Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[DoinItForTheFame]

Anyone else been watching testing videos of velocicoaster and kinda underwhelmed by how slow its crawling through the course?! (At least the first half!?) Hoping videos are just being deceiving, and it’s running faster than we are seeing when it opens! 
 

(still looks amazing regardless!) 

[travelingjumpseaters]

6 hours ago, DoinItForTheFame said:

Anyone else been watching testing videos of velocicoaster and kinda underwhelmed by how slow its crawling through the course?! (At least the first half!?) Hoping videos are just being deceiving, and it’s running faster than we are seeing when it opens! 
 

(still looks amazing regardless!) 

On totally! It looks so slow! It completely stops every time it goes upside down on the first half of the ride. It’s so lame. I’m not in a hurry to ride it anymore, my excitement for it has definitely been erased. 

[TrippinBillie]

2 hours ago, travelingjumpseaters said:

On totally! It looks so slow! It completely stops every time it goes upside down on the first half of the ride. It’s so lame. I’m not in a hurry to ride it anymore, my excitement for it has definitely been erased. 

Not sure if serious.

To add to the discussion, I'm also a little perplexed at how it does seem to be crawling....compared to, say, Taron and watching it go through that scenery.  Just my two cents.  And maybe because the course is a bit more "aggressive" they slowed it down?

[thrillseeker4552]

The first half is quite a bit faster with full trains. The empty trains always crawl. With all the scenery and hang time though, I'm still stoked.

The second half hauls a$$ whether the train is empty or full. That final barrel roll looks top-notch. I don't understand how anybody can take a look at this coaster and *not* be excited! Are you even an enthusiast at that point? 

[JJLehto]

Yeah I never really trust these testing videos. I mean even POVs can be deceiving, so idk these empty train, kinda from a distance videos eh I dont really base much on that. So my excitement level is unchanged but really I dont feel tooo much until there is a POV out and better yet some actual rider commentary. And yeah the second half certainly seems speedy, so we shall see! 

[SharkTums]

I guess I just never expected this to be some balls to the wall Maverick type Intamin. I assumed it would be more like Taron at Phantasialand. I'm sure it will be great, but I don't think it's going to be crazy intense or anything. It's Universal and they want a lot of people to ride it. 

[grsupercity]

6 minutes ago, SharkTums said:

I guess I just never expected this to be some balls to the wall Maverick type Intamin. I assumed it would be more like Taron at Phantasialand. I'm sure it will be great, but I don't think it's going to be crazy intense or anything. It's Universal and they want a lot of people to ride it. 

The trains are to long for Maverick intensity. I still think this thing looks incredible 

[KarlaKoaster]

It looks slower than I expected but there are so many factors at play that I find it hard to judge a coaster from off ride footage, let alone when it's testing. I'm sure when there are bums on seats and the ride is warmed up after running for 10 hours straight it will be quite a bit faster.

Having said that I've not been quite as excited about this layout as some of you guys but I think as an all-round attraction it looks great regardless of the speed or perceived lack thereof.

[travelingjumpseaters]

3 hours ago, TrippinBillie said:

Not sure if serious.

To add to the discussion, I'm also a little perplexed at how it does seem to be crawling....compared to, say, Taron and watching it go through that scenery.  Just my two cents.  And maybe because the course is a bit more "aggressive" they slowed it down?

I’m serious. I have no desire to ride copperhead strike at carowinds because it stops at the top of loops and it’s the same thing velocicoaster seems to do. Lame. 

[travelingjumpseaters]

2 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

The first half is quite a bit faster with full trains. The empty trains always crawl. With all the scenery and hang time though, I'm still stoked.

The second half hauls a$$ whether the train is empty or full. That final barrel roll looks top-notch. I don't understand how anybody can take a look at this coaster and *not* be excited! Are you even an enthusiast at that point? 

This is my dream coaster - a thrilling coaster with proper scenery like it’s straight out of planet coaster, but it’s a shame that it goes so slow in the first half. I was so excited for it but now I’m less because of how slow it’s going. I also don’t like stopping at the top of inversions. It’s like, give us a good fast ride, stop trying to make hang time - this isn’t the iron eagle at six flags America. 

[Hilltopper39]

1 hour ago, travelingjumpseaters said:

I’m serious. I have no desire to ride copperhead strike at carowinds because it stops at the top of loops and it’s the same thing velocicoaster seems to do. Lame. 

Imagine having no desire to ride a perfectly decent coaster lol.

[travelingjumpseaters]

13 minutes ago, Hilltopper39 said:

Imagine having no desire to ride a perfectly decent coaster lol.

Thanks for being condescending, your efforts were successful!

[Hilltopper39]

1 hour ago, travelingjumpseaters said:

Thanks for being condescending, your efforts were successful!

I try my best.

But seriously how many times are people going to judge a ride before it's actually open based on some testing videos? This isn't anything new, just wait to ride the thing before calling it slow, or bad, or disappointing or whatever.

 

Personally I think it's kind of cool to have the first half of the ride be a little slower through the scenic elements and the rockwork, then hit a mid course launch into a second half that's way more intense and exciting. It's such a brilliant design concept that it's almost like they planned it that way or something.......

[southpuddle]

Judging rides before they open is literally half the reason this website exists, so maybe don't reprimand people for doing it. Fact is it looks slow AF thru much of the first part of the ride - you don't need to experience the ride firsthand to notice this. Now the question of whether or not this is a good or bad thing is completely up to the individual rider. I think it'll be cool to have a scenic jaunt around the rockwork and other theming at a slower pace in the first half, which will give good separation between the two halves, but not everyone will have the same opinion.

[bill_s]

It does look likely it won't be "The Best Coaster in the World" after all, but that still leaves some room before it sucks.

[jedimaster1227]

Two weekends ago I made my way back to the Universal Orlando Resort to experience the new Mardi Gras offerings, but also to get a chance to see Velocicoaster testing. I'll have photos from Mardi Gras to share soon, but I figured I'd start with the most exciting update first, which is a giant Intamin coaster opening in Orlando! 

Entering Islands of Adventure, you'll notice something new on the horizon...

I thought my timing couldn't have been better...

A few seconds later I stood corrected.

I finally had the chance to see the Velocicoaster in action and it looks ridiculously fun!

Jurassic Park wasn't the only section of the park that was looking great today!

Passing through Hogsmeade towards Jurassic Park, you get a view of the bowl section of the second half of the coaster...

Making its second loop around before making its way back towards the station.

New Velocicoaster signage has been put up in Jurassic Park matching the styling and theming from park signage shown in Jurassic World in the film of the same name.

The entrance path features several raptor statues.

It is going to be neat to walk this space with trains flying upside-down overhead. 

There are few spots in Jurassic Park where Velocicoaster can't be seen running at this point.

This is a pretty awesome thing in that it adds a new kinetic energy to the land.

Definitely cool to see!

The walls have come down around the first half of the coaster. I was so excited to see the coaster running up close that I totally forgot to get an overview shot of what the area looks like from behind the themed barriers, but as you'll see in the following photos, they allow you to get some really fantastic, unobstructed views of the ride in motion.

The entire first half of the coaster can be seen from this side of Jurassic Park.

I absolutely love this angle...

So I stayed in this same spot for a few minutes to watch the trains cycle.

Velocicoaster weaves in and out of itself in a really neat way.

Time to fly into the second launch!

It really is a spectator-friendly coaster!

The rockwork does a really great job of framing the coaster elements.

Dive! Dive! Dive!

It looks so great!

I also love the design of these trains!

The transition into the 2nd launch is really quick.

Rockwork appreciation...

Zoom... Zoom... Zoom...

I feel like this will probably end up being the most photographed section of the Jurassic Park after the coaster opens.

More fun angles.

I'm ready to ride.

How about you?

The skyline at Universal Orlando has definitely changed!

[coasterbill]

Amazing photos... especially that Port of Entry one.

[grsupercity]

Great photos! Thank you for sharing 

[anonymouscactus]

Best photos I've seen so far. Awesome work.

[thrillseeker4552]

Wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing!

I am pumped for this coaster. No, it won't be "best in the world" (I don't know why we ever set those expectations for any new coaster), but it is going to kick a$$. Crazy hang time and theming in the first half, then a 70mph launch into a top hat, zero-G stall, funky inner and outer banked turns, and a fast heartline roll over water? All with comfortable and minimalist lap bars? Yeah, sign me up.

This and Iron Gwazi (and Ice Breaker, I suppose) are all the more reason I am excited to move to Florida in a few months.

[Nrthwnd]

The first half of this one instantly reminds me of Taron in Phantasialand. But in this one, the rock work is so foreboding and "dangerous" how it juts out here and there, around the track. Wonderful shots of the whole area! Thanks for taking the time to stick with it, and get those test shots, LOL!

[DoinItForTheFame]

Amazing photos!! Thanks for sharing!

[SharkTums]

Wow. Thanks for sharing! I really didn't realize how much this is going to be 'US Taron'! The rock work and everything, super interesting. 

[cfc]

Quote

I feel like this will probably end up being the most photographed section of the Jurassic Park after the coaster opens.

I think it is already. 

Thanks for the photos, Adam. The ride and the rockwork look great.

[cfc]

9 hours ago, SharkTums said:

Wow. Thanks for sharing! I really didn't realize how much this is going to be 'US Taron'! The rock work and everything, super interesting. 

It's a "Taronasaurus Rex."