My family and I just returned from a trip to Universal Studios Florida where we rode as many rides as possible, including all of the Universal Studios roller coasters! I grew up in a coaster family that went to amusement parks for every single vacation. We even have a running spreadsheet of coasters that we’ve been on – I’m around 250 different coasters at this point. And last year my parents, all my siblings, and a bunch of my aunt and uncles and their kids piled into two vans and rode 50 coasters in five days. It was crazy but when you love coasters, it’s totally worth it. Universal Studios may not have the best roller coasters that I’ve ever been on (that will likely always be Cedar Point), but they do have some awesome ones, much better than their other theme park counterpart a few miles away in Orlando. So let’s talk about the Universal Studios Florida coasters and what you need to know before you ride them!
Universal Studios Florida Roller Coasters List
There are currently nine operating roller coasters at Universal Orlando Resort according to this roller coaster database, which includes both Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, the two Universal parks. Four of those are at Universal Studios and five are at Islands of Adventure. Here’s the full of list coasters but make sure to keep reading for full details on each of these coasters! Note that this does not include any water rides nor am I saying this is the list of the best rides at Universal Studios Florida, just all of the roller coasters!
Coasters at Universal Studios Florida
While two of my personal favorite coasters at Universal Studios Resort are in Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios holds its own in the coaster department. With two extreme coasters, one Harry Potter thrill coaster, and one kiddie coaster – there’s plenty to choose from if you want a roller coaster.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
This is a popular coaster for good reason. Once you’re all buckled into the ride seats, you can choose your choice of music, and then this coaster speeds you off immediately and never lets up until you get back to the start. It gets up to 65 miles per hour, so it’s definitely a thrill coaster and not to be taken lightly. And that vertical drop, it’s something. In my opinion, it’s must-do for any coaster lover and an absolute blast, especially if you can get the music to work, which is not that often. I’ve found that it’s busier later in the day once people have gotten through other more popular rides like VelociCoaster and everything in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so if you go to it early, you may be able to get on without much of a wait at all! Oh and you’re required to put items in a locker and go through a security screening before you can board. They provide free lockers at the entrance, so it’s not that big of a deal, but it can be annoying if you end up in a long line and don’t even have a phone to keep you company. Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: Between 51″ and 79″ tall Single Rider Line: No
Revenge of the Mummy
This is a fun indoor roller coaster that’s themed around the Brendan Fraser Mummy movie series. It can be a little creepy at times (if you’re my nine-year-old), but I personally think it’s great. It’s not nearly as fast as Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coming in at only 40 miles per hour, but I really good middle of the road coaster, and the theming is great! Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: 48″ Single Rider Line: Yes
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
While this one may not look like a coaster from the outside, the roller coaster track on the inside means that it’s technically categorized as a coaster. And you guys, this is a must-do, especially for Harry Potter fans. But even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, this is a fun one and a perfect example of good theming meets thrills. It’s like a dark ride but a thrilling one that will have you spinning, tilting, and trying to avoid being discovered by the goblins who run Gringotts. Say that five times fast. One of the best parts of this coaster though is the queue. It takes you through Gringotts (the Goblin bank in Harry Potter in case you’re not up on your Harry Potter trivia questions), and it’s honestly just an amazing sight to behold. Watch the dragon breathe fire in Diagon Alley then hop on this one. Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: 42″ (guests who are 42″ – 48″ need an adult companion) Single Rider Line: Yes
Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster
If you’re a coaster junkie like me and trying to up your numbers, get on this one. If you’re a family with young kids who need a beginning coaster, get on this one. If you’re on a time constraint, skip this one. It’s a typical kiddie coaster themed on Woody Woodpecker. It’s nothing special and the ride queue, even with Express Pass, can get backed up simply because it doesn’t load very quickly. It is a bit hard to find (behind Fievel’s play area) though so sometimes that can work in your favor because most people don’t even know it’s there. This is a really good first roller coaster as a warmup for kids. Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: 36″ (guests who are 36″ – 48″ need an adult companion) Single Rider Line: No
Roller Coasters in Universal Studios Florida Islands of Adventure
Alright now let’s jump across to the other Universal Florida Resort part (or take the Hogwarts Express!) – Islands of Adventure. I’ve always seen Islands of Adventure as the more thrilling park of the two and based on this coaster list, I’m going to say that I’m correct. With five coasters, three of them being absolutely fantastic, it’s the clear winning park for roller coaster enthusiasts in my book.
Jurassic World VelociCoaster
This is the newest coaster to hit Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and it is a great one, especially for a Florida theme park. The queue has some great theming, the ride has a great story (chasing after raptors let loose), and the coaster itself will leave you breathless at points. There’s this point where it does like a tight double corkscrew that made me very happy they require you to leave everything in a locker and go through security before you board. For coaster fans, this is a must-do. It’s the fastest coaster in any of the Universal Studios Florida parks at 70 MPH and you feel every second of that speed. They were building it when we went in 2020, and I planned a trip back in 2021 just to ride this one! It’s a wild ride that truly makes you feel like you’re chasing raptors, or at least going fast enough to catch one. It’s unfortunately not available on the express pass right now but it is open during early admission, and that’s the best time to find the shortest line from my experience. Or if you want to split up your party, you can do single rider line, but we found sometimes that can be almost as slow as the regular queue. Express Pass: Not Available Height Requirement: 51″ Single Rider Line: Available
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures
This is easily the most popular ride at Universal Studios Orlando Resort when I’m writing this post in June 2022. Even though VelociCoaster is the newest ride, Hagrid’s remains the most popular. I don’t know if it’s just the Harry Potter tie-in, the fact that it’s just incredibly well done, or that it’s more family friendly in its height restrictions, but it will easily have the longest lines of the day. I actually wished that they would do a virtual queue on this one when we were there in June so that I had a chance to ride without standing in a two hour queue. In Hagrid, the ride cars are motorbikes, the entire ride is themed, and every moment is a thrill. It’s a must-do at least once, although I don’t know if I’d stand in line for hours again. But I’m not a line person. The best way to ride it with the shortest lines is to go during Island’s of Adventure one hour park admission, but you’ll need to be fast. Within a few minutes of the early admission opening, the ride line was already over an hour and grew by the second. Express Pass: Not Available Height Requirement: 48″ Single Rider Line: No
Incredible Hulk
Incredible Hulk is one of the original rides that was built when Islands of Adventure opened and it’s a fun but dare I say, traditional, coaster, if you’ve done many coasters. It’s a sit-down steel coaster that has vertical loops, goes through a tunnel, has a corkscrew, cobra roll, and various other things that at any other park would probably be the highlight coaster of the park. I still ride it and enjoy it, but it doesn’t thrill me the way some of the others do because it feels so similar to the other 250 coasters I’ve been on in my life. The coolest parts of it are the seven loops and the coaster riding over the water. That being said, it’s still a great coaster, and definitely in my top five coasters at Universal Studios Resort! And I still love seeing it towering over Marvel super hero island! Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: 54″ Single Rider Line: Yes
Flight of the Hippogriff
Out of all of the Harry Potter rides, this is easily the one you can skip. It’s a basic coaster that goes around a track a couple of times and feels more like a kiddie ride than a coaster. And if you think it’s going to be a cool theming, it’s not. The one thing this has going for it is that it’s Harry Potter inspired, so you’ll regularly find a decent line here, especially during peak times. The best part for me is really that Hogwarts castle backdrop while you’re on the ride. Express Pass: Available Height Requirement: 36″ (guests who are 36″ – 48″ need an adult companion) Single Rider Line: No
Pteranodon Flyers
This coaster is the bane of a lot of coaster lovers existence not because it’s amazing but because there’s a height limit on who can ride – a height maximum I should say. This is designed to be a kid ride, so you have to have someone that is under 54″ with you to ride. That means adults can’t go ride it on their own but they can ride with a kid that meets the height restrictions. It’s built on a coaster track but doesn’t really feel like a coaster, it feels more like sitting in a high-flying swing that soars around the tops of the dinosaur play area than a coaster zooming at top speeds. But kids love it, I really enjoy it, and it’s another one off my coaster checklist. This one doesn’t have express pass, and it loads and unloads slowly, so if you’re going to do it, I recommend doing it early in the day or the line can easily build up. Express Pass: Not Available Height Requirement: Between 36″ and 56″ (guests who are 36″ – 48″ need an adult companion) Single Rider Line: No
Universal Studios Florida Coaster Height Requirements
If you need a quick list of the height restrictions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, here you go! These are the minimum height you must be to ride these coasters. Note that some also have a maximum height.
Universal Studios Florida Coaster Tips
Just a few tips from a coaster fanatic and from someone who’s done Universal Studios recently and often. Hopefully these tips can help you get the most out of your trip and get on all of the coasters while you’re there! Take advantage of early park admission. If you’re staying at a Universal Orlando Hotel (and a couple of other select groups), you can get one hour early admission to select parks on certain days. You can find the current schedule here. This is a great way to get coasters with shorter lines (not short, but shorter). Here are some tips for early admission as well as strategy for making the most of your time. Check your heights before you go. Parks are extremely strict on the ride height requirements, especially for the bigger coasters. I recommend measuring and measuring again at home before you get to the parks, so you know what you’re in for. It’s heartbreaking to walk all the way to a line and realize that a kid is too short to ride. Test out ride vehicles. Some of the thrill rides have not only height but waist requirements as well to make sure the safety harnesses will shut properly. If you’re concerned about not fitting, try out the ride vehicles in front of many of the coasters like VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s first. It’s not fun to get into the coaster and not be able to fit into the car. Know what children can handle. Just because someone is tall enough doesn’t mean they should necessarily ride a coaster. If you have a child who is tall for their age but won’t be able to handle the scary nature of Revenge of the Mummy or VelociCoaster, skip it. You can always come back another time, and you don’t want their first time to scare them off of coasters for life. Pack a lanyard. It’s not on most of my amusement park packing lists but for Universal, it’s a must. You have to leave things in a locker for a handful of the coasters and a lanyard gives you somewhere safe to keep your park ticket and Express Pass. Use single rider lines if you don’t mind having your party split up. With many of the cars seating two across, single rider can be a great way to get on coasters without standing in long lines. This is especially true if you don’t want to spring for a Universal Express Pass.
More Florida Travel Tips
If you’re headed to Florida to check out Universal Studios, make sure to check out these helpful tips as well!
Free printable packing list for beach vacation – if you’re in Florida, you’re not far from the beach! Make sure to take these essentials with you when you go! Disney packing list – everything you need to bring on a trip to Walt Disney World and most of these apply to Universal Studios as well! Printable road trip games – if you’re road tripping to Florida, make sure to take these along on your way!Weekend trip packing list – the ultimate packing list for a quick weekend trip, which is plenty of time to enjoy Universal Studios Florida!Loews Portofino Bay Hotel Review – everything you need to know about staying at Universal’s Portofino Bay!
