"Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in."--Robert Fulghum

The Lost Continent is like taking a trip back to ancient cultures and civilizations.
One minute there's Egyptian and Greecian architecture, then it becomes like an Arabian marketplace with shops on family ancrestry, to have your fortune told, and ride souvenir shops.

You'll see ancient statues and even a mountain with faces carved inside that become waterfalls. Don't be fooled by the magnificent display of nature because it's actually one of the best-rated restaurants called Mythos, which has the atmosphere of an undersea cave.

Across from Mythos, you'll find a hand sticking out of stone holding a triton, the entrance to Poseidon's Fury. Poseidon's Fury is a temple that has Greek and Egyptian ruins that begins in a room where you'll find a professor's assistant, Taylor, whom has lost his professor in Poseidon's Temple. Suddenly, a voice echos throughout the room as he reads an inscription and releases Lord Darkenon, one of Poseidon's ex-worshippers. The doors open and one will move through individual rooms that you will get somewhat wet and will become hot from the special effects. The ride may be a little bit frightful for children five and under.

The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad is a show near a mystic fountain. The times are Monday-Thursday and Sunday from 1pm and 3:30pm, Friday times are 12:30 pm, 2pm, and 4:30pm, and Saturday has 12:30pm, 2pm, 4:30pm, and 6:15pm. Try to arrive fifteen minutes before the show, and look for the word "Splash" on the first row to see if you will get wet. The top rows are very safe. The show is great to see for death-defying stunts that all ages will love. To find Sinbad's show, look for a courtyard with a fountain. The fountain, called the Mystic Fountain, isn't your ordinary decoration. It can speak, hear, and even ask questions! Be careful what you wish for when you try to throw pennies in this fountain. It also wets you.

The Dueling Dragons is a popular roller coaster that has a blue dragon (ice) and a red dragon (fire). One can pick on which roller coaster they want to go on. Fire can go faster than ice. Also, if you find a circle and stand in the middle of it, you can see the ride almost collide with you.

A roller coaster for children and the young-at-heart is the Flying Unicorn.

"A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to government officials whenever one reaches a border between countries, so the officials can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photographed unflatteringly." ~Lemony Snicket, author of a Series of Unfortunate Events

Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, and Marvel Super Hero Island are other sections of Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Toon Lagoon is where you'll find all kinds of characters from Betty Boop, Beetle Bailey, Dudley Doo-Right, to even Popeye and Olive Oyl. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a water ride where there is a sure promise one will get wet. Water canons on the bridge overlooking the plunge become very convenient. Next, there is Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Bargers, a water ride where a group of people ride in this rubber circular raft down a twisting, churning path. Once again, there is another promise one will get wet if not already by a series of fountains. Me Ship, the Olive is not exactly a ride, but a large three-story ship where there are water canons on the second story, and a picture-perfect opportunity to see all the sections of the park. There is a lane dedicated to old comic strip characters from Betty Boop to a Dagwood sandwich to even Cathy!

Jurassic Park becomes similar to the movie in the Discovery Center, a place with large dinosaur bones, statues of what some may have looked like, the movie of how scientists found the dna in the amber, and see a dinosaur egg hatch. Next, two interesting rides would be Pteranodon Flyers, a ride that lets two people glide over Camp Jurassic Park and trees to get a bird's-eye view, and the Jurassic Park River Adventure, a serene ride down a river until T-Rex comes to visit. Finally, Camp Jurassic Park is a playground for children of all ages to explore amber mines, climb through dinosaur nets, and go underneath a waterfall in this prehistoric playground.

Marvel Super Hero Island has many heroes, but none are as popular as Spider Man and the Incredible Hulk. The jolly green giant and spider-like man have their own rides that has a very long wait time unless you get there first thing in the morning. The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man is a 3-D adventure while the Incredible Hulk is a roller coaster. Other rides include Dr. Doom's Fearfall towers above the street that drops a person at 150 feet in the air, and Storm Force Accelatron, where a person can help Storm generate enough power to help Storm defeat the evil Magneto.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go."--Dr. Seuss

Seuss Landing is a fun-filled recreation from the memorable stories told by Dr. Seuss. When you enter through the unique shops and bakery of Port of Entry, you will find this whimsical land on the right. Out of all the sections of Islands of Adventure created, Seuss Landing is the most colorful with bright pastel colors of pink, green, blue, red, and yellow. It is also likely for a person to get sunburned easily because the colors love to reflect the sun.

Some rides one might see would be Caro-Seuss-El, a golden carousel ride with a meagerie of Seuss's creatures. The Cat in the Hat is like Disney's It's A Small World where it tells the story of a cat come to visit on a rainy day. If I Ran the Zoo is fun for children five and younger to explore the animals' exhibits, climb through small archways, and play in a playplace in the back with fountains of water. You can steer a fish through a series of obstacle course of fountains on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Finally, the best way to see Seuss Landing is to go on the High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride, which brings you to sections of Seuss' stories and through the Circus McGurkus restaurant where you can watch people eat and see Seuss' creatures hang from the ceiling like Trapeze artists.

Circus McGurkus is a under $15 type of restant that offers a souvenir cup with the kids' menu of fried chicken, cheeseburgers, spaghetti, and pizza.

I try to be as objective as I can when I review things, but for this I'll make an exception. I hated it. First, we didn't actually want to visit Islands of Adventure, but our "bargain" $75 ticket for Universal Studios meant we got this for "free." So there's a bit of a negative bias to start.

Plus Points

Vast and imaginative expanse of various worlds and islands, each with its own theme, like Jurassic Park, Ancient Egypt, etc., that are generally impressive and pleasing to the eye. Rides may well be the best in the world, capable of shooting you in every direction at once and persuading your insides to pop outside your body. Nice enough park to walk around. Plenty of toilets.

Minus Points

We visited first week in May, so this was by no means "peak" for visitor numbers; however, by the time we'd finished with Universal Studios (about 2pm) and wandered across to see what the other half of our ticket had to offer, we found that the shortest queue was 45 minutes. Consequently, Bilge Rat was the only ride we used. It was OK. We got wet, it lasted 2 or 3 minutes, and then that was that. The whole balance of the place is wrong and bordering on a complete rip-off. Rides are great, but frankly they do not occupy a huge floor space--there aren't that many of them, so queues are always going to be long. God only knows what things are like in August. Commercial booths, on the other hand, do occupy a large area of floor space, meaning that even though you've parted with $75 just to get in, the number-one priority of the owners is to secure more once you're inside. Frankly, I can't see how anyone can possibly get their money's worth out of this place--there simply are not enough hours in the day, even if you can bear each of the long queues, to get round all the rides.

Hated it. Commercialism at its worst. People need a better deal--either drop the entry fee or give them more! Contact me for details of an organised peasant revolt.

For a more positive spin on things, here's the website. Don't believe a word of it.

Islands of Adventure is probably the best theme park in the world—the rides are all brand new and very leading edge. Spiderman and its 3D excitement is very cool, and my personal favourite is the Hulk Coaster. This park is great for all ages, with things to do for everyone. February is a perfect time of year. I recommend avoiding the park Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, as lineups are heavier. Tuesday and Friday were minimal lineups, with 5-10 minutes maximum for each ride! You can buy a Fast Pass for a varying price per day (eg Spring break prices are higher). This would be worth it on busier days, or if you time is short, but it wasn't needed when we were there with such short lineups.