As of June 10th, Universal Orlando Resorts’ newest attraction, Velocicoaster, has roared to life. With its arrival, Universal makes a resounding statement about the level of competition they aim to compete. With an estimated $400 million spent on designing and implementing new coaster construction and renovations of bayside Jurassic Park Discovery Center, Universal Islands of Adventure is all in.
Upon arrival to the newly established entry point of Velocicoaster, two metallic Raptors welcome to the paddock, we would not call this a friendly greeting. Turning into the open area in front of the discovery center, you arrive to a score John Williams himself would be proud to conduct. Entering the queue, you start along a path that will showcase every angle of the coasters outer portion. From the vantage of said queue angles, the world record stall, bayside barrel roll, and the now skyline shattering 80° vertical plummet can be seen.
After the outer queue is complete, you enter the best interior queue, themed experience in all of Orlando. You are surprisingly introduced to an old friend of major JP fans, Mr. DNA! He explains the background of your “raptor run”. Echo, Delta, Charlie, and Blue stand resolute in their prehistoric perch. From themed LED lighting changes to a classic medley of Jurassic scores, this first interior room is just an appetizer to what is ahead.
Wrapping through the hallway to windows of Velocicoaster’s second launch, you will find a holographic display of our famous ferocious friends running along the train. Henry Wu is a welcome additional to the all-star cast in a very similar role to that of Dr. Ogden in Disney’s Avatar Flight of Passage. He states his objective in the matter, “More Teeth!”. As a side note, look for Ian Malcolm’s new book.
After discarding your items in IOAs first pass through locker system, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady proceed to have an administrative discussion on the safety of your oncoming experience with the world’s most intelligent predators. While we would gladly welcome more JW cast dialogue, we are thankful to see meaningful conversation, grounding a fantastical experience into the foreground of imagination.
You will now arrive to your vehicle for the afternoon, “Aren’t they glorious!?”. Every seat has its pros and cons, further forward you have a better view, further rearward your ride becomes more vicious.
Upon disembarking, you will shortly receive a warning from Owen. The train lurches back and pounces alongside your scaly companions into action. Roaring to 50 mph, you begin what we would term, “the high and tight” portion of the ride. While traveling through the themed paddock, you will see each raptor and feel the inertial movement of a raptor’s maneuvers. You will then rocket to 70 mph in preparation for the famous Top Hat. You will feel every second of airtime throughout the entire ride. The view of the bay is spectacular. Here you bank, roll, stall, and rage through the remaining run with your raptor friends!
Velocicoaster is one attraction that requires muscle memory. In this sense, we mean you must experience it multiple times to fully understand what is occurring. To break it down in silver linings, Velocicoaster will be the best new coaster in the world for the foreseeable future. It is thrilling, fast, focused, and contains without a doubt the best queue we have ever experienced. From a negative standpoint, the ride itself requires a more detailed projection of raptors while in the paddock, as you do not feel like you could die a prehistoric death. Also, the seating arrangement allows for a great deal of air movement, which as avid riders startled us at times.
All in all, this ride receives an 8.75/10 from me. Much of our criticism is highly detailed, meaning there remains a very stable foundation of themed excellence. As a reminder of the 28th anniversary of the initial installment in the Jurassic series, Velocicoaster is worth every ounce of a 2-3 hour wait.
Thank you, Brock Pence & Bella Hamm
