What Doesn’t Make The Mark at Universal Orlando in 2025?

A few weeks ago, we looked at our Best of 2024 awards as voted on by our readers. This week, we look at the other side of the spectrum: those hotels, restaurants, and attractions our readers did not enjoy. This article covers your lowest-rated offerings at Universal Orlando in the hope that Universal improves these sore points and that you will avoid them.

Ok, let us start with a contentious one.

TouringPlans loves Cabana Bay – I mean how can you not love a resort with a lazy river and bowling alley? But Cabana Bay turned 10 last year and this resort’s age is starting to show. Our readers rated Cabana Bay the lowest with bus transportation (90% approval), check-in efficiency (82% approval), staff (86% approval), and overall satisfaction (81% percent approval) PLUS is among the lowest rated for room quality (84% approval), would stay at again (88% approval), and EVEN THE POOL (82% approval). The only other hotel that ranks similarly is the Hard Rock Hotel. This significantly more expensive hotel includes Express Pass with your stay and is the oldest hotel at Universal. We think the Hard Rock has skated by on its location and Cabana Bay on its amenities and let some other important aspects of the hotel experience atrophy. We suggest hiring more, focusing on reducing congestion at the pool spaces (even blocking other resorts from hopping to the pool if need be) and deploying a better bus route for the hotels.

Fast & Furious: Supercharged sucks. It sucks on new levels unmeasured: it is the lowest-rated attraction at Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Resort… combined. Yes, it is the lowest-rated major attraction open in any major American theme park. WOW. Luda deserves better than this. Thousands of words have been spilled online about how bad the ride experience of Supercharged is, think a parking lot tram on a shaking platform, but even the Team Members attempting to ham it up during the preshows don’t help.

 Our readers have ranked Doctor Doom’s Fearfall in Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure as Universal Orlando’s second-worst attraction. This S&S Power Tower utilizes compressed air to propel guests vertically into the air, providing a thrilling experience of weightlessness and stunning views of the parks. However, the ride suffers from slow loading times, a lackluster queue experience, and a decline in the popularity of launch towers as attractions. Outside of completely removing the attraction, we suggest improving the ride restraints and queue to bring this attraction out of the late 90s.

Now let’s talk grub, Universal and Disney have made great strides over the years improving their food offerings from 70s cafeterias to 90s fast food to 2010s fast casual concepts. Our readers rated Toon Lagoon’s Comic Strip Cafe the lowest in any Universal theme park with an abysmal 65% approval rating. Universal has attempted to refresh this location’s menu by introducing new Asian food options, but it doesn’t rescue the consistently bad meals there. Universal should lean into the newspaper and New York aesthetic to turn it into a deli with fresh salads, sandwiches, and soups. Do it!

Second through the next few entries are the burger fast food establishments with approvals in the high 60s and low 70s: Burger Digs, Richter’s Burgers, Mel’s Drive-In, and Krusty Burger. Mel’s received a complete remodel and new menu last year, so we expect their ratings to go up slightly, but Universal has a burger emergency that needs to be dealt with at the majority of its restaurants. We suggest improving the burger patties and introducing new french fries that crisp up better.

We’re disappointed to learn that Islands Dining Room in Loews Royal Pacific Resort was ranked the lowest-rated full-service restaurant at the Universal hotels. We always enjoyed their all-you-can-enjoy Wok Experience, which is featured on Saturdays, but our food reviewer was let down with the food and upkeep:

Overall thoughts, service was excellent, evening atmosphere was nice, but not formal. [The] food was a bit average & needed more flavor. The table we were seated at this time, and a few around us, were heavily scratched like they [had] not been maintained.

Considering the popularity of the Wok Experience we’d suggest Universal refreshing this restaurant to make it Wok only, in addition to updating the decor.

For the lowest reader rated quick service dining location we turn our attention to the Hard Rock Hotel’s  Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace at a paltry 73% approval rating. The rock and roll ice cream establishment’s Orlando outpost food menu features salads, pizzas, cold subs, wraps, and grab-and-go items.

What things do you wish Universal will improve on in 2025? Leave them in the comments below!