Visitors Guide to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure

Universal's Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure opened as Universal Orlando's second gate on May 28, 1999, joining Universal Studios Florida next door.

One of the big attractions here is the original The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade, which opened in 2010. [Read about that in Harry Potter and the Day That Changed Theme Parks Forever.] IOA also includes lands themed to Dr. Seuss, Jurassic Park, King Kong, and Marvel Comics — for which Universal obtained the perpetual east-coast theme park rights years before Disney bought the company.

Ticket Icon Looking for discount tickets? Get Universal Orlando Resort theme park tickets

For more information about Universal's Islands of Adventure, jump to...

Our recommendations below come from our ongoing survey of Theme Park Insider readers. Locations with star ratings ranked especially highly among our readers. Vote here to take part in our surveys and submit your picks for top attractions.

What to Do

Top 10

  1. Jurassic World VelociCoaster ★ ★ ★ ★
    A double-launch Intamin coaster through Jurassic World's velociraptor paddock. What possibly could go wrong with that? Height requirement: 51 inches

  2. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ★ ★ ★
    Multi-launch themed roller coaster located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. Height requirement: 48 inches

  3. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ★ ★ ★
    Kuka-arm dark ride located in Hogwarts Castle in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. Height requirement: 48 inches
    Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

  4. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ★ ★ ★
    Motion-base 3D dark ride in Marvel Super Hero Island. Height requirement: 40 inches
    The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

  5. The Incredible Hulk Coaster ★ ★
    Bolliger & Mabillard launch coaster located in Marvel Super Hero Island. Height requirement: 54 inches

  6. Jurassic Park River Adventure
    Dinosaur-themed shoot-the-chutes flume ride in Jurassic Park. Height requirement: 42 inches

  7. Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
    River rapids ride in Toon Lagoon. Height requirement: 42 inches
    Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges

  8. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
    Log flume ride in Toon Lagoon. Height requirement: 44 inches

  9. Skull Island: Reign of Kong
    3D dark ride in Skull Island. Height requirement: 36 inches
    Skull Island: Reign of Kong

  10. Hogwarts Express
    Railway in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. [Transports visitors one-way to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida. Therefore, Park-to-Park tickets are required.]

Other Attractions

Starting to the right from the Port of Entry entrance land.

Seuss Landing

  • If I Ran the Zoo: playground
  • The Cat in the Hat: dark ride
  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: spinner
  • Caro-Seuss-el: carousel
  • High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride: elevated track ride
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade
  • Flight of the Hippogriff: Vekoma junior coaster
  • Ollivander's Wand Shop: live show (Note that there are typically shorter waits for this identical show in Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida next door.)
Jurassic Park
  • Camp Jurassic: playground
  • Pteranodon Flyers: suspended family glide coaster
Toon Lagoon
  • Me Ship, The Olive: play structure
Marvel Super Hero Island
  • Doctor Doom's Fearfall: drop tower
  • Storm Force Accelatron: spinner

Where to Eat

Recommended

  • Mythos Restaurant
    Table service dining in The Lost Continent. [Make a reservation at the restaurant to avoid what can be a long wait for a table.]
    Mythos Restaurant
    The exterior of Mythos Restaurant

  • The Three Broomsticks
    Counter service British pub fare in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade

Buy Tickets

Park Map

Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park is part of the Universal Orlando resort, located near the intersection of Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike in Orlando, about 17 miles from the Orlando International Airport (MCO).

If you are renting a car while visiting Orlando, you can save on toll road fees by getting a Visitor Toll Pass at the Orlando airport rather than renting a toll transponder from your rental car company: Toll Discounts Return for Orlando Theme Park Visitors

Strategy

Before you go: Get your tickets in advance. Note that you will need a Park-to-Park ticket (Universal's term for what Disney calls a Park Hopper) to ride the Hogwarts Express, which shuttles riders between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. If you don't care about Hogwarts Express, do the one park per day Base Ticket if you would prefer. Once you have your tickets, download and create an account on the Universal Orlando app [Apple | Android], which you will use for Universal's Virtual Line for select rides and Mobile Ordering for food.

Universal offers a paid front-of-line ticket called Universal Express, but the resort gives that access away for no extra charge to guests at its three Premier hotels: Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific. With Universal Express Unlimited benefits starting at $90 per person per day for everyone else, you might find splurging to stay at one of Universal's top three hotels well worth the higher room prices. You get the front-of-line benefit from the day you check in until the day you check out, so a one-night stay at a Premier hotel gets everyone in your family (up to five people) free Universal Express Unlimited access for two days. Note that Universal Express does not apply to Hagrid's or Pteranodon Flyers.

If you bring a bag to the park, make it a small one. You will have to stow your bag in a locker for Hulk, Harry Potter, Hagrid's, and VelociCoaster, and while Universal offers free lockers on those rides, they are small (about the size of a fanny pack or medium-sized purse.) Backpacks would need to go into a larger, paid locker.

Early Park Admission: If you stay at any Universal Orlando hotel, on select dates you might get Early Park Admission, which will get you into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and sometimes other attractions one hour before the park opens to everyone else. Absolutely take advantage of this, because Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure does not offer Universal Express access and this is the only way to minimize what is usually the longest wait in the park.

Morning of your visit: If you are not staying at a Premier hotel, wait to make a decision about buying Universal Express until you get into the park and see what the day's crowd level is actually like. Look at the posted wait times on the Universal Orlando app, and if they seem reasonable to you, skip the upcharge. If you want the front-of-line access, you can buy Universal Express inside the park near the front gate and at designated shops.

If you have Universal Express, then just do what you want, whenever you would like. Strategy does not matter. If you are visiting alone, take advantage of potential single rider lines on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Doctor Doom's Fearfall, and The Incredible Hulk Coaster to reduce your wait times on those rides, if the single rider option is available.

The longest mid-day wait in the park will be Hagrid's, followed by VelociCoaster, and Dudley Do-Right if it's hot out, which it is most days in Orlando. After those, the next-longest wait times will be for Kong, Spider-Man, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Hulk.

We recommend going to VelociCoaster first at park open, followed by Spider-Man, Hulk, Kong, and then Dudley Do-Right, Popeye & Bluto and Jurassic Park River Adventure. (Might as well do all the water rides in a row, since you're already wet.) Pick up Seuss Landing and the other Marvel attractions in the afternoon before visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the evening. If you are visiting Universal Studios Florida during your trip, do the Ollivander's wand experience over there, as it is usually a shorter wait.

Hagrid's is best at night, but do watch to make sure that you enter that queue before they cut it off for the evening. Just do not do Hagrid's at park open, as that is its longest wait of the day, given all the hotel guests who got into the land an hour before you did!

Universal Orlando News