Jurassic World VelociCoaster: Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure Ushers in New Era

After nearly a year and a half of relative stagnation in Central Florida’s major theme parks, Universal Orlando will be ushering in the first new major attraction of the COVID recovery era with the Jurassic World VelociCoaster in the Jurassic Park area of Universal’s Islands of Adventure, officially opening on June 10.

Some annual passholder and employees have been able to get a sneak-peek of the ride, and the reviews are nearly universally (get it?) positive. For the rest of us that like building anticipation to the big day, we’ll go over what you can expect, the unique elements it contains, and what went into Orlando’s newest addition to its roller-coaster family. 

The Makings of the VelociCoaster

The attraction is the third at Universal Orlando by manufacturer Intamin, which previously created Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure for the two parks. 

The VelociCoaster will be Florida’s fastest and tallest launch-style coaster, as its dual-launch system will push speeds to 70 miles per hour after the second launch, and you’ll also experience a 140-foot drop at an 80-degree angle. 

This coaster also doesn’t just have loops and corkscrews—being upside-down is almost the norm on the VelociCoaster. There are four inversions, including a 360-degree barrel roll just inches above the main lagoon of Islands of Adventure and an inverted stall where you travel upside-down for 100 feet. 

Construction began in early 2019 in the area that formerly housed the Triceratops Encounter attraction that had been closed for several years. The ride itself was nearly completely built by the summer of 2020, but Universal didn’t officially announce what the project was until September 28, 2020. Construction walls came down this past February, and the opening date was announced in April. 

Because of the intense nature of the ride, the height restriction is a bit taller than most rides, sitting at 51 inches. 

Tons of Unique Features

The announcement of the attraction was filled with adjectives like “unique” and “first-of-its-kind,” which is tantalizing news for coaster enthusiasts, given that Orlando’s big three major attractions (Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld) have all opened plenty of unique coasters in recent years. 

Let’s start with the seats. Given that Universal says you’ll experience a total of 12 seconds of airtime, you would probably expect standard shoulder restraints here. Wrong. The seats for this coaster were specially designed without shoulder harnesses. They resemble video-game chairs that might be in your den or your teenager’s room right now, and they sit atop the train, leaving you fully exposed to the elements. The seats are spaced out two by two in 12 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. 

An Immersive Story

As you’ve come to expect from attractions in the Jurassic Park area of the park and with Universal as a whole, the ride itself is the culmination of a story that drops you right into a plot straight out of the Jurassic World series. 

For practical purposes, most of the queue and preshow is indoors, so you’ll be kept out of the heat, humidity, and rain if you’re going this summer, but you’ll need your masks inside, as they are still required while not outdoors. 

The queue features a view of the coaster’s second launch, and then a special effect makes it look like a pack of raptors is chasing the train. You’ll then learn a bit about the history of Jurassic Park creating raptors and come face-to-face with an animatronic stable of the creatures. 

You’ll pass a locker bay to store your belongings, and then it’s into the preshow video room, featuring Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). Much like they do in the films, Claire explains the experience the way someone would at a normal zoo, while Owen opines aloud that maybe placing a roller coaster inside the raptor den isn’t such a great idea. 

The ride itself takes place within the raptor paddock, complete with an elevated watchtower that features operating searchlights during nighttime rides. So strap in tight Orlando, you’re about to experience a wild ride!

Spoiler Alert!

If you just can’t wait to experience the ride for yourself, Universal Orlando released a POV (point-of-view) video of the entire ride. Watch it here. 

Cover Image

Artist rendition of the new Jurassic World Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando; Copyright Universal Orlando

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