Universal Studios Florida Bucket List

Next month I am heading to Orlando, Florida for the first time ever and I’ll be visiting both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.

We’ll be visiting both Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure (Epic Universe won’t be open at our time of visiting!) and we plan of spending 2 or 3 days of our two weeks in the Universal parks.

I love the Universal parks! I previously visited Universal Studios Hollywood back in 2019, and in the late 90s I visited PortAventura back when that was a Universal park.

There’s going to be lots of new rides to try out and well as some old favourites to get back on. And even though I’ve mentioned before that I’m not typically a huge fan of shows in theme parks, I’ve seen some fantastic shows at Universal parks and I will be making time to watch some in Orlando.

So without further ado, let’s get into my Universal Studios Florida Bucket List…

Rides

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

If you thought it was bad when I admitted I didn’t like Avatar in my Animal Kingdom bucket list post, you’re going to want to brace yourself for what I’m about to say next!

I’m not a very big Harry Potter fan, and so visiting the Wizarding World isn’t typically my number one priority when I visit a Universal park.

However, that being said, I unexpectedly fell in love with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey when I visited Universal Studios Hollywood and so I am really looking forward to experiencing the other Harry Potter themed rides Universal has to offer.

All this to say, I’m very much looking forward to getting on Escape from Gringotts! I haven’t watched any POVs from this ride so I am going in blind!

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will be closing later this year so this will be my first and last chance to ride this iconic coaster.

Part of me is terrified about the prospect of riding this rollercoaster because it looks huge, and I’ve heard it’s a bit rough in place, but I have to give it a try before it’s gone from the park forever.

I’m also currently trying to memorise the music codes so I can listen to one of my favourite songs while I’m riding!

Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride

One of my favourite rides from my trip to Universal Studios Hollywood was Revenge of the Mummy. I hadn’t watched any POVs before riding and I had no idea it was a launch coaster until I was on it, and the launch took me completely by surprise! I loved it!

I am looking forward to trying out Florida’s version. I know the ride is slightly different to the one over in California so I’m interested to see how it varies.

Trolls’ Trollercoaster

Am I actually excited to ride Trolls’ Trollercoaster? No.

Is it a coaster credit and therefore I’m going to ride it regardless? Yes!

Hey, it might be an amazing coaster, but I’m not getting my hope up!

Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl

I am a huge fan of The Simpsons, and I loved visiting Springfield in Universal Studios Hollywood!

I’m excited to ride Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl as they don’t have this ride in the Hollywood park, and I also have a feeling that Springfield’s days are numbered in the Universal parks, so I want to make the most of it while I can.

Men in Black: Alien Attack

My boyfriend loved the Men in Black films so when I told him there was a Men in Black ride at Universal AND it was an interactive shooting dark ride, he was over the moon!

We love a good shooting ride as they bring out our competitive side as a couple. I look forward to him beating me, just like he does every time every time we go on a ride like this!

Food & Drink

For the duration of this trip, we’re staying in a Disney hotel (Caribbean Beach Resort to be exact) and we have the quick service dinning plan. But of course, we still need to eat and drink while we’re in the Universal parks, and I am looking forward to trying what’s on offer.

This includes:

Giant pink-iced donut from Springfield (we had one in Universal Studios Hollywood and loved it!)
Flaming Moe (even though it’s non-alcoholic)
Krusty Burger or Ribwich
Butterbeer
Pizza from Louie’s Italian Restaurant

Other

As I always say, visiting a theme park is not just about the rides and food (although it mostly is!). Apart from riding, eating and drinking, I’m also hoping to do the following

Get a photo with the Universal Globe
Watch the Bourne Stuntacular
Meet some Simpsons characters (my favourite photo ever is of me and my partner meeting Homer in Universal Studios Hollywood!)
Get some photos in and around Springfield
Watch Animal Actors on Location

Have you visited Universal Studios Florida? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Check out the other posts in this series:

Credits

The image used in this post is from Paulina M on Pexels.