Universal Orlando Resort -- Islands of Adventure

Index

Islands of Adventure
Port of Entry	Marvel Super Hero Island	Toon Lagoon	Jurassic Park
The Lost Continent	The Wizarding World of Harry Potter	Seuss Landing

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, the icon of Islands of Adventure

When Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, it was the equal to any Disney Park in the world. It was technologically advanced, it's themeing was unsurpassed, and almost every attraction emptied out into a souvenir store.

Attractions like Spiderman and Poseidon's Fury are techno wonders. Hulk is one of the best coasters in the world. Seuss Landing brought the world of Dr. Seuss to life for the first time. Jurassic Park allowed you to explore the world of dinosaurs without getting eaten by an attraction. Toon Lagoon brought all your Sunday Comic Strips to life.

But, something happened. Or rather, Nothing Happened. In the intervening 10 years, there have been no significant changes to the park. Not until 2010, when Harry Potterland opens, will there have been any changes to the park that someone who was here in 1999 would recognize.

Further, the park isn't being kept up as well as it should be. The colorful, whimsical buildings in Seussland have faded, and needs a paint job. Main Street Persia (i.e. Port of Entry), which was once a themed marvel, is now just a tedious walk.

To be fair, Islands of Adventure is the Disneyland of the East. It was built on the available land that Universal had, and it does make good use of the space. But looking at the park now, the lagoon is rarely used for anything, and is just so much wasted space. It could have been made smaller to expand the park.

Their hope is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, due to open in June 2010. Until then, I'm not sure there's a need to go back.