E.T. Adventure

The classical E.T. ride. Nice ride, something all members of the family can do. Wait for this ride was 30min max.

Outdated. Weakest ride at universal. This is the only ‘Disneyesque’ ride at Universal. Just like Disney rides, E. T features outdated animatronics, decent set design, and a main character that was once popular in the ‘80s. Good for small kids with dads that make them watch old movies

One of the very few remaining originals at Universal Studios. It’s incredibly well-​designed and great for guests of all ages. It’s slow and nostalgic, and makes you feel like you’re part of the gang that saved ET in the movie. Excellent!

This dated ride provides a mellow, dimly lighted guided (and glided) tour of the ET film plot via faux bicycles. Devoid of any genuine thrills, it is a relaxing escape from the sun and the intense jostling of the plethora of 4D rides that rule Universal.
However, the downside of this mechanical anachronism is that it breaks down regularly. These malfunctions are a bummer when you are waiting, but can be traumatic when you are actually riding. Being suspended in midair for 30 minutes with a son suffering from anxiety, then finally being evacuated via a dark and dangerous foot path only to witness an elderly patron take a harrowing fall gives rise to family memories that are only enjoyable in retrospect.
Worst of all, we were precluded from completing the ride and saving ET’s home, the Green Planet, for which we feel an enduring guilt.

This ride feels like it hasn’t been updated since 1996 when the movie came out. Easily the worst ride in the park
They ask for your name so you can get a passport card
When I got to the front of the line there was a employee who was a little fabulous and over the top and when I asked if we could sit in the front row he looked at me and got upset like I asked if we could have a cart to ourself. I’m pretty sure this is a common request I also asked him what the pass port cards were for and he told me that I will find out later
Went on the boring ride and never found out what the cards were for
So in all I waited for 30 minutes, got berated by an upset fabulous man and never found out why I had to give the park my information
Thanks Steven Spielberg

Back in the day, this ride was king! Now, it’s really showing its age. Still great for smaller kids. Very similar to the Peter Pan ride at Disney. You get to ride around on bikes through the woods and fly high above a town helping E.T. to escape back to his home world.
Love that the line goes through the forest — keeps things interesting while waiting.
The name cards where ET says goodbye are pretty inaccurate.

This ride is kid-​friendly. Compared to the other rides, E.T. is super old-​school and outdated, but hey — that’s just how it is because of how long ago the E.T. movie came out. It’s not particularly exciting, though, so if you are looking for a gentler ride option and/​or if you have younger kids then this would be a good choice. For thrill-​seekers, look elsewhere.

The et ride is one of my favorite rides in universal studios! To me it really encompasses the childhood love ability of the ET character and the story et tells!
While waiting to enter the ride Steven Spielberg explains the ride to the passengers and let’s you know what the ride is about! When the video is finished you begin the wait to enter the ride and it is so amazing! The lines wrap all through an indoor forest. From floor to ceiling the entire area looks like the forest from et! Just seeing the shear decorations and structures is enough to make you want to go in.
The ride itself is older and it is a slow ride that you can carry your bags on. But that’s ok with me because it is such a relaxing enjoyable experience! You fly over the city on a bike and I front of a full moon! You zig and zag away from police to get et to his destination safely! At the end you get to see where et was from and what some of the other aliens on his planet look like!
The cutest a thing of all is at the end et thanks you by names as you finish the ride!
I have been to universal many times and this is always a nice attraction I like to visit!

A definitely outdated ride. However, doesn’t really feel like it when you’re on it. The animatronics are amazing on this ride.
The actual wait going through the alien planet forest is gorgeous.
This ride, after all these years, definitely holds up!

41 yrs. old & watched E.T. for the first time about a month ago. I absolutely LOVED this ride! The kids were absolutely spellbound!

This is a classic ride, and it automatically transports you back to the 80’s. This, King Kong and Jaws were the great classic rides of Universal, and since two of the three are gone, E.T. Adventure is left as the park O.G.; although who knows for how much longer.
While it isn’t as thrilling as some of the newer rides, it certainly is unique and envelopes you beautifully within the theme of the ride. The indoor queue is dark and humid, set up as the forest from E.T. with plenty of movie themed easter eggs, and an unmistakable misty, pine tree smell (Does anyone bottle it?!) that perfectly emulates the scent of a redwood forest. This is half the fun of the ride and don’t mind spending 20 – 30 min waiting on the queue.
The ride itself might be somewhat outdated by today’s standards, but it’s charming. I love riding the bike atop the miniature city, meant to look like your flying hundreds of feet in the sky.
All in all, the ride is a great, classic staple of Universal. As I mentioned before it’s theme is perfect and is very unique, which is something the rides at Universal are sorely lacking (Despicable me, Shrek, Simpsons the ride, Transformers, Spiderman IOA, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey IOA are all front screen projected motion platform/​simulator rides). I think Universal NEEDS a classic ride with a unique theme, and I think the last thing it needs is another front screen projected simulator ride. I hope E.T. stays around forever, but it might not, so the next time you have a chance to ride it, take it!

This one was kind of cool and different. Get to be on a bike just like in the movies and you seem like you’re flying around in the sky. Kind of chilly inside but that’s nice from getting out of the heat.

Ah, I missed the E.T. Ride so much when it was replaced at Universal Studios Hollywood.
During my recent visit to Orlando I was so excited to see this ride. The ride is old and pretty dated but what’s not to love about getting the chance to ride Elliot’s bike to E.T.‘s home planet.
Worth a visit when you’re at Universal.

I hate to be the debbie-​downer for this ride, but it’s really just «ok» for me. When you have young kids, this is great, and as a kid I remember it being great. Despite the fact that I’ve never seen the movie (my boyfriend hasn’t it seen it either — maybe we’re just weird), it was fun and interesting as kid, but now it’s just pretty boring.
I’m not a huge rollercoaster fan, but this was even too slow for me. This was the only ride my boyfriend’s 12 year old nephew would go on, and even HE said it was boring. I agree with some of the other reviewers that this ride may not be as relevant in a few years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was replaced. I would skip this one if you don’t have young kids.

I LOVED IT! The ET ride is probably the most nostalgic thing for me at Universal Studios. I had visited this ride countless times as a kid at Universal Studios Hollywood. I was sad to learn that they no longer have this ride at the Hollywood location. I was elated to find out that they DO still have it at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. The lines are still long! (That’s why a fast pass is super useful).
I love everything about this ride, from the forested line area, to the bicycle setup of the ride, the beautiful room with the stars glimmering in the sky (ceiling), and flying over little house replicas. I absolutely loved ET as a kid (watched it recently with my fiancé again!) — it’s such a touching, heartwarming, timeless story. The ride really does justice to it. I’m so glad it’s still open and am really hoping it remains open for years (and dare I say, decades) to come!

My 2yo daughters absolutely FAVORITE ride. Although, being two there isn’t much else she can ride at Universal. Starting at 34″ kids can ride E.T. The rest of the family likes it too though. It’s obviously not a thrill ride but is so nostalgic. You hop on the ride vehicle which is Elliott’s bike from the movie. You ride through the forest to escape NASA then «fly» with E.T. back to his home planet. There you see E. T’s friends who were not in the movie. My daughter loves the «baby E.T.“s the best. They are climbing, swinging and playing drums in some of the scenes. At the end you may or may not hear E.T. say your name. Try and give the attendants some crazy fake name and all you’ll hear is «friend», lol. Yes, the ride is dated and hokey but that’s why we love it. The anamatronics are rickety and could use a little tightening up. I love the cue once inside– it’s dark, cool and smells like a pine forest.
A little hint– to skip the video part and ride again duck through the baby swap door just before the gift shop. We usually do this at least once so my daughter can get her E.T. fix!

Five stars for a seemingly cornball ride? You better believe it.
The point of the ride is that you go back with ET on a bike ride out of suburban 1980’s America and return with him to his home planet, which is something like a cross between Fraggle Rock, the Dark Crystal, and Grateful Dead aesthetics. You are in a big car on a track that is supposed to simulate bicycles, and you move rather gently through the animatronic adventure. You give your name at the beginning and then, if you don’t have a weird name like me, animatronic ET thanks you by name when you leave (well, he mumbles and if you have excellent hearing you can catch it).
So five stars? This ride is an absolute time machine. There are very few places where you can literally experience something just like it’s 1985 (and also as it was in 1985) and this is one of them. From the animatronics that once dominated all rides to the train set scale models to the hokey music to the clothes to even the cars that are used (remember when all headlights were square!!!), the 80’s never ended on this half acre. Nostalgia for the win. I hope they never change this.

As we were walking to another ride, we happened to see this one. While some people in my party kind of rolled their eyes at the thought of this ride, others of us thought that we might as well. The wait time was pretty much nonexistent, at around 5 minutes, and that was pretty much just because of the queue walk.
–RIDE SPOILERS–
They hand you an ET themed plastic card and ask for your name as you come in. The woman who typed our names was soooo fast. I actually thought that she was just randomly hitting the keys on the computer. After that, we walked through a dark forest (inside of course), that had its own winding pathway. You heard hooting and insects, and I think they did a very good job of suspending reality.
The story of this ride is that we are trying to get ET back to his home planet to help him with an environmental collapse. You’re supposed to also be «looking» for certain characters who are friends of ET. The ride itself is a large, fake bicycle. And yes, it’s one of those rides you can easily take your stuff with you. But it was neat. It reminded me of the Neverland ride at Disney, you’re «flying» across a landscape.
–RIDE SPOILERS END–
PROS:
–Slowly, leisurely «ride» through ET’s world.
–Really fast to get in. Ride had only a 5 minute wait.
–Can bring your stuff on the ride.
–Nice
CONS:
–A little old fashioned. Animatronics were sometimes jerky.
–The giant «bike effect» was a little cheesy, but I guess since it’s a classic element of the movie, then I guess it’s pretty much what they were going for.
THE VERDICT:
It was a cute, slow ride. Good for kids or adults who want to experience a little ET magic, and get away from the heat for a few minutes. I don’t think I’d ever wait more than 15 minutes for this ride, but if it had another 5 minute wait, I’d hop on it. Some of my favorite rides are when we are swooping through a city landscape, with a spread of houses below me. Makes me feel like I really am flying through a place.

ET is a pretty tame ride, where you’re on a mission to get ET back to his home planet to help it avert an environmental collapse. You’re on a small ride which is supposed to be everyone’s bike and you go through some sets of woods, fly over the town (which did look pretty cool) and go through space before finally landing on ET’s goofy looking planet and saving the day. There’s some parts that are at a moderate speed, but nothing kids can’t handle.
As ET becomes more foreign to kids with each passing year, I’m not sure how much longer this ride will last, especially since things like the Despicable Me ride is probably insanely popular. This is a cute ride for kids familiar with ET or their parents for the nostalgia factor, but otherwise you’re not missing out on much if you skip this for something else on your ‘to do’ list at Universal.

On our last day at US, we were just going to spend the day on the Islands of Adventure side, when I remembered I didn’t get to ride the ET ride! We took the Hogwart’s Express to US side and made a run for the ride!
Being on that ride brought back so many memories and I felt like a kid again. I love the «bikes» you ride on and the whole experience. The props are pretty old, but it’s not like it’s a brand spanking new ride!
Don’t forget to take a pic with ET in the closet and on the bike… just like in the movie! It’s kind of pricy, but for me — it was worth it!