StuartToday was my Universal Studios Orlando day. I was planning on using early park admission but the previous nights antics put paid to that.
On arrival at the park I decided to go straight on to Shrek 4D as it was near the entrance and Despicable Me was over an hour wait and I was told that the express pass queue is normally half this. This ride was really good. A must for those who have seen the films. It is nice that it has been updated since I last went 4 years ago.
I then went on Transformers 3D which was a moving simulator ride. I thought the Spiderman ride was better. You need to make your own choice on that one!
I made my way across to Springfield and had a look around. It has been themed really well. I didn’t have a Flaming Moe or Duff beer as it was getting to lunchtime so everywhere that served food and drink was really busy. I really liked seeing Lard Lad Donuts (I don’t know how people could eat one as they were massive) and the Duff beer mascots. Whilst I was there I went on the Simpsons ride. A simulator ride which has some really funny bits in it. This is a must for Simpson fans. The wait here was 45 minutes but I was on it in 15 with express pass. They seem to have different simulators for express and standby lines.
I was getting hungry by this stage so decided to get some lunch. I went over to Universal Studios Orlando Kidz Zone. This was tucked away near the Spongebob shop and was not really on the way to any rides. As such, it was quiet and easy to get a table. This is where Universal Studios Orlando wins hands down compared to Disney as I find it was always difficult to get a table in Disney parks.
Whilst I let my lunch go down I went on the ET ride. Even without express pass you can get straight on this ride. It was a gentle ride but very nostalgic for those who remember the original film. I loved it as it was part of my childhood. However, it is beginning to show its age.
Onwards to a show. I went to see Animal Actors. This was a real feel good show with numerous animals. I particularly loved seeing Marley from Marley and Me and Frank the Pug from Men in Black. You get to stroke the animals afterwards.
After the show, I made my way to Men in Black. I had to put my bag in a locker for this. These are free for the duration of the standby queue plus 30 minutes and is required for all but the gentle rides. It was good that you could interact with this ride by trying to get the highest score possible. I really need to work on my target practice.
After Men in Black, I went on the Revenge of the Mummy ride. This is a roller coaster in the dark and has some excellent special effects including fire and water (Universal love to get you wet)
I stopped and watched the Straight Outta Food Truck which was a good singer/rapper show. This is not really my taste so I made my way to Fear Factor Live. This is based on an American Show which is like “I’m a Celebrity” without the celebrities (so exactly like I’m a Celebrity!) The participants (victims) volunteered to take part and had to compete in a variety of tasks which culminated in climbing over a car suspended 30 ft in the air to collect flags. There were also eating tasks (such as a bug and fish smoothie) and having bugs dropped on you (such as scorpions and cockroaches).
Finally I made my way out of Universal Studios Orlando and went on the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride. The queue was consistently 60 minutes all day but I got on in 30 using express pass. I thought that this ride was so much better than the Simpsons Ride and I would love to do this again.
