Jurassic Park: The Ride

Opening

Among the guests in attendance at the ride's grand opening celebration in 1996 were film cast members Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Richards, and Joseph Mazzello. Steven Spielberg also attended the opening, but requested that he be let off of the attraction before the 85-foot (26 m) drop.

Promotion

On August 12, 1996,^[1] Universal launched an online game titled Jurassic Park – The Ride Online Adventure, to promote the ride.^[2]

Closure and rebranding

On May 10, 2018, Universal Studios Hollywood announced that its version of the ride would be closing on September 3, 2018 for a 9 month long renovation to transform the ride into a new attraction based on the Jurassic World line of films in the franchise.^[3][4] This version is slated to debut in 2019 and will include all new animatronics and special effects.

Queue and pre-show

The ride was designed to replicate the atmosphere of Isla Nublar. Guests began the queue by walking under the Jurassic Park Sign before waiting under an open-wall building. A tour guide appeared on television monitors in the building, reviewing boarding and ride safety. Other videos played with some about the "safety of the ride" spoken by InGen employees, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) talking about the dinosaurs, and music from the first film's score in the background. Guests were then split into two lines to board their tour boats for the ride.

Ride

The Hadrosaur cove.

The ride started at Ultrasaur Lagoon, where two Ultrasaurus were seen eating plants in the water as well as two Psittacosaurus. The boat then moved behind a waterfall and emerged in Stegosaur Springs, where riders then saw an adult Stegosaurus and its young. Two Compsognathus were seen fighting over an empty popcorn box before the boat entered Hadrosaur Cove, where a Parasaurolophus poped up in front of the raft, and sprayed water at the riders. The Jurassic Park Animal Control called, revealing that the Parasaurolophus threw the raft off course, causing it to enter the raptor containment area, which was shown to be heavily damaged.

Riders then encountered what appeared to be an abandoned tour raft, where a Dilophosaurus was seen eating the remains of a poncho. A nearby motorboat was also abandoned, sent by Jurassic Park Animal Control to guide the raft towards a safe area, but the Dilophosaurus appeared to have killed the tourists and boat crew. A Mickey Mouse ears hat was seen floating in the water next to a ruined raft as an apparent jab at nearby Universal Hollywood's theme park rival Disneyland. A heavily damaged tour vehicle was seen being pushed over the wall to the right of the raft, which missed being hit by the vehicle, and the grunts and growls of a Tyrannosaurus rex were heard.

Dilophosauruses jumped out and spit their toxic venom at guests (which is actually water). Sparks and flood lights were added to the effect during nighttime operations of the attraction.

The raft then entered the Environmental Systems Building (this area had special effects that the other versions of the ride don't). and slowly began to ascend a long lift hill. A voice on a loudspeaker in the building alerted guests that an emergency evacuation was going to be attempted. As the raft made its way up the lift hill, numerous alarms were heard as escaped Velociraptors lunged out at guests. Once the raft reached the top of the lift hill, it droped down a small waterfall, where it narrowly missed being devoured by a Tyrannosaurus rex. A claw fell from the ceiling followed by its head and a set of collapsing pipes above riders' heads.

A technician began counting down when the building's life support systems will terminate (due to "toxic gases" released during the Tyrannosaurus encounter). The raft then climbed a small lift hill that bringed it closer to the emergency evacuation drop. A second technician yelled "If you can hear my voice, get out of there! It's in the building! IT'S IN THE BUILDING!".

The Tyrannosaurus rex then emerged from a waterfall coming from broken pipes in front of the raft, and lunged down to grab the raft, which escapes by plunging down a 85 feet (26 m) high evacuation drop and into a tropical lagoon outside the Environmental Systems Building. A Dilophosaurus tried to squirt "venom" (water) at the passengers one last time. A can of Barbasol was seen in the planter just before the ride ended, referencing the can Dennis Nedry uses in the first film to steal dinosaur embryos. The raft finally made its way to the unloading dock where guests would disembark the ride through the Jurassic Outfitters gift shop.

Ride

As with the Hollywood version, both Orlando's and Japan's version begins as the boat rises against an elevation, followed by a small plunge. Then the boat goes through the Jurassic Park Gate. Japan's version is a mirror of Orlando's, as they operate in opposite directions (for instance, the boat in Japan tends to be at the right towards the Gate as opposed to the left with Orlando).

In the Ultrasaurus Lagoon, the visitor encounters a large adult Ultrasaurus which raises its neck high above the riders then slowly lowers it back near the water. Two Psittacosaurus can be seen in the Lagoon eating plants and drinking the water nearby. The boat goes through a cave with water trickling down the sides. The next area is Stegosaurus Spring, this part of the park is volcanic (like Stegosaur South in the novel). On both sides of the river stands a Stegosaurus. One is much bigger than the other, towering over the raft and its riders. This suggests that the other may be a juvenile.

The boat begins heading toward a part of the park known as Hadrosaur Cove. One large Parasaurolophus pokes its head up from the water and shoots water from its nose on guests. Seconds later, a startled duck-billed Parasaurolophus bumps and throws the boat, causing it to begin drifting into the Raptor Containment Area, which is shown to be heavily damaged. The Jurassic Park Animal Control calls to stop the boat to get riders to a safe place. The Raptor Containment Section, a section of the adventure that (according to voiceovers on the ride) had never successfully been integrated into the rest of the park.

Off in the jungle area to the right, Raptors can be heard, who rustle the bushes and plants. The raft passes by a replica of the Raptor Pen from the film, and riders hear snarling Velociraptors in the dense foliage while branches move to simulate the creatures attempting to escape from their confines. A large hole is torn into the wires in the fence. Two Compsognathus are seen fighting over a bloody crew shirt (The CP 25 which has been sent by Jurassic Park Animal Control to guide the boat towards a safe area but the compsognathus encountered and had eaten and killed the crew). The boat heads straight towards the water treatment plant where riders see a Velociraptor run into a dark corner. A large crate with something snarling inside, possibly a raptor, also almost nearly falls and almost crushes the riders.

The riders then begin to slowly head up a steep hill into a large building in silence and darkness. The riders then enter a dark tunnel with several pipes near the ceiling. To the right of the riders, there is a shadow of two raptors growling inside a pen. A Velociraptor now jumps out of a dark corner and begins squealing and clawing at a gate sparking with electricity. Another raptor is seen jumping up from a control panel and snarls at guests. As the raft follows a short drop and a right turn, sirens begin blazing loudly due to an evacuation. only to stop seconds later. Suddenly, a loud (fairly high pitched) Dilophosaurus squeal is heard, followed by a frill-less dilophosaurus snarling at the riders. A loud roar then can be heard, and large three fingered claw mark can be seen ripping through the wall. Moments after, a few Dilophosaurus jump up beside the boat, spitting their poisonous venom (actually water) at the guests. In front of the riders is a couple of flashing lights as well as mist and fog. Seconds later, the head of the T-Rex appears in front of the riders, roaring and growling. He roars very loudly and bends over snapping his jaws, and then raises his mouth towards the ceiling. As the T-Rex bends its head down to try to eat the riders, the raft then plunges down an 85 ft 51° drop.