Future of Jurassic Park River Adventure

[belloq87]

There is no scenario in which I will approve of a screen tunnel replacing that first lagoon scene.

 

[JawsVictim]

There is no scenario in which I will approve of a screen tunnel replacing that first lagoon scene.

Even with Ultrasaur Lagoon being replaced by the screens in Hollywood, I believe the net gain of AAs is +1.

 

[WillQ92]

How anyone can watch a prime-era POV of the ride in Hollywood (or ride it for that matter) even with sightline issues and say the Jurassic World variant is a better ride is beyond me.

 

[belloq87]

Even with Ultrasaur Lagoon being replaced by the screens in Hollywood, I believe the net gain of AAs is +1.

It's not just about AA count.

The ride was designed to feature a big, expansive moment to begin the experience, hence the gate opening and the reveal of the lagoon, accompanied by Richard Kiley reprising his role (as himself) from the movie and the iconic John Williams score. The JW scene has... just some dude narrating to us, and some not-iconic music leading us into a tunnel where our first big encounter is digital animation. Not the ideal start to a ride where we should be seeing "real" dinosaurs.

In my opinion, anyway!

 

[JawsVictim]

How anyone can watch a prime-era POV of the ride in Hollywood (or ride it for that matter) even with sightline issues and say the Jurassic World variant is a better ride is beyond me.

POVs don’t account for you actually riding the ride. I rode Hollywood’s JP in 2016 and thought it was slightly better than Orlando’s but still needed a major refurb. Riding JW a few weeks ago, I had a far better experience than either JP iteration; even with the first scene being screen based. It won’t matter if I watch a POV of JP in prime condition - I can never experience that version of the ride!

 

[shiekra38]

This is why I don’t complain about JW’s Mosasaur scene. It’s way better than the Ultrasaur AA, even if it is all screens.

100 percent, it looks great

 

[WillQ92]

The ride was designed to feature a big, expansive moment to begin the experience, hence the gate opening and the reveal of the lagoon, accompanied by Richard Kiley reprising his role (as himself) from the movie and the iconic John Williams score.

To expand on this, the entire ride was originally designed to have an expansive feel-as if there's more Jurassic Park behind the tree line. One of the benefits of having Spielberg involved in the design process was his ability to help them weave the elements into a coherent story, and make the ride feel as real as possible from a guest perspective. They wanted a sense of wonder and danger all at the same time whether it be through scale, proximity, lighting, atmospherics or even implied ride path.

Just compare the plots of both rides and it's easy to see which one had more thought put into it. You board a raft for a journey through Jurassic Park. After encountering various large and small herbivores, a perturbed Parasaurolophus knocks your boat off-course to a ravaged restricted area. Upon realizing a raft is in danger the park informs guests they should reach an evac point in a pump systems building. The raft finally catches up to the cause of the issues- pesky escaped carnivores- and it appears that there's two options, get eaten or take the drainage chute. The end.

Vs

You board a raft for a journey through Jurassic World, and your first stop is though a partially submerged tunnel that's in a tank that's entirely too big for the left hand turn you just made and the cave structure that's ahead of you. You see various herbivores before your boat deliberately turns into predator cove. You see that the Indominus Rex has broken out, the boat then deliberately goes into the T-Rex enclosure...

I could continue, but I'll just sum it up: One ride was designed to be an experience, and the other was designed to make you experience things. There is a stark difference in how that feels and plays out thematically, and much like everything is entirely up to the preference of each person. I'm in the camp of making a ride feel like an experience to get the best effect, because just riding by things happening isn't what makes a good ride- no matter how cool the screen is or how big the animatronic is.

 

[JawsVictim]

Isn’t JW structured like a theme park attraction? So the difference at the end is that you’re supposed to go down a boat ride drop instead of an evac and that the “thing that goes wrong” is the I Rex being on the loose? I agree to the greater extend that JP’s story was better, but the sights along the way are far better in JW IMO.

 

[WillQ92]

Isn’t JW structured like a theme park attraction? So the difference at the end is that you’re supposed to go down a boat ride drop instead of an evac and that the “thing that goes wrong” is the I Rex being on the loose? I agree to the greater extend that JP’s story was better, but the sights along the way are far better in JW IMO.

The lighting in the T-Rex Kingdom is some of the worst lighting Universal has ever executed in their entire theme park history. There's zero feel or atmosphere, and their choice to make things illuminate as you pass them makes it feel like a cheap stage show. That's actually my biggest gripe about the ride, and I'm willing to lose the lagoon to the Mosasaur tank if it means they leave the show building alone.

 

[JawsVictim]

The lighting in the T-Rex Kingdom is some of the worst lighting Universal has ever executed in their entire theme park history. There's zero feel or atmosphere, and their choice to make things illuminate as you pass them makes it feel like a cheap stage show. That's actually my biggest gripe about the ride, and I'm willing to lose the lagoon to the Mosasaur tank if it means they leave the show building alone.

So for Orlando, keep the “knocked off course/evac” plot, add IRex, and overall convert to JW with pump room intact?

To be honest, I never fully understood how the T-Rex got up in the pump room to begin with.

 

[WillQ92]

So for Orlando, keep the “knocked off course/evac” plot, add IRex, and overall convert to JW with pump room intact?

To be honest, I never fully understood how the T-Rex got up in the pump room to begin with.

I think there's a middle ground between both rides that can be reached that will wow fans and NBCUniversal's wallets alike. Another thing I'll add is that JPRA=/=JP:The Ride. They were quite different experiences, so I would hope Universal would continue that trend should they revamp JPRA.

As far as how Rexy got in the pump station, on the right hand side as the boat turns left approaching the final straight before the drop, there's a smashed open garage door. That's always been the implied entry point to me.

 

[JawsVictim]

I think there's a middle ground between both rides that can be reached that will wow fans and NBCUniversal's wallets alike. Another thing I'll add is that JPRA=/=JP:The Ride. They were quite different experiences, so I would hope Universal would continue that trend should they revamp JPRA.

As far as how Rexy got in the pump station, on the right hand side as the boat turns left approaching the final straight before the drop, there's a smashed open garage door. That's always been the implied entry point to me.

I hope the same! I’d certainly like to see a different version when Orlando becomes JWRA.

I believe that slash is an effect that occurs as the boat passes; it isn’t there beforehand. I never thought of that as the entry point...just a cool, unsettling effect.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Seeing a nice blend between JW and JP elements would be the perfect way to go. Keeping the "knocked off course" and Ultrasaur Lagoon would be no 1 for me.

 

[Legacy]

How about it starts off as a Jurassic World River Tour, when we get knocked off course into the derelict original Jurassic Park?

 

[belloq87]

I could continue, but I'll just sum it up: One ride was designed to be an experience, and the other was designed to make you experience things.

This is a great way to phrase it. Doesn't sound like a difference, but it really is.

 

[Skipper Justin]

It's not just about AA count.

The ride was designed to feature a big, expansive moment to begin the experience, hence the gate opening and the reveal of the lagoon, accompanied by Richard Kiley reprising his role (as himself) from the movie and the iconic John Williams score. The JW scene has... just some dude narrating to us, and some not-iconic music leading us into a tunnel where our first big encounter is digital animation. Not the ideal start to a ride where we should be seeing "real" dinosaurs.

In my opinion, anyway!

The opening of the doors is the only good thing about the current ride’s beginning. Really bad animatronics and obvious shallow water. It’s really isn’t expansive. I agree about the music, though.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

To expand on this, the entire ride was originally designed to have an expansive feel-as if there's more Jurassic Park behind the tree line. One of the benefits of having Spielberg involved in the design process was his ability to help them weave the elements into a coherent story, and make the ride feel as real as possible from a guest perspective. They wanted a sense of wonder and danger all at the same time whether it be through scale, proximity, lighting, atmospherics or even implied ride path.

Just compare the plots of both rides and it's easy to see which one had more thought put into it. You board a raft for a journey through Jurassic Park. After encountering various large and small herbivores, a perturbed Parasaurolophus knocks your boat off-course to a ravaged restricted area. Upon realizing a raft is in danger the park informs guests they should reach an evac point in a pump systems building. The raft finally catches up to the cause of the issues- pesky escaped carnivores- and it appears that there's two options, get eaten or take the drainage chute. The end.

Vs

You board a raft for a journey through Jurassic World, and your first stop is though a partially submerged tunnel that's in a tank that's entirely too big for the left hand turn you just made and the cave structure that's ahead of you. You see various herbivores before your boat deliberately turns into predator cove. You see that the Indominus Rex has broken out, the boat then deliberately goes into the T-Rex enclosure...

I could continue, but I'll just sum it up: One ride was designed to be an experience, and the other was designed to make you experience things. There is a stark difference in how that feels and plays out thematically, and much like everything is entirely up to the preference of each person. I'm in the camp of making a ride feel like an experience to get the best effect, because just riding by things happening isn't what makes a good ride- no matter how cool the screen is or how big the animatronic is.

I had literally never put 2 and 2 together to understand the purpose of the building/drop until reading this. Very cool...I have definitely noticed that outside of Rise of the Resistance, rides made today seem to fall under that “experience things” category.

 

[JawsVictim]

How about it starts off as a Jurassic World River Tour, when we get knocked off course into the derelict original Jurassic Park?

Are you hinting at something here? O:

 

[biggerboat16]

How about it starts off as a Jurassic World River Tour, when we get knocked off course into the derelict original Jurassic Park?

With the state of the current ride, they could just not renovate a part of it to achieve the derelict feel... lol

 

[Nico]

How about it starts off as a Jurassic World River Tour, when we get knocked off course into the derelict original Jurassic Park?

If this happens, I’d love a credit UC .