Universal Islands of Adventure Reviews

I LOVE this place! The Hulk roller coaster has been one of my favorites for years! I’m a roller coaster fanatic. The new Jurassic World VelociCoaster is unbelievable!!! I had a three year old and a baby with me and there were many things for them to do and see as well. They have the cutest Dr. Seuss area for kids. If you are a Harry Potter fan this place is a must see. Unfortunately, Harry Potter and the forbidden journey ride was down during this visit which was super disappointing! This is my favorite of the two Universal parks.

Went on a Saturday in November and was disappointed by my visit. Been a few times over the years and first time the park has ever felt over crowded. We bought an express pass but still had to wait for rides. Rides, such as flight of the hypo Griff, had empty seats on the 1 car they had going round. While we had to wait 30 minutes. Too many people, not enough ride capacity utilised. Waited for Dr doom fear fall in the express lane. Stand-by showed 25, we also spent 25 minutes. Waste of money and time. Shame cause the place has such good rides and atmosphere. Poor crowd control.

What can I say about this park. Nothing but amazing and spectacular everything. It is paradise for those of us who like attractions, it offers everything, emotions, adventures, roller coasters, simulators and all this with music and hundreds of places to eat.
Go and experience the magic

We had a great time at Islands of Adventure. Went for Smilecon. It was a great to be able to ride Velocicoaster and Hagrids. Both amazing rides.

12 attraction, 3 closed for maintenance. Far too expensive for what you get (165 dollar entrance fee) . In the US, they can still learn from the parks in Europe. Waiting times bizarrely long for a 2-minute ride. Nice for a morning.

Grandson enjoyed a lot of the two parks. Regular lines were long as preference given to express pass riders. Expensive as most amusement parks are these days. Food choices and seating at Circus McGurkus was good. WARNING: The unlimited drink cup is for one day only - usually not a good buy unless you'll drink more than three regular $4.56 drinks. Harry Potter ride had much shorter lines after 9pm. Same applies to the Kong ride in Universal Studios.

Great park with toys, simulators and roller coasters. It's worth staying at Universal hotels to get into the park beforehand.

The park in general is cool, but it's a bit unorganized.

The attractions of simulators I went with high expectation and was not met. I thought there's a lot of people in front of you and you end up seeing more people's heads than the screen itself where it's being projected.

At the Attraction of King Kong, amidst the dinosaur fight, the video stopped. He has completely lost the “magic” of the toy.

The Russian mountains are amazing. I couldn't go to the Hulk because I was in maintenance.

The park is good and worth a visit, just do not create so many expectations, especially in the simulators.

Some good rides but some not so good. Some of the rides are now showing their age and have not been repaired and one 'island' has no rides or attractions at all.

The car in the spiderman ride for example the centre console no longer works. On the jurassic river ride the big dinosaur that used to come up and knock your boat off route doesn't. There are no attractions at all in the lost continent. The one fish two fish no longer spray water from the bottom fish. And worst of all for us today at the burger dig. Universal had the audacity to charge 60 dollars for 3 cold burgers with 3 sodas. Appallingly bad value even for a theme park.

Pluses got a refund on the burgers when I complained. Also the ripsaw falls person could not have been more helpful when I decided that although having used the test vehicle outside the ride that I wasn't getting out of the ride vehicle and skipped. He gave 8 free express passes.

Not our favourite park. Smacks of under investment due to the new universal world.

I had been to Universal Studios in Los Angeles several times. As this was my first visit to the Universal Orlando Resort for one day, we picked Islands of Adventure, and to our surprise, it was great!!!

All rides were new to us. Our top rides were the VelociCoaster, The Hulk, and Hagrid’s Motorbikes (Harry Potter).

I had been on many rollercoasters, and the VelociCoaster is by far the best ever. It is a good two minutes, but seems much longer than that. There are inversions and loops that make the ride a must.

The Hulk is great. The initial push through the tunnel (zero to forty mph in two seconds) in the beginning was awesome!

Hagrid’s Motorbikes had a vertical drop that was unexpected.

Tip: no need to pay extra for the Express + pass. We arrived at noon and was able to see all we wanted to see before 6:30pm if you are willing to split your party going into the single rider line.

Tip: Mid-March was a great time to go. It was in the 60’s with a breeze and it was very nice weather despite the start of Spring Break.

Tip: Don’t waste your money on the premium parking for $60. The regular $30 parking is just fine. Premium parking just gets you a little closer.

We went to Universal parks to meet Epic Universe and left for the Island of Adventure finale where we had already gone before. He's definitely still the best. The reason is that by having more attractions people disperse and it is easier to make them all. We went in at 9am and by 17 we were done, no Express Pass or anything like that. Finally the attractions remain the best the Velocicoaster, unbeatable.

I think this is the best amusement park in Orlando for adults. Stunning sights. Exciting in particular the Attraction dedicated to the Harry Potter character Hagrid and the logs that I found crazy!

Out second time to Universal IoA and we are still enjoying just as much as the first time. Both times we had the 14 day park to park ticket which was really good as we could hop between all 3 parks as we wished. There are a few rides that are a little lacking such as King Kong, the best ride by far is Hagrids Motorbike ride and Velocicoaster is a close second.

The park is always kept clean and tidy and the staff are always ready to help with anything you need. Can't wait to come back.

Great Park, expect lines unless you stay on a onsite Hotel for Fast pass, also expect delays as Rides do break down , park tries there best

Because our youngest of 6 really wanted to go to the Dinos, we bought tickets for this park. Pricey tickets for admission only. This also includes parking and food/drink. And they also know the prices well, 70$ is nothing. We bought a refill cup that you can fill anywhere, ideal!

What a beautiful park. Really very detailed, clean and attractive. Divided into different themes / films that really put you in that atmosphere. We were dropped off at the bus parking lot via a shuttle from the hotel and you walked with the crowd to the access bridge to the park. Before that, you are pushed through a detection gate like cattle to see if you have any weapons, etc.…
That went quickly because there were many gates open, I still doubt whether the staff there were people or robots.

Once on the boardwalk there are restaurants and souvenir shops. Then you arrive at the water where you can choose one of the two parks.

Islands of Adventures, once again a really beautiful park! We went straight to Jurrasic Park. The Veloraptor roller coaster had a wait time of 80 minutes. Skipped it because our youngest was not allowed in there yet.

After 11:00 am the waiting times only increased at the roller coasters. A 45-minute or 75-minute wait was also no exception for children's attractions. And then you stand in a queue of 40 minutes, it still takes 110 minutes because half of America has an Express Pass and therefore gets priority (buys) in the queue. I understand the concept, but there were a lot of these each time.

I went to inquire what that would cost for us on this day….1200$!!!! We just didn't do this.

At 2:00 PM it started raining and all roller coasters closed for safety reasons. Only the teacups (like from the Efteling) remained open, so the entire park gathered. The roller coasters remained closed even when we went to the shuttle bus at 5:30 PM.

The park can't do anything about the weather, but it was so busy with visitors and express passes that it was a really long wait at almost all attractions, a real waste of your day.

There is free internet (after registration) where you can see the map with the waiting times per attraction. But these are often not correct from my own experience.

If you have the money for it, I would recommend the express pass, but given the crowds that had it, you also had to wait a long time.

If you like queuing for $500 a day, this is the place.

Massively overcrowded.. waiting times between 45min and 120min.

And one rip-off after the next.

We booked a road trip and partner wanted to visit as he loves Marvel. We were surprised that unlike UK parks Universal is split into 3 different parks. We were told you would need a day to visit each one. So we just purchased an expensive ticket for Islands of Adventure with express pass and stayed at a Universal hotel to get early access. We didn't queue for anything. We had no children so only went on the adult rides. We mooched around the shops and sat and had some food but found we were done by 1pm. So unless you want to go on the children's rides or keep going on the same rides multiple times you do not need a whole day. Partner was disappointed with the number of rides.
Tips:
-Gates don't open until 8 (for early ticket holders) but people were queueing from 7am. -We found it quicker to walk than catch the complimentary boat.
-Staying at a Universal hotel to get the early entrance was worth it. We did go in quiet season, but we noticed the queues for non-express ticket holders were 15-80 minutes, so we felt the express tickets were worthy.
-Plan what order you wish to see your rides in so you can route your day..Harry Potter and Velocicoaster seemed to be the most popular.
-You will get soaked on the water rides
-There are free lockers for a small bum bag/rucksack or you can pay to hire larger ones.
-We grabbed a muffin and cup of tea in Moons and Stars which was reasonable for location.

If you like Marvel characters this is the place for you. Got to see plenty of them and do some great rides. The Harry Potter area gets very busy but is very spectacular.

Merchandise is everywhere but good quality and while a little expensive probably worth a purchase.

Universal island of adventure always blows my mind whenever me and my family are there. The best ride I have ever been on there is by far the hulk and then velocicoaster but the magnificent graphics in all the rides are magnificent. Hands down one of the best places I have ever been on this earth. Never fails to impress me every time. Would go again with my family when I am older.

Great rides and theming but very poor operations. Waiting in line can sometimes be frustrating because they can take too long getting people on the rides even more so when people have fast passes because they have more priority. Obviously they pay to get on quicker but would be nice if universal mix it up a bit more rather than putting 2 people from the main queue on the ride and everyone else with fast passes on at the same time. Disney seem to do it better. Overall would be a fantastic park if the operations were better.

A great park to visit. Though it can get rather busy due to the nature of the beast this place is deff' still worth a visit.

During our stay we were able to complete the park within 5.5hrs but if we visited at a different time of year I think you will need to have at least a day an half to do all the attractions without a express pass.

The lands are meticulously themed from the shops to the rides an everything else in between.

Went with a toddler and at first didn’t think she would like the theme park. She ended up loving the park and the rides. We loved Seuss Landing and the Harry Potter part.
Universal >>Disney.
Between island of adventure vs universal studios, you’ll have to compare the rides and the themed areas which is geared best for you. Because of our toddler, and the Dr Seuss themed part in Island of Adventure, we picked there.

Parent swapping is a great way to have parents ride the ride (individually) while other watches the kids.

Also recommend purchasing the drink bottles that can be refilled throughout the park.

Everything seemed fine until a cast member Rouge from the Xmen ruined the experience. Shortly after, I asked to speak to the park manager to explaine the situation and was told NO. I was told by the entertainment manager and I quote "I do not care" and he will not be addressing anything. So I stood there in disbelief but I guess the non accountibily has reached Universal Island, FL. A simple sorry would have worked but they tryed to intimidate me with approximately employees standing around me. Perhaps this manager needs to work on his public relation skills as I would not want anyone else to experience this situation. I was not removed from the park or asked to leave because I did nothing wrong. My mistake was speaking with a inept manager.

definitely the best park the rides are amazingly fun Hulk was an amazing ride but if you don’t do loops then I wouldn’t recommended as it has a total of seven loops/inversions !!! Volocicoaster was crazy and the drop is so fun this ride is so so so fast ! If your interested in going on water rides I would definitely bring a spare pair of clothes but if you only fancy going on the jurrasic park one then you only get a little splash every now and then. Hagrids was by far the best ride it lives up to its expectations and is definitely worth the wait the food is great and this is by far the best park out of the 3 !

We have been going here for years and even in high crowd seasons everyone here has been kind and patient and the few times people try to line skip the staff have been wonderful and address it. This year there have been large groups of adults pushing through lines. This morning we arrived early for the park opening and one lady climbed over the rope. I could see her waving to someone and looked to the wayyy back of the line and there were 6 adults walking up all wearing what she was. I pointed out to the staff that she just skipped and that the rest of her group was going to do the same. That staff member just shrugged her shoulders. I said something to another member as the 6 people walked by and she said the other staff member was supposed to take care of things like that. I told her that the other lady did nothing and I got more shoulder shrugs. Very disappointed.

We also got stuck for about 10 minutes on the Hagrid’s Motorbike Ride, 5 of those were in the dropped area in the dark. Very unnerving.

Had super fun visiting the Universal’s Islands of Adventure park!
The roller coasters are super amazing! Loved them a lot!
1. Jurrassic world Velocicoaster
2. Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey
3. Hagrid’s magical creatures motorbike adventure
4. The Incredible Hulk coaster
5. Skull island: Reign of Kong
These 5 are the best coasters in this park. Make sure you finish these as early as possible. Your major wait time will also be for these rides only.
Also enjoyed the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride. Did not get wet while we were in the ride. We did not do the Howard’s express ride as we did not have the park to park admission ticket. If you are planning on enjoying the Wizarding world of Harry Potter completely, then make sure you have the tickets for both the parks with the park to park admission. Else you won’t be able to do this ride. Also this ride is operational only after 2pm. So you can finish most of the rides before you use the Express train and enter the other park.

We ate the Vegan burger at the Wimpy’s restaurant at the Toon Lagoon section.

All in all, it was a fantastic day at the park! It is a must must visit while in Orlando!

Visited on 14th October. The park was really busy. Then found out it was columbus day, US school holiday.
The park was rammed, managed to do 4 rides, Kong, Spiderman, haggrids and Harry Potter. Tried to take the hogworts express over to other park but was 1 hour wait.
It is a great park but not worth it when busy. They need to put shows on or something to limit the que's. It also does not help when the people staying on Universal property get in earlier than everyone else. Haggrids is at least an hour wait when park opens.
Next visit I will not be buying tickets

Did it all in four hours, only waited twenty minutes for each ride. Smaller than universal so easier to get around. Harry Potter world was good but I’ve been to the one in Windsor which is far superior. Hagrids ride was closed which was disappointing but it is what it is! Everything is expensive which is no surprise. It’s a shame they only do marvel animated stuff because Disney have the live action films, so was a bit flimsy.

If you want to experience lots of people, hustle and bustle, amusement, roller coasters, etc., the Island of Adventure theme park is the place for you.

I want to start off this review by saying that my family and I did not have a bad experience with Universal Studios. In fact, it was a great experience. Universal Islands of Adventure was the exact opposite.
The only way I can describe my experience was that I felt discriminated against for being obese. I am not morbidly obese, I am stocky at 260lbs. My family and I waited for 2 1/2 hours in a storm to ride Hagrid's Motor Bike Adventure. When we finally got to the cars I sat down in the motorcycle side and could not get my safety bar completely down. It was right at the line however. I was pulled off and tested on a car but had the same outcome.
I was then informed that the newer-more exciting rides (Velocicoaster, Forbidden Journey) had a similar testing system and I was given three express passes. I didn't use any of them. When I went through Forbidden Journey my family stood at the cars. My safety bar clicked three times but it still wasn't enough, and I got escorted off the ride. In my opinion, I felt it was in poor taste to receive Express Passes because I couldn't use them on Island of Adventure's best rides. Not only did it ruin my day it ruined my trip because I already have body image issues to begin with.
The rest of my family's trip I just wanted to stay in the hotel and not come out. I feel discriminated against because at neighboring parks like Disney and it's coaster, Tron I was able to ride it without any issues. That also includes Dollywood's Flying Eagle and Carowind's Fury 325. If Islands of Adventure are going to spend millions on a hyped-up attraction surly, they would make it accessible for everyone. By the way, bigger people and the disabled were able to get on. Why couldn't I?
I feel like the whole experience is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I myself am considering on seeking legal advice from my family's attorney. I also felt like employees at Islands of Adventure were much ruder and more unenthused than the experience my family had at Universal Studios. A big example of this was at the Jurassic Park River Adventure. The App said the ride was still running in the rain, but when we got there the employees were shouting at guests saying "We are closed! The App is lying. there is a storm!"
It would have been understandable if they weren't treating guests like trash. After all this happening I will no longer be attending any of the parks because it has left such a bad taste in my family's mouth.
And one more thing, when we exited Universal Studios on our first day I was detained for thirty minutes to do a survey and given nothing for my time. Technically that's illegal.

Islands of Adventure has become a place our family wants to visit again and again. The thrilling coasters--Hulk, Hagrid's, Velocicoaster--have become favorites for most of the family. Those of us who are a little less adventurous appreciate the rides like Flight of the Hippogriff and all things in Suess Island.

If you are going to Islands of Adventure, go ahead and get the Park-to-Park tickets so you can ride the Hogwarts Express. Also, purchase the Freestyle refillable cup. With drinks costing $5/each, the refillable cup comes in really handy.

There are great places to eat in Islands of Adventure. Our favorite is the Three Broomsticks where we can get the delicious family feast! Green Eggs and Ham also has some yummy tater tot dishes...they are all great!

Always a fun place to have a great time. The Velocicoaster is a wild roller coaster that you if no lines can ride over and over again. 3 Broomsticks has the best fish and chips and hot butter beer on a cooler day this is the meal to have!

Our first visit to Universal studio. We had already made Disney world. Island of adventure is a complete resort with attractions for young and old alike. Provide good shoes because the park is big 😄. You really have to visit this park when you go to Orlando!!

Loved this park, something for everyone and a train to link the parks
Great for boys girls all and the early access is brilliant
Recommend It and got front row to hulk

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my disappointment with our recent visit to Islands of Adventure on visit. My family and I had been eagerly anticipating this trip, having not visited Universal for 20 years. Our excitement was particularly focused on experiencing the Harry Potter attractions, as we are avid fans of the series.

Due to the unpredictable weather forecast predicting thunderstorms, we decided to purchase our tickets at the gate rather than in advance. This decision unfortunately resulted in a significant increase in cost. For a family of six, we paid $2,400, including Fast Passes for one-time express rides. While I understand the premium pricing, this was a considerable financial commitment, which I hoped would translate into a memorable and smooth experience.

However, the reality fell short of our expectations. The primary ride we were looking forward to, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, did not accept Fast Passes, and the wait time exceeded 100 minutes. Given the intense heat, standing in line for such an extended period was not feasible, leading to substantial disappointment.

Our dining experience at the Three Broomsticks was also frustrating. We waited 30 minutes in the scorching sun, only to find ourselves in another line inside. The lack of transparency regarding the wait times felt misleading, and the overall experience was far from pleasant. Moreover, after finally getting seated and placing our order, we faced another long wait for our food.

When we sought relief from the heat at the Jurassic Park River Adventure, we were informed that we needed to use paid lockers for our belongings to avoid them getting wet. Given the already high cost of our visit, this additional expense felt exploitative.

Overall, our experience left us feeling financially exploited and disappointed. We expected better service, especially considering the significant cost. The inability to enjoy the one ride we were most excited about and the various inconveniences we encountered made our visit far from the unforgettable experience we had hoped for.

I hope you will consider these points seriously and take steps to improve the customer experience.

Finally, you need to provide places for folks to easily get water and refill often. Paying $6 dollars for a bottle of water at every turn is unfair to ask of your customers.

Most Sincerely,
Your customer

Of course when going to a theme park, one must expect some waiting time. But, at the end of the day, you realize you've spent more time waiting in line or trying to get to less crowded attractions than to enjoy the decor and attractions. Nevertheless, even at peak season we still had a pleasureable experience.

It's a good park, the best Attraction is the river of Jurassic Park, in general you have a good time, there was a dead rat that I doubt very much outside part of the decoration, they should pay more attention to those details, the park you tour in half a day. (Maybe why it was offseason)
When I went, the velocicoster single rider was closed.

Some rides need to be updated, such as Spiderman and Jurassic Park River Adventure. Food is too expensive so take supplies if you can to avoid buying in the park. Best rides are Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Hulk is great too although it is an old attraction. For first timers it should be a great experience.

Spent a great day at Universal Islands of Adventure, a journey on Hogwarts Express into Hogsmeade. Another good long day walking, you certainly get your steps in

Still a good idea for the teens. Consider the express passes if you want them to get the most of the experience. Prices are usually higher than expected

I absolutely love this place. We visited multiple times on our recent visit to Orlando. It was extremely busy but we still managed to go on every ride that we wanted. Hagrid and Velocicoaster were the best rides ever! Perfect theming and so thrilling. We managed to get on Velocicoaster with a 60min wait first thing in the morning but ended up queuing 3.5 hours for Hagrid, but it was worth it! This park just keeps getting better and I can't wait to return!

I just had a great experience here to be honest. I have to say that this park was way more crowded than the other park. But it’s kinda understandable since the main attractions are on this park. Didn’t really have to wait that much. I just had a great day :)

The map on the App was very confusing. It didn't offer good directions. Definitely would not use it to find anything. Probably won't go back to Universal any time soon.

Magnificent amusement park! Super fun rides, a courteous and obliging staff, delicious food and a friendly atmosphere inside the theme park - a well-organized, clean, safe and fun environment to relax and enjoy an amazing day away from the stress of daily life! Conveniently located and offering ample parking opportunities - I had an awesome time! When I entered the parking garage, after having spent a magical day at Universal Islands of Adventure, I was accosted by several microscopic, compensating manlets who accused me of having MCD (manlet-compulsive disorder) because of my obsessive targeting of manlets online! I looked down at the minuscule manlets in front of me, laughed at them and then simply "outran" them by slowly walking to my car as the petite and effeminate sissy manlet boys futilely chased after me as fast as their stubby, little legs could carry them. As I opened my car door, the stunted manlets were blown away by the slight gust of wind that my motion created! The whole spectacle was comical yet also quite pathetic. Just like the silly manlet itself. Short people got no reason. Manlets BTFO.

Never again is all I can say first off tickets are $164. The odds are stacked against you big time, first is the line game all good rides are 1.5hr wait. 2nd is the weather at any moment the rain will show up out of nowhere and you've been in line 45 min and then you hear ride shut down due to in bad weather. 3rd is rides malfunction and trust me between waiting in line, rain, and rides malfunctioning you will be screwed. The only way to truly enjoy the park is to buy fast pass which is most likely the way they have designed it. Fast pass is another $134 so for $300 per ticket you are set so if you have 3 people $900 plus tax for 1 day of fun 4 people $1200 and 5 people $1500 so either way you lose . You can't possibly get your money's worth no matter what almost forgot add another $32 parking and you better not need drink or food

This park blends high-energy rides with immersive environments—from the Wizarding World to Marvel and Jurassic zones. The layout encourages exploration, and the ride variety suits families, thrill-seekers, and casual visitors alike. Highlights like Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and VelociCoaster are worth the hype. Food options are decent, though pricing leans premium. Overall, it’s one of the most thoughtfully designed parks in Orlando.

Way better than DISNEY! Clean stuff, good rides, amazing food, and can't miss the kids areas. There is no construction like epcot.

Good experience in the park in general, but bad experience with the organization when one of the attractions unexpectedly undergoes maintenance during the day of use.

Report:
We purchased two days at the park so we could enjoy all the attractions (Universal and Island). On the first day it was possible to do the entire Universal park and a large part of Island, leaving Velocicoaster and Hagrid for the next day (May 2, 2024) due to the waiting time.
The next day, we managed to do the Velocicoaster and went to Hagrid's even with a 2 hour wait.
After approximately 1:30 hours of queuing, there was a DELAYED notification with no deadline for the return to operation. We spent another 50 minutes waiting in line along with many others and gave up due to the lack of plans for the reopening of the attraction by the employees.

I emphasize that the employees are great, the problem lies in the apparent disorganization when the park's main attraction is closed without any provision for return or compensation to the affected customers. If the park is open from 9am to 7pm, around 20% of the potential use of the main attraction is gone.

my trip was spectacular and fun packed. i had a blast with all my companions and peer. there many peeps who helped guide me along the way. i was faced with surprises and so many adventures along the way and would defiantly go again and 100% recommend.

AMAZING.RIDES WERE FUN. Food was a bit overpriced, but that’s the case with all theme parks. I love the hog warts castle, it looks so real!

Zac working at velocicoaster was very helpful, we had express pass a couple of days ago and thought it wasn’t excepted for velocicoaster .We came to speak to Zac for help and he supplied us with a express pass for velocicoaster! Thank you Zac

The 2 parks are adjacent to each other and share a common entrance. Islands of Adventure has more roller coasters/large water rides whereas USF has more simulation rides and live entertainment. The velocicoaster is world class and except for the Hagrid ride the wait times were not too bad. Honestly the best part is the Dr. Seuss area. It is really charming.

The park was so fun I went with cousins and had a blast with awesome customer service The rides were so fun velocicoaster, hagrids motor bike,Hogwarts castle ride. Just a great park will be coming again soon.

The rides were amazing and so entertaining , they have so many options to choose from. Amazing place to go with your family and friends to have a blast.

Amusement Park Lovers...Mandatory stop at Universal Orlando Sensation Park.... Fan of Coasters, it's absolutely perfect HULK, VELOCICOASTER Worldwide hits....Spider Man is for me one of the best Dark ride in the Worlds.... Popeys the ultimate buoy attractions, be careful you will be soaked.... Jurrasicworld or park.... Also Harry Potter, with the attraction of the Park, Hagrid’s motors bike is the Coaster, INCREDIBLE, DECOR, FUN... UNIVERSAL ORLANDO is a must-see for fans...

Hulk, Spider-Man, Popeye, Kong, Jurassic Park, Hogwarts, in all their rides manage to exacerbate emotions. Combined with the Universal park studies can be done in one day. Very similar level to Disney parks in my review. 8/10

There are some great rides hear but I did notice there are either really intense or very much a kiddie ride and not really anything in between. With that beings said we absolutely loved velocicoaster and Hagrid’s motorbike adventure. They were both intense but some of the best rides I have ridden!

A must for the whole family or friends!

We booked the 1 Day / 2 Parks option (Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure) and that was enough for 13 attractions!

A Trip Tip, download the app upstream to consult the waiting times of attractions and best manage your day.

We find the magic of different universes in every corner of the park! We took a lunch break at the restaurant in the Simpsons universe.

It’s the perfect place for thrills and magic (don’t miss the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Attraction!).

We recommend doing both parks which is totally doable by arriving early as the park closes late (9pm Universal and 10pm Islands of Adventure). You even have the Harry Potter train running between the two parks.

LOVE ITTTT rides are amazing and all the food is brilliant, make sure you have a fan though and water to make sure your hydrated. You also dont need to have a locker on some rides so save it

A top park with very good attractions. Velocicoaster is the winner and a very cool roller coaster. Forbidden Journey in Hogwarts is also very rewarding and Hagrids is a very special roller coaster.
Universal has things tight and well organized. This means, among other things, that you are already checked before the entrance, but also in the queue for loose items. At every heavy attraction there are free lockers that you can open and close with your admission card. You can also order and pay for food very easily with the Universal app. That works better than Disney's system.
It can be very busy here, but if you avoid the weekends then you'll be fine. Hagrids is usually the busiest. There is also plenty to do for children.

Tip: buy a refillable mosquito as soon as you enter. Is a nice souvenir and you earn the money back, especially on hot days, because you can get unlimited soft drinks (dozens of options). And drinking in Florida is important.

The New Velocicoaster ride at Universal Islands of Adventure is a ride to experience. It is amazing, fun, spectacular, worth waiting in line for. It is the best roller coaster anywhere...... You have to experience it......You will not be disappointed....

Went March 31 - April 4th, just after most spring-breaks end, and prior to Easter. This felt like a perfect time to go, as most lines were 30-40 minutes long (except Hagrid's, nearly 60-90 at any given time).

STAY ON RESORT
Amazing for mid-day breaks, showers, naps, and anything else needed when walking miles in a day, in 90+ degree weather. Premier resorts are in extremely close proximity and include Express Passes.

HAGRID'S
Many reviews say to skip Hagrid's for early park admission, because "everyone has the same idea." I say if you are near the front of the gate for early park admission, do it. Even if you wait 1 hour in the morning for Hagrid's, you'll still be done by the time the rest of the park opens! We did this each morning, and ended the day with it. Queue lines close the minute the park does. Ex: if the park closes at 8:00pm, you can still get in line at 7:59pm. DO THIS. Hagrid's at night is THE BEST. But don't think that you'll be able to hop off and take night photos of Hogwarts off the bridge - staff will yell if you step 1 foot in the direction opposite of the exit gates after the park has closed. However, there are other good views on the way out.

VELOCICOASTER
Yes you can request your seat, and yes the front row is superior. Smoother, better view, need I say more. We rode front almost every time with Express Pass, and waited maybe 20 minutes max.

THE FOOD
So. Expensive. If you are able to book when they offer a food gift card, do it. We had an $800 food voucher included with our stay and used every penny between 2 people in 4 days. Granted we had a few $20 mixed drinks but wow does it add up fast!

Of all the parks we visited, the Universal ones were our favorites, we would repeat this UNFORGETTABLE vacation, we love the Universal theme parks, we enjoyed it a lot.

The moment I walked into the park I could already tell the place was going to be thrilling. The 3 rides I loved was Hagrids Motorbike Ride, The Hippogriff, and the Harry Potter Forbidden Journey ride. I absolutely love this park and can’t put the words to describe how excellent this is. The scenery is unbelievable and everything is on point. Recommend to all ages and I don’t get how anyone could not like this park.

The park is very good to visit and the attractions have been well maintained, but the food is horrible; The service leaves a lot to be desired, the waiting times are more than 45 minutes after placing the order. And the cold food arrives and the waiters don't pay any attention to you. There are products that seem to be on the verge of expiration and you talk to them to find information and they make a bad face.

Best park I've ever been to. It is not for amateurs. Toys such as the Hulk Rollercoaster, Velociraptor, elevator, Harry Potter, as well as Harry Potter and Spider-Man simulators, require a stomach. It's really worth it, but the toys are gross. Very fast.

Islands of Adventure is hands down one of the best theme parks I’ve ever visited. The thrill rides are absolutely top-tier – from the adrenaline rush of VelociCoaster to the epic experience on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Every ride feels like an adventure!

The park is also massive, with breathtaking views at every turn, especially around the lakes and themed islands. Everything is well-maintained, and the attention to detail is amazing. You can easily spend the whole day exploring and still feel like there’s more to see.

Highly recommended for thrill-seekers and anyone looking for a truly immersive experience!

Visited in sept 2024, family of 4, 2 teenagers.
Got 14 day tickets from attraction tickets as was cheapest option from UK.

Recommend visiting after summer holiday if you can, the park is so quiet & barely any queues.

Park is clean, safe & all staff are friendly & helpful.

Can easily get around the whole park in a day. Queues no more than 10 minutes (except for harry potter rides).
Harry potter area always seems busy. Queues over 2 hours sometimes.

We used Coke freestyle machines & reactivated daily. Was most economic option, lots of option & lots of machines.

We loved visiting the island of adventure.. a place for all aged kids. Such amazing rides. Thrilling experience and our kids loved it. We had some great fun together. A must try is the Butter Beer!! You shouldn’t miss this one!!

I came away very disappointed with our experience in this park and with a bitter feeling about our visit.
Our day started off pretty well with the Spiderman attraction then the one with King Kong which were both nice and with decent waiting times (1 hour anyway...)
Then our daughter was looking for an attraction with more excitement, so we headed to Jurassic world Velocicoaster, we got into the queue which was announced to be 90 minutes long, there were many announcements that we did not fully understand. , as a result we had to wait more than 2h30.
Then, the day was already well underway when we wanted to do Pteranodon, again we queued up four people so in the end there were only two of us who could do the attraction, all without any excuses.
As a result, I wanted to leave this park as quickly as possible and above all without spending anything more because I was so disappointed.
The price of entry to the park is exorbitant compared to the number of attractions that can be enjoyed due to the long waiting times.
Better to plan for the fastpass but
$189 more per person, for a family of 5 it's starting to get expensive.

We visited Island of Adventure, and constantly had issues with getting my spouse onto rides. He’s got large thighs and calf muscles that give him a bit of a stocky lower half, and on multiple rides the staff pulled him off the ride and explained to him he didn’t fit, AFTER a staff member had already cleared him on the test seats. Imagine waiting in the heat for 60-90 minutes to get on a ride you were cleared to go on - then to have a staff member pull you off the ride in front of people and tell you that you don’t fit and you’re holding up the ride. After discussion with other staff, he was cleared again and they let him in the fast lanes. Just really expensive, time consuming and humiliating. It really lessened our experience for our family, they would send our kids on, separating him from them. We didn’t have this issue at Disney, even on the Tron ride! Very disappointing Universal…

I took my nine-year-old grandson for the first time and he had such a great time. We did both Parks and spent 10 hours the first day we did purchase the express pass which I highly recommend because it was extremely busy but this is a great placefor family fun.

I’ve been coming here since opening day (I even remember being on TV when we got out of the Spider-Man ride) and this park just gets better and better! Harry Potter and Jurassic World are insanely surreal, and Toon World and Comic Book Landing are a lot of fun as well! The only area of this park that needs a bit of TLC in my opinion is Seuss Landing, especially The Cat in the Hat ride….its gotten pretty creepy and rundown. Other than that, I adore this park, and I’m starting to hear rumours of Hyrule coming here! Would be a welcomed addition! Also AVOID Comic Strip Cafe!!! Eat literally anywhere else. If you wanna cool off, Toon World is the place to be! And yes…the Butterbeer is worth the hype! We like the frozen one more. Warn your kids about the Jurassic Park ride….that T Rex gave me nightmares as a kid….i love it!

If you only visit one park in Florida then this is the one. Brilliant selection of rides, queue times weren’t too bad (although we did pay for fast passes) expect for a couple of the rides and there were lots of staff and a reasonable selection of places to eat and drink. All in all a great day out and worth the money.

Islands has some fantastic rides, Hagrids is simply brilliant and great fun, the queue is well themed but even with large queues it felt like we were simply skipping screens that might explain a bit of a backstory. Velocicoaster is also phenomenal and very intense with the lap bar restraints. Some rides are in desperate need of attention. It was very sad to see Jurassic Park River adventure in such a sorry state with the Ultrasaur completely missing and the standard warnings for people to stop filming cutting the ride audio and ruining the ride. Kong was also completely missing the outdoor area.
Going back to the positives despite it being 24 years since I first went on Spiderman I still love it just as much as I did as a child, please please never remove this. Annual passholder entrance was an excellent bonus it would be great if Universal would keep this perk full time. As per my Universal review food and some team members also let the place down. Hoping this will be better when we visit when it is less hot!

First of all they have the Best Rollercoasters in the Southern United. States . Second a lot the rollercosters let brave little children. Third the park is cleaner than Cider Point . Which is Amusement Park in Ohio. Lastly, could go back .

Bake My Day dessert shop had good desserts but terrible customer service. Skip this one, the male employee wouldn’t even cut candy apples, which all the all dessert stores do. Appalling customer service, too busy, and understaffed dessert shop.

My husband and I visited using the 3-park explorer ticket. Unfortunately on our first day it rained preventing us from accessing the rides.

Something that I do think is poor is the fact you have to pay for parking ($32); after paying for the park tickets I think this is shameful extortion.

Our second trip was more successful and we lucked out with the waiting times so are really pleased we didn't shell out for the fast passes which we'd been considering.

We did the following rides:
Velocicoaster - expected wait time 35 mins, actual wait time 15 mins (and unnoticeable as there was lots to keep you entertained during the wait). Note - there are free lockers actually in the queue system for the ride. I personally didn't enjoy this that much as I felt like it was too quick - there wasn't as much anticipation or enjoyment as older coasters, for me.

Jurassic park river adventure - twice (consecutively); no wait both times. Got separated on our first ride, sat together at the front on our second. You'll get a bit wet and the most wet at the front. I'd recommend the poncho to stay reasonably dry (I picked one up from Walmart). I really enjoyed this but could have been longer in duration in my opinion.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong - expected wait of 15 mins, actual wait time of less than 5 mins. You can take your bag on the ride. This wasn't as poor as I expected after doing the similar universal rides (Transformers and Fast and Furious). It was actually quite good. You'll get a little bit wet.

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls - expected wait time of 65 mins, actual wait time of 20 mins (and we left the queue to use the restroom and came straight back to the same queuing point, meaning it wasn't even noticeable). There are lockers next to the ride (not in the ride queue). This ride was actually really fun!!!! I won't add spoilers. The thing that could be improved would be the wait because it's really boring with little to keep you entertained along the way, especially in comparison with other rides. You'll get wet!

Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges - I don't remember looking at the expected wait time but got straight on. This was awesome!!!!!! You will get very wet and it's very choppy. You can store bags in the centre of your 'boat'.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster - we didn't look at the expected wait time but got on within 5 minutes wait time. There are lockers next to the ride, including free ones. I enjoyed this more than the velocicoaster as there was more anticipation and it was a bit slower but still terrifying. It felt like it lasted longer even though it's a shorter duration than the velocicoaster.

I LOVE Jurassic Park so enjoyed all of the themes, the shop and meeting Blue at the raptor encounter (which runs every 20 mins). The lady working the raptor encounter was really cool.

All of the staff were actually really helpful and friendly which we really appreciated although, we didn't appreciate being bugged by a staff member to complete a survey as soon as we entered or being asked "do you know where you're going?" in a patronising, childlike manner by one of the staff members on exiting.

There are a reasonable amount of food options and restrooms. We ate at the burger digs at Jurassic park discovery centre. It was ok - very expensive, reasonable quality but not the best taste, no direction about being able to choose salad for your burger at the stations.

Having to pay for lockers is - like the parking - extortion, when you've already paid for a ticket.

All in all we really enjoyed our day. Our lucky short waits really contributed to this and I can only imagine what a different experience it would be had you had to endure long waits. The prices are expensive which is to be expected, I really think they could, and should, not charge for parking or lockers when you've already got a ticket. These additional costs make the experience less enjoyable and probably prohibitive to many

Very fun but be prepared to line up or buy the quick pass to save them, generally very fun and clean

In my opinion, the best amusement park in Orlando for adults, the best roller coasters, including the Velocicoaster, it is so good that we went on it 4 times and were left wanting more. There are many attractions that are better to take advantage of with the unlimited express pass, the truth is that it is well worth paying for it. I didn't find the food very tasty and a bit expensive. There is free water throughout the park. For water attractions, it is better to wear shoes or sandals that can get wet and be ready to take a good swim. It is better to leave these attractions for last so that you don't get wet later, but don't stop doing them because it is worth it.

Awesome fun and adventure for kids and adults.
Shows and rides were great.
Lots to do as sell as lots to eat and drink.
Fun with characters.
This was a great experience

Boo, WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!
I went with my 13 year old son and we both agreed the best part of the day was leaving.
We wanted oh so much to make a day of memories, but instead were disgusted at the staffs poor attitude, severe over crowding, and ridiculous price gouging on the absolute bear minimum purchases.
To make it even worse I use a motorized scooter due to back fusions, and straight out of the gate I was directly asked by guest services the nature of my condition.... I had to justify being able to use the handicapped access to lift stations and experiences like the Harry Potter Train between parks, where I was forced out of my scooter after asking if I could take a couple of steps (which I can to transition from the train Platform to the cabin) only to find out I was sent to a que of a winding maze to get to the train. I was in agony and at 52 years old I was bought to tears and was embarrassed that I could not walk well enough to make it. The dirty looks from other guests were awful and I was humiliated.
I'm unable to ride any rides but my 13 year old can and doesn't even use the fast pass for the rides he wanted to go on.
That being said the first ride was closed while he was in line and never reopened all day. I'm glad there are safety measures but I had no way of knowing where my son was going to come out... the entry or the end... then the Harry Potter Train was next. It's not a ride at all but a way to get from Island of adventures to Universal Studios. Although I had 2 sets of tickets for the same day to each park they denied entry and sent me to the "train station window" no doubt they have this happen often where I HAD to buy an upgrade on the 2 tickets I already had and get refunded on the 2 tickets for the second park. 🤔
This is also where I was forced off my Mobile scooter and lied to about " just a few steps around the corner" My poor son saw me crying and immediately wanted to go home, after all I have endured 4 fusion surgeries and not a tear. But no!! I Wanted to make the best of this day to salvage something. We headed back towards the entrance and talked about the jurassic park chairs that glide and go over the park. Sounds like something I can do right!!! Wrong, I was unaware that it was solely for 1 adult and 1 small child. How you find out is there is a really rude staff attendant with a yard type stick who tells you your out of luck. It just for 1 grown up and 1 small child. I thought certainly there. was a single parent with 2 small children and my son and I could single rider stand in so that parent would not be turned away. The answer was a rude NO!
My son looked at me and said Mom I just want to go home. So I said okay, but on the way out we'll get a slurppy and 2 pretzels. So we stopped at the pretzel place first and ordered 2 pretzels. $24.00!!! These were ordinary pretzels... like the ones at the mall, and not the fancy kind. My son looked at me as I gave him a 20 dollar bill to get the pretzels and we both were shocked... but I forked up the difference without a beat skipped as it was already a horrible day. Off we went to get the slurppy I promised him, price gouged again and also given a cheap thin solo type cup and paper straw. Okay, In the paper straws went and a minute later the paper straws were diluted and not working. So we stopped at another stand and asked if there was an option to request plastic straws. There was not. But you could upgrade to a plastic cup that came with a plastic straw and that one would come with a top too. We discarded the slurppy, made our way out of the park loaded my motorized cart into the car and headed home.
Finally, the best part of the day was leaving!!!!
I also want to mention that the crowds were so thick more than I have ever experienced at any other park that even getting 2-3 feet at a time was arduous.

I will never, ever go back to this park and when your 13 year old says the same thing, there is something to think about there!!!
Park visitation Date January 5, 2024.

We visited as a family of 10 including 3 grandkids under 10 years old. I last visited the park over 20 years ago with my 2 youngest kids and it was nice to see so many familiar rides as well as many great new features. The Harry Potter world was very well done although the queues for most of the rides there were prohibitive. There were lots of rides for all the family and we especially enjoyed Spider-Man. We arrived about half an hour after the park opened and found the queues for parking to be better than other days when we had arrived earlier (for Studios and Volcano Bay). Maybe we were just lucky!! Enjoyable - but expensive- visit.

Was there on Fri 28th June and the wait time for rides was ridiculous, we waiting for 60 mins for the hulk ride and there was a msg over a tannoy which nobody could hear saying because of weather the ride is temporarily suspended due to weather, there wasn't rain for at least another 20 mins after the msg, never heard of a coaster been suspended at alton towers in uk due to rain?
The hagrid coaster was a 85 min wait but the best ride at the park, I think universal should be adjusting there summer prices because they know its rainy season and most of the outside rides won't be working

Universal Islands of Adventure is a perfect place to spend your weekend hoping to have a bit of fun and adventure. The rides are top notch, and the only negative part about this theme park is the lines. As can be expected for this magical adventure that everyone wants to experience, there is over an hour wait at all of the roller coasters. However, this just means that Universal has done it's job on giving everyone a little happiness and fun in their day. Would highly recommend over Disney any day!

Amazing theme park had the best time visiting this theme park. The rides are all amazing and great fun. Park is clean and well themed throughout. Harry Potter area is amazing. Queue times were not to bad just kept an eye on the app to see how to navigate around lower queue times. Obviously Hagrids always has a longer line but I love the theming in the line so I’m happy to line up. Can’t wait to visit again.

So fun, the rides are another level of awesome. If you enjoy fast roller coasters, this is the place. There is a lot for everyone to do, you can even chill in Seuss landing if you prefer to take things more slowly.

Very well organized park and not tired of visiting. We especially liked the areas of Hogwarts/Hogsmeade and Jurassic Park. Both areas were full, but not impossible to walk. There are more radical and lighter attractions that can suit all tastes.

Visiting to Universal Studios Orlando turned into a frustrating and expensive experience due to their misleading ticketing system. We were a group of three and mistakenly purchased Express Passes for $235 each from trip.com website assuming they included park admission. However, we later found out that the Express Pass only provides one-time express access per ride and does not include entry. Since exchanges or refunds were not allowed, we had no choice but to purchase separate admission tickets for $228 per person.

In total, we ended up spending $1,389 for just one day—an outrageous price for what should have been a fun experience. The lack of flexibility from Universal’s costed us heavily. Trip.com support reached universal for replacement or refund, but universal team declined. Attached the snapshot for reference.

The ticketing process is confusing, and Universal’s exchange policy is unfair. If you’re planning a visit, be extremely careful when purchasing tickets. For the price we paid, we expected far better service and transparency. Universal needs to improve its ticketing system and provide more customer-friendly policies.

I had been a loyal customer to universal studios and also had used VIP passes too. This would be my last trip to any universal park, universal may have earned some, but in long term they lost customers who would have paid & visited many more times.

This is my favourite universal park. It has lots of good rides my favourites are velcicoaster and hulk. The Harry Potter land is good and the butter beer is tasty. This park doesn’t have a lot of shade though and can get really hot. More trees might cool the park down more. The water rides cool you down but depending on the clothes you are wearing you could be soaked all day with no dryers to dry off. Add these details and will be an even better park.

Words literally cannot describe how much I love this place. Though the lines are long, the experience is just surreal. Everything is just perfect there. I love how in each part of the park there's people wearing different things to match the concept, like people wearing wizard capes in the Hogwarts part of the parks. I love the food, the service, and I love whoever invented the fast pass. So grateful and blessed to live so close to this amazing place.

We spent the day at universals islands of adventure while on holiday,
The staff we had contact with throughout the day are mainly very friendly and helpful. We did have to wait some time for a few of the rides but we fully expected this because of how busy the park was! The Harry potter area is themed amazingly and looks fantastic but some of the other areas could be slightly better. We had a really good day but I feel I probably wouldn’t return in a hurry

This park is going thru growing pains at the moment, when you first come in the first ride is of course Hulk coaster, always a fun coaster to ride. Doom, is a one time ride, unlike Hulk you just want to do it over and over again. Spiderman ride is always a fun ride, but the video is also showing its age. It should be updated to 8K or 16K. From there you really enter depending on your age Nostalgia land, or Toon land, a lot of shops to shop nostalgia items. Then you enter Skull Island King Kong ride. I went in with low expectations and was surprised that it was way better than FF ride over at Universal. Then you enter Jurassic World, take time to explore this area, Velocicoaster is an adrenaline dream come true, the hype is real for this coaster. Then you enter Harry Potter land, also another land to take your time in. Unluckily we never got to ride Hagrid’s due to weather. Got stuck 2 1/2 hours as it down-poured and the lockers were a far walk. Then you are done, because the Poseidon adventure nothing has taken it’s place in 7yrs that we were last there. And the Sinbad show also not there. Also a place to eat is 3 Brooms at Harry Potter land, really decent park food. There is a night show at Harry Potter projection at the castle, luckily we decided to go over to Universal, and ride Simpsons ride one last time as park was closing. As it happens after that we went over to the center lake to see the final light show at Universal, due to weather the show was cancelled, imagine the Castle show was cancelled as well. So instead of waiting for the show, we got to ride the train one more time and do one last ride before the park closed. Made a good call that night.

Me and my family from brazil went down to your parks and had a amazing time the only thing we really hated was how long the lines were and we wish your fast passes weren't so expensive.I also hated the food not to be rude thank you for reading

We absolutely love Universal Resort, we stayed in a hotel on site and loved everything about the hotel, water taxi and ability to get into the parks early and easily.

One thing that is really disappointing is the queue system for Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike ride which we could not use express passes for. The queue is insanely long, much of it in sunlight with no where to sit. The queue then goes inside to dark narrow lanes with little to no air con or ventilation. Again no seating. I began to feel unwell due to heat and length of time in line. When we were almost at the front, a guy in 6 people in front of us dropped to the floor, fainted and had a seizure. I was along with my children (8 & 10), in a dark narrow corridor, nowhere near an exit and people started shouting help help and there was pushing and shoving. I was scared and my kids petrified with nowhere to turn. We had no idea if it was a fire or emergency, we had nowhere to turn.
Eventually we came to a fire exit and left.

Seriously, Universal, sort this out! If there was a fire, how would so many people escape these narrow corridors safely, there would most definitely be a stampede and people crushed!

The title says it all. Going to Islands is just fantastic. Beautiful area. One of the best coasters is America and it even has a dinosaur theme. Great water rides. Super Heroes. Harry Potter.--It's fantastic. My only slight disappointment: the small extras, especially notable in Harry Potter world. The additional people needed to give you the feel of Harry Potter. Instead of seeing them constantly (like 6 years ago), never stumbled upon one of them in two days this time--probably had to cut employees to help pay for the $7 billion dollar fiasco--known as Epic Universe.--Anyway, save the money: skip Epic and spend an additional (much cheaper day) at a real park where you can actually have fun!

Went to the two parks and this side, the Island of Adventure was seriously amazing. The Hogsmede / Hogwarts Castle are truly amazing. More rides on this side of the park so more fun for students. Make sure you catch the Hogwart Express from the other park to here first, but go both ways.

Horribly expensive. Tickets/parking averaged out to $158.71. We only got to ride 4 rides which averaged to $39.68 per ride for each person. We waited in line for 85 minutes only for them to tell us the ride was broken down. You also had to buy a separate ticked for the Halloween events which we did not. Of the 3 parks within 5 hours of my house, the most expensive for park and Halloween with parking was $75 each. I will not return to Universal and will not recommend to anyone else to go.

It is the park that brings together the most cool attractions for adults! The Russian mountain Velocicoaster is a must! Simply sensational!

Hey it’s a busy weekend . However the staff made this what could have been a daft crazy queue after queuing experience enjoyable. The wait times were massive . But the staff are impressive. I cannot thank them enough! The personable experience of seeing families wait in line and the smile and joy of giving express passes.. they’re gold! And appreciated . Team Hogwarts . You smashed it!! Thank you Anthony and crew I gave you hugs xx the ride broke. You were calm and gave creative advice. My daughter was so happy!! You deserve a medal. You’re appreciated. Mad London mum middle aged who cried and hugged you twice :)

Our family of 6 all had a wonderful time,there’s enough to do to fill a whole day without feeling you missed anything.
One of the best days out in Orlando by far.

Great days spent in universal.. definitely the better of the parks.. be prepared and get there early..we have been several times over our 2 week break in July it has been so warm. U can get water pretty much anywhere which is a massive plus. My 11 son loved the rides, personally I loved hogwarts!

I am an annual pass holder. Parking should be free when annual passes are purchased. Nope! Also, there is no free Disability Parking like Disney ? Lastly, fill the frigging freestyle coke machines with ice. Every time in the later evening, there is no ice, just warm soda / pop.

Nephew (13) and I went early to the Islands of Adventure in an attempt to beat the crowds and the heat. Having got through the walk from the carpark, security, and then the walk into the park. Given that Hagrid Motorbike Adventure already had a 2hr wait, we started off gently with VelociCoaster, a great way to wake up on a Saturday morning, then the more sedate Harry Potter Forbidden Journey followed by the Hulk. We then single ridered VelociCoster again and only waited 15 minutes for this before moving onto Kong Skull Island. With relatively short wait times we had got 5 big rides out the way by 11am and took the decision to get the water rides out the way to give us time to dry off before the rest of the party joined us. In order of dryness we rode Jurassic Park River adventure, small splash bit damp, Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls, big splash rather moist, and finally Popeye and Bluto's Blige rat barges, wetter than an otters pocket and completely soaked. Rather bedraggled we headed to Wimpy's for a burger and chips lunch which was very tasty and filling. Heading back to meet the rest via a frozen butterbeer cart ($9 but much needed on a roasting humid day) we did VC and hulk again before join the 90 minute queue for Hagrid. The time past relatively quickly with the second part of the queue line inside so much cooler than the first bit before jumping on the motorbikes for an amazing ride, well worth the waiting that left us thrilled after a long day in the park and 20000 steps done.

Fun in the brutal sun, great rides, expensive food. Buy the express pass, WELL worth it! BTW: Parking is $32, use your handicap placard to get to the front of parking if you have one.

This second park we visited is great, highlighting the Russian mountain of the Harry Potter area, simulating a motorcycle with SideCar. Prefer to go on the bike, the experience is much more impatient, with accelerations and vertigous curves. The witch area is the best in the park, but some older attractions are still successful, such as Jurassic Park. I was alert, you can do both parks in one day (with fast-pass,) or two parks in two days, more calmly, the price is similar. Soon a third park will be inaugurated. Concerning...

This place is great for older kids and adults that like roller coasters. It features some of the best I have ever been on. Hagrads is amazing. I wish it didn't have as long of a wait as it does so I could have rode it again. The hulk would be my second favorite with the velocicoster coming in third.
One thing I do want to mention is all of these rides require you to put all of your belongings in a locker provided free They even have you go through a metal detector to verify you have done so. The velocicoaster I can see where this could be a problem as you do spend some time upside down. The other two I can see how it is easier to just tell you to take everything out and put it in a locker. At first I thought, wow this is great, you don't have to worry about your stuff. By the time the day was done I was getting tired of the crowds around the lockers and the rat race to get you stuff put away.
I will also mention that outside of the coaster and the awesomeness of hogwarts castle standing the the background, the Harry Potter area seemed somewhat lacking. It would seem a great place to have character interactions. More themed shops. Etc.. I might have been expecting to much.
Overall, I loved the rides and had a great time in the park.

We spent two days at this park and had a great time. If you stay at a Universal hotel, you get into this park an hour early, but only a few rides are open. I recommend starting with the Velocicoaster and then moving on the the Hagrid ride. By the time you're done with those, the rest of the park should be open. Just be aware that showing up when early admission starts does not get you into the park. There will still be a long wait to get into the park followed by another (much briefer slowdown) where they check your for your room key to make sure that you're allowed in for early entry. There is a lot to do here, but it's also fun to just stroll through the different "islands" because the theming is so well done. Sometimes lines will bottleneck, but the Universal app is pretty accurate about wait times and while we were there, there was always some point during the day where even the huge headlining attraction lines went down to a half an hour or less. We've been to many theme parks in different parts of the US and other countries. This is our favorite US theme park. The only one that beats it is Tokyo DisneySea. We will definitely be back.

We had the most amazing day! I cannot recommend it enough! The rides were so fun and the attention to detail was stunning. My daughter was able to get a disability pass to accommodate her needs, and it was very appreciated. The Harry Potter World and rides blew us away, they were amazing.
We had to miss out on King Kong, it closed when we were about to get on. But the staff was accommodating to us in many ways throughout the day. My kids loved the Dr. Seuss world, it was perfect for them. The pricing was a little higher than I could afford, so we probably won’t be able to return. But it was an amazing day and I was glad to be able to go.

I could go here every weekend if I could. This place is crazy fun and I’m become a whiny kid when it’s time to go. 😂 Beware it is crazy expensive though. I wish Disney would consider the economic times we are in especially when it comes to working families. They are getting their money 10x’s over.

To me, it's the best of Universal's parks. But, in compensation, which has the biggest queues. Harry Potter quem diga... I love it, I think it's good for all ages. I recommend coming early to enjoy everything you give!

Amazingly fun with the fam at Thanksgiving holidays! We have been many times but always live and enjoy it each and every time

Went for 2 days and barely touched the park. Tickets aren't cheap, and the express pass are just as expensive, especially around spring break, which many appeared to have. It gets you into the park 1 hour early. However, it seemed to cut the wait time in half. Having a young kid a stroller was nice. However, $40 someone's getting rich. Wished they would give you a discount when renting multiple days or bringing it back.
Plan on bringing walking shoes and lots of money:)

This was the best theme park experience EVER! I LOVED it! The staff was incredible and they were super awesome. Definetly a must do. Better than Disney World in all aspects. Food was great. I loved the price. Superman was fun, Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was the best ride I have EVER been on, velocicoaster was great, the hotel (Cabana Bay) was incredible! Loved this trip! Must recommendations.

Universal was very fun, and is very family friendly while still being fun for older kids. The lines were very long but other than that, I had a lot of fun

Amazing as usual for a Universal Orlando park. Hogsmeade was super crowded though so it was barely enjoyable. Jurassic Park was a pleasant surprise.

Expensive lots of ride delays. Longgggggg waits for rides even with express pass not all rides permit the pass. Single rider was best.

Lots of walking to find a ride with short wait times. I will never visit again

Went for the 14 day park pass at over 1k for a family of 4. Ride queues were regularly over 1hr30 for everything big. Fast pass is an additional 150 per day per person so that's another 600 quid if you only have a day and want to make sure you ride everything. We managed to do all the rides we wanted without it over several days but it was an awful experience coming to a badly accessible park, queueing for half the day for 2-3 rides.

My dad has an artificial hip. Having to park in a multi storey car park with broken lifts, travelators and escalators and no scooter rental then trudge a 20-25 minute walk through a huge security line was excruciating for him and he's not particularly immobile.

Also make sure you bring fans and cooling towels. That may seem like common sense in Florida but owing to all the concrete universal is uniquely swelteringly hot.

Wont do a 14 day pass again. Will buy on the door, do the highlights and leave it at that.

Massively disappointed with a park that used to be my absolute favourite in the whole world when I was a kid.

Best theme park in the Orlando area for our young teen children. So many rides that queue times can be worked around so there’s always something good to do.

This park was amazing. With the early entry for staying at a Universal hotel we were able to ride The Velocicoaster, The Hagrid Motorcycle Ride, The Quidditch virtual ride and the mini coaster in less than an hour.
The rides were well monitored and were great. Since my wife has a cane and we had a backpack that would fit in no locker. Thus we did ride swap at the suggestion of a nice Universal employee. This was great!!!
We took a break at MidDay and then went back and enjoyed Hogsmeade, The many Harry Potter exhibits were also great.

Park entrance and exit were awesome with no issues. Security was organized and well planned. Our park trip was so much better than woke Disney.

Universal Islands of adventure is one of the best theme parks I have been to.
It’s has lots of great attractions and thrill rides.
The food is amazing and so is the decoration.
My favourite ride was The Incredible Hulk.

So much to do!
Our day at Islands of Adventure was jam packed with fun! We loved all of the rides and experiences - Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and the VelociCoaster being highlights and getting to go on them more than once in a day was fantastic! It’s great because there is plenty to do for both kids and adults! Lots of food options and shops - a little overpriced but when in Orlando…

We visited Universal Orlando for the first time in 4 years. It became our favorite theme park when our children became teens. Perhaps it’s because we’re getting older, but this visit wasn’t as fun as the previous.

We paid $141 for our one-day one-park tickets. Dang that’s a lot for one day. It’s $26 a day to park your car. Lunch at Three Broomsticks was about $50. A small cup of pretzel bites was $7.99. A souvenir refillable drink cup was $15. Specialty caramel apples were $13.

We arrived at Islands of Adventure before it opened, so the lines for rides were short, especially since we came in early May before schools are out. Hagrid’s Motorbike Ride was still a 60-minute wait. It’s our favorite ride.

Hagrid’s ride and the VelociCoaster are great. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls water ride is the best in the country. Hogsmeade is really cool for Harry Potter fans. But they’ve shortened the King Kong ride and the Poseidon attraction and another ride (don’t remember the name) closed, so it’s not as good a theme park as it used to be.

We rode all of the non-kiddie rides and had a leisurely lunch. Without the long lines, we were done by 2:30. I wanted to go ask for a partial refund on our tickets and leave, but we decided to go ride Hagrid and VelociCoaster and the Hulk twice.

We like Silver Dollar City because it’s cheaper ($89), they still have shows, and the employees are friendly. And it has a lot of trees and shade. At Universal, there’s no shade and few places to sit down, so your feet get really sore. They discontinued their shows years ago. Disney at least still has a lot of shows where you can sit and relax for a few minutes.

1-The (gate)fee is pricey, I suggest pre book, pay, and forget about it

2- This was the second theme park in two days (for us) as we were a bit broke. To save (at universal) we just ate popcorn and cookies and drank Slushies (no complaints, we enjoyed it. Get the refill options and enjoy)

3-Before entering the theme park you get to enjoy city walk: Bars and restaurants, looks very nice, but extremely pricy.so nothing was purchased

4-Amusemtn parks… I rarely go; however, but universal studios felt organized and well laid out.

5- We spent most of our time at Seuss’ Landing; We went on about 4 rides, ate expensive cookies, and talked to Grinch and other characters. Kids enjoyed this.

6- The first (more serious type of ride) I ever went on with my three-year-old was a ride called paragon flyer, it’s a nice ride and great memory

7- Is this park great for Toddlers? – Maybe: in the end my kids are interested in grinch and not Mikey Mouse. Overall, you may experience the exact same thing at your closest amusement park.

8- Finally, we took Ubers’ 90% of the time in Orlando. We did take a hotel shuttle to Universal Studios. and it was overcrowded and a poor experience, Similar we pre booked our airport transportation, and we were scammed by a third-party booking company…. (In Orlando Just uber) Or drive your own car.

This park was absolutely awesome. The rides were amazing and very interactive. We were able to get on everything we wanted to get on and the creativity in this park is as good as Disney. The food was great and me and my daughter enjoyed the shows as well. I will say that Harry Potter is quite busy, but amazing. The food options were great! You were able to find anything from fried food all the way to fruit cups here, and this is not common at theme parks. The staff overall was great and accommodating. I highly recommend this theme park to anyone visiting the Orlando area, I have not seen much like it and you will absolutely love these rides. If your a hardcore comic nerd-this is the place to be, absolutely awesome.

The Island of Adventure exceeded our expectations. A very well cared for and attentive park with all the details. We were lucky not to catch the park full, which was excellent. Harry Potter attractions are great and the Hulk Russian Mountain and especially the Velocicoster, breathtaking.

Awesome Rides , Restaurants are amazing, Roller Coasters are worth the trip. Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure are awesome.

First trip to islands of adventure and it was a blast. Took a while to get into the park cause people don't know have to queue but I think that's a British thing to moan about ha.

We got straight in the queue for hagrids bike ride which was fantastic. It was the only ride we couldn't use express pass for but wasn't that long of a wait 40 mins tops.

The rest of the park fantastic. Jurassic park area was unreal. Velocicoaster was unreal. I'm fantastic with rides normally but I'd say this was the first ride that really took me by surprise in a good way.

Loved the theming throughout.
Enjoyed the comic area some rides better than others
Hulk was fantastic.

I found some of the rides alittle repetitive in theming but still great.

The best part is obviously the harry potter area the theming was immense and alot of money had been pumped into it. Being a massive Harry potter fan it was appreciated. The 3 broomsticks had a interesting take on a 'English breakfast' we had a laugh about it and are it anyway. The whole day made it so much better having the express passes I definitely think we would've had a different experience if we hadn't.

This park was a mixed bag for me. There are definitely some cool highlights—Hogsmeade is awesome, especially the show at dusk, and both Jurassic Park and Skull Island are a lot of fun. The Hulk roller coaster is absolutely wild, easily one of the best rides there, and the water rides are great on a hot day when you don’t mind getting soaked.

That said, some areas just didn’t click for me. Seuss Landing and Toon Lagoon felt not as exciting compared to the other parts of the park. They’re colorful and fun for kids, but personally, they didn’t really stand out.

Overall, I’d still say it’s a park worth visiting at least once, especially if you’re a fan of big rides and movie-themed attractions. There are enough highlights to make it a fun day, even if not everything is a hit. Just be prepared that some areas shine more than others.

Probably the better of the two parks overall, albeit only really down the left side. Spiderman is fun, Hulk is an all-time classic rollercoaster, Velocicoaster is AMAZING and terrifying in equal measure, Forbidden Journey is ace, Kong is fun and Hagrid's was an unexpected BEAST of a coaster that was a highlight of the holiday. They desperately need to sort out the wait times for that and Flight of the Hippogriff now. 2+ hours and 60 minutes respectively aren't acceptable when you've paid so much to be in the park, especially for the latter which is basically a short, kids coaster. Jurrassic Park would really benefit from some new animatronics for what is otherwise still a fun ride. You've have to imagine the Betty Boop area will get replaced sooner rather than later - Ripsaw Falls is a bit nothingy whilst fun as it is, Popeye really does get you way too wet. I've had showers that've been drier than I came off that.

The disappointment comes down the right side of the park which is....empty. Everything has been stripped out. Poseidon's Fury is way too good a venue to have been shut down, even if the experience itself needed upgrading. Sinbad's show is gone. It's really just a themed walkthrough these days. The whole Cat in the Hat zone is pretty nothingy, too. Not much there for the amount of space it takes up, but the Cat in the Hat ride itself was a bit of fun.

Hogsmeade is awesome and the Three Broomsticks was an unexpected dining treat!

Islands of Adventure has a lot of good rides. Several roller coasters. But the coaster at the back of the park - Hagrid's Adventures - had a 120 minute wait so we didn't go on it. If you get to the park for rope drop and head straight to it you wouldn't have to wait so long. Might be worth getting the express passes if this is something you have to do. Husband and granddaughter rode the Jurassic Park log ride. You will get drenched. Some of the simulators will make you very dizzy. The Harry Potter ride did a lot of spinning. It's an amazing ride but it just made me too sick. If you have any problems with spinning, don't get on it. Same goes for Men in Black. Great rides but lots of spinning. Spider Man is also a lot of fun. Take the train from one Harry Potter world to the other if you have Park to Park tickets. We were there on a Wednesday and only waited about 45 minutes for one of the rides. The others were 20 min wait or less. If you don't want to wait the Express Pass is about $70 per person.

It's been a good few years since we were last at Islands of Adventure but with the new rides it just gets better and better. We had no issues with rides breaking down or long queues, I think the longest was around 50mins which is manageable. The Velocicoaster is my new favourite coaster, it is both the best and worst experience, in a good way...(if that makes sense). The Hagrid ride was equally as awesome, in my opinion it was better as the motorbike rider vs the sidecar rider. We stayed offsite on Universal Boulevard and in the main paid for parking. One day we opted for an Uber which is catered for very well and came in slightly cheaper than the $32 parking charge.

Spoke to the disability manager at guest services, I was appalled at her attitude. I had registered with IBCCES and was accepted for a hidden disability as I struggle to wait in queues. Well you thought I was asking for a freebie the way she reacted. All I was requesting was the facility to be given a time to return to the rides as I need frequent visits to the rest room which makes it difficult to leave the queues and return. Apparently she had the same condition as me which led her to tell me that she has experienced the queue and it isn't a problem. Absolutely unacceptable especially as my condition and the evidence i presented in the medical letters is severe. Unsympathetic and absolutely no empathy and completely wasted our time twice. I have put in a complaint to Universal and to IBCCES and heard absolutely nothing back. I feel so upset and disappointed at their take your money but don't give a toss attitude. This place isn't a patch on Disney.

I’ve been too many theme parks over the years and I have to say this is probably the best one I’ve been to in terms of rides, cleanliness, and how well the staff interact with the customers.

We did the water ride early on and I’m so pleased as we got absolutely drenched, still trying to ring our clothes out about an hour afterwards.

We did end up buying the express pass tickets on the day which were crazy expensive however it allowed us to get onto all the rides we wanted to as we were only here for one day .

The velociraptor ride is amazing. Did this multiple times and the experience gets you every time.

Excellent experience at this park

It was such a blast to go.it was full of adventures and fun would definitely go again .Thank you to all the staff that made my experience great. Would defiantly recommend

This is the best park in Orlando! I’ve been to all the parks in Orlando many times before and yet, this one is the coolest one!
The park was not full so we were able to do all the rides and not have to wait in line! Great memories for sure!

Best theme park in the world for thrill seekers and roller coaster aficionados....IMO.
Even better with The Wizarding World areas. Even if you aren't into Harry Potter you cannot help but be gobsmacked at the detail into the areas & rides. I enjoyed seeing younger children stand on the wand spots clad in cloaks and with wands performing spells to make certain things happen, really magical to see they're faces. A real interactive, immersive treat if you have HP loving children. Actually felt like we were in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. Recommend to buy the 2 Park ticket if a HP fan so.ypu can experience the Hogwarts Express between the parks. Excellent photo opportunities. Loved inside Gringotts, and a good photo opportunity of the dragon when he breathes fire (happens every 10 minutes, 00, 10, 20 etc).
Wasn't too busy when we visited (week after Thanksgiving). We walked onto most rides. The most we waited was 35 minutes for Hagrids, Hulk & Volicicoaster. Did all of these a few times in a day.
Really enjoyable days, didn't feel crowded. More older kids / people than at Disney parks.
As with all the theme parks, completely bleed you dry of money....merch, photos, shops, entrance fees, think having to pay $30 per day to park is a complete rip off..and perturbed us from enjoying full use of our 7 day tickets.

Its one of the best places I've been to. I love how they have variety of rides there for all ages and how its very close to the other parks and hotels. They have a variety of different restaurants and shops to visit while you're there as well.

12-12-23 and 12-13-23 This park is more for coaster fans. I rode the Velocicoaster for the first time since it was added. Smooth ride with a lot of twisits. Was bummed that Hogwarts Express was down for maintenance on both days. Especially since I meant to spend most of my time between Hogsmead and Diagon Alley.

Oh we did stumble upon the Horror make up show and that was surprisingly fun!

Dirty Gross.
Glorified coaster park.
Everything else is mostly interested in shaking the heck out of you.

Not for me. Its a hard pass.

A disappointment, like everything else in the Universal group (Volcano Bay without words... Universal Studios only retains its mystique...). Eternal lines to climb the 2 interesting attractions that the park has: Velocicoaster and Kong. The rest, totally forgettable. This is the fifth time I've visited the parks, and it's getting worse and worse... What stands out most is the attention: it is PESIMA. The bad attitude of those who work, from admission with their zero kindness, the unwillingness of those who are to take pictures, even those who tended the ice cream store in the SuperHeores area mistreated us in a way that we could not believe how someone like that can work in attention to the public. I have no doubt that WDW pulls so that US parks have visitors... Excessively costed tickets coupled with the bad attitude of all employees are certainly the factors that don’t make you want to continue visiting US parks.

excellent experience great rides even for 60 year old with heart trouble great food outlets and drink venues especially Hardrock,Margarettaville and Starbucks

Hogsmeade (and all the Harry Potter areas) have the best theming in any park, hands down. Hagrid's is one of the best rides we've ever been on! I wish they would open it up to express-pass but since we got early admission, we only waited 40 minutes for it. Forbidden Journey was a lot of fun too. Our son got a wand ($65) and loved going to all the little spots to do magic. The only bad part was that the train was down for maintenance.
Jurassic Park River Adventure had a very steep drop and our son passed out for a second on the way down. He was terrified. Just be aware if you ride with younger children as it might be too scary for them.

It has app with tickets, map, times and details of attractions, but the height is in inches and unlike the Disney app, does not show the queue time directly on the map, you need to click on the Attraction to see the waiting time.

Some attractions do not allow to enter with a backpack, the problem is that the free closet is tiny, while the suitable size one costs 3 dollars during the Attraction period.

In the summer the rain cover was a mandatory item in the backpack. You can come in with water and snacks. There are drinks in the queues, in the bathrooms and the refill machines release water for those who don't have the bottle with the free drink chip.

It is good to take a photo of the parking reference (theme and number). The place varies according to the movement of the day and the time. King Kong was the one I found closest.

To use the Hogwart Express you need to have a ticket to Universal Studios, where the Diagonal Bucket is located. Island of Adventure is home to the Castle and Hogsmead. In both there are points to do magic with the rod.

It’s good to be prepared for the three wet attractions: two at Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park.

At the end of the day there is a projection show at Hogwart Castle.

We hadn’t been to Universal’s Islands of Adventure for five years, and wow, what a fantastic time we had! It was well worth the wait. The park was just as exciting as we remembered, and we managed to visit all the attractions we had on our list.

The absolute highlight for us was the Harry Potter areas – they’re simply magical. Walking through Hogsmeade felt like stepping straight into the films, and of course, we had to grab a couple of Butterbeers (which were as delicious as ever!). The Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ride was hands down our favourite in the park—such an exhilarating and immersive experience! Every twist, turn, and drop had us grinning from ear to ear.

We also loved VelociCoaster what a ride! The speed, the inversions, and that insane second launch were absolutely thrilling. It’s easily one of the best rollercoasters we’ve ever been on. On top of that, we really enjoyed The Incredible Hulk Coaster, still an absolute beast of a ride! The launch never fails to take your breath away.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Islands of Adventure. It was brilliant to be back after five years, and the park didn’t disappoint. The atmosphere, the rides, and the whole experience were just fantastic. Already looking forward to our next visit!

Great Universal parks to choose from they are better than Disney parks for me. Magical decor and Mood and breathtaking attractions very well done.

A must visit ride here. Not to be missed. You are seated in the beginning and it propels you up in the air and off you go though crazy twists and turns. Another ride that is highly recommended is the Jurassic Park Velocirapter ride.

Fantastic all over! The best rides and the best atmosphere.
The hulk rollercoaster and the velocicoaster are fantastic (although not all of our group wanted to do them!) Hargrid’s motor bike was worse for me! Love the Harry Potter rides and the Jurassic park area. The popeye water ride was great but you will get VERY VERY wet! Although we had all dried out by the end of the day. Definitely need two days as the Harry Potter area takes a day in itself in my opinion

The park is getting better! Don’t miss the Russian mountain “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure”, and fantastic!
And the velocicoaster is super radical, MAs looks wonderful, I didn't have the courage

This theme park has the most amazing rides imaginable and I would so recommend it. Went there with my wife and two kids; they absolutely loved it and in fairness, I did to. It was by far the best holiday ever as we did also go to Universal Studios as well.

I personally been going here since I was young but first time with my kids and husband. The prices for fast passes I think are outrages but we got them anyways. Overall we had a great time and the kids loved it. We didn’t get to do every ride either due to crazy 250 min wait time on the one ride you can’t use fast pass on or they were too little. Also food prices are insane but what park doesn’t do that so that’s expected. Overall would come again once we win the lotto or we get someone’s inheritance. lol

My trip was amazing. I enjoyed visiting the Universal Islands of Adventure with my friends. The rides were so much fun and exciting. It was filled with surprises and many memories were made on my visit to the Univerisal Islands of Adventure. The food was pretty decent. I would also want to return and 100% recommend it to others.

This was an awsome place! Not only do you have amazing rollercoasters and fun activities you also have good restaurants. Overall all of the rides were exeptional and amazing. The rollercoasters were a bit too intense for me but all of them were still great! The 3-d motion rides were also amazing . Not only did you get to feel everything but the theme and the decorations and the track , even the lights , everythubg about the concept of those 3d rides was super cool! The rollercooasters were fun overall , although my persenal favourite was the motorbike one , each had a fun theme and a fun track ! Now lets talk about the theme of the whole park . The park was divided into multiple parts , eaxh with fun interactive rollercoasters/3d rides/water rides/air rides/spooky rides. Every 0art was themes on a fandom for ex: superheroes , villans etc.

About ride intensity:

Water rides : super fun most of them had a 1/10 scary rating but the jurasic park on e got a 6/10 scary rating.
Rollercoasters : 10/10 for hulk, velociocoaster ; 4/10 flight of the hippogriff ; 8/10 motorbike.
the hulk , velociocoaster -> 14+ to be honest
3d rides : 5/10

ALL PF THESE RATINGS WERE FOR THE INSTENSITY NOT BY HOW FUN THEY WERE BECAOUSE EACH WAS SUPER FUN!!

Food: You can selesct between a quick snack , fast food , or exquisite restaurants!!

The trip was expensive but worth every penny!
Hope this helps!

I just want to give a shout out to the lovely man in the boutique shop in islands of adventure around 5 (sadly didn't catch his name) he was more then helpfull and answered everything with a smile what a lovely guy

We had a great time. Traveled with my teenage daughter. We loved Hagrids so much! The water stations dotted through the park were great for rehydrating in the summer heat. We stayed on site so were thankful for the early entry. It seemed to make quite a difference. It was easy to find some quieter places to sit and chill between rides. It was July so much needed! We found it easier to wear smaller cross body bags rather then take rucksacks, so we didn’t have to bother with lockers apart from velocicoaster and Hagrids. We will definitely visit again soon.

I think Island of Adventure is the best for teens and adults of all of the parks. This was our 2nd time going and it was an even bigger blast. Usually I don’t ride, but I rode and rode and rode.

Had two weeks in Orlando with my wife and two young children, and back in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s, I would visit Orlando with my parents.

We were usually a Disney family, as we never really did Universal Studios, but I always preferred Universal, and in our stay thanks to the Orlando Explorer tickets I purchased for our trip, we got unlimited access to all the parks.

After doing the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, I was glad to get to Universal, and we went to Island of Adventure the most.

Few things to note, rides here have a habit of being much shorter and faster than Disney, but rides here also have a habit of breaking down and closing for last portions of the day.

Being honest, the rides here are much better than Disney and catering more for older kids and adults, but my 9 and 12 year olds loved it.

First point should be the Hulk ride, which is the best ride of the park IMHO.

After a walk through all the Marvels stores, comic book land is good, especially with Popeyes water ride, which no matter how you prepare, you will get wet.

After drying off, King Kong ride is worth checking out if you can get on the ride in less than 30 minutes.

When finished here Jurassic Park world is nice and the flume ride is actually really fast to get on and went on it a number of times.

Harry Potter world has its charm, with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, that you will get on in no time (15-25 minutes in line) and an excellent experience.

Here you have the choice of getting the Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios or continue on the Seuss Landing.

We did both, with the train an interesting 5-10 minute ride to universal studios.

Seuss Landing has its charm, but is catered more to the much younger kids, though the Cat in the Hat ride is good.

After this you have basically done the full park, and for the rest of our holiday we did half a day here and spent the afternoon and evenings at Studios.

On the whole, better day out than Disney and probably spend a lot less time in line.

This is our second trip to the Universal parks. The rides are still wonderful. The theming in the Harry Potter section and Jurassic Park sections are amazing. But, the locker, phone, storage of stuff at rides is still just as bad if not worse than I remember

You have to check your stuff into a locker before the ride so you’re standing in the blazing sun with no water, no phone to check times and most lines are not well covered. You are in the sun. Even in the winter it’s a little brutal for some rides.

Universal you have some amazing rides but I hate your parks. Almost every other theme park does the stowing of personal effects better than . Universal.

Excellent park! Stayed mostly in Hogsmeade, because we were basically at Universal for the Harry Potter worlds.

My only complaint is that I wish that Flight of the Hippogriff was MyUniversal Photos enhanced (Forbidden Journey and Hagrid’s Motorbike were), so I can safely have my photo taken of my reaction on the ride. Planning another trip here in the future; hopefully, this issue can be dealt with.

Other than that, park was great!

Had the 4 park ticket for two weeks. Left this park until last as it looked to be the least exciting. I was wrong!

Best park from universal by far for a family of mixed ages (5 year old and 13 year old). Loads of rides for both. Excellent queue times in height of summer and just a great park to walk around and enjoy while not riding.

Was able to meet characters and take own pictures, didn’t feel ripped off at all. We done 5/6 hours at the other parks. Here we spent all day from 10:30 am to 7pm. Kids loved it.

Great memories. Few rides delayed a few times (which means broken down) but so many other rides close by it didn’t matter. You expect a few broken down rides here and there it happens.

Money well spent!

We took our Harry Potter, rollercoaster loving daughter to Universal's Islands of Adventure for her 9th birthday. This park not only has the Harry Potter themed area, but also rides inspired by the works of Dr. Seuss to heart-pounding adventures with Marvel superheroes.

Harry Potter Area - this park transports visitors into the captivating realm of J.K. Rowling's beloved series. A favorite ride was Hagrid's roller coaster - this one has it all! Ups and downs (and a little vertical drop) and then goes backwards. We also loved "The Forbidden Journey". Walking through Diagon ally was also a highlight for us. One thing to note is that unless you have a ticket to Universal Studios, you cannot ride the Hogwarts Express.

Dr. Seuss Area - Due to my daughters age (9), and due to the fact that she enjoys faster rides, we didn't spend too much time here. More geared towards younger kids.

Marvel Area - We enjoyed both the Hulk and Spiderman rides.

Food was just okay at Universal. More of a grab and go kind of place.

Tickets were about $120 pp when we went. Parking was at an extra cost - $30 per day.

Excellent day out!

It was very thrilling and I would definitely go again. The rides were exhilarating and the food was delicious. However, it was extremely hot and I had to buy a numerous amount of water. Overall, it was an experience to remember!

Unique experience! It has a lot of attraction, both for small children, large and adults. You have plenty of queues, but you can enjoy the day. Come early. Note: fast pass absurdly expensive.

It was my third time in the park and I like it a lot. The Russian mountains are amazing. The Harry Potter area is a must.
We went in September and there were few queues.

I went here with my family for a vacation and it had a great location. We were able to walk just a little and get to the amusement park from our hotel. I don’t have much to say except I really suggest this place for 8-10 years old.

Have been visiting Orlando several times a year since 2000 (with a recent 2 year gap due to Covid-19). Our February trip this year was the worst ever from a Universal point of view. We were in Orlando for 8 days and & I can hands-down say the best 4 days were the ones where we had no contact with Universal Orlando.

The SeaWorld / Busch Gardens / Aquatica ticket offers WAY better value than Universal - and includes free parking. Better selection of rollercoasters at both SeaWorld & Busch Gardens too - both parks are supposedly "animal" parks as well.

Velocicoaster down for the first 3 days of our visit. Eventually managed to get on it on the last day... 85min wait time advertised, which was actually 125mins. The ride had 5mins downtime during our wait - 5mins downtime does not = an extra 40mins wait. They were running on reduced trains, with blocked off rows.

On our next visit to Orlando we will not be giving Universal Orlando any of our money - we will stick to SeaWorld / Busch / Aquatica & do to Disney Springs for lunch... free parking there, so whilst the restaurant prices are high, there is no effective $15per person cover charge on for a party of 2 when you have to pay for parking.

The velocicoaster is the best rollercoaster I’ve ever been in. Several of the other rides are great as well. Several other aspects of the park make it a far subpar experience than Disney. The entrance to the park is a total cluster with nobody really even being able to see all the entrance lines. A lot of the walking areas in park are too narrow, making it seem wildly crowded. The staff is wildly unhelpful and borderline rude AF.
Unclear where lockers are, when they are needed, what needs to go in them, where extra lockers are. Staff is messing with phones and joking with friends instead of working.
Ordering food is abysmal. Because of unhelpful/not enough employees. Unclear when mobile order can be used and how to actually pickup as they never tell you when it’s ready.
I’ll rush to head back to Disney but never need to come here again

The worst park in the world! Harry Potter attraction down, Harry Potter bike down, 2 hours waiting and blocked for nothing,. We decide to go to Jurassic Parc attraction, the Coaster OK but the River down, one hour waiting for nothing. After 5 hours one attraction!!!
I complain but the guest service gives us two fast tracks we have already bought!!!!
They don’t want to hear anything!!!
We are sad and very upset. Travelling from France for that experience!!!!never again!!!
Maintenance of this park should be very light!!!

We stayed five nights at a Universal resort and had early park entry. We used park-to-park because I wanted to ride the Hogwarts Express between parks. Islands of Adventure was the only park offering early entry during our stay and that only included five or six activities, not the whole park. This is the place to be for fast coasters like Hulk and Velocicoaster. The Harry Potter Street scenes are amazing.

As a whole, my family loves going to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. My personal favorite ride is a mix between Hagrid's, The Hulk, and Jurassic World VelociCoaster. My family and I went to Universal Studios. We purchased the Preferred Annual pass, and we had early park admission. The park's format is very organized, and there were staff present to help guide the guests towards the rides that are open for early park admission, such as Hagrid's. I love the fact that the small lockers are free, so it helps us save money. All of the staff are always friendly, and the themed scenery is unique. I was on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, and when we were about to go down the hill, the log stopped, and we were delayed for about 30 minutes. When we got off, we were compensated. All of the staff was understanding and friendly, and they explained the situation to us. Everyone was very friendly, and the entire trip went well. I love how open and friendly everyone is, which truly adds to the park. The wait times were average, but since we had stayed at the Lowes Royal Pacifica Hotel, Fast Pass was included. We will be returning soon, definitely recommend.

The park is very pretty but lacks a prayer room for Muslims and attractions suitable for children of three, only a few accept children of this size.

Spent 1 day here with the family. Very similar to Universal Studios Orlando. Did Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Reign of Kong and Forbidden Journey. Plenty of quick service places to eat. Lots of character meet and greet opportunities. Overall a nice day out with the kids. Covered most of it in 5-6hours.

I love coming here more than going to Disney. But I'm starting to get worried because I can't ride a couple of ride here because of my size. But I will still enjoy coming here.

Awesome amusement park with some of the best rides in the world. Harry Potter land, Jurassic Park, all the superheroes. Just a lot of fun. I went on spring break and the crowds were terrible. It was hard to enjoy everything due to the crowds. The popular rides had a 2.5 hour wait time which is ridiculous. Beware of the Hulk roller coaster - I almost died on it

I really enjoyed my time there, I went for a school trip and we went on many rides, there are so many! There are many places where you could stop to get food and that was very convenient because we got hungry during the middle of the day.

Where do I even start! From that nostalgic walk through CityWalk, past all the restaurants, to the unmistakable roar of The Hulk launching into the sky—nothing compares. The feeling I get when I arrive is simply unmatched, and every single time it makes me feel at home.

I’m from Scotland, in my mid-20s, and I’ve been to Islands of Adventure probably around 50 times. Yet every visit still feels just as magical as the first.

Harry Potter has always been close to my heart, and seeing the castle never fails to take my breath away. Walking through Hogsmeade, taking the Hogwarts Express to King’s Cross, and stepping into Diagon Alley is like being fully immersed in the world I grew up with. The attention to detail is incredible—from exploring Ollivanders to buying sweets at Honeydukes. My top ride there has to be Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (definitely go for the motorbike seat if you can—it’s a game-changer!).

Outside of Harry Potter, my other favorites include the VelociCoaster—without doubt the best ride in the park, just pure insanity—and Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. I love everything about it: the music, the queue, and the sense of nostalgia, much like the Spider-Man ride.

If I had to mention a couple of downsides, it would be losing Dueling Dragons, which I thought were phenomenal coasters, and the food/drink prices. One visit, I got a beer and sandwich while my dad got a coke and sandwich, and it came to about $40–50—definitely steep.

Still, Islands of Adventure is, and always will be, one of my absolute favorite places on earth. The mix of nostalgia, magic, and thrills keeps me coming back again and again.

We visited the park multiple times during an 8 day holiday staying at Sapphire Falls.
Lots has already been said about the rides and the fabric of the park and you can watch a million YouTube videos as part of your research so I’ll stick to the factor that really made our holiday: accessibility.
Our older child is autistic with very high anxiety and lots of sensory issues. So, this holiday was risky!
I applied for the IBCCES accessibility card beforehand. There was a mix up (you MUST apply for this yourself and not pass information to your travel agent for them to do it in your behalf) and we were passed from pillar to post to get it sorted. Eventually the wonderful Cas at the accessibility service just through the gate sorted everything out with a great deal of patience and understanding. Our child was given a pass which allowed her to be given a return time for queues longer than 30 minutes and access to the express lane for the shorter queues. This meant that we could be confident that queuing anxiety was kept to a minimum and that we could enjoy the park knowing that our eldest was happy and had confidence that staff were there to help and support her.
Our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. We really weren’t sure how it would go and although we are all now absolutely exhausted we are very appreciative of the care that we received and how safe and “seen” our young person felt.

One of the best theme parks in the world. Immersive, fun, thrilling and filled with nostalgic moments.

A park I would try to avoid with younger children based on their height. Not that you will not be able to enjoy it but that most of the attractions you will have to do separately from your partner as you will have to take it turns to look after children due the height restrictions. Definitely a park to enjoy when they are tall enough that you can stay and ride together.

Islands of adventure has some of the most unique attractions on the planet. Spider-man set the standard for indoor rides, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter single handedly changed the theme park industry while Velocicoaster and Hagrids will remain some of the best immersive rollercoasters ever built.

Food at this theme park is strong. While as a Brit the Harry Potter food is not as appealing, the park offers some great variety that suit various budgets. Seuss Landings loaded tatter tots remain a firm favourite of ours. A turkey leg or burger in Jurassic Park in true carnivore style is also a must. Mythos in the lost continent is widely recognized for being the best theme park restaurant, offering alternate Mediterranean and Asian inspired food.

We will continue to count down the days until we return.

A fully immersive theme park, the music, atmosphere and world class attractions.

The rides were great, though some of the queues were unbearable. We booked the character dining, the staff in cafe 4 were not aware and told us to go to guest services, the person at front desk gave us two fast pass and reimbursed it as the supervisor did not offer any alternative and said we should not have booked it, even though it was booked 6 months in advance. I emailed guest services on other options, no answer, then got a survey on how was the dinner, I responded it did not take place. Still no response. Guest services are unresponsive

Islands of Adventure is a park that offers an amazing experience, with many activities and attractions to enjoy. An important advantage is that you can enter foods that do not need refrigeration or are in glass containers. As for drinks, I recommend purchasing the refillable glass of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. For about $20, you can refill every 10 minutes with a variety of options. Also, water on these machines is free, even if you don’t buy the glass.

Unlike Universal Studios, this park has more roller coasters, making it an ideal choice for lovers of strong emotions.

The area of Hogsmeade is smaller than I imagined, but still magical and charming in its own way. In fact, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was our favorite attraction, an unforgettable experience. The Jurassic Park and Marvel Super Hero Island areas stand out for their exciting attractions and detailed designs, which make them great fun to explore.

The DreamWorks Land and Seuss Landing areas are mainly for children, but are worth a walk and admire their theme. On the other hand, the area of Toon Lagoon, while focused on water attractions, is very entertaining to tour for its decor that evokes classic comics and full of nostalgia.

I highly recommend purchasing the Express Pass as it significantly improves the experience. This pass is superior to Disney’s Quick Line system, as you can board attractions without reservation (except Hagrid’s). Although its price may be equal to or even higher than the cost of admission, it is really worth it. You will save a lot of time, allowing you to enjoy more of the themed areas, decorations, shops and even lunch quietly.

We stayed one night at the Hard Rock Hotel, which gave us the Unlimited Express Pass for all occupants of the room, from the day of check-in to the day of check-out. Thanks to this benefit, we were able to climb several times to our favorite attractions, even repeating up to four times in one of them. This flexibility and comfort made our experience unique and unforgettable.

An important detail to note is that this park usually offers early access for guests of Universal hotels and closes slightly later than Universal Studios.

In conclusion, Islands of Adventure is an extremely fun and exciting park. We really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it for those looking for a complete and exciting experience.

One of the best theme park in the world.
Is the home to the Velocicoaster which is one of the best of its kind! Really good!
For Harry Potter fans: the castle looks gorgeous and we can walk inside of it !! There is an attraction hidden there and it’s a very good one!
The motorbikes are also an excellent family rollercoaster.

Visited with family (2x teenage kids) and had an amazing day. The Velocicoaster has to be the most exhilarating rollercoaster ever and my heart was pounding many minutes after getting off.

Harry Potter stuff was good and the castle was amazing and on the day we visited the crowds were not too bad and staff managed the queues well. Park spotlessly clean. Great day out.

Universal is not my number one Florida destination, but family wanted to go,. This was the first time I have spent a solid week just at universal parks and I had a blast! Islands was clean and nicely taken care of. The staff was friendly and helpful. We enjoyed all character interactions! Comparably it is smaller then Disney parks so you will go around it many times but we got on all the rides we wanted too and had fun!

Spectacular roller coasters at this park, Hulk, Hagrid's Magical and Velociraptor. Rather than open EPIC, it seemed to me the best park to go with teenagers, between the parks of disney and Universal. The world of harry potter requires a lot of patience, but for my taste it is not the best thing in the park.

Spent an arm and a leg on tickets for this park and was highly disappointed. My kids are 8, 6 and 3. The 6 year old wasn’t tall enough for anything because the height requirements are absurdly conservative at this park. Dr Seuss rides, which are clearly meant for toddlers also have ridiculous height requirements- my 3 year old almost couldn’t get on. The staff was unhelpful (I asked for kosher food and they said I had to order TWO WEEKS in advance- not a kosher snack in sight) and rides would just randomly get delayed without explanation. Lines were very long even though it was a freezing January day. We had spent the two previous days a Disney and it was a night and day experience - would recommend Disney over universal any day.

For the price of $190.00 per person, standing in line for hours because you didn't want to spend another $130 for a fast pass. Butter Beer for $9.50 just isn't worth it. Maybe limit the number of people each day would help.

Actually maybe one of my worst theme park experiences? Stayed in a universal resort for early admission, arrive early and still take over 30 mins to get into the park. Once inside, it was almost comical how rude the staff was. All the rides were over 45 mins wait. Save yourself the money and stay home. You can buy all the stuff online in their shop.

You always have to go back if you have the chance. Adults or children there is always something new to see or enjoy again in these parks. The "old" area is great.

On my tenth visit to Orlando's Disney Parks, I admit it was my first time here. Very nice experience, even for those who, like me, struggled to sustain the pace in August, with the heat and humidity, holding out all day in this park and at Universal Studios. I did both in one day. Very heavy, but alone the Attraction of Harry Potter, both here and at Universal, was worth the enormous effort.
Surely it is a park more for adults than for children, as well as the Universal more oriented to a higher target population.
Compared to the past, games are much more technological, more adrenaline, more sensory.
Impressive and, for me, dangerous rollecoasters. I'm not old anymore...
Recommendation to visit both parks in a single day selecting well beforehand the attractions to dive. And avoid the month of July and August. Parks full and really too hot and humidity. Go to spring when temperatures are drier and milder. Otherwise get ready to bring some spare shirts and plenty of sunscreen.
There is the possibility of "skip the line", but with what you will spend to skip the line for 4 pax, you could do 5 days in any budget hotel nearby.
The park is very expensive. There are drinking fountains everywhere, but there will not be enough. It's an impressive money machine that has tripled its cost compared to the past. You will spend on anything, gadgets, food, drinks, even breathing...
Staff always organized and kind despite the tiring rhythms that must support the park employees. At the end of the day they still have the strength to greet you smiling as you leave to return to the hotel. Commendable!
In short, it must be done at least once in a lifetime both the Universal group and Disney... I went a bit further, but I think it will be the last.... ;-)

We were so looking forward to our visit to IoA but left feeling disappointed if not cheated. We arrived to find the Spiderman attraction had broken down. This was rectified later in the day but sadly that wasn't the only attraction to fail. We waited for the Kong ride and couldn't have been more than 10 minutes from the front when it packed-up. No offer of a single use express pass ticket nor even an apology from a real human being. So off we trotted to Ripsaw falls and the same thing happened. This time though we did get an apology and an express pass ticket which we duly used. All in all a frustrating experience.

Park is cool, the whole idea of express pass is really weird and classist though. To be honest I could afford it if I wanted but seems kinda wrong...like, you have more money so you can just make those who don't have a worse experience so you can have a better one? I kind of couldn't believe this practice is so accepted. So we didn't get them, had the regular pass, had a super fun day, but definitely waited in several 3+ hour lines while we watched tons of people just be let in front of us. Hashtag capitalism I guess :/

It is so much fun here especially for adults!! I love everything about this park especially the fast pass!

I was there all those years ago.
For adults, no for small children, it is the most beautiful park.
With many, attractions, which are inspired, directly, by the films from which they are based.
Many, adrenaline roller coaster and beautiful environment.
Clearly, all this comes at a high cost and considering, also, the very long lines.
I, I would recommend avoiding coming in the summer months.

The park is small for the price. 3 real coasters not counting the kiddie coasters. The park hasn’t grown much since it opened. In fact one land has no rides with the lost of a dark ride. Means so many people queue for two coasters, and watch out if you get caught in express pass rushes. Universal clear those lines and don’t move the normal (or standby) queues. Even if you spend thousands for park tickets, you are not a valued customer. They want the people who pay another 1/3 or more on fast pass. They will shut the standby, run the express between 10-20mins then move 8 to 10 standby guests through. The worse time was the Saturday night when the potter evening show was on on the 23rd. Staff will bs you about ratios but after 12days at this resort, if happened frequently.

The rides are okay, but they need more.

Wow, what can I say, we just got home from Orlando after having 6 days at the 2 parks. Absolutely amazing time. We spent one day at Disney and it was nowhere near your standards. Glad we did the majority at universal. Standout mentions to Wes at the raptor encounter, a very friendly guy called Scott who we encountered by the lockers at the studios park entrance and a lady at the animal actors show that was down the front greeting people before the show started. She was doing all the actions to the songs and I’ve just spent an hour trying to find one of the songs on YouTube. It became the unofficial soundtrack to our holiday but we can’t remember what it was called 😩 Being critical, far to many people jump the queues or have one person lining up then just before the ride, the rest of the family just turn up. Frustrating after you’ve spent over an hour queuing! And there’s too many 3’d - simulator type rides. Felt sick after most of them! Especially the Simpson. Otherwise, we had an excellent time, thank you 🙏

Visited with my wife and 17 year old Son. We visited 10 years ago and the new additions to the park are great.
The Hagrid Bike Coaster is spot on and the Spiderman ride is must. We spent most of the day in the park and went on over 6 rides.
Cinnabon was delicious.

I keep visiting this park and each and every time we make the effort to get up early, make the treck to the entrance gate, do the stampede to Hagrids to beat the queues, only for them to say that Hagrid (ie the ONLY ride that people want to ride first thing) is not in operation!!! This happens EVERY SINGLE TIME!!...are Universal so inept at what they do that they can't get the ONLY worthwhile ride up at running for when the park opens?

Universal are charging £150 to get in and are raking MILLIONS a day from paying customers and they are so useless that they cannot simply get operators in early to test the ride and get it working so the thousands who've made the effort to come early can get to ride it without waiting for 3 hours later in the day.

SHAME ON UNIVERSAL for caring so little about the very people who keep their Company afloat!!

And this is the company who want to build a park in the UK? What a joke....the Brits will never accept paying £150 to get I to a park which is run so poorly but amateurs who cannot get rides open when the park opens.

My advice to paying guests...dont bother paying to go to a Universal Hotel to get early park entrance as its a complete waste of time as you'll be stuck for that extra hour in a queue that never moves as the rides aren't being opened on time.

Utter shambles of a place.

What a ride! The whole day was just a whirlwind of wonder & exhilaration.

We came to the park as a group. Myself, my two teenage daughters (13 & 19) and some of our adult friends.

Upon arriving at Universal you are taken through security, which was a quick and seamless affair.

We excitedly walked down the travel walk belts to the park. Were scanned in speedily and were ready to see what adventures awaited us.

First ride was the Hulk. Lockers are provided for free for your belongings but they are small, so avoid taking a large backpack. We had bum bags and a mini backpack which fitted in fine.

The queue said 35 mins but I’d say we waited less than 15/20! This was my favourite rollercoaster of the park. We went on twice! The twists and turns had us coming off laughing and ready for the day.

We headed through the park and on to Veloicoaster! That extra warp speed take off was something else 😅 Wasn’t expecting it but again, exhilarating!

On the way over to the next ride which was the Harry Potter motorbikes one we grabbed some kebabs and pretzels which were reasonably priced at around $15 and tasted beautiful.

The Harry Potter ride has some unexpected motions and had us all in hysterics. A great ride! Worth the wait!

Then of course it was time to stop for an iced Butter Beer which was beautiful. The whole set up of Harry Potter World did not disappoint!

As the day was hot, I’d recommend a sun umbrella as there’s not a huge amount of shade. And if you want to keep costs down bring some snacks and drinks or sandwiches as there’s food is expensive, although nowhere near as bad as I had anticipated in comparison to Disneyland Paris (which was crazy). There were lots of cheaper snack alternatives around the park.

Our final ride was the one in the water where you sit in a circular boat. My heads up here is - prepare to get WET!

We came off completely soaked but it was welcomed as the temperature was rising.

We walked around 27000 steps and left by 4pm as we were all so worn out. There was so so much more to see and do there. Too much to mention. But we had the bit start to our trip and I have absolutely no complaints on this.

It was everything we expected and more!

that was a amazing place. you should be careful about your travel agent, if they're not giving you enough support then you can carry a financial penalty for it.

Very disappointed with these two parks , approx been here a week and a half most days downwind around 5 hours at the parks and only riding around 2 /3 rides per day , waited for hagrids on 3 occasions all times ride broke down , waited 2 hours one time still did not open , it is either always closed due to technical difficulties and if not that it’s down to inclement weather .

Seems like all the big rides need a major overhaul , maintenance team seem to be over stretched , many breakdowns experienced on hagrids , velicocoaster , hogwarts express , even when coming early to park for extra hour opening things were delayed opening .

Very disappointing, have been coming here for the last 15 years and this year has been by far the worst with long queues ( mostly due to ride breakdowns and delays ) , rides shut down every half hour .

Not my idea of fun with long queues , ride breakdowns and lots crowded unhappy visitors walking around !!!

Would not recommend this to anyone unless universal invest in upgrading the rides in these current parks .

My family and I were there last week during Fall school break (1 of the busiest times of the year). We had 3 day tickets w/ Express Pass (which we got for "free" by staying at Portofino Bay - see separate review for PB if interested). We haven't been to Universal for almost 6 years, so we were excited to see whats new, mostly Hagrid and Velocicoaster.

My kids are huge Harry Potter fans and they were blown away by the WWoHP. Even if you're not a fan, you can appreciate how incredibly detailed and imaginative the theming is. Hagrid's, Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts are the 3 best rides in the park. Head and Shoulders above all else. Don't miss them because you're not a HP fan!!

As far as the new rides go, Hagrid's is NOT eligible for Express Pass, so that was the priority at either the beginning of the day (rope drop) or the end of the day (hopping in line right before close). Otherwise, you'll spend up to 150 minutes of park time waiting in line for Hagrid's. The lowest we ever saw the queue was 85 min. That being said, Hagrid's is the BEST coaster we've ever experienced. Its not the tallest or the fastest or even the most thrilling. But it is just out and out FUN.

If you're looking for thrills, look no further than Velocicoaster. 2 of my kids just discovered Jurassic World and they loved the theme of the JP area. My 2 oldest kids and I loved Velocicoaster and we rode several times. For my wife and my 8yo, once was enough! There are several features on this coaster that make it unique!

Here are my Top 10 Tips and Tricks:

1) Early Admission is key: We got our tickets with a vacation package and since we were staying at Portofino Bay, the tickets came with early admission and express passes. The extra hour in the morning is worth its weight in gold! But, be warned! If you're ontime for early entry, you're late!! EA started at 8am and we were through security and at the gate no later than 7:10am each day. By 8am, the line for the gate stretched back across the bridge into CityWalk. Hit Hagrid's right away. We (literally) ran to Hagrids and we were on the first train of the day. If you can knock out Hagrid's and Velocicoaster during EA, you're set up well for the rest of the day.

2) Get the Express Pass. Yes, it's expensive, but for somebody like me that goes to Universal once a decade its totally worth it. I place incredible value on my family vacation time. How much is your time/experience worth? Price out packages/hotels with/without EPs. You might save $$$ by booking at a premium resort than staying offsite and buying EPs separately. In terms of time saved, the EPs were always helpful, but some rides moreso than others. The rides that have totally separate queues for EP are the best! We never waited more than 5-10 min for those rides (google it). For rides where the lines merge, the EPs are still helpful. Velocicoaster was once a 90 min wait and we waited 30 (the longest we waited with the EP).

3) Have A Plan! Even if you get the EP, you still need a plan! We started at IOA for early entry, rope dropped Hagrids and Velocicoaster and then relied on our EPs for everything else. That gave us lots of time to stroll around WWoHP doing magic, eating lunch and shopping. We even went back to the hotel for a swim break 1 day because we could.

4) Be Flexible: Hagrids goes down a fair amount. Velocicoaster went down while we were there. You have to roll with the punches and take things as they come. Also - eat lunch early (not late). We learned that the hard way when we got in line at Krusty Burger at 2pm and waited til 3 - the longest we waited for anything save Hagrid! Conversely, we showed up at 3 Broomsticks at 11:10 and were seated right away.

5) Expect to Spend Big $$$: Its one of the worlds' most popular theme parks. If you go here and don't know you're going to spend $10 for ButterBeer then that's on you. Do your research before you go. Lunch for 5 of us was easily $100. Drinks are expensive, souvenirs are expensive. The tickets and express passes are expensive. I get it. But if you choose to go, don't go and then be surprised at how expensive it is...

6) Share Meals: The food portions at most restaurants are crazy big. Sharing meals is a clever way to save some dollars, prevent waste and to keep yourself from overeating. For my family of 5, we'd typically order 1 appetizer, 1 kids meal and 1-2 adult meals to share. Instead of 5 meals, we're getting by with 3-4 meals. We never went hungry. Also - use mobile ordering to save time. The system they have in the app is very easy to use!!

7) Leave the Little Kiddos at Home: Yes, I'm sure the Dr. Seuss area of the park is great, but are you really going to spend $250 so your 2-5 YO and ride a handful of rides that he/she won't remember next week? These parks just aren't geared for kids that don't like thrill rides. My kids ride everything, and they'll remember this trip the rest of their lives. The family time and memories were worth the price tag associated with the trip.

8) Be Prepared to Walk. It always boggles my mind when people are surprised by how much walking you have to do at theme parks. IoA is very easy to navigate because of its circular layout. US is a little trickier. but the signage is very good everywhere. If you get confused, check the app - it will literally point you in the right direction. We were never lost.

9) Lockers. They're a hassle. Know which rides require a locker so you can go straight to the locker before you get redirected at the front of the line. You do have to go through metal detectors for some of these rides, so they will probably find your keys and phone hidden inside your pockets. And they will tell you to go back to the front if they catch you! We brought a bag for our drinks, snacks, etc. and had to get a locker on most of the big rides.

10) Get the Refillable Mug: We did the coke freestyle option and it was great. It costs like $16/day but we filled it up 5-6 times during the day. Bonus because you can refill it with Icees or frozen lemonade at many places. I didn't see any value in the meal plan. We just ate lunch and had a few snacks here and there.

Favorite Rides:

1) Hagrid's - This was hands down everyone in my family's favorite ride. And it wasn't even close. If there was ever a ride that was worth waiting 90 minutes for, this is it. I don't want to say much about the ride and spoil it.

2) Forbidden Journey - There's simply nothing like it. I don't know how they do it. It was amazing. The imagery is slightly scary but if your kids (or you) are a HP fan this ride will blow you away.

3) Gringotts is also unique, thrilling and fun! Its just so amazingly cool to experience. Even the queue is cool.

4) Velocicoaster - the champ of the thrill rides. The theming and the ride dynamics will blow you away. This ride may not be for everyone - it's intense!!

5) Revenge of the Mummy - starting to show its age, but its still a cool coaster/experience hybrid. Just so fun! Was slightly scary for my 8 yo. daughter.

5) Hollywood Rip Rocket - Cool coaster, pretty unique with the vertical hill. You can choose music too. Be sure to google the "secret song list." It works! Thats kinda cool.

7) Hulk - Hulk is not as smooth as I remember. It felt a little jerky to me this year, Maybe a function of sitting towards the back. Still, the launch at the beginning is worth the price of admission.

8) Spiderman - the original 4D experience. I rode it 10 years ago and it still holds up to this day. Not as flashy or new as Transformers or Kong, but still the king of the movie rides.

9) Kong:Skull Island - This is a very cool 3D/Track ride. The theming was again top-notch (a little scary for my 8 yo). It was intense and the theming is waaaay cool.

10) Transformers - I'd say the same thing about Transformers as I did Spiderman. They are similar in nature. Transformers just aren't as cool.

11) Hogwarts Express - The theming is cool, but its just a train ride that has some cool effects to go with it. Yes, my kids loved going through platform 9 3/4s but without the EP you're going to wait 1 hour+ for this. Even with the EP this was a 15 minute wait.

11) Also Rans: Minions, Simpson's, Fast and Furious, Race through New York, Jurassic Park, Ripsaw Falls, MIB:Alien Attack, Popeys Barges are all ok, but nothing that will blow you away.

Bottom Line is I highly recommend Universal/Islands of Adventure. I've been to theme parks all over the country. Nothing else comes close (sorry Disney fans). And you can do both parks in 1 day, even on a busy weekend if you have the Express Pass and the right plan. But there is plenty to do and re-ride if you wanted to stay 2 or even 3 days, especially now that they have a water park.

Have fun!

This place is wonderful !!! It has spectacular rides, roller coasters, my son's favorites. We spent New Year's there with a lot of people, I recommend booking a table for dinner, otherwise there are no free tables!!!

Endless queues exorbitant prices $300 per ticket express parks massed 2 hour queues won't return

It’s a theme park, a universal one and a great one, not much to say really, great fun for all expensive and, hot and long lines for everything but worth the visit.

Roller coaster enthusiasts' nirvana. However, not a lot for non-coaster enthusiasts (see Disney). Even the simulator rides are pretty jarring at times. Some of the warnings about things like neck pain people shouldn't go on a ride are accurate. Interestingly, the Velociraptor coaster isn't that jarring, but it's the one that is pretty good until you hit the 2nd acceleration, and then, well there's not a lot of describing it in words (listen to the screams). Also, prepare for complete, 100% soaking on all 3 water rides, as in as wet as you'd be if jumped in the pond. No safe seats on these rides. Water rides are excellent for hot days.

Took the Hogwarts Express- great ride to enter the park. Loved the Harry Potter area, enjoyed Butter Beer at Three Broom Sticks. The water rides were so much fun, but you will get soaked on Dudley RIP Falls and Popeyes Tube Ride. The Jurassic Park area was cool, and the ride fun, too. King Kong and Spider-Man were also enjoyable. The Seuss Landing was adorable and the chocolate cupcake delicious. We enjoyed this park so much more than Universal Orlando which seemed so outdated.

I have to write this review. I haven't seen anything like this park. It is small, the lanes are closed continuously and you queue for hours. The whole thing is just a rip-off. We paid 328.- dollars for two and you had to take a looser for the backpack we had with you on certain fast-paced rides. It costs 3.- dollars per trip and you can only leave it in for 2 hours. If the queue takes longer, it will be calculated again.
Tastes can be disputed whether you love Disneyworld or Universal more, but Universal Studios can't even get close to the organization, cleanliness and friendliness.
The park is crowded and there is a lot of congestion at some points because everything is tight. Many smaller attractions are extra to pay and a water costs 6.- dollars.
Why this park is visited anyway, I can understand zero.
It is also absolutely not a must for Harry Potter fans. It is not lovingly designed at all. London's Harry Potter exhibition is much more beautiful and cannot be compared to it.
I should have believed the bad reviews.

A definite must do for adrenaline junkies! I preferred Universal over IOA as I'm not so big into coasters but the rest of my family loved IOA more. Definitely rope drop to get on Hagrid's first thing. We went in peak season with no Fastpass and managed to ride it every day that we went as well as all of the other 'big ticket' rides with minimal wait. I think our longest line was 30 minutes? Hogsmeade is AMAZING! Definitely plan on spending time there exploring! Get park-to-park so that you can ride the Hogwarts Express....it was so cool!!

Best park of universals both parks in Orlando..
Recommend buying park hopper o take both the same day, o have some pace ..

There can be quite long queues..
Express Passport Recommended.. Well worth a visit... Don't need to buy tickets and reserve the day as at Disney and it's a clear advantage...

What a place. I am from England and miss Universal each day. Very thing I did ( except the queues) was a highlight overall amazing.

The park is very large, although not huge (you can visit it quietly in a day, if there is not too much queue at the attractions) and its entrance is located within the Universal Citywalk “city”. The settings are incredible and realistic, there are many water attractions, some of which you literally come out soaked .. so we recommend that you always store your belongings in the small lockers placed before the entrances of the attractions (some lockers are paid, some free in time). I was a bit skeptical about visiting this place, but it is a very high level park, never seen anything like it in Europe! Super recommended!

I have written a review on this park previously but there have been some changes since we last visited it. Most significantly is the addition of Hagrid's magical creature's motorcycle adventure and the jurassic park velocicoaster.

First Hagrid's. This is an excellent coaster with multiple launches and great themeing. The knock on this ride is that it does not allow you to use the express pass. An oversight in my opinion. So, the wait times can be extreme. Talking 2 hrs or better is not unheard of, so i recommend that if eligible to take advantage of early entry (staying at a universal hotel or a season pass holder), and head straight for it. If you have the universal phone app (recommended). You can view and set alerts for ride wait times. Another good use of the app is the mobile food ordering system.

Pro tip. If you can take advantage of the single rider queue, do it. The wait times can be as short (sometimes even shorter) than the express lane. When my wife, nephew, and I visited the park this past Thanksgiving day, the park was crowded, and the express pass was very expensive. So we used the single rider queue, and often, even though we weren't seated together, we were on the same ride or shortly after.

The velocicoaster is by far the best true rollercoaster in Florida. If you're a coaster person and I am. This is up there with the best ones in the country. It's not the highest or fastest, but it is fun.

As for the rest of the park. It's separated into different lands. The Harry Potter section is well done, and besides Hagrid's ride, it's home to another great ride, the forbidden journey. A word of caution. This ride is a simulator, so there are movie screens with characters and visual images that interact with the ride. It also tosses you around a bit. So, if you're prone to motion sickness, you should skip this one. The other ride in this section is the family coaster the flight of the hippogriff. The rest of the area has Harry Potter themed stores and a restaurant. Your children can participate in a wand ceremony.

The jurassic Park section is home to the aforementioned velocicoaster. It also has the jurassic park river adventure. It's a nice ride that takes you through a simulation of jurassic Park with dinosaur animitronics. There is a big splash at the end, and you will get wet. Mostly, the head and shoulder area as the safety bar helps protect the rest of you. There are dryers available for a cost, but if you don't want to get wet, bring a Pancho. The King Kong skull island ride is close by. The premise is that your part of scientific expedition searching for kong. Again, the action happens around you and interacts with the ride car, shaking it as needed, and so forth. It's not the best ride in the park. Nothing really exciting happens.

The cartoon area is home to a kids' area and 2 water rides. I don't have any children, and I have never gone on either water ride, so I can't speak to them.

The Marvel superhero area is home to the Spiderman ride. It is another simulator ride, but you're given 3D glasses, and the action is intense. There is also DR,DOOMS Fear fall ride it's a drop ride. It accelerates you up and then bounces you down. It's not very exciting, but the wait times are usually pretty short. The incredible Hulk coaster launches you at 50 mph and is fun but quickly over ride. There is an area for character meet and greets as well as a quick service cafe.

To round things out, the DR SUESS area is for small children, and the lost continent area only has the restaurant Mythos, which is always rated as a top restaurant in Universal.

So, in closing, Universal Islands of Adventure is one of the best theme parks in Florida.

The rides are still very fun, with the Volocicoaster and Hagrid’s Motorbike coasters being the best. The Spider Man ride technology has become outdated.

Having “express passes” is a must.

The biggest problem is finding coffee: who wants to stand in line behind 50 people waiting to give their fancy order? Just provide more vendors with bottled coffee. Simple - right?

It’s the best of all the Parks. The rides (especially Spiderman) are all that! All in my family rated the Park a 9.5 out of 10.

Incredible place! My favorites in Orlando
The games in general are for older children, mostly teenagers and adults. I've been there more than 5 times and it's my favorite place, especially the water features and the final light show.

Rides are constantly down. We have currently been waiting for hagrids since early hours park opening (about 1 hour and 45 minutes). Yesterday we watched as Rock it coaster had to be unloaded mid ride and people escorted from the ride at the top of the peak. We had to be “rescued” off the mummy last night after it broke kid ride. Understandably rides break and there is a safety factor. However, after being taken off mummy we were given a one use express pass for that park, we already have express passes so that has no use. There has been no offer for anything for Hagrid even though they have no estimated return time and we are all the way in the front of the line after this long.

Universal's Islands of Adventure is one of Universal's parks, with more radical toys such as the VelociCoaster that is part of JurassicPark.
The park also has water toys that are very good in the heat.
Gostamos bastante, voltaria.

We spent a very enjoyable day at Universal recently. We wanted to see both Studios and IOA so had purchased the 2 park and also Unlimited Fast-pass tickets beforehand. This was obviously very expensive but ensured we could make the most of the day as we wanted to get on all the big rides during our time there. We stayed at the Universal Dockside hotel which allowed us early entry to the parks. The new Hagrid ride is the most popular and is one of the few not covered by our Unlimited Fast-pass tickets, so we rope-dropped this first thing. I’d suggest most people have the same idea as even at 8am the line was at 30mins when we joined. In reality we probably spent 20 mins queuing before riding. The ride itself is great fun and should be a must-do for anyone who enjoys their thrill rides. It does have a single-rider line which we used later in the day and basically walked straight on. One thing I hadn’t realised regarding Universal is their locker system. All bags for the big rides must be placed inside a locker. There are smaller lockers that are free but the bigger lockers, for rucksacks, are $3 a time which I thought was a rip-off. I’d suggest carrying as little as possible with you or to split things into smaller bags that can be fit into a smaller lockers. The fastpass entry really helped us to get around quickly, the Velociraptor ride was the only one that we ended up waiting maybe 20mins for, but the regular line was up to 90mins at this time. They are ridiculously expensive but if you’ve only got a day then they are the only way to be sure to get on everything.

I have been to every Disney Theme park and Universal Orlando park (including their water parks) and this is my least favorite one. I'm going to talk about the positives first and end with the negatives.

The best things in this park are the rollercoasters and rides. Hulk and VelociCoaster are amazing and the other rides are pretty cool too. The Harry Potter Hogwarts ride is amazing also and unique. The food and beer on Three Broomsticks is also good. The castle Show is amazing also!

Pretty much everything else is inferior to other parks. I went in summer and there's almost no place to hide from the sun, the shaded areas like the Jurassic Park center are always packed with people just sitting and lying on the floor to get some air conditioning and the employees are blocking the entrances to the larger restaurants (for obvious and understandable reasons). The walking areas are narrower than any other park and it always feels packed and shoulder to shoulder. To test this point just go to Hogsmeade on Islands of Adventure and then cross on the train to Diagon Alley on Universal and the difference will be HUGE. There's shade, space and people have space to sit and walk. The difference in shade, space and comfort of both parks is huge. Another thing I dislike is that you can ride everything in the park in half a day and there's nothing else to see. This is where Disney shines and you can spend virtually all day in a Disney park without riding any ride and still have fun. The food is also inferior to most other parks except Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.

In conclusion, I had a 5 day pass to the Universal Parks and just went once to Island of Adventures and wouldn't go back at least in a couple of years. You can see in my picture the level of "packness" and small space I'm talking about and that's through the whole park. This was just my experience and my party confirmed this too but I know people love this park so enjoy it!

Great park, long ques for rides but worth a visit. The best ride by far is the hulk we actually got on 6 times in two days! Would definitely recommend!!

Excellent park, so many rides and family friendly. Something here for everyone. Loved all the Marvel characters. Hulk ride and Hagrid motorbike were amazing rides!

Best theme park at Universal!! There was a great variety of rides, food, and shops. I would highly recommend either staying at a universal hotel for the express pass our buying it. It is so worth the money.

Had a lovely day at IOA, all the better for having stayed at Hard Rock Hotel for one night to benefit from Express Passes…. My only thought is, it’s a lot of money to pay for a 3 year old, when there are so few rides that they are able to go on…my husband was very disappointed that Spider-Man was shut on both our days…😂….overall we had a fab couple of days….

It's been almost 17 years since I visited Island Of Adventure. I had a lot of fun with the new Harry Potter and Jurassic Park attractions. Plus older ones like the Hulk, Spiderman, and many more. Meals are expensive. With the Universal Studios app you can monitor the waiting time in lines.

This place is awesome, I go every year. I go with my friend, and we have a blast every time. All of the rides are thrilling, the food is great, and the hotel is very comfortable.

Sorry I told a lie, the wait for roller coasters was not 60 - 80 mins,
It was averaging 120 - 200 mins. Far too long for anyone in the heat of the day, without ant cooling fans.

Disappointing Experience at Universal Orlando – Management, Please Address These Issues

Our family visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, staying on-site at Aventura Hotel for early park access. While the trip started well, persistent ride delays, poor communication, and dismissive staff turned our vacation into a frustrating ordeal. We won’t be returning unless significant changes are made.

The Good: Check-in at Aventura was fantastic, thanks to Christina’s warmth and professionalism. Boat captain Will was equally kind, enhancing our Boardwalk experience. Early entry at Islands of Adventure allowed us to enjoy several rides before rain disrupted our first day. Universal Studios was fun, with great virtual rides, though family-friendly roller coasters for older kids were limited.

The Bad: Ride reliability and communication were abysmal. At Islands of Adventure, Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure ruined two mornings of early entry. On the first day, we waited 55 minutes in line, only to learn a film crew was causing the delay—not a technical issue. Staff admitted they’re instructed to call it a “delay” without explanation, wasting our time when we could’ve ridden other attractions. After a 20-minute wait at guest services, we received express passes for Hagrid’s and one other ride (with restrictions), which felt like a minimal gesture. The next day, Hagrid’s was delayed again at the same point, costing us another 30 minutes. When we raised concerns, a worker rudely snapped, “This isn’t Disney!” Thankfully, the 9:00 AM conductor on 5/15/2025 overheard, apologized, and personally resolved the issue—his empathy stood out. Another unnamed female employee also admitted staff are told to withhold information, highlighting a systemic issue.

On our final day, five major rides—Hagrid’s, VelociCoaster, King Kong, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls—were constantly down. Half our day was spent waiting in lines only to be told rides were unavailable. For example, we waited nearly an hour for E.T., which broke down and wasn’t worth the wait. This pattern of unreliability and long waits eroded our vacation’s joy.

The Ugly: Some staff were openly dismissive, seemingly desensitized to guest complaints. It’s clear many feel constrained by park policies that prioritize secrecy over transparency. This contrasts sharply with employees like Christina, Will, and the conductor, who went above and beyond. Management needs to empower staff to communicate honestly and address issues proactively.

Our Takeaway: Universal’s rides are thrilling when operational, but frequent breakdowns, vague communication, and inconsistent staff attitudes made our trip feel like a waste. With so many rides down and early entry benefits squandered, we left disappointed. We urge management to address ride maintenance, improve staff training, and prioritize guest experience. Until then, we can’t recommend Universal Orlando or plan to return.

Last time I came was around 8 years ago and it was amazing. This time was completely different. All of the scents that once were (suess land, Kong, ET, ect) are now non existent. Taking the 3d elements out of the ride really ruined the magic as well. We spent 5 days in the park and besides a ton of rides constantly closing, when we actually did ride them all of the effects are either discontinued or broken. The dementor on the harry potter ride used to blow fog and now it doesn't, the dragon on the ride used to blow fire and now it doesn't. It seems the only effects now that work are squirting water in your face. They used to have whimsical music playing loudly when you enter the parks and that was no longer there either. The whole magic seems to have been sucked out of the park and I'm sadly disappointed.

The best park ever. Attractions always renewed. Hagrid and Velocicoster are unmissable. Tip: stay in one of the hotels near the park that allows you to have a Quikpass. Worth every penny. It's the difference between a free day to play or facing a miserable marathon of endless queues.

After spending a few days at the Disney parks this comes in a very long way behind on every way. Fewer rides, longer queues and very poorly organised. This is my second visit and I was hoping that it would have improved in the intervening 10 years. It hasn’t. Disney wins hands down and my kids (19 and 14) fully agree.

Visiting the Islands of Adventure was an amazing experience! The park usually opens at 9am and closes at 7pm, which allows you to enjoy the day. It has several attractions, including high-tech simulators with movements and special effects that provide a pretty immersive experience. Many of these attractions are suitable for all ages, making the park perfect for families. We love exploring the thematic areas, especially that of Harry Potter. I was impressed with every detail that transports us into the film universe. For those who want to visit more than one Universal Park on the same day, it is important to purchase the park-to-park ticket, which allows you to use the Hogwarts Express attraction, the magical Harry Potter train, between the parks. The park also offers dining options, with themed restaurants and snack bars that serve different tastes. We highly recommend visiting Universal's parks. We really liked it and had an unforgettable experience!

Cool rides and many good roller coasters but incredibly long queues (60-105 min on everything worth riding). The Harrypotter part is awesome and the best ride for the whole family is "Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure" and if you like proper speed then "Jurassic World VelociCoaster" is something in horseback. Like the best I've ever gone. Good speed and yet soft.
Should you visit any park in Orlando and like a little more action so you should choose this.

Very cool, very thrill, very everything...EXCEPT for the fact that they sell "EXPRESS" tickets that arent express at all. You can expect lines up to 30 MINUTES using their "Express" service. Sounds like a scam to me!

Almost didn’t bother going in as the lady at the ticket point was very rude and refused to serve me as my daughter and her husband were at the desk next to me and I spoke to her mean g if you know that person apparently you have to go to the same desk , it was quite with one person in line .. had my daughter not of already got her tickets I would have left .. you pay a lot of money to visit and to be with such rudeness is disgusting as it is customers that keep them in a job.
Tess slot 8 needs a customer relations course or maybe just doesn’t like the British people.
Once in queue times where half hour and rides good. Left early due to a storm .. wouldn’t go back after the rude greeting. Shame as we have been here many times ..

From our point of view, the best park when the children are already a little bigger. The rides are varied, so there is something for everyone. Note: Be there on time and go straight to Haggrits in the Harry Potter world. Later, the queue is too long.

This park is a poor man’s Disney park. It is very overpriced and outdated. There are a few good rides, but hardly worth the admission fee. Even worse the staff on the rides are rude and must hate their jobs. Also you can have a normal size backpack on almost every ride. It’s is not family friendly.

I cant say enough awesome things about this place. Top 5 one of our favorite vacations as a family. Go during the week(friday-sunday very crowded)

I highly recommend NOT purchasing an express pass. After speaking to guest services I was told that the express pass should cut the wait times in 1/2. That was not our experience since the posted wait times were not accurate. For example our friends waited 25 min for gringotts with a posted time of 35min (without express pass). With express it was about 20 min. At $200 a pass, that not much value! At Disney we paid ~$25 per genie+ and lines that were 45-60 min took ~5-10min.

Express pass also doesnt work at Hagrids motorbike ride.

In addition staff were not friendly. Overall not a positive experience other than the actual HP rides, even though the waits were long.

At the resort I was greeted with many different types of fast food restaurants and various gift shops with fair prices, and nice things to keep along the way and bring back home. Throughout the park the view was amazing and there was a ferry and near it had a concert going on with its incredible view of the two different theme parks in the back, and once you went inside of the islands of adventure area there is the giant tower with the Islands of Adventure logo which gave a pleasent enterance towards the theme park. As I entered there were so many fun rides to go on even for the younger children there were still some rides they were able to go on just required parent supervision to go on the ride. I went onto various rides like the Amazing Spiderman, Hagrids, The hulk, and many more that I do not remmeber were all one of the best experiences that I had upon arriving to Islands of Adventure and the most exciting to ride.

Of the two parks excluding Volcano this has the best rides. Although still think Bourne show at Studios is hard to beat. Went on Hulk that was a bit stomach churning don't go on it if you don't like going upside down. Also take no belongings at all they security check you do pockets empty don't carry anything on that ride.
The River boat Jurassic Park one had broken down but worked later in the day, the log flume wasn't open, the rapids one broke down but got working later on the day. (You get soaked) Prob the best bit is Hogwarts Harry Potter land but it gets busy. Rollercoaster for young ones but still fast and the main motorcycle coaster. The latter said the queue was 90 mins but we were in the queue for 40mins so the queue timer was a big out. It's a very good coaster but don't go on it if you don't like going backwards fast!
It's a good park queues were light and prob arguably best park of the three but it needs more Ice Cream sellers!!

What can I say? If you like films like Harry Potter, King Kong, Jurassic Park, etc. and love a bit of action in the form of rollercoasters, 3D/4D animation, water slides, etc., you will get your money's worth here!
Incredibly great attractions and if one or the other family member runs out of breath (or respect doesn't overcome fear (o;), there's the Single Rider Line for dad (o:

We had 14 day passes that included IOA, but we tended to stay over at Universal Studios as this was so busy and the queues longer than normal. The rides once you got on them were as good as ever, and the new Hagrid ride is quite something (not for the travel sick) although at times there was a 150 minute wait. Spiderman is still up there with the best and we got soaked on Popeye ride and I mean soaked. The whole Harry Potter area is amazing but with the amount of muggles in there its not a place to stand and try and get a family photo.

My best friend and I visited on our girl's trip. Going into the park stirs exciting feelings; however, they didn't stick around. I'd expect to see characters in the neighborhoods interacting with guests, but we only saw Popeye and Olive Oil as we were leaving the park, so this was a letdown. They did not have paper park maps, so you're directed to the app. The app is pretty straightforward, but it was hard to figure out where you were in the park and how to get to the next neighborhood you want to visit. Then you couldn't see the map because of the glare. There's also a big MISS on signage in the park, almost obsolete throughout the park. Also, walking through the park, you hardly see any sitting areas. They have walls and stone rock things you can sit on, but if you're short like me, those things are very uncomfortable. Now, you're hungry and decide to get lunch; good luck finding somewhere to sit and enjoy your meal. We grabbed a snack while in the park, which was reasonable and tasty. We luckily found a table with people leaving for us to sit down at. Now for the nitty gritty, for the money we paid to get in the park $169 and then $160 for the Express Lane, they didn't have enough big coasters or rides for what we paid. Please don't get me wrong the Express Lane was amazing because I couldn't imagine waiting in lines for 45 minutes to over 2 hours for a ride, I just feel they could sell the Express Lane a whole lot cheaper to allow more people the opportunity to add it on to their ticket. The Hulk and Harry Potter motorcycle coasters were the best rides of the day but weren't enough to warrant another visit to the park for us. Please make sure you hit Citywalk. It's worth going there because it's free.

During our trip to Universal Orlando Resort in early February of this year, my girlfriend and I planned to visit Islands of Adventure on Friday the 2nd, which was when Jurassic Park River Adventure was meant to reopen following its standard refurbishment. Being a huge Universal fan, I have researched the best days to go, and monitored the reopening dates for each attraction with the information available online. However, just to be sure, once we arrived to the park the day prior, we went to City Walk to ask employees there if the attraction was going to reopen the next day. Unfortunately, no one could give us a straight answer, but said that it should be open per their schedule. Come the day of our visit, we entered the park and went through our day, entering via Marvel Superhero Island and moving from island to island as we experienced every attraction. However, come the time to go on Jurassic Park River Adventure, we notice that it is indeed closed. We were referred to the Customer Service kiosk at MSHI for more information, which is where we met Haley.

Our tickets were only valid for two days, and we hadn't purchased Park Hopper tickets either, meaning that we either had to ride it that day, or come back another time. It was my girlfriend's first time at the parks, and I knew that JP was an iconic must-see attraction, so I was pretty bummed that it was a very real possibility that we wouldn't be able to ride it, especially since Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges was also closed, another attraction that is near and dear to me. Explaining the situation and elaborating on the steps I had taken to try and ensure that our experience was optimized, she delegated the task to another person working at the stand, who hadn't understood our situation as well and simply offered to upgrade our ticket to Park Hopper for the standard additional fee. We unfortunately had to refuse due to the purchase being out of budget for us, and began walking back to Toon Lagoon, bummed out and disappointed. However, to our surprise, we had failed to notice Haley following us and motioning us to follow her, which we did, not sure what to expect. We had a lovely talk, and she reassured us that she was going to do her best to accommodate us, relating to our situation. She led us to the main Customer Service building situated at the entrance to Port of Entry, where she met with Kira and explained the situation to her. After a moment of waiting, they had asked us for our names and had given us a gift that made our entire trip: we each received two brand-new Park Hopper tickets each! I was left speechless; what was about to be a huge letdown ended up becoming my favorite visit to Universal Orlando Resort ever, and it's all thanks to the compassion, understanding and friendliness of those two wonderful team members. I was floored, I even offered to buy them something just to say thank you. Thanks to them, we were able to experience every attraction and show from both parks, with the exception of Popeye's and the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, which was shut down due to a major issue (from what I read online after the fact). Haley and Kira are outstanding members of the Universal team, and they deserve all the praise they can get.

Beautiful, you have to be patient but it is spectacular, the lines are already a game... it is pure magic.
The Harry Potter sector is super well achieved.... we also have lunch has no waste, enjoy!!!!

This was our top pick of the four parks in Universal Orlando. First of all, Universal Orlando is like Universal Hollywood, but on steroids. It has four separate parks (with four separate entry fees), and lots of on sight hotel options, as well as a City Walk, which may not be as nice as the one in California, but its close.

Islands of Adventure had the top rides for us. It has 8 "lands" including one Harry Potter themed, one Jurassic Park themes, one Marvel themed, plus others. We came with teens, and they wanted the thrill tides. It seemed like they had a good balance of younger kids rides as well. The top overall ride for me was Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure, an innovative roller coaster that has a motorbike seat and a side car seat. The teens liked that one, but liked the VelociCoaster even more, with its epic drop and upside down spins. Dudly Do-Right's Rip Saw Falls is a log flume with a great getting wet factor, the best water ride in all the parks in my opinion. The Incredible Hulk coaster is much less smooth than the newer coasters.

As far as amenities go, there are good options to be had. Lots of great shops in the Harry Potter Hogsmeade area. Air conditioned places to eat that usually have good seating are the Comic Strip Cafe and Cafe 4. There is a Hogwarts Express train that goes between Harry Potter worlds in this park and Universal Studios park, which is pretty nice.

Perfect place to enjoy as a family, with many attractions for all ages. There are good roller coasters, for those who love adrenaline. The Harry Poter area is beautiful to visit and enjoy its attractions, there you can take the train that changes your park, if you have it included in the entrance.

Universal never disappoints in the rides and feel of the place but the cost seems to have become really steep especially if you want to buy fast track which we didn’t due to the cost. Love the rides though. Place was clean and tidy.

Going to a theme park is always fun. Keep in mind that food and drinks are expensive. Always a fun time here. Annual pass holder

Not sure what the purpose of the express lanes or the Assistance pass. Today while waiting for Velocicoaster the wait time was 45 mins. We got a return turn of 35 minutes. To only then wait 40 minutes in express lane (the same time as the normal queue as we went on the same time as someone in that queue who also got on the ride at the same time, this was 40 minutes!). So we actually waited 75 minutes!

We had an amazing day at Universal Studios and Universal islands of adventure. We paid for the express pass as we were only spending one day at both parks. The rides and experience were all fantastic. However, given that we spent $500 for our family of 4, I was extremely disappointed in the way the staff operated this queue. Unlike Disney who operate their lightning lanes to make the queue as fast and seamless for the guest as possible (and it’s a lot cheaper!) I was shocked at what appeared a lack of training in queue management! The flight of the hippogriff’s express queue was almost equal to the main queue as the girl operating the queue let through 70% main queue each ride, even though the express queue was constantly backing up; she seemed out of her depth to say the least. The most laughable incident came when we got to the cat in the hat, we were in the express line, another family of 4 in the main line, the lady in charge of the queue let the main queue go ahead of us … I think she is misunderstanding the point of express pass. So, in summary, it isn’t worth the money while the queues are being managed poorly.

Universal's Islands of Adventure is one of three parks at Universal Studios. It mostly consists of adrenaline-pumping attractions and movie/comic themed zones.
We loved it, a real paradise for those who love roller coasters and more.
ABSOLUTELY UNMISSABLE!

We went in early May to avoid the bigger crowds that come later.
Rides were great fun and immersive. Wait times were reasonable and it was fun to catch the Hogwarts Express between this and the neighbouring park.
If you’re staying at one of the Universal
resorts, you can enter an hour earlier than the official opening time which makes a big difference.

Rides featured in the Express Pass were closed. There was no warning. I guess if I had combed through the website I would have found that, but they should have a notification before you pay hundreds more for express passes. Put a big damper on what could have been a good day.

What I love about Disney Park is not written! I'm a fan of Harry Potter and I LOVED being inside and experiencing this moment. I don't have a single thing to say bad about the place. Wonderful atmosphere, wonderful food and BRABOS toys!

I went with my boyfriend in 2021, now in May 2024 I went with my brother. The rides are very good, it is a park with more outdoor attractions and ideal for the summer. Without a doubt I will continue visiting it

The rides , particularly the roller coaster are the main highlights of this park adventure. Must try , if you are the adrenaline junkie , is the Velocicoaster , the Hulk . Lesser iterations are those of King Kong , Harry Potter and Spiderman among others . With a fast pass at a higher ticket cost , you can complete the trip in half day . But be prepare to anticipate the broken rides which happened with the Kong Adventure. Standouts also are the souvenir merchandise and the refillable souvenir drink jug that quench the thirst because of the heat and chaotic sense of humanity .

Loved the Island of Adventure. Plenty of rides, beautiful scenery and friendly staff. Long lines so we couldn’t ride some rides but we were aware of this since we have gone before. Lots, and lots of people!

Our day at Universal Island of Adventure was extraordinary, thanks to Veronica at Guest Services. She not only solved our issue but also made our experience truly memorable with her exceptional service. Veronica's helpfulness and empathy added a special touch, creating amazing memories for our last day at the park. Kudos to Veronica for making our visit outstanding!

love this park with cartoon land takes me back to when I was child, and dr Seuss land so much fun and colour went on the train ,also skull island, walked around went into shops and then marvel land went on Spiderman still a great ride hulk was a long wait so went back to hogsmead Harry Potter land , we on the train to universal park a great day one of many in that park. walked to park from stop 5 on I ride trolley.

Went to universal and stayed at one of their hotels so we could get the two hours early admission, problem was in the whole park there were only two rides open where you had to be 52 inches tall.nothing for smaller children till 10 am.the next day we went to universal studios Park no power and no rides for nearly the whole day

Visited here on 30/7/24 with family as part of a larger holiday . The parking is easy and there was plenty of it . Same as Disney though , why charge for it , pure profiteering. The park itself is clean with plenty of attractions for all the family . Without doubt the best ride for us was hagrids motorbike ride which is simply fantastic . The wait for the ride was showing as 90 minutes but we were on in about an hour . The ride was worth the wait and I don’t think you need express passes which are outrageously expensive. For example for our family of four it would have cost over 700 dollars for the day to get an express pass . Rip off!! Anyway overall the park is good we got on most of the rides and had a good day . We will return for this one …tips for families have snack bars and refillable water bottles as it was extremely hot and there are places to refill water all over the park.. it saves on eating in the restaurants which are pricey and basic.

Always love this park and Universal Studios but please be aware of too many visitors being let into there parks . Went last year and had a total different experience. This year was awful parks were packed and que times were 250 minutes on some attractions! That’s over 4 hours it was crazy . We had Express tickets for 2days and paid a lot of money for them but still had to wait over 40 minutes per ride ! Seriously Universal need to look at how Disney work their Lightning lanes and Genie + as we didn’t wait over 10 minutes in any of their parks. Epic Universe was the worse for long waits so be prepared families visiting! Good Luck 🤞

Visited in July. Great park, all rides are first class and most Que times are ok, apart from Hagrids motor bike ride and ripsaw water ride which never seems to drop below 100 minutes.

It is a park with many attractions I enjoyed it very much. Excellent attention and very safe Island Of Adventure is more than just a prque is an unprecedented adventure.

We had 14 day passes that included IOA, but we tended to stay over at Universal Studios as this was so busy and the queues longer than normal for September. The rides once you got on them were as good as ever, and the new Hagrid ride is quite something (not for the travel sick). Spiderman is still up there with the best and we got soaked on Popeye ride and I mean soaked. The whole Harry Potter area is amazing but with the amount of muggles in there its not a place to stand and try and get a family photo.

The queue time to get in to the park itself it’s ridiculous. You need to arrive when it opens, if you’ve any chance of getting in. We arrived at 10am and didn’t get on our first ride until midday purely because of trying to park and actually get in!! The kids were already frustrated and bored.

They clearly don’t test the rides before the park opens - multiple delays on rides. And lots breaking down. No compensation for them breaking down. We just sat in the dark, wasting time.

Parent/child swap - really poorly planned. My 4 year old has to queue for 40+ minutes just to wait for their parents to swap. In Disney, they allow the parent and child to go off and play for a bit before they swap. Not very thought out.

Not impressed by the universal parks. They really need to get some organisation and structure! Can’t say this would be my choice to come back again.

Express passes - extortionate prices - it’s ridiculous!!

This is a great place to go. The rides are for a bit older kids, that Disney as the rides are a bit faster and imo more thrilling.
Only thing we are sad about is that mother nature closed Hulk 2 meters before we got on. And this were the LAST ride that we missed for the day. So the ride that we wanted to try, did not happen. This is not to be claimed Universal, but a reminder to others. Do the rides you want early so you don’t miss out the last hour due to wether 😉.

So if you have the time go visit this park.

Universal is really bad. Can't walk anywhere because the paths are too narrow. It's too crowded. Employees weren't prepared to make food or refill ice. All the main rides were down in the morning, so everything was packed. Wouldn't recommend that.

Another amazing vacation at Universal Resort Florida where we spent multiple days at both parks, but Islands of Adventure is our favourite.

The Velocicoaster has to be one of the best roller coasters and themed rides in the world, amazing by day and even better by night, just incredible as is the whole Jurassic World, the Hulk is also still an amazing ride we love and rode multiple times. Last but by no means least is Harry Potter World, genuinely amazing both as a set and as a place for great rides and themed part of the Park.

It is getting very expensive though is my only caveat, we are fortunate we aren’t as limited by this but many families are so my only point to the management is to remember this when pricing access, passes food and drink. So this amazing park can stay amazing and be a world class choice and destination.

Again, this place is incredible. We had such a good time with memories made.