Podcast

PODCAST | Guide to Jurassic World VelociCoaster

June 6, 2023
A woman with blonde hair wearing sunglasses and a multi-colored dress puts her arms on the right shoulder of a man with dark hair in a navy Universal Studios shirt, with the globe logo, and sunglasses on his head. The woman's fingers are interlocked with each other, and the two people are smiling. They stand outside the entrance to Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure. A lift hill for the roller coaster can be seen to the left of the entrance, with people sitting in the vehicle. A crowd walks behind the pair. There are a few seemingly palm trees in the background, as well as a blue sky with several white clouds. To the right of the pair is seemingly the side of a mostly off-white building, with brown columns.

Kari and I hit the jackpot on this dino-riffic episode of the Discover Universal podcast! We got to take a deep dive (or should I say a really tall dive?) on all things Jurassic World VelociCoaster, including a catch-up with two of our friends from Universal Creative, Shelby Honea and Greg Hall. Since this coaster first roared into Jurassic Park at Universal Islands of Adventure, my friends and I have never passed up an opportunity to experience this pulse-pounding adventure. I’ve run with the Raptors plenty of times, and each trip around the paddock is still an absolutely incredible ride.  

A woman with blonde hair and sunglasses on her head wearing a multi-colored outfit and a man with dark hair in a navy shirt with sunglasses on his head smile while holding onto a blue-ish-gray gate outside of Jurassic World VelociCoaster. In front of the coaster, which has spiky rocks surrounding it, are various green plants,

The amplitude of this coaster comes down to two things for me: launches and hangtime. The launches on this coaster are next level. You start the ride by accelerating out of the paddock with the Raptor Pack running beside you and just when you think the twists and turns can’t get crazier, you accelerate again – EVEN FASTER — into the tallest feature of the ride. And when I say hangtime, I mean it quite literally. The unique lap-bar design of the safety restraints adds an extra exciting element each time the coaster goes inverted, but I’ll leave you to experience that for yourself. 

A woman with braided hair wearing a bright pink outfit and a cuffed jean jacket and a man with dark hair in a navy polo talk to a bearded-and-mustached man with an earing wearing a Jurassic Park T-shirt. The man's arms, the left of which has a watch, are out, and the trio appears to be talking to one another. There are glass panels behind them, and a seemingly marble wall with silver, rounded columns.

The queue is a great walk-through experience in itself. The attraction’s creators are huge fans of the Jurassic World franchise, and it really shows in the attention to detail you’ll find around every turn. The hidden references and details from the films, the windows that look out onto the ride, even the mind-blowing velociraptors you encounter just before the lockers — everything about this attraction builds the excitement and anticipation before getting to the ride itself. 

I could go on and on about this one — how photogenic the ride is while you’re standing outside the Discovery Center at the attraction’s entrance, how cool the coaster looks at night, all the detailed elements that went into the design — but I’ll save all that for you to hear on this podcast episode. 

Let us know your favorite maneuver on Jurassic World VelociCoaster in the comments. Enjoy the episode!  

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David is a performer and host of the Discover Universal Podcast. In his years with Universal Orlando Resort, he's directed disasters, served bug smoothies, and lived inside a volcano.

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