Reviews • Ethan Stegmaier

You can tell this coaster had next to no budget compared to the rest of the attractions in the park. While the ride is smooth and the second half of t...

You can tell this coaster had next to no budget compared to the rest of the attractions in the park. While the ride is smooth and the second half of the coaster layout is fun and dynamic, the theming is at such a jarringly low standard compared to the rest of the park, lacking even a single animated figure. The excessive nets, while overblown, do negatively impact the surrounding area visually. I wish the space home to this ride would have been used for a show instead.

This ride is FUNNY. Universal Creative have turned an objectively horrible ride system that has maybe the most pronounced side to side shuffle I’ve ev...

This ride is FUNNY. Universal Creative have turned an objectively horrible ride system that has maybe the most pronounced side to side shuffle I’ve ever felt on a ride into a genuinely enjoyable experience with the theming and on board audio. If you go in expecting a great coaster, you’ll be sorely disappointed, but every time I ride this knowing that it’s going to be an absolutely silly and stupid couple of minutes I come out the exit with a big goofy smile on my face.

This ride is an absolutely wonderful stepping stone coaster for younger people, and manages to still be engaging for more experienced riders. The firs...

This ride is an absolutely wonderful stepping stone coaster for younger people, and manages to still be engaging for more experienced riders. The first show scene is stunning and the second is well done as well. The layout is fun, dynamic, and perfectly integrated into the land. The on board audio is some of the best ever as well. At night, the ride features a subtle but effective lighting package that really ties everything together. My only gripe is a lack of padding on the seats, other than that it’s basically the perfect family coaster.

This is Universal Orlando’s airtime machine, no questions asked. The first half is full of multiple wonderful sustained ejector moments that provide t...

This is Universal Orlando’s airtime machine, no questions asked. The first half is full of multiple wonderful sustained ejector moments that provide the best, most, and strongest air at the resort. The second half focuses on its incredible dueling moments, which are the best on any ride. The Celestial Spin is of course the highlight of this, but the trains spend the whole second half revolving around each other in a way no other coaster even attempts. This side has my favorite first half of the two, with more drastic elevation changes between the hills giving, to me, marginally more interesting forces. Overall though, you can’t go wrong with either side.

This is Universal Orlando’s airtime machine, no questions asked. The first half is full of multiple wonderful sustained ejector moments that provide t...

This is Universal Orlando’s airtime machine, no questions asked. The first half is full of multiple wonderful sustained ejector moments that provide the best, most, and strongest air at the resort. The second half focuses on its incredible dueling moments, which are the best on any ride. The Celestial Spin is of course the highlight of this, but the trains spend the whole second half revolving around each other in a way no other coaster even attempts. This side has the downward roll in the Celestial Spin which I really love, but I do marginally prefer the other parts of the layout on the right side. I do think the two sides are mostly functionally identical though.

This ride kicks ASS! Bam, launch! Bam, top hat! Bam, brakes! Ride it again! The launch is so addicting and the top hat has this wonderful airtime all ...

This ride kicks ASS! Bam, launch! Bam, top hat! Bam, brakes! Ride it again! The launch is so addicting and the top hat has this wonderful airtime all the way through it.

wow. i was not expecting to like this as much as i did, but the moment that launch kicked, i knew i was in for a treat. obviously the launch is the hi...

wow. i was not expecting to like this as much as i did, but the moment that launch kicked, i knew i was in for a treat. obviously the launch is the highlight, but there's a great air moment after the launch, and the layout keeps the pace nicely. the ride ends super quickly, but so does almost every other hydraulic launch coaster. i like formula rossa's launch better, but this is my favorite ride with a hydraulic launch. the harnesses are bad, but not as bad as cheetah hunt's or kingda ka's. if you don't mind a ride that's a bit rough around the edges, you'll love this thing to bits.

So much pure fun. The music is what makes this ride, but also it essentially rides like a good version of Space Mountain East. If you asked me to come...

So much pure fun. The music is what makes this ride, but also it essentially rides like a good version of Space Mountain East. If you asked me to come up with a bad thing to say about this I don't think I could.

What a gem. Not the most intense thing in the world but it absolutely oozes good vibes. Full of that wonderful CCI floater and it kind of just keeps g...

What a gem. Not the most intense thing in the world but it absolutely oozes good vibes. Full of that wonderful CCI floater and it kind of just keeps going. Splendid all the way through.

The ride hardware itself is one of the coolest collections of amusement technology anywhere, and the physical sets are massive and impressive. However...

The ride hardware itself is one of the coolest collections of amusement technology anywhere, and the physical sets are massive and impressive. However, the ride film and story happen to be from an era where Universal forgot how to write a good script. The story is rote and unmemorable and the stakes are nonexistent. If the story was anywhere near as good as Universal’s better dark rides, this ride could have been something truly special.

I came off of this a little disappointed, a lot of the awkward profiling led to pain or missed forces. The layout from a macro perspective is an all-t...

I came off of this a little disappointed, a lot of the awkward profiling led to pain or missed forces. The layout from a macro perspective is an all-timer though, and those twin camelbacks are not to be trifled with. I can see why this ride was king back in the day, but now it's just outclassed. I'd love to see a modern take on this layout somewhere with the profiling and forces we've come to expect from new Intamin (and without those awful lap bars!).

Awesome little RMC! I loved the variety of airtime moments, and the stall is just incredible. However, the other inversions I would prefer the ride wi...

Awesome little RMC! I loved the variety of airtime moments, and the stall is just incredible. However, the other inversions I would prefer the ride without, hence "Inversions" as both a pro and a con. Some of the third lap took me out of it and left me bored, while other moments of it yanked me right back in. Amazing first half, mixed bag second half.

What an insane location for a woodie, combined with a ride experience that I can only describe as a cross between Raven's second half and pre-2022 Bea...

What an insane location for a woodie, combined with a ride experience that I can only describe as a cross between Raven's second half and pre-2022 Beast. It's a wild ride experience mostly throughout, just with some odd dead spots and some hills that really should hit harder than they do. Overall, though, it's a crazy unique ride that's worth the hype. Don't miss out on the night ride.

The work done recently by Gravity Group allows this coaster to shine. It's got some great moments of air and laterals in the first half. The second ha...

The work done recently by Gravity Group allows this coaster to shine. It's got some great moments of air and laterals in the first half. The second half dies a little which is why I don't like it as much as some other CCIs, but it's still an awesome little thing.

The launch is so powerful it feels like your soul is still in the station by the time the ride is done. The inversions are great, especially the last ...

The launch is so powerful it feels like your soul is still in the station by the time the ride is done. The inversions are great, especially the last one.

I love this ride so much. Everything about this ride is so silly and full of whimsy, and the only criticism I can really level at it is its abysmal ca...

I love this ride so much. Everything about this ride is so silly and full of whimsy, and the only criticism I can really level at it is its abysmal capacity. The unique trains may as well be couches with how well padded they are, and the ride throws you around like you’re a ragdoll as it goes through the impossibly tight layout. Riding this was the hardest I’ve laughed on a coaster in a long time.