Pardon the fairy dust while visiting Universal’s Islands of Adventure Park

As you may know, Universal Studios in Orlando has a sister park called islands of adventure. It is located about 100 meters from Universal Studios and is home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As you know, all theme parks need a little downtime to fix things up and a fresh coat of paint. This is exactly what is happening in Islands of Adventure right now. Don’t be alarmed, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is up and running! You’d be crazy to shut this down, but don’t worry Harry Potter fans, all is well in the wizarding world.

The biggest closure has to be the Hulk roller coaster. This was dismantled and removed for refurbishment and is set to terrorize travelers again in early spring. This was a huge disappointment for me last weekend as it is my favorite attraction at Islands of Adventure! I try to start my day with this adrenaline-inducing ride as it will set my energy level for the rest of the day. Dr. Doom’s was still dropping off guests and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man took them through the streets of New York in 3-D. Many guests were wandering around wondering what to do as Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls was out of order and Popeye’s Bilge Rat Barges was out of order too!

It would seem that all the water wrinkles were not operational either for repair reasons or due to the fact that it was 50 degrees outside the day I went. Dudley Do Right had a wall around it so I guess they were working on that instead of being closed for the weather. The next sight on the way around the park was the walls surrounding the new Skull Island: Kingdom of Kong attraction that is scheduled to open in the summer of 2016. This will definitely be another star attraction in Universal’s arsenal and is sure to get travelers excited once it opens! The next big bummer of the day had to be Jurassic Park! I was running but no one was riding as it was so cold outside. Sure, there were some not-so-smart souls who decided to ride this soggy water ride and they weren’t all that happy after trying to dry off in the 50-degree air with the rest of the day ahead of them. I do not!

Then there was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It seemed that everyone in the park was there. Everywhere you looked, people were huddled together trying to keep warm like cattle, while Muggles roamed the streets sipping their butterbeer and waving their wands in interactive activities. Inside the Three Broomsticks Inn and Pub, people gathered at the bar to order drinks while diners ate hot meals to warm up for the rest of the day. Most people were just sheltering from the cold by the fire and others were busy taking photos to remember their adventures!

For the most part, the rest of the park was still in operation and Dr. Seuss was busy entertaining children and adults who wanted to take The Cat and the Hat for a ride. The park seemed to be busy but I really don’t think people got their money’s worth on this day as many of the rides were closed for refurbishment or too cold to ride. It was still a very beautiful adventure, but it would have been better if the weather had been 25 degrees warmer.