This article is your complete guide to the best Islands of Adventure rides in 2024! From high-speed roller coasters to immersive storytelling experiences, this park has it all. As fans of the parks and Annual Passholders, we’ve experienced each ride multiple times and are excited to rank the best rides at Islands of Adventure. Our rankings consider enjoyment, wait times, accessibility, and more! So let’s start diving into everything you need to know about the top rides at Islands of Adventure!
We hope you find this post helpful! Our goal at The Park Prodigy has always been to help you save time and money on your next Universal Orlando vacation! If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando be sure to check out our discounted multi-day Universal Orlando tickets and Universal Orlando vacation package deals which include EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re looking for the best time to visit Universal Orlando be sure to check out our Universal Crowd Calendar!
Islands of Adventure brings to life the most epic cinematic universes like Jurassic Park and Harry Potter. It’s home to some of the best rides in Universal Studios Orlando, like VelociCoaster, one of the most thrilling coasters in all of Orlando. And Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, an immersive experience that is our favorite theme park adventure ever! If you’re looking for the top rides at Universal Island of Adventure, our guide is packed with tips and insider tricks to ensure an unforgettable adventure!
Related Post: The Best Rides at Universal Orlando Ranked
Height Requirement: Minimum Height 48″
Express Pass Entrance: No
Highlights:
Overview: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a must-ride. This immersive coaster takes you on a magical journey through the Forbidden Forest, where you’ll encounter some of the Wizarding World’s most fascinating creatures. The ride’s unique motorbike design adds to the excitement, making it one of the best rides at Universal Orlando.
Related Post: The Best Tips for Visiting Harry Potter World
Height Requirement: Minimum height: 51″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: The VelociCoaster is one of the most thrilling islands of adventure roller coasters. This high-speed ride takes you on a heart-pounding journey through the Jurassic World, where you’ll come face-to-face with ferocious velociraptors. With its intense twists and turns, it’s no wonder why it’s considered one of the best rides at Universal Islands of Adventure.
Related Post: How to Ride the VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando Resort
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 54″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: Themed around Marvel’s Hulk character, this Universal roller coaster is one of the most thrilling and intense. Guests can feel the fury of the Hulk as they’re launched from the gamma-ray accelerator on a wild ride through inversions, high speeds, and more.
Related Post: Complete Guide to Universal Roller Coasters
Height Requirement: Minimum Height – 42″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: Jurassic Park River Adventure is a water-based boat ride at Islands of Adventure that takes guests on a ride through the iconic Jurassic Park. While starting as a leisurely tour, guests can expect a rather exhilarating turn of events as you’re detoured into the Raptor Containment area. Guests must then escape a terrifying encounter with a T-Rex in a heart-pounding finale plunging you 85 feet below.
Related Post: Complete Guide to Jurassic Park Universal Orlando
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 40″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a family-friendly attraction in Islands of Adventure. This thrilling journey takes you through the streets of New York City as you have to team up with Spider-Man to face some of the most infamous villains. This ride is a 3D motion-stimulation attraction that immerses guests to the fullest.
Related Post: Complete Guide to Marvel Super-Hero Island at Universal Orlando
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 48″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: This is a thrilling dark ride that takes guests on a magical journey through the grounds of Hogwarts, stopping at iconic locations along the way. Utilizing advanced robotic arm technology, the ride offers a seamless blend of live-action sets, animatronics, and projection screens to create an immersive and unforgettable experience.
Related Post: The Best Universal Orlando Tips
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 42″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: Themed around the classic Popeye the Sailor Man, guests should prepare to get drenched during their wild journey through the waters of Sweethaven. There will be twists, turns, splashes, and more during this daring adventure to rescue Olive Oyl.
Related Post: Complete Guide to Water Rides at Universal
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 36″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: If you’re looking for an easier approach to the roller coaster world, then Flight of the Hippogriff is perfect for you. This is a family-friendly coaster located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, perfect for little ones or new riders. Themed around the magical creature called a hippogriff, this ride offers a quite gentle, but enchanting journey through the forest near Hagrid’s hut.
Related Post: Ranking all of the Harry Potter World Rides: Worst to Best
Height Requirement: Minimum height – 36″
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: Skull Island: Reign of Kong is an intense dark ride that takes guests on an expedition to the mysterious Skull Island. With a combo of 3D tech, animatronics, special effects, and more, this ride truly packs a punch when it comes to thrill. This journey even includes an encounter with King Kong himself, which shows the ride’s impressive scale and detail in theming.
Related Post: The Best Universal Studios Rides for Larger Guests
Height Requirement: Minimum height 36 ” Children under 48 inches (122 cm) must be accompanied by a supervising companion.
Express Pass Entrance: Yes
Highlights:
Overview: The Cat in the Hat ride is a dark and whimsical attraction and one of our personal favorites here at The Park Prodigy. Based on the beloved children’s book by Dr. Seuss, the ride takes guests on a colorful and playful journey through the world of the Cat in the Hat. With spinning ride vehicles, vibrant sets, and beloved characters, it’s a delightful experience for children and families.
Related Post: Complete Guide on Celebrating a Universal Studios Orlando Birthday
If you purchase a Universal Orlando Ticket that gives you Early Park Admission, then we always recommend starting with Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Early Park Admission gets you into the theme parks an hour before general admission with access to certain rides. Typically, Hagrid’s is going to have the highest wait during the normal hours, so we always recommend doing that first.
If you don’t have Early Park Admission or want to skip Hagrids, then you’re going to want to head straight to the Velocicoaster. If you can handle 70 mph launches at 8 AM, then you will have a low wait right at open for VelociCoaster. For families, the Spider-Man ride offers a perfect blend of excitement and fun and will have very low waits if you head to it right at open.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is hands down the best ride in Islands of Adventure! Not only is it super thrilling, but the storytelling is unmatched, especially for Harry Potter fans. We love that you get to ride inside a motorbike and have Hagrid as your guide through the Forbidden Forest.
There are 19 rides featured in the Islands of Adventure theme park. Some of those include roller coasters like VelociCoaster and The Incredible Hulk Coaster, while there are other family attractions like One Fish, Two Fish, and The Flight of the Hippogriff.
Related post: Guide to Universal Studios Vs. Islands of Adventure
A: Personally, as an adult who travels to Universal Orlando, I would recommend VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure for adults. While The Incredible Hulk Coaster is among the most thrilling, it seems like Marvel Super Hero Island is targeted at kids. For straight-up thrills with more adult vibes, we would recommend either Jurassic Park Land or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
A: For younger adventurers, the Cat in the Hat ride and the Jurassic Park River Adventure are perfect. These rides at Universal Islands of Adventure are designed to entertain without overwhelming. If you’re looking for other rides that aren’t included in our best rides in Islands of Adventure – we recommend checking out Seuss Island. Three other attractions are perfect for kids, especially for little ones like toddlers who need something super gentle.
A: The best ride for Early Park Admission in Islands of Adventure is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. During the regular hours, you can always expect Hagrid’s to have a high wait, as it is one of the most popular rides in the parks. We always recommend heading to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure first, whether you have EPA or not!
A: The Velocicoaster takes the crown for the most intense ride, offering a heart-pounding experience. Every time we ride VelociCoaster, we cannot believe how intense the two launches are, one of them going at 70 mph straight into a 150-foot drop. There are also corkscrews over water, suspended time upsidedown and so much more! This ride is not for the faint of heart.
A: Islands of Adventure is the perfect place for thrill rides and happens to be the most intense park out of the two at Universal Orlando. Thrill-seekers will love the Hulk Coaster, Velocicoaster, and Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, as they tend to be the rides that get your heart pumping the most. We also find that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is quite thrilling with backward motion, drops, and high speeds.
A: The top rides include Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Velocicoaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, among others.
A: Islands of Adventure officially has 19 rides, with a mix of coasters, dark rides, and 3D simulators. Guests will also find a variety of shows to watch throughout the day, which will add to the endless adventure.
A: The Velocicoaster is considered the most intense ride at Islands of Adventure. It takes that title with an intense launch at 70mph, extreme drops, twists turns and so much more.
Our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We breakdown the park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices by day, and average temperature.
If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando be sure to check out our discounted multi-day Universal Orlando tickets and Universal Orlando vacation package deals which include EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
And to stay up to date on everything going on inside the theme parks be sure to check out our partners at Themeparktoday.com!