Favorite Universal Rides

[hkp1042]

We are going to universal in 2 weeks. We have 3 days to spend there so will probably ride everything but I am trying to prioritize and plan a bit. Our hotel allows early admission but we are not getting express passes. I have not been to Universal in 20 years we are going squally Disney goers. What are your favorite rides and what would you prioritize?

 

[DisneyMom93]

Rides really depend on the person... and keep in mind that we do use EPs and we go for minimum five days. Everyone's circumstances are different. Some people hate the 4D rides, while others love them.

***We all love HAGRID'S and VELOCICOASTER and would definitely prioritize those two. Best rides in the parks in our opinion.

My one daughter (19) loves Rip Ride Rocket and Hulk, while the rest of us don't care for them.

Both of my daughters (17 and 19) love the Jimmy Fallon ride. They will ride that one multiple times. (I freeze on that ride. So I will only ride it once with them.)

We aren't crazy about any of the Simpson area rides, but will do the Simpsons ride once per visit.

We enjoy the Dr. Seuss rides and E.T. ride, just for nostalgia I guess. We ride those at least once per visit.

Minions is okay. It's fun, but I think we like the idea of the ride and the theme more than the actual ride itself. We ride that at least once too.

We all also ride multiple times (in order of preference maybe?):
Transformers
Spider-Man
Jurassic Park
King Kong
Gringotts
Men in Black
Mummy
Fast and Furious
Flight of the Hippogriff

And if you don't mind getting really, really wet:
Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw
Popeye and Bluto's Barges

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Hagrids is my #1 - not just here but everywhere !

Then I like MiB, Gringotts, ET, & Jurassic River Adventure the best after that.

Oh! & The Seuess Trolley, too.

 

[Skippyboo]

My favorites are The Mummy, Men in Black, Jurassic Park River Journey. VelociCoaster is good if you’re a coaster person. I would try to use early entry to do VelociCoaster or Hagrid’s (so will everyone else) if IoA has the early entry. You can also use early entry to Gringotts if Studios opens early. Take precautions if you’re prone to motion sickness, lots of screens and 3d glasses at Universal compared to Disney. Do Horror Make up show and Bourne Stunt show in the afternoon to escape the heat.

 

[hkp1042]

My favorites are The Mummy, Men in Black, Jurassic Park River Journey. VelociCoaster is good if you’re a coaster person. I would try to use early entry to do VelociCoaster or Hagrid’s (so will everyone else) if IoA has the early entry. You can also use early entry to Gringotts if Studios opens early. Take precautions if you’re prone to motion sickness, lots of screens and 3d glasses at Universal compared to Disney. Do Horror Make up show and Bourne Stunt show in the afternoon to escape the heat.

Thank you for that warning on the motion sickness. Coasters don’t bother me but sometimes the 3D stuff does.

 

[hkp1042]

Rides really depend on the person... and keep in mind that we do use EPs and we go for minimum five days. Everyone's circumstances are different. Some people hate the 4D rides, while others love them.

***We all love HAGRID'S and VELOCICOASTER and would definitely prioritize those two. Best rides in the parks in our opinion.

My one daughter (19) loves Rip Ride Rocket and Hulk, while the rest of us don't care for them.

Both of my daughters (17 and 19) love the Jimmy Fallon ride. They will ride that one multiple times. (I freeze on that ride. So I will only ride it once with them.)

We aren't crazy about any of the Simpson area rides, but will do the Simpsons ride once per visit.

We enjoy the Dr. Seuss rides and E.T. ride, just for nostalgia I guess. We ride those at least once per visit.

Minions is okay. It's fun, but I think we like the idea of the ride and the theme more than the actual ride itself. We ride that at least once too.

We all also ride multiple times (in order of preference maybe?):
Transformers
Spider-Man
Jurassic Park
King Kong
Gringotts
Men in Black
Mummy
Fast and Furious
Flight of the Hippogriff

And if you don't mind getting really, really wet:
Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw
Popeye and Bluto's Barges

Thank you, this gives me a better idea of where to start planning. My son and I love coasters but also enjoy other types of rides as well.

 

[Skywalker3]

ooh, so many fun ones!! but they can be so subjective!
Our new favorite ride is Velocicoaster. love it, very smooth, but it is intense.
Personal favorites:
MiB, we ride that over and over, and often as single riders
Mummy, Gringotts, SpiderMan,
The kids love the Simpsons ride, and kids also love Dr Doom, even though it's just a drop ride
the queue for Forbidden Journey. and FJ is so worth a ride at least once, but whew, I can't do it anymore, due to motion sickness, but I walked the queue last 2 trips, and just got out before the ride.
when kids were short, they loved Pteradon Flyers over and over
Minions is cute, makes me queasy, and should do at least once.
Hagrids....it was fun, but due to the hassle and/or long waits, we don't prioritize that one all the time, but it is totally worth it at least once. I know I'm in the minority, but I prefered the sidecar.
Shows are fun, all the HP shows are great for fans. plus Bourne, and Horror make up show
ETA I love Jurassic park river adventure, but haven't ridden in a while.

Happy planning! hope y'all have a great trip!!!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I would give everything a try except the obvious "throwaway" rides - Storm force (teacups), Dr Doom (basic drop tower), One fish Two fish (Dumbo), Caro-Seuss-el (carousel), Kang & Kodos (Dumbo).

Otherwise, give everything a try, especially if you are familiar with the source material.

Other than the above, my least favorites are Fast & Furious and Jimmy Fallon. But you may love one of those.

You may just ride at will the first 2 days, then you can figure out if you need to prioritize any missed rides and/or rerides on day 3.

 

[Kit Jackson]

In terms of planning, I would take any sensitivities into account. Different people like/can handle different rides and that's totally cool. Does anyone in your travel group have issues with motion sickness, drops, 3D simulators? Are they super into intense thrill rides or total ride cowards? Is anyone in the group into Harry Potter?

 

[DisneyMom93]

Just a minor note to add (actually it was major in my experience)…with no spoilers:

On Velocicoaster make sure your restraint is snug (not so snug you can’t breathe or press too hard against major body parts if you’re a male lol). I felt mine wasn’t snug enough and didn’t enjoy my first ride. I was too worried I was going to come out of the ride. Which I’m sure isn’t a possibility in reality but felt like it at the time. And then I was worried my daughters’ weren’t snug enough either and I just kept praying if one of us flies out let it be me.

The second time I went on I was more prepared. It was just such an amazing experience. Like the previous poster said it’s a very smooth ride! I hate ones that jerk you around.

 

[CamillaF]

I loved just wandering around the Potter worlds. Really like Hagrid it was my favorite. Also liked just wandering around Susse land. It’s was well themed. The rides were appropriate for young kids but still magical.

I can do every Disney coaster and have no issues with 3-D or 4-D at Disney. However the shear quantity of them at universal got me really sick with a bad migraine and I had to go home early.

Rip rocket and Hulk were bad for me. I like thrill rides but neither was smooth and I felt my head was bouncing around.

If I had to do it over I would limit the 3-D rides to a few a day.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Just my opinion but many have said Dr. Doom is just a drop tower but it's actually not. It's a launch tower that shoots from the ground up with a slow drop. It is a must do for us every trip. You will love it! I also agree with others, Velocicoaster is such a great ride! Honestly, everything at UO is worth a ride at least once. Have fun!

 

[cschaaf]

Velocicoaster, Hagrids, Mummy, and Men in Black are my favorites. Every trip, every day, multiple times if possible. Those are rides I'd go out of my way to get to.

Second tier would be Spiderman, Hulk, Rip Ride, Transformers, Gringotts. These are rides that, if I'm in the general area, I'm going to try to ride.

Honorable mention is Jurassic River Adventure. That's probably in tier 3, but would be tier 1 if there was no chance of getting wet.

 

[gharter]

Agree with others, Hagrid and Velocicoaster were my favorites.
Also must do rides:
Men in Black, Mummy, RRR, Jurassic River, Rapter encounter, Gringotts, harry Potter, Spiderman, Transformers, Hulk.
Many others that are fun, but not must do rides.
Also don't miss the shows on the streets, all are well worth spending time to watch.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Minion Mayhem, ET, King Kong, Forbidden Journey, Race Through New York, and Men In Black are my absolute favorite rides. Keep in mind, I am a ride coward so the thrill rides are not on my list.

I'm also a big fan of the shows.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Hagrid and Velocicoaster is by far our 2 favorite rides, we try to ride them twice per day. Then Mummy, MIB, Gringotts, Spider-man, Hulk, ET, Jurassic River and i'm sure there are more. LOL

 

[gharter]

Minion Mayhem, ET, King Kong, Forbidden Journey, Race Through New York, and Men In Black are my absolute favorite rides. Keep in mind, I am a ride coward so the thrill rides are not on my list.

I'm also a big fan of the shows.

Definitely enjoy Kong and Minions. Just not a fan of Race through New York, Fast & Furious or Simpsons. I think Simpsons was the only simulator that almost gave all of us motion sickness.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

You can probably already see the general consensus on which rides are the best but I'll echo others. Hagrid's and Velocicoaster are 1A and 1B, Hulk is great also as are the Mummy, Forbidden Journey, and Simpson's (but not for those with motion sickness issue). Most of the others are fun as well. Fast & Furious is exceptional if you want some shade and a break from enjoying yourself. Also, as KJ noted, take some time for shows particularly the Bourne Stuntacular.

 

[gharter]

Also, as KJ noted, take some time for shows particularly the Bourne Stuntacular.

Would agree. As much as I loved Terminator, this is better.

 

[hkp1042]

Just my opinion but many have said Dr. Doom is just a drop tower but it's actually not. It's a launch tower that shoots from the ground up with a slow drop. It is a must do for us every trip. You will love it! I also agree with others, Velocicoaster is such a great ride! Honestly, everything at UO is worth a ride at least once. Have fun!

Thanks! Yeah the plan is to ride everything at least once but being that it will be spring break I want to make sure we prioritize things we might enjoy most so then we can just relax and go about the day. So far Velocicoaster has me most excited.