Best Water Rides at Universal Orlando: Ranked (and Closures)
Orlando is a hot, hot place. From roughly May through September, stepping outside feels like climbing into a dryer someone forgot to empty. A water ride is one way to cool off. It is not the best way. That would be air conditioning. Still, it is a solid option, with the bonus of sloshy shoes for the rest of the afternoon. So what are the best water rides at Universal Orlando Resort, and which ones are actually worth the soggy socks?
What Are the Best Water Rides at Universal Orlando Resort?
Quick answer: Universal’s actual water rides all live at Islands of Adventure, and there are three of them: Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, and Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. The new Epic Universe park added a fourth, interactive soaking option in 2025 (Fyre Drill). Universal Studios Florida, the original park, has zero. Heads up before you plan your day: Jurassic Park River Adventure, our usual number one, is closed for a long refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen around November 19, 2026. So if you are reading this in the middle of 2026, Ripsaw Falls is your top working pick.
4. Attractions That Aren’t Water Rides But Will Get You Wet
3. Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
2. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
1. Jurassic Park River Adventure
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The Best Water Rides at Universal Orlando Resort
Disney World has a lot of slow-moving boat rides during which you do not get wet at all. That is not Universal’s jam. Prepare to be soaked. There is no polite mist here — these rides commit.
Universal Orlando Resort doesn’t have a ton of water rides spread across its theme parks. If you want to spend the entire day wet, that is what the water park, Volcano Bay, is for. One caveat that is new since this post first went up: Volcano Bay switched to a seasonal, reduced schedule in late 2025, so it is no longer a guaranteed every-single-day option, and it can close on cold days. Check the calendar before you build a plan around it.
Universal’s fourth park, Epic Universe, opened in May 2025 and brought its own way to get drenched — more on that below. The point stands: if you are at Universal in summer, you can absolutely get wet on purpose. For everything else you should throw in your bag, see our Universal Orlando packing list.
Pro tip: Be sure your sunscreen is waterproof. Regular sunscreen rinses off on the first drop, and a Florida sunburn is its own kind of souvenir.
Bonus pro tip: Pack ponchos and waterproof cell phone cases. A poncho will not keep your shoes dry, but it buys your shirt a fighting chance.
4. Attractions That Aren’t Water Rides But Will Get You Wet
How many true water rides are at Universal Orlando? Not many. Counting just Islands of Adventure, the answer is three. But “water ride” undersells how many ways the resort has to get you damp. There are several other attractions with water features, and a few of them will surprise you mid-line.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – A ride that bounces between 3-D screens, with a squirt of water timed to make you flinch.
Camp Jurassic – A Jurassic Park-themed play area that includes water cannons. Free, no line, and a solid place to let little legs burn off energy while you stand somewhere shady.
Diagon Alley – Interactive wands in this corner of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter can cause water to squirt on unsuspecting guests. Half the fun is watching a kid figure out the spell and immediately use it on a stranger.
Me Ship, The Olive – A Popeye-themed play area with a ship and water cannons. Bonus: the upper deck cannons aim straight down onto the riders on Bilge-Rat Barges below, so your kid can soak strangers for sport.
Fyre Drill – The newest way to get wet, over at Epic Universe in the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk land. It is an interactive boat ride with onboard water cannons, so you control how soaked you get — anywhere from lightly misted to thoroughly drenched. There is no minimum height to ride; kids under 48″ need a supervising companion. Pro tip: there are paid “People Dryers” nearby (around $7) if you would rather not squelch through the rest of the park.
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – A ride for young kids in which they fly slowly in a circle in a Dr. Seuss fish. Kids move the fish up and down while a song with directions plays. If the fish doesn’t follow the song’s directions, the occupants are squirted. It is gentle, low, and a great first “thrill” for a nervous toddler.
3. Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is a circular-raft ride through rapids, with the occasional animatronic popping up along the way. If we’re being honest, kids don’t know much about Popeye these days, and the ride could use a retheming. But theming is not why you ride this one. You ride it because it dumps buckets of water on your head and spins you so you never see them coming. If your kid can tolerate that, they will love it.
Pro tip: Keep your feet up on the center console to avoid drenched shoes. It is a surprisingly good ab workout, and it is the difference between damp socks and a full afternoon of squishing.
Height requirement: 42″ to ride; children 42″–48″ need a supervising companion
Location: Islands of Adventure (Toon Lagoon)
Universal Express accepted: Yes
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
How wet will you get?: Extremely
2. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls is a flume ride. You pass through rooms with slow-moving animatronic characters from the old Dudley Do-Right cartoon, and at a couple of points you are on roller-coaster track rather than in water. The ride ends with a steep, very wet drop. Plan to get soaked. With Jurassic Park River Adventure out for refurbishment through late 2026, this is currently the best big-drop water ride open at Universal Orlando.
It is enjoyable for little kids who can handle the drop, despite the fact that kids born with a 2 in front of their birth year have no idea who these characters are. Good news for the line: Ripsaw Falls has a single-rider line and offers Child Swap, so one nervous kid does not have to sink the whole family’s plans.
Height requirement: 44″ to ride; riders under 48″ need a supervising companion
Location: Islands of Adventure (Toon Lagoon)
Universal Express accepted: Yes
Indoor or outdoor: Both
How wet will you get?: Very
1. Jurassic Park River Adventure
Heads up: Jurassic Park River Adventure is closed for a long refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen around November 19, 2026. Universal has not said exactly what is changing, so do not plan a 2026 summer trip around riding it. When it is running, it is the best water ride at the resort — which is why it still holds the top spot here.
Jurassic Park River Adventure is a slow-moving boat ride through happy dinosaurs, and then very much angry dinosaurs. Velociraptors escape, which is bad. Panicked voices and loud beeping emergency signals fill the space. At the end, you drift into a building, climb a long ramp, and narrowly avoid a Tyrannosaurus Rex’s mouth on the way down a steep drop. This one is not for young kids — the dark, the dinosaurs, and the drop are a lot all at once.
You will get extremely wet, particularly if you sit in the front or along the sides of the boat. If you want to stay drier, aim for a back-center seat — though “drier” is relative here.
Height requirement: 42″ to ride; riders under 48″ need a supervising companion
Location: Islands of Adventure (Jurassic Park)
Universal Express accepted: Yes (when operating)
Indoor or outdoor: Both
How wet will you get?: Very
Where Are All the Water Rides at Universal Orlando?
Short version: every classic water ride is at Islands of Adventure, and all three sit close together. Bilge-Rat Barges and Ripsaw Falls are both in Toon Lagoon, practically next door to each other, so you can knock out two soakings back to back. Jurassic Park River Adventure is one land over in Jurassic Park. Plan to do all three in one stretch, then dry off — because trying to “save” a water ride for later just means putting wet shoes back on. For a full game plan on the park, see our guide to Universal Islands of Adventure attractions.
Water Rides at Universal Orlando: FAQ
How many water rides does Universal Orlando have?
Three classic water rides, all at Islands of Adventure: Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, and Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. Epic Universe added a fourth, interactive water ride (Fyre Drill) when it opened in 2025. Universal Studios Florida, the original park, has none.
Is Jurassic Park River Adventure open right now?
No. As of mid-2026 it is closed for a refurbishment that began in January 2026, with reopening targeted for around November 19, 2026. If you are visiting before then, Ripsaw Falls is your top big-drop water ride.
Which water ride gets you the wettest?
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. The raft spins, so there is no “dry seat,” and the buckets of water are not subtle. Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park’s big drops will soak your front; Bilge-Rat Barges soaks all of you.
Are the water rides good for little kids?
It depends on the kid and their height. All three big rides have 42″–44″ minimums, and the drops and dark scenes can be a lot for sensitive toddlers — especially Jurassic Park. For the under-crowd, the gentler “gets you wet” attractions (One Fish Two Fish, the splash pads, Fyre Drill at Epic Universe) are the better bet. For more, see our take on visiting Universal Orlando with toddlers.
Should I use Universal Express on the water rides?
All three Islands of Adventure water rides accept Universal Express, so if you have it, yes — the lines for these can crawl on a hot day. If you do not, ride first thing in the morning or hit Ripsaw Falls’ single-rider line. Splitting up for single rider is the cheapest line skip there is.
Final Thoughts – The Best Water Rides at Universal Orlando Resort
The parks don’t have many water rides, and Universal Studios Florida has none at all. But the handful that exist go all in. There is no token splash here — plan to get extremely wet on every single one. Epic Universe’s Fyre Drill is the friendliest of the bunch, since you choose your own soaking level, which makes it the easiest sell for families with smaller kids.
Hit the water rides at Universal Orlando with a poncho, a waterproof phone case, and full acceptance that your hairdo and makeup will not make it out alive. No need to waste the morning getting ready — the rides will sort that out for you. While you are mapping the day, our must-dos at Universal Orlando and our overview of Universal’s Islands of Adventure park will help you fit the dry rides in too. And if you are bouncing between two resorts, here is how to handle adding Universal to your Disney vacation.
Visit Universal Orlando Resort with your kids. You will not regret it — soggy shoes and all.
