Universal will open Jurassic World VelociCoaster in June

Big news for coaster fans, Universal announced June 10 as the opening date for its anticipated new attraction, the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, an adrenaline rush that will be Florida’s fastest and tallest launch coaster, catapulting riders up to 155 feet in the air.

The original cast from the movies — Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong — will make appearances at the attraction, which sends guests through the paddock with the films’ velociraptor pack: Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo, a news release from Universal said.

Located in the Islands of Adventure theme park, it is one of the most highly anticipated roller coasters to debut this year. It features two launches that will send guests up to 70 mph in 2.4 seconds.

The ride’s signature “top hat” tower will propel riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately plunge into a steep 80-degree drop. They will also find themselves upside down four times, including a 100-foot-long, “zero-gravity stall,” where riders will be dangling with nothing more than a lap bar holding them in.

“This will be one of the most thrilling coasters in the world,” said Greg Hall, Universal Creative art director and one of the attraction’s main designers, in a news release.

There will be several moments of airtime, that fluttery sensation as riders levitate out of their seats. And the big finish will feature a 360-degree barrel-roll inversion a few feet above the lagoon at Islands of Adventure.

Fans of the films will find Howard’s character, Claire, appearing in videos along with Chris Pratt’s rogue dinosaur researcher, Owen Grady. They will be giving line patrons banter-filled information about the attraction they are about to enter.