The Ultimate Guide to Every Universal Studios Roller Coaster

In its 30+ years open, Universal Orlando has become a haven for roller coaster aficionados. Between the resort’s two theme parks – Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure – there’s near every kind of coaster one could ask for: cutting edge thrills, record speeds, highly detailed theming, and even one that can be enjoyed by (nearly) the whole family.

So strap in and ride along with us as we provide the ultimate guide to Universal’s roller coasters.

Universal Studios Roller Coasters

Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride

The first full-size roller coaster to open at Universal Studios Florida (the first overall was the dearly departed children’s attraction Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, which opened in 1999 and closed in 2023), Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride opened in 2004, replacing opening day attraction Kongfrontation. The heavily-themed indoor coaster features a storyline tied to the Mummy film series, and includes a 0-45 mph launch, twists, turns, drops, and numerous special effects. A near clone of the ride exists at Universal Studios Singapore while a similarly-themed coaster with a different track layout exists at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opened in 2009, bringing a new thrill element to the front of the park. The coaster begins with 167 foot vertical drop, and features several inversions, led lights, and on-board audio that allows each rider to choose a popular song that’s played through speakers in their seat.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Arguably the most popular coaster at Universal Studios Florida, this indoor attraction opened as the centerpiece of the Dragon Alley expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. However, as thrilling as the indoor coaster elements may be, Escape from Gringotts also features highly detailed sets and 3D-screen material featuring actors from the Harry Potter film series, making it more akin to a thrilling dark ride than a pure traditional coaster. It won’t be the only time we can say that about a Potter-based coaster on this list…

Islands of Adventure

The Incredible Hulk

When Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park opened in 1999, the park was headlined by two revolutionary coasters: the dearly departed Dueling Dragons (later re-themed as Dragon Challenge) and The Incredible Hulk. The massive, 110 ft. tall neon green track dominates the skyline of not only Marvel Super Hero Island, but the entire front portion of the park. The coaster, themed to Dr. Bruce Banner’s gamma-infused transformation into the Hulk, features a a top speed of 67 mph and seven inversions including a zero-G roll, a cobra roll, two vertical loops, and two corkscrews. The coaster featured a full track replacement and refurb in 2015, ensuring it well continue to roar at Islands of Adventure for years to come.

Flight of the Hippogriff

Originally opened in 2000 as the Flying Unicorn, this family coaster was integrated into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when the land opened in 2010. The junior coaster reaches a top speed of just under 30 MPH. Flight of the Hippogriff has since been cloned to Hollywood, Beijing, and Japan’s Wizarding World areas.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Opening in 2019, Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure replaced the aforementioned Dragon Challenge (FKA Dueling Dragons) in the park’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Similar to Escape from Gringotts, the ride mixes cutting edge coaster technology (a record-breaking seven launches as well as a full vertical drop) and dark ride elements (intricately themed motorcycle ride vehicles, and animatronics of Hagrid and numerous of the titular magical creatures) to create an unforgettable Potter experience.

VelociCoaster

After years of rumors, Islands of Adventure’s newest coaster opened in the park’s Jurassic Park section in 2021. The VeliciCoaster, themed as part of a Jurassic World expansion of the island, boasts a 155-foot-tall top hat, four inversions, a top speed of 70 mph, and intricate theming and queue videos featuring stars of the film series.

Now that we’ve gone through each of Universal Orlando’s coasters, let’s run-through some basic questions about them.

The Most Intense Coaster at Universal Studios

Intensity can be in the eye of the beholder. Some may find the vertical drop of Rip Ride Rockit or the launch of The incredible Hulk too much to handle. However for our money, it has to be the VeloiCoaster thanks to it’s launches, inversions, twist over the park’s lagoon, and the massive top hat drop.

The Fastest Roller Coaster at Universal

VelociCoaster also takes the cake as Universal Orlando’s fastest coaster, with it’s 70+ mph speeds just topping The Incredible Hulk, the resort’s previous speed king.

Best Roller Coaster at Universal for Kids

With the 2023 closure of Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, lslands of Adventure’s Flight of the Hippogriff takes the title of Universal’s most kid-friendly coaster.

 

So, which Universal Orlando coaster is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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