First Timer! Universal Rides with their WDW Equivalents!

[disneyguy87]

Hi all! My wife and I decided to plunge into Universal in August/September! We usually do WDW so this is our first official Universal trip where we are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. My wife hated some rides at WDW and I am somewhat aware that Universal is more intense. What I'd like to do here is provide a list and see how users stack the listed rides to a WDW equivalent. This will help me understand what my wife will probably want to avoid and what she can (hopefully) handle.

To be clear - we are steering clear of coasters or super intense rides I'm already aware of (Looking at you Hulk and Jurassic Park drop), so they aren't on this list (and if they are please give me a warning!). Also not on this list is something I'm aware is a really kiddy ride like Dr. Suess. If I'm missing a key ride on this list that's not necessarily a very intense ride feel free to let me know and give a comparison. I have spoiled most of the rides for myself to try and make this trip more enjoyable for her, but even by watching ride videos, it's hard to tell sometimes (and I honestly couldn't bring myself to ruin the Harry Potter rides)

To get an idea of her tolerances: My wife took Mission: Space Orange and Test Track just fine but hated 7 Dwarves and Space Mountain. She loved Toy Story Mania. She had no issues on Dinosaur or Soarin' She initially came off Flight of Passage disliking the feeling but also appreciated the ride. She said she'd try it again (I don't know how she handled Mission Space relatively fine but not Flight of Passage!). I think what really did her in was the 4D aspects like the wind making the ride more intense. She came off Mission Space slightly nauseous but she felt fine and enjoyed it after whereas she wasn't nauseous after FoP but was a bit shaken. It's also worth noting she's a big Harry Potter fan but we have already decided to skip Hagrid's ride.

So I appreciate anyone who adds a WDW ride equivalent to this list and feel free to give additional comments.

Harry Potter Forbidden Journey:
Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts
Fast & Furious:
Men In Black:
Simpsons:
Transformers:
Spider-Man:
Jimmy Fallon:
Dudley Do-Right Falls:
Kong:
Despicable Me:

Again, thanks so much for helping me plan this trip!

 

[Heather07438]

I have no business answering since not being at UO in a loooong time

but my son said Harry Potter Forbidden Journey: more intense than FoP.

Let's see if anyone here agrees.

 

[asuburbanman]

We just returned from UO. Honestly I’m not so sure that UO would be worth it for you guys. That being said taking Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine may make rides more tolerable.


Harry Potter Forbidden Journey: This would be too intense. Think Flight of Passage but your Banshee is on a track and you move between screens and set pieces. So maybe combine FOP with Test Track.

Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts - Runaway mine train combined with star tours. It is a coaster/simulator

Fast & Furious: should be fine - tram ride with screens

Men In Black: toy story mania but actual sets.

Simpsons: skip it. Notorious for making people sick. Myself included

Transformers: Dinosaur but with 3D

Spider-Man: Dinosaur but with 3D

Jimmy Fallon: Star Tours

Dudley Do-Right Falls: Splash Mountain

Kong: should be fine but is all screens. Mild movement on car.

Despicable Me: Tough to be a Bug

You may be okay on Hagrid. It’s like Expedition Everest intense.

Mummy is similar to space mountain and not bad

 

[Calee]

Oh man, I wouldn't skip Hagrids. Even if you go through the line and she decides not to ride, she can leave (my son does this) a then you ride.. I agree with PP that it has similarities to EE, but it does not have the huge hill acent like EE. It is very fast and goes backwards, but no huge drops or upside downs.

Many rides are 3D. You mentioned the 4D of FOP bothering her so I didn't know if 3d made her sick. I will say I've taken to not wearing the 3d glasses in some rides and I like it better.

Simpsons is a rough simulator. I also think Part depends on where you are seated. It's a big screen like FOP with levels and you are sitting in a vehicle. I was up on a high level once and was fine. Another Time I was low and had to look up more and it made me nauseous. It's like a rough Star tours.

Forbidden Journey is very cool, no drops like a coaster but lots of 3d and movement. I didn't get sick on most rides but this one gets me if I have an empty stomach..

Gringotts I don't think is bad at all. I would put this as the most mild of the 3 main potter rides. There is a drop at the beginning but it is more along the lines of one of the smaller splash drops. After that is drives you kind of fast in front of some screens but no hills or anything.

Mummy reminds me of rockin bc it is inside and you can't see what's coming. But no upside down and no launch at the beginning, so yes space is probably a good comparison.

MIB spins more than TSMM. But some concept.

Dudleys is essentially a log flume ride.

Kong and Fast and Furious my 100% refuses to ride anything remotely fast kid rides these. The actual vehicle moves minimally. Screens around you move but you don't like it, you don't have to look. He thinks the actual ride is dumb (especially fast and furious)

Jimmy Gallon like star tours, agreed.

Spidey and transformers, the vehicle itself moves, but nothing scary. The car and movement would be similar to Dino or MMRR. Screens and 3D glasses and some sets. If you get immersed in the 3D, there are "falls" but the actual vehicle doesn't drop, so if you close your eyes, no falling sensations if that makes sense.

 

[disneyguy87]

We just returned from UO. Honestly I’m not so sure that UO would be worth it for you guys. That being said taking Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine may make rides more tolerable.


Harry Potter Forbidden Journey: This would be too intense. Think Flight of Passage but your Banshee is on a track and you move between screens and set pieces. So maybe combine FOP with Test Track.

Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts - Runaway mine train combined with star tours. It is a coaster/simulator

Fast & Furious: should be fine - tram ride with screens

Men In Black: toy story mania but actual sets.

Simpsons: skip it. Notorious for making people sick. Myself included

Transformers: Dinosaur but with 3D

Spider-Man: Dinosaur but with 3D

Jimmy Fallon: Star Tours

Dudley Do-Right Falls: Splash Mountain

Kong: should be fine but is all screens. Mild movement on car.

Despicable Me: Tough to be a Bug

You may be okay on Hagrid. It’s like Expedition Everest intense.

Mummy is similar to space mountain and not bad

Thanks for the reply! We thought about if we really wanted a UO trip, we're going for a week but only going to the parks for about half our stay. COVID and recent changes to WDW helped us make the decision to try it out. I personally can do most of the rides above, but she's going in with the acceptence of this will be rougher. We are bringing Dramamine. I actually talked to her about HP Forbidden Journey but she's willing to try it once since it's HP. I imagine she'll walk away not wanting to do it again!

 

[disneyguy87]

Oh man, I wouldn't skip Hagrids. Even if you go through the line and she decides not to ride, she can leave (my son does this) a then you ride.. I agree with PP that it has similarities to EE, but it does not have the huge hill acent like EE. It is very fast and goes backwards, but no huge drops or upside downs.

Many rides are 3D. You mentioned the 4D of FOP bothering her so I didn't know if 3d made her sick. I will say I've taken to not wearing the 3d glasses in some rides and I like it better.

Simpsons is a rough simulator. I also think Part depends on where you are seated. It's a big screen like FOP with levels and you are sitting in a vehicle. I was up on a high level once and was fine. Another Time I was low and had to look up more and it made me nauseous. It's like a rough Star tours.

Forbidden Journey is very cool, no drops like a coaster but lots of 3d and movement. I didn't get sick on most rides but this one gets me if I have an empty stomach..

Gringotts I don't think is bad at all. I would put this as the most mild of the 3 main potter rides. There is a drop at the beginning but it is more along the lines of one of the smaller splash drops. After that is drives you kind of fast in front of some screens but no hills or anything.

Mummy reminds me of rockin bc it is inside and you can't see what's coming. But no upside down and no launch at the beginning, so yes space is probably a good comparison.

MIB spins more than TSMM. But some concept.

Dudleys is essentially a log flume ride.

Kong and Fast and Furious my 100% refuses to ride anything remotely fast kid rides these. The actual vehicle moves minimally. Screens around you move but you don't like it, you don't have to look. He thinks the actual ride is dumb (especially fast and furious)

Jimmy Gallon like star tours, agreed.

Spidey and transformers, the vehicle itself moves, but nothing scary. The car and movement would be similar to Dino or MMRR. Screens and 3D glasses and some sets. If you get immersed in the 3D, there are "falls" but the actual vehicle doesn't drop, so if you close your eyes, no falling sensations if that makes sense.

Taking off 3D glasses is a great suggestion! It's unclear how much if at all this will upset her, but it's something I have prepared her for. Thanks for the note on the spins on MIB! Because of that, I showed her the bit of the spinning and she said she thinks she can handle it because it didn't "look fast", could you confirm?

As for Hagrid's maybe we will check out the queue! I've watched Hagrid's coaster based on your feedback, I could handle that ride! I just don't find enjoyment if I'm not sharing the experience with a loved one, part of the fun for me is pretending not to be scared, having it lock-in and looking over and saying "I've made a huge mistake" right before take-off. This looks to be the most intense right that I'd actually get on at UO though!

 

[bchbetha]

I urge you to simply try the rides. I don’t have any issues with coasters, drops, spins but Simpsons about did me in. Dh can handle a lot too but Forbidden Journey was his problem; none of the rest of it had any issues. What bothers one person just might not bother another. If you axe all the rides that might give you trouble based on others experiences or comparisons you might be left with nothing to ride- and you could really miss out on something that would have been awesome!

 

[disneyguy87]

I urge you to simply try the rides. I don’t have any issues with coasters, drops, spins but Simpsons about did me in. Dh can handle a lot too but Forbidden Journey was his problem; none of the rest of it had any issues. What bothers one person just might not bother another. If you axe all the rides that might give you trouble based on others experiences or comparisons you might be left with nothing to ride- and you could really miss out on something that would have been awesome!

Well so far almost all of the things on this list are good to go! I personally don't mind trying them, but I don't want my wife to have a miserable trip. I ended up cancelling Slinky Dog Dash on our WDW trip after she hated every coaster we went on and got an extra FP for Toy Story Mania and she couldn't have been happier. Just trying to do more of that

 

[asuburbanman]

MIB spinning is similar to a spin on the tea cups or a whip ride if you’ve been on one of those. It maybe spins 3-4 times in one rotation and a brief double rotation at the end.

 

[angelia]

Just as a side note, my parents don't ride much at Universal or IOA, but love just walking around and seeing the theming and people watching. I think if your wife is a big Harry Potter fan, it will still be an enjoyable trip without riding much. Even if you don't enjoy Harry Potter, you have to appreciate the theming done in those areas of the park. My son and I love hanging out in that area and don't really follow HP. I know part of the enjoyment is going on with a loved one, but with express pass you could actually ride first to see if you think it would be something she would enjoy. She could walk through the line with you and then exit before the ride if she wants you to try it first.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Have you check out any POV videos of the attractions? That could give your DW an idea of what to expect.

 

[martikus]

I don’t like big or intense and find plenty at Universal to do. We love a week there. Casual touring with express passes and lots
Of pool time. So much more relaxing than Disney.

don’t rule out ET, sky high thing in suess land cat in hat. They are great.

I can’t do simpsons-too motion sickness. Kong is easy breezy. I won’t do Dudley the drop looks to big for me. But Popeyes is so fun. We go over in bathing suits to do it and then return to hotel to change.

transformers is a one and done each trip for me but I love Spider-Man over and over. Ilove gringotts but if she can’t do big thunder she prob
Won’t like. Also love forbidden journey but that’s a one a day for me or I feel queasy.

makeup horror show and Bourne show and animal show must sees.

men in black just has Spinning a bit so it’s fun. I found fast& furious one and done due to long queues and soooo jerky.

Go with an open mind and enjoy.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I appreciate anyone who adds a WDW ride equivalent to this list and feel free to give additional comments.

Harry Potter Forbidden Journey: If there's someone in the group who's a big Harry Potter fan, do the regular line. You see more of the castle. Also, you can go through the line (The Castle Tour) and then skip the ride.
Men In Black: Buzz Lightyear Astro-Blasters, but with spinning.
Jimmy Fallon: Star Tours

The biggest difference in terms of rides is that there are far more simulators/3D rides at Universal than the Disney parks.

ET is like Peter Pan. It's a simple ride, but enjoyable. Skip Fast and the Furious unless someone is a big fan of the franchise. I found the ride dissapointing.

 

[disneyguy87]

I don’t like big or intense and find plenty at Universal to do. We love a week there. Casual touring with express passes and lots
Of pool time. So much more relaxing than Disney.

don’t rule out ET, sky high thing in suess land cat in hat. They are great.

I can’t do simpsons-too motion sickness. Kong is easy breezy. I won’t do Dudley the drop looks to big for me. But Popeyes is so fun. We go over in bathing suits to do it and then return to hotel to change.

transformers is a one and done each trip for me but I love Spider-Man over and over. Ilove gringotts but if she can’t do big thunder she prob
Won’t like. Also love forbidden journey but that’s a one a day for me or I feel queasy.

makeup horror show and Bourne show and animal show must sees.

men in black just has Spinning a bit so it’s fun. I found fast& furious one and done due to long queues and soooo jerky.

Go with an open mind and enjoy.

Thanks for sharing your experiences! A couple of people have mentioned it so I want to clear it up because my post was unintentionally misleading: Dr. Suess, E.T. etc. we're totally doing. We both love those kinds of rides, I excluded them because I'm not worried about them, not because we don't plan on doing them.

 

[disneyguy87]

The biggest difference in terms of rides is that there are far more simulators/3D rides at Universal than the Disney parks.

ET is like Peter Pan. It's a simple ride, but enjoyable. Skip Fast and the Furious unless someone is a big fan of the franchise. I found the ride dissapointing.

Unfortunately I am a big F&F fan. If nothing else I'm going to take pictures of the queue for my cousin who is also a big fan and I never get to see much of these days. I personally think I'd love the simulators and I'm looking forward to the trip!

 

[disneyseniors]

Thanks for the reply! We thought about if we really wanted a UO trip, we're going for a week but only going to the parks for about half our stay. COVID and recent changes to WDW helped us make the decision to try it out. I personally can do most of the rides above, but she's going in with the acceptence of this will be rougher. We are bringing Dramamine. I actually talked to her about HP Forbidden Journey but she's willing to try it once since it's HP. I imagine she'll walk away not wanting to do it again!

Wow, I hope she won't be too upset after FJ. I can ride most rides except for coasters, too. But, FJ was a nightmare for me. The arm mechanism on that ride can move up, down, and make you feel like you will fall backward!!! You don't but I don't enjoy the feeling! There was just too much jerky motion and screen movements for me. I was nauseous and dizzy and will Never ride it again. I'd think twice about pushing it. I can tolerate most o ftheir rides, but no more FJ. Gringotts was a blast and no problem at all. Hope you enjoy your trip. Oh, she can walk through the amazing preshows and not ride at all. I would walk through that again; it was fantastic.

 

[Missingmypooh]

Gringotts and Spider-Man make me pretty dizzy with all the quick movements. They are like a very intense Mickey and Minnie Runaway railway (and also like the FOP graphics make you “feel” like your failing/moving).

I very much like hagrids but it is similar to Big Thunder Mountain- yet so unique. It’s actually decently slow moving when compared to other coasters (not as fast as Hulk or Space Mountain). But it has some surprises that might be too much to handle.

 

[mvansear]

I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip agree with pp about how this is a very per person kind of thing. My mom who is mid 60’s loves soarin and Harry Potter and the forbidden journey
. She tells me she thinks they are very similar rides. I however cannot ride FJ without prescription Scopalomine for the motion sickness. My family loves universal so much we stopped even going to Disney about 5 years ago. You will love the hotel, express passes, walk to the parks, and consider club level at the hotel for extra perks. welcome to the dark side

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

If you are open-to-close park people, then Universal may not be for you. If you enjoy spending afternoon time at the resort pool, and evening time shopping and dining, then there is probably still enough at Universal for you to enjoy. One thing that is either good or bad depending upon how you look at it, is that some of the rides are the exact same except with different overlay. Spiderman and Transformers are the same. Kong and Fast & Furious are the same. Jimmy Fallon and Minions are the same. If you like or don't like one, then you already know how you feel about the other.

I am the type of person who will ride anything. But Simpsons is the most intense ride at Universal and nobody can convince me otherwise. I would avoid that for sure in her situation. I'd also avoid Forbidden Journey as well.

 

[disneyguy87]

Wow, I hope she won't be too upset after FJ. I can ride most rides except for coasters, too. But, FJ was a nightmare for me. The arm mechanism on that ride can move up, down, and make you feel like you will fall backward!!! You don't but I don't enjoy the feeling! There was just too much jerky motion and screen movements for me. I was nauseous and dizzy and will Never ride it again. I'd think twice about pushing it. I can tolerate most o ftheir rides, but no more FJ. Gringotts was a blast and no problem at all. Hope you enjoy your trip. Oh, she can walk through the amazing preshows and not ride at all. I would walk through that again; it was fantastic.

FJ is definitely something I'm concerned about for her. We talked about it, she wants to experience the HP rides...so we'll see. At this rate, I believe she'd hate it but may suffer through it. We'll see!