Below is my ranking of every ride at Universal Orlando Resort’s Islands of Adventure. There are a lot of rides in this park, some of which are pretty basic, but there are some unique attractions, and my top six rides are really really good. Hold on to your butts, because here we go!

18. Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges

Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of getting drenched on water rides? Well I have watched this river rapids ride from afar, and it is basically my worst nightmare. I don’t think I have seen a single person make it through this ride without getting soaked. Plus they have water guns along the ride route that park goers can use to shoot water at the people riding the ride to get them even more drenched. No thanks! I’ll pass on ever riding this. Sorry, Popeye, you shall dwell in the basement of these rankings for eternity.

17. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

This is the Islands of Adventure version of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. There is a minor water aspect to this one… you can raise or lower your vehicle to try to get sprayed or avoid getting sprayed. It’s a ride that may interest families with small kids, but it’s probably not of that much interest to anyone else.

16. Caro-Seuss-el

I am not a big carousel fan, but the Caro-Seuss-el has a couple things going for it when compared to traditional carousels. Number one is the characters – I have to admit that being able to ride on and with some of the classic Dr. Seuss characters is pretty cool. Number two is it feels like this carousel goes a little faster than your average carousel, and I kind of like that. It’s still a carousel, though, so it was always going to be toward the bottom of my rankings.

15. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls

If it weren’t for the near-certain soaking you get on this ride, I would actually enjoy it. There are several fun elements, and the final plunge is a really good thrill. I can’t hate on this ride much, but I also can’t rank it very high due to the soak factor. It’s just who I am.

14. Pteranodon Flyers

I really wish Pteranodon Flyers didn’t have such limiting rider requirements. Guests over 56 inches tall cannot ride alone and must be accompanied by a child measuring between 36 and 56 inches. Adults are not allowed on the ride by themselves. Both of my kids were taller than 56 inches on our first visit to Islands of Adventure, so none of us have had the opportunity to ride it. I think we would have enjoyed gliding around over the Camp Jurassic play area on this ride. If you have the opportunity to ride it, I think you should do it before your kids get too tall and disqualify your whole family!

13. The Cat in The Hat

Families with young kids will enjoy this indoor ride through some of the scenes from the stories by Dr. Seuss. Others may use this as a way to get a brief reprieve from the Florida heat and enjoy some air conditioning. Either way, it’s not a bad way to spend a little time enjoying the world of The Cat in The Hat.

12. Storm Force Accelatron

This is very similar to the Mad Tea Party spinning teacups ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but it’s a fun ride for theme park lovers of all ages.

11. Hogwarts Express – Hogsmeade Station

If you are a big Harry Potter fan, you will probably want to ride both routes on the Hogwarts Express, because there are different things to see on each route. I would say it’s definitely worth doing for you Harry Potter fanatics. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, this ride is skippable, unless you just want a cool way to park hop over to Universal Studios. You must have a multi-park ticket in order to ride the Hogwarts Express, because it travels between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

10. Jurassic Park River Adventure

This is my highest ranked water ride in all of Universal Orlando Resort, and it’s because you can actually avoid getting soaked, depending on your luck and where you are seated. Being seated toward the back of the boat and toward the middle of the row can drastically decrease your chance of getting soaked! This is a fun ride, especially for Jurassic Park fans, and this is really how most water rides should be in my opinion – you should at least have a chance of not getting soaked!

9. Doctor Doom’s Fearfall

If you think I’m going to say this is Universal’s version of Tower of Terror, you would be wrong! They are completely different experiences in my opinion. Dr. Doom’s Fearfall launches you upward at a high speed before dropping you back down, then you “bounce” back up again before falling and bouncing again, each bounce being a little lower and less intense than the last. It’s a very short ride, but it’s still a lot of fun, if you like this type of ride, which I do!

8. Flight of the Hippogriff

This is a fun little roller coaster, especially for younger kids who are just getting their feet wet on roller coasters. The Harry Potter theming does not come through as strongly on this ride as it does on the other Harry Potter rides, but it’s a fun starter coaster if you can get on with a reasonable wait.

7. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!

This is the best ride in Seuss Landing, and it’s not close! It’s an elevated train ride that gives you some nice views of the park. It’s sort of the like the People Mover of Seuss Landing. It’s still mostly a ride for young kids, but I wouldn’t blame any adults who like to ride it… it’s a cute, relaxing little ride.

6. The Incredible Hulk Coaster

Now we are getting to the good stuff. Some people say that the Hulk is a little rough, and that may be true. However, that initial uphill launch is a thrill that’s hard to beat, and there are also lots of inversions to keep you entertained as well. I’m a fan of this coaster. There are obviously better coasters that remain to be covered on this list, but I still consider the Hulk a good one.

5. Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Some of you may think I have this ranked too high, but to those people, I say “Hogwash!” Yes, it’s a ride that relies heavily on motion simulation and screens, but it works better than some of the other motion simulator attractions out there. I think this ride is a lot of fun, and the queue even has some cool features too. I’m also a fan of the 2005 King Kong movie that the ride is based on, so maybe that helps. It’s one of the movies I vividly remember seeing in the theater with my now wife, Lindsay, back when we were dating.

4. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

This is another ride that uses a lot of motion simulation, but you also get some true motion as the ride vehicle moves from room to room. In my opinion, the Spider-Man ride is not quite as good as the Transformers ride over at Universal Studios, but it’s close. The ride vehicles are pretty similar, and the whole ride is similar in concept, too. This is a very good ride, and you definitely can’t miss this one if you are a Spider-Man fan. Some aspects of the queue are a little dated and could use some updating, though!

3. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

First off, the queue for Forbidden Journey is one of the best there is anywhere. It’s basically a tour of Hogwarts castle. I’d put this queue right up there with the queue for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge over at Epic Universe. The ride itself is a lot of fun. It’s an indoor dark ride that includes lots of characters and scenes from the Harry Potter franchise. The ride vehicle is the same as Monsters Unchained over at Epic Universe. I have read that Forbidden Journey can cause motion sickness issues for some people, and I imagine it’s due to one segment of the ride that incorporates a screen and motion simulation. However, it has not caused any motion sickness problems whatsoever for our group, and we all love this ride! It’s actually my daughter’s favorite ride across all three parks. It’s another must-do for the Harry Potter fans out there.

2. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Sadly, I have not yet ridden Hagrid’s personally. I have not been in the park at a time when the wait was less than three hours and I can never bring myself to spend that much time in line for one ride. However, I’m confident it would be in my top two rides at IOA if I had ridden it. It’s right up my alley. It’s fast, it’s thrilling, and the theming is great. This is yet another must-ride for the Harry Potter fans out there, and now that it was recently removed from Express Pass eligibility, maybe the wait time will be a little shorter. This is definitely on my list to ride on my next visit.

1. Jurassic World VelociCoaster

VelociCoaster is my favorite ride at Islands of Adventure. In fact, it is one of the best, most thrilling roller coasters I have ever ridden. The velociraptor theming is also great. I can’t find a single flaw with the whole experience. There are so many great elements – the launches, the top hat, the inverted stall, and the mosasaurus roll at the end. I’m ready to go again right now!

What do you think? Did I get anything wrong? When I finally get to ride Hagrid’s, do you think it will jump VelociCoaster and take the top spot? I doubt it! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!