from the sudden fear of the loud steam machines. The crowding of screen truly makes a girl long for the traditional special effects shown off from previous rides like Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You! or even Earthquake: The Big One.
Sadly, the action-packed, thrill ride we were expecting was not delivered.
Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl is a fun ride for children and adults alike. Built in August 2013, this aerial ride is located in Springfield and is based on The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror specials.
There isn’t all too much to say about the ride since it is a brief experience. The queue leads close to the water and gives an interesting view of the park.
Each vehicle is an UFO with fun names like Ronald Ray Gun or Mai Tai Fighter and can fit about 2-3 people (depending on the size of the riders). Once onboard Kang & Kodos inform you that the only way off the ride is to “attack Springfield.” Guests can fly by the faces of Nelson, Homer, Bart, Willie, and Grandpa as Kang & Kodos make various space puns.
While this ride is intended for children, the televisions playing clips of The Simpsons, the cool breeze while gliding above the park, the humor scattered throughout the ride and the beautiful view of the park make this ride an enjoyable experience. As simple as this ride is, its a very nice time for both children and adults.
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