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VelociCoaster

Coordinates: 28°28′17″N 81°28′19″W / 28.47127°N 81.471999°W / 28.47127; -81.471999
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Jurassic World VelociCoaster
File:VelociCoaster Concept Art.jpg
Concept Art
Universal's Islands of Adventure
LocationUniversal's Islands of Adventure
Park sectionJurassic Park
Coordinates28°28′17″N 81°28′19″W / 28.47127°N 81.471999°W / 28.47127; -81.471999
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateApril 30, 2021 (2021-04-30)
Opening dateJune 10, 2021 (2021-06-10)[1]
ReplacedTriceratops Encounter
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerUniversal Creative
ModelBlitz Coaster
Lift/launch systemLSM
Height155 ft (47 m)
Drop140 ft (43 m)
Length4,700 ft (1,400 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions4
Max vertical angle80°
Height restriction51 in (130 cm)
Trains4 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
ThemeJurassic World
Launches
  • 1st: 0 to 50 mph (80 km/h) in 2 seconds
  • 2nd: 40 mph (64 km/h) to 70 mph (110 km/h) in 2.4 seconds
Pre-show hostsClaire Dearing
Owen Grady
WebsiteOfficial website
Jurassic World VelociCoaster at RCDB

VelociCoaster (marketed as Jurassic World Velocicoaster) is an upcoming launched roller coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Manufactured by Intamin, the coaster will be themed to the Jurassic World film franchise and is scheduled to open on June 10, 2021.[1][2][3] It is also Universal's third collaboration with Intamin, following the installations of Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (2014) and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (2019).[4][5][6][7]

VelociCoaster will be located in the Islands of Adventure's Jurassic Park area, occupying the site of the former Triceratops Encounter attraction.[8][9] It will feature two high-speed launches powered by linear synchronous motors, a signature 155-foot-tall (47 m) top hat, several inversions, and a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).[10][11][12]

History

Construction

Around the same time that Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was under construction in 2018, early reports indicated that the Universal Orlando Resort had filed permits earlier in the year (under the name "Project 791") calling for the demolition and site clearing of the area that formerly housed the Triceratops Encounter attraction.[13] The attraction had been closed and abandoned for nearly a decade, signaling that a new attraction was being planned as a replacement.[13] 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.[14][15]

Construction continued in full swing throughout 2019, with crews completely clearing out the former Triceratops Encounter attraction in addition to unused land in and around the park's existing Discovery Centre building. A bridge connecting the Jurassic Park area to The Lost Continent was also razed.[16] In June 2019, the first pieces of track for the unannounced coaster were delivered and stored offsite.[17] 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.[18]

In early 2020, after months of concrete groundwork and further preparation, the project went vertical, as pieces of the now-massive stash of coaster track and supports were delivered to the construction site and installed.[19] During the initial COVID-19 lockdown, construction would temporarily pause and then later resume at a rapid pace when cleared to do so. Much of the coaster had been constructed by the time that the Universal Orlando Resort was cleared to reopen to guests in June 2020, attracting the unreserved attention of park guests and local media alike.[20] The tallest point of the ride, the 155-foot (47 m) tall top hat, was topped off and the element completed in early July.[21]

Announcement and further preparation

Amid high degrees of media attention and coverage of the project, Universal themselves had not once acknowledged the increasingly evident construction project and coaster, instead silently maintaining that such a project did not exist while making no attempts to cover it up or reduce its visibility. Following a website leak on September 25, the Universal Orlando Resort formally announced the Jurassic World VelociCoaster on September 28, 2020, billing it as a "new species of roller coaster" and as the tallest and fastest launch coaster in Florida.[22][23] The ride was confirmed to feature 12 airtime moments, a 100-foot (30 m) long zero-g stall, and a barrel roll over the lagoon.[24]

Since then, Universal has continued to release all of the new information on VelociCoaster as well as make progress towards the slated Summer 2021 opening. On December 4, 2020, new official closeups of the ride's sleek set of trains were revealed, and it would begin making consistent tests in front of the public eye.[25][26] On January 25, 2021, reports indicated that the ride had begun testing with riders after nearly two months of running with test dummies.[27] Two days later, the park released further details of the new coaster. VelociCoaster will have a 140-foot (43 m) drop at an 80-degree angle. The trains would have a lap bar instead of an over-the-shoulder restraint.[28] The first launch would accelerate guests from 0 to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) in 3 seconds and the second one would be 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) in 2.4 seconds.[29] Construction walls were taken down around the ride area in late February 2021, enabling park visitors to further views of the attraction.[30] On April 6, 2021, the official opening date for VelociCoaster was announced for June 10, 2021.[1]

Ride experience

Queue

The Queue begins just outside the bottom floor of the Discovery Center. Guest enter the paddock where neon lights glow and the coaster races outside the building. As the guest moves through the queue, they can see a statue of the four velociraptors, (Blue, Echo, Delta, Charlie) near the end, as a tv monitor above the guest heads plays a video where Mr. DNA briefly talks about Velociraptors. As guest past some more television screens providing info on the ride, they come across two of the raptors contained in their chambers. They occasionally shake, blink, and move but are very restricted in their movements. Next guest move into a dark room where 4 windows allow the guest to see the second launch in the ride. As a coaster races past, the raptors can be seen chasing after the coaster. Guest then enter the lockers area. This area is unique as the lockers are two way lockers. Guests put their belongings in one side, and as guests exit they remove their items from the other side. As guest go through a metal detector, they are ushered up a set of stairs, here a big screen has Claire Dearing talking about the experience from a business standpoint, she would then call raptor trainer Owen Grady who constantly bad talks the idea and tries to discourage the riders from going on. Then riders reach the boarding area and are assigned two people to a row.

Ride

References

  1. ^ a b c Kleinhenz, Marc (April 6, 2021). "Jurassic World VelociCoaster's opening date REVEALED". Orlando Informer. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  2. ^ James Gabriel Martin (December 11, 2020). "First look at the Jurassic World VelociCoaster coming to Universal Orlando in 2021". Lonely Planet. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  3. ^ Levine, Arthur (September 29, 2020). "Universal Orlando announces new rapturous Jurassic World roller coaster". USAToday. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Biesiada, Jamie (September 29, 2020). "Florida's fastest, tallest roller coaster coming to Universal Orlando". Travel Weekly. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "VelociCoaster is Going to Change EVERYTHING at Universal Orlando Resort. Here's Why". Theme Park Tourist. November 14, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  6. ^ Nick Weisenberger (July 22, 2014). "Coasters-101: Escape from Gringotts Secrets Revealed". Coaster101. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure". IAAPA.org. August 1, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Nelson, Dustin (September 29, 2020). "The First Jurassic World Roller Coaster Is Full of Raptors & Looks Intense". thrillist.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Marc N. Kleinhenz (September 25, 2020). "Jurassic World VelociCoaster REVEALED". Orlando Informer. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. ^ McReynolds, Landon. "Hold onto your butts: Universal Orlando shares details about Jurassic World VelociCoaster". Click Orlando. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Carter, Ashley (September 28, 2020). "Universal Orlando Officially Announces New Jurassic VelociCoaster, Reveals More Details". mynews13.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. ^ Dufrense, Alessa (December 9, 2020). "VelociCoaster Rock Work Will Be Terrifyingly Close to Riders". InsideTheMagic. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Murillo, Tyler (November 4, 2018). "What Kind of Coaster Will Arrive in Jurassic Park?". worldofuniversal.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Skambis, Chip (January 19, 2019). "New Jurassic Park roller coaster headed to Islands of Adventure, documents show". WFTV. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Stella, Alicia (January 18, 2019). "Jurassic Park Roller Coaster Update and Track Layout Revealed for Islands of Adventure". OrlandoParkstop. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Stella, Alicia (March 4, 2019). "Jurassic Park Roller Coaster Waterfront Changes and Updated Track Layout for Islands of Adventure". OrlandoParkstop. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Young, Josh (June 25, 2019). "TPU Exclusive: Jurassic World Coaster Track Arrives in Orlando". themeparkuniversity.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  18. ^ Carter, Ashley (July 31, 2019). "Universal Trademark Filing Hints at New Coaster Name". mynews13.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Stella, Alicia (March 20, 2020). "Jurassic Park Roller Coaster Construction & Rumor Update – March 2020". OrlandoParkstop. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  20. ^ LeCompte, Brianna (June 7, 2020). "Check Out the Construction Progress on the Jurassic Park Coaster at Universal Orlando!". allears.net. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  21. ^ White, Tharin (July 9, 2020). "Photo Update: Jurassic Park 'Velocicoaster' tops off highest point". AttractionsMagazine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  22. ^ Glenn, Brian (September 28, 2020). "Universal Orlando shares first-look and details on Jurassic World VelociCoaster; opening 2021". insideuniversal.net. Retrieved December 30, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Nolfi, Joey (September 29, 2020). "Universal unleashes new Jurassic World: VelociCoaster thrill ride details". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  24. ^ Tremaine, Julie (September 29, 2020). "Meet The VelociCoaster, Universal Orlando's Newest Thrill Ride". Forbes. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  25. ^ Corless, Tom (December 4, 2020). "FIRST LOOK: Universal Offers Close-Up of Jurassic Park VelociCoaster Roller Coaster Trains". WDW News Today. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  26. ^ White, Tharin (December 13, 2020). "Watch the Jurassic World Velocicoaster testing at Universal Orlando". AttractionsMagazine. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  27. ^ @OrlandoInformer (January 25, 2021). "Step aside, test dummies – VelociCoaster is now testing..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Universal Orlando Shares New Details About VelociCoaster".
  29. ^ "Everything We Know About the VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando".
  30. ^ Carter, Ashley (February 24, 2021). "Universal's VelociCoaster Construction Walls Come Down, Revealing More of Ride". Spectrum News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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