It was when they asked me to remove my slingbacks that I knew I was in trouble. It had seemed harmless enough, walking through the forest grounds of an ancient castle, taking in the view. Now, I could hear the screams from above and to the left and right of me. Suddenly I found my shoulders gripped by something hard and immovable. I shut my eyes and said my first Hail Mary in years. We started moving upwards, bare legs dangling in the wind. Within seconds I was being hurled around at acute angles at great speed and screaming my head off.
Duelling Dragons is the first dual coaster in the world. Victims are strapped into one of two coasters - Fire Dragon or Ice Dragon - which then speed towards each other at 60mph averting impact at the last second. It's terrifying, eyes open or shut, and best tackled on an empty stomach and definitely no hangover. Those wanting to ride the dragons must travel to the Lost Continent, part of Universal's new Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, which boasts Steven Spielberg as creative consultant. It sits next door to Universal Studios and City Walk, a 30-acre themed complex full of bars, clubs and restaurants.
Temporary respite came in the form of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride. Moving in sync with 3D images that brought our surroundings alive, I could have sworn it really was Spiderman that landed on the bonnet of our car as it whizzed past fireballs and through water down into a 400ft sensory drop to be caught by his web. It was brilliant: I went on twice and felt about 10 years old.
However, there's nothing like another dose of terror to concentrate the mind. The Incredible Hulk Coaster gave me a great chance to practise all those yoga deep breathing exercises I first learnt in the Alps when I got stuck in a blinding snowstorm. The Hulk, as it's affectionately known, catapulted us up a 150ft tunnel with the same force as a US Air Force F-16 fighter attack jet, turning us upside down more than 110 feet above ground. It took us from zero to 40mph in two seconds. I wished I'd paid more attention to my war reporter colleagues when they talked about coping with fear. My companions headed for Doctor Doom's Fearfall, which fires you 200ft to the top of a steel tower only to plummet you to the ground again at great speed. I went to the souvenir shop.
In between helping Spiderman save The Statue of Liberty from evil villains and visiting the moving, lifesize triceratops at Jurassic Park, my inner child was calling again, taking me on a gentle meander through Seuss Landing, which is based on The Cat in the Hat novels of Theodore Geisel. We wandered through a colourful world of bendy buildings and wiggly trees all deliberately constructed without any straight lines. It was full of children and none of them were crying. Fantastic.
The next day we headed for Universal Studios and the Men in Black ride, which features Will Smith as Agent J and Rip Torn as Director Zed. Armed with laser guns and riding in hi-tech MIB cars through the mean streets of New York, only we could help save the world from aliens whose spaceship had just landed.
Judging by the long queues, this life-size interactive video game where riders compete with the car next to them is one of the most popular rides. Also popular is Terminator 2, a 3D battle between the forces of good (Arnold Schwarzenegger and team) and evil (cyborgs). Filmed by the original Termina tor crew, it's full of live action and scary virtual bits - the silver tentacles of the T One Million monster reach out to grab you as you move through the nasty Skynet empire. As Arnie says: 'If you vant to live, come vit me.'
Having now saved the world twice in one day, it was time for some gentle regression courtesy of the world of Hanna Barbera, where Yogi Bear, Shaggy and Scooby Doo and the Flintstones took us on a high-speed motion simulator 3D chase.
Most of our evenings were spent at City Walk, a babel of restaurants and bars a boat ride away from our Italian-themed Portofino Bay Hotel. I did feel confused at times. Who wouldn't? Theme parks by day, themed restaurants by night and a hotel that was pretending to be in Italy. But however cynical I felt, I couldn't ignore just how welcoming and cheerful everyone was.
I doubt I'll ever let anyone hang me upside down ever again. It's exciting, but too exhausting. But then being a child is, isn't it?
Our guide to the rides and their fear factor
Key
· Enjoy the ride
·· Hang onto your friend
··· Don't eat breakfast
Men In Black
·
A ride-through an interactive video game where participants are given laser guns to shoot the aliens that have landed in New York, in competition with the vehicles next to them. At the end of the ride you are given your score. If it's high enough you win an Armani suit like the ones worn in the film.
Jaws
·
A boat ride around a reconstruction of New England village Amity Island where Jaws lunges out of the water, trying to upturn the boat in a series of attacks.
The Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show
·
Live 15-minute action stunt show featuring gun fights, fist fights and explosions.
Jurassic Park
·
Inspired by Steven Spielberg's film, a palm covered 'island' complete with a 'living' dinosaur, Pteranodon Flyers, Jurassic Park River Adventure, a Discovery Centre and Camp Jurassic, an interactive play area where you can discover the amber mine with its fossilised veins of prehistoric insects.
Islands of Adventure
·
Consists of five themed 'islands'. The Incredible Adventures of Spiderman is part of the Marvel Super Hero Island. Universal claims this has the most advanced technology of all the attractions. Incredibly realistic 3D hi-tech effects that took over four years to create. The ride travels from the offices of the 'Daily Record' newspaper where Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, works as a reporter, to the mean streets of New York, where riders help our hero retrieve the Statue of Liberty, stolen by evil villains.
Toon Lagoon
·
Brings to life more than 150 cartoon characters, including Popeye, Olive Oil, Betty Boop and Krazy Kat.
Seuss Landing
·
Children's books are brought to life with a series of colourful unscary rides, including The Cat In The Hat and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Check out the green eggs and ham at the diner.
Terminator 2
··
A $60 million interactive show combining fantastic cinematography, digital computer graphics and live stunts.
Back to the Future
··
Time-travellers enter a replica of the car used in the film, free-falling down volcanic tunnels with molten lava, travelling from the Ice Age to the year 2015 engulfed in liquid nitrogen fog, giving the feeling of travelling through space. The car rocks like a flight simulator
Earthquake: The Big One
··
Travel on a replica of the San Francisco subway train and experience a simulated earthquake that hits 8.3 on the Richter scale. Scarily realistic, with crashing trains, explosions, crumbling walls and tidal waves created by 64,000 gallons of water, recycled every six minutes.
Duelling Dragons
···
Part of Lost Continents, which includes a recreation of medieval England complete with a Merlin with a Home Counties accent, the Eighth voyage of Sinbad, Poseidon's Fury: Escape from the Lost City [of Atlantis] and a child size rollercoaster called The Flying Unicorn. Don't be fooled. It's scary.
The Incredible Hulk
···
This rollercoaster's loops dominate the park. It turns upside down seven times in two minutes at speeds of 60mph. Be sure to ride on an empty stomach.
Portofino Bay Hotel
A five-star hotel with health spa that replicates the harbour of the Italian seaside village of Portofino. The Italian theme is meticulously consistent - from Mama Della's Italian restaurant complete with a singer and accordionist, to the wooden fishing boats bobbing in the waterfront harbour, imported from Italy. Artists from the real Portofino have recreated the building façades using old painting techniques. A free 10-minute boat ride away from all the attractions, guests get to go to the front of the queues and are given the first hour of the parks' opening to themselves.
· Dorota Nosowicz travelled with Airtours (0800 028 7094). Seven nights' room-only at the Portofino Bay Hotel starts at £1,049 per person (£1,199 in peak season) with first child places for £99 and second child prices for £299. An upgrade on the flights to Premiair Gold class, with extra legroom and larger seats, costs £149. UYou can pre-book your theme park tickets before you depart or buy them during the flight.
