Get Inside The Movies At Universal Studios (Universal Studios (Florida))

Name: purplifried

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Product:	Universal Studios (Florida)
Date:	22/07/08 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Special Effects

Disadvantages: Not As Thrilling

have reviewed Universal Islands Of Adventure, so it is only natural that I review it's sister park as well.
Again, I would definately recommend purchasing the Express pass when visiting as this lets you skip the really long queues and get straight onto the ride. Depending on the time of year they cost between $30 and $40 (£15 - £20). I know this might sound expensive on top of your ticket price, but believe me they are totally worth it, especially in the Florida heat, you don't want to queue for an hour per ride now do you? You do get a better deal if you buy 2 or more passes together.

I can't comment on ticket prices to get into the park because I purchased mine online before leaving, but I can give you details and recommend where I purchased mine from:
www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk

I purchased the 5-park Orlando Flexiticket which cost £129 per adult and £109 per child, this may sound expensive but they get you into the following places and they last 14 days. This is what the website says (skip this part if you read my previous review on Islands Of Adventure):
Orlando FlexTickets are better value than ever, giving you 14 consecutive days of unlimited admission to 4 or 5 of Florida's most popular theme parks, depending on which option you choose.

The 4-Park Orlando FlexTicket gives you unlimited admission to Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Wet 'n Wild World and SeaWorld Orlando. Add Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay and there's non-stop excitement with the 5-Park Orlando FlexTicket.
Variety - Unlimited access to a combination of 4 or 5 of the most popular theme parks in Florida

Flexibility - You can visit any or all of the parks everyday.
Value-For-Money - The world's most exciting attractions for one unbeatable price and you only have to pay for parking once if you visit more than one park on the same day.

Plus you will receive complimentary entrance into the venues at the entertainment centre Universal CityWalk.
Your CityWalk pass is valid for the same period of time as your Orlando FlexTickets. These days start from the first day you enter an Orlando FlexTicket park or CityWalk. Some special events at CityWalk are separately ticketed and may incur an additional charge. Some CityWalk venues have an age limit of 21 years or older.

And when you purchase 5-Park Orlando FlexTickets you can enjoy unlimited FREE transportation to Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay on the Busch Gardens Shuttle Express bus, which departs from SeaWorld® Orlando.
Anyway thats the ticket info out of the way, so on to the park itself. Please note I will only comment on the rides and attractions we actually went on/visited so not to make the review unneccessarily longer than it need be.

Universal Studios is on International Drive and is very easy to get to, infact most hotels run free shuttle buses. When you arrive at the park the first thing you do is go through the Citywalk, which is full of shops, restaurants and bars (this is great nighttime entertainment, especially if you have no kids).
You go through the security, which is a few guys cheacking bags to make sure you're not taking anything dodgy into the park with you. You then go through the turnstyle using your ticket for access. Please note you are finger printed/scanned and this is how you will get into park everytime from then onwards, this stops you passing your ticket on to someone else if you no longer require it.

Once inside you will be amazed at how big it actually is and is very well laid out, decorated in many different themes and sections. Anyway on with the rides:

Production Central:

This place is set out like old movie sets and is totally fantastic looking, you really believe you have stepped back in time, into oldey style movie world.
Shrek 4D - Through the miracle of Ogre-vision, join Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona on a 4D adventure that picks up where the movie 'shrek' left off. This is a great visual movie for both kids and adults alike, you also get to sit down and relax after the queues.


New York:
This area is laid out like olden day New York, with all the big name shops like Macy's, etc. This is a great area for photos and there is a lot going on around you as well as the rides.

Twister Ride It Out - Step into the movie of Twister and ride out the tornado if you're brave enough. This is awesome a lot of wind and rain and mostly in the dark. Might be scarey for kids, but should be okay if you hang on to them. Loved it!
The Blues Brothers - This is actually real reinacting the Blues Brothers, they are singing and dancing in the streets and I have to say they are absoultely fantastic. A lot of crowd involvement, singing and dancing, great fun to be had by all.

Revenge Of The Mummy - This is a totally awesome rollercoaster type ride. Plunge into total darkness as you face fireballs, scarey beetles and warrior mummies on this thrill ride of a lifetime. This would be scary for little kids, but they are permitted to ride if they wish. Great adventure in the dark with a lot of twists and turns and unexpected things happening. Not for pregnant ladies or people with heart problems.

San Francisco/Amity:

Beetlejuice's Graveyeard Revue - I do not recommed this unless you have small kids. This is a stage show and I was so bored I had to leave before the end. There is a lot of singing and dancing and a lot of bad jokes. Meet beetlejuice, teen wolf, frankenstein and his bride, dracula and others. Only small kids will like this, teenagers will be bored to tears. Hot and sweaty seating area also - maybe nice to have a seat and rest a while if you can stand the awful singing.
Jaws - This is an excellent ride and I highly recommend it. You take a boat trip through Amity only to be follwed by none other than jaws himself. Great actors on the boats, well timed shooting scenes, shark attacks, etc. One not to be missed by both adults and kids - Beware if your sitting at the side of the boat, you might just get eaten mwhahaha.

Fear Factor Live - This was closed while we were here (August 2006). Would of loved to see it as I know there is a lot of audience participation.

World Expo:

Men In Black Alien Attack - This is a great ride for adults and kids alike. It's kind of like laser tag only you are going around in a car getting spun through the town shooting all the aliens as you go. On tip - if you shoot the opposite teams chair they will spin spin spin and be unable to shoot for a while. You are scored on your shooting and the winners declared the the end. This is so much fun, but it is quite hard to shoot the targets. Anyone can ride this one and I highly recommend it.

Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone:

ET Adventure - You get to ride on a bike, well actually 4 bike joined together that moved by themselves. This is a ride through the world of ET and friends, you even get to fly over the moon. A relaxing one this and great for kids. Not scarey or fast in any way.
All other rides in this area are for kids, there is also a character meet and greet area here where you can get photos taken with the characters - This are only at certain times so make sure to check your parkmap or you might have a long wait.


Hollywood:
Horror Makeup Show - This is a huge Theatre with exhibits relating to Van Helsing the movie. There are loads of weapons, outfits, masks, etc to take photos of before entering the theatre for a movie on how they do all the make-up effects, etc. Nice to relax in and rest you feet and great if you love horror. I wouldn't recommend this for kids as they would get bored - adults will like it though.

That brings me to the end of my ride reviews, there are loads of other rides in this park, but as a thunderstorm started while we were here we had to leave early and didn't get to do the rest. I will definately be going back though on my next visit to the sunny state.
The great thing about this particular park is that if you don't like going on rides it doesn't really matter as there is so much going on around the place, with loads of street performers and shows to sit back, relax and watch. There are loads of gift shops/comic shops and eateries throughout the park. Each ride has it's own gift shop attached selling memorbelia of that particular theme, the prices here aren't as bad as you would think - Clothing are the most expensive items.

Again as in all Florida themeparks, there are limited smoking areas, although Universal do seem to have more of them than the other parks and they are well marked out on your parkmap.
Another great thing about this park is that you can buy a huge souvineer cup filled with an ice drink (Slush Puppy/Slushie) and you get cheap refills in this throughout the day, this is great if you have kids, as they are so big you won't mind sharing, you also get free normal drinks refills in this in the cafes.

As in Islands of Adventure, there are lockers outside the more thrilling rides that you can store you belongings in until the ride is over. They are free for around an hour, or you can rent them all day for a few dollars. These are great because they also run on finger print/scans so no one but yourself can gain access to your locker - just remember what number yours is.
Holiday Tips:

Have a huge breakfast before you arrive, it will keep you full throughout the day and you'll spend less on food. Wear comfy shoes as there is a lot of walking and a lot of queuing (unless you get the Express pass).
Bring plently of water in a cooler bag because you will drink loads and will not want to keep forking out your hard earned holiday cash. Do not fill water bottles from the drinking fountains, this water tasted quite salty/full of flouride.

If you don't drive and it starts pouring down and you don't want to wait around for your shuttle transport back to the hotel, there are numerous taxis waiting to take you wherever you want to go and they are quite cheap - Cost us $5 to get back to ours.
Be warned - If there is a single flash of lightening they will close the major rides down and not re-open them until the sky is clear and blue. This is a pain but it is for your safety so don't complain.

Summary: Perfect place for big and little kids alike =]