Ever since Universal Orlando began clearing a large plot of land in the beloved Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure, I have followed along with great curiosity for what this potential construction project might entail. Just over a year ago, Universal confirmed everyone’s suspicions by announcing the Jurassic World VelociCoaster. We were lucky enough to fly down to Orlando for a night to experience this world-class attraction, prior to the grand opening date of June 10th. Check out the recap(s) of our incredible overnight stay at Loews’ Sapphire Falls Resort to experience the apex predator of coasters:
Our adventure started early on the morning of June 6th with an easy nonstop flight from Raleigh-Durham to Orlando International. In a stroke of coincidence, Olivia’s father had driven up to Orlando (from Boca) that morning to pickup a good friend for a golf getaway they had scheduled a couple weeks prior. So it was fantastic to be able to see him for a few hours, as he picked us up from the airport and grabbed a quick lunch with us at the resort.
Check-in to Sapphire Falls only took about fifteen minutes, and luckily our room was ready & we were able to throw our luggage down prior to hitting the pool bar for lunch. The room was nice; nothing super special besides the amazing view of the water taxi harbor. Don’t get me wrong, this is one of Universal’s newer hotels, so everything was nice and clean and updated. Honestly, you really can’t go wrong with any of the on-site Universal hotels. We’ve stayed at all (except Cabana Bay and Aventura) and we like each one for various different reasons.
After our quick lunch at the Dhrum Club pool bar (delicious), we said goodbye to Olivia’s father and made a beeline for the resort water taxi to head over to the parks. Although it was hot and humid–right smack in the middle of the day–we had one goal in mind, and that was to secure a ride on the brand new VelociCoaster. Although the coaster did not officially open until the 10th, Universal had been conducting “technical rehearsals” for the past three or four week prior to our visit. With the grand opening date approaching, I was a little nervous about the park potentially closing the ride down in preparation for the big opening day. This did turn out to be the case, but it was only for one day on June 9th. So thankfully this bad boy was running, and as soon as we got off the boat and headed for Island’s, we saw the train crest the 140 foot tall top hat. My adrenaline immediately started pumping; I was so hyped for this coaster, especially after following along construction for the past two years.
After a nerve-relaxing beverage at our favorite bar in IoA (Backwater Bar at Confisco’s Grill), we made our way back to the Jurrasic Park section to get in line for the coaster. The newly constructed plaza behind the Discovery Center looks incredible, and this is where the entrance and exit to the ride is located. There is some tremendous interaction with the guest pathways and queue for coaster, which only serves to build the anticipation greater. Passing under the sleek entrance sign adorned with flames, we were in awe of this brilliantly themed queue. Between the theme music, lighting effects, and all of the excellent airflow within the switchbacks–this queue was designed to perfection. (Spoiler alert) There are also two amazing scenes housed within, the first being a window into the second launch track that superimposes an image of the four raptors chasing the roller coaster train. Super cool idea and very well-executed. The very next room shows two of the four raptors in their cages/harnesses, and these are some of the most advanced animatronics I’ve ever seen. So realistic looking; their eyes move, they blink, snort, shake & thrash around–they are truly impressive and worth taking a minute or two to observe.
Next, the locker system is another well-designed masterpiece, with the storage bins being double sided. So as long as you remember your assigned locker bank, all you have to do is retrieve your items on the other side as you exit the attraction. Flawless–and I hope to see other parks adopt this system down the line.
From there, the last room prior to boarding the attraction is a really cool pre-show involving the stars from Jurassic World, Chris Pratt (Owen) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire). The whole premise and backstory for the ride is such an original idea, and it really does fit flawlessly within a land that is otherwise branded around the original Jurassic Park trilogy.
One last turn, and you’re on the boarding platform for the coaster. The trains for this brand new Intamin are the best I have ever experienced, with just a comfortable lap bar holding you safely in place. The trains themselves have a ridiculously sleek design; complete with lighting effects that guide your way at night. The other great thing about this attraction is the crew operating it; they were on fire! Cycling trains quicker than any coaster I’ve been on. Kudos to these guys, because even on opening day they were able to keep wait times manageable with trains absolutely flying through the station.
The time had come, and based on some initial reviews we were anticipating this ride to be a back row coaster, so that’s immediately what we queued up for. Turning out of the station, the moment hit me so hard and I was grinning ear to ear ready to blast off on this coaster I had waited so long to ride. Sometimes I build these attractions up so much in my head and the actual experience doesn’t live up to the hype. This time was the complete opposite. I was not ready for this mind-blowing coaster, especially in the back row. The first launch is not terribly intense, and the spaghetti-bowl first half of the coaster is more of a relaxing experience, but there are still two great inversions and some great pops of air combined with the awesome near miss elements provided by the fantastic rock work and theming.
The second half of this coaster is really where the ride shines. The second launch under the station is incredibly intense, and it whips you straight into the highest portion of the ride with the 140 foot tall top hat. This is probably the best moment of the ride, and it happens so quickly it’s pretty tough to take it all in. Before you know it, you are careening over the edge heading back down towards the entrance plaza. A quick inverted stall, an awesome helix, and the climax–a zero-g roll over the park’s lagoon–caps off an incredible experience that is relentless to the very end. Unlike other rides where the first drop and whatever follows is the most intense portion, this coaster builds and builds and actually gets more powerful as you go along. For that, it has quickly moved up the ranks of my favorite coasters, and has (reluctantly) unseated my previous number one–Maverick at Cedar Point.
After taking a few moments to gather ourselves from this out-of-body experience, we immediately headed back to the bar to try to calm our nerves. Once we got our drinks, we noticed that one of the most elusive food stands in the park was open! This was Green Eggs and Ham, and this location has been on me and Olivia’s list for some time now. We ordered the buffalo chicken tater tots, and they did not disappoint in the slightest. A perfect snack to complement our beverages–we were content to call it (for now) and head back to Sapphire to enjoy the pool.
This really was our draw to Sapphire; the pool is absolutely incredible and by far the best on-property. It is so large there is so much room to spread out, whether you’re looking for a place under a shady palm tree or a spot exposed to the hot Florida sun. The drink and food options are also fantastic, and we had a blast enjoying our drinks on the edge of the pool. We had an amazing server hooking it up for us; we didn’t even have to get out of the water to order! Such an amazing way to spend the afternoon, and before we knew it, five o’clock had rolled around and we were ready to gear up for a return to the parks.
Our night session started with another relaxing water taxi cruise to CityWalk, followed by the brief walk back over to Island’s of Adventure. Initially the plan was to head straight back to the VelociCoaster for a ride at dusk, but with so many park guests on their way out at this point, we were able to snag a walk-on ride on the OG, the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Our ride was in the front no less, and this ride always delivers. It will forever have a special place in my heart, and I’m so glad Universal made the effort to re-track this amazing coaster a few seasons back.
Next, we headed back to the VelociCoaster again to get our night ride; this time in the front row. Our train departed the station right at dusk, and we proceeded to have one of the best rides on a coaster that I’ve ever had in my life. After having this incredible experience, I would definitely say this attraction is preferable in the front. The views are absolutely amazing, and to me the ride intensity isn’t that different than the back (as we had ridden earlier in the day). You have to get down to Orlando to try this world-class coaster.
To end out our evening, we headed over to Hogsmeade to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This was actually my first night ride on this coaster (5th time overall I believe?) and this is by far the best way to experience this attraction. The feeling of speed is amplified exponentially, and the Forbidden Forest theming is in full effect. I will always miss Dueling Dragons, but this is a worthy replacement.
After sauntering our way to CityWalk, we made it a few minutes early for our dinner reservation at BigFire American Grill. This is one of USO’s newest restaurant offerings, and Olivia and I were excited to try it out after recent positive reviews. To us, we had a pretty average experience. Maybe it was a product of us having one of the latest reservation times of the day (10:30 pm for an 11:00 pm close), but our meals were just ok. The smores dessert was an awesome way to finish it off, but I’m not sure if I’ll be in a hurry to get back here. I’m sure we’ll give it another shot one day. With that, we hopped on the water taxi to head back to the hotel and get some much deserved rest.
Our second and final morning began a little on the later side after being up so early the previous morning. We slowly got ourselves together and packed our things before heading back to the water taxi dock. This morning (Monday the 7th), we began at Universal Studios for our first viewing of their newest cutting edge show, The Bourne Stuntacular. This show was incredible, and definitely as innovative as advertised. This is a must see when visiting the park. Another worthy replacement for its former incarnation, T2.
We then meandered the park for a bit, stopping by our favorite bar in the San Francisco area, Chez Alcatraz. Contemplating a ride on the Mummy, we opted against it due to a ballooning queue line. I pulled out the USO app and noticed a very short wait for the Hogwart’s Express, so we made the decision to head back over to Island’s for one more ride on the VelociCoaster.
Another excellent front row ride; a perfect ending to our trip (minus the last ride on Dr. Dooms that we snuck in on the way out of the park). We were so lucky to be able to sneak in this fantastic overnight stay at our favorite destination in Orlando. Between our Universal annual passes, a friendly AP hotel rate, and using points on our airfare, the trip was relatively inexpensive, and we would gladly do something similar sometime in the future. We made the most of our short time in Florida, but we will certainly be back shortly. Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned for our next adventure!
– Walker
Texas-Ranger Travels 