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!
Simulator rides get me bad. Like Star Tours is just awful for me, but I have to ride it! I just keep my eyes closed a lot. For whatever reason, FoP doesn't bother me. I think it's the breeze/cool air makes it better than ST. I've never tried Mission Space orange. It's about the only WDW ride I've never been on.
Forbidden Journey is a must do for a HP fan, BUT, it makes me so sick, nauseous. I have to close my eyes a LOT on that ride. What I finally did on a previous trip was ride a few times over the course of the trip, and alternate when I'm closing my eyes. so I FINALLY got the see the second half of the ride! The queue is awesome/must do, there's so much to see, so it was fine to get in line a few times to re-ride. (not right after each other tho, that's too much,) I think it's one of the best rides in Orlando. FoP reminds me of it, but FoP doesn't make me nauseous like FJ. I can't ride stuff like that on an empty stomach, so I need to ride it after eating, not right after, but not on empty stomach.
Gringotts', the coaster parts are not long, kind of stop/start, with interaction, and as a HP fan, I think it's a must do too, but if she doesn't do any coasters, like even snow white, idk. If she decides not to ride it, at least go through the queue. It's awesome.
SpiderMan gets me some times, but it's one of my favorite rides at IoA, and the ride that made me think, wow Universal really knows how to do this stuff. Disney doesn't have a similar experience yet.
Mummy is more intense than Space, thunder, all of that. along lines of RnRc/Everest, but no loop. but such a fun experience. Great story telling coaster. I dont' think Disney has anything like it, maybe Everest comes closest. Love Mummy.
Simpsons...gets me the worst out of the simulator rides...but it's hilarious, and I pretty much just sit there with my eyes closed. Even Minions gets me though, as well as Transformers, and Jimmy Fallon, so I am going to have to plan on Dramamine or something for our trip.
Kong and Fast/Furious are ok, no issues. I don't know what to compare it to at WDW. MiB is one of my favorite rides, and I love riding over and over. The spin is pretty fast, and kinda surprising if you don't know it's coming, but it's so fun. Dudley do right is fun, but we get very wet. Like pants soaking wet, so just be ready for that.
So, so much to do in Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade, the stage shows, ice cream at Florians..and if y'all get the interactive wand, that will keep one busy for awhile, so if you're riding, but she's skipping/waiting, there's plenty to do.
Have fun!!! happy planning!
Picture the bus from Kilimanjaro Safaris but with screens all around as you are moving. Cross that with the vehicle from Dinosaur and you're close to these rides. It is more simulator than physical movement, generally, but there is a lot of both. I think Kong is fun and interesting and F&F is way bad - even with bad acting - but the physical ride experiences are similar. And, we still ride F&F each trip as long as the waits are short.
