June 25th Universal Studios/IOA
We stayed off property at the Delta Hotel. Do NOT stay here! They are under major
renovations that seem like will take forever. The resort is made of several buildings
spread out. Our building reeked of mildew, the paper was peeling off the walls, the tiles in
the bathroom were cracked and the balconies were all sealed shut!! I much would have
preferred to stayed at the nearby Radisson or Marriott. There are plenty of GOOD hotels
around there and this was one hubby chose. It was NOT cheap either. Way overpriced.
$99 a nite for YUK. Similar hotels are better maintained. Beds were very hard too.
Hubbys friend works for Universal and gave us a one day complimentary pass to
Universal and Islands of Adventure. This saves us mega $ and we took him out to dinner.
He has always been extremely generous to us. We have been to Universal Florida before
so we only went to check out the new attractions since our last visit in 1996.
Poseidons Adventure in the Lost Continent.
This was an interesting presentation. You approach old ruins of Poseidons
Temple. An archeological assistant guides you deep into an inner room and tells you how
the room you are in was a sacrificial chamber where many people were sealed in and
sacrificed. (It gets dark in here and the doors shut. This can be very scary for younger
children!) Another set of chamber doors open and the group is told that only the Trident
can save them. The guide finds the Trident and a special female Goddess/spirit makes
herself known and helps the group by providing them a secret passage deeper into the sea.
There is a cool watertunnel affect as a huge wave passes through the tunnel, then
creates a whirlpool type affect as you pass through a tunnel of water. The group enters
into another semi-circular room. The room goes dark and when the lights come back on
the room is HUGE! The guide places the trident in the statue of Poseidon and he is
resurrected. There is a battle of good and evil between his nemesis that put a spell on him.
Lots of noise, splashing, bright lights. Panoramic screens and views are impressive. My 7
yo son hated this attraction. I thought the effects were good, but the story line is weak.
Jurassic Park. There are several attractions in here. The Jurassic Park ride takes you
through a Dinozoo type setting and something goes wrong. A dinosaur bumps you off
track into a restricted area where things have gone wrong. You travel through the
research wherehouse where velicoraptors have become lose and are trying to get you.
Finally, you see a huge T-rex swooping down at you and you drop straight down several
stories into a splash zone. Yes, you get wet. Also scared my son....he was not happy with
me at all!
Spider Man ride. Use their quick pass option for this. Its a popular ride. Line goes
through the Newspaper offices of Peter Parker. Your ride cab spins, tips and moves
quickly. Riders don 3-D glasses and view attacks from famous Spiderman villains. This
can be very intense for some riders. The characters get right in your face! Remove the
glasses if the effects are too much. I wonder if 20 years from now my son will be in
therapy because we did 3 scary rides in a row! I liked the ride, but felt bad it scared my
son.
Mythos Restaurant-A nice break from the heat of the day. Nice Greek/Mediterranean
choices. The pricier rest. on the property, but nice views and interesting decor. Good food and beautiful presentation.
Over to Universal....
MIB ...fun ride. You are in a cab that twists and spins. You are given a special lazer gun
and you aim at the bad guys. You are in training to gain points...hint AIM for the other
guys poles with lights at the top. You will make them spin out of control! Son liked this
one.
Twister show..hubby did this and was disappointed. Lots of noise, wind, cow goes by, etc
Sinbad show- Kids liked this. Nice escape from sun. Huge stage set where the characters
of Sinbad, a princess, a fool sidekick, a witch and several cronies. Battles and corny
jokes. Chuckles for kids, stage effects.
It was a quick visit, but we were guests of someone else, so we just did what interested us the most.
Also, they have a kidswap program and all the rides we tried this with there was always a nice sitting room area for the parents/waiting young ones. Disney DID NOT have this!
We stayed off property at the Delta Hotel. Do NOT stay here! They are under major
renovations that seem like will take forever. The resort is made of several buildings
spread out. Our building reeked of mildew, the paper was peeling off the walls, the tiles in
the bathroom were cracked and the balconies were all sealed shut!! I much would have
preferred to stayed at the nearby Radisson or Marriott. There are plenty of GOOD hotels
around there and this was one hubby chose. It was NOT cheap either. Way overpriced.
$99 a nite for YUK. Similar hotels are better maintained. Beds were very hard too.
Hubbys friend works for Universal and gave us a one day complimentary pass to
Universal and Islands of Adventure. This saves us mega $ and we took him out to dinner.
He has always been extremely generous to us. We have been to Universal Florida before
so we only went to check out the new attractions since our last visit in 1996.
Poseidons Adventure in the Lost Continent.
This was an interesting presentation. You approach old ruins of Poseidons
Temple. An archeological assistant guides you deep into an inner room and tells you how
the room you are in was a sacrificial chamber where many people were sealed in and
sacrificed. (It gets dark in here and the doors shut. This can be very scary for younger
children!) Another set of chamber doors open and the group is told that only the Trident
can save them. The guide finds the Trident and a special female Goddess/spirit makes
herself known and helps the group by providing them a secret passage deeper into the sea.
There is a cool watertunnel affect as a huge wave passes through the tunnel, then
creates a whirlpool type affect as you pass through a tunnel of water. The group enters
into another semi-circular room. The room goes dark and when the lights come back on
the room is HUGE! The guide places the trident in the statue of Poseidon and he is
resurrected. There is a battle of good and evil between his nemesis that put a spell on him.
Lots of noise, splashing, bright lights. Panoramic screens and views are impressive. My 7
yo son hated this attraction. I thought the effects were good, but the story line is weak.
Jurassic Park. There are several attractions in here. The Jurassic Park ride takes you
through a Dinozoo type setting and something goes wrong. A dinosaur bumps you off
track into a restricted area where things have gone wrong. You travel through the
research wherehouse where velicoraptors have become lose and are trying to get you.
Finally, you see a huge T-rex swooping down at you and you drop straight down several
stories into a splash zone. Yes, you get wet. Also scared my son....he was not happy with
me at all!
Spider Man ride. Use their quick pass option for this. Its a popular ride. Line goes
through the Newspaper offices of Peter Parker. Your ride cab spins, tips and moves
quickly. Riders don 3-D glasses and view attacks from famous Spiderman villains. This
can be very intense for some riders. The characters get right in your face! Remove the
glasses if the effects are too much. I wonder if 20 years from now my son will be in
therapy because we did 3 scary rides in a row! I liked the ride, but felt bad it scared my
son.
Mythos Restaurant-A nice break from the heat of the day. Nice Greek/Mediterranean
choices. The pricier rest. on the property, but nice views and interesting decor. Good food and beautiful presentation.
Over to Universal....
MIB ...fun ride. You are in a cab that twists and spins. You are given a special lazer gun
and you aim at the bad guys. You are in training to gain points...hint AIM for the other
guys poles with lights at the top. You will make them spin out of control! Son liked this
one.
Twister show..hubby did this and was disappointed. Lots of noise, wind, cow goes by, etc
Sinbad show- Kids liked this. Nice escape from sun. Huge stage set where the characters
of Sinbad, a princess, a fool sidekick, a witch and several cronies. Battles and corny
jokes. Chuckles for kids, stage effects.
It was a quick visit, but we were guests of someone else, so we just did what interested us the most.
Also, they have a kidswap program and all the rides we tried this with there was always a nice sitting room area for the parents/waiting young ones. Disney DID NOT have this!
