Universal Studios Florida: Guide to DreamWorks Land Rides and Attractions

Intro

Welcome to the second entry of my 5-part Orlando summer trip series! This time, I explored the brand-new DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida. Built on the site of the former Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone, this magical area brings to life fan-favorite franchises like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Trolls. From exciting interactive experiences and character meet-and-greets to unique themed treats and immersive attractions, DreamWorks Land offers something for everyone. I couldn’t wait to check out the Shrek-zel, catch the Po Live! show, and see how this new land stacks up against the rest of Universal’s offerings!

Dreamworks Land

The newest land of Universal Orlando Resort, Dreamworks Land is where visitors experience interactive rides, character meet-and-greets, themed zones, and live shows, creating a magical world for fans of all ages to explore, using 3 very successful IPs: Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Trolls.

I was excited to finally be able to step foot in this land. I only visited Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone once and it never really looked good for me.

Shrek Area

As soon as you enter, you find the Shrek area with Swamp Snacks on one side and the Shrek hut in the other, where you can actually meet Shrek and Donkey, finally in its own home.

Donkey always steals the show, and while I saw them meeting and greeting guests, I got myself a snack in Swamp Snacks.

The Shrek-zel was making its rounds online, getting praised and I had to try it. The green cream cheese was excellent and the pretzel was soft but had structure in it. Definitely would eat again for sure.

Other meet and greets in this Shrek Area was the Kitty Softpaws and Puss in Boots, and other areas were:

• Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres: which included a splash pad
• King Harold’s Swamp Symphony
• Mama Luna Feline Fiesta

Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp

On the back of the land you could find the Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp, which was really nice to see, giving it offered so much needed shade in this really hot day.

There is a lot to do in this area, but Po Live! was the main attraction. Love how interactive it was and the visual effects were really nice. I used the whole time just to relax and finish my Shrek-zel tho lol.

Imagination Celebration

The main show of this land is the Imagination Celebration, a Live Show using LEDs, smoke and fog effects, and the characters from Dreamworks. The next showing was at 1:30 PM so I went in.

The visuals from the screens were amazing, although the human interactions, the main characters in the story, were a bit forced. I say this from an adult perspective tho.

The sections where the Dreamworks characters like Shrek, Dragon, Po, Trolls, etc where amazing. Really cute, and a show you should include in your next visit to Universal Studios Florida.

Trolls Area

Even though smaller, the Trolls area has the main ride of this land, the Trolls Trollercoaster. The line was crazy and with this heat I preferred not to go on it. The whole ride is less than 45 seconds.

But I did do in this section of Dreamworks Land is to get a second treat, this time a BroZone Berry from Trolls Treats. The taste was great but the little candy pieces were all gone and falling by the time I started eating it lol. There has to be a way to keep them in place, right?

And to finish exploring this land, I got to see a character interaction once again with Guy Diamond Troll, right in front of the roller coaster.

Curiously, there is still an entrance to E.T. Adventure inside of the Dreamworks Land, even though this ride is still part of the Hollywood area of Universal Studios Florida. I was going to ride it but once again the times were crazy for some reason.

Epic Universe Preview Center

One of my goals for this trip to Universal was to visit the Epic Universe Preview Center, located in Universal’s CityWalk. I needed to know all the details for this new gate in Orlando opening in 2025. I will be there in the first days of opening for sure.

The model of Epic Universe is the center piece of this space, and the interactive AR (Augmented Reality) app was great. I downloaded it and started checking the different lands in the model.

Super Nintendo World, definitely one of the most awaited since it already exists in Japan and in Hollywood. Although this one will be bigger and hopefully better.

The Universal Helios Grand Hotel with a dedicated entrance into the park.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic which will offer a look into Paris of last century and then you would somehow be in London of Harry Potter times lol.

Look at all those Paris facades, so excited!

And lastly, it was really cool to see through the app. Celestial Park is the entrance to the park and home of the biggest roller coasters of this park. I cannot wait.

Oh France Pavilion in EPCOT, you are in danger!

Back into Islands of Adventure

Back, back, back again into Universal, and this time I wanted to check Islands of Adventure. I needed to ride Hagrid’s once again.

I was transferring hotels so I brought my whole suitcase, and got once of these lockers, super convenient.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade

And here I was, rope dropping Hagrid’s for the nth time. Single Riders was close but I have time. I was using the last days of my Universal Annual Pass.

After Hagrid’s the land seemed to be still very empty which was odd. I wanted to explore it a little bit more.

Took advantage of the low times and got in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It had been quite some time since not riding it because of the screens it uses cause me motion sickness.

But I got a butterbeer from Hog’s Head Pub to comfort me. It is always a nice idea.

All Hallows Eve Boutique – Monster Hideaway

Just outside of the Wizarding World you could find the All Hallows Eve Boutique – Monster Hideaway, where I literally waited for it to be opened later in the day, and explore it. Loved that they used many of the Universal Monsters for this decoration. Somehow this is the Tribute Store for this park.

Spooky! And just in time for Halloween Horror Nights!

Hogwarts Express

But before heading into the next chapter, here I was going back into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, and getting into the Hogwarts Express, on my way to Universal Studios Florida once again, to see the other new offerings like Cinesational.

Off to a new adventure in the next post!