Jurassic World VelociCoaster is just a few days away from officially opening, but lucky annual passholders and parkgoers have had the chance to experience the new thrill ride during passholder previews and technical rehearsals since the beginning of May. We too have gotten our fair share of rides in on the Intamin launch coaster and thought it was time to compare Jurassic World VelociCoaster on a global scale. How does this fierce new coaster compare to similar coasters around the World? Let’s find out.
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BY THE ELEMENT
Before we compare other coasters to VelociCoaster, let’s look at the ride’s layout and its various ride elements.
After leaving the nicely manicured station, the sleek VelociCoaster trains of 24 passengers make a turn towards the first launch. This launch features a show scene where raptors are released into the paddock, shortly after the train takes off into the paddock at speed of 80.5 km/h. This first launch isn’t too intense but holds up nicely, it can be compared to the first launch on Taron (Phantasialand) or the second launch on Steel Dolphin (Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park).
Next up is the ride’s Immelmann, which provides some nice hangtime for riders in the front of the train, and a pleasant whippy ejector moment towards the back. The real highlight of this element is the rockwork that creates the illusion of being thrown right into it. You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
The next element on VelociCoaster is the Dive Loop, a quick and snappy inversion that provides great airtime for all riders. The element is completed with a quarter turn in the opposite direction, followed by a sharp turn to the right. While the element may look quite slow off-ride, it truly is one of the ride’s best moments in my opinion.
The coaster then makes its way around the paddock with a fun mix of forces, near-miss elements, and four velociraptors along the way. While not all moments are necessarily very forceful, this is the clear thematic section of the coaster. The elements and their intensity are comparable to the double turn around at the front of the park on Steel Dolphin. You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
The second launch reaches a speed of 113 km/h and feels very similar to Taron‘s second launch. The use of light affects and a tunnel helps with the illusion of speed.
The next element on the Intamin coaster is a 47.2m tall Top Hat. Offering spectacular views of the ride and lagoon below, as well as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter straight ahead. For great ejector airtime coming over the hill, you will want to request a seat towards the front. For serious air coming off the Top Hat, consider checking out the back rows. For those familiar with Hershey Park’s Storm Runner, this top hat is in the same league. You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
Next up is the ride’s Zero-G Stall, a 35m long inverted stall where riders experience weightlessness. The element is one of the longest of its kind and offer a spectacular view for both riders and onlookers. While the coaster flies through this element so quick it’s hard to even really notice what’s going on, the views from the front row can’t be missed. You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
The next element was quite a surprise, the coaster’s Wave Turn offers a solid moment of airtime while offering great views of Universal’s Islands of Adventure’s central lagoon.
Another big surprise was the outward banked turn that comes next. The element’s rapid transitions creates all sorts of lateral airtime depending on the seat that you’re in.
The coaster ends on a high note, but to get there there’s a quick dive turn and airtime hill:
The finale of the coaster is dubbed as the Mosasaur roll, and is nothing short of spectacular. This high-speed barrel roll throws rides over the lagoon in an ejector moment that even makes me scream! You can click on each image and swipe to take a closer look!
After the highlight moment, a quick air-filled S-turn brings the train to the final brakes. This coaster is simply genius.
THE GLOBAL SCALE
Intamin is a well-known roller coaster and thrill ride manufacturer known for pushing the envelope on the innovative and spectacular rides. While VelociCoaster is the newest, there are plenty of major World-class coasters to compare it to.
TARON VS. VELOCICOASTER
While the focus of both coasters are quite different, the dedication to landscaping and theming brings VelociCoaster and Taron together. In addition, both have lengthy layouts, two launches, and over-the-shoulder lapbars that are perfect for heavy airtime. Which of the two do I think is better? VelociCoaster. As where Taron has a complicated layout with lots of airtime and high-speed turns, it lacks an inversion. VelociCoaster brings Taron-like elements without ever repeating itself. Lots of airtime, several inversions, and two high speed launches. While both are great, I will have to give this to VelociCoaster.
MAVERICK VS. VELOCICOASTER
VelociCoaster may be intense, but is it Maverick-intense? Perhaps not. Maverick‘s lift hill is technically a launch, but the second launch is where it really counts as one of the best launches in the United States. Maverick‘s quick transitions and incredible pacing do make it a very intense coaster but the restraints are a detractor when comparing it to VelociCoaster. VelociCoaster may be less intense, but with a lengthier ride, better comfort and superior theming, I would still take it over Maverick.
STEEL DOLPHIN VS. VELOCICOASTER
Another two-launch Intamin LSM coaster with a unique terrain and integration with the park. Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park’s Steel Dolphin has a great balance of extreme elements and friendlier moments. While the comfort is the same as VelociCoaster, the overall delivery of Steel Dolphin is a tad more underwhelming. While elements like the Top Hat and outward-banked turn really shine, it can’t quite compete with the brilliance of VelociCoaster.
SKYRUSH VS. VELOCICOASTER
It’s about to get interesting. For some, SkyRush is just too much. While VelociCoaster pushes the limits, it’s fairly approachable for the average Universal Orlando Resort visitor. SkyRush, however, is not that approachable. Every second on SkyRush absolutely slaps and is not for all audiences. If we’re looking at the whole package, both have very different strong points. Overall however, SkyRush is so unique and out of control, I am going to say VelociCoaster feels a lot less intense and impressive compared to it.
CHEETAH HUNT VS. VELOCICOASTER
Florida’s first Intamin LSM coaster was Cheetah Hunt, and it walked so VelociCoaster could run. The way we all felt about Cheetah Hunt in 2011 is how we’re feeling about VelociCoaster now. Cheetah Hunt was THE perfect ride for Busch Gardens Tampa in a similar way that VelociCoaster is THE perfect addition for IOA. But with 10 years of innovation and a fat Universal budget comes a better product and thus the difference in theming, comfort, intensity and layout is quite big.
INTIMIDATOR 305 VS. VELOCICOASTER
Another one of those “how did this ever become a thing?” coasters is Intimidator 305. Shortly after opening, this coaster needed some serious redesigning to keep riders from blacking out, and even now it’s hard to ride without the forces being too much. The coaster may not be too similar to VelociCoaster, but with the questions we get asked about VelociCoaster on the United States scale, we’ll compare the two nonetheless. This one is going to come down to taste. While both are unforgettable experiences, the 305ft drop (93m) straight into a turn is a lot for your body to handle. It’s unbelievably intense, and this is followed by a minute of putting your body to the test, non-stop. This sort of experience is unforgettable, but is not everyone’s cup of tea. While I consider Intimidator 305 the better coaster, the overall polish and variety of forces on VelociCoaster do make it my preferred product. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
PODCAST
Thank you for checking out this VelociCoaster article! Make sure to stream our VelociCoaster podcast episode for first-reactions and more details on the ride experience! Stream on your favorite platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
I rode Velocicoaster twice a couple weeks ago. and holy crap. It is amazing. That barrel roll at the end, I thought my head was going to dunk into the lagoon. I am a back row junkie and I love getting whipped over hills. I dont know if Velocicoaster or Mako is my favorite local coaster… it’s a tie.
I told my girlfriend that it reminded me a lot of Maverick, but I haven’t rode Maverick in at least 6 years, so I need a refresher. Guess I need a Sandusky trip soon.