After the original announcement was prematurely posted to Universal Orlando’s website last Friday, the resort is now offering more details on its next attraction, the Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure.
The coaster will feature two launches, including one hitting 70 miles per hour in 2.4 seconds, along with some thrilling elements such as a 360-degree barrel roll over the park’s lagoon, a zero-gravity inverted stall, and Universal’s steepest coaster drop yet at 80 degrees.
“The Jurassic World VelociCoaster will raise the bar in extreme roller coaster design and become the ultimate experience for coaster enthusiasts and thrill-seekers,” the park said in a press release. “Spanning more than 4,700 feet of track and reaching heights of up to 155 feet, the coaster’s signature maneuvers will have guests twisting and soaring above land, barrel rolling just inches above water, speeding through near-misses and launches within the paddock, and more, with just a lap restraint holding them in place.”
The ride will feature 12 seconds of total airtime, according to Universal. It was designed by Intamin, the same coaster firm behind Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
The coaster will be based around the “Jurassic World” films and feature three of its cast members: Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing and BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu. However, the press release explicitly mentions that the coaster is “next exciting addition to Jurassic Park at Universal’s Islands of Adventure” — suggesting the land as a whole is not being rethemed to the newer films.
Jurassic World VelociCoaster concept art (Universal)
Construction on the coaster has been taking place in full view of Universal guests for more than a year, but until now, Universal hadn’t publicly acknowledged that a new ride was coming. The track has been completed and in recent weeks, visitors to Islands of Adventure have seen ride vehicles being used for pull-through tests.
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