Good afternoon, everyone. Today, I am continuing my series of roller coaster posts by focusing on my very first upside down coaster ever. I am talking about the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. This coaster first opened in 1999 along with the rest of Islands of Adventure. The Hulk (which is part of the Marvel Super Hero Island area) was manufactured by the Swiss manufacturer Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M for short). However, the launch system was done by a combination of Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation. I have had a long history with this coaster, riding it over 300 times since my first trip to IOA in 2001. I am going to briefly go over both iterations of the ride experience in a moment. Before I do so, however, I need to explain what I mean. From 1999 to 2015, the ride had a theme of being with Dr. Bruce Banner as he was trying a new experiment to reverse the Hulk effects on him. In the current version that opened in 2016, after the coaster was rebuilt with all-new track and supports (but the same layout), the theme was rebranded as us becoming Hulks ourselves thanks to General Ross. With that out of the way, let’s get into the coaster ride experience.
After dispatch, the train takes a slight left turn and goes up an enclosed lift hill, which is 110 feet high. Halfway up the hill, the train then launches to 40 miles per hour out of the tunnel and into the coaster’s first inversion: a zero-g roll that drops down and reaches a top speed of 67 mph. The drop down is followed by the ride’s second and third inversions, which are combined in the cobra roll. After the cobra roll, the coaster goes through a vertical loop and drops into an underwater tunnel filled, usually, with mist. The train then emerges from the tunnel and does a turn that fully wraps around the launch tunnel. It then goes to a left corkscrew before dropping down and up another vertical loop. The coaster then twists up and to the left before twisting down and to the right and turning into the mid-course brake run. The train then drops down and goes into a second left corkscrew before doing a turnaround into the ride’s photo moment and final helix. After the helix, the train enters the brakes and then turns left heading towards the station, thus ending the ride.
(Here are two videos of the Hulk coaster POV. Provided by CoasterForce's and Universal Orlando’s YouTube page, respectively. The purpose is to show the difference from the original version to the current version.)
Even though I was afraid of the ride (and upside down coasters, in general) when I first went on it, I grew to love the Hulk as the years went on. I always get excited for the launch every time that I go on it. Although I miss the original version of the coaster with the better lead-up to the launch out the tunnel, it still feels awesome being launched out of the tunnel (with some special lighting effects in the current version's tunnel). What I also miss is the original version’s roar as the train goes through the track (as heard in the first POV video above). I like that the current version’s trains has on-board headlights that helps people in the front row see where they are going (in addition to the whole track being lit up at night. The Hulk has always been a photogenic coaster because of the many angles and spots that I can take pictures of it either at the park or at Citywalk.
This coaster has been my most ridden coaster in my life. When I first went back to Universal Orlando as an annual pass holder in 2016, it was a month after the Hulk reopened from its major refurbishment. Over the next 5-6 years, I have been on the Hulk, as of the time of writing this, a total of 328 times. I know that some people may call me crazy riding one coaster that many times, but I have no problem with that. As of now, I am not a pass holder at Universal. Whenever I get the chance to go to Universal again, I will make sure to get some more Hulk rides during that trip.
That concludes my post about the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal‘s Islands of Adventure. Stay tuned for more coaster posts in the future. Have a great day, everyone.
(Here are some pictures that I have taken of the Incredible Hulk coaster.)
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