The coaster is as relentless as the raptors supposedly chasing us. You would think after that colossal drop, the designers of this ride would give us a quick moment to catch our breath. It's honestly difficult to describe - the lap bar obviously works perfectly, yet on the descent, it feels as if you're being pulled away from the ride car. Oh, and remember that promised dozen seconds of airtime? What makes the VelociCoaster different is that when you drop from that Top Hat, you're coming down at 80 degrees and catching air. It takes you up to the signature element of the ride, the 155-foot "Top Hat." That's coaster-speak for an element usually found in launched coasters where there is a 90-degree rise and an equally steep fall. This launch hits 70 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds. The first half of the ride comes to a (very) brief stop inside the paddock area where people in the queue can see the vehicle take off for a second time. Related: Hottest new theme park attractions for 2021 The speed is intense, but the design of the tracks combined with the vehicle makes for an incredibly smooth experience. The VelociCoaster feels as if you're shot out of a cannon and before you can even get your bearings from that, you're going through one of the four inversions of the ride.
That, and the fact there is only a lap bar keeping you in place, starts to run through your mind as the ride inches closer to the loading dock and the first of two high-speed launches.īelieve me when I tell you that even if you're braced for it, there is no way to be prepared for the moment the ride launches you.
There are no shoulder restraints, and Universal promises riders 12 seconds of airtime during the ride. The ride has six specially designed, open-sided vehicles that seat four people per car with two in each row. This sequence was prepared specifically for the ride (and filmed in Los Angeles just before the pandemic shut down all in-person production) and features the bickering chemistry that made them such a winning combo on screen. Given how lucrative the Jurassic World franchise is to Universal across multiple platforms, the Orlando park took a page from Jurassic Park's John Hammond's book and "spared no expense" when it came time to create this truly immersive experience.įrom there, you wind up in a room with a massive video screen and the two stars of the Jurassic World franchise, Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt, appear in character. Long lines at a theme park are unavoidable, and the genius minds who are coming up with new rides have clearly invested just as much creative energy into the queue as the experience on the coaster tracks. As I walked by, you could hear people talking about how excited they were - not just to experience the ride itself but also to check out the queue.Īs detailed in TPG's announcement post for the ride's opening, the story begins well before you board the coaster. But the sweltering 90-degree Florida heat didn't do a thing to dampen the enthusiasm of the people in the crowd. The line to ride was over two hours long almost immediately after the park opened its doors on a cloudless, scorching hot Orlando day. I've never actually been at a theme park for the opening day of a ride - much less one with the hype of the VelociCoaster.Īnd the excitement in Jurassic Park at the Islands of Adventure was off the charts. But those experiences were strictly "for the media" events with minimal crowds.
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Having done a lot of pop culture-related coverage in my career, I've been fortunate to have been able to get early looks at theme park rides such as the King Kong and Fast and the Furious rides, plus the debut of Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
(And as a Miami native and an annual passholder, I've been to Universal Orlando more times than I care to count.)įor more travel news delivered to your inbox daily, sign up for TPG's daily newsletter. Along with Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure, the new coaster gives Universal a one-two punch that sets Universal Orlando apart from the offering of its cross-town rival and its date attractions.īilled as the tallest, fastest and most intense coaster experience in Florida, the brand-new ride opened to the public at Universal's Islands of Adventure Thursday, June 10, and the anticipation for the attraction led to some of the biggest crowds I've ever seen at the park. That's how wild and utterly thrilling the new Jurassic World VelociCoaster rollercoaster is of an experience. In the ongoing experiential arms race between theme park superpowers Universal and Disney, the newest attraction at Universal Orlando is quite the weapon in its arsenal.
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