Guests to Universal’s Islands of Adventure Theme Park at the Universal Orlando Resort can get a closer look at the highly-anticipated new attraction, Jurassic World VelociCoaster, as they stroll along the recently redone and reopened bridge connecting The Lost Continent to Jurassic Park. The bridge, originally built as a bypass around construction for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, was kept and was often opened in peak seasons.
For the last several weeks, testing has been taking place of the new Jurassic World Velocicoaster. This process is necessary before the opening, and eagle-eyed observers at other areas of the attraction that have recently been revealed have also noticed the programming and adjustments of one of the launch sequences of the attraction, with the as-yet-unseen show scenes heard coming from the attraction before seeing the coaster launch out onto the track. Over this time, the number of trains along the track at any given time have also increased.
The new coaster takes up the area that was formerly the Triceratops Encounter/Triceratops Discovery Trail, with the entrance (and more of the coaster) occupying a chunk of the landing alongside the park’s central lagoon in front of the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. The docks that were formerly used as part of the short-lived Island Skipper Tours attraction at the park appear to be repurposed into the extended queue for the new coaster.
VelociCoaster will be the world’s first coaster based on the blockbuster Jurassic Park/World franchise, and will feature an original story that expands upon the thrills, dinosaurs and environments fans have seen on the big screen. Spanning more than 4,700 feet of track and reaching heights of up to 155 feet, the coaster’s signature maneuvers will have guests twisting and soaring above land, barrel rolling just inches above water, speeding through near-misses and launches within the paddock, and more…with just a lap restraint holding them in place. The coaster will also include two pulse-pounding launches, the fastest reaching 70 mph in 2.4 seconds, a 360-degree barrel roll right above the Inland Sea – Islands of Adventure’s show lagoon, a zero-gravity inverted stall that will send riders upside down across 100 feet of track in a jaw-dropping maneuver, a towering “Top Hat,” which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80 degree drop – Universal’s steepest drop yet, and 12 heart-pounding seconds of airtime throughout the entire adventure
The original cast of Jurassic World will return to be a part of the high-speed chase where park guests will feel the rush of the hunt while racing alongside a Velociraptor pack, with Chris Pratt reprising his role of Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, and B.D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu. Universal promises guests the chance to “Step into Jurassic Park and stand in awe and wonder at a land transformed by science after 65 million years. But don’t be deceived by the island’s beauty because danger lurks behind every corner. Only here can you live the adventure of coming face to face with giant creatures of the Earth’s past, encounter raptors roaming every day, or take a daring raft expedition through jungles teeming with dinosaurs.'
No specific opening date has been announced at this time, but Universal has said that Jurassic World VelociCoaster will be opening this Summer.