Ride The Movies

I'm not sure if Universal Studios still uses "ride the movies" as their slogan, but it will forever be their slogan to me. I love that they create interactive rides based on awesome movies. I also like that they have both movies from my childhood and more current movies too.







I have been going to Universal since I was little, so I've seen a lot of the rides be replaced. I think the one I miss the most is the Back to the Future ride. They also used to have a Jaws ride, which I hated. I didn't think it was that fun, but it was kind of funny to watch people get scared when the shark jumped out of the water right by their side of the boat. While I love the E.T. ride, I'm amazed that it's still there. It's been there for my entire life, and it never seems like people are TOO into it still. I'm not saying I want to see it go, but it is a little outdated.





If you grew up in the 90s, you might remember that Nickelodeon Studios was at Universal Studios Orlando. This is probably the thing that I'm the most sad about that was taken away from the park. It would be so cool if they still had a separate Nickelodeon part. All they have now is the Spongebob-themed store. I remember going to Nickelodeon Studios when I was little and seeing people get slimed and seeing the set up Allegra's Window (an old Nick Jr. show). I don't remember much else, but they did have a big slime machine outside. I wish I could've seen it when I was a little older so I could remember more of it. I don't even know if I have any pictures of it.







Obviously my favorite part now is the Wizarding World, but I also love the Jurassic Park section. They added something new this year where you can have an interaction with a raptor and get your picture taken with it. They have a mechanical raptor that comes out and sniffs your head and rubs its face against you and will snap and growl at you too. I saw many a person scream or jump when it did this to them while I waited in line for my turn.











Spiderman is my favorite superhero, so I always enjoy going to the Marvel part of Universal as well as Toon Lagoon which has lots of the newspaper comic strip characters. I got to meet Spiderman this year, which was awesome. He asked me if I was a map because of my dress and I told him that I was. The photographer asked him if he was lost and he said, "Not now that I have my map!". Later on, he drove by on a quad type thing, pointed at me, and shouted "MY MAP!".











I also got to meet Lucy this year. I love that they still have someone dressed as her there to meet with guests. It's nice when they make improvements and introduce new things, but I also like when some things never change. It's nice to hold onto a little bit of nostalgia and tradition from all the years that I've gone down there and all the amazing memories I have there during my childhood.