The Universal Orlando Resort is one of the best theme park destinations in the world.
It’s comprised of three separate and well-themed parks.
Universal Studios Florida is themed to a movie backlot filled mostly with dark rides and
simulators.
Islands of Adventure is the highlight of the resort and one of the best parks in the world
because of how it blends theming and thrills.
Then Volcano Bay is one of the best water parks in the world with the tropical appearance
and slide lineup.
So in this video, I will rank the top 20 rides at the resort.
Before starting the countdown, I want to note that I will include a few defunct attractions
I was lucky enough to experience.
I will not be including any shows since I haven’t seen many at the Universal Resort.
I also will not be including any haunts since these are seasonal attractions that typically
last just one year.
20) Ka’okiri Body Plunge at Volcano Bay- This 125 foot or 38 meter tall speed slide
isn’t quite as good as it looks, but it’s still a true rush falling that fast..
After climbing atop the volcano, you board a drop pod.
After some tribal music, the floor drops and you speed down a 70 degree drop.
I didn’t think the drop packed the same punch as some other drop pods and the foggy
tube negated what should’ve been awesome visuals.
19) Dr. Doom’s Fearfall at Islands of Adventure- This S&S space shot is one of the best themed
drop towers out there.
The queue line has a war propaganda video and some doom bots.
Then the audio tell for the launch is hidden by the ride’s narration, so you get caught
off-guard when you’re blasted 185 feet or 56 meters in the air.
And that first ascent offers some nice floater airtime and a short but solid view.
18) Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Islands of Adventure- This is another ride with an
awesome queue with some creepy horror elements.
Then the main ride is a 3D tram tour.
The tunnel is overwhelming with the action occurring on all-sides.
I just wish it was easier to follow what was happening.
It can be tricky to see both sides, especially if you’re towards the front or middle of
the tram.
But everyone can admire that massive and stunning Kong animatronic at the end.
That is impossible to miss.
17) E.T.
Adventure at Universal Studios Florida-- This classic dark ride is the definition of charming.
I love the bike vehicles as you pass a wide range of sets.
You start in the woods being pursued by the cops before traveling over miniatures reminiscent
of Peter Pan’s Flight.
Then the finale is a fever dream crossed with a party that’s a celebration of E.T.
In a park full of 3D and screen-based rides, it’s refreshing to have a classic dark ride
with physical sets.
Jaws at Universal Studios Florida-- I only rode this once, but I remember enjoying the
experience immensely.
While the shark didn’t look the most realistic, I appreciated the energy of the boat driver
combined with the spectacular water and fire effects.
16) Transformers: The Ride 3D at Universal Studios Florida- This dark ride places you
in the middle of an action movie.
This high-octane adventure masterfully uses the motion of the ride vehicles and the 3D
to create a wild and chaotic experience.
I do think some scenes are a little too busy to fully comprehend what’s happening, but
that does capture the feel of the Transformer films I guess.
15) The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Florida- This is one of my favorite motion
simulators.
Not only is the motion wild, but I just love this ride’s humor and how it parodies theme
parks.
It fittingly takes shots at Disney and SeaWorld, but it’s also self-aware and makes fun of
Universal.
I will admit the visuals aren’t as crisp as some of Universal’s newer dark rides,
but everything else still holds up for me.
14) Kala & Tai Nui Body Slides at Volcano Bay- These two slides have the same height
and start as Ka’okiri.
The initial drop is a fleeting rush, but the twists and turns are what make this slide.
This is much longer than most speed slides as you haul down a series of sharp and moderately
forceful twists.
13) Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios Florida- This complex
dark ride and coaster hybrid is very well-done.
The queue is an experience in itself as you’re led deeper into the Gringotts bank.
Then the ride itself is mostly a dark ride, but I love how the scenes feature the two
best villains from the Harry Potter franchise chasing you.
The 3D is used well and the coaster sections- while brief- are thematically well-timed and
satisfying.
12) Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida- This Premier Rides launch coaster
starts as a dark ride past some impressive physical sets before blasting riders- quite
literally- into a coaster section.
That uphill launch has a decent kick and there are a few nice pops of airtime.
And I love the surprise during the show-scene midway through the experience, especially
if you’re with a first time rider.
11) Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Islands of Adventure- This Mack log flume is absolutely
drenching, so it feels nice in the Florida heat.
The experience feels like a knockoff Splash Mountain.
The sets feel a little cheap, but they’re still better than most flumes.
But the drops are fantastic.
The large final one features a pop of airtime, a great headchopper with the tunnel, and a
surprise speed hill afterwards.
The other con with this ride is the super awkward restraints.
They’re fine during the ride, but I dread getting in and out of them.
10) Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure- This is the world’s
best river rapids ride.
There is no way to come off this ride dry.
From the soaking rapids to the unavoidable waterfalls, I can’t help but hysterically
laugh how soaking this ride is.
The ride also has some cartoony theming along the way and a thrilling downhill segment at
the end that feels out of control.
9) Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure- This dinosaur themed dark ride
is an absolute joy.
I love the scale of the dinosaur animatronics as you pass them both in the jungle and in
the perilous raptor containment zone.
Then the experience culminates in a large, steep, and thrilling final plunge that gives
a better tummy tickling sensation than most coasters.
And despite the size of that final splash, it’s actually the driest water ride at Islands
of Adventure. 8) Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure-
This Bolliger & Mabillard sit-down coaster has one of the best first halves of any coaster.
That uphill launch is one of my favorites on any coaster and it has some underrated
power.
Then the first four inversions are world-class.
The zero-G roll offers crazy hangtime.
Then the cobra roll and vertical loop are guaranteed greyouts for me.
The final three inversions are solid as well, but the twists and turns in the second half
don’t have the same power as the rest of the ride as I said in a review.
I do also like this ride’s on-board audio and it’s still reasonably smooth after the
retrack. 7) Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at Islands
of Adventure- Every time I ride this dark ride, I love it even more.
The ride uses Spiderman’s rogues gallery to perfection.
Each villain gets their own scene showcasing their abilities.
And the effects are excellent between the 3D projectiles, the occasional but effective
physical sets, and crisp visuals.
This ride is an absolute joy, especially if you’re a superhero nerd like me.
6) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure- This innovative dark
ride offers a brilliant mix of physical sets and screens as you are whipped about in a
robot arm.
When you combine one of the most intense dark rides with all the Harry Potter theming one
could reasonably want, you have one of the best dark rides in the world.
5) Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida- This is one of the best shooting
dark rides out there.
Not only is it themed to one of my favorite movie properties, but the giant physical sets
offer plenty of targets.
You have some straightforward aliens in the foreground, but it’s always a challenge
searching out the higher value ones on the upper-levels of the attraction.
This ride has a ton of reride value and I always have a mini-marathon on it when I’m
at Universal.
4) Krakatau Aqua Coaster at Volcano Bay- This is the world’s best water slide.
This ProSlide hydromagnetic water coaster has a series of steep drops that give some
fun airtime, particularly the final one which is the largest.
Then the magnetic ascents allow this coaster to maintain its speed better than others in
the same genre.
I have a review going into more detail, but this attraction alone is worth a ticket to
Volcano Bay.
3) Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida- This is the most underrated
ride at the Universal resort.
This Maurer coaster doesn’t track the best, but the restraints don’t cause any discomfort.
The ride does have a ton of mid-course brake runs, but you get good airtime entering and
exiting each one.
I just love this coaster’s unique layout.
There’s plenty of airtime and forceful turns set to some of the best on-board audio of
any coaster.
I have a review going into more detail, but I really like this coaster.
Dueling Dragons at Islands of Adventure- I miss these dueling B&M inverts.
Not only did you have those stunning near-misses, but the ride was a powerhouse.
Both the fire and ice sides had super unique layouts with snappy and forceful inversions.
It’s a shame this coaster wasn’t a fit in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter since
it was still one of the best inverts on its final day.
2) Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Islands of Adventure- This coaster
is engaging start-to-finish.
This coaster features a whopping 7 launches, many of which have some surprising punch with
that final one being a standout.
Then the layout doesn’t have too many standout elements, but the mix of forceful turns and
occasional pops of airtime are more satisfying than you may expect if you’re in that elevated
motorbike.
Then you have two surprise elements I don’t want to spoil plus narration and physical
sets scattered throughout the layout.
This opened as the world’s most expensive coaster and I can certainly see why.
This coaster is such a long and thorough attraction.
This Intamin had reliability issues in its first year, but those thankfully have been
resolved.
1) Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure- This is not only the best ride at the Universal
Resort, but it’s one of the best coasters in the world.
Getting an intense coaster with this much theming is a delightful rarity.
The queue line itself is an experience with the raptors and returning actors.
Then this Intamin creation is so well sequenced.
The ride amps up the intensity as it goes.
The first half isn’t as fast, but it has some crazy near-misses in the raptor paddock
mixed with some airtime hills and inversions that catapult you out of your seat.
Then the second half features even crazier airtime, particularly on the top hat, and
even wilder inversions.
The stall offers inverted airtime while being shaken side-to-side.
Then the mosasaurus roll is truly one of the best elements on any coaster.
Getting ejector airtime and laterals while inverting over the water is sublime.
This coaster offers such a diverse and enjoyable experience that I always want to get back
in line.
Check out my review if you want to hear more.
So those are my top 20 favorite rides at the Universal Orlando Resort.
What are your favorite rides at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and
Volcano Bay?
Let me know down in the comments.
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Thanks for watching!