We are local and have done all the Florida parks on annual passes throughout the years. My son made 51 inches so Universal's turn. Most everything is a screen which sure, they are Universal Studios, but my daughter was getting bored. She would ask what the next ride was and I would say "It's a simulator ride". Or even worse, it's the same simulator ride (Kong/FnF, Spiderman/Transformers). So Universal Studios is a very short day for us.
As for IOA, Hagrid's was great, Velocicoaster I would rank 3 behind Iron Gwazi and Mako. Hulk was fun. Rapids ride is stupid, bring a full change of everything or plan to return to hotel afterwards. I never cared for the ones that just dump waterfalls on your end, lazy to me in the design. No fun if you will be the victim of wet or remain mostly dry. Other rides were not really memorable.
Volcano Bay the water coaster is way overrated. We have been on several and this was by far the tamest. I asked my kids if they wanted to tap in before lunch and they did not want to bother. The drop slide was fun and super tall. The fast river was confusing. It would be great for one minute, then they seem to turn everything off where you had to walk to get anywhere.
Finally, we did the Loews double up and had the express passes. This was so mismanaged. Sometimes you would go right on, and others the express line was actually longer than standby. ET in particular the express line was so long, they could not clear the line from the preshow area to the ride. They need to teach ride ops to monitor this and move the express as needed to make it worth the cost. They also need to at least offer a one time ride (like the Busch parks) for Hagrids and Velocicoater. Given the poor line management, it is unlikely I will waste more money on express passes over the next year.
Staff was nice, no issues there. Food was typical theme park quality.
Once our annual passes are up, my son will be 54" and we will return to the Busch Parks until Epic Universe opens at least, unless of course it is just more of the same endless sea of screen rides...
Response from Host
Dec 2022
Hi there,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback regarding your recent visit. I apologize for the various experiences you described that caused you to leave our resort feeling disappointed. Please rest assured that these concerns have been documented, so they may be shared with the appropriate leadership teams in the parks. If you would like to discuss your experience further, please reach out to Guest Services at (407) 224-4233 and reference this review. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
- Emily