Visit Harry Potter and Many Other Fantastical Folks at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

A couple years ago, my aunt and uncle took a trip to Florida, and while they were there, they saw advertisements for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which would be opening the following year. My aunt told me that whenever they decided to go to Florida to check out this new park, I was invited to go along. Just before my birthday this year, they announced that we were going this spring, and it was an epic vacation that included Universal and Disney World, as well as Sea World, a drive-through safari, a renaissance fair and an airboat ride through a swamp filled with alligators. But Harry was the one who propelled this particular venture for my aunt and uncle, who, unlike me, are seasoned travelers. We spent two days at Universal Studios, which was where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was located.

Universal is divided into two parks. Our passes allowed us to visit both parks, but on our first day, we ventured only into Islands of Adventure, which includes several themed sections, of which the Harry Potter one is the newest. We also returned to this part of the park our second time through, after we had made our way through Universal's more low-key park. Islands of Adventure is jam-packed with rides, attractions and costumed characters, and you'll be hard-pressed to see everything you want to in a single day.

As it happened, our first day at Universal was St. Patrick's Day, and the park seemed to be especially packed as a result. We just made our way through in order of what was closest to the entrance, which meant that we started out with the section focusing on classic comic book characters. Marvel Super Hero Island included some pretty intense-looking rides; the only one I went on was the Spider-man ride, which simulated a ride through the city where we helped Spider-Man battle baddies and got sprinkled with water or tinged with heat from fiery explosions. While we were in this part of the park, we saw a parade of Marvel characters and snapped a few pictures. A few of them came up onto the sidewalks and posed for photos with guests.

While the Marvel world was fun, I really loved Toon Lagoon, which was filled with nifty cut-out displays of characters from comic strips ranging from Beetle Bailey to Family Circus. We spent a fair bit of time here just snapping pictures of each other next to or under the various displays. I loved the one with the cranky Shoe editor muttering, "A good editor never sleeps," and I got a kick out of the unaccompanied dialogue bubble just above head level simply stating, "I feel like there is a cloud over my head."

This part of the park included my two favorite rides, aside from the thrilling Hogwarts Castle tour. Dudley Do-Wright, the clueless Mountie, was the theme of the log flume, and we spent close to two hours waiting for Dudley Do-Wright's Ripsaw Falls, after which point we decided that the fast passes would be a good idea. The wait wasn't bad, though, because the line was filled with quirky announcements, Dudley Do-Wright cartoons and artwork. The ride itself is a log flume ride rather like the Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain, and it tells a story using jumbo figures and dialogue and narration coming out of the speakers nearby. The basic storyline has Dudley clumsily saving the day from the nefarious Snidely Whiplash, with the result that he is celebrated by the town but still rejected by the girl of his dreams. The tale is entertaining, and the ride is tons of fun for a hot day. I rode it three times over the course of two days, and I got completely soaked each time - though the third time, I rode it later in the day than I should have, with the result that I was shivering all through dinner. You're best off getting this one out of the way well before 5:00. Same goes for Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, which is comparable to the white water rapids ride at Hersheypark. If the splash from going down a waterfall doesn't get you, the downpour from waterfalls above you will. Plus, you have the people up on the bridges paying to aim water at you. There's no avoiding getting drenched on this ride, though handily, there is a sealed plastic compartment in the middle in which to store your belongings, and they'll stay pretty dry as long as you put them in there. Like Ripsaw Falls, this includes several jumbo figures from the cartoon scattered throughout the ride and combined with dialogue from the speakers. It's very entertaining and refreshing.

Another ride involving a circular raft is the Jurassic Park River Adventure, the only ride I went on in that section of the park. It starts out nice and mellow, almost like the Jungle Cruise, and the gorgeous score from the movie augments the beauty of those animatronic plant-eating dinosaurs. Then you leave the sunny outdoor area and go inside, where it's dark and dire warnings about malfunctions flash and blare. This part of the ride is creepy, particularly the huge Tyrannosaurus Rex that lunges down upon you just before you go down the ride's final hill. There's a bit of a splash to this one, but it's nothing compared to the ones in Ripsaw Falls and Bilgerat Barges, and you could probably ride this one a little later in the day and not have to worry so much about getting dry. Outside of the ride, there are a number of photo spots, and we just enjoyed wandering through on our way to the wizards. The Lost Continent is around here too, and we didn't spend much time there at all the first day, but the second day we did the walk-through show Poseidon's Fury, which had some really cool special effects, not to mention a very enthusiastic human guide.

Seuss Landing is designed mostly with kids in mind, so none of the rides are that thrilling for adults, but this part of the park is incredibly visually appealing. Everywhere you look is a statue of some Seuss character, and the whole thing is eye-poppingly colorful. I took oodles of pictures in this part of the park, and it's just a joy to walk through. Whatever your favorite Seuss book is, you'll probably find it here in some form or another. The carousel is a real thing of beauty, populated as it is by all sorts of Seussish creatures, and I love the display dedicated to the Lorax and the old Onceler. We rode on the Cat in the Hat ride, which is an entertaining dark ride that takes you through the events of the book, and the trolley ride, which provides a little tour of all the Seussian attractions in the area. Kids should love this park, along with adults who appreciate whimsy.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an amazing sight for any Rowling fan. You get there, and it's like you have entered the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, where Hogwarts students go for occasional field trips. It's so compact that it's hard to really get a feel for how it looks without standing in the middle of it. Shops tower on all sides, some of them actually selling merchandise, others only storefronts there just for show. While the Hogwarts Express does not actually go anywhere, you can get your picture taken with the engine and stroll through the station. This park has three rides, two of which I went on, as the Dragon Challenge looked a little too twisty for me. The Flight of the Hippogriff is short, but it's an exhilarating little roller coaster, and I love the line for this ride because it includes Hagrid's hut, and you get to hear his voice booming out from the speaker. I was hoping that there would be a photo op spot with Hagrid or a character walking around, but this little area is very cool. I just wish that guests were able to actually go into the cabin.

The park has no specific characters walking around, but it is filled with witches and wizards serving as prefects. The main attraction of the park is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a mega-cool virtual tour of Hogwarts. You can't use express passes on this one, and the line is rather confusing. You're not allowed to bring loose articles with you, unless you can manage to stash them in your clothing. I didn't realize this until I got almost to the front of the line, and I was told to go downstairs to stash my stuff in a locker, except there wasn't a locker available. My aunt was waiting outside, so she took my purse for me and I went back and managed to get back to roughly where I had been in line before, and I ended up on the ride just a few minutes after my cousin. Still, I think the line seemed a bit disorganized. I loved looking at all of the displays inside the castle, though. Talking portraits, desks of significant characters, the Gryffindor common room... It was a definite feast for the eyes and ears. The ride itself is a three-dimensional deal that combines movement and physical displays with virtual ones. You'll get to see several major points inside the castle and out. The idea is that you're following Harry and Hermione on broomstick, and some of the angles are pretty dizzying. I'll admit I walked off this one feeling a little woozy, but it was worth it to get the sensation that I was soaring over the Quidditch pitch or swooping through the Hogwarts dungeons. Several characters from the movies make an appearance as well, so this ride really is a lot of fun.

Also inside the castle is the massive gift shop, Filch's Emporium, where you can buy t-shirts, pillows, pins, action figures and all sorts of other collectibles. One thing I didn't see there was a postcard rack; there's a separate shop for that, and while we were there, they rolled a small cart outside so that we could buy postcards from there as well and have them stamped with the Hogsmeade postmark. Filch's Emporium was the only shop we entered the first day; on the second trip, we perused Zonko's joke shop and Honeyduke's candy shop, both of which were feasts for the eyes. My park souvenirs included a Hagrid pin and Harry's wand; while we didn't brave the massive line at Ollivander's wand shop, a couple of other places sold the wands as well, with styles modeled after the wands of several major characters.

Of course, we also had to try some butterbeer, the beloved beverage that so many Harry Potter fans have longed to taste. Scattered throughout this portion of the park are several butterbeer kiosks, and they draw quite a crowd as well. The plastic souvenir mugs are both snazzy and practical, as you won't have to worry much about them breaking while you're wandering through the park. After the first one, though, you can get it in disposable cups instead the mugs and pay less. The drink itself is a sort of mix of cream soda with butterscotch foam, and it's very refreshing on a hot Florida day. Pumpkin juice, another prominent Harry Potter drink, is available too, but we didn't try that, nor did we eat at the Three Broomsticks, the park's restaurant. Just as the pair of Mickey Mouse ears was my one essential purchase at Disney World, the butterbeer was my Must Buy at Universal, and it was worth the anticipation. Speaking of souvenirs, I highly recommend bringing a couple rolls of quarters and pennies so you can use the pressed penny machines located at many points throughout the park. These are very inexpensive but fun collectibles, and it can be a sort of treasure hunt to track as many down as you can. I think I returned from Florida with more than 30 from the different places we went to, and I would have had more if I'd thought to bring quarters ahead of time.

All in all, Universal's Islands of Adventure is an amazing place to spend the day. It's crowded and pricey, but the rides, characters, shops and general extravagance of the themes presented in as much vibrant detail as possible make it a thrilling stop for Harry Potter fans and fun-lovers of all ages.

Get Acquainted With the Ghosts of Disney World's Haunted Mansion

Earlier this year, I joined my aunt, uncle and cousin on a trip to Florida that included Universal and Disney World. We spent one full day and one evening in the Magic Kingdom, where I went into a bit of sensory overload at a place I’d wanted to visit all my life. There was too much to take in on even two trips, but one ride I definitely experienced to the fullest was the Haunted Mansion, which we rode three times – the first time because it was on the Must List, the second and third because the line was so short when we happened by and the ride was just so much fun.

Our first time around, there was a bit of a wait, partly because we opted to go the long way around in line, which allowed us to see more of the grounds. The spooky but comical statues erected outside the mansion itself are a lot of fun and present plenty of photo opportunities. I especially liked the ornate organ that we encountered about halfway through our wait. It was a leisurely walk, and we didn’t mind the wait because there was so much to see. On the other hand, it was nice to be able to get on the ride almost immediately by going the other route the second and third time.

The inside of the Mansion, like the movie it inspired, is creepy but in a purely fun way. I don’t think any guests but very young children are likely to find it truly frightening. The first portion of the ride is walk-through as guests are ushered into a large room with portraits on the walls, which expand as the ghostly narrator speaks. The paintings are comical, with each deceased person having a strong personality that comes across in two-dimensional form. The host’s voice is suitably spooky, and with the room changing and the lights turning off and on, I’m pretty sure I jumped a bit while I was standing there, and I know I grabbed onto my aunt’s hand when the room went pitch-dark, at least the first time.

It’s after this point that we loaded up into the buggies and got to the riding portion of the ride, which is full of intricate displays of ghosts engaged in all sorts of different activities. There are so many displays that it’s hard to see everything on the first go-round. Bibliophile that I am, I especially liked the ghostly library, and the ballroom where so many of the ghosts converge for some musical revelry is the most raucous part of the ride. Tombstones, candelabras and other eerie props help to set the mood. Parts of it put me in mind of my hometown park’s dark ride, the Whacky Shack, but the Haunted Mansion is much more sophisticated, and it is character-centric rather than relying mostly on loud noises and disorienting lighting effects. There’s a bit of twisting and turning, but nothing likely to cause much trouble for the sensitive rider. I’m prone to motion sickness, and I didn’t have any problems.

When my mom went to Disney World on a choir trip in the 1970s, this was one of the only rides she had a chance to go on, and she sang its praises. Having finally gotten a chance to ride it for myself, I have to agree that it’s top-notch, and the scary factor is outweighed by the fun factor. I went in March, and it felt like I was getting a foretaste of Halloween. I would imagine that the Haunted Mansion is particularly popular with guests at the park today, but no matter what time of year it is, this ghostly ride is grand and shouldn’t be missed.

It's a Small World But a Big Ride Fit For a Big Dream

If there is one ride that I have always associated most with the Disney parks in California and Florida, it would have to be it’s a small world (un-capitalized on purpose). I believe my introduction to the song that plays throughout the ride came in the form of a small toy television I received as a toddler. As I recall, I turned the knob and the music played, albeit only an instrumental, music box-ish version, and two-dimensional versions of images from the ride paraded before my eyes. I also had the book and record inspired by the ride, and I’m sure that was where I heard the song with lyrics included for the first time. It’s one of those songs that, once you’ve heard it, you never forget it, and just a snippet of it will be enough to lodge the song in your head for a week. Many people consider it one of the most annoying songs they’ve ever heard – The Lion King even slipped in a self-deprecating joke about it – but I’ve always liked it.

This past December, I saw The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story, a documentary about perhaps the most legendary songwriting duo in Disney history, and a fair bit of the movie involved the creation of this attraction. I was moved to hear Richard Sherman discuss his reverence for the project and how he really saw the song as an anthem of peace and global understanding. Yes, the words are simple and the tune is maddeningly catchy, but really, isn’t this the sort of message that’s worth getting stuck in people’s minds? “There is just one moon / and one golden sun, / and a smile means friendship / to everyone. / Though the mountains divide / and the oceans are wide, / it’s a small world, after all.”

My mom went to Disney World once with a choir, and she only had enough free time to go on three rides while she was there. This was one of them. I tend to think of it like Hershey’s Chocolate World; if you’re going to go to Hersheypark, that is the one ride you absolutely must go on. (Of course, unlike it’s a small world, it’s outside the actual park entrance, so you can go on it without actually paying park admission…) When I went to the Magic Kingdom with my aunt, uncle and cousin last month, this was my one essential ride just as surely as the pair of Walt Disney World Mickey Mouse ears was my one essential souvenir.

We spent one full day and one evening at the Magic Kingdom. The first day, we waited quite a while to get on this iconic ride. I would estimate that we spent about an hour waiting in line, in part because we happened to hit it at what seemed to be the busiest point in the day. When we rode it the second day, we only had to wait about ten minutes. The line winds down toward the waterway, where a series of 24-passenger boats wait to take visitors on their leisurely trip through the world.

I’ve seen enough representations of the ride on film and in books to have a pretty solid idea of what to expect, and there was a definite air of familiarity about it as I slowly gazed around to admire the displays. However, my first time through, I couldn’t help thinking that it may be a small world, but it’s an awfully big ride. Every time I thought that we had come to the end of the attraction, we turned a corner and entered another room just as vibrant and joyous as the one before it.

The animatronic figures all look extremely similar in basic body and facial structure, which emphasizes the common ground we all share. Yet the costumes are completely distinct from each other, as are the props filling each section. Several prominent Disney artists, including Mary Blair, Marc and Alice Davis and Walt Disney himself, were involved in the design of the original attraction, which started out at the 1964 World’s Fair and then moved to Disneyland, and although it didn’t come first, the Disney World edition still feels like a labor of love. It’s a 15-minute cruise that is meant to encourage children and adults alike to see the beauty in other cultures and contemplate our similarities while celebrating our differences.

Nearly 500 animated figures fill the ride, including both human and animal dolls as well as a variety of toys and contraptions. Every room is bursting with activity. Hula dancers offer a welcome in grass skirts; Arabian children fly on magic carpets; leprechauns linger on golden harps. In each land, you can find children dancing and playing and taking to the land, sea or sky in a variety of whimsical vehicles. Creatures ranging from kangaroos to giraffes lurk nearby, adding more unique flavor to the countries that host them. And each time the boat takes you through a different part of the world, the language on the recording of the song changes, so you hear it in a variety of different tongues. The basic nature of the song makes it ideal for translation, and the words and melody are so memorable that you always know pretty much what they’re singing no matter how unfamiliar you are with the language at hand.

I understand that at Disneyland, it’s a small world now includes several prominent Disney characters mixed in with the characters specific to this ride, much like certain characters are scattered through Epcot’s International Village. While I’m not used to thinking of familiar Disney faces like Pinocchio and Peter Pan populating it’s a small world, I imagine that this new twist would add another layer of fun, as would the holiday version of the ride, which includes lights, decorations and festive music. In any incarnation, I can’t picture myself getting tired of this attraction. With so much to see in every room, I think I’d have to ride it several times before I even managed to catch everything that was happening, and I don’t see the wonder wearing off even then. This ride is a beautiful artistic feat and the representation of Disney’s dream of a future in which children all around the world could live in harmony, a dream that the Sherman Brothers shared when they wrote the song that is one of the most performed and recognized in the world.

“There’s so much that we share / that it’s time we’re aware / it’s a small world, after all.” Yes, indeed.

Embrace Your Inner Took By Braving the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

When I went to Florida recently with my aunt, uncle and cousin, one of the rides my aunt was most anxious to get me on was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We hit this park toward the end of our trip, and a couple of its big attractions were closed. As we entered the park, she expressed disappointment that it looked as though the Tower of Terror was one of the rides not in operation at that time. I confess I felt slightly relieved at the thought that I might not have to brave the Tower of Terror after all. I’ve been trying to embrace my inner Took lately, but the same old Baggins keeps bubbling up to the surface. In other words, I have a pretty wimpy disposition. I wasn’t sure if I could handle this infamous ride.

But it wasn’t closed after all, and since this is the most lauded ride in the park, I knew I had to give it a try. As we were getting in line, a woman came up to us and randomly handed us a trio of Fast Passes for the 200-foot-tall Tower of Terror, so we only spent about five or ten minutes in line, just enough time to catch a glimpse of some of the fancy props adorning the waiting area in this most unusual hotel. “It’s better that we don’t really have to wait,” Aunt Barb told me. “There’s less time to get nervous.”

She said that when she had ridden it before, the ride employees, all bedecked in snazzy bellhop uniforms, had gone out of their way to creep passengers out as much as possible beforehand. Our bellhops really didn’t have much to say, but Aunt Barb did a sufficient job of letting me know just how creepy the ride was. Plus there was the ever-present distant sound of screaming… Preceding the ride is a video in which Rod Serling introduces the curious circumstances of this hotel, which sets the stage well. As we approached the elevator where we would be getting our ominous tour of the hotel, we saw several families with young children. One parent exited the ride with her kids before getting on; another tried to convince them that it wouldn’t be so bad. It does strike me as a ride that’s best for older riders, though the personality of the child makes a difference.

The ride itself has a fairly small capacity, with several rows of seating and room for a few people on each bench. I sat between my aunt and cousin in the front row, and after buckling up and listening to a bit of ominous narration, my aunt and I clutched each other’s hands and held on for dear life. I can remember going to Cedar Point with my family and watching my dad and brother go on the drop tower ride at Cedar Point, which looked pretty terrifying to me. You can’t really see what’s going on inside of the Tower of Terror from the outside, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But with a name like Tower of Terror, I figured it had to be pretty scary.

The ride is very well done, definitely capturing the feel of a Twilight Zone episode as it slowly raises you and then drops you, giving you glimpses of the ghostly family said to be residing within the hotel before plunging you into darkness again. It’s quite disorienting, especially when you suddenly find yourself staring out at the park with bright sunshine streaming in after all the blackness of that elevator shaft and try to figure out how high up you are. There are several quick drops on the ride, and the first one startled me a fair bit, but by the time we got to the major one, I felt kind of used to it, and it barely freaked me out at all.

I’ve never really been on a ride like this one before, and my conclusion was that, for me at least, it sounded a lot scarier than it was. Not to say that it was disappointing; I was quite fine with not having a heart attack while I was on board. And when I’m nervous, I tend to be even more quiet than usual, which is something of a feat for me, but my aunt screamed enough for the both of us. We didn’t buy the photo they snapped of us on the way down, but it’s fun to sneak a peek at those on the way out. You see some pretty interesting expressions. The shop you enter after the ride ends also offers an array of other Tower of Terror souvenirs from t-shirts to pressed quarters, and the ride is clearly visible from several points in the park, so it’s easy to get a picture of it from a distance.

While I would never really call myself a thrill ride enthusiast, I seem to be finding that anxiety before the fact usually exceeds fear during the ride itself. Tower of Terror certainly delivers a thrill, but it’s not as chilling as I expected, and that’s okay by me. If I ever make it back, I’ll gladly ascend the elevator again.

Don't Let Skipper Dan Get You Down; Jungle Cruise Is Terrific!

A couple years ago, Weird Al Yankovic released a song entitled Skipper Dan about a disenchanted actor who believed he was on the path to theatrical greatness but took a wrong turn somewhere and wound up stuck as the skipper of a jungle cruise amusement park attraction. “I’m laughin’ at my own jokes, but I’m crying inside, ‘cause I’m workin’ on the jungle cruise ride,” he moans. It’s my favorite song on Al’s Internet Leaks EP, an endearingly melancholy little number, and the fact that this guy is an actor just makes his melodrama a little more understandable. He probably has an inflated sense of his talent, and in any case, he’s exaggerating his misfortune. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to be in his shoes. But I get it. He hasn’t won a plum role on Broadway, I haven’t written a hit song or the Great American Novel. I can relate.

I thought about Skipper Dan when I went to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on my recent trip to Florida because the first ride I went on in the park was the Jungle Cruise. It was also the last ride I went on. We had two very different guides each time we rode, and our first one seemed very much like a female version of Skipper Dan. I couldn’t tell if it was an act and she was going for deadpan humor, or if she hadn’t quite woken up yet, or if she was a sad shell of an aspiring starlet who felt she’d been condemned to a purgatory of cheesy puns on endless repeat. As much as everyone wants to visit Disney World, I would think that working there would be an absolute dream for most people. But maybe not… “Stay in school, kids,” both guides warned us as the ride wrapped up. How inspiring.

While I really couldn’t tell if our first guide was enjoying herself or not, our second skipper, an older guy who at first glance seemed a little crotchety, really seemed to be getting a kick out of his shtick once we got going. That made the second time around even more fun than the first even though we saw most of the jokes coming this time – or maybe partly because of it. Our first guide played it very detached, almost as though she were a recording, while the second was more interactive, and it made for a livelier experience. Both times, we scarcely had to wait to get on a boat, though I got the impression that lines were much longer around midday.

The Jungle Cruise is a very relaxing, enjoyable ride that’s just right to ease you into or out of a long day of ride-hopping. It has a retro feel to it, with all sorts of charming animatronics, most of which have a humorous edge to them. You’ve got elephants spraying water out of their trunks, a rhino getting uncomfortably close to an explorer’s posterior, a band of gorillas trashing a base camp… There’s not much danger of mistaking these creations for flesh-and-blood safari creatures, but the likenesses are still strong, and it’s fun to imagine that one of them might venture toward the boat at any moment. Additionally, because the boat moves so slowly, it’s easy to snap pictures while you’re out on the water, so go ahead and get your camera out.

When I was in high school, I volunteered at the Erie Zoo every October during ZooBoo, the nighttime Halloween event. My favorite of the many volunteer jobs was serving as the narrator for the train ride, which took visitors through the creepily decorated Safariland, which had a different theme each year. The one consistent thing about the spiel was that it was extremely corny, and after almost every ride, somebody would holler to me as he got off the train, “Hey, you could use a new script!” But I loved it, and I never got tired of making those punny wisecracks. Hence, riding the Jungle Cruise had a pleasantly familiar feel to it. Almost like coming home.

So Skipper Dan might not appreciate his job much, but it sure doesn’t seem like a bad gig to me. This leisurely trip through the jungle is one of the most sedate, family-friendly rides at Disney World, and as long as you approach it with the right attitude, it’s a tour to tickle the funny bones of young and old alike.

Take the Plunge Off Ripsaw Falls With Dudley Do-Right at Universal Islands of Adventure

On March 14, I set off from Maryland with my Aunt Barb, Uncle Chuck and cousin Casey on a 14-hour drive that landed us in Orlando, Florida. One of the major stops on our itinerary was Universal Studios, particularly because the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had just opened there the year before, and it’s no secret what a fan I am of that series. In fact, when Casey joined my family for a trip to Ocean City, Maryland 11 years ago, I risked carsickness and spent every spare moment in the car reading my brand-new copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I may be a Muggle, but I was eager to get a peek at the lifestyles of the magical and famous.

What I realized when we arrived for our first day at Universal was just how huge the place is. It’s divided into two parks, and each one is expansive. We worked our way toward Harry Potter, but oodles of fun awaited us first in other areas of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Once we’d spent some time snapping pictures with the Marvel and classic cartoon displays in the two sections nearest the entrance, Aunt Barb made a beeline for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, so that served as my introduction to the rides at Universal, and it was a good one.

The ride towers above much of Universal’s classic cartoon section. The name of the ride stands out at the top of an entryway, with a large circular saw blade neatly slicing the words “RIPSAW FALLS” in half. Other striking landmarks include the tower with a red Mountie hat on top and the sculpture of villainous Snidely Whiplash and pretty young Nell Fenwick carved into the side of the mountain. At the entryway, a wooden cut-out of Dudley helps riders determine whether they are tall enough to ride. The line then divides into regular riders and those with Fast Passes.

We didn’t have Fast Passes, so we went to the right, where a long line awaited us. This was St. Patrick’s Day, as well as Spring Break week for many students, so the park was packed. It took us well over an hour, and probably closer to two, to finally get on the ride. I didn’t mind too much, though, since there was so much within the line itself to keep us entertained. Various cut-outs scattered throughout the line made me chuckle, and several short videos played on the TV screens mounted on the walls. If you went into the ride unfamiliar with Dudley Do-Right, you certainly should have had a good idea of what this cheerfully dopey Canadian officer was all about by the time you got on.

Adding to the fun were the periodic announcements over the loudspeaker from other members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. All of the ride employees wore snappy red uniforms that matched Dudley’s, which made the experience that much more immersive. After we realized how incredible crowded the park was that day, my aunt decided that we should get Fast Passes, which cost nearly as much as the price of park admission but cut your wait time down hugely, especially on such a busy day. We liked Ripsaw Falls so much that after we bought the Fast Pass, we went back and rode it again. The Fast Pass will only get you on each ride once, and a few of the rides don’t have Fast Pass lanes, but our experience tells me that if you buy a Fast Pass right off the bat, you should be able to get on every ride in Islands of Adventure if you put a full day in. The second time we rode Ripsaw Falls, we waited for fewer than ten minutes.

Ripsaw Falls is a pretty typical log flume ride, which takes you up big hills, around twisty bends and down sharp slopes, at the bottom of which you are pretty much guaranteed to get a soaking. Leave bags and other loose items with a non-rider if that’s an option, but your stuff will probably be all right in any case. I took my purse/camera bag on with me all three times, and my camera was inside and didn’t get wet. I definitely would recommend keeping cameras in some kind of bag, though, and holding them at such an angle as to minimize water exposure.

It’s not the wettest ride at Universal – that would be Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – but Ripsaw Falls is a close second. The ride proceeds like an episode of the series, which originated as a regular segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Every once in a while the over-the-top narrator blasts some description out of the loudspeaker, and once in a while one of the major characters, integrated as statues all along the route, speaks as well.

There’s Dudley to the rescue, bumbling things every step of the way, shrieking Nell and slickly vile Snidely. At one point, we also get to see a struggling Inspector Fenwick expressing his spluttering displeasure at his situation. The ride ends with a splash and a curious combination of exultation and defeat as you ride in under a wide banner announcing “Big Award Ceremony Today!!” and hear the narrator conclude that “A Mountie always gets his man – but not necessarily his girl!” Because no matter how many times poor Dudley may inadvertently save the day, Nell is just not that into him.

This ride is pretty close to the entrance of Islands of Adventure, and with good reason. You probably want to ride it earlier rather than later. Granted, I probably wouldn’t get on it at 9 in the morning, but I would recommend getting it in by 3 or 4. I think it was nearing 1 the first time we rode it, and closing in on 2 the second time, and we had no trouble at all drying off in the sun. By the time we got to Harry Potter, we were good and ready for those frosty butterbeers.

The second day we went, we hit the other side of the park and only came back to Islands of Adventure to catch a couple of the best rides as we wound down. I think it was close to 5 when we rode it that day, and by the time the sun had gone down and we were having dinner at CityWalk, the avenue of shops and restaurants just outside the main park area, Aunt Barb and I were shivering and wishing we’d paid the five bucks to go through one of the super-strength people dryers located near the water rides.

Aside from the wet factor later in the day, the only downside to the ride is that you have to get in the logs with your legs flat out in front of you, and it’s pretty awkward to get in, especially since they really rush the process. My aunt and I both struggled to arrange our legs properly as we sat down, and Casey had to give us a hand getting up.

Still, the fact that this was the only ride at Universal that we went on three times tells you that it’s a pretty fantastic ride. It’s fun, with the theme perfectly carried out throughout the line and the ride alike. It’s a bit of a thrill, not least when you emerge from the long wait in darkness and emerge half-blinded into the bright sunshine. And on a hot day, it sure is refreshing. Like most of the rides at Universal, this one snaps your picture, so you can savor the experience even more with a photo as you zoom screaming down the hill. Come to think of it, I’m a little surprised none of us went for that, as many times as we rode it. But I don’t need a picture to remember this ride by; Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls stands out clearly as one of the best rides at Universal.

Go Along on Shrek and Fiona's Harrowing Honeymoon with Shrek 4-D

When I went to Florida recently with my aunt, uncle and cousin, we split our trip to Universal Studios into two days. We tackled Islands of Adventure on March 17 and spent March 21 at Universal Studios Florida. We did make it into Islands of Adventure again toward the end of our second day, and the crowd was noticeably thinner than it had been the first time around. However, I would say that generally speaking, Islands of Adventure was the more crowded of the two parks. After our experience the first day, my aunt got Fast Passes as soon as we got into the park, and we had no trouble whatsoever getting in on everything we wanted to ride in this park. In fact, by the end of the day, she said that she suspected we wouldn’t have really needed them. Overall, Universal Studios Florida had a much more relaxed feel to it.

The fun started with Shrek 4-D, one of several rides I rode on vacation that was more show than ride. We went through the Fast Pass line quickly, with just enough time to stop and get a good look at various displays like the Duloc bulletin board, upon which are plastered notices for upcoming events, personal ads and all sorts of other goodies. Phony movie posters scattered throughout the line were fun, too; I especially liked the looks of Donkey-Xote: A Feel Good Comedy of the Dark Ages. From outside the ride line, you can see several enormous stills from the movie, as well as a couple of large three-dimensional displays, and nearby you can get your picture taken with Shrek and Donkey. If you’re a big fan of the movies, you’ll probably also want to check out Shrek’s Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe after the ride ends.

As we got closer to the inner ride area, we saw a television screen upon which Shrek was playing. We happened to catch it right at the end of the movie, so we got to see Fiona’s marriage scene before moving on to the area where we got our real introduction to the ride. Inside, a combination of animatronic characters and images on screens got us up to speed with the fact that several of Shrek’s friends had been captured and were being tortured and that even though the thoroughly unpleasant Lord Farquaad had been eaten by a dragon, his ghost was determined to thwart Shrek and Fiona’s happiness.

We were standing for this portion of the ride, clustered together with everyone trying to get a good view. I didn’t have any trouble seeing what was going on, though at times I didn’t quite catch everything that was being said. It generally wasn’t a problem, though, and I enjoyed the banter of the ride employees as well as the exposition of the Magic Mirror, particularly the tip of the hat to Star Wars.

The main attraction was in the theater, on the way into which we picked up our pairs of glasses. The ride employees want to make sure that as many people can get on as possible, so they try to keep this process orderly, seeing to it that everyone moves all the way down his or her row so that no seats remain empty. The seating process didn’t end up taking very long, and soon we were all comfortably resting with the glasses on our heads, ready for the show to begin.

What Shrek 4-D really is, more than anything else, is an animated short that serves as an epilogue to Shrek. Fiona and Shrek have embarked upon their honeymoon, and Donkey is by their side whether they want him there or not. This attraction doesn’t take the sequels into account; it was first unveiled in 2003, before Shrek 2 came along. So don’t expect to see Puss in Boots anywhere, but his presence wouldn’t make sense anyway given the timeline of the film. You do get to see plenty of Donkey, who is my favorite character in the movies, and of Shrek and Fiona too. Plenty of familiar voices reprise their roles, most notably Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and John Lithgow as Farquaad. The animation is high-quality, and the story and jokes are well written. I think we may have laughed more on this ride than any other ride at Universal Studios Florida.

This is definitely a kid-friendly attraction, with lots of silly gags and nothing too off-color in the humor. The 4-D element comes into play now and then, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s fun when a character seems to pop out of the screen or the audience gets sprayed with a light mist when Shrek and Donkey get wet, but there’s nothing too intense here. The seats move a bit, with rickety motion during some of the big action sequences, but it’s just a slight jostle and nothing to cause any concern to those who suffer from motion sickness, as I often do. It’s just a fun, laid-back ride and a great little story that made for a great start to our day. If you’re bonkers for ogres, you certainly won’t want to miss it.