Jurassic World: Velocicoaster

Velocicoaster’s Logo

**Jurassic World: Velocicoaster** is the newest high-speed roller-coaster at Islands of Adventure, opening on June 10th, 2021, and being the fastest roller coaster at Islands of Adventure at 70 mph. The slogan is "The Apex Predator of Coasters".

## History

### Construction

Universal Orlando hired Intamin to construct a new ride to replace the inactive *Triceratops Encounter* attraction, which had been closed for nearly a decade. The initiative, dubbed "Project 791" in permits filed by the park, would be the third collaboration between both parties following Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (2014) and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (2019). The permits filed in 2018 called for the demolition and site clearing of Triceratops Encounter, signaling to the public that a new attraction may be coming. Construction walls were erected in January 2019, and project documents were leaked online shortly after showing an overhead layout of a proposed roller coaster project.

Construction entered full swing by the spring of 2019, with the removal of Triceratops Encounter and the clearing of unused land in and around the park's existing Discovery Centre building. A bridge connecting The Lost Continent and Jurassic Park areas was also razed. In June 2019, the first pieces of track for the unannounced coaster were delivered and stored offsite. In July 2019, Universal Parks & Resorts filed a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the name "VelociCoaster", which fans quickly deduced to be the name of the new unannounced coaster.

In early 2020, following months of concrete groundwork and further preparation, the extensive collection of track and supports already in storage were delivered to the construction site and installed. Construction was temporarily halted during the initial COVID-19 lockdown and later resumed at a rapid pace. Much of the construction was completed by the time Universal Orlando Resort was cleared to reopen in June 2020, attracting the unreserved attention of park guests and local media. The 155-foot (47 m) tall top hat element, the highest point of the ride, was topped out and completed the following month in early July.

### Announcement and further preparation

Universal initially refused to confirm that it was constructing a roller coaster, even after the ride had been topped out. On September 28, 2020, Universal formally announced the new ride as Jurassic World VelociCoaster, billing it as a "new species of roller coaster" and the tallest and fastest launch coaster in Florida. It was confirmed that the ride would feature twelve airtime moments, a 100-foot-long (30 m) zero-g stall, and a barrel roll over the lagoon for its finale.

Universal continued to release new information on VelociCoaster before the ride's 2021 scheduled opening. In December 2020, closeups of the trains were published, and early testing was underway. In January 2021, VelociCoaster hosted its first riders. More details surrounding the specs of the new coaster were released shortly after, including its 140-foot (43 m) drop at an 80-degree angle and the use of a lap bar instead of an over-the-shoulder restraint. The first launch accelerates guests from 0 to 50 mph (0 to 80 km/h) in 2 seconds, and the second one adds an acceleration boost from 40 to 70 mph (64 to 113 km/h) in 2.4 seconds.

Construction walls around the construction area were taken down in late February 2021, giving park guests better views of the new coaster. In April 2021, VelociCoaster's official opening date was announced. A soft opening to press and enthusiasts was hosted on May 7, 2021, and the ride was well-received. An official on-ride point-of-view video was released to the public on May 28. The attraction formally opened on June 10, 2021, with guests waiting in the queue for up to four hours.

## Ride Experience

The ride begins with a launch, which then leads into multiple jump scares from the raptors, Blue, Charlie, Echo, and Delta, and there are multiple inversions throughout the paddock, which then launches into the top hat, which is the big drop, after that, there is a part where you are hung upside down for 2 seconds, you then go into the water which leading into the Mosasaurus roll, where people say it feels like you're being thrown into the water, after the Mosasaurus roll, you go back into the station.

## Queue

It begins with a statue of the raptors featured in the ride, with a model of the top hat over them. Near the exit of the first room, there is a TV screen where Mr. DNA gives the synopsis of the ride. Then there is a screen that is disguised as a window where a raptor chases the car for the ride. There is then a raptor training room, where Dr. Henry Wu gives a speech about the Velocicoaster. There is then a screen that is a fake security camera, where it says where the raptors and the car is, shortly after that you walk into a room with a few raptor cages, two raptor's have escaped and the other two are attempting to escape. There is then a locker room with multiple easter eggs. There is then a pre-show where Claire Dearing welcomes you to the ride, while Owen Grady is warning you about the danger of it. After the pre-show, you walk into the loading station.

## Trivia

* One of the more infamous examples in Universal Park history. Construction began in January 2019, and that same month the ride's blueprints were leaked, giving enthusiasts an idea of what the ride is. Despite this, it took almost two years for Universal to even acknowledge that the ride was being built, even as its track work was obviously taking shape.
* The ride's development wasn't seriously impacted by COVID, so it is noteworthy that its opening day, June 10, 2021, happens to be just one day before the original intended release date of *Jurassic World Dominion*.
* During the construction of the *VelociCoaster*, an osprey tried to build its nest on top of the high hat, catching the attention and adoration of observers as it ignored any attempt to get it to move, at one point even clawing through the plastic tarp Universal set up to try and block its preferred perching spot. The fact that ospreys are considered a different kind of 'raptor' is another amusing coincidence. As a happy ending, Universal was able to eventually safely encourage it to move its nest elsewhere, and the osprey was immortalised in one of the ride's pre-show videos where it appears alongside the dinosaurs that InGen is researching.
* Because of Universal's silence on the nature of the ride during much of its construction despite it being highly visible to park guests, jokes about the ride actually being a churro stand caught on. This paid off when opening day riders of the *VelociCoaster* received a free churro for their time.
* Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong all return to play their film roles for the ride's preshow. Thanks to *Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind*, this means that Chris Pratt is the star of the marquee roller coasters at both Universal and Disney.
* It is rumored based on early renders that a small show scene at the very end of the ride was planned: Just before returning to the unload area, a dinosaur animatronic would leap out as a final jump scare. For whatever reason this was cut, and the small building extension that would've housed the animatronic wasn't built.
* It's working title was Project: 791