Complete Guide to Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure

70 miles per hour… that might read like the speed limit on the highway to Universal Orlando Resort but it’s also how fast the NEW Jurassic World VelociCoaster is at Universal Islands of Adventure. 

I’ve talked about my love for dinosaurs in a previous blog and how as a little girl I dreamt of having my own dinosaur in my backyard. I walked down the aisle at my wedding (in Costa Rica!) to the film score of my favorite movie, Jurassic Park. I’m not kidding when I tell you I was beyond PUMPED to combine my love for dinosaurs AND roller coasters on Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

Let me tell you, this coaster is INCREDIBLE. It’s one of those experiences that leaves you in such awe from the minute you step foot into the queue, you can barely put it into words.

Now, welcome to… the complete guide to Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

THE STORY

A little more about the ride’s story: this ride is imagined to take place shortly before the events of the first Jurassic World film when Claire Dearing, resort operations manager of Jurassic World, was challenged to add “more teeth” to the park. Claire has already green-lit development for the Indominus rex, but it seems there’s been a hiccup and that exhibit is being slightly delayed. With the Velociraptors showing signs of intelligence and responding to Owen Grady’s command, Claire has designed a new ride. It seems it would be a great idea to construct a roller coaster right in the middle of a Raptor paddock. Right?

THE QUEUE

As you make your way through the entrance of VelociCoaster, you’ll encounter two towering bronze Velociraptor sculptures framing the hero moment of the ride, showing off a signature inverted stall move.

In the lobby you’ll see a =sculpture representation of Jurassic World’s four star Raptors – Blue, Delta, Echo, and Charlie – before coming face-to-face with them on the ride. You’ll also see a safety message from Mr. DNA, of course.

As you continue through the queue, you’ll be feet away from the 70mph launch. At this moment you’ll feel air pressure and Raptors screech past you. It’s a thrilling moment in itself, getting you even more pumped to ride!

MEET THE RAPTORS

You’ll then make your way into the Raptor Stable. You’ll come face-to-face (literally) with two full-grown Velociraptors — Delta and Echo. You’ll feel and smell their breath as they stand waiting to be groomed. I could have stared at these girls for hours on end with how realistic they were. 

(You’ll encounter all four Raptors again out in the paddock while you’re on the coaster, but keep an eye out for them — you’re moving pretty quick!)

Throughout the queue, the paddock walls offer a few “peek-a-boo” style views where you’ll watch the coaster weave in and out of the rockwork. If you look closely, you might even see a few Raptors in the paddock. Before riding, you’ll watch a safety briefing from Claire Dearing. We also see Owen from the Raptor Dispatch with a warning right before loading onto the ride.

THE RIDE

Jurassic World VelociCoaster is now the fastest and tallest launch coaster in Florida. It’s also equipped with FOUR inversions, with only a lap bar restraint. For me, going upside down with only a lap bar is a true thrill in itself!

At the very start of the ride, you’ll launch 70mph in just 2.4 seconds through the Raptor paddock, barely missing the Raptors and being way too close for comfort!

Then, you’ll launch to 50mph in 3 seconds before experiencing one of the most unique elements of the ride, a 155ft tall “Top Hat” which gives you the illusion of flying over Islands of Adventure for a moment before dropping 140 feet down at 80 degrees. The track also crosses over and under itself 40 times. To me, the disorientation of the track makes it hard for you to even realize where you’re going and next thing you know, you’re already in another awesome maneuver!

The entire ride is absolutely incredible, but my favorite maneuver is the barrel roll over the Islands of Adventure lagoon toward the very end. The cool part about this epic finale is that the airtime you’ll experience is JUST as intense as that “Top Hat” I mentioned, except this time YOU’RE UPSIDE-DOWN!

RIDE STATS:

• VelociCoaster has no brakes until it’s over.
• VelociCoaster is the fastest roller coaster at any Universal park.
• VelociCoaster does not slow down – it actually speeds up, the second half of the ride is faster than the first, and it maintains some of its fastest speeds all the way to the final brakes.
• VelociCoaster will have more extreme airtime than any other coaster at Universal, it’s all about speed, airtime, and direction changes. This airtime will be experienced not only right-side-up, but also upside down, and even sideways.
• There are several inversions on this ride that are not experienced on any other Universal coaster:
  • A dive loop where you rotate upside down while floating in your seat before diving down to the ground
  • An inverted stall where you quickly flip upside down and are weightless in your seat while navigating 100ft of inverted track  
  • A one-of-a-kind high speed barrel roll taken at around 50 mph where you roll upside down 360 degrees only a few feet from the surface of the lagoon

RIDE DETAILS:

• Minimum height requirement of 51″ (130 centimeters) to ride
• You will need, and want, a locker for this ride (Plus, VelociCoaster offers the first ever dual lockers at Universal Orlando Resort)
• Child Swap is available upon request

MEET-AND-GREET: RAPTOR ENCOUNTER

The other really cool part about Jurassic World Velociraptors is that after the rollercoaster, you can head over to Raptor Encounter to meet Blue as well as our new baby Raptors, Sierra and Tango. It’s my absolute favorite spot for a photo. (Did I mention I love dinosaurs?)

FUN FACTS:

• In the trainer lockers at Jurassic World VelociCoaster, there is a small grouping of reference books including some by characters fans of the franchise will definitely recognize! 
• In the first inversion after the launch, if you look up, you’ll see a disrupted Pteranodon nest, complete with eggs. 
• The overlook window in the loading platform is modeled directly from the Indominus Rex paddock. Details like the light fixtures are identical.
• You’ll see the walkway for the Raptors to walk between VelociCoaster and Raptor Encounter if you look down on the floor between the two attractions.
• After the second inversion, you can spot some iconic props left over from the attraction’s predecessor, Triceratops Encounter. Keep a look out for a bag of Dino Chow. If you can spot it while going that fast! 

Are you ready to race alongside Velociraptors? Prepare to hold onto your… lap bar.