Which park?

[cincystamper]

My 16 year old nephew just texted me - he's in Florida right now (no idea why!) and he and his friend have a one day, single park ticket....he's asking me for advice on which park to go to.

Um...my first Universal trip is going to be November 2019 so I'm just now in the planning stages myself and have no idea what to tell him!

So - if you were two 16 year old boys visiting for the first time, which park would you choose? They are Harry Potter fans and enjoy thrill rides...

Help?

 

[CPanther95]

At 16, I'd prefer Islands of Adventure just comparing the ride selection.

How much they are fans of the various characters presented at each park, might shift that.

 

[prairiesarah]

I would suggest IOA for two teenage boys - all the water rides, Spiderman, Hulk Coaster, Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff (what while short is actually pretty intense). (That is my opinion based on being a mom of a 12 year old boy).

 

[hhoope01]

It really depends on what they like. US has the Rock-it and Mummy Roller-coaster rides. The Transformers ride is basically the Spiderman ride (with different projections). The Men-in-Black ride is one of my personal favorites. And if they are Simpson's fans, they will love that section of the park. Do they have an Adult with them? If so, they can probably compete in Fear Factor show. And finally, if they are Jimmy Fallon fans, they might really like his new ride.

For IOA, there is the whole Superheroes section which is fun especially the Hulk roller-coaster and the water rides (assuming they don't mind getting wet) in the Toon-Lagoon section. There is really only one real ride in the Jurassic Park area (and they will probably get wet on that one as well.) I actually like the Seuss Trolly Train ride (similar to the Peoplemover ride in Magic Kingdom) and the Cat in the Hat ride. Though they might not be as "exciting" for teenagers. There really isn't a ride in the Lost Continent section any longer (it was pretty much gutted when the HP section was created.) But I do love the Sinbad and Poseidon's Fury shows.

Of course both parks have an HP section, though personally I'd give a slight nod to Hogsmeade in US over Diagon Alley in IOA.

 

[GoldmanTrust]

Escape from Gringotts is more of a thrill ride. I like Diagonal Alley more than Hogsmeade. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is extremely good. The Mummy is one of the best coasters in the park. Plus they can visit the Simpsons world. For me it is Universal.

But IOA is still greaf. Hulk, Jurassic Park (might get wet), Dr. Doom. So either way it will be a lot of fun. IOA has 3 water rides that will get you wet (two of them get you soaked). Back when I was younger I had a single day ticket and got wet (this was in December). I got so cold and ended up leaving.

So, I would do Universal!

 

[macraven]

Tough question!!

I have 4 sons and 2 prefer IOA and the other two prefer the Studios

But they love both parks..

 

[bchbetha]

I'd go with the Universal side. Rip Ride Rockit, the Mummy, Gringotts, Diagon Alley, Horror Makeup Show. But, they really can't go wrong with either.

 

[hhoope01]

If they can upgrade their ticket to a 2-Park ticket, that might be the best answer. That would not only allow them to hit the best rides in each park, but also ride the HP train connecting them.

 

[Slapshot1188]

IOA

 

[bobbie68]

The Studios

 

[cincystamper]

Thanks everyone! I gave him a quick rundown of the major attractions on each park and they picked IOA. They're going today so I appreciate the quick replies!