BillSears
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2003
I'm back from my first US/IOA trip and as promised here's my write up. 
I hope anyone would feel free to use the following write-up and pictures for documenting any access information on any site.
I visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure last week and I wanted to write up some information about the wheelchair access situations I saw. As a point of reference I’ve been a T8 complete paraplegic for 31 years and I’m 49 years old. So I’m not quite as spry as I used to be.
Overall I had no harder time at US/IOA then I would at a day at WDW. The employees seemed to have no real problems with the wheelchair access except for a few small glitches. All of the lines seemed to be fully accessible and the ride vehicles seemed to be no worse and sometimes better then most amusement park rides.
I’ll break down my experiences with each ride following the order that is in the “Rider’s Guide” I was given. I don’t have complete information on all of the rides since I did skip many of them based on how interested I was.
Islands of Adventure
The Cat in the Hat:
This ride has an “ADA car”(what they seem to call the wheelchair accessible cars at Universal). I arrived and went through the normal queue, the ride was a walk on and I quickly arrived at the boarding area. The problem I ran into was staffing. It takes 2 people to secure the wheelchair in the car and only one was on duty. She called for an assistant and about 10 minutes later I was able to board. They open up the side and fold up the seat. Then you wheel in and they secure your chair tightly.
ADA Car
Regular Car
Dueling Dragons:
I decided not to try this one out. I was traveling solo and trying to save energy so I skipped the tougher transfers. Here is a picture of the test seat:
The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad:
A standard theater show where you may remain in your chair
Poseidon’s Fury:
This one surprised me I had no idea what it was. It is a walking tour inside of an ancient temple led by a guide. You walk from room to room and the wheelchair users will be directed to the front of the room by your tour guide. Overall I had no trouble with this ride and I was able to clearly see all of the action.
Jurassic Park River Adventure:
I was worried when I first saw the ride vehicle. The seats were way too low for me to transfer in and out of so when I got to the front I told the employee that I wouldn’t be able to make the transfer and asked if he could point me to the exit....but he surprised me with something amazing. They have a boat designed to transfers. They have a seat that raises and lowers:
Then once the seat is in the up position they move a transfer bench into place.
Overall this was very easy access for me.
Incredible Hulk Coaster:
Another ride I skipped but I did take a picture of the test seat:
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall:
Another ride I skipped but I did take a picture of the test seat:
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman:
The line was mainstreamed except at the very end. At the end of the line you have a choice to go up a ramp in one lane and up some steps in another. I’d advise using the ramp. The ride vehicle was a very easy transfer. I even came back here at the end of the day to ride again and even though I was tired it was still a very easy transfer. They will take your wheelchair from the entrance to the exit and it should be waiting for you there. I asked the employee at the exit to wheel it over to the car and there were no problems.
Spiderman ride vehicle:
Universal Studios
Shrek 4-D
A 3-D movie where you may remain in your chair. The wheelchair seating was in the center area of the theater instead of Disney’s normal back row. The standard seats move but the wheelchair seating area is stable.
Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast.
They have an area right in front of the ride vehicles for those who wish to remain in their chairs or who want to avoid the motion. For others you could transfer int a vehicle.
Jimmy’s vehicle:
Twister...Ride it Out.
This is a nice walk through attraction. Wheelchair users will be in the front row and I was able to see everything up close.
Revenge of the Mummy
I’d say this ride is similar to Dinosaur in WDW for transfers and smoothness(or lack of). I was able to transfer over into the car with no real problems but it’s a tougher transfer then some of the easy ones like Spiderman.
Mummy ride vehicle:
Earthquake
In this one they strap your manual wheelchair into a subway car then toss the whole thing around. They strap your chair in VERY VERY tightly and considering how the subway car is tossed about I’m glad they did.
Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue
A standard theater show. They have seating in the middle level for wheelchair users.
Jaws
They have a spot in the back of some of the boats where they will tie down your manual chair. It was a fairly smooth ride overall.
Men in Black, Alien Attack
They had an interesting system here. It’s a 2 part process. On the first part you roll into the “docking vehicle” and they strap you down tight. Then they raise that vehicle up out of it’s recessed area and you’re now on a wheeled platform. When the accessible ride vehicle arrives they roll your platform onto the vehicle and secure it. The only problem I had was the gun cord wasn’t long enough for me to get full range of motion with my right hand holding the gun. Other then that it was a fun ride. As a warning there are a lot of quick spins on this one.
Docking vehicle:
E.T. Adventure
There is a ride vehicle that they will strap your wheelchair into and allow you to ride without transferring. It’s a nice smooth ride.
Ride vehicle as you enter:
Exit side of vehicle:
Universal Horror Make-Up Show
A standard theater show. They have seating in the middle level for wheelchair users.
Terminator 2:3-D
A great 3-D/live action show with seating in the center row of the theater.
The Simpson’s Ride
I didn’t get a picture of the vehicle so I’ll try to describe it. It’s 2 rows and holds 4 people in each row. The vehicle sits on the floor and I transferred to the side of the vehicle and then down onto the seat. It wasn’t a really easy transfer but it was a tough transfer in or out.
I hope anyone would feel free to use the following write-up and pictures for documenting any access information on any site.
I visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure last week and I wanted to write up some information about the wheelchair access situations I saw. As a point of reference I’ve been a T8 complete paraplegic for 31 years and I’m 49 years old. So I’m not quite as spry as I used to be.
Overall I had no harder time at US/IOA then I would at a day at WDW. The employees seemed to have no real problems with the wheelchair access except for a few small glitches. All of the lines seemed to be fully accessible and the ride vehicles seemed to be no worse and sometimes better then most amusement park rides.
I’ll break down my experiences with each ride following the order that is in the “Rider’s Guide” I was given. I don’t have complete information on all of the rides since I did skip many of them based on how interested I was.
Islands of Adventure
The Cat in the Hat:
This ride has an “ADA car”(what they seem to call the wheelchair accessible cars at Universal). I arrived and went through the normal queue, the ride was a walk on and I quickly arrived at the boarding area. The problem I ran into was staffing. It takes 2 people to secure the wheelchair in the car and only one was on duty. She called for an assistant and about 10 minutes later I was able to board. They open up the side and fold up the seat. Then you wheel in and they secure your chair tightly.
ADA Car
Regular Car
Dueling Dragons:
I decided not to try this one out. I was traveling solo and trying to save energy so I skipped the tougher transfers. Here is a picture of the test seat:
The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad:
A standard theater show where you may remain in your chair
Poseidon’s Fury:
This one surprised me I had no idea what it was. It is a walking tour inside of an ancient temple led by a guide. You walk from room to room and the wheelchair users will be directed to the front of the room by your tour guide. Overall I had no trouble with this ride and I was able to clearly see all of the action.
Jurassic Park River Adventure:
I was worried when I first saw the ride vehicle. The seats were way too low for me to transfer in and out of so when I got to the front I told the employee that I wouldn’t be able to make the transfer and asked if he could point me to the exit....but he surprised me with something amazing. They have a boat designed to transfers. They have a seat that raises and lowers:
Then once the seat is in the up position they move a transfer bench into place.
Overall this was very easy access for me.
Incredible Hulk Coaster:
Another ride I skipped but I did take a picture of the test seat:
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall:
Another ride I skipped but I did take a picture of the test seat:
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman:
The line was mainstreamed except at the very end. At the end of the line you have a choice to go up a ramp in one lane and up some steps in another. I’d advise using the ramp. The ride vehicle was a very easy transfer. I even came back here at the end of the day to ride again and even though I was tired it was still a very easy transfer. They will take your wheelchair from the entrance to the exit and it should be waiting for you there. I asked the employee at the exit to wheel it over to the car and there were no problems.
Spiderman ride vehicle:
Universal Studios
Shrek 4-D
A 3-D movie where you may remain in your chair. The wheelchair seating was in the center area of the theater instead of Disney’s normal back row. The standard seats move but the wheelchair seating area is stable.
Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast.
They have an area right in front of the ride vehicles for those who wish to remain in their chairs or who want to avoid the motion. For others you could transfer int a vehicle.
Jimmy’s vehicle:
Twister...Ride it Out.
This is a nice walk through attraction. Wheelchair users will be in the front row and I was able to see everything up close.
Revenge of the Mummy
I’d say this ride is similar to Dinosaur in WDW for transfers and smoothness(or lack of). I was able to transfer over into the car with no real problems but it’s a tougher transfer then some of the easy ones like Spiderman.
Mummy ride vehicle:
Earthquake
In this one they strap your manual wheelchair into a subway car then toss the whole thing around. They strap your chair in VERY VERY tightly and considering how the subway car is tossed about I’m glad they did.
Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue
A standard theater show. They have seating in the middle level for wheelchair users.
Jaws
They have a spot in the back of some of the boats where they will tie down your manual chair. It was a fairly smooth ride overall.
Men in Black, Alien Attack
They had an interesting system here. It’s a 2 part process. On the first part you roll into the “docking vehicle” and they strap you down tight. Then they raise that vehicle up out of it’s recessed area and you’re now on a wheeled platform. When the accessible ride vehicle arrives they roll your platform onto the vehicle and secure it. The only problem I had was the gun cord wasn’t long enough for me to get full range of motion with my right hand holding the gun. Other then that it was a fun ride. As a warning there are a lot of quick spins on this one.
Docking vehicle:
E.T. Adventure
There is a ride vehicle that they will strap your wheelchair into and allow you to ride without transferring. It’s a nice smooth ride.
Ride vehicle as you enter:
Exit side of vehicle:
Universal Horror Make-Up Show
A standard theater show. They have seating in the middle level for wheelchair users.
Terminator 2:3-D
A great 3-D/live action show with seating in the center row of the theater.
The Simpson’s Ride
I didn’t get a picture of the vehicle so I’ll try to describe it. It’s 2 rows and holds 4 people in each row. The vehicle sits on the floor and I transferred to the side of the vehicle and then down onto the seat. It wasn’t a really easy transfer but it was a tough transfer in or out.
Chicken! 
) but Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls has one log with one seat similar to this. The attendant can raise it for access, then lower it for the actual ride. It's the back seat (of two? three? it's been a while since I've been there). And Popeye & Bluto Bilge Rat Barges would likely be accessible in similar fashion to Kali River Rapids.
