A river trip that puts passengers up-close and personal with a moving five-story dinosaur before dropping them over the longest, fastest, and steepest waterfall ever built.
Get the picture? Sure, Islands of Adventure--the most recent addition to the all-inclusive vacation destination known as Universal Orlando--is plenty of fun just to walk around. Its five "islands" are a cacophony of sight and sound, from the blasting rock soundtrack that permeates Marvel Super Hero Island to the primary color explosion of Seuss Landing. And sure, there's an admirable emphasis on storytelling, with multimedia presentations of mythic tales and legendary characters that make long queues much more enjoyable. But it's the rides themselves, the ones that truly justify this being hailed as "the world's most technologically advanced theme park," that set Islands of Adventure apart from the crowd. Here's a look at five of the park's most exhilarating attractions, all of which are guaranteed to get the blood pumping and the heart racing.
SIMPLY MARVEL-OUS
After passing through Port of Entry, the exotic bazaar and main thoroughfare that lies just past the entrance gates, most thrill seekers will hang a right and head for Marvel Super Hero Island, home to two of the park's greatest attractions. First up is The Incredible Hulk Coaster. Following the aforementioned two-second catapult, the coaster immediately makes a series of twists and turns with passengers hitting the effective weightlessness of zero-g. In just over two minutes, there are seven rollovers and two plunges into subterranean tunnels, plus a run through the highest inversion in the world--109 feet in the air.
The second must-ride of this island is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, the park's flagship attraction. It's a complete immersion into the mean streets of New York City, as the world's favorite webslinger battles his nemeses, with guests figuratively--or is it literally?--thrown in the middle. This first-time-ever marriage of a moving vehicle, motion simulator, live physical effects, and 3-D computer graphic imaging is an incredible achievement, one that many thought was impossible. "We were told you can't combine 3-D sets and 3-D film," notes Dale Mason, Islands of Adventure's Director of Creative Development, who adds that he thinks "it's the best theme-park ride in the world."
NAME THAT TOON
Compared to the intensity of Hulk and Spidey, the pop-art graphics and lighthearted touches of Toon Lagoon appear staid and harmless, a simple celebration of beloved comic strip and cartoon characters. Don't be fooled, though. A ride on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls (named after the Canadian Mountie and fictional city from Rocky and Bullwinkle) is a wet and wild journey via log flume through a 400,000 gallon lagoon. Plenty of unpredictable dips and drops await before the big splash--a death-defying plunge into a dynamite shack. (Those sitting up front may duck their heads for fear of hitting the roof.) Riders dive 15 feet below the water level before they come shooting out the other end for the requisite soaking; it's the first flume ever to send its passengers below the water surface. Best of all, the attraction is dotted with the cartoon's trademark sound effects, sophisticated dialogue, and visual puns. As Dudley says, "A Mountie always gets his man! But not necessarily the girl."
EDIFICE REX
Jurassic Park Island is, not surprisingly, inspired by the smash-hit movie of the same name. Like Toon Lagoon, its best ride involves getting wet--possibly very, very wet. But whereas Ripsaw Falls takes a humorous approach, Jurassic Park River Adventure is a seriously scary boat tour, one that starts out in a placid jungle before getting sidetracked into a dark and forbidding building. As the boat climbs upwards, frighteningly realistic animatronic dinosaurs lunge out at it from every direction. This is cutting-edge movie magic at its best: the dinosaur movements are so fluid and natural that suspension of disbelief is not difficult. When a giant T-Rex appears ready to eat the passengers for lunch, they'll probably be relieved to take the only way out: an 85-foot drop.
DRAG(ON) RACING
Finally, thrill seekers who just can't get enough can travel to the island known as The Lost Continent. There they will find an ancient gate guarded by Fire and Ice, two enormous serpents locked in perpetual battle. Dueling Dragons is where that battle is played out. The world's first inverted dueling roller coasters, it comprises two tracks, red for Fire, blue for Ice; passengers can choose which one they want to ride. After parallel climbs up the 125-foot common lift, the two coasters are simultaneously released on two completely different geometric paths. Either way, it's a two-minute rush through camelbacks, double helixes, and compound inversions. And if you're wondering how the folks on the other "dragon" are doing, why not ask them: There are three near-misses as Fire and Ice hurtle towards one another at 60mph. (Of course, you will probably be too caught up in the adrenaline rush to notice the guy riding next to you, let alone the folks riding the other coaster.)
All of this excitement makes for a spine-tingling day, and that's before even exploring the rest of the park--from the numerous other rides and shows to the groundbreaking eateries. Groundbreaking is the key word here; the technological bar has been raised quite a few notches, and very few visitors to Islands of Adventure won't walk away dazzled and entertained--as Spielberg says, just like in the movies.•
