50 Universal Orlando Ride Hacks

today we're hacking into the Universal Orlando ride scene with tricks to help you avoid super long Waits find the best seats on popular attractions and make sure that your upcoming trips to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are going to compete with what Disney World has to offer hey everybody it's AJ for Disney food blog so Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure are two parks with a whole lot of Thrills from The Coasters to the 3D screen rides to the attractions that make you go I'm not sure what that was but I think I love it we're going to make sure you can knock out everything you want to do during your next trip efficiency ease and some fun little bonus Secrets along the way that's what we've got in store for you today if you're ready to learn even more about Universal Orlando be sure to scan the QR code you see on the screen right now or head to disneyfoodblog docomo after this and we're going to send you our latest un ival quick guide filled with food recommendations sample itineraries average ride weight times and more okay you're ready to dive into our hacks for Universal here we go stay alert now this is a very very very cool tip this is going to sound a whole lot like one of our Disney videos because here I am again telling you to download the free Park app before you visit but that's not the hack the hack is much better than that nope you're probably not going to be on your Universal app quite as much as you will be on your Disney one but there are a few key things on the uni app that are going to make your date way more smooth and you're going to want to make sure you know how to use said key things before you go one of my favorite features that this app has that we Ed during our last Universal visit all the time is the wait time alert feature if there's a ride you want to get in line for but the weight is too steep for your liking you can ask the universal app to alert you once the weight times drop down to a specific number just tap on the wait times button on the home menu select the ride you want to keep an eye on and scroll down until you see the wait time alert option you're going to have to enable notifications for the app before this feature is going to work for you but once you do that you can set a wait time number that you would be willing to wait for and ask the app to alert you once the ride reaches that wait time IRL once the ride time actually drops down to that number the app will ping you through your push notifications so you don't have to constantly be checking your phone and keeping tabs on the wait times yourself now speaking of the app it's time to train to be a villain so the new villain con minion last attraction is not your typical theme park ride you're going to be standing on a moving conveyor belt and shooting a bunch of stuff but the whole standing conveyor belt element isn't the only unique part about this new attraction the Universal Orlando resort app can be used on villan con to unlock enhanced gameplay all you'll need to do is tap your phone on your blaster this entirely free enhancement is going to allow you to embark on special missions within the attraction unlock evil perks and extra powerful blasts and earn digital Collectibles and here's the really cool part if you sync your app to the attraction it'll remember your previous scores forever the more you score the more you can level up and leveling up means a new challenge from one of the vicious six villains meaning you can have a different experience every time you go you're going to need to know your two express options we're going to be sprinkling in express pass tips throughout the course of this video so let's go ahead and get a clear understanding of what that is Universal Express passes are like Disney Genie Plus or Disney FastPass in the way that they're a premium line bypassing service for the rides but these passes by no means work like Genie plus they are so much easier for starters once you buy a pass you can use it to get on rides at any time during the day so you don't have to reserve something like a lightning Lane every 2 hours to stretch your dollar here you stretch your dollar just by using it and using it well however Express passes cost way more than Genie plus and how much you pay all depends on what Express option you choose the standard Universal Express Pass allows guests to skip the line LS one time per participating ride and ranges from 90 to $350 per person depending on the season the Universal Express unlimited option which ranges from $100 to $380 per person allows unlimited skips to the line at participating rides now Express passes act as Standalone tickets meaning you'll have to purchase them for each day that you want to use them and that's both a good and a bad thing it's good because if you're visiting the parks across multiple days but you don't want to pay for an Express Pass all trip long you can put can choose which days you want to get it for but because these Express passes work more like how tickets work you're going to be paying nearly as much to use Express on each individual day as you'll be paying for the park tickets themselves unless there's a deal going on Via the universal website there's no bundle price that you can fall back on to help you cut back on your Express Pass expense and it is a hefty one that being said you can always hold back on paying for those Express passes and then wait to see what the crowd levels look like and buy them if you want to pay for them that day you don't have to pay for them ahead of time you just run the risk of Express passes being sold out if you wait that long which can happen during Universal busier Seasons Express passes are super easy to use and are a great way to hit up Universal rides quickly but you're going to want to talk it over with your group and decide if that steep extra expense is really going to be worth it in the end now here's a weird recommendation but we're going to go with it buy when the price is high unfortunately Genie plus and express passes have more things in common when it comes to Surge pricing while it might be tempting to purchase these premium Services when the prices are on the lower end of the spectrum that's not necessarily the best time to get them the reason these Parks will drop those premium add-on prices down to their very minimum is because they're not expecting High crowds on that day however when the demand is predicted to go up like it does around holidays and extended weekends that's when the prices go up too it's not a fantastic hack I'm aware but it's a true one and good one to know the higher the express pass price the more likely it is that you're going going to benefit from it don't worry I got a different tip later on that'll still help you save money on the express passes even during Universal's busiest times of the year so stay tuned with all this being said you can use surge pricing to your advantage in other ways check out the express pass price calendar on the universal site before your visit that way you can get a good idea of what the crowd levels are predicted to be for the year the higher the price the busier it'll be and the lower the price the thinner the crowds now you're definitely going to want to get a head start if if you're eligible for early Park admission by being a universal annual passholder or a Universal resort hotel guest then I have good news for you on select days you might have access to early Park admission for one of the parks which typically gets you into certain sections of the parks an hour before the official opening time which means getting in line for the most popular rides before the regular crowds start funneling in too you can see when these offerings are going to be available before you go by searching early Park admission on the Universal Orlando website even if you don't have that early Park admission benefit though you may still want to head over to the park Gates earlier than official opening time lists while this doesn't always happen sometimes Universal will open a little bit early at a whim for all guests meaning you could get into the park earlier than you were expecting to again this isn't always the case but sometimes your punctual Tendencies are highly rewarded now hold on there if you want to get to either of the parks early to hit up the rise ASAP and you're going to have to drive over to Universal Orlando on those days make sure you factor in in plenty of travel time and I'm not just talking about travel time from your hotel over to the theme park area though that's very important to consider too once you get to Universal you'll be directed to a parking garage from the garage you'll have to walk about 5 to 10 minutes until you're at security depending on how long the security lines are that should take you another 10 minutes and after security you'll have to walk the rest of the way into CityWalk which is another 5 to 10 minutes and then once you're in CityWalk you got to walk over to either Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios which is an extra 10 to 15 minute walk so from the time you exit the parking garage and up to the moment you get to the park Turn Style you're looking at potentially 30 to 45 minutes just walking so don't forget about this not so little Voyage leading up to your Park day if you're wanting to get to the park and start riding the rides before everyone else starts showing up lots and lots of the attractions of both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure present their stories through 3D screen experiences along with other ride elements sometimes combined and these include attractions like The Simpsons Ride Skull Island rain of Kong The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Escape from Green gods among several others even though these rides are fun well most of them are fun they have the potential to make you kind of woozy but guess what single doses of medication are available for free at Universal's First Aid locations if you need them at Universal Studios you can find First Aid at Family Services at the front of the park and at Islands of Adventure you'll find First Aid stations inside the guest services Lobby to the right of the main entrance turn Styles so if you're feeling a little queasy maybe anticipating some motion sickness go get yourself taken care of or you can just plan ahead and pack your preferred over- the- counter meds in your Park bag before you go more anti-nausea tips come in your way and more to come later on the video too minions Mayhem over on the Universal Studio side isn't a super intense ride but the combined screen and seat movement can be a lot for some heads and tummies to handle fun fact minions Mayhem was actually a 3D attraction back when it opened in 2012 but Universal removed the 3D feature in 2019 cuz it made way too many guests sick on The Daily so if you want to try decreasing your chances of walking off the ride feeling like you might get sick ask a universal ride crew member if you can wait for the stationary seating option located at the front of the attraction this is also a good option if your younger kid wants to ride the ride but isn't tall enough to ride the motion Simulator part yet all kiddos under 40 in can still ride in the stationary seat as long as they're accompanied by an adult and after minions Mayhem is over you can dance dance dance with some real live and very giant minions before exiting out into the gift shop even if the live character minions aren't there when you exit the ride cuz they're off gallivanting somewhere else with grw and the girls the dance party still lives on with overhead screens disco lights and super groovy Tunes all right are you ready for that Express Pass tip you can unlock free Express passes I'm being dead serious you can skip over that $100 plus expense per person for Express passes and it all has to do with where you decide to stay during your vacation if you're planning on staying at a Universal Resort Hotel you've got four Resort tiers to choose from value Prime value preferred and Premiere now you may immediately lean towards one of the least expensive options like Cabana Bay Aventura or one of the two Endless Summer Resorts which fall under the prime value and value categories but guests of universal Orlando's Premier tier Resorts like the Hard Rock Hotel the Royal Pacific and the porino bay are given complimentary use of the unlimited express pass as part of their stay like every single day so this might be an option well worth considering just for that huge upper hand alone on those busy days you can save $380 per person for one day in the park and that might definitely make it worth it to stay at a hotel all right here's how to avoid the pain of Haggard's motorbike adventure play Rock Paper Scissors now Hagrid's motorbike Adventure is probably one of the most popular rides at Universal it might be the most popular ride at Universal and for each ride one person will sit on a motorbike and one person will sit in the sidec car so if multiple people in your group want to call dibs on motorbike then you might have a bit of a squabble on your hands so you're going to want to decide who's riding the bike versus the sidecar before you make it up to the front of the line don't worry you got plenty of C time to make that decision and both seats are super fun I promise promise you I actually like the sidec car best now if this helps make a decision for you you can't wear wizard robe and ride on the motorbike but you can wear your robe if you're riding in the side car so there you go now speaking of seats Universal Orlando's rides aren't always the most accommodating but the worst part about that is how some folks wait hours and hours to ride a ride only to find out it's not going to work for them many of these attractions have test seats right outside the ride that you can try out before hopping into the queue you can find out which rides have test seats avail ailable ahead of time on the universal app so don't skip over these testers if you're looking for some peace of mind before you get in line and let's springboard off of that certain rides have more accommodating seats that aren't as clearly advertised because they're not always guaranteed for instance the back rows of Revenge of the Mummy and escape from Green gots have slightly more room than the other rows do on the Hulk roller coaster select seats are going to be modified with two seat belts instead of just one to provide guests with more room while only select rows will have these modified seats typically rows 1 4 5 and 8 you'll be able to easily spot which seat in your row has been modified when you find the red belt buckle straps and on Harry Potter in the Forbidden Journey the far end seats are going to give you more room than the middle ones will for Forbidden Journey you're just going to have to talk over the seating arrangement with your fellow group members since you'll be free to choose one of those end rows for yourself but on rides like mummy and gring gots where the rows are assigned for you it never hurts to ask one of the ride crew members if you can be placed in the back row for your comfort again back seats aren't always a guarantee but more often than not Universal will work with you to make sure you can experience the ride as comfortably as possible now you are at a theme park in Orlando so brace yourself for hot lines some Universal ride cues are more than tolerable because they're mainly indoors like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Revenge of the Mummy but other Universal rides will have super sweltering lines that either weave in and out of buildings or are cover covered but still don't have great air circulation like Fast and Furious Rip Ride rocket and minions mayam the best time to ride the attractions with the roasty toasty lines is when the temps aren't at their Peak like in the morning or once the Sun starts going down if you do happen to enter into a sweltering line before the temps start to drop just make sure you've lathered on Plenty of sunscreen and that you're well hydrated before you jump into the queue now Bria is going to have a little bit of fun with this next Point making me say things I don't believe this is like the book with no pictures the title for this point is ride AJ's favorite ride twice and she wants me to tell you that the high in the sky trolley is my favorite ride in Universal Islands of Adventure and that I love it so much I'm going to encourage you to ride it twice now none of that is true I don't like this ride I don't think it's necessarily worth it unless you have a little kid who just loves it but the truth is that high in the sky trolley does have two different tracks for you to try when you're getting ready to board the beach track which continues the story of the the snitches is on the left and the Star Trek which takes you through the ABCs of other Seuss stories is on the right so you can try out both tracks if you've got a little kid in your group who really loves Seuss Landing now I already talked about the more spacious seats on Forbidden Journey but let's talk specifically about what each seat is going to do for you experience-wise so you can choose your Forbidden Journey seat wisely Forbidden Journey has four seats per ride vehicle and where you sit will determine how close you are to specific ride elements the far left seat will give you the full blast from the fire breathing dragon toward the beginning of the ride the middle left seat brings you closer to the spiders meaning you'll get a little more of that spray effect here the middle right seat puts you right in front of the wiing Willow and the outer right is for the bravest Souls of all since that'll be the seat closest to all the dementor action during the rid's climax so my friends Choose Wisely also head to Hagrid's motorbike Adventure immediately whether you book an express pass through through your hotel or purchase it as an add-on to your theme park tickets be aware of which rides do not offer an express pass line while all rides are free game over on the Universal Studios side you cannot use express passes on torontoon flyers or Hagrid's motorbike Adventure when you're over on the Islands of Adventure side tonon Flyers not that big a deal but hagrids is a very big deal since it's a ride that gets busy and stays busy all day long there's truly no foolproof weight to escape the lengthy Hagrid's queue but it does help to get it out of the way sooner rather than later so if hagrids is a top priority for you head there first just as soon as the park opens that way you can ride this one when the lines are at their shortest not to mention the early morning weather has a better chance of being on your side since those notorious afternoon Orlando showers will close down this ride temporarily as well as the other outdoor rides across the parks too now don't forget to listen to directions when you're at Universal most aerial carousels are pretty straightforward but one fish two fish Red Fish Blue Fish in S Landing gives you an added challenge during the ride you'll hear the words up up up or down down down so direct your ride vehicle to follow the commands or face the consequences and by consequences I mean you're going to get sprayed if you do the exact opposite of what the ride tells you which might be tempting on those super hot days and don't skip the kitty coaster I know fly to the hippogriff over in Islands of Adventure looks like a kitty coaster and really it kind of is but it's also the only place where you're going to see a full-sized animatronic of buck beak the hippogriff which makes the ride more than worth the wait if you were a big Buckbeak fan which we all should be now if you want to skip the coaster but still see this Majestic creature you can still catch a glance of buck beak toward the end of the queue but if the line for this coaster is absurdly wrong this trick doesn't really work you'll just have to keep an eye on the wait times and come back later and here's the point I know you've been waiting for not every ride between the Universal Parks is an a tier Ultra popular ride some of them are pretty easy to hop on whenever you feel like it because they can consistently have shorter weights but if you see these B tier rides suddenly Spike up to a steep 30 plus minutes which can happen during those busier Seasons you're going to want to pass them up for now since those Line times will more than likely drop later on so which rides are the ones you can typically walk onto without the massive Q headache well in Universal Studios there's Men In Black alien attack race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon the new villains con minion blast K and Cotto's twirl and hurl ET Adventure bless its heart when my favorite rides in any theme park anywhere ever and in Islands of Adventure you've got storm Force accelatron Popeye and bluos build Dr barges and pretty much all of the Seuss Landing attractions again the universal app is great to have on hand for several reasons it provides you with a digital Park map has a mobile order option for several of the Quick Service locations and gives you the daily park and Showtime hours but another feature I really like to use on this app aside from the wait time alerts we talked about earlier is a previsit feature feature you'll have the ability to Mark or heart your must do attractions just go through the rides list and tap on the little clear heart in the top left hand corner of your priority attractions once you're in the park you can access your heart list by tapping on your profile and choosing the favorites option all your must will be organized right there for you complete with their current wait times so you can figure out what to do next and another great way to use the heart feature on the universal app is to go through and Mark all the rides that you know will have no height requirements or will have height requirements that your kid meets many of the Universal rides are deemed as big kid rides so your younger kid might not meet the height requirements for several of these just yet if you want to check out each ride's height requirements go on the universal app search for the ride you're curious about and look for the height requirement icon on the rides page which looks like a little stick figure dude getting measured so what if there's a ride your kid really wants to ride but they're not quite tall enough for it yet no tippy toes allowed then they might be entitled to a height SE certificate height certificates are awarded by Universal crew members at select rides to kids who've got a little more growing to do before they can hop aboard the attraction when kids are finally tall enough to ride their most anticipated ride they can redeem these height certificates at the attraction during their next Universal visit this height certificate will then transform into a free express pass to help them and their family of up to six guests bypass the main line and get right up to the front of the attraction with little to no weight after all these kids already had to do lot of waiting just to grow and be tall enough to ride this attraction in the first place and that type of patience deserves to be rewarded okay hold on some of you parents out there might be saying to the screen right now what do I do if my kids not tall enough to ride the rides during this trip does that mean we got to skip them no you can use Rider swap Rider swap is made for families that have members who can't or don't want to ride an attraction but who also can't be left alone while everyone else goes to experience the ride Universal provides air conditioned rooms for Guardians and their children to wait in so your whole party will wait in line together one Guardian will stay back in the rider swap room with the non- Riders and everyone else will ride the attraction and then you'll tag team out the guardian who stayed behind so they can get a chance to ride immediately after they've got these cool places called family rooms you're going to love them and don't forget to watch your step one of the coolest cues in not just Islands of Adventure but possibly ever is the queue for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey which leads you through the corridors of Hogwarts but when you've been standing outside in the blinding Sun for a bit only to suddenly step into the Super dimly lit hallways of the castle your eyes might take a moment to adjust this is especially true if you're using the express pass Lane which has stairs that you're going to need to scale in semi Darkness don't feel rushed trying to speed through the queue to catch up with the person in front of you take your time and make sure you're not tripping over yourself and don't forget to appreciate the castle features along the way Jimmy Fallon's race through New York might have a cooler queue than it does a ride so don't completely pass up this queue if you have have the chance to slow down and check it out the queue for Jimmy felon was originally built to accommodate large crowds so the different waiting areas have a lot of fun stuff to explore you got giant display cases holding historic Tonight Show memorabilia you can send an interactive thank you note and if you're lucky you might be able to see live entertainment here too like the rag time gals Barber Shop quartet or hash the panda over in studio 6B you're going to learn your flying saucers name okay so this isn't really a ride hack but it makes twirl and her a little more entertaining twirl and hurl is your average aerial carousel on the universal studi side but this one's got a bit of added humor to the mix that even the adults are going to be able to laugh at each saucer has a name and a silly name at that so don't forget to read yours before boarding you may be able to ride on a saucer like Ronald ray gun old iron glop or my TIE fighter get it Star Wars humor minus the lawsuit oh and while you're going round and round try to align your saucer with the Simpsons characters you see as you pass by to make them spin you can't always guarantee which seat you get on Universal rides but if you can manage to get a seat in the front row of ET Adventure you're in for a cute surprise each ride vehicle has its very own blanket covered ET just chilling in a bicycle basket and if you're sitting in the front row you'll be able to see him peek out during the first part of the ride oh and get ready for the ride's conclusion where ET will personally say goodbye to you using your name and all okay that mechanic technically only works half the time but it's awesome when it actually does work log flume ride great struggling to get out of log flume ride not so great dudly do rits ripol Falls and Islands of Adventure is a high-speed Flume ride that's a little dated but still a lot of fun if you're into the whole water ride scene however those toin are kind of awkward to get into and out of especially for all my taller folks out there who will basically have to wrap their legs around the person in front of them which feels weird you can always try sitting as upright as possible to straighten out your legs instead of twisting them but that's still still not a super comfortable position to sit in for the next seven plus minutes the most comfortable seat which isn't saying much is probably the front one just cuz you don't have to worry about getting up in someone else's business but all in all as fun as this log flume can be you may want to skip it if you don't want to deal with the awkward struggle of getting in the ride out of the ride and figuring out what on Earth you're going to do with your legs during the ride I've said it once I'll say it again lots of rides in Universal are not superb for those who deal with motion sickness and that includes Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey that being said you're not going to want to miss out on that highly themed Hogwarts queue if you don't have to and you don't have to you can still walk through the Hogwarts Castle in all its entirety while also skipping over the main ride the queue wraps around all of the castle through the greenhouse past Dumbledore's office into the defense against the dark arts classroom all of it but before you board you can take the exit door right next to the start of the ride and avoid the main attraction completely this is something you can do for several rides actually just let a crew member know that you're just sticking with your group for moral support but you don't want to ride the ride itself then when it's time for your party to board a crew member can point you toward the chicken exit and you can go treat yourself a little theme park snack instead now I'll shut up about Forbidden Journey eventually I swear there's just a lot going on over at Hogwarts Castle I don't want you to miss out on on select evenings throughout the year Hogwarts hosts a seasonal projection show that'll run From Dusk until the park closes these shows switch up depending on when you visit so you could see the dark arts at Hogwarts Castle around the fall the magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle during the end of the year or even the standard nighttime lights at Hogwarts Castle during the summer make sure to check the universal website to see if one of these shows will be available during your upcoming visit and if you're looking for the best view of these projections Universal has said that your best experience will be during the later shows since you'll be able to see the lights more clearly plus the crowds will start dwindling down a bit by then too here's a heads up during certain times of the year Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure May close earlier than you might anticipate or one Park May close earlier than the the other which is especially true in one of the parks hosts a special event like Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios it's just important to make sure you're keeping a close eye on those park hours before your visit by checking the universal theme park calendar online and if a park is closing earlier than usual have your priority rides knocked out toward the beginning of the day so you don't end up missing out on them altogether just because you push them off until later so Revenge of the Mummy over on the universal studi side is really fun but it's intense especially for kids who are just now tall enough to ride the ride and while the coaster itself is more of a family coaster so you're not going to experience major drops or upside down Loops the prop elements in this ride are what make it feel thrilling you're Escaping The mummy's Curse after all so you know things are about to go down if your kids are kind of nervous about the ride they might feel more secure in the middle of your ride vehicle row before the ride takes off mummies do pop out at the sides in the first room it's not a huge jump scare for most but enough of one that New Riders might be super intimidated by it other intense elements you might want to take into consideration before having younger Riders try out this ride are backward launches pyrot Technics intense music and creepy crawly screen bugs want to score big on Men In Black alien attack over in Universal Studios then listen up never let go of the trigger unless your finger cramping then let it go for your own sanity the Blaster will keep firing and every 10 shots earns you 1,000 points for the highest scoring targets be on the lookout for the far away aliens popping out of the windows in the training room Frank the pug in the newspaper stand and window aliens in the crash site room oh and the green eyes peeking out of the bushes in the Ambush room and now comes the unique Blaster element on this ride the spin element shoot the exhaust ports once or twice to make folks spin out after they've spun shoot the blue of the exhaust Port next for big points without making your opponent spin focus on this for as long as you can and really rack up your score before moving on to the next scene now this next one isn't exactly a hack but it takes enough folks by surprise that it's still well worth mentioning if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express then you must purchase a parkto park ticket which grants entrance to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on the same day well yes the Hogwarts Express is a fun little ride it serves more as a transportation service between Parks so a one Park per day ticket will not allow you to get on board if you decide while you're there that you really do want to upgrade to a parkto park ticket you don't have to backtrack to the front of the park to make it happen at both train entrances inside both Wizarding World areas there's a tickets and upgrade Booth where you can add the multi Park option of course you'll have to pay the difference but this can be a convenient way to make that last minute decision note don't buy a parkto park ticket just to ride this train it's a cute little journey but definitely not worth all the extra money spent if that's the only reason you're wanting a multi-park ticket packing light is a valuable skill in general but it comes in extremely handy at the universal theme parks several popular Universal rides require you to use lockers to store your bags and other belongings standard size lockers are free and can easily fit small purses and Wands and wallets and cell phones though your loungefly mini backpack might be pushing it depending on how bulky it is if you're carrying a lot more stuff with you than one standard Locker can hold there are larger lockers available too which can fit big backpacks and multiple purses inside but these large lockers cost $2 so it's still a good idea to bring as little as possible to avoid that expense it's also a good idea to budget that $2 per ride just in case you end up with some bigger souvenirs throughout the day and need the extra storage space now I know the world is becoming more and more digitized by the second but having a physical ticket in Universal Studios may still be preferable to having a digital one after you purchase your theme park tickets on the universal website you can either print them off have them delivered to your home pick them up at the will call kiosk on the day of your visit or have the QR code sent to your email so you can scan in Via phone while the QR code option does mean you don't have to worry about carrying around a physical card copy all day which is nice many of the digital tickets do not work on the universal ride lockers so if you can't get a locker to open you're going to have to ask a nearby Universal crew member for a physical temporary Locker card that you'll return after you retrieve all your stuff that's why you'll see a lot of people around the park wearing lanyards to hold their tickets and key cards it's just easier to have them on hand when you need them to scan which is way more often than you may realize so it's not a bad idea to pick up a card wielding lanyard before your Park day too so this one can be a surprise there's a no loose items policy for Universal's most intense coasters including the Incredible Hulk Hollywood Rip Ride rocket and Jurassic world veloca coaster while lockers are available for many rides but will still allow you to keep your phone with you just as long as it's secured in your pocket during the duration of the attraction these particular coasters aren't going to let you ride if you're still holding on to your phone or anything else in fact you you must walk through a security screening with metal detectors and scanning wands before you're allowed to board the ride fortunately there are a couple of exceptions to this rule lanyards holding Express passes Etc can still be worn but must be tucked inside your shirt and apple watches are okay to have on you too since they'll be latched and secured to your wrist the whole time but phones got to go in your locker after the pre-show room leading up to the Simpson's ride you'll have the option to head toward the front row or back row of the ride vehicle if you have smaller kids in your party head toward the front row if you end up in the back and taller guests are in front of you it might be harder for those smaller guests to see what's going on one important note about Simpsons though is that this ride is definitely a stomach Turner for all you motion sick folks out there if you start to feel woozy close your eyes and if you have the choice bypass this ride Al together because it's definitely not worth doing if it's going to make you sick all day it's not a fantastic idea to wear flip-flops around a theme park in the first place RP your arches but keep it in mind that the ideaa is even worse when you're wanting to experience those humongo Universal coasters during your visit while the intense coasters do have that no loose items policy that doesn't count for Footwear and when you're taking those sharp turns and cork screws and upside down Loops there's always the potential that your flip-flop might not survive the intensity of it all if you're planning on riding these major coasters make sure you pack the right Footwear tennis shoes or sturdy Park sandals with a secure back strap above your heel could help you from having a shoe disaster later on one of the reasons RI ride rocket in Universal Studios is so unique is that you can choose your ride soundtrack it's a quick decision but you'll be able to choose your song right before you start making it up the lift Hill but if you know the secret ride hack you'll have even more song options to choose from yep there's a secret song list when you get in your seat hold down the logo on the Hollywood RI ride rocket screen for about 5 to 10 seconds this will open up a secret playlist from here you'll be able to enter a three-digit code code for one of those Ultra hidden songs there's a lot more hidden songs than you might expect but just to name some of the more popular selections there's Crocodile Rock by Elton John that's number 104 Freebird by Leonard skinnard that's 112 I Want You Back by The Jackson 5 that's 32 and of course our personal favorite Rainbow Connection by the Kermit the Frog number 902 okay this is a tip for pretty much any Thrill Ride not just the universal specific ones but it's still good to know before you get on any of those heavy duty coasters where you sit will determine how rough your ride is going to be if you're looking for a smoother coaster ride sit toward the front but if you're wanting one that cranks up the intensity sit toward the back at least if it's a forward motion coaster now the back of the coaster always gets the brunt of the acceleration after the first half of the ride vehicle goes speeding down the track causing the ride to feel faster but also a lot bumpier so if you are in a forward motion coaster and not a backward motion coaster then sitting in the front is going to be a smoother ride okay for this one we're stepping outside of the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure bubble for just a second so I can fill you in on how riding rides at Universal's volcano Bay works because those work very differently from your average theme park rides in the best possible way everybody meet the tapoo tapoo bands tapoo tapoo is an interactive bracelet that you'll be given when you enter the park which is about the size of an Apple Watch or a Disney Magic Band Plus tapu tapoo is free but it's also a required tool that you'll need to access the rides and slides you'll give it back when you leave the water park at the end of the day so here's how you use it when you arrive at a ride it'll show you the projected weit time to get in line just touch your tapoo tapoo on the totem pole where the wait time is being shown then head to the wave pool or Lazy River grab a cocktail or a bite to eat and your tapoo tapoo will alert you when it's time to ride no more waiting and ridiculously scalding water park lines so there's one ride in Islands of Adventure that you more than likely won't be allowed to ride as an adult and that's Pteranodon Flyers the Pteranodon Flyers is a glider style roller coaster that includes climing side to side swinging and sudden acceleration sounds fun right only here's the issue tanadon Flyers has a height limit so only kids who are 36 in to 56 in are allowed to ride however as an adult you may still be able to get on this one if you're accompanied by a kiddo between 36 and 48 in since they must be supervised by a compan Canon so lots of rules here but in short if you're an adult don't expect to ride this one unless you've got a kid with you who wants to ride dly do writes ripsa Falls Popeye and Bluto build rad barges and Jurassic Park River Adventure are by far some of the most drenching water rides I've ever experienced in my entire life and they're not like those typical water rides where some folks might get soaked and others remain unscathed nope everyone's a victim of the water on these rides and you will hop off them bathtubs soaked especially on Popeyes there's no escaping this can be fantastic for those super hot days in the park when you're looking to cool down anyway but not so great if you're not wanting to walk around soggy for hours or you're about to go to a sit down meal and you don't want to be dripping and freezing the entire time Islands of Adventure does have some fullbody dryers stationed in Tomb Lagoon in Jurassic Park but they cost a few dollars extra to use like around $8 however you don't have to take turns using the dryer if you don't want to if everyone's cool with getting a little snug for just a few minutes multiple people can fit into these full body dryers all at once just so you don't have to keep spending $8 for every single person okay so no let me really really emphasize this Islands of Adventures Water rides will leave you spping wet if the full body dryers don't completely get the job done or you just don't want to spend $8 to dry off it's not a bad idea to pack an extra pair of dry clothes in your Park bag so you can change into something a little less soggy later on especially socks you know that Bria thinks that soggy socks are the worst you'll also want to pack Ziploc baggies and reusable laundry bags to contain all your wet stuff and help keep the rest of the items in your Park bag dry depending on which direction you're traveling via the Hogwarts Express you're going to experience a different story so if you've got the parkto park ticket you might want to try riding this train both directions if you have time when you're traveling to diagonale You'll ride past centur and the night bus and the Weasley twins promoting their new joke shop but when you're traveling to Hogs me you'll ride past Hagrid on his flying motorbike and experience a slight dementor encounter but nothing that you're going to have to sweat over too much before you board the Hogwarts Express track down the red Phone Booth outside King's cross station at first you might think this is just a regular old prop booth that you can take pictures with but if you dial the number 62442 which is Magic you'll be able to contact a witch who works for the ministry of magic hm then again maybe you shouldn't call this number I don't know if if you're ready for all that Ministry responsibility yet are you so while Disney World only has a few single Rider lines on property Universal has several more that you can take advantage of to help you possibly bypass the thick of the ride weight times without having to pay for an express pass to do it you're just going to have to be willing to split up your party if you want to try this route you can find single Rider lines at popular attractions like escape from Green Gods Rip Ride rocket Hagrid's motorbike adventure and velocci coaster but there are others as well while single Rider isn't a foolproof solution for skipping over those massive lines it might be worth trying out if the regular queue is getting really long and you're hoping to find a potential shortcut to the front did you know that many of Universal's rides have free attraction tours this is very cool Forbidden Journey has a castle tour the Hulk has a gamma tour Revenge of the Mummy has a production tour and ET has a forest tour so many tours typically when you take one of these tours a universal team member will guide you through the attractions queue and talk about the little known facts and history behind the ride then after you finish the tour you'll almost always be asked if you want to go ahead and ride while attraction tours aren't always a guarantee you can check and see if they'll be available on the day of your visit by asking a team member at the front of the attraction definitely a cool hidden secrets so we still have so much we want to tell you about the Universal Orlando scene especially with epic Universe now on the horizon for 2025 so stay tuned for more Universal videos to come and don't forget to download our Universal Lando quick guide over at disneyfoodblog [Music]

Channel: DFBGuide

Views: 124,574

Keywords: disneyfood, disney, disney world, disneyland, disneyvideo, disneyvacation, food, disney parks, disney travel, disney tips, disney guides, disney planning, disney trip, disney how to, disney vlog, disney vlogger

Id: ikVnqHXoBx0

Length: 39min 38sec (2378 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 27 2024