It’s been a few weeks since we’ve done a major Jurassic World: VelociCoaster Update, mostly because there wasn’t much visible to the public of the new developments. Since then, as you may already know, Universal Orlando Resort has removed the panels at the raptor paddock that blocked the view of the new coaster. We’ll dive into some of the recent changes, as well as some testing footage of course!
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We’ll start this update with a look at some of the final touches on the project before opening. While the coaster won’t officially open ’til this summer, with the opening date not yet announced, the coaster is rumored to have soft openings sometime this Spring.
Besides the crane/cherry picker that’s tucked away underneath the Top Hat, the ride looks ready to go! 
The coaster’s marquee within Jurassic Park (area) matches the surrounding aesthetic and doesn’t mention the Jurassic World franchise, only the ride’s entrance does. The “Summer 2021” part of the sign covers the wait time screen. 
After months of working on this pedestrian bridge, it now looks ready to go with the lights working. 
There are also no more yellow buoys around the bridge and lagoon. 
The landscaping for the coaster is pretty spectacular and really helps with hiding the infrastructure for the queue, entrance, exit, viewing platforms, etc. 
As you can see throughout the palm trees in the queue, fans have been installed to keep people in the queue cool. 
It looks like while part of the queue will be inside the building, where a 2-way locker system will also be found, much of the queue starts outside and winds around the plaza. 
Here’s a closer look at some of queue’s location (as well as the fans). 
Lastly, a little appreciation for the vines that have been added to the guardrails next to the bottom of the drop, as well as the rest of the landscaping efforts.
While the idea of opening another coaster with spectacular levels of integration just 2 years after Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure sounds very ambitious, Universal Orlando Resort doesn’t mess around. The rockwork, vegetation, waterfalls, etc. look incredible! You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
While I didn’t quite get the chance to capture testing of the second half of the ride today (though we have PLENTY of videos of that across our social media platforms), I was happy to get some testing in the first half of the ride. This video is found on the Florida Coaster Kings Facebook page:
While this video above does a great job showing the ride in action, of course we’ve got some pictures of the testing from multiple angles that really help showcase how well-themed and integrated the coaster is! I’ve placed the images in order of ride elements so you can follow along as the majority of the first half has only recently been visible to the public. The element I am most excited for is the swooping turn/dive following the second inversion! You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
After the above airtime hill, VelociCoaster’s trains dive underneath the rockwork and have a few more elements (and encounters with raptors!) before the second launch. The ride’s following elements have been placed in order again. You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
Thank you so much for checking out this Jurassic World: VelociCoaster update! Make sure to join the conversation on our Discord server and Twitter account! Check out what we have to offer in our shop, and listen to three seasons of Coaster Kings Radio (podcast) with weekly episodes and minisodes!
