Last month when my friend and I visited Orlando to check out EDC Orlando, we had to include a visit to Universal Studios.  We definitely had a lot of fun checking out the attractions at ICON Park, but we really wanted to check out a theme park and go on some amusement rides.  I have been to many theme parks but never to any locations of Universal Theme Parks, so I was really excited to visit my first one last month.

Getting There

Rosen Inn was only about a 30 minute walk/stroll to Universal Studios so that was exactly what we did.  The weather was nice and we weren’t in a rush or were in any type of time schedule so it was just a casual adventure for us.  I enjoy just seeing all the sights of the city, bridges, the roadways, buildings and shops along the way.

Universal Orlando Resort Park

Universal Studios Florida is the name of one of the theme parks in Universal Studios Orlando Resort and it opened in June 1990.  We only had the “visit one park for the day” park ticket and were debating between Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme parks and decided on the former since it seemed we would enjoy the rides and shows more.

Unlike any of the Disney theme parks, Universal Studios did not offer any kind of virtual queue for guests with disabilities.  Similar to other theme parks, Universal Studios Florida has 8 themed lands and attractions: Production Central, New York, San Francisco, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, World Expo, Springfield, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone, Hollywood and Lagoon.

Here is a recap of our main events and which “land” it could be found in:

Character Encounters

(Hollywood)

After wasting over 45 minutes at Guest Services to learn there is no disability virtual queue, we headed to the closest themed land which was Hollywood.  We first saw the last half of Spongebob Squarepants Live! show at a stage just outside in front of the Horrow Make-up Show Theater.  The songs and dance were aimed primarily at kids but it was still enjoyable.  We were able to pose for pictures with the characters after but had to stay behind the red velvet rope.

Right across the street from that was Mel’s Drive-In which had old fashioned parkd cars in front of it and the characters from Scooby Doo.  We were able to get a few pictures with them despite having to line up to take pictures.  Due to covid, all character encounters were no contact and usually behind a red velvet rope.  We then ate lunch at Mel’s Drive-In before moving on.

After the Horror Make-Up Show, we saw Marilyn Monroe slowly driving by in an old convertible who then stopped for people to take pictures with her.  Not that many people stopped by so we got to take our pictures with her and got a chance to talk to her from a distance.

Universal’s Horror Make-Up Show

(Hollywood)

Universal’s Horror Make-Up Show was previously named The Phantom of The Opera Make-Up Show and The Gory, Gruesome and Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show.  It is an attraction that opened in 1990 along with the park and is only one of two original attractions still in operations.

It is basically a 25 minute comedy show that involves audience participation and where we learn the tricks and methods used to create Hollywood monsters.  The wheelchair seating was at the back which was a great view of the entire stage.  We thought the show was funny, great and we did learn a few tricks of the trade.

The Bourne Stuntacular 

(Hollywood)

After the Horror Make-Up Show, we had time to check out some of the themed shops before going to see The Bourne Stuntacular.  This opened in 2020 and is a 20 minute live action show based on the Jason Bourne movies.  We are first led into a pre show area where we see props and a briefing of what to expect. The basic story line of the show is that Jason Bourne is being chased across 3 continents by evil bad guys.

Accessible seating is at the back and we get a great view of the 130 feet long LED screen.  The show combines special effects, moving set pieces, wind, air, fire and wire work with real actors to produce one of the best immersive live shows I have ever seen.  This attraction was the highlight of my day and I would have seen it again right away if time wasn’t a factor for us.

E.T. Adventure

(Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone)

From Hollywood land, we then ventured to the next area right beside it: Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone.  We saw Curious George Goes To Town area which was closed due to covid and interacted a bit at Fievel’s Playland.  We then proceeded to E.T. Adventure ride.  This is the only original ride that is still in operations since day 1 opening of Universal Studios Florida.  This ride has already been removed at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan for newer rides.

This ride actually had a spot for my wheelchair to be strapped in.  Even though this ride is showing it’s age, I really enjoyed it.  It is not a high thrilling or scary ride and was just a casual and entertaining experience through time.

The Simpsons Ride

(Springfield)

Springfield was the next area we went to.  I loved watching The Simpsons growing up and it was so cool because I actually felt like I was in the cartoon.  We saw Krusty Burger, Kwik-E-Mart and more.  My friend even had a Duff beer.  I was debating on going on The Simpson Ride which required me to be transferred onto a ride seat simulator.  I went all the way up to the ride and decided to wait in the “Child Swap” area.  This is where guests can leave their kids or people from their party to wait if they didn’t want to go on the ride.

Men In Black: Alien Attack

(World Expo)

We then visited the World Expo area and went to our next ride: Men In Black: Alien Attack.  This ride opened in 2000 and is a shooting dark ride where guests try to shoot as many aliens as possible.  There is a pre show and lots of cool things to see in the interior queue area like an alien lab, worm guys, weapon area and more before the actual ride.  Everything looked very fancy and high tech.

There was an accessible ride vehicle located on the side that a staff member strapped me in and wheeled it into the actual ride.  It was then locked in before the ride started.  I wasn’t able to hold a gun to shoot the aliens during the ride but I still had fun watching my friend shoot his gun.  I was just happy to experience this ride and thought it was still worth going on.

Diagon Alley

(The Wizarding World of Harry Potter)

By now, it had started to rain a bit so we put our ponchos on.  It was really cool to see the purple Knight Bus parked just outside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Not sure if it was because of covid or the rain but the bus was closed from guests going inside the 3 level bus to explore it.  We just took a quick picture of it before heading inside this magical world.

As soon as we entered, I was in awe of how everything looked.  Again, I actually felt like I was inside one of the Harry Potter movies.  There were buildings, shops and creature statues exactly as how it is portrayed in the films.  My friend did get to go on the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride as I only went up to the indoor queue area and waited in the “child swap” area.  We then got a butter beer at a food stand before leaving this area.

San Francisco/New York

It was getting late by now and the park was closing soon, so we went to the San Francisco area to check out some cool fast cars from The Fast and the Furious movie Franchise.  We then quickly went to the New York area so my friend could go on the Revenge of the Mummy ride before the park closed for the night.

The only area we didn’t get to visit was Production Central and Lagoon.  On select nights, Lagoon is the area for special night time laser and fireworks show.  The current Universal’s Cinematic Celebration: Epic Cinema Under the Stars show was not playing on weekdays during our visit.

Universal CityWalk

Universal CityWalk is a big entertainment district of shops, restaurants and entertainment directly at the entrance of Universal Studios Resort.  We had to visit this space before entering the theme parks but we didn’t get a chance to explore it until that night.  We then ate a delicious seafood dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and got some dessert at Voodoo Doughnuts before heading back to the hotel.

Final Thoughts

It was my first time visiting any Universal Studios theme park and was blown away from our 8 hour visit to Universal Studios Florida.  I wish they had a similar virtual queue system for disability guests as Disney theme parks did but that did not make a huge difference for my experience.  I got to ride a couple wheelchair accessible rides and saw the amazing Bourne Stuntacular show.  I would love to return to visit the one area we missed and to see the night time entertainment show and also to check out Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park.