At a Glance
Duration: 6 minutes
Look Out For: scary animatronic dinosaurs, sensory overload, a strong sense of peril, and an 85 foot plunge
Opening on May 28, 1999, Jurassic Park River Adventure is a slow boat ride that turns into a thrilling close encounter with scary dinos. But how scary is Jurassic Park River Adventure? Let’s take a look at the stats:
1. Ride Length
Jurassic Park River Adventure has a ride duration of approximately 6 minutes. However, you can expect a few extra seconds in the ride vehicle due to slight delays with loading and unloading.
2. Height Requirement and Warnings
Jurassic Park River Adventure has a height requirement of 42 inches. In addition, children under 48 inches must be accompanied by an adult. Universal also warns against heart conditions or abnormal blood pressure, back or neck problems, expectant mothers, or those sensitive to motion sickness, strobe lights, or fog effects.
3. Ride Vehicles and Restraints
The Jurassic Park River Adventure ride vehicles consist of large boats seating around 25 people in 5 rows of 5. Each row shares a single lap bar so if you’re a smaller rider, the bar will almost certainly not come down all the way for you. That being said, there is no actual air-time on this attraction and every passenger will be perfectly safe using this restraint system.
4. How Does Jurassic Park River Adventure Work?
Jurassic Park River Adventure works like a standard, water-based dark ride in which the boats travel along a track through the show scenes. As a track ride/log flume attraction like Splash Mountain, it of course includes that trademark 85 foot plummet as well as many scary animatronic dinos along its track.
5. Is Jurassic Park River Adventure Scary?
Jurassic Park River Adventure is very scary. Not only does this pleasant boat ride through a Jurassic paradise turn ominous, but the end of the attraction features both hungry carnivores and a gut-wrenching drop.
When things start to go awry, you’ll come encounter loud blaring sirens, urgent warning messages over the intercom, a destroyed raptor containment area, crashed boats, and two little carnivores tugging on a bloodied shirt. As you enter the show building, a raptor containment crate will threaten to drop on you from overhead and you’ll hear snarls and crackling electricity as you make your way up the lift.
You’ll pass several raptors and other dangerous dinos spitting “venom” on you before rounding the corner and finding the big bad T-Rex facing you dead-on. The boat will glide slowly towards him as he rears back and prepares to attack, but just in time you’ll plummet down the 85 foot plume and into safety.
6. How High is Jurassic Park River Adventure?
Jurassic Park River Adventure does involve some heights, but you never feel like you’re high above ground. This attraction involves two separate lifts but one of them is a lot like what you’d find on Kali River Rapids (surrounded by lush jungle theming) and the other takes place inside a dark building. By the time you’ve reached the top, you can’t tell how high up you really are until you drop 85 feet in the finale.
7. How Fast is Jurassic Park River Adventure?
Jurassic Park River Adventure technically has a top speed of 50 miles per hour. While most of the run time is very slow-paced like any track ride, the drop is certainly tall enough to gather some serious speed – even if it lasts only a few seconds.
8. Does Jurassic Park River Adventure Have Drops?
Jurassic Park River Adventure has one huge 85 foot drop. To put this in perspective, this is much taller than Splash Mountain‘s 53 foot plummet and even taller than the tallest drop in Disney World found on Expedition Everest (80 feet). While it’s certainly tall, I personally don’t find it terribly intense – though definitely jarring if you’re not expecting it.
9. Does Jurassic Park River Adventure Cause Motion Sickness?
Despite its official warning from Universal, Jurassic Park River Adventure should not cause motion sickness for most riders. With its mostly outdoor track and lack of any rushing visuals or spinning, there is really nothing in this attraction that could cause nausea.
10. Is Jurassic Park River Adventure Claustrophobic?
Jurassic Park River Adventure could feel a bit claustrophobic to some riders. Fortunately, this attraction does have a fairly short duration at 6 minutes, and about half of the ride’s duration takes place outdoors. In addition, the large ride vehicles, fairly open queue, and the mostly wide spaces of the indoor show scenes definitely takes the edge off. However, the dark and ominous dark-ride section could definitely feel disorienting and scary, as you can’t see much of what’s around you.
11. Are There Animatronics on Jurassic Park River Adventure?
There are many scary animatronics on Jurassic Park River Adventure. With its enormous, life-sized and life-like dinos on the ride, this attraction could definitely be frightening for those wary of animatronics. These guys are intentionally scary and they move, roar, and even spray “venom” you throughout the attraction – so be prepared if that sounds a bit intense for you
Jurassic Park River Adventure Queue Walkthrough
The queue entrance is located outside in the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure. This entirely outdoor line winds through a covered area complete with fans and several screens preparing you for the ride. The area surrounding the queue is filled with lush jungle scenery and the line will snake back and forth before finally reaching the loading platform.
Just a tip: you will get SOAKED in the front row – so if you’re interested in staying as dry as possible, it might be worth asking a team member if the back row is available.
Jurassic Park River Adventure Ride Walkthrough
As your boat sets off, you’ll go up a short lift surrounded by jungle theming. Once at the top, you’ll glide slowly through the river as the iconic music and narration welcomes you to Jurassic Park. The huge doors open to reveal “real-live” dinosaurs observing you from just beyond the track. Lucky for you, they’re all plant-eaters and you’ll simply float past them peacefully.
Exactly half of the ride (the first 3 minutes) takes you gently through herbivore enclosures – but at that half-way mark, things start to go awry. You’re “knocked off course” by a Hadrosaur (it doesn’t bump you or anything, just rises from the water and sprays as the boat goes by). Then, as sirens blare, you’ll find yourself entering the Jurassic Park Animal Control Gate.
As you approach the Raptor Containment Area, you’ll see a destroyed enclosure and a wrecked boat with little carnivores tugging on a bloodied shirt. You’ll approach the building, but not before a raptor containment crate threatens to drop on you from above. Your boat will begin its slow lift to the top as snarls and warning messages sound from all around you. A few raptors and other “venom-spitting” dinos make an appearance before you round the corner and find yourself face to face with the T-Rex himself.
He roars and rears back as your boat slowly approaches him and – seemingly at the last second – you’ll plunge down that 85 foot drop, leaving you soaked but on your way to the loading station.
That’s it! Remember, everyone’s riding experience is a little bit different and only you can decide whether to hop on that ride vehicle or not. I just hope this guide helps you be prepared and enjoy every second of your Universal experience!
So what do you think? How scary is Jurassic Park River Adventure? Leave a comment to help keep this guide up to date!
For a full visual of the ride and queue, be sure to check out this video from Thib Travels and Universal Orlando Resort:
