Jurassic Park River Adventure, also known simply as River Adventure, or Jurassic Park: The Ride, is a water thrill ride located in the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure. It is a port of Jurassic Park: The Ride from Universal Studios Hollywood with some minor differences. Like the rest of the area it is located in, it is based on the 1993 film Jurassic Park. It is the signature attraction of the Jurassic Park section at Islands of Adventure, and opened with the park on May 28, 1999.
History[]
Even before Jurassic Park was released in 1993, Universal was eagerly anticipating to adapt the hit film for their Universal Parks, and had already begun construction on a ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. Jurassic Park: The Ride was later opened three years after the first film's release, in 1996. Plans to port the ride to Universal Studios Florida were also in development shortly after the original design opened. However, it was later decided by executives that Jurassic Park was so successful that it should instead have a fully dedicated area in the Islands of Adventure park that was currently under construction.
Jurassic Park River Adventure opened with the rest of Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999, about a week shy of the first film's sixth anniversary. It remains operating to this day.
Background[]
The entrance to the ride is marked by a giant stone slab with the ride's logo on both sides. Lockers are available for guests with belongings that could get wet on the ride, but unlike those at other rides like The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-It, a small fee is required for use.
The queue line features numerous television sets that feature John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), the creator of the park, discussing the dinosaurs, as well as music from the films playing in the background.
Once riders board their boat, they travel up a small hill, where a narrator welcomes guests to Jurassic Park, as the famous gates of the park open for the boat to travel through.The boat passes by an Ultrasaurus (a long-necked dinosaur that is similar to the Brachiosaurus seen in the first film), as well the parrot-billed Psittacosaurus, and an adult Stegosaurus with one of its offspring. Guests then encounter a Hadrosaur exhibit in which a Parasaurolophus pops out from underneath the water and bumps the boat. This sends the boat off-course into a restricted area where carnivorous dinosaurs are contained.
In the restricted area, guests pass by a raptor exhibit similar to the one featured in the opening of the first film, though the only sign of raptors is the rustling of foliage and growling from within the exhibit. The boat then passes by a rescue boat that was presumably sent to rescue the guests, but the crew appears to have been killed by a pack of Compsognathus (also known as Compys), indicated by two Compys fighting over a shredded Jurassic Park employee jacket. Near the crashed rescue boat is a tour vehicle that falls off the side of the wall, as well as an overhead crate containing what is presumably a Velociraptor.
The guests then begin to enter a dark building and ascend another hill, where a second rescue crew announce their plan to evacuate the guests at the top of the hill. However, several Velociraptors attack from several sides of the boat, including one from above. At the top of the hill, a few Dilophosaurus appear and spit venom (actually water) at the guests. The boat turns to the left while alarms are blaring, with smoke and mist forming in the direction the boat is heading. A Tyrannosaurus Rex appears from within the smoke, roaring at the riders before attempting to eat them. At the last second, the boat plunges down its signature drop, with a huge splash as the ending theme of the film begins to play, signifying that the riders have successfully escaped. The boats then return to the loading station and the guests depart.
Trivia[]
- Several dinosaurs that do not appear in any films in the Jurassic Park franchise appear in this ride, particularly Ultrasaurus and Psittacosaurus.
- Unlike most rides at the resort, this ride doesn't feature a significant number of actors from the films reprising their roles, with the exception of Richard Attenborough once again portraying John Hammond in the preshow video.
- In 2018, Universal announced that the original version of the ride at Universal Studios Hollywood would close in September to make way for a new ride based on the later Jurassic World films in the franchise. For the time being, no announcement has been made on if the Islands of Adventure version of the ride will be affected with a similar overhaul in the near future, but it seems unlikely due to the potential issue of also needing to retheme the entire Jurassic Park area.
- Universal's main rival, the Disney Parks, seemed to have stolen a visual-gag from this attraction for their 2021 update of the Jungle Cruise. In The Jurassic Park ride, a pair of compsognathus can be seen playing tug-of-war over tourist's belongings. In this update of the Jungle Cruise, a pair of monkeys were added performing the same action over tourist's underwear.