Travel Feature: 

Universal: For Non-Thrill Seekers?
by Cheryl Pendry, Feature Columnist and PassPorter Message Board Guide


Even if you haven’t been to Universal Orlando before, there's probably one thing you've heard about the complex. It's certainly something that keeps appearing in just about everything I read about it -- that it's packed with the area's biggest and baddest roller coasters.

It's something that makes non-thrill riders, like me, break out in a cold sweat. Will there be enough for me to do there? Am I going to be wasting my time -- and my money -- if I get tickets for the parks there? Perhaps that's one of the reasons that I'd avoided those parks for so long. That and my aversion to leaving Disney property for any reason - other than shopping, of course!

So, having ventured over there on our last trip to Orlando, what's the verdict on those questions? Well, you'll certainly notice that there are a lot of rides that turn you upside down or plunge you downwards at sickening speeds, but you'll also find that there are also plenty of other, more sedate attractions that will suit you perfectly. In short, if you don't do thrill rides, then you'll still find plenty to occupy you at Universal Orlando, principally in Universal Studios Florida, although there are still some good reasons to visit Islands of Adventure.

The biggest reason for me is the incredible theming at Islands of Adventure, Universal's newest park. You really feel as if you've stepped into a Disney park when you walk in through the Port of Entry. Immediately you're spirited miles away. As you wander through the different lands, keep an eye out for all the wonderful sayings -- and fun photo opportunities -- in Toon Lagoon, the various elements from the film in the Jurassic Park section, and the various Dr. Seuss characters in Seuss Landing. But perhaps the best area of the park is the Lost Continent. There's just something about it that really does make you feel that you are stepping into another world and its theming would happily fit into any Disney park, although I'm not sure the Imagineers would admit to that! It certainly looks as though Universal took a leaf out of Disney's book when creating Islands of Adventure.

The theming isn't the only reason to visit this park. There are various attractions for the whole family to enjoy. If you've got children in your party, then make a beeline for Seuss Landing, where everything you can see is either curved or slanted. There are no straight lines in sight, because that's exactly how Dr. Seuss drew. The big draws here are the Cat in the Hat, which takes you on a six-person spinning sofa through the pages of the famous story, and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, the newest addition to Seuss Landing, which offers you a bird's eye view of this part of the park.

Of course, you'll also find the traditional rides here, each with a Seuss-like slant on them, such as the Caro-Seuss-el. While One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, may be one of the more traditional rides, something like Dumbo the Flying Elephant in the Magic Kingdom, but there's a twist to it. You need to listen carefully to the song that's playing while you're up in the air steering your fish through an obstacle course of fountains. Of course, younger members of the family may just ignore this challenge altogether and attempt to get you as wet as they can!

And if you like to get wet, then Islands of Adventure has plenty of opportunities to do just that! Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, a longer -- and wetter! -- version of Kali River Rapids at Disney's Animal Kingdom, along with Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, with its 75 foot plummet, are the places to head on a hot and sunny day. And if you don't want to get wet, you can use the water cannons to ensure that anyone who's a bit dry at the end of their adventure will be soaked to the skin when they finally get off!

Another water adventure is the Jurassic Park River Adventure, a raft ride where you're confronted by 'Raptors and a T-Rex, before plunging down the final 85 foot drop. If that doesn't sound like fun to you, you can always head to the nearby Discovery Centre while the rest of your party gets wet. This is a hidden gem with lots of things to see and do. Head downstairs and take an X-ray of a dinosaur egg. The result is something really cool!

Back at Universal Studios Florida there are plenty of attractions to enjoy where you won't be thrown around or left feeling queasy. Many of them are essentially shows or demonstrations of stunts, such as Twister... Ride It Out, where you'll feel the force of a tornado, or Earthquake, where you're trapped on the subway in San Francisco just as the "Big One" strikes. For our money, we far preferred Earthquake as the effects were a lot more impressive, but both are well worth seeing.

Other shows that really are almost too good to fit into the show category are Shrek 4-D, where you follow the adventures of Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey and friends in Ogrevision -- you have been warned! Terminator 2: 3-D is regarded by some as the finest attraction at any theme park in Orlando and it seems wrong to describe as a show. It's a mix of live action stunts, special effects and 3-D imagery, with actors appearing to come out and go back into the screen. You won't see anything like it anywhere else. Having said that, Terminator does have the potential to scare young children, so it's worth trying it out first, before taking any youngsters on it.

And then there are the more traditional attractions, complete with plenty of theming and the odd surprise along the way! Jaws falls into this category, where you'll re-visit the film and find out just how persistent that Great White can be, while E.T. Adventure could easily fit into a Disney theme park. Both attractions, like so much else at Universal Studios, are based on the movies of the same name. Although you don't have to have seen the film to appreciate them, it does help.

There is so much more to see and do at each park, none of which involves turning you a lighter -- or darker - shade of green. So if all that talk of Universal being home to Orlando's meanest roller coasters has so far put you off from visiting the parks, then don't let it put you off any longer. Even the coaster-shy will find plenty to entertain them -- so much so that we're heading back to Universal Orlando on our next trip to see all the bits we didn't get round to seeing last time, so maybe we'll see you there. We'll be the ones who won’t be on any of the big thrill rides!


About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They're now looking forward to setting sail on Disney's first cruise around the Mediterranean in May.

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A Disneyland Veteran's First Trip to Walt Disney World
by Kath and Randy Davis, Guest Columnists


My husband Randy and I have had annual passes to Disneyland longer than we have been married. It's about 60 minutes from our front door to getting into line for our first ride. We have done Disneyland as locals (hop in the car and run over some summer evening just to watch the fireworks), and as "tourists" (book two or three nights in one of the Disneyland Resort hotels and use the guest-only entrances). It's incredibly special both ways.

But this past February, we had the "newbie" experience in full -- we made the trip to Walt Disney World for the first time. Inspired by Richard Mercer's recent PassPorter News article on how a Walt Disney World veteran enjoyed "my" park, I give our impressions of a first visit to "the World," as seen through our Anaheim-tinted sunglasses. With Mr. Mercer's permission, I am following the question-and-answer format of his article.

Q: Is February a good time to go?
A: Yes. We had rain only twice (one time it was barely drizzling, the other, it was pouring). Temperatures were surprisingly variable. We had a couple 70ish days, and the other days were cooler. There was often a big difference between day and evening. We often left warmer jackets in a locker, because it was downright cold most nights.

Q: What's the best attraction that isn't at Disneyland?
A: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster!! In seven days, we rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster six or seven times. Other favorites were Mickey's PhilharMagic in the Magic Kingdom, and The Great Movie Ride and the stunt shows at Disney-MGM Studios.

Q: Is there any compelling reason for those living far away to visit Walt Disney World rather than Disneyland?
A: Well, the answer to this is obvious! We made the trek, even though we have Disneyland practically in our backyard, and even though our annual passports are reasonably priced. I think that Walt Disney World is Disneyland "plussed," as Walt would have said. There is more choice of parks, more space, and more attractions. But remember that it takes that much longer to see it. You can certainly experience Disneyland in a much shorter length of time. If you live equidistant from both parks and have a limited amount of time, Disneyland might be the better choice.

Q: What was better, what was worse, what was a surprise or disappointment?

Better: Dining! Walt Disney World is a way of eating! We made good use of the Disney Dining Plan; our "best" dining experiences were the Hollywood Brown Derby, ‘Ohana, and Le Cellier. Our most fun dining experience was the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.

Options for fun --There is definitely more to do in each park, and there are far more extensive options for recreation at the hotels and water parks. The Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are better at Walt Disney World.

Worse: Ease of movement between the parks. There was nothing wrong with the buses and boats in themselves, but utilizing them efficiently took some planning. In Anaheim, we are spoiled by being able to hop over to another park to dodge crowds -- they're just a short walk away. "Park Hopper" is a bit of a misnomer at Walt Disney World.

Rides -- In Space Mountain we missed the side-by-side seating and thought the track was not as exciting as at Disneyland. Dinosaur was not nearly as thrilling as the Indiana Jones Adventure, which uses the same ride platform; we dubbed it "Indy Lite."

Fantasmic! -- Yes, the seating is wonderful in the stadium, but it is off to the side, not so much "in" the park. It's an integral part of Disneyland Park. (To be fair, we do hate the pedestrian congestion when the Anaheim show lets out.) Also, more is not necessarily better; it felt like the Imagineers simply threw in all the villains they could think of. It slowed the pace of the show too much.

Surprises: Size! It may be impossible to be prepared for the sheer size of the Walt Disney World Resort!

The murals in Cinderella's castle -- we discovered these by accident. The murals, which tell Cinderella's story, are ornate and incredibly detailed, using small pieces of glass with sterling silver and real gold.

Our Favorite Park: I fell in love with the nostalgic reproduction of Hollywood at Disney-MGM Studios. Once you add Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, the stunt shows, and all the other Hollywood-inspired attractions, this was the park we came back to the most, and where we spent our last half-day of fun.

Disappointments: The "Disney Two-Step:" Twice we went to another resort for dinner, and could only get back to our hotel by taking a bus to Downtown Disney and a connection to our hotel. Both times it took a solid hour to get to our hotel.

Disney's Animal Kingdom -- I felt there was not a clear vision: Is it an animal park? Is it a theme park? Both concepts suffered in my opinion.

Extra Magic Hours (evening) at Epcot - By the time IllumiNations was over, Future World was finished with its Extra Hours, and a majority of the pavilions in World Showcase closed. Only Norway, America, United Kingdom, and Canada stayed open until the park closed. We had planned those two hours as intensive shopping experiences, and had to work in the time on another day.

Q: What was the most unique thing you found at Walt Disney World?
A: A FASTPASS for Peter Pan. We have often wished for a FASTPASS for Peter at Disneyland, because the line is long at almost any time of the day. We got our wish! We loved having a FASTPASS and avoiding the 60-minute wait in the Magic Kingdom.

Q: Does Walt Disney World "feel" the same as Disneyland? Does it have the same "magic?"
A: My answer is only a qualified, "Yes." With one or two notable exceptions, we think that the cast members are more "magical" in Anaheim. For one thing, we didn't see many cast members that we felt we could approach to take a photo for us, something we do all the time at Disneyland.

When you are inside one of the resort parks, the magic is there. But a bus is just a bus, even if it is taking you to the Magic Kingdom. The boats and the monorail preserve the feeling that you are someplace special. When you're out on the road in a bus, you definitely lose that feeling of immersion that is one of the appeals of Disneyland. Anaheim has all the magic available without having to leave the resort. Yes, your options are more limited, but you don't have to go outside the park until you are ready to leave. If you are staying in one of the Disneyland Resort hotels, you never even see the city of Anaheim. It's a trade off: larger space vs. better immersion.

Q: Are you going back?
A: I say "Absolutely!"  Randy says "Probably." There was plenty we missed in each park, and we did not take time for the water parks, the BoardWalk, or the recreational activities -- even at our own resort. For our first trip, I'm satisfied with the way we used our time, but I know how much more there is to do.


About the Authors: Kath Davis is the executive director for a non-profit youth orchestra in Orange County. Randy telecommutes as a global test analyst for a company based in New York, and spends a lot of time in Tokyo. They haven't wrangled at trip to Tokyo Disney yet, but there is still hope!