- Dr. Seuss properties (Dr. Seuss Enterprises)
- Harry Potter book and film franchise (J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment)
- Popeye (King Features Syndicate)
- Pre-2009 Marvel Comics (Marvel Entertainment).
Universal's Islands of Adventure (formally Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and
commonly known as Islands of Adventure)
is a theme park in Orlando, Florida. It
opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk,
as part of an expansion that converted Universal
Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando
Resort. The slogan for this theme park, along with Universal Studios
Florida, is Vacation Like You Mean It, introduced in 2013 as Universal
Orlando Resort.
The
park's overall theme is that of a journey of exploration, where guests depart
from a main port to visit themed islands, all emphasizing adventure.
Initially, the park had six islands. On June 18, 2010, the seventh
island, The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter(themed to the popular Harry Potter franchise),
officially opened at the park. This is Universal's largest investment since
opening. In 2013, Islands of Adventure hosted approximately 8.1 million
guests, ranking it seventh among United States parks and eleventh
worldwide. The eighth island, Skull Island, opened on July 13, 2016.
Licensed properties included at Islands of Adventure
Like Universal
Studios Florida next door, Islands of Adventure has not limited
itself to Universal's own library, because it licensed other characters from
rival studios, many of whom did not own theme parks of their own, as
attractions and lands. Some of these include:
History
Before
Islands of Adventure was built, the site was originally planned as a shopping
mall called Galleria Orlando. Plans were first drawn up for the mall in
1985, but it was ultimately canceled in 1990.
Preview Center
During
the construction of the park, Universal opened a Preview Center (known as
the Islands of Adventure Preview Center) at adjacent Universal
Studios Florida. Opening two years before the new theme park, the Preview
Center was designed to give guests a sneak peek at some of the themes and
attractions for Islands of Adventure. The attraction was located in the
Paradise Theater building located in the New
York section of Universal Studios Florida, next to the Kongfrontation attraction.
In the attraction, guests would walk through various rooms themed to the
various "Islands" in the new park. The final room stated when
the Islands of Adventure park would open, and showed guests
Universal's future plans for the Universal
Orlando Resort. The Preview Center was closed shortly after the opening
of Islands of Adventure.
Opening
Islands
of Adventure had a soft
opening beginning March 27, 1999, during which visitors could
preview the park at a discounted price while the staff conducted a technical rehearsal and
worked on the "finishing touches." During this soft opening, guests
were informed that attractions might open and close throughout the day without
notice and that some attractions might not be open at all. Initial plans were
to open the park in mid-May, but this was ultimately delayed until May 28,
1999.
After
the enormous capital expenditure required to build Islands of Adventure,
CityWalk, and the resort
hotels, Universal sought to overtake nearby Walt Disney World in
attendance. However, with the addition of the second park, new resorts,
and entertainment district, the resort was named Universal Studios
Escape. Essentially, it seemed that visitors were confused by the name,
assuming that Islands of Adventure was a new area added to the
already-existing Universal
Studios Florida theme park. For the first two years, attendance did
not rise as expected. By 2001, the marketing was revamped, clarifying that
Islands of Adventure was indeed a second, completely separate park with new
rides and attractions. Universal Studios Escape was renamed Universal Orlando Resort, and ended up being
the only resort in the Orlando area to actually have an increase in attendance
after the September
11 attacks on the United States.
Former attractions
As
with almost any amusement park, older attractions are sometimes removed to
make way for newer ones. At Islands of Adventure, some have simply been closed
with no replacement like Island Skipper Tours while others like Poseidon's
Fury were changed from their initial concept to the attraction that operates
today.
Islands
Islands
of Adventure consists of eight themed "islands", the majority of
which are based on licensed intellectual
properties, with only two lands based on original Universal Studiosworks.
They are, in clockwise order from entry: Port of Entry, Marvel Super Hero
Island, Toon Lagoon, Skull Island, Jurassic Park, The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing.
Port of Entry
Port of Entry is the park's main entrance
and is home to many shops and services including Guest Services aptly
named The Open Arms Hotel. The park's centerpiece, Pharos Lighthouse, is
also located within Port of Entry. Each night, this real, functioning lighthouse sends out
a bright beam to lead visitors to and from the park's gates. Like many theme
parks using the "hub and spokes" format, this entry Island contains
no rides, and is primarily noted for its boulevard of restaurants and shops.
Marvel Super Hero Island
Marvel Super Hero Island is based on
the superhero
characters featured in Marvel Comics. The area
features comic-book styled architecture; many of the building interiors are
created in comic book perspective, with exaggerated lines and angles. Many
exteriors are painted in a special paint which appears to change color based
on the angle from which it is viewed – sometimes purple, sometimes orange. The
buildings are all labelled generically: "Store," "Shop,"
"Food," and "Comics", etc.
The
area is home to a variety of dining outlets and merchandise shops. Food and
beverage items can be purchased from Cafe 4 and Captain America
Diner. Merchandise items can be bought from a variety of themed stores
including Spider-Man Shop (The
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man), Marvel Alterniverse
Store, Comic Book Shop, and Oakley.
The
Incredible Hulk confronts guests as they enter the area with an
attention-grabbing roar. Hulk is a high speed launched steel roller coasterwhich
has a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). It closed on September
8, 2015 for major refurbishments and reopened in summer 2016. Storm Force
Accelatron is a teacups
ride themed after X-Men. Doctor Doom's
Fearfall is a pair of S&S Power Space Shotattractions
themed after the Fantastic
Four. The
Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a 3-D simulator ride based on the
character Spider-Man.
The ride is set in New York as Spider-Man prevents The Sinister Syndicate from
taking the Statue of Liberty. "Meet Spider-Man and the Marvel Super
Heroes" is a meet-and-greet attraction, where guests can meet superheroes
including Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops and Rogue, Spider-Man, and Captain America.
In
late 2009, The
Walt Disney Company (Universal's biggest competitor in the theme park
market) announced that it had sought to acquire Marvel Entertainment.
Universal announced that Marvel's new ownership would not affect Marvel Super
Hero Island, and Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged
that Disney would continue to honor any contracts that Marvel currently has
with Disney competitors. In March 2012, Iger revealed that Disney had
begun preliminary concepts of incorporating Marvel's properties into their
parks, although no major negotiations with Universal were announced. Hong Kong Disneyland has
since announced an expansion to its park featuring characters from the Marvel Universe. Disney
California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in
California has also since incorporated meet-and-greet Marvel characters, as
well as an Avengers Super Hero Half Marathon Weekend at the
resort. Both Hong Kong Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have opened
Marvel attractions since the acquisition, with Iron Man Experience at
the former and Guardians
of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! at the latter. Both attractions
officially opened in 2017. Only Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disney
Resort are barred from having Marvel characters in its parks, due to
contractual obligations to Universal and Universal's use of Marvel characters
in the region. However, this only includes characters Universal is
currently using, other characters in their "families" (Spider-Man,
X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, etc.), the villains associated with said
characters, and the Marvel name. This clause has allowed Walt Disney
World to have meet and greets, merchandise, attractions, and more with other
Marvel characters not associated with the characters at Islands of Adventure,
such as Star-Lord and Gamorafrom Guardians
of the Galaxy.
Toon Lagoon
Toon Lagoon is based on the cartoon
characters of King Features
Syndicate and Jay
Ward. The area focuses on water-based rides (hence the name) and features
three counter-service restaurants.
Toon
Lagoon features three main attractions. Dudley
Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a traditional log flume combined
with roller coaster track based on the Dudley Do-Right character. Popeye
and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges is a river rafting water ride themed
after Popeye
the Sailorsaving Olive Oyl from Bluto. Me Ship, the Olive is a
kids' playground built in and around Popeye's ship.
The three levels of the ship all contain a variety of interactive elements
including cannons and hoses which can further soak riders on the Popeye
and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges ride. Mat Hoffman's Aggro
Circus is a live seasonal BMX stunt
show at the Toon Lagoon Theater which operates during spring break and summer.
Skull Island
Skull Island is the most recently opened
island at the theme park. The area's sole attraction, Skull Island:
Reign of Kong, opened on July 13, 2016. This attraction and island marks
the return of the King
Kong character to the Universal Orlando Resort, after the Kongfrontationattraction
closed at Universal
Studios Florida in 2002.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic
Park is themed to the film series of the same
name. Set after the events of the first film,
the area undertakes the guise of the John
Hammond's dinosaur theme
park featured in the series. As such, the area is filled with the attractions
and exhibits one would find in the "real" Jurassic Park, including
thrill rides and discovery-based exhibits.
Jurassic
Park features five main attractions. Jurassic
Park River Adventure, constructed by Superior Rigging &
Erection, is a water
ridebased on Steven
Spielberg's first film and Michael Crichton's novel.
Triceratops Discovery Trail (formerly Triceratops
Encounter) is a walkthrough attraction where guests can get up close and
interact with a full-scale animated replica of a Triceratops, while a
"veterinary technician" performs a semi-annual exam on the
Trike. The attraction actually features three different Trikes – Topper,
Chris, and Cera. All 3 are female. Chris was named after a member of the
team that created the dinosaurs who died before the attraction opened. Spar Aerospace (now
known as MD
Robotics) was contracted to construct the three robotic trikes, each of
which are 9 metres (30 ft) long and 3 metres (9.8 ft) high.
Universal requested specific requirements for the robots including the ability
to replicate breathing (through synchronised rib cage movements), sneezing,
snorting, urinating and flatulating. Due to maintenance and staffing
issues, the trail was closed off in 2005. However, after five years, the
attraction reopened in December 2010 for seasonal operation before it was
permanently closed in 2012.
Pteranodon Flyers is a steel suspended roller coaster manufactured
by Setpoint USA. Riders join the queue located within Camp Jurassic. Pteranodon Flyers
features three two-seater cars suspended on a track. The cars are pulled up a
hill and then travel a circuit around Camp Jurassic at low speed before
returning to the station. Due
to the low capacity of the ride, only those who are between
36 and 56 inches (91 and 140 cm) or those with a
child of that height may ride. The Universal Express pass cannot be used
on this attraction due to the ride's low capacity. A similar ride, Canopy Flyer exists
at Universal
Studios Singapore.
Camp Jurassic is a children's play area
centered around an imported 50-foot (15 m) tall Banyan tree. It features
a variety of play elements including slides, nets, water cannons and
fountains. Pteranodon Flyers'
queue is located within Camp Jurassic.[
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade is
themed around the Harry
Potter universe, authored by J. K. Rowling. It
officially opened to the public on June 18, 2010. On May 31, 2007, Universal
announced that it had secured the licensing rights from Warner Bros.and Rowling
to incorporate the Harry Potter franchise to Islands of
Adventure. The 20-acre (81,000 m2)
island features attractions, shops, and restaurants set inside such locations
as the Forbidden
Forest, Hogsmeade
Village, and the iconic Hogwarts Castle. Ground
breaking began in 2007, with the official opening scheduled for June 18, 2010,
as announced on March 25, 2010. As part of the promotion for the then-upcoming
area, a behind-the-scenes documentary on production of the park section is
included on the Blu-ray and
DVD release of Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
In the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are five main attractions. Harry
Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the section's signature attraction, is
located inside Hogwarts Castle and takes guests through scenes inspired by the
Potter books and films.[
Dragon Challenge,
previously known as Dueling Dragons, is a pair of intertwined inverted
roller coasters.
Flight of the
Hippogriff, previously known as Flying Unicorn, is a Vekoma junior roller
coaster.
The Hogwarts
Express is a train ride that transports visitors between The
Wizarding World - Hogsmeade in Universal's Islands of Adventure and The
Wizarding World - Diagon Alley in Universal
Studios Florida.
Ollivanders is
an interactive shopping experience based on the Harry Potter Ollivanders wand
shop.
There
is also a singing Frog Choir and a Triwizard Spirit
Rally held in the town center. These events feature Hogwarts,
Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students.
An
expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, based on the Diagon Alley and London settings from the
series, opened on July 8, 2014 at the adjacent Universal Studios Florida park
in the former site of the park's Jaws attraction.
The Hogwarts
Express attraction connects the two areas of The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter in each park.
The Lost Continent
The
Lost Continent is themed to ancient myths and legends, and is divided into
two sub-sections; an ancient Arabian marketplace called Sinbad's Bazzaar,
and a Grecian-Atlantis-esque Lost
City. Formerly, the Lost Continent included a medieval
section Merlinwood, but the majority of that area was re-themed for
the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Today the area contains two
live-action shows. This land is also home to Mythos, which is one of two
full-service restaurants in the park and was voted winner of best theme park
restaurant by Theme Park Insider for six successive years between 2003 and
2008.[45][46][47]
There
are three main attractions in the Lost Continent. The Eighth Voyage
of Sinbad is
a live-action stunt show located in the ancient Arabia section. In front of
this show is The Mystic Fountain that entertains and interacts with
guests.
Poseidon's Fury is an
indoor special-effects show located in the Lost City section.
Seuss Landing
Seuss Landing is based on the works of
author Dr. Seuss.
The island features several Seuss-themed attractions, especially geared
towards small children, as well as a Green Eggs and Ham Cafe
and Circus McGurkus restaurant. As in the books, one of the unique
characteristics of this area is that there is not a single straight line
anywhere.[48] Palm trees bent by the winds
of Hurricane
Andrew were even planted in the area to continue this theme.
The
area is home to a variety of dining outlets and merchandise shops. Food and
beverage items can be purchased from Circus McGurkus Cafe
Stoo-pendous (The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride), Green
Eggs and Ham Cafe (opened seasonally), Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop,
and Moose Juice, Goose Juice. Merchandise items can be bought from a
variety of themed stores including Cats, Hats & Things (The Cat
in the Hat), All The Books You Can Read (The High in the Sky Seuss
Trolley Train Ride), Snookers & Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers,
and Mulberry Street Stores Trading Co.
Seuss
Landing includes six attractions inspired by Dr. Seuss' books. The Cat in
the Hat is a dark
ride that takes guests through the Dr. Seuss story of the same name.[49] The High in the Sky Seuss
Trolley Train Ride is a twin-tracked tour above and around Seuss
Landing. One
Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is a spinning ride with a musical
riddle that will help riders escape water-spitting
fish. Caro-Seuss-el is a Seuss themed carousel. Oh, The
Stories You'll Hear is a stage show based on the Dr. Seuss books and
characters. If
I Ran the Zoo is an interactive play zone for kids.
Park
characters[edit]
Islands
of Adventure has a number of costumed characters.
The following is a list of characters that may be seen in the park:
Universal's Express Pass
Several
attractions in Islands of Adventure allow guests to utilize Express Pass.
This pass admits users to a separate line for the attraction, which is given
priority status when boarding. Express Pass is not a virtual queuing service.
Instead, passholders may enter the "Universal Express" line whenever
they wish. The price of this pass is not included in the charge for
park admission.