coasterbilly

USF Monday 7/26 We arrive at USF on Monday at 12:15 after sleeping in again. Our first order of business for the day is Twister! Twister At 12:40 we hop inline and wait 35 minutes to go on. The que here is actually very nice featuring some props from the movie itself and lots of cooling fans, and the line moved quickly so it was nice. The first intro room shows the making of the movie and then it tells us how we are about to witness a tornado. We walk into the room and we stand on the 2nd riser of the 3 available. It was a neat experience, very loud with some neat effects, especially with the cow flying by you, not a bad way to start off the day. 6/10. Next we baked outside while watching the comical Ghostbuster show. It’s a show where Beetlejuice takes over there minds and gets them to do anything he commands. It was a surprisingly funny show, I applaud the actors for making the quick changes in pace and the different acting sequences, it was pretty entertaining. 7/10 We quickly move over past Mummy and catch the Blues Brothers Show because my dad is a huge fan and I myself like the movie a lot. The actors did a great job on the impressions of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, even Elwood (Akroyd’s actor) at the end did a great impression of his famous line “We’re on a mission from God†8/10. Then yet another show was up next, (my dad loves them) called Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue. It was basically a show with villains (wolfman, Frankenstein, etc.) singing today’s hit songs, it had a very cool set too. 6/10. Finally is was time to move on to a ride, and the next choice was JAWS. Jaws We waited 25 minutes for the 4th row on the boat. This que had some nice theming to it, although the only problem was it was hot and had no misters like Twister had. It was cool having a real person as our tour guide (even though the boat is on a track under the water). Of course I sat on the side where Jaws came up every time and got a little wet, which was neat. There were some cool effects used, especially the explosion that felt like it melted my face off, and of course when Jaws came at us. 7/10. Next we ate a little dinner at 5:00. We parked it at the International Film and Food Cuisine where I had an awesome Chicken Parmesan and pasta dinner. The parks were surprising me with how good the food has been so far. After eating and cooling off, we headed for MIB Alien Attack. Men in Black Alien Attack Right after we get inline the sky becomes black and it started to downpour like crazy outside, but thank god the outside que was covered so we didn’t get wet. The inside part of the line is very neat, introducing you to the storyline of why we were there. We are trainees searching for a spot on the MIB squad. They show the worms, the actual center that is seen in the movies, and other sections, it was very cool. Then we sit down in our car that holds 4 people. It was a 55 minute wait for a pretty fun experience. I thought this was going to be more like Scooby Doo @ PKI, PKD, and PC with the targets, but I was wrong not realizing you had to fire at will at the aliens. So hitting the target on the other car actually helped me a little bit, but getting a 28,275 was kind of embarrassing, but now I know what to do, so hopefully I would have better luck next time. But inside the monsters were great, and everything was well placed. 8/10. It was still raining, but not as hard, so my dad and myself decided to go on Back to the Future, which we Expressed earlier in the day with our Flextickets. Back to the Future There was no wait for this on the Express line so we got on easily. This is hands down one of the best simulators I’ve been on. It had a great storyline of returning the car to the lab after being stolen by one of the lab workers that turns evil. This simulator moves a lot which made it great, very cool ride. 8/10. Next me and my dad yet again went to E.T since no one else in our family wanted to. E.T We walked onto this also thanks to the drizzling rain outside (which must’ve chased many people out of the park). First off, I love thrills to death, but I also love a good family ride, and this one is definitely the perfect family attraction. We walk into a room and find out the storyline again, that we have to return E.T to his home planet to heal his sick friends. Then we get our passports and walk into the best themed room of the ride, and one of the best in USF where we wait a little bit and get on the ride. We ride in the back of the bicycle themed cars, and the theming and scenery for this is amazing, just a great ride with some moments of escaping the cops and happy moments with E.T’s friends. I give it a 10/10 for being great for the family and for the whole experience. And finally, the moment probably all of you have been waiting for in this TR (and I was the entire day)…Revenge of the Mummy! Revenge of the Mummy We hopped inline at 8:50 at night and waiting 60 minutes to ride. The first parts of the line were just stuck in rooms and put photos up, but as you get deeper into the line itself, it becomes heavily themed and very very cool. Lots of things to look at and keep you occupied. We finally get up to the station and I loved to see the duel station being used here, definitely a plus. We got into our car in the 3rd row, we pulled down our restraint which made me think of the Chiller restraints at home (GAdv) except we had more leg space here. The first room is great. The mummy’s face appears and tells us we are going to die (what else is new lol). So, we slowly move ahead and statues appear on the sides and fire just explodes up making the room get a little toasty. Next we start picking up speed as we make a quick downward drop to the right and turn left fastly approaching a wall, then a quick stop. Next we see a projection of beetles start coming out of the cracks and slowly start to surround us, right away we launch slowly backwards dropping into another room and stopping again. We came onto a turntable to face us in another direction, then we started traveling up a hill. I’m telling you now, I know this thing launched, but not this fast and intense, it felt like Hulk lol. But the best part was flying over the top of that hill which delivered some insane ejector airtime!!! Man it was great. This room we were obviously in the coaster part where we did a lot of twists and overbanked turns with the mummy’s face projected in different areas. Then we suddenly stop and everyone thinks the ride is over. Then you hear the Mummy’s voice come onto the loud speaker and say “this is only the beginning†and then you launch forward again into complete mist into a few more turns and finally hit the breaks where Brendan Frasier welcomes us back. I loved this ride, so cool and some amazing high tech parts, hands down the best ride at Universal Studios. 10/10. After Mummy it was 10:20, so we left USF after a great first day there. USF Friday 7/30 Well a few days after our first visit we squeezed in a few hours here and at IoA today, and what a tiring day it was, but some more great rides were in store. We arrived at 11:00 and rushed to Shrek 4D, but it already had a 90 minute wait, so we ditched it and never got on it at all. So, my dad asks me what we should do and I immediately said Terminator 2 3D. T2: 3D More great theming in the waiting area of this attraction. It was only a 20 minute wait for this awesome 3D show. The lady in the beginning was priceless, acting all ditzy and making a fool out of herself using the words “super†and “okey dokeyâ€Â, which made so many people laugh and make fun of her, she must be getting paid a lot of money for this job lol. We enter the huge theatre with the Robots towards the sides and a huge screen in front of us. She introduced us in the other room to Cyber Corp (if I remember correctly, correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t write it down) and she came with us into the other room and shows us the new technology robots that were created. then the 2 people trying to put an end to the company try to take her hostage and then gunfire starts all over the place, then it’s 3D time! Obviously Arnold comes in and the adventure begins. This is hands down the best 3D show anywhere on the planet, a great storyline, the live actors, and the great 3D effects especially with the spider. This owned everything I’ve seen before this that was in 3D. 10/10. We then caught the Animal Planet show which was fun, but it could’ve involved more animals though. 6/10. Then the whole family decided to come on E.T this time and all loved it like my dad and I had the night before. Next up was MIB again to try and redeem myself, but of course I get screwed with a totally messed up gun, it said I missed every target and then gave me random points when I didn’t even shoot it, and in the end I got a 25,925, I just can’t win with this ride lol. For MIB we waited 15 minutes thanks to the single rider line. Well, next up was Earthquake at 2:30. Earthquake We waited 20 minutes for this, I liked the 3 pre-show entertainment sections, which kept us occupied, it basically showed us how they use little models to make the big ships, for example the movie U571, and other stuff like that. The ride itself was cool, kind of like Twister except we were in the subway. Cool effects with the truck, the rushing water, and the other train busting through the other wall. 7/10. Next me and my sister got out of the group to get a final ride on Mummy using single rider line and waited 30 minutes. I got the front this time and had a much better experience for some reason. We actually got wet while launching backwards this time, I felt even more ejector air at the top of that hill, and the mist really soaked me this time, kick ass ride. I bought a Mummy shirt after getting off. Then at 4:00 we watched the Jet Ski show where I got drenched because one of them turned around and doused the crowd, some cool stunts involved too. 8/10. Well it was time to go into IoA now, so we left USF at 4:30 for a great last day. USF 10/10. Another amazing place to go here in Orlando. This obviously was here before IoA and still stands tall. It was very cool just using regular streets as the walk paths and having the street signs. Also just using random buildings to fill in space to make it look like NYC. Also having the rides inside (except JAWS) really made it better incase of rain for example, the time we were on MIB, it worked out great. The food is great here, some good shows, the Mummy and Terminator are the best here, and just something for everyone to enjoy. I really plan on going back in the future to see how it’s doing and to go on the Mummy again. I’ll never forget the memories of this place, just like IoA, forget Disney and come here instead, it’s even better. You do as exactly the slogan of USF says “Ride the movies†and we sure did.

nice trip report, very nice and detailed, i enjoyed it, thanks! SFKK looks pretty cool, Chang looks like a very good standup, and sounds like it is from your report, might decide to go there sometime in the future.

it is, actually a lot of people prefer Fire, but Ice just used the castle with the cobra roll and had a better layout.

Disney is really good, but Universal and IoA are amazing, after visiting those 2 parks, i've forgotten about Disney. But back on topic, i'm really liking this concept, can't wait to see how it is when it opens!

i think a new movie in AT would be all we see, i really don't see anything else besides the biggy in IJ.

not a bad idea, it would bring in lots of people i bet, i think you should call up PKI and ask.

lol that is something all of us would love i bet. I didn't see the show, what was featured in it?

Well it was time to finally hit USF after all the years i've been to Florida. We did Disney the last 2 times we were down here, so it was time to see if Universal took to down, i was ready for a different kind of day. It wasn't going to be a day of coasters, but thrills of all kinds. USF Monday 7/26 We arrive at USF on Monday at 12:15 after sleeping in again. Our first order of business for the day is Twister! Twister At 12:40 we hop inline and wait 35 minutes to go on. The que here is actually very nice featuring some props from the movie itself and lots of cooling fans, and the line moved quickly so it was nice. The first intro room shows the making of the movie and then it tells us how we are about to witness a tornado. We walk into the room and we stand on the 2nd riser of the 3 available. It was a neat experience, very loud with some neat effects, especially with the cow flying by you, not a bad way to start off the day. 6/10. Next we baked outside while watching the comical Ghostbuster show. It’s a show where Beetlejuice takes over there minds and gets them to do anything he commands. It was a surprisingly funny show, I applaud the actors for making the quick changes in pace and the different acting sequences, it was pretty entertaining. 7/10 We quickly move over past Mummy and catch the Blues Brothers Show because my dad is a huge fan and I myself like the movie a lot. The actors did a great job on the impressions of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, even Elwood (Akroyd’s actor) at the end did a great impression of his famous line “We’re on a mission from God†8/10. Then yet another show was up next, (my dad loves them) called Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue. It was basically a show with villains (wolfman, Frankenstein, etc.) singing today’s hit songs, it had a very cool set too. 6/10. Finally is was time to move on to a ride, and the next choice was JAWS. Jaws We waited 25 minutes for the 4th row on the boat. This que had some nice theming to it, although the only problem was it was hot and had no misters like Twister had. It was cool having a real person as our tour guide (even though the boat is on a track under the water). Of course I sat on the side where Jaws came up every time and got a little wet, which was neat. There were some cool effects used, especially the explosion that felt like it melted my face off, and of course when Jaws came at us. 7/10. Next we ate a little dinner at 5:00. We parked it at the International Film and Food Cuisine where I had an awesome Chicken Parmesan and pasta dinner. The parks were surprising me with how good the food has been so far. After eating and cooling off, we headed for MIB Alien Attack. Men in Black Alien Attack Right after we get inline the sky becomes black and it started to downpour like crazy outside, but thank god the outside que was covered so we didn’t get wet. The inside part of the line is very neat, introducing you to the storyline of why we were there. We are trainees searching for a spot on the MIB squad. They show the worms, the actual center that is seen in the movies, and other sections, it was very cool. Then we sit down in our car that holds 4 people. It was a 55 minute wait for a pretty fun experience. I thought this was going to be more like Scooby Doo @ PKI, PKD, and PC with the targets, but I was wrong not realizing you had to fire at will at the aliens. So hitting the target on the other car actually helped me a little bit, but getting a 28,275 was kind of embarrassing, but now I know what to do, so hopefully I would have better luck next time. But inside the monsters were great, and everything was well placed. 8/10. It was still raining, but not as hard, so my dad and myself decided to go on Back to the Future, which we Expressed earlier in the day with our Flextickets. Back to the Future There was no wait for this on the Express line so we got on easily. This is hands down one of the best simulators I’ve been on. It had a great storyline of returning the car to the lab after being stolen by one of the lab workers that turns evil. This simulator moves a lot which made it great, very cool ride. 8/10. Next me and my dad yet again went to E.T since no one else in our family wanted to. E.T We walked onto this also thanks to the drizzling rain outside (which must’ve chased many people out of the park). First off, I love thrills to death, but I also love a good family ride, and this one is definitely the perfect family attraction. We walk into a room and find out the storyline again, that we have to return E.T to his home planet to heal his sick friends. Then we get our passports and walk into the best themed room of the ride, and one of the best in USF where we wait a little bit and get on the ride. We ride in the back of the bicycle themed cars, and the theming and scenery for this is amazing, just a great ride with some moments of escaping the cops and happy moments with E.T’s friends. I give it a 10/10 for being great for the family and for the whole experience. And finally, the moment probably all of you have been waiting for in this TR (and I was the entire day)…Revenge of the Mummy! Revenge of the Mummy We hopped inline at 8:50 at night and waiting 60 minutes to ride. The first parts of the line were just stuck in rooms and put photos up, but as you get deeper into the line itself, it becomes heavily themed and very very cool. Lots of things to look at and keep you occupied. We finally get up to the station and I loved to see the duel station being used here, definitely a plus. We got into our car in the 3rd row, we pulled down our restraint which made me think of the Chiller restraints at home (GAdv) except we had more leg space here. The first room is great. The mummy’s face appears and tells us we are going to die (what else is new lol). So, we slowly move ahead and statues appear on the sides and fire just explodes up making the room get a little toasty. Next we start picking up speed as we make a quick downward drop to the right and turn left fastly approaching a wall, then a quick stop. Next we see a projection of beetles start coming out of the cracks and slowly start to surround us, right away we launch slowly backwards dropping into another room and stopping again. We came onto a turntable to face us in another direction, then we started traveling up a hill. I’m telling you now, I know this thing launched, but not this fast and intense, it felt like Hulk lol. But the best part was flying over the top of that hill which delivered some insane ejector airtime!!! Man it was great. This room we were obviously in the coaster part where we did a lot of twists and overbanked turns with the mummy’s face projected in different areas. Then we suddenly stop and everyone thinks the ride is over. Then you hear the Mummy’s voice come onto the loud speaker and say “this is only the beginning†and then you launch forward again into complete mist into a few more turns and finally hit the breaks where Brendan Frasier welcomes us back. I loved this ride, so cool and some amazing high tech parts, hands down the best ride at Universal Studios. 10/10. After Mummy it was 10:20, so we left USF after a great first day there. USF Friday 7/30 Well a few days after our first visit we squeezed in a few hours here and at IoA today, and what a tiring day it was, but some more great rides were in store. We arrived at 11:00 and rushed to Shrek 4D, but it already had a 90 minute wait, so we ditched it and never got on it at all. So, my dad asks me what we should do and I immediately said Terminator 2 3D. T2: 3D More great theming in the waiting area of this attraction. It was only a 20 minute wait for this awesome 3D show. The lady in the beginning was priceless, acting all ditzy and making a fool out of herself using the words “super†and “okey dokeyâ€, which made so many people laugh and make fun of her, she must be getting paid a lot of money for this job lol. We enter the huge theatre with the Robots towards the sides and a huge screen in front of us. She introduced us in the other room to Cyber Corp (if I remember correctly, correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t write it down) and she came with us into the other room and shows us the new technology robots that were created. then the 2 people trying to put an end to the company try to take her hostage and then gunfire starts all over the place, then it’s 3D time! Obviously Arnold comes in and the adventure begins. This is hands down the best 3D show anywhere on the planet, a great storyline, the live actors, and the great 3D effects especially with the spider. This owned everything I’ve seen before this that was in 3D. 10/10. We then caught the Animal Planet show which was fun, but it could’ve involved more animals though. 6/10. Then the whole family decided to come on E.T this time and all loved it like my dad and I had the night before. Next up was MIB again to try and redeem myself, but of course I get screwed with a totally messed up gun, it said I missed every target and then gave me random points when I didn’t even shoot it, and in the end I got a 25,925, I just can’t win with this ride lol. For MIB we waited 15 minutes thanks to the single rider line. Well, next up was Earthquake at 2:30. Earthquake We waited 20 minutes for this, I liked the 3 pre-show entertainment sections, which kept us occupied, it basically showed us how they use little models to make the big ships, for example the movie U571, and other stuff like that. The ride itself was cool, kind of like Twister except we were in the subway. Cool effects with the truck, the rushing water, and the other train busting through the other wall. 7/10. Next me and my sister got out of the group to get a final ride on Mummy using single rider line and waited 30 minutes. I got the front this time and had a much better experience for some reason. We actually got wet while launching backwards this time, I felt even more ejector air at the top of that hill, and the mist really soaked me this time, kick "bottom" ride. I bought a Mummy shirt after getting off. Then at 4:00 we watched the Jet Ski show where I got drenched because one of them turned around and doused the crowd, some cool stunts involved too. 8/10. Well it was time to go into IoA now, so we left USF at 4:30 for a great last day. USF 10/10. Another amazing place to go here in Orlando. This obviously was here before IoA and still stands tall. It was very cool just using regular streets as the walk paths and having the street signs. Also just using random buildings to fill in space to make it look like NYC. Also having the rides inside (except JAWS) really made it better incase of rain for example, the time we were on MIB, it worked out great. The food is great here, some good shows, the Mummy and Terminator are the best here, and just something for everyone to enjoy. I really plan on going back in the future to see how it’s doing and to go on the Mummy again. I’ll never forget the memories of this place, just like IoA, forget Disney and come here instead, it’s even better. You do as exactly the slogan of USF says “Ride the movies†and we sure did.

thanks a bunch for the replies you guys. And to answer that question, i rode Fire in the front also at the same time i rode Ice a few days earlier, i just didn't get that much out of Fire, Ice's overbank and the cobra roll were spectacular. I did visit other parks, TR's are coming for those, just be patient, USF is up now.

the suspense begins...

hey it's 10:00, isn't the PKI announcement at 10? Or am i wrong, bring us back information today everyone!!!

Reptar

PKI is the best (i've been to 3) because it's big, beautiful, and has The Beast!

PGA totally because it only has one, at least PKI, PC, and PKD have more then one.

Hello all!!! I have finally returned from my 2 week vacation to Florida! I had a very good time, the weather was fair only having 3 periods of rain. My format for my trips is I’ll do one big topic on each park and just write reports for the days I visited. So this way obviously it’s not in the order of my vacation schedule because we spread out the days. I’ll put the dates on so you can follow along which days I went where, but I’m doing it this way so I don’t take up space. So, if you guys want to read my vacation in day to day order, just skip around to each topic and read the right days if you want. Well it’s time to start my long, detailed, but awesome trip reports, I’ll start out with my new favorite park: Islands of Adventure! IoA Day 1, Thursday 7/22 We arrived after 1 ½ days of driving on Thursday at 3:30 PM. My parents decided to head into IoA to buy our Orlando Flexticket. Since my family contains 5 people, we spent over 1,000 dollars on the tickets, but it was well worth it. With this deal, you had unlimited visits to IoA, USF, WnW, SWO, and BGT for 2 weeks. We got the tickets and we decided to actually head into IoA for around 3 hours. Somehow we wound up at Hulk’s entrance, so we go in line at 4:30. We waited 30 minutes for row 2, I love the outside seat because I think it gives the best experience, so I sat on the very right for our first coaster of the vacation. Riding with me this ride and for every coaster and almost every ride was my sister Beth, and my dad Dave. I’m not going into detail about Hulk this time because I have to tell you, I was not impressed by this ride. It felt like another regular coaster ride. But, as I walked down the exit ramp, I realized how tired and worn out I was from the 2 days of driving, so I didn’t rank it until I rode it again. So, then we ate at the Café 4 at Marvel Superhero Island where we ate pizza and Breadsticks, yummy. After that, we were all tired so we left IoA for our villa at 6:30. We’d be back tomorrow. IoA Day 2, Friday 7/23 We slept in this morning, which felt really good. We left for IoA and arrived at 11:30. All we did was stroll through the Port of Entry, Suess Landing, and a part of the Lost Continent. Since we were right there, and it was time, we hit the 8th Voyage of Sinbad show at 1:15. 8th Voyage of Sinbad I must say this was a great show, 2nd best on the vacation. The stunts were good, there were some funny parts, and some pretty good acting. I enjoyed it a lot. 9/10. While watching the show I always stared at DD-Fire fly over it’s second immelman, so we headed to Dueling Dragons after the show concluded. It was 1:45 when we got in line. Dueling Dragons- Fire We waited 25 minutes for Fire. This que is amazing, it’s like a hike getting into the castle, but it was neat. Then the castle itself is air conditioned (bonus!) and it was greatly themed, especially the room with the frozen knight and horse hanging above you, everything was just well done by IoA on this ride. Plus the station was cool, dimming the lights and having red lights on one side signaling the fire side and the blue lights obviously for Ice. Well we slipped into row 2 this time once again with me sitting on the very left this time. We sat in the usual comfy B&M seats. This is a good ride, the layout is very good, but there were negatives which brings the rankings down. The first thing is, it didn’t duel when we rode, which stunk. Second, the immelman’s hurt, they were pretty rough. Everything else was pretty good, but not spectacular. I give it a 7/10. Afterwards, I bought a cool DD shirt, then it was on to Flying Unicorn. Flying Unicorn It was a 15 minute wait for row 3. I enjoyed this, it was a nice family coaster with nice speed and banking. One of the better family coasters out there, plus the train was also cool looking. 7/10. Next, I was sweating. So I led my family into the Jurassic Park section and us 3 thrill riders got in line for the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Jurassic Park River Adventure So far the longest wait of the day (40 minutes). We sat in row 3 of the boat. What a cool ride, I love how we just floated along the river slowly but surely seeing different dinosaurs, then entering into the building with the crate holding the raptor almost falling on your head was a neat effect. Then facing the T-Rex at the end and plunging down the hill was awesome, I actually expected to go up, but we went down instead, very neat. The only negative was I didn’t get that wet, but it is definitely my new favorite big flume ride. 9/10 Next we went and saw Mat Hoffman’s Crazy Freakin’ Stunt Show for my brother. It was good, some cool stunts, but not spectacular and they could’ve put more in it. 6/10. My stomach started rumbling so we made our way over to the Comic Strip Café at 5:30 for a bite to eat. I had some very tasty tacos and a refreshing Coke. Quickly after, we wanted to get wet again before it got dark, so we headed across Toon Lagoon to Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges. Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges Now this had the longest wait being 50 minutes, but it was worth every second because I actually got pretty wet on this ride. I loved the theming, from the que line, to the ride itself, and it was long, which was a definite plus. I noticed that past raft rides I’ve ridden, they’ve all been short, but this one lasted a while, and everyone got wet, it was great. Probably on of the best I’ve been on. 9/10. Since we weren’t heading into Marvel Superhero Island tonight, my sister and I decided to race back to DD to get an evening ride in. My parents and bro strolled around and would meet us in Seuss Landing after we rode, so we took off. Dueling Dragons- Ice At 8:15 we got to DD and walked right into the station. Since we rode Fire earlier in the day, we decided to get on Ice in the front to see if this was any better then it’s rival Fire. It was a 15 minute wait for the front, not bad at all. This ride is so much better then Fire, we dueled this time, it was dusk outside, so you could see a little bit, and it just delivered a very good experience. The dueling sensation was awesome, and sitting in the front seat did it bigtime. I also enjoyed Ice’s layout better, the overbank was great at the beginning, the zero g under Fire was very cool, the near miss with the castle into the cobra roll was spectacular, and of course the loop against Fire was outstanding. Then the corkscrew of course, and a neat S-Curve into the brakes ended a great ride. Definitely takes down Fire, great last coaster ride of the day. 9/10. Right after this, we headed to the meeting spot at Seuss Landing to meet with the rest of our group. Our mom joined the thrill group for a ride on the Cat in the Hat! Cat in the Hat With only a 5 minute wait, this was very enjoyable. It’s a fun indoor kiddie/family ride following the story of the Cat in the Hat. Nice job on the characters and you were able to hear what was being said, the spinning sections also added, a great ride for the family. 8/10. Next Scott (my bro) joined us for the Caro-Seussel. Caro-Seussel Just you common carousel ride, but nicely themed. You rode on Seuss critters and they all had a lever or something to push that either made there head bob up and down, make there tongue stick out, ears wiggle, or something, it just added to the fune, nice relaxing ride. 7/10. It was 9:30, so we left IoA. I picked up a Root Beer float at Cinnabon at City Walk. We officially left at 10:00. What an amazing day. Can’t wait to come back next week. IoA Day 3, Friday 7/30 It was our last day at Universal, we went to the Studios earlier in the day, then came back to IoA at 5:00. This time we hit Marvel Superhero Island first. My sister and I decided to go on Dr. Doom at 5:30 before dinner. Dr. Doom’s Fearfall We waited 20 minutes in the yet again themed que, IoA owns all parks in theming, no other place compares. This is an S&S Tower where both sides launched up, no Turbo side on this. I love how you start inside, so you can’t see anything on the outside. It was another cool storyline, we (the riders) were being used by Dr. Doom to give him more fear so he could take down the Fantastic 4. As we ascended a few inches you heard him talking, so he said “Now get prepared to be terrorized!†So right after he says it we launch up and everything suddenly appears before us. The airtime on this was amazing, it just never ended until we hit the ground again minutes later. My new favorite S&S Tower. 9/10. Next, it was time for dinner. So we met up with my mom and dad in Captain America’s Diner and had some amazingly juicy cheeseburgers, they were very good. Meanwhile, my bro was back at the Mat Hoffman show again, so once we finished our meal, he returned, so he still had to eat. Taking advantage of the time, my dad and I went across the street to Spiderman! Amazing Adventures of Spiderman To save time and not wait 90 minutes to ride, we hopped into the Single Rider line. So we only waited a nice 10 minutes for one hell of an experience. I sat in the front right with people I obviously didn’t know and they had young kids, so I heard a lot of screaming during the ride. Yet another great story, we were news reporters wandering the city. So Spiderman jumps onto our car and tells us it’s going to be extremely dangerous. Then we find ourselves inside a warehouse where all of Spiderman’s villains are, and they all do something to us. Then as we run away the fighting begins and the 3D effects take off, it’s just amazing. I loved it was Doc Ock puts on of his steel arms and the claw opens right by your face, and heat comes out of a vent in front of you, just a cool effect. Traveling up the buildings was cool too, and of course in the end Spiderman defeats the villains and the ride is over. Spectacular, everyone said it was amazing, and it totally is, great 3D effects, and it was cool moving along the track. Best moving 3D ride on the planet. 10/10. Next we had to try out Dudley Do-Right because it just looked totally insane. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls Only waited 10 minutes for this. Yet more nice theming to keep you somewhat occupied while waiting. I sat in the front of our log, then my dad sat behind me with my sis behind him. What an awesome log flume, hands down the best with the theming and yet again it was long. I actually got drenched on the very first mini drop. But of course it was the big drop that owned on this ride. Flying down underneath the house, then flying up over a bunny hill with water spraying at you on both sides, then landing down for a splash. I was totally soaked, nothing on me was dry, hands down the best water ride at IoA. 10/10. Well now it was 7:30 and we wanted to dry off a little bit, so we figured DD would help us out with that, so we went back to DD to ride Fire in the front to see if it’d be any better. We waited 40 minutes for the front, and we actually dueled this time. It was a little better, but Ice still owned it in every aspect in my opinion, the rank probably bumps up to an 8/10. Well, the time was approaching 9:00, and it was time for the big finale. My chance to see what Hulk was really made of, we got in line exactly at 9:00. Incredible Hulk We waited 45 minutes, and since this was it for IoA, I dragged my dad into the front line que. I sat this time on the very left since there were 2 people in front of us. We traveled up the hill and I could immediately tell this was going to rock my world. You hear Bruce Banner say it will work this time, then you here warning, warning, warning, and boom, we launch. It felt much more intense this time. I got lots of air on the zero g, it was insane. Then the cobra roll was just huge, and so was the loop. Then the tunnel underneath the walkway soaked me with the mist. Then the corkscrew, the loop, and the turns just kept the ride going strong into the brakes. This is what I expected. All I can say is wow. This was a totally different ride at 10:00 in the front compared to 4:00 in row 2 last week. My new #1 B&M coaster and the best coaster in Florida and of the summer. 10/10, Next we got Ice Cream again. Then it was 11:00, so we headed out of IoA. Hands down the best day at an Amusement Park with Universal earlier in the day (which you’ll read soon). This is my new #1 park taking down CP. Sure CP has 16 coasters, and IoA has 5, but it’s the experience that takes down CP. Every ride has theming, every ride is great in it’s own way, and I enjoyed every single one. Jurassic Park River Adventure, Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges, and Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls were the 3 best water rides I’ve been on, and give IoA the best selection anywhere. Spiderman sets apart from any ride on the planet with it’s amazing experience. Dr. Doom gives IoA an incredible S&S Tower. They have some nice shows. Hulk and DD put this park on the map for coaster thrills. Plus Toon Lagoon and Seuss Landing are perfect for the family. I was amazed by this park, and I will never forget any of it, if you’re in Florida, forget about Disney (even though it’s also amazing), go to IoA. It is directed more towards adults and just has everything, I loved it. This was my trip to IoA, hope you enjoyed it, I did times a million.

yeah i heard August 12th too, and it's definitely Italian Job i think, can't wait to hear what it'll be!

Hello all!!! I have finally returned from my 2 week vacation to Florida! I had a very good time, the weather was fair only having 3 periods of rain. My format for my trips is I’ll do one big topic on each park and just write reports for the days I visited. So this way obviously it’s not in the order of my vacation schedule because we spread out the days. I’ll put the dates on so you can follow along which days I went where, but I’m doing it this way so I don’t take up space. So, if you guys want to read my vacation in day to day order, just skip around to each topic and read the right days if you want. Well it’s time to start my long, detailed, but awesome trip reports, I’ll start out with my new favorite park: Islands of Adventure! IoA Day 1, Thursday 7/22 We arrived after 1 ½ days of driving on Thursday at 3:30 PM. My parents decided to head into IoA to buy our Orlando Flexticket. Since my family contains 5 people, we spent over 1,000 dollars on the tickets, but it was well worth it. With this deal, you had unlimited visits to IoA, USF, WnW, SWO, and BGT for 2 weeks. We got the tickets and we decided to actually head into IoA for around 3 hours. Somehow we wound up at Hulk’s entrance, so we go in line at 4:30. We waited 30 minutes for row 2, I love the outside seat because I think it gives the best experience, so I sat on the very right for our first coaster of the vacation. Riding with me this ride and for every coaster and almost every ride was my sister Beth, and my dad Dave. I’m not going into detail about Hulk this time because I have to tell you, I was not impressed by this ride. It felt like another regular coaster ride. But, as I walked down the exit ramp, I realized how tired and worn out I was from the 2 days of driving, so I didn’t rank it until I rode it again. So, then we ate at the Café 4 at Marvel Superhero Island where we ate pizza and Breadsticks, yummy. After that, we were all tired so we left IoA for our villa at 6:30. We’d be back tomorrow. IoA Day 2, Friday 7/23 We slept in this morning, which felt really good. We left for IoA and arrived at 11:30. All we did was stroll through the Port of Entry, Suess Landing, and a part of the Lost Continent. Since we were right there, and it was time, we hit the 8th Voyage of Sinbad show at 1:15. 8th Voyage of Sinbad I must say this was a great show, 2nd best on the vacation. The stunts were good, there were some funny parts, and some pretty good acting. I enjoyed it a lot. 9/10. While watching the show I always stared at DD-Fire fly over it’s second immelman, so we headed to Dueling Dragons after the show concluded. It was 1:45 when we got in line. Dueling Dragons- Fire We waited 25 minutes for Fire. This que is amazing, it’s like a hike getting into the castle, but it was neat. Then the castle itself is air conditioned (bonus!) and it was greatly themed, especially the room with the frozen knight and horse hanging above you, everything was just well done by IoA on this ride. Plus the station was cool, dimming the lights and having red lights on one side signaling the fire side and the blue lights obviously for Ice. Well we slipped into row 2 this time once again with me sitting on the very left this time. We sat in the usual comfy B&M seats. This is a good ride, the layout is very good, but there were negatives which brings the rankings down. The first thing is, it didn’t duel when we rode, which stunk. Second, the immelman’s hurt, they were pretty rough. Everything else was pretty good, but not spectacular. I give it a 7/10. Afterwards, I bought a cool DD shirt, then it was on to Flying Unicorn. Flying Unicorn It was a 15 minute wait for row 3. I enjoyed this, it was a nice family coaster with nice speed and banking. One of the better family coasters out there, plus the train was also cool looking. 7/10. Next, I was sweating. So I led my family into the Jurassic Park section and us 3 thrill riders got in line for the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Jurassic Park River Adventure So far the longest wait of the day (40 minutes). We sat in row 3 of the boat. What a cool ride, I love how we just floated along the river slowly but surely seeing different dinosaurs, then entering into the building with the crate holding the raptor almost falling on your head was a neat effect. Then facing the T-Rex at the end and plunging down the hill was awesome, I actually expected to go up, but we went down instead, very neat. The only negative was I didn’t get that wet, but it is definitely my new favorite big flume ride. 9/10 Next we went and saw Mat Hoffman’s Crazy Freakin’ Stunt Show for my brother. It was good, some cool stunts, but not spectacular and they could’ve put more in it. 6/10. My stomach started rumbling so we made our way over to the Comic Strip Café at 5:30 for a bite to eat. I had some very tasty tacos and a refreshing Coke. Quickly after, we wanted to get wet again before it got dark, so we headed across Toon Lagoon to Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges. Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges Now this had the longest wait being 50 minutes, but it was worth every second because I actually got pretty wet on this ride. I loved the theming, from the que line, to the ride itself, and it was long, which was a definite plus. I noticed that past raft rides I’ve ridden, they’ve all been short, but this one lasted a while, and everyone got wet, it was great. Probably on of the best I’ve been on. 9/10. Since we weren’t heading into Marvel Superhero Island tonight, my sister and I decided to race back to DD to get an evening ride in. My parents and bro strolled around and would meet us in Seuss Landing after we rode, so we took off. Dueling Dragons- Ice At 8:15 we got to DD and walked right into the station. Since we rode Fire earlier in the day, we decided to get on Ice in the front to see if this was any better then it’s rival Fire. It was a 15 minute wait for the front, not bad at all. This ride is so much better then Fire, we dueled this time, it was dusk outside, so you could see a little bit, and it just delivered a very good experience. The dueling sensation was awesome, and sitting in the front seat did it bigtime. I also enjoyed Ice’s layout better, the overbank was great at the beginning, the zero g under Fire was very cool, the near miss with the castle into the cobra roll was spectacular, and of course the loop against Fire was outstanding. Then the corkscrew of course, and a neat S-Curve into the brakes ended a great ride. Definitely takes down Fire, great last coaster ride of the day. 9/10. Right after this, we headed to the meeting spot at Seuss Landing to meet with the rest of our group. Our mom joined the thrill group for a ride on the Cat in the Hat! Cat in the Hat With only a 5 minute wait, this was very enjoyable. It’s a fun indoor kiddie/family ride following the story of the Cat in the Hat. Nice job on the characters and you were able to hear what was being said, the spinning sections also added, a great ride for the family. 8/10. Next Scott (my bro) joined us for the Caro-Seussel. Caro-Seussel Just you common carousel ride, but nicely themed. You rode on Seuss critters and they all had a lever or something to push that either made there head bob up and down, make there tongue stick out, ears wiggle, or something, it just added to the fune, nice relaxing ride. 7/10. It was 9:30, so we left IoA. I picked up a Root Beer float at Cinnabon at City Walk. We officially left at 10:00. What an amazing day. Can’t wait to come back next week. IoA Day 3, Friday 7/30 It was our last day at Universal, we went to the Studios earlier in the day, then came back to IoA at 5:00. This time we hit Marvel Superhero Island first. My sister and I decided to go on Dr. Doom at 5:30 before dinner. Dr. Doom’s Fearfall We waited 20 minutes in the yet again themed que, IoA owns all parks in theming, no other place compares. This is an S&S Tower where both sides launched up, no Turbo side on this. I love how you start inside, so you can’t see anything on the outside. It was another cool storyline, we (the riders) were being used by Dr. Doom to give him more fear so he could take down the Fantastic 4. As we ascended a few inches you heard him talking, so he said “Now get prepared to be terrorized!†So right after he says it we launch up and everything suddenly appears before us. The airtime on this was amazing, it just never ended until we hit the ground again minutes later. My new favorite S&S Tower. 9/10. Next, it was time for dinner. So we met up with my mom and dad in Captain America’s Diner and had some amazingly juicy cheeseburgers, they were very good. Meanwhile, my bro was back at the Mat Hoffman show again, so once we finished our meal, he returned, so he still had to eat. Taking advantage of the time, my dad and I went across the street to Spiderman! Amazing Adventures of Spiderman To save time and not wait 90 minutes to ride, we hopped into the Single Rider line. So we only waited a nice 10 minutes for one hell of an experience. I sat in the front right with people I obviously didn’t know and they had young kids, so I heard a lot of screaming during the ride. Yet another great story, we were news reporters wandering the city. So Spiderman jumps onto our car and tells us it’s going to be extremely dangerous. Then we find ourselves inside a warehouse where all of Spiderman’s villains are, and they all do something to us. Then as we run away the fighting begins and the 3D effects take off, it’s just amazing. I loved it was Doc Ock puts on of his steel arms and the claw opens right by your face, and heat comes out of a vent in front of you, just a cool effect. Traveling up the buildings was cool too, and of course in the end Spiderman defeats the villains and the ride is over. Spectacular, everyone said it was amazing, and it totally is, great 3D effects, and it was cool moving along the track. Best moving 3D ride on the planet. 10/10. Next we had to try out Dudley Do-Right because it just looked totally insane. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls Only waited 10 minutes for this. Yet more nice theming to keep you somewhat occupied while waiting. I sat in the front of our log, then my dad sat behind me with my sis behind him. What an awesome log flume, hands down the best with the theming and yet again it was long. I actually got drenched on the very first mini drop. But of course it was the big drop that owned on this ride. Flying down underneath the house, then flying up over a bunny hill with water spraying at you on both sides, then landing down for a splash. I was totally soaked, nothing on me was dry, hands down the best water ride at IoA. 10/10. Well now it was 7:30 and we wanted to dry off a little bit, so we figured DD would help us out with that, so we went back to DD to ride Fire in the front to see if it’d be any better. We waited 40 minutes for the front, and we actually dueled this time. It was a little better, but Ice still owned it in every aspect in my opinion, the rank probably bumps up to an 8/10. Well, the time was approaching 9:00, and it was time for the big finale. My chance to see what Hulk was really made of, we got in line exactly at 9:00. Incredible Hulk We waited 45 minutes, and since this was it for IoA, I dragged my dad into the front line que. I sat this time on the very left since there were 2 people in front of us. We traveled up the hill and I could immediately tell this was going to rock my world. You hear Bruce Banner say it will work this time, then you here warning, warning, warning, and boom, we launch. It felt much more intense this time. I got lots of air on the zero g, it was insane. Then the cobra roll was just huge, and so was the loop. Then the tunnel underneath the walkway soaked me with the mist. Then the corkscrew, the loop, and the turns just kept the ride going strong into the brakes. This is what I expected. All I can say is wow. This was a totally different ride at 10:00 in the front compared to 4:00 in row 2 last week. My new #1 B&M coaster and the best coaster in Florida and of the summer. 10/10, Next we got Ice Cream again. Then it was 11:00, so we headed out of IoA. Hands down the best day at an Amusement Park with Universal earlier in the day (which you’ll read soon). This is my new #1 park taking down CP. Sure CP has 16 coasters, and IoA has 5, but it’s the experience that takes down CP. Every ride has theming, every ride is great in it’s own way, and I enjoyed every single one. Jurassic Park River Adventure, Popeye’s Bilch Rat Barges, and Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls were the 3 best water rides I’ve been on, and give IoA the best selection anywhere. Spiderman sets apart from any ride on the planet with it’s amazing experience. Dr. Doom gives IoA an incredible S&S Tower. They have some nice shows. Hulk and DD put this park on the map for coaster thrills. Plus Toon Lagoon and Seuss Landing are perfect for the family. I was amazed by this park, and I will never forget any of it, if you’re in Florida, forget about Disney (even though it’s also amazing), go to IoA. It is directed more towards adults and just has everything, I loved it. This was my trip to IoA, hope you enjoyed it, I did times a million.

1. Universal and IoA 2. CP 3. PKI 4. SFGAm 5. BGT Just returned from Florida, TR's are coming, don't worry, but IoA beats all parks on this planet.

i'm your man for the Mummy, just returned from my Florida vacation (TR's coming soon) and Mummy blew me away. The effects were insane, and if you guys get anything close to this, you guys are in for one heck of a ride. I give more detail in my TR, look for it next week.

yeah i thought i was going crazy or something because i thought they were read originally too lol.

FoF or Reptar.

Top 5 Rides 1. Beast 2. Drop Zone 3. Delirium 4. Vortex 5. Son of Beast

that is definitely more compact, i think PKI should go with that, they could do more with it.

i went on those days Tuesday and Thursday and it was perfect.

wow really? That's harsh, man they should let them run free after there shift, that blows.