Spending xmas in Bahrain and lookin forward to it!!! thanks all for the reads and comments by the wa...
Spending xmas in Bahrain and lookin forward to it!!! thanks all for the reads and comments by the way much appreciated!!! :)
Got engaged there as well ~ so happy running away to gibraltar in March 2010 to get married woop woop :D
Member since:29.12.2006
Reviews:42
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If you are planning to go to Orlando any time I totally recommend that you do not miss this theme park, as I consider it to be the best one there is in Florida, this is due to the extent of rides all crammed into a huge area, enough for big kids and little kids alike.
I would definately recommend purchasing the Express pass when visiting as this lets you skip the really long queues and get straight onto the ride. Depending on the time of year they cost between $30 and $40 (£15 - £20). I know this might sound expensive on top of your ticket price, but believe me they are totally worth it, especially in the Florida heat, you don't want to queue for an hour per ride now do you? You do get a better deal if you buy 2 or more passes together.
I can't comment on ticket prices to get into the park because I purchased mine online before leaving, but I can give you details and recommend where I purchased mine from:
I purchase the 5-park Orlando Flexiticket which cost £129 per adult and £109 per child, this may sound expensive but they get you into the following places and they last 14 days, you can use them as many times as you want within the 14 days. This is what the website says:
Orlando FlexTickets are better value than ever, giving you 14 consecutive days of unlimited admission to 4 or 5 of Florida's most popular theme parks, depending on which option you choose.
Orlando FlexTickets are the only way to maximise the fun of a Florida holiday:
Variety - Unlimited access to a combination of 4 or 5 of the most popular theme parks in Florida
Flexibility - You can visit any or all of the parks everyday.
Value-For-Money - The world's most exciting attractions for one unbeatable price and you only have to pay for parking once if you visit more than one park on the same day.
Plus you will receive complimentary entrance into the venues at the entertainment centre Universal CityWalk.
Your CityWalk pass is valid for the same period of time as your Orlando FlexTickets.
These days start from the first day you enter an Orlando FlexTicket park or CityWalk. Some special events at CityWalk are separately ticketed and may incur an additional charge. Some CityWalk venues have an age limit of 21 years or older.
And when you purchase 5-Park Orlando FlexTickets you can enjoy unlimited FREE transportation to Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay on the Busch Gardens Shuttle Express bus, which departs from SeaWorld® Orlando.
Anyway thats the ticket info out of the way, so on to the park itself. Please note I will only comment on the rides and attractions we actually went on/visited so not to make the review unneccessarily longer than it need be.
Islands of Adventure is on International Drive and is very easy to get to, infact most hotels run free shuttle buses. When you arrive at the park the first thing you do is go through the Citywalk, which is full of shops, restaurants and bars (this is great nighttime entertainment, especially if you have no kids).
You go through the security, which is a few guys cheacking bags to make sure you're not taking anything dodgy into the park with you. You then go through the turnstyle using your ticket for access. Please note you are finger printed/scanned and this is how you will get into park everytime from then onwards, this stops you passing your ticket on to someone else if you no longer require it.
The great thing about this park is that before each ride there are lockers to put your valuables into. They are free to use for like the first hour, so you can do the ride and then get your stuff back at no cost, or you can keep them all day for a few dollars. The great thing about the lockers here is that they also use fingerprint technology so no one will everbe able to break in and steal you stuff.
Once in, the park is astonishingly big and the first thing you will notice is the Hulk rollercoaster - totally awsome. Here we go with the rides (I will be going backwards as this is the way we completed the park):
Marvel Superhero Island:
The Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman - This is the most awesome 3D ride I have ever been on. The special effects are amazing and when your falling, you really do feel like you're falling. There are a lot of heart-stopping and eye-popping moments, you will not believe any of it is possible just by putting on a pair of 3D glasses. Although this is in the dark kids will absolutely love it because as well all know Spiderman is a hero not to be feared.
Doctor Doom's Fearfall - This is a well-known type of ride throughout the UK and beyond. You get strapped into your seat, which consists of two seats on four sides of a coloumn, you are then shot 150ft into the air without warning. This is a great heart-stopping ride that gives you major butterflies in your stomach. Not one for pregnant ladies or those with heart problems or those of you with vertigo.
Storm Force Acceleration - This is just the teacups gone spaceage. You get spun around as usual, but on these particualr ones there is a huge steering wheel in the centre of your car/cup and the faster you spin it the fast you spin yourself while going round in circles. Don't eat before this one because you end up way too dizzy afterwards, but still a lot of fun.
Incredible Hulk Coaster - This is THE BEST rollercoaster in the park. You don't just start out like any normal coaster, when your getting taken out onto the first uphill section you start slow, then all of a sudden you are shot at full force, top speed into the ride, the g-force is awesome. There are loads of neck breaking twists and turns and of course the awesome hair raising loops, what more could you want from a rollercoaster. There is a net below to catch things people might have sneaked on (sunglasses for example), but don't go thinking you'll get them back because you won't, they stay there forever. Not for small kids, pregnant women, people with heart problems, or scaredy cats.
Toon Lagoon:
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls - This is the usual water ride, where everyone sits in one of them big round tyre type thingies with a round bar in the middle to hold on to. This ride was quite boring, around 30 seconds of a slow, bumpy course, then you sit at the top of a hill for about 5 minutes before you drop, not very far, but you do get very very wet. The best thing about the ride is that there is a zipper area to put your stuff into in the middle of the hold-on bar to keep it safe and dry. Great for kids but very slow and boring for the adults.
There are more rides in this part of the park, but they are all water rides and we had got wet enough so we declined to go on them.
Jurassic Park:
Jurassic Park Discovery Centre - This is actually quite an interesting attraction, especially for kids who like to learn. Scan fossilized dino skeletons, examine dino eggs and mayeb you'll even be lucky enough to see the hatching of a new baby dino, play mind boggling games, and do a lot more in this hands-on, interactive area which is replicated on the actual visitors centre from the film. This is an indoor attraction and quite relaxing, lots of Great photo ops in here also.
Pteranodon Flyers - What fun this high flying ride looked from below. I will warn you that adults can only ride this if accompanied by a child. We discovered this as we queued for a while and no one told decided to inform us of this until we were at the front of the queue and then we felt wick when we had to walk back past everyone.
More
Pictures of Islands of Adventure
The Hulk
rides and discovery in here also, again a lot for kids or else water rides. The Lost Continent:
Poseidon's Fury - This is an indoor walk-through adventure and I have to say one that we enjoyed immensely. The actor that plays your tour guide is brilliant and really gets into his role superbly. You are touring the remains of Poseidon's temple, but once you get so far, there is no escape......or is there? The graphics and special effects in this place are so amazing they are the kind of 'you have to see it to believe it'. The journey is amazing, all helped with great acting and the finale is totally awesome. There are a lot of in the dark parts which may scare small kids, and there is a chance of getting wet. Overall though a completely well thought out adventure which is fun for all ages, do not miss this, but be prepared for the crowds.
The Mystic Fountain - This is just what it says, a fountain. Try and get your coin into the mouth of the Mystic creature and make a wish, just be careful what you wish for. This is just another way of stealing you pennies, but kids love this sort of thing.
Dueling Dragons - This is the other BEST rollercoaster(s) in the themepark. This ride infact consists of 2 separate coasters that intertwine with eachother, and I do recommend riding both. Again there are loads of neck breaking twists and turns and upsidedown looping moments, but the best thing about this ride is when you come extremely close to crashing into the rival coaster, only to be dragged rapidly back up into the air and into an upsidedown loop, making the hair stand on the back of you neck. This is a very bumpy rollercoaster compared to the Hulk and not fun in the rain (we got totally soaked). The only question here is what side will you pick the fire coaster or the ice coaster, although I do sincerely recommend riding both. Another good thing about this ride is you don't have to queue again to ride you just go straight through to the re-ride section and jump on. Not for small kids, pregnant women, people with heart problems and of course scaredy cats.
The Flying Unicorn - This is a cute rollercoater styled on unicorns flying through a forest of fantasy and enchantment, it's aimed at kids but they do let adults ride as well. I actually enjoyed this as it does go quite fast and there are a lot of bumps, twists and turns, although it does not last very long. Don't worry this one does not go upsidedown.
This area is for kids as I am sure you can tell from the name, but we did manage to get on a couple of the rides.
Cat In The Hat - This is a very tame ride through an indoor area, which outlines the book/movie of the cat in the hat. The story is told as you travel through this wonderous world and there are a lot of animatronics and things going on around you. Although we did feel a bit stupid going on this we still had fun and got some good pictures. This is a great ride for kids, especially fans of Suess.
Suess Train Ride - Again we felt stupid riding this, but we were fine in the knowledge that there were numerous adults on this ride as well. This is a high-up train type coaster which goes very very slow. There is a story told on your way round, going through every letter of the alphabet in the Suess style song/rhyme. Again this ride is great for getting good photos. Another for the kids.
That brings us to the end of the rides, well the ones that we were able to go on. There are loads of gift shops and eateries throughout the park and I have to say we ate in a couple of places, but the best for burgers was a little place just past the Hulk, to the right beside the water (sorry I cannot remember the name of it). Each ride has it's own gift shop attached selling memorbelia of that particular theme, the prices here aren't as bad as you would think - Clothing are the most expensive items.
Again as in all Florida themeparks, there are limited smoking areas, although Universal do seem to have more of them than the other parks and they are well marked out on your parkmap.
Another great thing about this park is that you can buy a huge souvineer cup filled with an ice drink (Slush Puppy/Slushie) and you get cheap refills in this throughout the day, this is great if you have kids, as they are so big you won't mind sharing, you also get free normal drinks refills in this in the cafes.
The staff here are all very friendly and helpful and are extremely willing to help if you have any problems - The only one we had was our locker getting stuck, but this was sorted out in under 5 minutes, henece no waiting around.
Holiday Tips:
Have a huge breakfast before you arrive, it will keep you full throughout the day and you'll spend less on food. Wear comfy shoes as there is a lot of walking and a lot of queuing (unless you get the Express pass).
Bring plently of water in a cooler bag because you will drink loads and will not want to keep forking out your hard earned holiday cash. Do not fill water bottles from the drinking fountains, this water tasted quite salty/full of flouride.
If you don't drive and it starts pouring down and you don't want to wait around for your shuttle transport back to the hotel, there are numerous taxis waiting to take you wherever you want to go and they are quite cheap - Cost us $5 to get back to ours.
Be warned - If there is a single flash of lightening they will close the rides down and not re-open them until the sky is clear and blue. We waited over a hour while visiting here. This is a pain but it is for your safety so don't complain.
Have fun whenever you are going :)
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