#Jurassic World Velocicoaster Is Now Open at Universal Orlando

Universal Studios fans know that the Velocicoaster was the worst kept secret at the park. Many could see construction within the park and rollercoaster track being placed, however, Universal took their sweet time confirming they were building anything. On June 10, Universal Orlando finally opened the Velocicoaster to everyone after weeks of technical rehearsals.

Universal Orlando is one of the most popular amusement parks in the world, welcoming around 11 million guests per year. The park features many of the most innovative, exciting rides in the world. The Velocicoaster now gives the park a standout rollercoaster that will have coaster fanatics from around the world coming to Orlando to experience this ride, especially Jurassic World fans, from the franchise on which the coaster is based.
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On May 2, annual passholders were given a preview of the ride, which led to rave reviews from media and guests alike. The ride is a multilaunch rollercoaster built by Intamin that takes guests on a crazy journey through the Velociraptor paddock at Jurassic World. The Velocicoaster is situated right in front of the Jurassic Park discovery center at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, providing extraordinary views for guests as soon as they enter the park.

Upon arrival to the Jurassic Park ride, guests are greeted by a grand sign accompanied by two velociraptor statues. The ride is incredibly close to the line and guests will get tremendous views of the intimidating experience they are getting in line for. Once inside the queue, guests will see an awesome statue of velociraptors along with a video narrated by Mr. D.N.A.

The queue is filled with many easter eggs from the films including a book by Dr. Ian Malcom, played by Jeff Goldblum in the Jurassic Park franchise. Animatronic velociraptors can also be seen in the queue, hooked up in their stables, ready to be released. The animatronics are quite impressive, with moving eyes and flaring nostrils. Guests have even stated you can feel the velociraptor’s breath.

B.D. Wong, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Chris Pratt reprise their roles in videos seen in the queue. Howard and Pratt explain the main story of the ride. Jurassic World has built a rollercoaster through its raptor paddock and Howard is inviting you to go on the ride. Of course, Pratt’s character, Owen Brady, is against this idea as velociraptors are incredibly dangerous creatures.

Guests are then moved into the main station which has large windows, providing views of the ride. It looks exactly like the observation windows from Jurassic World in the scene where the characters are staring at the Indominus Rex. When the ride begins, the ride exits the station and moves into the first launch area.

The cages surrounding the launch begin to shake as the raptors anticipate being launched with riders. Riders can hear Pratt telling them this is a terrible idea. The first launch takes riders from 0 to 50 mph in 3 seconds. The first half of the ride features riders flying through rocks and waterfalls, passing raptors along the way. Velocicoaster has 4 inversions and two are in this first half.

Riders then head into the second launch, which takes them from 40 mph to 70 mph in 2.4 seconds. The ride then goes into 155-foot a top hat, giving riders great air time and great views of the rest of the park. After heading down the drop at an 80-degree angle, riders are then flipped upside down in a “zero-gravity stall.” After doing a couple of turns, riders head down to the water and do a “360-degree inversion roll” which brings them incredibly close to the water. Universal is calling this unique roll the “mosasaurus roll.”

The rollercoaster then goes into the brake run where riders can finally catch their breath. Guests can then see photos of themselves on the ride and visit the gift shop where they can buy all the Velocicoaster merchandise, such as T-shirts and mugs.

The Velocicoaster is one of the most thrilling rides to come to Universal Studios in a while. The park is mostly known for its incredibly immersive attractions that utilize screens and practical effects to bring guests into the movies. It is the home of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an incredible land that takes visitors to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts.

The most recent attraction before the Velocicoaster is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It’s also a rollercoaster, but is much more family friendly.

While the new ride is in the Jurassic Park section, its theming resembles the more modern look featured in the Jurassic World movies. It’s the second Jurassic World ride to open in the United States as Universal Studios Hollywood recently completed a re-theming of their Jurassic Park River Adventure into Jurassic World. That ride now features an exciting climax where amazing animatronics of Blue, the Indominus Rex, and the T-Rex battle it out before riders splashdown.

The River Adventure in Universal Orlando remains the same, so fans can still get a mix of the old and the new. Also available is the Raptor Encounter. Visitors can take photos with an unstable velociraptor that is only being held back by a trainer. This experience has created many hilarious moments as guests become startled by the frantic actions of the raptor.

Also available in the Jurassic Park section is Camp Jurassic, a fun play-area for kids where they can climb around and explore various caves. Camp Jurassic also features the Pteranadon Flyers attraction, where guests can casually fly over the area.

It makes sense that Universal Studios would want to add representation from Jurassic World into their parks. Both the first film and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The third entry, Jurassic World: Domion, was supposed to debut in 2021, but has since been pushed to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dominion will be bringing back many of the original cast of Jurassic Park back including Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill.

The Velocicoaster is already receiving amazing reviews, with many calling it the best ride in Orlando. It is an absolute must for coaster enthusiasts and fans of the Jurassic Park franchise. Head out to Universal Studios now for the ride of your life.

Topics: Jurassic World