How to Visit Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure

Do you own a two-day park ticket to the Universal Orlando Resort with hopping privileges? If you'd like to learn a little more about this other park, (called Islands of Adventure), this article can explain how you can visit it. Read the...

Part 1 of 9:

Preparation

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Purchase your Universal Orlando tickets online (or over the phone) before visiting the park, particularly if you are visiting from outside the US. This will save you time when you arrive at the park - you won't have to wait in any queues at the ticket offices!
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Preview the attractions in the park before your visit. Try previewing each ride on YouTube, or take a peek at the ride through photos from others. Learn from what others see. This can help decide which rides and attractions will take priority during your visit.
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Pack water, snacks, money and (most importantly) your park tickets before you leave for the park on your visiting day! Food is expensive to buy in the parks, and a simple snack like a granola bar could fit into even the smallest of backpacks.
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Plan to arrive at the park before it opens. You are usually allowed in through the barriers before opening, but you won't have access to most rides unless you are staying at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel. (Guests staying at Universal Resort hotels have Early Park Admission privileges at different times throughout the year.) Getting through the barriers early will give you time to pick up a park map and plan your route to the first ride of the day.

Part 2 of 9:

Entering the Park

Decide if you truly want to visit the Islands of Adventure. Discuss some of your other options that exist for the other nearby Universal Resort area. Those options include Universal Studios and CityWalk. With all three of these within a short walk of each other from the walking path and even from the moving walkway in the parking garage, these can be easily accessed without too much additional walking if you later choose to go to these instead. If you'd like, you can also visit Walt Disney World. Its four parks or local attractions are in the area, and they include "Epcot, the Disney (Hollywood/MGM) Studios, the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom. There's also SeaWorld Orlando in the area, as well as the Aquatica water park.

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Drive and park at the parking garage located on the property of Universal Orlando. The address to the parking lot for Universal Orlando is located at 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819^{[1] X Research source}. The cost to park your car at this park will run you about $17 for cars, and upwards from there (depending on the complexity of your vehicle).^{[2] X Research source}.
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Take the moving walkway towards Islands of Adventure (as opposed to either Universal Studios or CityWalk).
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Recognize the setup of the park. Although this park is shaped in a circular pattern with seven different lands, the inside of each of these lands will give you a different viewpoint, as each ride is sporadically placed behind the world-famous entrance of the Islands of Adventure lighthouse. These lands include Port of Entry, Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade, Lost Continent and Seuss Landing^{[3] X Research source}.
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Enter through the turnstiles and into the first portion of the park called "Port of Entry". You'll know you've reached the turnstile areas when you see a great big, brightly-colored overhang hanging above you as you enter.

Part 3 of 9:

Port of Entry

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Recognize that this area is more of a meet-and-greet area for all of your party to gather at or near the entrance. With the exception of two to three small take-out restaurants and other eateries, no real attractions exist here.

Part 4 of 9:

Marvel Super Hero Island

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Head towards the Incredible Hulk Coaster in "Marvel Super Hero Island" if you love roller coasters and ride this coaster. This roller coaster will leave your heart pounding for about an hour or more, and will definitely psych most people up.
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Take in the "Storm Force Accelatron" ride. This ride is Islands of Adventures and Universal Resorts one and only teacup-like ride that exists. Do this if you want the more laid-back version of the roller coaster you did moments ago.
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Drop along from the top of the free fall area on Doctor Doom's Fearfall" attraction. This ride can be fun, and has plenty of possibilities for many people to ride in/with.
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Take a ride with Spiderman on the ride called The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. This ride is especially good just after lunch when stomachs need to settle before letting the heart race again. In addition, this can be a good ride to take in for any Spiderman fan.

Part 5 of 9:

Toon Lagoon

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Walk through some of the exhibits on Me Ship, The Olive. This attraction is recommended if you have kids who love playing without too much supervision. This whimsical playland will keep your kids entertained for a little while, while you wait nearby and watch.
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Take the one rip-water falls flume ride in this area called Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. However, if water isn't your thing, you may want to skip this ride. People tend to comment that this ride will get everybody soaked to a "point of no return".^{[4] X Research source}
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Take in Islands of Adventure and Universal Orlando 's one sole true log flume ride in Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. Much less watery than it's competition nearby is this log flume that will get you less drenched but can still get your hopes up to get other people nearby just as wet as the boat vehicle exits the flume building at a quick pace.

Part 6 of 9:

Jurassic Park

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Look at the entrance gate to this land. You will notice that it looks like a replica of the one from the movies in the Jurassic Park series. Marvel in the glory of seeing this one close-up at least once or twice.
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Make yourself feel like you are flying on Pterandon Flyers. These swings will swing you back and forth from one place to another, and back to the entrance gate on a track higher in the air than most other swinging rides. But don't lose your grip. Most people report that the popularity of this ride seems to be well closer to the historical mark, but the reason that Universal still offers this ride as an Express pass is questionable to most who ride it to this day.
1. Be aware that you do need to ride this ride with a child who is between 36 and 56 inches if you are over that height range. ^{[5] X Research source}
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Search the maze of steps and other mysterious alleyways in Camp Jurassic to see what other things you can mysteriously find without too much help.
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Head right for Jurassic Park River Adventure upon the rope drop at the beginning of the day. Do this if you love the movie version of Jurassic Park and if ultimate log flumes are your enjoyment of park experience. If you've ever been on Journey to Atlantis, you'll love this ride.
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Discover a wealth of dinosaur-inspired trivia inside the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. You will feel like you've entered the museum portion in this completely-walking exhibit from the movie Jurassic Park.

Part 7 of 9:

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

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Walk through and purchase a wand from the wizard at the Islands of Adventure version of the Ollivander's (Wand Shop). However, be aware that these can be a bit pricey.
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Ride the less-energy enthralled voyage on the wooden roller coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff. While this ride is very short, it often has very long waits, so this one may be a good attraction to do first thing, or at the very end of your day.
Take a ride through the castle. Follow a journey that portrays 'Harry Potter's one ride in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This ride too can often have long waits, and the express pass cannot be used, so if you are more of a thrill seeker, then this may be the ride to do first for your group.

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Come back out from the castle and walk past Ollivander's shop to take on the metal roller coaster called Dragon Challenge. This ride is recommended if you love thrill rides. With the double helix spins that will turn you around a second time before you even exit the first spin at one point, this one is definitely a keeper for some.
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Ride the train at the Hogwart's Express station at the Hogsmeade Station location (if you have the proper authority on your park ticket to cross into the other park). Look out the rather-fake looking windows to watch the Harry Potter journey, or watch out the entryway door as you see people gather and talk about your journey.

Part 8 of 9:

The Lost Continent

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Watch the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad Stunt Show to see Sinbad's action take place in real-time.
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Talk to the Mystic Fountain to see what he replies back to you. If other people aren't around it when you reach the area where it lives/hides, he should return something of interest to you that will be on cue with what you said; so ask it a question or answer its own questions and you can be assured you'll have something that's worthwhile to watch in real-time. The fountain will quite potentially have something witty to tell you if it can understand what you have said. Strike up a conversation with this fountain.
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Walk through the water vortex tunnel called Poseidon's Fury. This interesting exhibit compares to nothing else worldwide except to learn a little more about Poseidon. This is entirely walking though, so this may not be the attraction for you if your feet are tired from walking a lot during the day.

Part 9 of 9:

Seuss Landing

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Look to take in some of these whimsical rides/locations until the very end of your day and make sure the kids are there to ride all of these rides with you.
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Ride the trolley train ride at the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride exhibit. Learn about Dr. Seuss through some of his excellent ideas that were never truly written down.
1. Just after leaving the train's entrance gate (into the first building), look down at the restaurant called Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous. It's interesting to watch people from the train, and see what other weird things happen when the train goes past. If you're in the restaurant much later, watch upwards into that corner to see the train as it rolls past to see what stuff you can observe.
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Ride the Caro Seuss - el if you love to ride carousels. This whimsical carousel will entertain you for a little while.
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Ride the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish ride. This ride is recommended if Dumbo, Flying Carpets of Aladdin and a few others at Disney World along with Kang & Kodos Twirl n' Hurl in Universal Studios Orlando next door wasn't enough to thrill your little one. You may also even get a little wet.
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Learn a little more about the Cat in the Hat's story on the ride by the same name (The Cat in the Hat).
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Play with your kids in the walkaround exhibit called If I Ran the Zoo.

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Lesley Montoya

Update 24 March 2020

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