MARVELous Vacation (part 2): DOOM!

In the first installment of my little Universal Orlando travelogue, I chronicled my utter cowardice in the presense of the Incredible Hulk Coaster, the crown jewel of Marvel Super Hero Island, a sub-section of Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park.

With the unfortunate Hulk incident behind us, let's get to the attraction I did manage to muster up the courage for....

DR. DOOM'S FEAR FALL!

Don't let that happy blue sky fool you...the entrance to the ride was a foreboding medieval prison, presided over by Doom's leering mug.  Jutting from the roof of the structure were two 200 ft. towers, which (according to Doom's squawking loudspeaker monologue) were part of a "diabolical device" designed to "extract every ounce of fear" from my body.

Despite Doom's threats, I thought "What Would Reed Richard's Do?" (WWRRD).  Why, meet Doom's challenge, of course....so into the castle I went...uh, along with my wife and daughter (my son wisely volunteered to stay behind and "take pictures").

Time out: If I had read the following little tidbit of information regarding Fear Fall prior to experiencing it, I might have chosen the "take pictures" route as well.

From the official Universal Orlando website:

"The initial launch at the beginning of the ride uses more thrust than a 747 jet engine and accelerates faster than the space shuttle."

Well, then.

Maybe it was for the best I didn't know I'd soon be flying faster than a space shuttle astronaut as I trudged toward Doom's fear-sucking hell machine.

After strapping ourselves into the sturdy safety harnesses, a Doom-Bot could be heard counting down to zero and then....I was suddenly in the stratosphere screaming OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD at the top of my lungs....amazing considering they were still sitting on the ground 200 feet below.

One minute, a heart attack and an overflowing Depends® later, we were released from Doom's clutches...apparently supplying him with enough fear energy to light the Latverian countryside for months to come.

Happily, the "scream like a little girl" terror of Dr. Doom's Fear Fall would soon be banished by the sheer joy of the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride.

To be continued!