One
of the creative forces behind Islands of Adventure is
none other than famed director, Steven Spielberg. Adding
his magic to Dueling Dragons and bringing his blockbuster
hit "Jurassic Park" to Islands of Adventure
was a stroke of genius. This section of the park faithfully
recreates the "Jurassic" environment from the
film.
Height Requirement: 42 inches Taken from
Universals sister park in California, this is a flume
ride based on the popular film. You begin by taking a
leisurely boat ride through tropical settings, and before
long, you are stalked by velociraptor's and a T-Rex. The
85 foot plunge at the end is considered by many to be
the best of any flume ride they've encountered. This will
have long lines!!! If you want to REALLY get wet, stand
alongside the Terrace Falls restaurant. As the boats come
down the final plunge, they throw water to both sides,
soaking this area.
This exhibit is divided into two areas.
The top floor houses "The Burger Digs" (a fast
food restaurant), and the DinoStore (a gift shop).
A large spiral staircase (just like the one seen in the
film) winds past two suspended dinosaur skeletons.
These are actual props from the film 'Jurassic Park'.
On the lower floor, you will find several interactive
experiences. One area allows you to look through
a view finder to see how a dinosaur would see (the units
are actually attached to the sides of full scale model
dinosaurs, and the heads move as you move the view finder).
You can also make 'noises' to hear what the dinosaur would
sound like.
Another area features a trivia game entitled
"You Bet Jurassic". This fast paced, three
player trivia game has four rounds that take about 5 minutes
to play. Their are 5 versions of the game, so those
standing in line to play won't already know the answers
when they get their turn.
Against the back wall of the lower level of the Discovery
Center is the 'hatchery'. Here you will find a bank
of computers for analyzing dinosaur eggs. You place
the egg in an analyzer, and attempt to discover what kind
of dinosaur is inside. In the center of the back
wall, you will see several eggs being rotated. An
attendant will come out to check on them, then announce
that one of the eggs is starting to hatch. It's a remarkable sight,
and very well done!!
Oddly enough, this is the only ride we know of in Orlando where you MUST be accompanied by a child if you are over 56" tall. This is a slow loading ride that almost always has a ridiculous wait time. It is also not part of UniversalExpress Plus, so there's no skipping to the front of the line here. The Pteranodon's sport 10 foot
wingspans and fly in a circular pattern with you on their
backs. This is part of Camp Jurassic, and as such
is more of a kids ride than anything else.
These flyers are also fairly high up, so those with a
fear of heights may want to avoid this, as the flyers
are open air.
An exploration station for kids, complete with
caves, lava pits and more. The big attraction here is
the Pteranodon Flyers (mentioned above). |
