When we visited Universal Studios Orlando Resort in February of 2020, they were in the process of building the VelociCoaster and we could already tell from the half finished tracks that it was going to be wild. It took us a bit to get back to the parks, but were finally able to ride it for the first time earlier this month and it absolutely did not disappoint!
If you are an adrenaline junkie who loves rollercoasters, you can not skip this one. With top speeds of 70 mph, four inversions, and a wicked drop, this is was quickly my new favorite ride in the parks!
The Line
The people in charge of planning and designing this ride put just as much thought into the queue as the coaster itself. The velociraptor animatronics that can be found along the way are some of the best I have ever seen. Their eyes are vivid enough to seem like they're actually staring you down and the skin around their nostrils even ripples to make it look like they are actually breathing.
There is a lot of queue to get through on this line. I'm sure they knew folks would be flocking to this ride when it opened and they prepared accordingly. The good news is that you are in the shade the whole time and the second half of the line is air conditioned!
If you use an Express Pass on this ride, the lines are separated until you get to the locker area. From that point forward, there is only one line but it moves decently quick. When we got to this portion of the line, there was an announcement that they were experiencing a brief delay. We were a bit bummed but decided not to leave the line too soon and they thankfully had everything back up and running within 15 minutes.
The Speed
The VelociCoaster is the fastest ride ever debuted within the Universal Orlando Resort parks with a top speed of 70 miles per hour. The ride starts with an epic launch and somewhere in the middle it launches you AGAIN.
The first launch takes you from zero to 70 mph in less than three seconds! The second launch takes place when the cart has slowed down some from the insane tracks you've already covered and launches you back up to 50 mph to start the second half of the tracks.
This ride is so fast, you would be breaking the speed limit on many roadways if you tried to match it in your vehicle. When you're hitting those kind of speeds with no metal frame around you, feeling the wind whipping around your whole body and with your hair flying all around, the word 'fast' just doesn't cover it.
The Twists
I imagine they engineers that designed this ride did so with the brisk movements and graceful agility of velociraptors in mind and can say that they did a wonderful job capturing that in this ride. However, I can not say that we looked very graceful being thrown around on this ride.
There are four total inversions on this ride. That means there are four instances where you are completely upside down and for one of those instances, you stay upside down for a couple seconds literally experiencing zero gravity in a zero-g stall.
On top of the inversions, there are multiple spots on the track that twist you one way or another and make you feel like you're going to fly right out of your seat. At one point, the track starts to twist left and then pulls a quick one on you and jolt you over to the right, making you think you're going to hit the water.
The Drop
The VelociCoaster features my second favorite drop in the parks. Remember earlier when I mentioned that the ride launches you at top speed not once but TWICE? Well, the second launch initiates the climb to the tallest point of the coaster - 155 feet above the ground - that then leads into the insane drop.
According to the internet, the drop is 140 feet long at an 80 degree angle, but when you're on it that drop feels so much steeper. It's intense but quick and sends you into the zero-g stall. You can see the drop when walking into the ride and I'm sure many have changed their mind at the last moment deciding not to ride because of it!
We resisted the urge to look up any videos of the VelociCoaster before riding it for the first time and went in only knowing about the parts of the ride we could see from the entrance. It was such an insane experience and the ride was so intense that my hands were literally shaking when we got to the unloading area. What a rush!
This ride does have an Express Pass line, but be warned that even that one can get incredibly long. You're best bet is to hop on this ride early in the day, before other folks have made it to the Jurassic Park area. But maybe not too soon after breakfast...
The thoughts and opinions shared in this post are my own and are not part of a paid partnership or promotion.
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Samantha H.
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