Jurassic World: The Ride Grand Opening Ceremony at Universal Studios Hollywood
On July 22nd, Jurassic World: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood had it’s star studded opening ceremony! The night started with an unsuspecting visitor who seemed to be just a tad too hungry to realize the large group of people patiently waiting for the show to begin.
The two main stars of the franchise, Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt joined the festivities along side: Colin Trevorrow (Director of Jurassic World), Frank Marshall (Producer of Jurassic World), Ron Meyer (NBCUniversal Vice Chairman), Karen Irwin (President & COO of Universal Studios Hollywood), Tom Williams (Chairman & CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts), Mark Woodbury (Vice Chairman Universal Parks & Resorts, President of Universal Creative) and Jon Corfino (Sr. Director & Executive Producer of Universal Creative).
It was a heartwarming dedication, not only to the newly design attraction; but to its predecessor (Jurassic Park: The Ride) which helped make all this possible. In the words of Dr. Ian Malcom, “Life…uh…finds a way.”
Colin Trevorrow spoke at the podium and something he said resonated with us. He spoke about creating memories for our children and how Jurassic World: The Ride will live on to help create memories for thousands more who visit USH. He couldn’t be more right. Sometimes, within the theme park world, we find ourselves caught up with the technical side of theme parks and attractions. How is the set design? Does it use screens or media? Is it fast? Is it slow? Ultimately, what matters most are the memories created, and those usually don’t revolve around set design or screens or any other technical element. It’s the experience as a whole that we have with our families and loved ones that truly resonates with us in our minds. I personally remember going on Jurassic Park: The Ride for the very first time with my family and I will always cherish that memory. That is something I want our Daughter to have growing up as well, fond family memories on rides and attractions. That is what this is all for; We believe that, and it’s clear Colin believes in that too.
But while we were getting all nostalgic, the party was interrupted by the other star of Jurassic World…BLUE THE RAPTOR! It also seemed that Chris Pratt got a nice moment with his beloved raptor too.
And just like that, Jurassic World: The Ride officially opened at Universal Studios Hollywood!
If you want to hear our full review of Jurassic World: The Ride, you can do so here:
And if you want to see our adventure riding it for the very first time, you can watch that here:
To put it simply, this attraction is what Universal needed to spice up their amazing lineup of attractions and shows. The original will always live on as a true classic and an attraction that helped propel Universal into the theme park spotlight. But with the additions and changes made, the attraction is more thrilling than ever. Not only are the changes to the attraction phenomenal, but the land surrounding it got a much needed face-lift as well.
We’ve raved about the food served in Jurassic Cafe on our show and it totally deserves it. From the Mojo Pork to the Mahi Mahi, the quality of food has jumped exponentially for us. Jurassic Cafe has quickly become one of our favorite places to eat. We were lucky enough to try out more options that are being served at the location and needless to say, we are excited to return to try every other item on the menu. They have also added Isla Nu-Bar, a new location to grab some tropical adult beverages (AKA Liquid Courage) to go along side your food from Jurassic Cafe. Or you can grab one to beat the summer heat here in Los Angeles. If anyone knows us, they know they can find us at Isla Nu-Bar because we love our tropical tiki drinks!
Lastly, Universal Creative has upgraded the Raptor Encounter meet and greet! The newly designed set feels much more permanent and helps keep the area within the theme of Jurassic World.
Not only that, but now Blue isn’t alone! You can also meet two new dinosaurs at Universal Studios Hollywood now! If you’ve been to the park recently, you might have had a chance to meet Tango the baby Raptor and the new baby Triceratops!
With these two new additions, it clear that Universal has the upper hand on meet and greets within he theme park world. Imagine meeting Megatron, Optimus Prime, Blue, Minions, Universal Classic Monsters and Spongebob all within the same day!
We truly hope you make it out to Universal Studios Hollywood to experience Jurassic World: The Ride because its a blast! Just don’t get eaten by the Indominus Rex or T-Rex while visiting! Let us know what you think of Jurassic World: The Ride on our social media channels!
Theme Park Duo 