March 24, 2015 – While it took a bit longer than expected, Jurassic Park: The Ride reopened at Universal this week and the timing couldn’t be more crucial with spring break crowds beginning to flood the park.
Let’s see how it looks!
The gates stand tall as guests flow in.
Warnings about a potential soaking are prevalent, and poncho purchases are plenty, but it was a fairly dry trip today, all things considered.
Infomational signs are still around, but haven’t been polished in quite some time.
The crowds didn’t mind though. They were just happy to get some splash excitement into their day.
The bamboo is still tattered with graffiti.
A tribute to Richard Attenborough (who portrayed John Hammond in the movies) can be spotted in the control room before loading. There’s also a new black certain blocking the control monitors from guest view.
Looking back down the first ramp.
The dinosaurs live! And they all look cleaned up!
The foliage helps to obscure the lack of the lower half of his body.
Despite the ride’s narration, it can still be intimidating to see these gentle giants.
The colors on the stegosaurs really stands out with the new skins. It’s good to see.
Previously, these were really sun bleached.
Over in the T-Rex paddock, there used to be an electrical cable where sparks could be seen and heard. Sadly, last year that effect was turned off and it seems it was finally removed altogether in this recent update.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Jurassic Park without plenty of little easter eggs to look for.
Once again, despite the ride’s refurbishment, the falling vehicle wasn’t working again. Sound effects played but the vehicle remained at the top.
During the dilophosaurus ambush, the left-side failed to open his frills completely.
On the right, the spitter was working perfectly.
The final surprise dino always is a good surprise.
And, in what seems like a repeat of last year, the Barbasol Can has once again gone missing after the refurbishment.
Two coin press machines are located in the front, and are working, but this specific machine on the side was not.
Wrapping up this refurbishment update, we take a quick stroll into the gift shop, Jurassic Outfitters.
Because the Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride lacks a gift shop of its own, traditionally, one of the front spots of Jurassic Outfitters has held an area for merchandise for the indoor coaster. This time, the Mummy section has been pushed back further into the store, and the bulk of the front half is now simply Universal Studios branded merchandise.
While the store has a lot of great merchandise, there was nothing from the upcoming Jurassic World movie to be found inside. With just under three months until the movie release, the merchandise blitz has begun in stores across the country. It would be nice to see some appear here as well.
All in all, this update felt very routine with a few new touches. There are spots of the ride that still need serious work and a more serious refurbishment feels long overdue. Given that most of the Upper Lot is under construction for a lot of epic transformations, it may not be the best time for that, especially with summer quickly coming into view. However, once all that finishes up in 2016, I can imagine it would be an ideal time to give this ride the makeover it truly deserves.
We hope you enjoyed this look at Jurassic Park! If we missed anything, be sure to contact us and let us know. Or if you feel anything needs extra coverage, we’d love to know that, as well.
Chris Glass is an editor for Inside Universal.
Chris is a Los Angeles native who grew up visiting the best theme parks in the world, but that wasn’t enough. Whenever he has the chance, he flees the comfort of Southern California to see what the rest of the world has to offer, and is always happy to return home.
You may contact Chris at chrisglass@insideuniversal.net.
