We've got three more first-round match-ups this week before we start the quarterfinal match-ups on Thursday. Today's first-round contest features two popular rides from Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure theme park.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is your defending tournament champion, and the winner of the 2010 Theme Park Insider Award for Best New Attraction. The highlight of Universal's acclaimed Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Forbidden Journey has helped Universal to win new fans and earn record revenue, fueling an expansion of Universal theme parks around the world.
Harry Potter's success might cause some to forget that Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges once was part of a game-changer for Universal, too. Rapids rides existed long before Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, but Popeye took them to new level, with immersive theming and more ways to soak passengers than a rapids ride had ever thrown at them before. For fans who can't handle the topsy turbulence of Harry Potter, but are looking for a way to cool off on a hot Orlando day, Popeye offers an attractive alternative.
So let's vote:
Campaign for your favorite, in the comments.
Tomorrow: Pooh's Hunny Hunt vs. Kilimanjaro Safaris
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Interesting side note that most people miss is that Popeye is actually a mini land of Sweet Haven with it's own restaurant(albeit normally closed) Wimpy's and a children's play area along with a nicely themed walkway along the lagoon.
Even the best water ride in the world can't beat potter today
Would have been curious to see Popeye against Splash, curious if that was almost a matchup Mr. Niles
I haven't ridden Pooh, and I love Kilimanjaro. However, Pooh consistently gets rave reviews not only for a unique exterior and an incredibly detailed queue, but for the immersive theme and sophisticated ride system. Both rides take you to another world with impressive visuals, but Pooh has incorperated scenes from a sotry that never fails to impress. Kilimanjaro lacks the gaurunteed joy ride that Pooh offers. The time of day, the driver, and the whims of the animals can all affect the quality of the ride. Pooh is different in a good way each ride. I'd much rather ride Pooh, and I hope you would too.
But looks like FJ is going to go far in this
1. Which do I prefer, a high-tech dark ride or an average rapids ride?
2. Which property am I more interested in, Harry Potter or Popeye?
3. If I could only ride one or the other, which would I choose?
Harry Potter wins all three, so that's my vote. Given the incredible reception that attraction has, I'd be surprised if anything other than Journey to the Center of the Earth is able to dethrone it (although I personally think Harry Potter looks ever so slightly better than Journey).
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