We took a break from Disney's theme parks on Day 4 to visit one of two theme parks belonging to Universal Studios. Unlike the previous days where we had to travel quite a fair bit to reach the Disney parks, our hotel was apparently a Universal partner, so free shuttle buses shuttling between the Universal parks and some of the hotels in the vicinity were available for us. Also, the Universal parks were located much closer to us compared to the Disney parks, so travelling time was much shorter.
Like the Disney parks, the two Universal parks were located in one area which came with a late night entertainment area comprising of restaurants, pubs and a cineplex, collectively called the Universal Orlando Resort. Unlike Disney, however, the parks and the entertainment area were much closer together, eliminating the need for any internal transport system because everything was within walking distance.
This time round, photos are not quite in order, partially because we were walking all over the place and I was randomly taking photos, and partially because I have forgotten the order in which we took the rides haha.
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| At the entrance of Universal Orlando Resort, after clearing security checks. |
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| After walking through the stretch of retail shops, we turned right towards Universal Studios Florida! |
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| The famous Universal globe. |
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| At the entrance! |
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| Short travelling time meant earlier arrival time, which then meant lesser crowds. Quite refreshing to see so much space compared to the previous two days. |
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| Almost immediately after we walked in, there was the Simpsons family available for photo taking. |
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| One of the first things that greeted us: screams from the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster. We did not go for it immediately; went only later in the afternoon after we had gone for less scary rides haha. The ride was epic. |
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| Random photos along the way. The roller coaster can still be seen quite a distance away. |
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| Taking photos with Shrek and Donkey. |
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| Restaurant with vintage cars at the entrance. |
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| Terminator 2: 3D. Its more of a show together with live actors and props. |
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| Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. |
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| Some midday performance. Weather was getting hot by then. |
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| E.T. Adventure! It was a mild, float-in-the-air type of ride when riders sat on a 'bicycle' and flew around. |
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| We hung around this kids' area for quite a while taking photos, then went for this ride: Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster. A very mild roller coaster for kids. |
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| The Simpsons Ride! Never a fan of the TV series because I never understood the jokes, but the jokes in this ride were funny enough for me to laugh, Ride was a simulator which was fun! |
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| Men in Black: Alien Attack! This was a ride where we went around spinning and shooting at aliens. |
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| Shrek 4D show. Apparently it was almost exactly the same, if not similar, to the one in Universal Studios Singapore. |
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| Photo taking with the Minions from Despicable Me! |
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| Seagulls (?) roaming around freely. |
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| Twister...Ride It Out! Modeled after the movie, it was a special effects show simulating a tornado unveiling its fury in front of us. |
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| Revenge of the Mummy ride! Like Shrek 4D this was similar to the one in Universal Studios Singapore. |
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| Little rock wall climbing to keep kids entertained. |
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| Disaster! It simulated a film studio making a film about disasters, and several members of the audience were selected to participate in the 'film'. |
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| Members of the audience taking part in the making of the 'film'. |
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| Jules Verne Train from Back to the Future. |
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| DeLorean time machine also from Back to the Future. |
Because we came early in the morning and crowd levels were manageable that day, we completed practically all the attractions in Universal Studios Florida. Before retiring for the night, we walked around the entertainment area for a little while, known as the Universal CityWalk.
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| A nice waterfront that sort of reminded me of Singapore. |
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| Hard Rock Cafe. |
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| NBA City Restaurant. |
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| Restaurant on a plane. |
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| Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. |
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| NASCAR Sports Grille. |
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| I liked the atmosphere, unfortunately we didn't have too much time to stay. |
Universal Studios Florida was a very impressive theme park. Whereas Disney's parks were more geared towards families where children were taken into consideration, Universal Studios Florida was clearly designed for thrill seekers. After two days of relatively 'less fun' days, Universal Studios Florida brought our moods up high!
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