What rides should you do first at Islands of Adventure?

For your Island of Adventure itinerary, we suggest getting into the park as soon as you possibly can and heading straight to Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. By the time you get off of Jurassic World VelociCoaster, regular park hours will most likely have started.



At Universal's Islands of Adventure in 2026, the "Rope Drop" strategy is essential for minimizing waits. The absolute first priority for most guests is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, as it consistently has the longest lines in the park and often does not offer Express Pass. Immediately following Hagrid’s, you should head to the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, which is widely considered one of the best roller coasters in the world. If you manage to clear these two in the first hour, your next stops should be Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey inside Hogwarts Castle or The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. By hitting these high-demand attractions before 10:30 AM, you can often save yourself 3 to 4 hours of standing in line later in the day. On hot days, try to hit the water rides like Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges by noon before the midday sun makes the lines swell.

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Overall we would always lean towards Islands of Adventure for early park admission. The main reason is this park is home to the newest Universal ride the VelociCoaster. As you can imagine this ride can have one of the longest wait times in the parks throughout the day.

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Two days. At least a full day at Universal Studios and another full day at Islands of Adventure will give you more chances to ride the rides you want and see the shows you like.

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Here's our order recommendation:
  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
  • VelociCoaster.
  • Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
  • Flight of the Hippogriff.
  • The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
  • Storm Force Accelatron.
  • The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
  • Doctor Doom's Fearfall.


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As a general rule of thumb, the least busy days at the three Universal Orlando parks will typically be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Mondays, in that order.

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Plus, the park is considerably more than some other waterparks like SeaWorld's Aquatica. Having shelled out that money ourselves and spending the day at the park, we are happy to say that yes, Volcano Bay is worth the money.

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If you do end up visiting during peak seasons or on holidays (when the parks are open late), consider waiting until late afternoon and staying until closing time -- after the dinner hour the parks are generally much less crowded.

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If you're a thrill seeker, consider Hosgmeade. If you'd prefer to walk, eat and shop, head to Diagon Alley. In the end, both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are worth a visit — and with a ticket that allows you to hop between parks, a quick ride on the Hogwarts Express can ensure you experience both Harry Potter lands.

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Universal's Early Park Admission allows all Universal Orlando Resort hotel guests and select annual passholders one-hour early entry to Universal Studios Florida or Universal's Islands of Adventure (during extra busy times, it can be both parks) AND half-hour early entry to Universal's Volcano Bay water theme park ...

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In our opinion, the VelociCoaster is without a doubt the most intense ride at Universal Orlando resort which is the main reason why we graded it a 10/10 on the thrill scale above. This Jurassic Park inspired roller coaster shoots riders through two launches, clocking in at over 70 MPH.

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The fastest rides at Universal Orlando are;
  • Jurassic World Velocicoaster – 70 mph top speed.
  • The Incredible Hulk – 67 mph top speed.
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit – 65 mph.
  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – 50 mph.
  • Revenge of the Mummy – 40 mph.


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