If you’re taking a Central Florida trip alone, then you probably want to know what the best Universal Studios Orlando rides for solo travelers are?
It’s lights, camera, action when you enter through the gates of Universal Studios Orlando resort!
Whether you are visiting for the first time ever or for your 100th, there is plenty to see, do and experience in the park.
This means that there is a wide variety of attractions for all types of solo travelers.
There is “taking it easy” rides, “Wizarding World”, “thrill seeking” and everything in between.
But some rides are catered to the average solo traveler which makes it easier and fun for you to experience the ride without feeling so lonely, but rather immersed in all the worlds every ride offers.
Today, we will be diving into five of the best attractions in the main park, Universal Studios Orlando, that are simply perfect for your solo trip.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO. Which means if you click on certain links, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.
1. Men in Black: Alien Attack
Men in Black: Alien Attack, or MiB, is based on the 1997 film starring Will Smith. You enter the MiB training facility, which is disguised as the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
After that, you will quickly discover as you “tour” is cut short that you are being issued as a recruit in the MiB Headquarters.
What to Expect on this Universal Studios Orlando Ride
This attraction is a dark ride shooter system where you will go up against another team of players in the training facility, where you start off shooting alien cardboard cutouts.
The MiB chief interrupts to tell you that an alien ship has crashed in New York City and you’ll be getting some field training!
Your goal will be to shoot the aliens and score various points.
Why This Ride is Perfect for Solo Traveler
What makes this ride perfect for solo travelers are a few things, which I am sure will make you jump back in line more and more!
To start, the queue line experience is so much fun and gives a lot for you to look at.
You will go past hallways, break rooms, control rooms and more that feature aliens relaxing or preparing for the day.
There are so many fun nods to the film, but visitors will appreciate the fact that there is a Single Rider Line.
Considering this ride an average of 2,200 riders per hour, that means less wait and more chances to ride as this attraction generally does not have a wait time longer than 20 minutes.
I can only say the downsides to the ride is its location which is a way back in the park near the Simpsons area.
The ride is old as well and could do with some updating but overall, it is still decent.
Combined with the Single Rider Line and the fact that you can ride by yourself, there’s plenty of fun to be had!
Just have your trigger arm ready to go!
Get up to 25% off of your Universal Orlando Vacation with Groupon TODAY!
2. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Next up is for my thrill seekers and music lovers! Let’s talk about Universal’s answer to Disney World’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.
What to Expect on this Universal Studios Orlando Ride
The largest X coaster created by manufacturer Maurer AG, featuring:
- 3,800 feet of track
- A height of 167 feet
- Top speed of 65 MPH (miles per hour)
- Reaching 4.18 g of forces
You will certainly get a taste of thrill with this ride!
But what makes this ride stand out is that you get to choose the music you hear when you ride.
Why This Ride is Perfect for Solo Traveler
Riders get to choose from various music genres and essentially customize their ride experience.
This makes a world of difference vs Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith where your music choices are from various songs by the group and is determined by which limo you board.
You can’t help but notice this attraction as it’s the tallest thing in the park.
This is by far one of the most popular attractions in the park and so it can boast wait times between 45 minutes to over an hour, depending on the crowd levels for the day.
Fortunately, the ride shuffles on average 1,850 riders per hour and it does help that as a solo traveler, you can use the Single Rider Line.
Because this attraction has several loops, guests are encouraged to put all loose items in a locker, but not before passing through a metal detector.
This is another ride that doesn’t need teams or duos to enjoy it.
And because you can choose your music for the ride, it becomes a truly immersive and customizable experience for any solo traveler.
The only downside is depending on the day and whether you choose to buy an Express Pass, you may be only able to ride once or twice due to wait times.
3. Revenge of the Mummy
This next one is my personal favorite and must do as a solo traveler. It’s considered another thrill ride for the park, and it lives up to its hype.
While it has no inversions, that doesn’t mean it’s not a monster of a coaster.
What to Expect on this Universal Studios Orlando Ride
The coaster can reach top speed of 45 MPH, has 2,200 feet of track, several 80-degree banked turns and a descent of 50 degrees.
Not to mention, this ride has three LIM (Linear Induction Motors) launches which will propel riders from a complete standstill.
In fact, this ride was such a hit, that they created similar versions for Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Singapore.
For now, let’s focus on the Florida version. The ride’s story takes place in the Museum of Antiquities façade.
As you venture through probably one of the most immersive and well detailed queues in the park, you will see a film setup, props on display and TVs sharing the making of the film.
More importantly, it showcases how the crew began to feel that the fake curse was real as various accidents happened on set.
Brendan Fraser is skeptical of course and the queue turns into a 1940s archeological dig site, a nod to the original Universal Monster’s film.
The queue is full of various details that entertain all guests that go through it. It is worth stopping for a moment to play around with some of them.
Revenge of the Mummy essentially takes riders as they run for their lives from Imhotep, who is seeking to steal your soul in order to rise once again.
Meanwhile, Brendan just wants his cup of coffee. Don’t worry, you’ll get the joke later.
Why This Ride is Perfect for Solo Traveler
This ride simply cannot be missed as it has been officially given legendary status by the Golden Ticket Awards and making it one of the best rides Universal Studios Orlando rides for Solo Travelers.
Revenge of the Mummy has lockers that riders may use and features a Single Rider Line.
This would mean you might miss some of the details in the queue though.
Wait times usually vary but you shouldn’t be waiting no more than 45-minutes on a good day for this ride.
If you get headaches easily, you may want to skip this ride but if you insist, take aspirin prior to riding and make sure you have something on your stomach.
Ready to plan your theme park trip? Watch the best vacation planning tips on YouTube. Get started here!
4. Escape from Gringotts
Now, I bet you were wondering if I was EVER going to mention any Wizarding World of Harry Potter on my list. I have made it to that point at long last.
Obviously, I had to mention Escape from Gringotts. It’s one of the best Universal Studios Orlando rides for solo travelers!
There is nothing like that very first time you enter Diagon Alley.
One of the very first things you see is a huge Ukranian Ironbelly dragon atop of the famous Gringotts bank.
What to Expect on this Universal Studios Orlando Ride
You’ll wait in anticipation with phones in hand to capture the moment it breathes its fiery breath.
It’s something you never forget and a great way to entice any solo traveler to simply open an account inside.
Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts features 2,000 feet of track and is the longest ride on this list at a total of 5-minutes for a complete ride through.
Even so, it manages to push on average 1,320 riders an hour.
This ride is a complete marvel, and any solo traveler will appreciate the combination of motion-based vehicles, 3D projection screens, physical effects and detailed sets that truly encompass the rider into the story.
You will enter the bank lobby and have your ID’s checked and validated by the goblins who work there.
After that, you’ll pass by offices for the bank employees along with Griphook speaking with a suspicious person regarding a plot to break into a vault for an item.
You’ll then speak with Bill Weasley briefly and then take an elevator down to the vaults.
Finally, you will pick up your special goggles and take a flight of stairs to load into your cart.
I don’t want to spoil the ride experience for you, so I’ll leave that part out but this ride is extremely popular.
There are various switchbacks and an outdoor queue before you even get into the bank lobby that occasionally gets used.
Why This Ride is Perfect for Solo Traveler
While the ride does feature a Single Rider Line, you still could be waiting over an hour, depending on the day.
This is a ride that is chock full of detail that, because you are traveling solo, you can take it all in and honestly appreciate it whether you are a fan of the books and films or not.
The wait time is the downfall of the ride so I would recommend doing this ride when the park first opens or getting an Express Pass if possible.
Fall into Savings on your dream destination. Get 4.5% Cash Back on Hotels with Expedia TODAY!
5. E.T Adventure
This one may be controversial for being on this list, but I have reasons, so just trust me. This one isn’t particularly my favorite, in fact, I avoid it often.
However, this ride is a classic and as of this post, the only version of this attraction left in any Universal Studios theme park.
The E.T Adventure is just a staple for the park and that’s an indisputable fact.
It screams the nostalgia of our childhood and solo travelers will appreciate that solitary moment of time travel to when they first saw the film.
What to Expect on this Universal Studios Orlando Ride
You enter a film set, as one does when you visit Universal Studios, where Steven Spielberg tells you that Botanicus is asking for ET to return home because all life on his home planet is dying.
It’s up to you to help get him back and guess what? You’re traveling by bike just like the movie!
A special feature is your Interplanetary Passport, where an assistant will attach your name to it for a special surprise later.
Next you enter a Redwood Forest, like the one in the film and you will eventually make it to the loading queue.
Not before running into Botanicus and seeing some familiar props along the way. You will also smell the infamous pine scent that is classic to the park and attraction.
Once you load, you can ask to sit in the front row on the far left for the full and best experience!
And since you’re a solo traveler, it shouldn’t be too hard of a request for the Team Members to fulfill if you ask politely.
This is another ride where I feel like I should not spoil the full ride experience.
Why This Ride is Perfect for Solo Traveler
Wild as it may seem, this is the second longest ride on this list at 4 minutes and 30 seconds and the slowest at 5 MPH. This makes it perfect for those who want to take it slow.
The E.T. Adventure is also the only one on the list with no Single Rider Line but there tends to not usually be a long wait for this. I usually don’t wait longer than 25 minutes.
I encourage you to embrace your inner child and try the ride at least once!
My Final Thoughts on the Best Universal Studios Orlando Rides for Solo Travelers
I hope you enjoyed exploring some of just the rides that Universal Studios has to offer and learning just a little bit more about them and the worlds they can transport you to.
Like I mentioned before, everything on this list has something for every type of solo traveler, not matter what you love!
These rides are especially great if you’re really into detail, efficiency and/ or taking it easy for your park visit.
What all these rides do have in common is their ability to immerse you and give you temporary escapism in the story like only Universal Studios can.
Don’t forget to check out the NEW Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast Ride where you can compete to get the highest score and become the latest recruit for the Vicious 6!
Did your favorite ride make the list? Is there one that you feel should be included? Let us know in our Solo Traveler Facebook Group!
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home. You can find her at Disney Tea with V.
UP NEXT: Universal Studios Orlando VIP Tour Guide: Should You Do It?
(Original Article Date: December 11, 2021/Updated by Editor on January 29, 2024)