Best Rides at Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure!

We recently took a trip to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and had a blast! Therefore, we want to share with you our favorites and the best rides at these two wonderful parks. In this list, we’ll tell you about 8 rides you don’t want to miss on your next trip to Universal:

The Incredible Hulk Coaster (Islands of Adventure)

First, for the thrill-seekers, there is no better ride at Universal Studios than the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. The best part about this ride is the launch start. It takes you 150 feet and up to 67 mph in a matter of seconds. The crazy number of loops and inversions is another thing that makes this roller coaster so awesome!

Transformers: The Ride 3D (Universal Studios)

Next up is a simulator ride that takes you right into the action! The Transformers ride brings you alongside the Transformers to fight Depticons and save the Earth from Megatron. You’ll join Optimus Prime and Bumblebee on a thrilling, virtual reality ride in an epic battle.

Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey (Islands of Adventure)

Explore Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, Hermione and more of your favorite Harry Potter characters. You’ll journey through different scenes and settings from the epic series! In the queue, you’ll pass through familiar areas of Hogwarts like Dumbledore’s Office, before boarding your enchanted benches that transport you around the castle. You’ll see magical creatures, characters from the movies and even dementors on this exciting and immersive adventure.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios)

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is thrilling roller coaster with a fun twist. When you board the ride, you get to use the screen in front of you to choose what song you’d like to listen to during the ride. After that, the exciting coaster begins with a 90 degree incline and then a steep drop! A camera films you as you ride, and at the end you can view (and even purchase) your own ‘music video’ of the ride.

Additionally, there’s also a Secret Menu of music to choose from. Push and hold the logo above the song list to bring up a keypad. Here you can enter a 3 digit number to choose from a secret list of songs. For instance, #902 is Rainbow Connection (the Muppets), #122 is Start Me Up (The Rolling Stones) and #310 is Vogue (Madonna).

The Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios)

This indoor roller coaster takes you on a thrilling, high-speed plunge into total darkness as you run from the evil Mummy. As the Mummy throws curses at you, you’ll descend into the pitch-black abyss of the tomb. It’s not as fast as some of the other roller coasters and does not go upside down. However, this is still a ride full of excitement and psychological thrills!

Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios)

Dragon guards the entrance to Gringotts Bank

This ride takes you right into the story of Harry Potter as you descend into the vaults of Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. After entering the queue you go through an elaborate decorated lobby. Then, since Gringotts Bank is located miles below Diagon Alley, you take an elevator that feels as though it takes you down many floors. Stepping off the elveator, you find yourself in the deep underground setting of the vault. On this ride you navigate the subterranean vaults of the bank on a thrilling and perilous journey. You’ll encounter friendly faces from the movies, face the strict security measures of the bank and even run into some trouble as you encounter Voldemort himself.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure)

Our next must-do ride is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Enter the queue and you’ll find yourself in the Daily Bugle newspaper office as a newly hired reporter. Your first assignment is to track down Spider-Man as he hunts for the villains who have stolen the Statue of Liberty. On this virtual reality simulator ride, you’ll encounter a host of Marvel characters and scale skyscrapers as you tag along on Spider-Man’s epic adventure 400 ft above New York City!

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Islands of Adventure)

Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Aventure is the best ride at Universal Orlando

Finally, our favorite ride was Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure! It’s the newest ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and it just opened in June 2019. Despite having crazy long lines when it first opened, we ended up only waiting 1 hour to ride it. The hour went by fairly quickly thanks to the immersive queue which included a few different pre-shows to entertain you as you waited.

We were both shocked by the experience and so impressed! Both of us walking off the ride feeling that it was one of the best roller coasters we had ever ridden! For the Harry Potter fans, the story line and magical creatures you see throughout the ride will keep you entertained. Even for the non-Harry Potter fans it is an amazing ride. It has two different riding experiences (motorcycle or sidecar) and seven different launch sequences. Above all, the most impressive part is that it has a feature that is so amazing and unique for a roller coaster – a vertical, free-fall drop! This is definitely worth the wait and it’s a ride you absolutely don’t want to miss!

Conclusion – The Best Rides at Universal

Universal definitely has a lot of amazing rides to offer! We hope you liked our list of the best rides at Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure. If you are planning a trip to Universal and need a travel consultant, we recommend contacting Josh at Wish Upon a Star with Us! He is an expert at all things Disney and Universal and would love to hear from you.

You can also click the link below to start pricing out your own Universal Orlando Resort vacation:

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