The Best Rides At Universal Orlando, Florida (2025)

A guide to the best rides at Universal Orlando to help you make the most of your time at Florida’s second biggest theme park.

If you are a fan of the movies, then Universal Orlando in Florida is the theme park for you. Founded in 1990, Universal Orlando Florida is the second largest theme park resort in Florida after Walt Disney World.

From thrilling roller coasters to attractions based on popular children’s stories, Universal Orlando has something for everyone.

Universal Orlando Resort is divided into two theme parks – Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. In addition, you have a third park, Volcano Bay Water Theme Park, which is definitely worth an extra day.

This guide will help you plan your trip to the Universal Orlando Resort, by giving you all the information you need to make the most of your time in the park, and help you prioritize the rides.

Table of Contents

1 Purchasing your Universal Orlando tickets
2 Where to stay at Universal Orlando, Florida
3 Best rides at Universal Orlando

Purchasing your Universal Orlando tickets

The best place to purchase your tickets is directly on the Universal Parks website. You will normally find the best prices here.

However, sometimes you can find special deals on GetYourGuide and Viator, so make sure you shop around before committing.

You may also want to consider whether you want to buy a basic ticket, which would mean long waiting times at a lot of the rides, or whether you’d like to spend a bit extra to get to the front of the lines quicker. You can see the different express ticket packages here.

Where to stay at Universal Orlando, Florida

I stayed at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites and I absolutely loved it! It’s a budget-friendly hotel that doesn’t feel ‘budget’ at all.

Located within the Universal Orlando Resort, it is designed with a nautical theme with bright and airy decor. The hotel has a range of room options that go from standard rooms to suites, to cater for a variety of travelers.

By staying at the Dockside Inn and Suites I was able to enjoy early park admission to both Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and the free shuttle service to and from the parks.

My favorite thing about this hotel though was the pool. Not only relaxing by the pool with a cocktail in hand, but also waking up to a view of it every morning. For this reason, I highly recommend getting a room with a pool view!

> Book your stay at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites

Best rides at Universal Orlando

In order to help you plan your way around, I have divided this list of the best rides at Universal Orlando based on their location within the park, starting with Islands of Adventures.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Universal’s Islands of Adventure is an adventure theme park with a variety of rides and attractions based on popular comic books and children’s stories.

This area of the park is divided into several ‘islands’ with their own themes. They include Marvel Super Hero Island, The Lost Continent and Jurassic Park.

These are the best rides at Universal’s Islands of Adventures.

Jurassic World VelociCoaster

The Jurassic World VelociCoaster is based on the Jurassic World movie franchise, and it’s without a doubt the best thrill ride at Universal Orlando. It’s the newest ride at Universal Parks and the most exhilarating ride I’ve ever been on.

With a launch of 0 to 50 miles per hour in 2 seconds, steep drops, close encounters with dinosaurs, and high speed twists and turns, it’ll have you screaming off the top of your head from the get go, so you’d better buckle up!

The combination of high-speed thrills and immersive storyline is fantastic, and it’s perhaps the most popular attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

It is worth getting the Universal Express Pass just to get to the front of the line quicker on the Jurassic World Velociraptor.

Another alternative to avoid the long wait is to join the single rider line, but be warned that your party will be split and often you’ll miss out on the explanations of the story that you’re about to embark on.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster

Located in Marvel Super Hero Island, the Incredible Hulk Coaster is a pretty intense high speed roller coaster ideal for thrill-seekers. It is one of my favorite rides at Universal Orlando.

The ride starts with a launch that goes from 0 to 40 miles per hour in only 2 seconds, and spins you through a series of high speed twists and turns, steep drops and intense inversions.

It also has a Zero-G roll, which will send you through a complete 360-degree roll feeling completely weightless. Definitely not for the faint-hearted!

The Incredible Hulk Coaster is incredibly intense, and it has the strictest height requirement of all the roller coasters in the park, at a minimum of 138 cm.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

This is probably my favorite ride in the whole of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, and I’m not even the biggest Harry Potter fan out there. I may even go as far as to say that it was one of my favorite rides in the whole of Universal Studios Orlando.

The ride vehicle is, of course, Hagrid’s motorbike with the sidecar included. You can ride on either, which gives you a different perspective on the journey. So you’ll probably want to go on it twice!

This fun adventure takes you through the Forbidden Forest, where you will encounter a number of magical creatures like Cornish Pixies and Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog.

It goes without saying that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a must visit ride for Harry Potter fans.

Jurassic Park River Adventure

Jurassic Park River Adventure will take you on a peaceful raft ride through a dinosaur-filled jungle. However, the peaceful journey soon takes a dramatic turn when you come face to face with the much feared T-Rex.

This fun ride ends with a thrilling drop down an 85 ft waterfall, and landing on a shallow pool.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Skull Island: Reign of Kong is a dark ride that sends you on a dangerous expedition through the mysterious Skull Island, home to Kong, the legendary giant gorilla.

As you venture deeper into the island, you will encounter prehistoric creatures and scary monsters. Eventually, you come across Kong, who will defend the expedition from these dangerous creatures.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Another dark ride within Islands of Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a journey through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It’s located inside the impressive Hogwarts Castle, and as you go through, you will recognise memorable scenes from the Harry Potter films. You will experience a flight over Hogwarts, a face-off with a Whomping Willow, and an encounter with the scary Dementors.

The robotics and special effects that bring the wizarding world to life are pretty impressive.

This is, of course, another unmissable ride for all the Harry Potter fans out there.

Hogwarts Express – Hogsmeade Station

Boarding the Hogwarts Express is probably the most wholesome experience in all of the Universal Parks.

Get transported into the world of Harry Potter during this ride, which features special effects and life actors that bring the journey to life. The journey also includes scenes from the film, including a visit from Dementors and a run-in with the Weasley twins.

The ride is not only exciting for those Harry Potter fans out there, but it also serves as a transport link between the two Universal Orlando Parks – Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.

Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida is a movie-themed park with a great variety of attractions, rides and shows, all based on popular films and TV shows. They include Harry Potter, Transformers, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and many more.

It’s also a great theme park for street shows to keep you entertained while you go from one ride to the next. A couple of my favorites were the Beat Builders and Meet The Transformers, where I got to meet Optimus Prime.

But going back to the rides, these are the best rides in Universal Studios Florida.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

This fun ride should be your first port of call when you arrive in Diagon Alley from Islands of Adventure on the Hogwarts Express.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is one of the best rides in Universal Orlando. While you queue up you will be greeted by the Gringotts Goblins, who are hard at work.

The special effects used in this ride are incredible! It’s a multidimensional thrill ride that will make you feel like you are fully immersed in it, with 3-D graphics and sensorial experiences.

It combines a dark ride system, pioneered by The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, with roller coaster elements that will have you screaming off the top of your head.

The only downside is that it is one of the most popular rides so you’ll encounter long lines. But it’s definitely worth the wait. However, if you want to get to the front of the line quicker, I’d recommend purchasing a Universal Express Ticket.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

My expectations of this ride weren’t very high, as it looks and feels a bit dated and not as sophisticated as the newest rides. But it turned out to be an absolute blast and one of the top rides at Universal Orlando!

You get to select your own music from a great variety of styles before the ride begins, and you listen to it during the ride with your chosen track synced to the twists, turns and drops of the roller coaster.

That combined with a 51m drop and a top speed that reaches up to 65 miles per hour, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is an absolute riot!

Do not walk past this ride without having a go!

E.T. Adventure

This is another one of my favorite rides, but not because it’s thrilling or high tech. It is, in fact, the only ride left from the opening day in 1990, and it’s possibly one of the tamest and most family friendly rides at Universal Orlando.

It’s one of my top picks because E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of my all-time favorite films and I was so excited to ride one of the bikes with Elliott and fly over the town! It literally took me back to my childhood and I even got a bit emotional!

It’s a great ride for the whole family. But if you are a fan of E.T., make sure you don’t miss it. You’ll get a great surprise at the end of it (I’m not giving it away here).

The Simpsons Ride

The Simpsons Ride was also a big surprise for me. I’m a fan of the Simpsons, but I did not expect the ride to be as exhilarating as it was.

It is a very realistic (even as a cartoon) motion simulator ride that takes you on a wild and wacky journey through Kurstyland, a theme park created by Krusty the Clown.

You become a character in a new episode of The Simpsons with the help of 3-D animation and motion-based technology that brings the world of Kurstyland to life.

All the usual characters from the famous series make an appearance, so it’s a must visit for fans of The Simpsons.

The only thing to take into consideration is that if you are prone to suffer from motion sickness, this ride might push you over the edge.

Revenge of the Mummy

Based on the popular ‘The Mummy’ films, this ride takes you through an ancient Egyptian tomb where you come face to face with the curse of the mummy Imhotep.

As you travel through ruins of The Mummy sets, you are tempted by treasure rooms, attacked by scarabs, and then blasted through the mouth of The Mummy on a roller coaster.

The best thing about this ride is that it combines some of the best elements of a theme park all in one ride – a dark ride with incredible animatronics and special effects, and a hair-raising roller coaster section.

Volcano Bay Water Park

Volcano Bay is a water theme park located within the Universal Orlando Resort, and it’s the newest theme park in Florida.

The park is inspired by the tropical paradise of the South Pacific and has a number of thrilling water slides, lazy rivers, pools and other attractions for guests of all ages.

You could easily spend a couple of days here, but I only spent one day. It was long enough to get a good feel for the park and enjoy a number of the rides and attractions.

One thing I loved about Volcano Bay is the virtual line system. As soon as you access the park you get given a Tapu Tapu wrist watch. This allows you to log your place on the queue at any of the rides at Volcano Bay.

This means that you can go and explore, get a drink, or do whatever you like until your turn arrives, when your Tapu Tapu watch will vibrate to let you know to head back to the ride.

There are tons of rides at Volcano Bay, but I’ll only highlight my two favorite ones here – the most terrifying and thrilling ride I’ve ever been on, and possibly the most relaxed too. Polar opposites!

Ko’okiri Body Plunge

I felt absolutely terrified about doing this ride, but for me that was a pretty good reason to do it.

To get to Ko’okiri Body Plunge you need to climb to the top of the volcano and there you will be put into a capsule while you anxiously wait for the drop door to open onto a near-vertical slide. 6 seconds later you burst out at the base of the volcano!