Travel to Orlando – How to Plan Your Day at Islands of Adventure

Have plans to travel to Orlando? And in particular to Islands of Adventure? Then you may need a travel guide to help you plan your day at Islands of Adventure.

First of all, great choice in your decision. I love this park. I’ve been buying annual passes to go there ever since the park opened which has been quite a number of years now. I just love everything about it except the crowds. Since I buy annual passes I don’t feel obligated to arrive at the break of dawn, or more precisely, the minute they open, and then stay till they close and kick you out. Instead, I just head over in the late afternoon when a lot of folks are going home. It’s less crowded and less hectic, and also cooler too. So if you are able to buy an annual pass you should do that just to save yourself some hassle.

There are a few rides that I consider to be essential and not to be missed. First of all, please do not under any circumstances miss the Spiderman ride. The first time we went there I waited in line for 90 minutes for this ride and it was well worth it. What a great ride. It’s great for anyone from small children to adults who are scared of the usual thrill rides. It’s difficult to explain but there is nothing else like it anywhere that I am aware of.

Next ride to not miss is the Incredible Hulk rollercoaster. I love the beginning of this ride where you are launched into an inversion that is 110 feet high, and the thrills never stop throughout the ride. It’s an experience, and one of the best coasters in Florida if not the best.

As much as I enjoy the Incredible Hulk, my personal favorite coasters are the Dueling Dragons coasters. You may think, when you arrive at the ride, that both the Fire and Ice dragons are the same coaster, just different colors, but they are different rides. For Fire, I recommend you try and sit in the back as there is one hill where you get lots of air time and it’s great fun. For Ice, try and sit in the front so you can see when you are getting ready to run into things like the castle wall and the other coaster. These coasters are located in The Lost Continent area, but I hear that they are going to be changing this area to something to do with Harry Potter. I am not a Harry Potter fan so I wasn’t happy to hear this information. I do hope they leave the Dueling Dragons alone because this is my favorite coaster. Also pay attention to the castle itself which is the queue line. It’s amazing! I can’t imagine all the work that went into it. Actually just talking about this is making me want to renew my annual pass and head over there. I might just do that.

You will definitely want to ride Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, but be prepared to become soaking wet. There is a little covered area in the middle of your raft where you can place your things like camera and purse to keep them dry, but you yourself are going to become soaked. In the summer though, that is great. But also be prepared for long lines.

Same goes for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. You will normally get soaked on this one too but there is a slight chance you could escape and remain relatively dry. But don’t miss this ride, it’s a lot of fun.

The Jurassic Park River Adventure is another one I love. Not sure if it will be changed or not in the upcoming Harry Potter rehab but I hope not. Really fun water ride with a nice drop at the end. You won’t be disappointed.

Those are my picks for don’t-miss rides. By all means check out all the rest too like Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, and The Cat in the Hat as well as all the rest. You definitely don’t want to travel to Orlando without experiencing Islands of Adventure.