The Lost Continent was once among Islands of Adventure’s largest areas, until its medieval Merlinwood section was repurposed into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter–Hogsmeade, leaving only the Arabian and Ancient Greek portions intact.
What’s left of Lost Continent is extremely well themed and features the park’s only attractions that aren’t tied to a licensed intellectual property. Lost Continent can be reached directly from Hogsmeade or Seuss Landing, or on busy days via a bypass bridge to Jurassic Park.
The best attraction in the Lost Continent
The best attraction in Lost Continent may be the Mystic Fountain, an interactive talking fountain in front of the entrance to The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show.
A cast member behind the scenes controls the fountain and is able to talk to and hear from anyone who approaches. Many kids seem mesmerized by it. Parents can grab a quick snack or drink while the little ones are entertained by the fountain mere steps away.
The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show is held in a large, covered, open-air auditorium. This stunt show follows Sindbad the Sailor and his klutzy sidekick, Kabob, as they search for treasure in a mysterious cave.
Sindbad and Kabob meet various monsters and an evil queen, braving water explosions, 10-foot-tall circles of flame, and various other eruptions and perturbations as they (of course) rescue a princess in distress. The show climaxes in an impressive fire-burn stunt where a flaming actor takes a high dive into the lagoon.
As far as Orlando’s stunt shows go, Sindbad ranks near the bottom. The stunning set was built before the script was even written, and it shows. Not unlike an action movie that substitutes a mind-numbing succession of explosions, crashes, and special effects for plot and character development, the production is so vacuous and redundant (not to mention silly) that it’s hard to get into the spirit of the thing.
When our researchers went to review Sindbad, one team member passed, explaining that the show is like a colonoscopy: Once every 10 years is enough.
Touring tips: See The Eighth Voyage after you’ve experienced the rides and the better-rated shows. We’d only recommend this show if it was unbearably hot or grapefruit-size hail was falling from the sky. We’d take our chances going someplace else if it was just, you know, golf ball–size hail. Shows typically begin around noon, and it’s rare for the theater to fill up.
If you want to find out more about the Lost Continent and all there is to see at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, get hold of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando by Seth Kubersky. This brand-new book is the first comprehensive Unofficial Guide dedicated to Universal Orlando. The book offers touring advice and exclusively patented, field-tested touring plans that save hours of standing in line in a single day.
