X-Car Coaster

Universal Studios Florida

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Theme Park:Universal Studio Florida (since 1990)
Address:6000 Universal Blvd
32819 Orlando
https://www.universalorlando.com
Operated by:Universal Parks and Resorts

Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida is one of the most famous theme parks worldwide. The park is famous for its numerous world-class attractions, including Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, E.T. Adventure and the must-see show Bourne Stuntacular.

 
 
 

Highlights of the Theme Park

 



 

Bourne Stuntacular

An unbelievable stage show

 


 

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

A very immersive dark ride coaster experience

 


 

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

The large coaster of Universal Studios Florida

 


 

Men in Black: Alien Attack

The awesome interactive dark ride

 


 

Revenge of the Mummy

The intense indoor coaster

 


 

Transformers: The Ride 3D

An awesome dark ride experience

 

 

 

Universal Studios Florida

A visit to Universal Studios Florida

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New York

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

The Despicable Me movies are among the most successful animated films of all time, which is mainly due to the hilarious Minions. In Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, we become Minions ourselves and are sent on a crazy journey to test our suitability as Minions. At the same time, the three children lose their gift to Gru and now it’s time to get it back. The ride in the simulators and the film shown are extremely entertaining, which is why I can highly recommend a visit to the Minions.

Shrek 4D

It’s interesting how long certain attractions can last in a large corporate theme park. The Shrek franchise is already 20 years old and has produced five films to date, with the last film having been released 10 years ago. Outside of the Universal theme parks, the film could be seen at Movie Park Germany and Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast in Australia, but in both cases the attraction was discontinued around 10 years ago.

Shrek 4D takes place after the events of the first film. The film is very well produced and extremely entertaining, but ultimately showed its age. This is one reason why the attraction will soon be closed and another Minion attraction called Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast will move into the park instead.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is the big roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida. It was the first roller coaster with a non-inverted loop. As with Hollywood Dream The Ride at Universal Studios Japan, you can also choose your favourite music for the ride.

The ride begins immediately with a vertical lift, but instead of going straight into an equally vertical, if not steeper, descent, we ride comfortably down a steep ramp. With enough speed, we then shoot up the non-inverted loop. After enjoying the view from the top of the loop, we immediately jump back into the action. Shortly afterwards, we take on a longer ascent, after which we enter the first block brake. We then leave this with a slight turn to the right. At the bottom of the valley, we then enter a helix, which narrows towards the end and shoots up steeply before dropping just as quickly. After a further ascent, the second block brake follows just below the first. The following part leads us in numerous dynamic turns past the non-inverted loop and the station to the other side of the ride, where another block brake awaits us. After the subsequent drop, a series of S-curves awaits us, which then merge into a steep turn – similar to that of a Jet Star 2. This is the most powerful section of the run. A further braking section awaits us immediately after this element. Last but not least, a small drop with a final curve awaits us before we reach the final braking section and soon enter the station at reduced speed.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit makes good use of the narrow strip of land available to it. The ride itself offers some great elements and sections; unfortunately, that’s about it, because the ride is anything but pleasant. The music creates an extremely coherent and atmospheric ride, but I personally don’t need to experience it that often.

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is an interesting attraction. The waiting area here is more like a lobby where you can sit down in comfort or take a look at the numerous exhibits from the NBC television station. The ride itself begins in the Tonight Show studio, where Jimmy Fallon sets off on a journey through New York. Here we first go through the studio offices, then across Times Square, down into the subway and finally we fly through the air and onto the moon. Basically, the ride is more recommended for anyone who is familiar with all the references to The Tonight Show. The ride itself is wacky and quite entertaining overall.

Revenge of the Mummy

The indoor roller coaster Revenge of the Mummy replaced the large Kongfrontation dark ride in 2004. The ride is based on the Mummy films with Brendan Frasier, who also plays a small role towards the end of the ride.

The ride begins with an extremely impressive dark ride section, which we exit backwards after the scene with the scarabs and hurtle down a small drop. Shortly afterwards, we are rotated 180° again, whereupon the actual rollercoaster section begins. We then shoot up a long ramp quite quickly. We then race over the crest with a bang and immediately plummet down a steep curve. We then hit a very tight helix with great intensity before plunging towards the hall floor. Next, we race through a bend close to the ground, which features some really strong banking. After a short speed bump, we climb a steep curve and end up at the supposed exit station, where Imhotep surprises us with a fiery finale. After another fall and several turns close to the ground, we reach the actual final brake, where Brendan Frasier asks for a coffee and succumbs to the curse of the mummy.

Revenge of the Mummy is an amazingly intense indoor rollercoaster. I personally really enjoyed the ride, which is why I rode it several times in a row during my visit. The great scenes at the beginning of the ride, as well as the thrilling rollercoaster ride afterwards, simply leave you wanting more.

The Blues Brothers Show

When the Blues Brothers arrive, a good show is not far away. One song after another is offered here, with the wit of the two brothers being brought to the stage very well. There are usually a few guest musicians, which is why no two shows are the same.

Transformers The Ride 3D

Like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Transformers: The Ride 3D scores particularly well with the ride system used. The ride offers a successful mix of film sequences and very well staged backdrops that take the action-packed ride to a higher level. As in the Transformers films, there is hardly a quiet second during the ride. There’s shooting, fighting and cool jokes thrown around wherever possible. Every few seconds, the next scene begins, whereby the transitions are absolutely smooth, leaving an extremely coherent overall impression at the end – in other words, Transformers: The Ride 3D is an absolutely awesome package.

San Francisco

Fast & Furious Supercharged

Fast & Furious Supercharged is not a good attraction, which means that the waiting times here are always limited. The ride itself offers the same over-the-top film that is shown in a short segment during the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, but here as a stand-alone attraction. While this stands out neither positively nor negatively as part of the overarching Studio Tour and can at best be seen as an entertaining stopgap, the attraction in Orlando offers nothing that justifies a wait of more than five minutes. Previously, there was an attraction in the same location, Distaster!, which had significantly more narrative depth and dealt with the making of a disaster film with numerous special effects and, before the actual attraction began, offered a pre-show and some movie magic, where selected actors from the audience took part in the production of the film Mutha Nature.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hogwarts Express

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme area spans both Universal theme parks in Florida. While you can visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts in the Islands of Adventure, you can explore Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. Both themed areas are connected by the Doppelmayr Hogwarts Express funicular railway. However, a ticket valid for both parks is required for the journey. While a park hopping ticket makes little sense at Walt Disney World due to the distance between the parks, the walking distance between the two Universal theme parks is a big plus, as well as the opportunity to take a ride on the Hogwarts Express, which is a really great experience. It is also recommended to ride both routes once, as the film sequences shown are different.

Diagon Alley

Somewhat hidden behind the London facades of Universal Studios Florida is Diagon Alley. In addition to the famous Gringotts bank, which has a large dragon on its roof, there are numerous smaller shops and restaurants here.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

The main attraction in Diagon Alley is the multi-dimension coaster Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts from the manufacturer Intamin. This ride offers a successful mix of dark ride and roller coaster, but is quite dark in tone as it is based on the events of the later Harry Potter films. The ride itself is quite leisurely, but is really impressive with its switches, seesaws and rotating cars. Something is constantly happening and at the end we somehow manage to escape from Voldemort.

World Expo

Men in Black Alien Attack

The Men in Black Alien Attack interactive dark ride is one of the best themed rides in the world. Instead of shooting at small targets, you simply shoot at the various aliens, which can quickly rack up a large number of points. In between, the cars sometimes turn quite rapidly, creating a surprisingly dynamic ride. While other interactive dark rides quickly become outdated, this one – despite the fact that the IP is now quite old – is always fun to play.

Spingfield, USA – Home of the Simpsons

The Simpsons Ride

One of Universal Studios’ most iconic attractions was Back to the Future: The Ride, where you went on a hectic journey through time in replica DeLorians to bring Biff back to the future. The ride was replaced in 2008 both in Hollywood and at Universal Studios Florida by the Simpsons Ride – an IP that was still very relevant at the time. The ride is quite impressive due to the simulators used and the pre-shows are very entertaining. The film itself is hectic and overloaded. Furthermore, the 3D look doesn’t really do the familiar characters from the series any favours. All in all, however, the ride is definitely entertaining; now that the rights are with Disney, you should definitely take a ride while you still can.

Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone

The Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone area is very colourful and, apart from the Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, has no real connection to the well-known comic character. Instead, there is a Spongebob Shop, a rather wacky-looking inflatable boat slide centred around Feivel, a play area centred around Curious George, as well as the large E.T. Adventure dark ride.

Animal Actors on Location!

Animal Actors on Location! is one of Universal Studios Hollywood’s longest-running shows. The entertaining show offers a look at the training of the animals, which can then be used in the films, and of course everything goes a little haywire here.

E.T. Adventure

The E.T. Adventure dark ride is now the oldest themed ride in a Universal Studios park worldwide. The ride itself is well done and is particularly impressive with its large set designs, whereby I personally was really impressed by the indoor waiting area in the forest. The ride retells the events of the film before you arrive on the planet of E.T. and everything becomes a little more colourful. All in all, a great attraction that you are welcome to take with you.

Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster

Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster is the standard model of a Vekoma Junior Coaster, which can also be experienced in the park next door as Flight of the Hippogriff. Accordingly, the ride begins with a short curve out of the station and the subsequent lift hill. You immediately complete a left-hand steep turn with a subsequent upward helix, cross a short valley and a wide right-hand turn near the station. Over a hill, you cross the route you have just travelled, whereupon you lose some height in another helix. This is followed by a left-hand bend, after which the braking section awaits. Here you wait a little until the train has been dispatched at the station and you can enter it.

Hollywood

The Bourne Stuntacular

In The Bourne Stuntacular, the action in the background merges seamlessly with the action on stage. At times I found it really difficult to distinguish film from drama and that alone is reason enough to see the show. But what is on offer beyond that is great entertainment; such as big action scenes with stage sets that move across the stage parallel to the events in the film and much more. Great fun and a must-see show for every theme park fan and show lover.

Horror Make-Up Show

One of the funniest shows at Universal Studios Florida is the Horror Makeup Show, which gives you an insight into horror films and the associated tricks. Of course, the actual horror is limited, although the show has many allusions and is definitely not suitable for children, but that’s what Disney is for.

Pictures Universal Studios Florida

Conclusion Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida is one of my favourite theme parks in the world. I really liked what was on offer, even though many of the stages in the park are not currently being used. Together with the neighbouring theme park Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, the park forms a great overall package that you can enjoy for several days at a time without getting bored.

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Universal Studios Florida

Under Shock in the Rainbow Magicland

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Rainbow Magicland

The Rainbow Magicland is once again one of those theme parks designed on the drawing board, where the initially expected visitor numbers cannot be linked to reality and will probably never come together in the future. The operating company Alfa Park probably had similar experiences with Miragica, which opened two years earlier, so that some projects were probably saved from realisation. In 2011 the theme park, which is based on children’s series by the Italian animation studio Rainbow, opened and what looked very promising from the vastness of the Internet already turned out to be untenable by visitor reviews in the second year of operation of the park.

I don’t like to hide the fact that Rainbow Magicland lives up to its bad reputation; after all, we expected nothing less. As soon as we enter the car park, the previously consolidated picture is confirmed, as a large part of it has been taken over by nature in the meantime. But that doesn’t matter, because you can’t expect visitors here anyway, so without hesitation we went into the park to let the playful, meanwhile very run-down decoration take effect on us. While the Cinecittà World has been built with quality in mind right from the start and the park looks as if it had only opened yesterday, Rainbow Magicland looks like a fairytale park opened in 1970; only with the one, but very fundamental difference that in an old fairytale park there is often a very high level of attention to detail.

Shock

But what the park hardly lacks is an extensive range of rides and so we headed straight for the launch coaster Shock, built by Maurer. With its unparalleled forest of pillars and the very present location directly at the central lake of the Rainbow Magicland, the ride is an extraordinary eye-catcher, which in combination with the very impressive water spectacle forms a harmonious ensemble.

The trip begins with a short dip out of the station. This is followed by several ascents and descents in a slight serpentine movement, which are all interrupted by a short block brake section in between, probably simulating the darkride part of the ride. After having passed this unharmonious curve, the car falls down another slope and is accelerated in the following launch section. The car then goes over a hill in which it takes off quite well before it hits the ground for the first time from a lofty height. Very powerful and with a breakneck speed you cross the following valley. The main element of the ride is the non-inverted loop, where you shoot up a loop, but without standing upside down. On the top of the hill you experience another airtime moment of the very first order, just before the car bends to the left again and plunges into the depths. At the lowest point of the ride you experience once again an exemplary power play, which is soon topped by a brilliant steep curve. After a curvy ascent you reach a block brake and lose some energy, so that the next curvy shot is quite comfortable. In a light Bayernkurve a long corkscrew is introduced, where you are allowed to hang in the bar a little bit before the braking distance is reached.

Shock surprised! Especially in comparison with the other X-Car Coasters the ride is convincing all along the line. Here, the bar does not pull on the body unpleasantly during the ride and exceptionally allows a very free ride without the urge to leave the ride on the fastest way. The curve radii are also very wide, so that the massive car hardly feels the need to bump over the track. The strong forces and distinct airtime make this ride the best roller coaster of Rainbow Magicland and one of the better ones of the country.

Isola Volante

In the immediate vicinity, the Vekoma Sky Shuttle Isola Volante transports its passengers towards the sky, while the view of the park, car park and the nearby designer outlet Valmontone is not very exciting; however, the technology itself is worth experiencing, above all because of the easier implementation compared to the competing product.

Planeta Winx

Rainbow’s most famous children’s series is probably by far the Winx Club, which was primarily designed for little girls and even has its own magazine on the magazine shelves here in Germany. Although the Castello du Alfea, a large building complex with a 4D cinema, is dedicated to the series, halfway to the artificial castle is the dark ride Planeta Winx. Similar to the Disneyland classic Peter Pan, you fly through the series’ sceneries. The ride itself is nicely designed and from time to time you will meet the main actors of the series, who always introduce the scenes from their element.

Bombo

Directly opposite is the roller skater Bombo, part of the series Monster Allergy, a co-production with ZDF, which runs on the Kinderkanal and has no special drawing style; accordingly, the standard model from Vekoma fits in quite well. After a short bend and the following lift hill, you immediately take a steep bend with a subsequent upward helix to the left, complete a short valley and then go through a wide right bend near the station. Over a hill you cross the course of the track that has just been cleared, whereupon you descend a little in another helix. A left turn follows, whereupon the braking section is waiting for you. After one lap the ride is already over. Despite the modern train, the driving characteristics are not the best.

Maison Houdini

If you follow the tour, after a few metres you will come across the Maison Houdini, a modern witches’ swing from Vekoma, which, for whatever reason, was built underground. The main building, as it appears, contains only the preshows of the ride and the lift that takes passengers downstairs. A few meters further on, there is a second building in a similar style, which contains the lift, which transports the passengers back up. In between there is a square with skylights and ventilation shafts, under which the actual ride is located. Since the ride opened quite late we could not test the Mad House; the idea of the underground attraction is great, but the implementation is space consuming and probably also quite cost-intensive, the gained space also defies any logic and aesthetics.

Amerigo

Adjacent to this is the children’s area of Rainbow Magicland, which belongs to the second type of modern children’s paradise in amusement parks. Compared to the nicely designed areas in Gardaland or Port Aventura, everything here stands quite naked on a concrete slab. In doing so, an attractive overall design as well as any vegetation was avoided. Unfortunately, the local Big Apple Amerigo was not supposed to open until late afternoon, so that we had to do without a ride in order not to throw the rest of the day overboard. I don’t really know why this simple children’s roller coaster is the only ride in the park that opens so late.

Mystika

Past the Battaglia Navale, the nicely designed Splash Battle by Preston & Barbieri we went to the freefall tower Mystika by SBF Visa. This Italian manufacturer is known for its toddler roller coasters and lots of junk, which is mostly ordered by park managers without any experience; the best example is the Ankapark (Wonderland Eurasia) currently under construction near the Turkish capital Ankara. Also in Rainbow Magicland they probably wanted to offer a big freefall tower, but at the same moment it was not allowed to cost anything. Otherwise the tower with a total height of 70m, of which at least 50m already serve as braking distance, cannot be explained. The drop itself is bad, in addition there is a very unpleasant restraint system installed.

Cagliostro

With the right seat you have at least a view of the two neighbouring roller coasters, whereby the entrance to the spinning coaster Cagliostro is closer. Admittedly, you can’t see much from the spinning coaster outside the abstractly designed hall. Inside, too, you’re really only looking at darkness, although all efforts in this respect were ruined by the outside turn.

After the lift hill and the already mentioned detour out into the daylight there is a steep curve towards the hall floor after a gently descending straight section. Hereupon the car shoots up an Immelmann turn, whereupon the following valley and the ascent to the block brake is made in a wonderfully sweeping S-curve. After the block area, however, not much happens. Over wide curves you cross the whole hall and then approach the ground. In pure zigzag manner a straight section is taken, whereupon you are again at the front end of the hall. After another short curve you reach the second and larger lift hill of the ride, which brings you back to the station level.

Cagliostro is a nice spinning coaster, at least in the first part of the ride, but then it loses all inspiration and comes crawling towards the end of the ride like no other coaster of this type. Probably a more elaborate design with larger scenes was intended here, because there is still enough space in the hall, but without all this the ride with this layout is quite senseless and not very exciting.

Huntik 5D

Right next to the Gran Teatro, where the musical Romeo & Juliet by Gérard Presgurvic is shown in a 35-minute performance, is the dark ride Huntik 5D, based on the series of the same name. As seekers, we join the team around Dante, Lok, Sophie and Zhalia to fight against the organisation. For this we use guns to shoot our way through elaborately designed scenes with successful animatronics and well embedded screens through hordes of titans. What is confusing, however, is that our team also uses titans and these appear on the screens at the end. If you are not familiar with this series, this is rather unnecessary, as it spoils the otherwise perfect impression. The series reference is very well done, but you don’t have to know the series to enjoy this great shooting darkride from Alterface. Huntik is definitely the best ride of the Rainbow Magicland and one of the best dark rides of this kind in Europe.

Yucatan and Le Rapide

At least from the outer facade, the Spillwater Yucatan presents itself to its passengers on an equal level. With its two shots, the water ride is one of the driest rides of its kind in Europe; however, there is something for the eyes, especially during the second turn. If you want to get wet, however, you are in good hands at the neighbouring Rapid River Le Rapide. Here too, the design is impressive, which is why the ride is one of the best of its kind in Europe.

L’Olandese Volante

The last remaining roller coaster is the L’Olandese Volante, i.e. the Flying Dutchman; appropriately built by the Dutch roller coaster specialists Vekoma. The ghost ship flies noticeably and now even with VR glasses over the track of the standard model based on the prototype Calamity Mine of the Belgian amusement park Walibi Belgium.

The ride begins with a right turn and the following lift hill, which unfortunately takes you up in a very straight line, just like in Gardaland; nothing remains of the accentuated cross slopes of the original in this version. At the top, the train immediately throws itself into a left helix and alternately into three 180° curves before reaching the first intermediate brake and the second lift hill. This hill is also passed just as trivially as the first one. At the highest point of the track you cross a short hill and immediately approach the ground again in a wide right helix. In a left-hand helix you build up again in metres of altitude before you take it down again in another downhill helix. After a further left turn, you immediately reach the braking distance and shortly after that the station.

When Rainbow Magicland and Vekoma were looking for a way to square the circle on this ride, they succeeded. There is simply no other way to explain this bumpiness – unusual even for the manufacturer – which the train reproduces to its passengers over the entire track length. Well, even Mammut in Gardaland was not really smooth, but L’Olandese Volante simply tops everything in this respect. I have rarely ridden such an unpleasant roller coaster, which is why I really have to advise against a ride on this coaster.

Pictures Rainbow Magicland

Conclusion Rainbow Magicland

The Rainbow Magicland blinds like no other park with its opulent, but already quite disintegrating facades, but it can also show some rays of hope. Apart from the dark ride Huntik 5D and the roller coaster Shock, Rainbow Magicland lacks some highlights that encourage you to take more than one ride. With the extremely ugly children’s land and the Big Apple, which was closed until late afternoon, the park also offered a low light par excellence. It is no wonder that the park is the way it is.

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Click here for the next report of the Il Viaggio dei due Runner Tour

Il Viaggio dei due Runner Day 6 / Magicland