Disney/Universal Must-Rides

Epcot is my 2nd favorite park I've been to (after Disneyland) and I like Soarin' enough that I usually build my day around riding Soarin' at least a couple of times. I get that it wouldn't be everyone's bag, but for me it's absolutely tremendous. I never tire of it.

Count me in the Soarin' camp. When I rode the one at CA a few years back, I went in prepared to be underwhelmed. And emerged from the ride a big fan.

RCMAC said:

I always find it interesting in talking to "regular" people about their amusement park trips how little some care about the must-do's. Many times I hear "oh, no, we didn't get to that one", or "no, we didn't go over there", or "we just went back to the hotel, we were tired and the kids wanted to swim". WHAT?!?
I have a feeling you lean to the enthusiast side.

In the case of some of the bigger parks, either people really are run down walking around in that kind of heat (depending when visiting Florida, you can get downright ILL), and they might go in the wrong order for attractions. This could easily lead to missing some of the best stuff in the park. For instance, say you go to Universal Studios Orlando first. Instead of taking the path past RRR, Despicable Me, and Shrek, you take the path to the right, where there is ET, Terminator, Simpsons, and MIB. You may not make it to Mummy at all because by this point, the kids are all worn out and hungry, you're tired and sunburnt, and you think all the rides are motion simulators and spin-n-shoots and special effects movies (when all you really could want in a coaster is hidden in the back of the park in a pretty darn inconspicuous building). I can see where this can happen. Actually, it HAS happened to me: I didn't even KNOW there was a Jurassic Park section in IOA, and I mistakenly thought it was a new section until this past July (I wondered why it was just built now, but I thought maybe they were getting a jump on the rumored new JP movie). My previous trip to IOA was strictly marquis (sp?) rides and coasters, coasters, coasters, plus I only had one day to cover both parks, so I hit up as much as I could in as little time as possible. Just glad I didn't actually MISS any coasters (I missed the Schwarzkopf coaster at BGT and had to go back a few hours before my flight home to ride it).

Starting to get off target here. My point was that I can definitely see where it can happen in some of these huge parks.

But I don't get how you can skip certain things either. If I have the time, I'm there until everything is ridden and notes are probably taken as well.

RCMAC said:

I always find it interesting in talking to "regular" people about their amusement park trips how little some care about the must-do's. Many times I hear "oh, no, we didn't get to that one", or "no, we didn't go over there", or "we just went back to the hotel, we were tired and the kids wanted to swim". WHAT?!?

Further proof that I'm more 'regular' visitor than enthusiast.

I'm smiling with a smug sense of self-satisfaction.

I'd like to think I'm more of a coaster hipster. "My track record isn't that long, but I don't care. I liked B&M when no one else did. I don't really care if there's ERT as long as there's a microbrew at the park."

For Universal -

Incredible Hulk - even after all these years it is the bomb.com

Forbidden Journey - The best themed ride in everdom.

Duelling Dragon (Or Dragons Challenge (side eye))....even though they don't duel, they are two kick ass inverts.

Spidey - Still my favorite dark ride overall

Revenge of the Mummy - Awesome theming. the most amazing S-curve ever!!

Soarin is garbage. I don't understand what Disney puts in those smells to make people go crazy for it but I must not have caught a whiff. To each their own.

As for must rides at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios I have the following advice. Just about everything at IOA is a must ride for me. Hulk, Spiderman, Dudley Do Right, Bluto's Barges, Jurassic Park, Forbidden Journey, and Dragon Challenge. At Universal Studios you should ride Shrek, Despicable Me, The Mummy and The Simpsons. Everything else is cool but not a tragedy if you miss them. The only attraction I really feel is skippable is T3.

^SOARING IS GARBAGE!!!!!! YOU PUT IT SO CRUDELY!!!!!!!

If I ran Universal I'd combine their Barney show with their Terminator show caolling it (What Else?) "Barney meets The Terminator". <LOL>

This thread seems to be proving that Soarin' is love it or hate it. I'm definetly one who loves it and I usually ride it multiple times a visit. My favorite part is the music honestly. The ride is fun but I won't complain when they update the movie because let's face it, the film is over a decade old now... however leave the Patrick Warburton introduction as is. Classic.

Who doesn't love Brock Sampson?

^Sergeant Hatred...? ;~)

Corkscrew Follies said:

Hollywood rip ride rocket a must ride? Really? I would go with Mummy, Mummy and more Mummy.

No its not, but it will have a 2+ hour wait within a half an hour of opening.

I must go to Universal at the right time of the year. I've never seen more than a 20 minute queue for RRR outside of a "Horor Night,"

I was last there in March of last year. It had a 2 hour wait, spring break is more busy then any week outside of Christmas and the 2 weeks around July 4th in Florida.

It got quite busy during the last full week of June this past summer....not sure if it hit two hours, but it was longer than I wanted to wait except right at opening or closing.

I went in Sept it's opening year. Had they been running at capacity it wouldn't have been a bad wait. It was 2 hours. Nothing else in the park was 20 minutes. The single rider lane was closed and it didn't accept the skip the line option. So I waited. Never again.

I went in Sept it's opening year. Had they been running at capacity it wouldn't have been a bad wait. It was 2 hours. Nothing else in the park was 20 minutes. The single rider lane was closed and it didn't accept the skip the line option. So I waited. Never again.

I think my worst wait on HRRR was 20 minutes. It's generally been a near walk-on for me. Funny all the hate for the ride as well. Choose "Gimme All Your Lovin'" by ZZ Top as your on-ride song and bizarre layout and occasional roughness aside, it's good fun.

I didn't hate the ride, per se, but it just wasn't worth a 2 hour wait.

Neither is any other coaster, usually. The last time I waited a while for a coaster was Texas Giant. Great ride, but I usually don't wait that long.