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Woo-hoo! The Simpsons come to Universal.
Join the Simpsons in another fun, immersive journey as you wander through the captivating world of Krusty the Clown. In this scene, the Simpsons family takes a vacation to Krustyland where they’re given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Krusty the Clown’s newest thrill-tacular ride.
But Sideshow Bob – Krusty’s former partner and now arch-rival of both Krusty and the Simpsons – aims to seek revenge by sabotaging Krusty’s newest creation in an effort to kill the family. Will he succeed? You can find out!
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» Intensity Meter
» Tips
» Our Take: From the Editors
» Photo Gallery
Checklist
Duration
The actual ride is just short of five minutes, while the preshows can add up to 10 minutes long.
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes, ask for assistance. Guests are wheelchairs may enter through the ride’s Gate A entrance, which may be found left to the giant Krusty head. Be aware that you will need to transfer from your wheelchair to the ride vehicle.
Flash Photography and Video Taping Policy
Permitted, but only in the queues. There is absolutely no photography or video taping during the actual ride. Employees are on hand to monitor ride vehicles while the attraction is running, and they have a closed-circuit feed of every single ride vehicle.
Height Restrictions
Children must be 40″ to experience The Simpsons Ride.
Gate A Entrance
The Gate A – or Front of Line – entrance can be found to the left of the massive Krusty head next to the carnival games and drinking fountains.
Child Switch
Yes. Child Switch allows two members from your party to experience the Simpsons while you wait behind with your child. When your party is finished, you’ll reverse roles – you ride, your party waits. The Simpsons Ride allows two riders and two people to switch at a given time, and you’ll be given a Child Switch Pass to complete the switch. Be sure to read our Child Switch guide for more information on the program and how you may apply it to other rides.
Child Friendly?
The Simpsons Ride does feature loud sound effects, dark spaces and simulated heights. With that being said, most children should be perfectly comfortable on this ride.
Intensity Meter
With the height requirement of 40 inches in mind, the Simpsons Ride is everything you’d expect after watching the television show in terms of content and language. With regards to everything else, the ride is mostly child friendly. Do note that the ride building is somewhat dark, and the actual ride simulates high heights, water effects and fire in a motion simulator vehicle.
Most children above the height requirement of 40″ should have a fun time on this attraction.
Tips
Simpsons Ride Seating
The Simpsons Ride can house 8 people, with two rows of 4. As you enter the main boarding room, enter to the left or right and slide on in.
Once you enter the ride vehicle, you’ll be instructed to pull down on the lap bar by a Krusty crew member when it is appropriate to do so. Tall individuals should take make an effort to sit in the front because of the low-sloping ceiling in the back.
Viewing
Though most guests do not have control over their final destination, many suggest attempting to get directed to the middle floor to either car 5,6 or 7. These ride vehicles offer the most balanced view of the Omnimax screen. Cars 4 and 8 are positioned on the far left or right hand side of the screen, and may be nauseating to some guests.
Our Take: From our Editors
The successor to the much-beloved Back to the Future: The Ride, does the Simpsons Ride live up to the experience of its predecessor?
Jon Fu – Inside Universal Editor
Oh boy, the Simpsons. Let me start off with the good:
So, first’s things first: the Simpsons Ride is absolutely an enjoyable ride. It’s decently themed, relatively fun for the whole family and it’s a fun experience combined with the biting humor you’ve come to expect from the television cartoon. The ride itself uses a very large curved IMAX screen to that create the feeling of being fully immersed in the world of the Simpsons. Simply put, it’s a remarkable experience.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend missing it – simply because The Simpsons Ride has become one of Universal’s flagship rides, and despite what else I’ve got to say, I will admit that I usually get a kick out of the ride as a whole.
A fun and witty experience. Too bad there are so many missed opportunities for Universal to do more in an attraction.
That being said, I see this attraction as a missed opportunity on so many levels. To give a bit of backstory, the ride was built entirely on the foundation of its predecessor, Back to the Future: The Ride – and when I say foundation, I literally mean it is as if they’ve simply changed the ride’s film and painted the building purple. Granted, they did a bit more than that, but let me explain:
First off, it’s the Simpsons. We’re talking over twenty years of potential. Quite frankly, the Simpsons franchise has the material to carry an entire theme park, let alone a single ride. So when fans go through the queue for the first time, they can feel justifiably disappointed. Besides a few posters and monitors littering the ceiling, there’s not much in the way of theming throughout the ride.
Worst of all (and perhaps my biggest beef with the ride as a whole), the attraction was undeniably done on the cheap. Chipped paint, rehashed ride system, and the same disastrous queuing system as Back to the Future undermines the entire experience.
To many Back to the Future fans, the closure of Back to the Future: The Ride might have seemed like a slap in the face, and I doubt Simpsons fans would be all-too pleased either with what’s currently in place. Again, the feeling of cheapness plagues this entire attraction, and I don’t see a future for the Simpsons in ten years.
The Simpsons Ride is a wasted opportunity to do so much more – to improve upon the Back to the Future experience and to add a new dimension to theme park entertainment. With a franchise like the Simpsons as the backbone for an attraction, I would have imaged so much creative potential to take Homer and family in all new directions never before seen. Instead, we get a very cheap Back to the Future rehash.
Same layout, same queue, same ride vehicle.
But again, I need to reiterate that in the end, the ride is enjoyable and that’s what truly matters. Honestly, I doubt most guests will notice the flaws that I’ve mentioned above, but most adamant theme park fans will probably understand the frustration of a missed opportunity.
On the bright side, Universal did open up the Springfield food court next door that expands upon The Simpsons with tasty treats and dishes from the show.
Photo Gallery
Coming soon!