End of Summer at Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure Orlando

We were invited as media to spend a day at Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure parks. No additional compensation was received.

Before summer ended, we really wanted to spend a family day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks. As you know, the boys are huge <— (understatement) superhero fans, and what better park than Islands of Adventure to get your superhero fix!

First on the list was the highly anticipated new Transformers 3-D Ride at Universal Studios Orlando. I was so impressed by this ride. It really is an “ultra-immersive” ride as Universal describes. My 5-year-old went on the ride twice, since baby boy is still a bit too short to ride. The height requirement is 40″. Just around the corner from the ride is the option to meet some of the transformers in person, which is really neat.

If you’re in the same boat as us, I suggest the parent swap option where the other parent with a smaller child sits in idle and can hop right in the line once you are done. One thing worth mentioning, as well is to invest in the Express Passes, especially if you intend on riding Transformers. It is a popular ride, and well worth the wait, but for a bit more you can save yourself a lot of time. Our wait was around 15 minutes in the express lane, however the regular line was close to 2 hours.

We had a bite at Mel’s Drive-in before heading off to one of our favorites, Men in Black Alien Attack. My husband and I are competitive and try to beat each others scores while zapping the aliens. It’s always a family fun adventure there.

Next, we let the kids run free in the Curious George Goes to Town play area, which offers a variety of activities for children of all ages. Don’t forget your swim suits!

Lastly, we couldn’t leave the park without a visit to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Our littlest guy is obsessed with the minions, and this is always a fun ride for the entire family. Once you exit the ride, you’re invited to a dance party with all the minions.

We then made our way to Islands of Adventure next door for the remainder of our day. My husband and older son cooled off by doing a few water rides, Jurrasic Park River Adventure and Ripsaw Falls (pictured below).

Baby boy and I trekked our way through Camp Jurassic, a prehistoric playground for kids with climbing nets and secret caves. After dinner we headed to our favorite area of the park, Marvel Island where we ran into a lot of superhero fun, including posing with Spider-Man himself. (Sorry for the bad iPhone pic). The boys also web-slinged their way through the Spider-Man ride.

Hubby ended with a ride on the Hulk roller coaster before heading home. My thrill seeking 5-year-old can’t wait to be tall enough to ride that coaster! As always, we had a blast and it was a great end to our summer!

Head to Universal Orlando for ticket pricing and directions. And be sure to follow them on Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest events happening at the parks!