Universal Studios Island of Adventure, Orlando, FL
Universal Studios Island of Adventure (USIA) in Orlando, FL is the best thing to happen to Florida since Busch Gardens. It has the Hulk, which is truly awesome and Dueling Dragons, which are pretty good inverted coasters. An honorable mention goes to one of the best rides ever (although it is not a coaster), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. I would rate that as the best non-coaster ride of all times. USIA also has a cool feature that allows you to reserve times for the major rides, reducing the wait time considerably. And even when you do get stuck in a line, most of the lines have things to entertain you, such as cartoons on TVs and the like. It is a great park.
Incredible Hulk Coaster (Rating: 9.5)
This coaster is a lot like Kumba with one major exception that gives it the 1 point higher rating. The Hulk launches you out of a tunnel at the start. You accelerate from 0 to 40 mph in 2 seconds! And then you spring into a corkscrew and flip. What a thrill! The front seat is better than the rest, but not enough to boost an already excellent rating of 9.5.
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Statistics
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| My totally subjective rating: | 9.5 |
| Type: | Steel |
| Status | Operating since 5/28/1999 |
| Builder | Bolliger & Mabillard (B & M) |
| Length (feet): | 3700' |
| Height (feet): | 110' |
| Drop (feet): | 105' |
| Inversions: | 7 |
| Speed (mph): | 67 |
| Duration (m:ss): | 2:15 |
| Angle Of Descent (degrees): | 50 |
| G-Force (g): | 4 |
| Capacity (riders per hour): | 1920 |
Other Information:
8 cars per train. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. Catapult launch up a 150 foot tunnel achieving 40mph in 2 seconds. Zero-G roll 110 feet above ground. Elements: Cobra roll, weightless roll, 360-degree carousel, two loops, inclined loop, high speed carousel and two flat spins
Dueling Dragons (Rating: 7, 8 FS if in synch)
If these coasters weren't dueling, with near collisions, they would only be moderately good steel coasters (I would probably give them a 7 for fire and 6 for ice). But they are dueling and when you are in the front seats and when they are synchronized properly (which isn't all the time) they can be very cool (an 8). Fire is clearly better than Ice. My friends and I noticed that even before I found out the stats.
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StatisticsTwo coasters: Fire Dragon and Ice Dragon
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Other Information: |
The two side names Fire Dragon and Ice Dragon share the same lift hill, but are not identical. Three near collision points with only one foot of clearance. The trains with riders are weighed to improve the timing of the collision points. |
