What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Its ok...I wish it felt more realistic I mean with the stuff they're doing with Kong, Shrek, and Transformers it feels like your in the movie, I wish I could fel that way about this ride too.

[BC_DisneyGeek]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

One thing that always bothered me is when our boat is "knocked off course". There's no bump or mechanism that tips the boat even slightly.

The dino comes out of the water and then you slowly follow the rail into the "dangerous" wrong direction. I wish they did a lot more there.

This is my biggest criticism of it as well. There's not enough of a transition from the "correct" path to the "wrong" one. It's a moment you just know Disney would have done better.

I don't think you're knocked off course so much as mis-directed, but again, it's not made clear in the ride.

What if a dinosaur popper out of nowhere and the boat had to make a sudden turn? What if something fell, blocking the normal route? There's no sense that you've gone off course. The illusion just isn't there.

It's a great ride overall, don't get me wrong, but it's a good example of how other theme parks just don't quite have that Disney touch.

It has a good combination of music, thrills, animatronics (remember those?), and atmosphere. I give it a B+.

[CoasterMatt]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Yeah, there's just that hadrosaur that pops out of the water, and the large 'thump' hitting the bottom of the boat- totally failed transition :croll:

[Coheteboy]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Yeah, there's just that hadrosaur that pops out of the water, and the large 'thump' hitting the bottom of the boat- totally failed transition :croll:

There's never a thud when I'm on it. So yes. Failed transition.

[BC_DisneyGeek]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Yeah, there's just that hadrosaur that pops out of the water, and the large 'thump' hitting the bottom of the boat- totally failed transition :croll:

True about the Hadrosaur, but I've never noticed a bump. If the Hadrosaur had popped up right in the middle of the path leading to the "correct" route, I'd buy it. Why does a dinosaur to the right of the boat cause a course change?

There's nothing in that moment to clearly indicate that the Hadrosaur is the cause of the course change. The Hadrosaur tunnel looks like a backstage access route to me, preventing any sense that the so-called "wrong" route is any sort of diversion.

We just hear audio saying we're off course. I just think it could have been done better. To each their own though.

[fitztwg]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Great memories of that ride, especially being evacuated from it.

Ten years ago (maybe more) I went with my brother and cousins. I remember it was a rainy day so the park was almost empty. Almost no line at all for the ride.

Everything was fine until a few seconds before the drop. The lights came up and an employee came and quickly secured the boat (believe with a rope, don't remember securing it to what though). We were told we had to exit out the back way. Was pretty cool to see the fake controls and stuff up close.

We were taken down a back set of stairs and given these special "cards" by John Hammond to come back to Jurassic Park anytime we wanted (front of the line pass).

When we went back toward the entrance of the ride to meet my dad we saw what happened. The boat in front of us had jumped the track (the track was bent too) and was up almost vertical at that semi-turn right near where you disembark (under the stairs). If we would have went down the drop it would have been really bad.

[CoasterMatt]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

There is a large "foot" that bumps the bottom of the boat- many times you can't hear it because a bunch of people scream when the water blast goes off from the hadrosaur surfacing - you can feel it, especially if you're on the right hand side of the boat.

[Coheteboy]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

There is a large "foot" that bumps the bottom of the boat- many times you can't hear it because a bunch of people scream when the water blast goes off from the hadrosaur surfacing - you can feel it, especially if you're on the right hand side of the boat.

It needs to be bigger than a bump. It needs to be a tilt even. Something that pushes the boat up as the hadrosaur does his thing. Not being able to see the tracks in the shallow water would help too.

We're not saying it's a horrible ride but that moment really needs to be that much more. It needs to be as good as Indiana Jones Adventure first bank after the Eyes of Mara.

[Darkbeer]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

MEMORIES....

I was the host for the Travel Channel TV Show special for USH (Yikes, about 10 years ago) for the ride... I rode it SOOO many times one day it was crazy, stopping just before the drop to remove camera equipment, getting in and out of the boat, saying your lines over and over again......

But I still love the attraction, and will ride it whenever the temp is above 75 degrees (F).

So yes, THUMBS UP!

(Heck, don't tell my wife, but you should have seen the two BABES they placed on each side of me

[Bystander]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

It's a moment you just know Disney would have done better.

I certainly don't know that. Disney can and does make mistakes. Big ones, even.

[Coheteboy]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

I certainly don't know that. Disney can and does make mistakes. Big ones, even.

That is true, but in a case of a big E-Ticket like Jurassic Park, a major story point is getting knocked off course and I don't think Disney would leave it the way it was. They'd get careless about other things probably.

[rollrcostrfrk807]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

I used to love this ride when it had splash breaks, but now it is not as exciting.

[rollrcostrfrk807]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Plus all of the AA are in bad shape

[CoasterMatt]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

It just reopened from rehab on Saturday, rollrcostrfrk807, when did you ride it last?

[Joshnyah]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

I also love it, now that I think about it I miss the whole park its been a while, I would like to go back, especially to see the waterworld show, I love that show

[disneyfann121]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

I've only been on the Florida version. I was not that impressed the first time I rode it (in '07) because some of the AAs were run down. But the ride was in great shape on my last trip (May of last year), and I loved it. Still doesn't match the great dinosaur animatronics in Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom, but I love the T-Rex at the end of Jurassic. That's a boss AA.

[Rocker]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

Having been to Universal Studios Hollywood only twice in about 6 years, Jurassic Park is a MUST for me. It's a good ride overall, but the times that I went on, there was always some animatronic that didn't work.

For instance, back in 2003, before you go up the lift, the two Dilaposaurs' from the first movie weren't there to pop out and suprise you, and the T-Rex when he is seen from above wasn't working that time. The second time, before the boat was thrown off-course (this was in 2009), the Stegosaurus didn't appear to make it feel like the boat was thrown off-course. Universal does need to work on fixing thier animatronics for the ride.

Overall, still a great experience, and I still love the drop at the end.

[k_peek_2000]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

MEMORIES....

I was the host for the Travel Channel TV Show special for USH (Yikes, about 10 years ago) for the ride... I rode it SOOO many times one day it was crazy, stopping just before the drop to remove camera equipment, getting in and out of the boat, saying your lines over and over again......

But I still love the attraction, and will ride it whenever the temp is above 75 degrees (F).

So yes, THUMBS UP!

(Heck, don't tell my wife, but you should have seen the two BABES they placed on each side of me

Say whaaaat?! Please tell me there is a youtube video of this.

[PirateChick]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

I have an annual pass to Universal and I go on Jurassic Park whenever it is warm enough to do so. I think it is a great ride, for where it is. It isn't Disney standards, but if it was it would be at Disney and not Universal.

I have always felt a little bump or vibration when you are "thrown off course." The only time I didn't feel one was when they were doing maintenance on that particular dinosaur. That was a weird ride and I can see how someone that has never ridden the ride before would get confused as to what happened.

The only time I had a truly disappointing ride was sometime last year. We were about to go down the drop and you hear the dinosaurs growling around you, the countdown going off and the waterfall in front. Just as we are about to go down, the waterfall parts and we see a giant black maintenance curtain. We heard the final loud roar and that was it. It was kinda pathetic.

I like the Jurassic Park in the Dark that they have during HHN. Everyone on the boat seemed to like the strobe lights, jack o lanterns and Welcome to the Jungle blaring in there.

[Omega]

Re: What does everyone think of Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios?

This is my favorite ride at Universal Studios. When I went it was a walk-on so I went on it about five times. The last time I rode it I learned of the joy of scaring others.
Various exchanges with the teenage girls next to me included (I actually commented on everything, feeling like an honorary Jungle Cruise skipper, but these are the only ones I remember.):
"Oh, it's okay. The middle seat is the least wet, safest seat. You'll be perfectly dry." Ride starts up. "Oops, I got it backwards. The middle seat is the wettest one."
Shriek.
"Aw, isn't that cute!" I point at the tiny dinosaurs eating the bloody life vest.
Shriek.
"It's okay. Those velociraptors are in a box. They can't hurt us."
Box falls a few feet towards us (I knew this would happen, I'd ridden it before).
Shriek.
"The ride isn't supposed to do this, I swear. We were supposed to take a right turn back there. I've ridden this before, and it's supposed to take you near carnivorous dinosaurs that are behind glass. This isn't part of the ride. This is a real ememrgency. At least that one dinosaur can't get us. It was already in this building in maintenence storage. It would hypothetically be behind that wall but it can't get to us because-"
Claw mark slashes through wall.
Shriek.
"You're safe as long as you don't touch its spit. It doesn't have the teeth to attack us."
Dinosaur spits directly in girl's face.
Shriek.
We see the T-Rex.
"Is that an animatronic? OH GOD IT'S REAL! WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!"
Shriek.