Exploring Production Central in Universal Orlando

Dear Polite Traveler,

Continuing with my multi-article report on a particularly enjoyable benchmark, birthday celebration trip to Universal Studios Florida, I now take you to Production Central.  In my opinion, Production Central contains some of the most enjoyable rides and entertainment in the park.  It is situated to the left of the gate as you enter Universal Studios Florida.  In fact, we nearly stumbled over the crowds racing to queue for the Despicable Me, Minion Mayhem ride. 

Strangely, I crave bananas.

Before our trip, my husband and I didn’t know much about the Despicable Me movies except that everyone seemed to enjoy them.  Intrigued by the consistently long lines, I decided that we should give it a go.  (video by darthvader92)

Luckily, we chose to try this ride first thing our second day at the park, which is fortunate.  There were no crowds this early in the day, so the line was short and we were hustled into our “prep” room for our minion processing within minutes.  Yep, we are all about to become minions: banana-craving, yellow minions. 

The “ride” is a motion simulator with seats simulating the movements of a video in front of a giant 3-D screen.  It can be a bit much for those who experience motion sickness, so we chose static benches in the front of the room.  The story was exciting with lots of action and ending with a sentimental flair.  I recommend this ride to everyone who loves a bit of adventure and those with children. 

(Video of the making of the Minion Ride)

We join a Shrek adventure.

The preshow sets us up for the adventure to come.  Similarly, to the Minion Mayhem ride, it is a motion simulator with a huge 4-D screen playing a video, which—due to the movement of the seats—helps immerse us into the story with Shrek and donkey.  Special effects, like spurts of water and air at just the right moment, add to the immersion.   

We tried the moving seats this time and didn’t suffer from motion sickness much.   

Let’s just skip the intense.

Both of us are over 60, so we decided to skip the intense, crazy rides, like Hollywood Rip Tide Rockit.  It may be fun since you get to choose your own ride-along music.  Nevertheless, it’s a huge roller-coaster!  Jeez, that’s so not for me!  

Maybe we can handle a little “Intense”.

As a fan of most things “Science Fiction”, I love the Transformers.  Consequently, I would have to try Transformers: The Ride 3-D.  It is another simulator but is also a roller coaster—albeit one that isn’t too wild.  For the most part, it goes up, down, and around without much variance in height.   

The premise is that we need to help fight alongside the Autobots against Megatron.  It was an amazing ride as if we were really alongside those huge transformers.  It was slightly jarring, but not too intense. 

Tip: Meet realistic Transformers (huge!) out front of the Transformer building.  They are visible much of the day between 8 am and 4 pm.  (Video by InsidetheMagic)

Tip: Read your map carefully!  There are “Character Zones” spread out over the parks.  The map gives you all the information you need to meet characters like Transformers, Shrek and Donkey, Hollywood icons, and more. 

Consider an “Express” ticket as you will avoid excessively long lines.  If handicapped or suffer from health issues that prevent you from standing for more than 20 minutes, the park offers “Guest Assistant” passes that work similarly.  

Please Read

Theme Park Review: Escape from Gringotts

How to Maximize Your Visit to Universal Studios Florida

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