Universal rolls out VelociCoaster with ‘Today’ coverage, crowds, churros
The first official day of operation for Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park included an early crowd, coverage by the “Today” show and churros.
Universal Orlando opened the entrance gates at 7 a.m., allowing visitors to venture back to the Jurassic Park land, home of the dinosaur movie-inspired thrill ride, which has been in “technical rehearsal” with passengers since early May. By 10 a.m., the wait time for the ride was listed as three hours on the Universal Orlando app.
Among those, there were NBC newspeople Dylan Dreyer and Kerry Sanders alongside “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson near the ride entrance as coaster enthusiasts queued up. A prerecorded segment showed Thompson and Sanders aboard the coaster. (They rode Wednesday.)
“I had to hold his hand,” Thompson joked.
Onboard video of the duo showed wide eyes and mouths agape, especially during the launch to climb the ride’s signature 155-foot-tall hill. It ended with high-fives.
“You missed a good one,” Thompson said to Dreyer, who sat out the ride because she is pregnant.
“I was screaming my lungs out,” Sanders said.
“I loved it. I think it was exhilarating,” Thompson said in a later segment.
The first “Today” segment quickly highlighted various Universal Orlando locations and attractions and included a clip with Shelby Honea, show producer of VelociCoaster. Sander discussed the “returning to normal” angle of theme parks as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
“VelociCoaster is a great way to say ‘We are back,’ ” he said.
“This is the most normal thing I’ve felt,” Dreyer said. She pointed out the most recent guidelines at Universal.
Also spotted on the scene: Universal Orlando President Bill Davis holding a churro. Before the ride was officially announced and identified, social media wags started jokingly referring to the mystery project as a new churro stand. The park gave away the sugary treat to opening-day riders.