Trip Report: Islands of Adventure
Dates: Feb 9 and 10, 2000
Weather: Cool on day 1, better on day 2
Crowds: Huh? What are crowds?
Parking: $7
Admsiion: $46, we had a discount and recived a 2 day escape for $79
To get to Islands of Adventure you go to the Universal Studios Orlando complex. Where unlike any other theme park you park in a parking gargage, but they have this very organized, you enter the toll booth, then drive back the long access road around to the upramps where the cones are set so you can only go to the floor they want you to, thent he cones will direct you to a row then the attendants will glide you into a space. On Wednesday we were so early they were parking everybody in the handicap parking section. They have to identical garages, each split into thirds each third with a ride name, then each row has a three digit number, the first is the floor the next tow are the row. These are located on the support columns as well as above your head as you leave your car and head up the row towards the park you will see a sign whith your parking info. Then if you aren't on 3 escalaotrs will take you to the atractions, and if you are on a far section of the garaage moving sidewalks will take you to the end closest to the parks, where further moving sidewalks will take you to a central hub for both garages and the wheelchair rental place, then a series of moving sidealks will take you to Citywalk. You the walk through Citywalk and there is a kiosk to make lunch or dinner reservations for citywalk. then youhit lakeside and you choose. To go to Islands of Adventure tyou head Straight, to go to Universl Studios you would turn right. At the end of Citywalk you see the ticket booths approaching. You then enter through the turnstiles. Here the attendants merely watch as you insert your card and the turnstile makes the call as to whether to admit you or not. Your card comes out the other end of the turnstile and is kept as a souvineer at the end of your day. (As are Sea World and BGT tickets)
You enter via the Port on Entry past the infamous lighthouse and "The Adventure Begins" Port of Entry is the parks main merchandising arm, but to be so crass at call it that is offensive to the park. I mean it looks incredible and at the other end, you make your choice, left for Super Hero Island, right for Suess Landing or straight to catch the water ferry "Island Skipper Tours" to go to Jurassic Park.
Some Islands of Adventure Overview:
Wow, everything in this park falls into theme right down to the ground, signage, rails, soft drink cups, no detail was skipped, no expense was spared in totally imersing you in the theme. And there is no doubt as to whcih section you are in. But more than that each themed area has a quiet area along the lagoon where you can see each of the other sectons. And a lot of hidden items are in the park. Like Plymouth Rock, the School of Fish, and several others, You won't find these on the main midway you must explore all the little areas. And as my speakers are reminding me, even what you hear follows in theme, And leverly when you are about to change music thems there is a brief segment where you can't hear any music then the next section begins. Smoothly, no clutter no interference from the other sections.
So enough blabber, lets let the adventure into "the World's most advanced theme park" begin
The bar has been raised, a new standard in themed entertainment has been established. Wow a thousand times over. My jaw was dropped several times. my system taken over be sensory overload.
Let's move on to Suess Landing as we explore each attraction one by one. And since this is still a blur let me grab my Adventure Guide. (For those who didn't know, I usually write my TR's from memory, this is the first time I want my adventure guide)
Suess Landing is like walking into a Suess book. This is obviously meant to be a kiddie section but adults are not exempted from any of the fun. My trip through Suess Landing got off to a wet start as I was encouraged to "Feed the Fish", a fountain that shoots a jet of water when you toss a coin in.
The main attraction in these parts is the "Cat in the Hat Ride"
"Cat in the Hat Ride Inside"
Queue: Appropiately even though the queue line is inside a building (which means A/C in the summer, you queue through the yard of the house from the book Cat in the Hat, where not one queue line rail is straight, as is anything else in Suess Landing, no sharp angles here, eventually you make your way to the porch, where you split into even or odd party sizes. (Quite interesting since two groups from the odd line or two groups from the even line will result in an even number) Today they only had one lane open and the line started up on the porch on turn before you made the split. (in other words a near walk on, but the park was posting 10 min.) The ride vehicles are couches in either two or three rows, I forget, each row seating three people. The lap bar is lowered and you are on a dark fride version of the story "Cat in The Hat" (A kids story for a kids dark ride) This dark ride uses spinning cars and at key mometns of the script the car can spin or turn sharply. In this dark rides the stunts are performed by traditional animatroncs. You then exit through a gift shop.
"Caro-Suess-El"
Common Name: Carousel
The soul of a park is in it's carousel, or at lest thats what's been said, and IOA has this unusual version where instead of horses you ride on Suessian characters. I will leave it to someone else to count the number of characters on the carousel. Ride action is similar to any other carousel, except that the characters are interactive. As in the rider has some kind of control mechanism, it differs by character in which you can get some omvement out of your animal. Like my guys head raised up when I sat down on it. Then I could use a lever to control the long neck. Yes I sat down on it, I rode the CaroSuessEl. The queue line appers to circle the ride but was totally shunted off, and riders walked right up to the ride. there is a next riders holding area, but they never had enough riders to even begin to fill it. They also had all the exits but one roped off so that a single operator could monitor the exit.
Now a note to Mr. Dave Althoff Jr. - The Caro-Suess-El also has leather straps that wrap about the riders waist, lashing them to the carousel pole. Use of siad straps was apparently optional (or at least we wern't told to fasten them).
"One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish" -
Commonmly this would be the kiddie ride where the kiddies use a lever to make their plane, dumbo or whatever move up or down. In this case you are riding the fish from "One Fish..." Also to make life more interesting there are several water jets mounted in the seaanials that line the perimiter of the ride. If you don't fly in the designated pattern you will get wet. Queue for this merely wraps around the ride, but was a walk on on day 1 and a 1 cycle wait on day 2. Jerry Dorf thought it was neccesary to get photographic evidence of me riding this kiddie ride.
On Wednesday they were running it dry, (no water effects), and was a typcial flying whatever ride, albeit very well themed. On Thursday they has the water going and I was the only one in the group willing to ride. The fish contain seatbelts, with "Marine Use Only" buckles. (No kidding look at the buckle flap next time you ride this, where they usually say "Lift to Release") I did note that they catchy little rhyme played over the speakers is different depending on wheter you are on a wet or dry cycle. "I.e my first ride I did not here the "It's up to you" instead I heard something about to the opposite of the fish in front, But when I rode during the wet cyle I heard :Now the rest is up to you" and that friends is where I got a bit wet. I could handle the One Red Fish Up Up Up part, but "Its' up to you" got me.
"If I ran the zoo" - is the minor walk through attrraction with plenty of interactive joys of self discovery, and real small doors to crawl through. Int he back of this area is an island with one bridge where Eric and I stood until I said "Are we both scared to cross" "Yep" I crossed I did not note the person working lever which activated water devices on other end of bridge. They are big on water at this park, right?
They also had a kiddie monorail over the area which was roped off and closed but the park was nice enough to keep cycling empty cars around so we could see it. the rest of the area is like a circus town with food and merch opportunities. I made a visit to the Moose Juice Goose Juice stand and could not make up my mind which juice I wanted, when the attendant got out two real small cups (like Wendy's gives you for ketchup) and puored me a little of both, on the house. Good going IOA, now I got to taste these and not pay! Eric also tasted these, Eric did not care for either of them. The orange one is a sickly sweet tangerine orange, and the green one is a real sour apple.
But enough of Dr. Suess, it's time to cross over the bride asnd wee the creature with the lit torch welcoming us to Lost Continent. Lost Continent is a mythological based city, where the greek gods still rule, where dinig options include Mythos, Enchanted Tree Tavern or the ALchemy Bar, where the traditional games of skill are done up in arabian flair. Where you meet Poseidon.
"Poseidon's Fury: Escape from the Lost City"
Poseidon's temple stands magnificantly accross a lagoon, and upon farther inspection you can note Poseidons big feet on either side. (does he have athlete's foot?), and his trident standing high up in the air. The queue first crossed the bridge and then enters the temple winding down hallway after mysterious hallway until you reach the waiting area. We had but to wait for the next showing on both occasions.
After the doors open you are shown into a square room, that looks like theinner sanctum and paintings of mythology cover the roof. We had an added laugh our second time when the doors opened and this man ran in and triped over the center podium. In the first room you meet Keeper: The keepeer of tales, who comes down from a loft in the ceiling and walks over to the center podium to tell the story of Zues vs. Posiedon, even acting as if thats the end of the presentation, Then a secret panel opens and a spirit bekons everyone on into the next room, (to see Atlantis), so we make our way to another room where we stand along railings and we get introduced to the Oracle the stones in front of us start moving eventually opening up a vortex to Atlantis. Then the railing moves out of the way and everyone is bekoned towards the stage to walk through the water tunnel. You may get a few drops but nothing major, unless something were to malfunction...... You come out of the water tunnel walk around the control booth, and file into a similar set of rows to stand in a room surrounded by a pool of water and screens. This is where you meet Atlantis, the Zues and Atlantis battle it out, then you see some special effects then you exit the path way back to the midway. A real neat well thought out show espcially when I mention that when the show ends it looks like you are boack in the second room, with the same wall in front of you, the same doors off to the side, and the same control booth behind you. Spooky.
A little bit further we meet the Mystic Fountain, a talking fountain with an attitude. Yes he can squirt water at variable prsure in many different directions. Amusing to watch but look at the area of water on the ground if you don't want to get wet.
Behind the Mystic Fountain is the 8th Voyage of Sinbad. According to the Fun Guide this is a stut show, we were never int he right place at the right time, even the phrase "Let's Go ride Dueling Dragons and then come back" was uttered, we never made it back.
Further along in Lost Continiet, we come upon The Enchanted Oak Tavern, and right accross from it the Dueling Dragons.
"Dueling Dragons" = B&M Dueling Inverted
Dueling Dragons what can you say, has the most outstanding queue line of any ride. First you walk up the steps and underneath the sculpted dragons, then you circle the outside queues wich offer a great preview of the ride, then you cross the drawbridge and Oh-My-Gawd, You tour the entire caslte, from the first chamber with the changing stained class windows, down several hallways, finally coming into the dungeon and the catacombs where there are bones in the floor and speakers that make a crunching noise at key moments. I mean this queue house would make a great haunted house. Eventually you must Choose Thy Fate and enter the final camber of the castle the mead hall with the loaidng areas.
Fire Dragon - The red one, delivers a powerful intense ride.
Ice Dragon - Delivers a somewhat weaker ride.
Both sides offer amazing 'duels' with the other side, exclelent visuals and an unusual sequence of elements. I must however cast my vote for Fire Dragon.
This ride was running 1 train on both sides all the while we were there, with two stop loading, but since you walked right up to the seat lanes I guess that's pretty good. A minimal crew both operated the unload area and then walked forward with the train to operate the load area.
An excellent most intense coaster experience, and with the reride passage open, rerides were quite easy to obtain and Dragon Hopping was a happening. Then you exit down past another observation area finally coming out near but not directly into a gift area.
Now will a Mr. T-BOLT please listen up (That's you Jeff), and pull out your Islands of Adventure Adventure Guide. Unfold it to the map please, and read along the description of Dueling Dragons, you will note the park stresses IN ALL CAPS.
<quote from park guide>
"It's the world's first inverted dueling roller coasters. Choose your dragon - Fire or Ice - as you experience TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT RIDES" (Emphasis Theirs) Note both what they wrote in all caps and the fact they used the words 'roller coasters' If it is TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT RIDES, then it counts as TWO for my track count. I rest my case.
Now that I won that silly little duel with Jeff, lets move on I want to visit Jurassic Park.
Jurassic Park, pretend if you will that Jurassic Park really exists, that is the illusion they wish to achieve here.
The major ride here is the Jurassic Park River Adventure
Common Ride: Shoot the Chutes
Here I really did not take much notice of the queue as there was no wait (are you noticing a trend), and we boarded our Jurrassic Park boat after being assigned the front row. (UH-OH) Now halfway dowen the seat queues there is a little sign "STOP", so I walked into the seat queue and stopped right on top of the little stop sign, where I was told to keep moving all the way through the open queue gate into the boat. Whats the stop sign for? Jurassic Park starts off with a little lift hill then a peaceful cruise through Jurassic Park starting with an opening of the famous gates. It seems peaceful tranquil in nature like an educational ride, then of course one of dinos just so happens to knock off course towards the Raptor containement area, where you can see by the snarled fences things are not all well, we eventiually make it around to lift 1 just in time for a crate with a raptor in it to almost fall on us, then up lift 1 past more raptors, and spitters, where right in front of we see the giant T-Rex who bends down to have us for lunch with a mighty roar right before we take the big drop and get wet.
While touring Jurassic Park, you may want to tour the Visitors Center (it looks similar to the one int he movie) and see all the interactive dino exhibts.
Or you may want to do the Triceratops Encounter where you first meet Mr. Hammond and then enter the dino infirmiry where a vet is taking care of a sick Triceratops. And the vet did not step out of character checking the dinos temperature, pulse, and other things (it even urinated) and answering questions about it. We pointed at the Triceratops and it started geting hostile. Neat, and with no line they were not queueing for it you just walked in and stayed as long as you liked and left.
Then there is Camp Jurassic where we were denied )though we really did not try) to ride the P. Flyers (30 min wait) But we did walk around Camp Jurassic through the caves and over the path where if you step on the dino tracks, dino sounds come out.
Then it was time to leave Jurassic Park and enter Toon Lagoon. "Toon is IOA-ese for wet, right?" As we crossed the bridge we saw the drop of Dudley Do-Rights, and we saw the aftermath but for some reason I did not think it too bad, so we advanced to the irde entrance, where my two good buddies, Eric and Jerry out of the kindness of their hearts, their genroisty overflowing, announced that they wanted me to have the number 1 spot in the log. Why did I know they had something up their sleeve. We made our way through what I thought was a rather uneventful queue line, not that we had time to take notice as we walked right through all of it and we hit the loading area. Sure enough they made sure I got position 1. We boarded the log, and I emmiteda silent "please let me get through this dry" The first section is a dark ride poriton where several effects just don't seem to be workign right, but then we climb up the lift, and come outside and curve around the outside then go back in and whats this "Ahhh" Splash! Drop 1 (Sean Flaharty: YOU did not tell me about the other two drops on this ride!)) Then we come outside and do some traditional log ride stuff then a small drop, then we do some more sailing. Unlike Jurassic Park there really isn;t much to look at on this ride, then we hit the second lift, wnd whats this - a WATER CURTAIN! This isn't fair. Shut Off! Please! (No such luck) (Argh) (I remind gentle reader that it is only 65 out) Then we go up and make the biggest wettest plunge, but that little speed dip at the bottom is worth it. We then curve around and instead of reentering the building, the exit area is outside, so we exited, and I said "Ok, I am drenched, where is that Rapids Ride" Whereupon Jerry pushes me kicking and screaming down the midway and drags me through the Popeye queue line. Ok, on my frist Rapids Ride experience it was just Jerry and I and all water effects were OFF. Aw you all said this thing is wet. I also got good at Rapids Roulette and Jerry came off a lot wetter than I did. On Thrusday, Eric decided that upon seeing that the water effects were on, and since it was much hotter (like 75) he would ride, so our threesome rode again. This time most of the water effects were on and we got a lot wetter. Eric got it from clean cross the boat! Jerry mentioned that the boatwash was tamed down somewhat. I must say you move along the trough at a rahter fast pace, and the rapids are powerful coming over the boat and drowning the folks on the other side of the 12 passenger rafts. the rafts do however have a water tight, (as loing as everyone pulls the coever over tight) compartment for loose articles. The boat will get flooded so keep your feet off the floor. Shoot even my underwear got drenched. Walk on both times. The queue line is interesting first you have a nice peaceful queue area for Popeyes River Rafts, and the signs and testimonials tell of great rides, but then the end of the queue line is fenced off and you exit into a "service area" where you enter a queue for "Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges" Here the testimonials are not so great, and the tied up parrot screaming to be released and a lot of other touches make the queue area nice.
Then for self exploration and inteactive play, and coinciding with "I Ran the Zoo" and "Camp Jurassic" this section has "Me Ship The Olive" where you explore Popeys ship, fire water cannons at raft ride riders and see a lot more, Then a little more self exploration and you can see Plymouth Rock or the School of Fish. There is a circus shown here the "Pandemonium Cartoon Circus" which we did not get to see, and Jeff (You still listening to me, or are you coming up with a rebuttal) told us we did not miss anything. But them we must make our way around to Marvel Super Hero Island" Where you are in another cartoon street. (I could not finish my order at that hamburger place in Toon Lagoon, y'all can have the rest of the burgers I left them piled up on a table)
Super Hero Island has some no nonsens names like there is a store merely called "Store" and very simply named food outlets. Maybe it is cartoon simplicity here. What isn't simple here is
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
First you queue though the Daily Planet newspaper offices, (after picking up the courtesy phone right out front of the building...) You tour the offices, file room, go right down the middle of a row of cubicles, and then there is a room with a miniature of the Scoop. Vehicle and a video is shown. This room would be as far back as the line would get all the while we were there. You then head up a ramp pick up your Night Vision Glasses
and wait to be assigned a row. You then enter the Scoop vehicle and prepare for the best danged ride ever. This takes Dark Rides to the next level. Now, not only are you moving along a track, in a vehicle free to spin, it is a vehicle that is on a motion base so it can simuilate motion, then add in lots of video screens and 3D movie. WOW, awe inspiring, I could not believe how real this was. When I exited the ride and was entering Dr. Doom I was still in a daze. To avoid giving out he story line, lets just say you first befriend Spiderman and then get every enemy you can think of to try to destory your vehicle in every manner you can think of. My favorite scene is when you come falling off the buiildling and it feels like you are falling pointed head first at the ground, "NOT AN EXIT" The traditional dark ride is now dead, the animatronic dark ride is near dead. Who wants those when you can have the 3d Motion Master Dark Ride Deluxe? This is without a doubt me new #1 dark ride. And as a throwback to those classic dark rides, there is a scene where you are spun around looking straight into the hheadlights of a truck, horn and lights. And yes folks that one gun does look just like a green penis.
(BTW: Universal Express was NOT offered)
Enough amazement, now lets go down the street to meet Dr. Doom's Fearfall shall we?. Here you go down a short ramp and enter the queue area, first filing back an evil looking group of Doombots, then going past stuff that we didn't get to see to well, up the ramps past the safety cartoon, and finally curve up to head of the line.
Our wait would never exceed much further than the overhead safety signs up by the seat asigner. We did get rides on both towers (Now Jeff do I count that as two S&S's?) You are then told which door to go to, and you wait inside the building at what looks like an elevator door. When they are ready the door quickly slides open and you are staring at the S&S Space Shot Tower, Now go chuck your stuff in one of the boxes, and have a seat, after come opening comments by Dr. Doom "Doombots! Ignore Safety Warnings and prepare for maximum extraction" You are launched right at the end of the spiel. Staighy up, AIRTIME!, and then bounce a few times, are slowly lowered and then exit through the side doors outside where you walk over though some doors and into the video arcade. One of the towers went down with us in it. I mean as in the spiel ended and the Shot did not launch. No problem we have another tower and we were escorted out the exit door, around and were placed next to the elevator doors for the next ride on the other tower. Dr. Doom was my first S&S Tower and I do like the ride, it is nice to get blasted up instead of down. However, I heard several GP comments like "That's IT" "What a waste", etc.
Which brings us to the last ride in the park, which ironically in actuality was my first ride in the park.
"Incredible Hulk Coaster" Here the queue line is inside a scientific facility and it has some of the neatest seat queue fencing I have seen. A walk on at all times, And running two trains with flush loading. (I do wonder how off their turnstile count is gonna be since the last curve of queue is sort of hidden and I noticed a lot of guests (Including us) walking though a gate that so happens to shunt off the section of queue with the turnstile)
Ah a nice normal sit down roller coaster. No Gimmicks here right? We get loaded and then are going up a nice ordinary tire driven lift hill, at a nice slow lift hill pace. About halfway anyway then "This time, I think it's gonna work" ad the tire lift shifts into overdirve launching you right up and into an inversion. After a real nice B&M ride with some unusal element sequencing and a mid course almost at the end of the ride, you are left in awe over the intensity of it all. Then you exit through the gate and down the exit ramps and back out next to the entrance.
Then you go back and reride stuff but at some point closing time occurs and you make you way back to the Port of Entry where you buy your souvnineers. (For myself I bought the Dueling Dragons Snowglobe, and paid the extra $10 for home delivery), and the Sooundtrack CD. Then you exit the same way you entered and "The Adventure Lives On"
And that, gentle reader, is Islands of Adventure!!!!