Project 2021: Jurassic World VelociCoaster

[rswashdc]

I won’t be so quick write off Icebreaker yet. That’s a family coaster with a minimum 48” height requirement. That’ll draw in crowds because it fills a void in SeaWorld like Verbolten does for BGW.

And although not officially confirmed yet, my friend in management at IOA was informed Velocicoaster will be a 54” minimum to ride.

I'd gather that Universal will draw more of the 54" and up crowd than SeaWorld will draw back in of the 48-53" kids.

It's good that SeaWorld is going in the direction of having more shorter kid friendly thrills, but they'll need more than one coaster at that height to be attractive to families.

 

[Zachary]

The SeaWorld/Universal competition is being overstated here in my opinion. I don't think many people are deciding BETWEEN Universal and SeaWorld—they're deciding if they ALSO want to go to SeaWorld or not. Plus, SeaWorld has a much stronger focus on the local and regional market than Universal does. Is there some amount of Ice Breaker vs VelociCoaster competition? Sure. Is it going to make or break Ice Breaker? Unlikely.

 

[Unagi]

The SeaWorld/Universal competition is being overstated here in my opinion. I don't think many people are deciding BETWEEN Universal and SeaWorld—they're deciding if they ALSO want to go to SeaWorld or not.

This.

And if anything, SeaWorld could actually benefit from the draw that Velocicoaster will bring to Universal. With the parks only being a few miles apart at opposite ends of I-Drive, many Universal guests can easily go over to SeaWorld for the day.

 

[BGWnut]

@Zachary is correct that is what SeaWorld is focusing on. They aren't trying to get people to visit them over Disney/Universal for their. Instead they want to convince people that should spend one day of their vacations at SWO. They have also been borrowing heavily from BGW in trying to cater to locals as well as convince people to come visit.

 

[Unagi]

VelociCoaster is testing.

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[Dombot]

Yeah, that heartline roll looks like the best inversion on the planet. Hooooooly shit that shouldn't be legal.

 

[Unagi]

More testing footage...

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[vacoasterfanatic]

Looks kinda tame tbh

 

[Unagi]

Looks kinda tame tbh

It just started the testing phase. They have to break the trains in so it's gonna run a bit sluggish at first. They're also gonna be doing test runs with different speeds and various train weights.

 

[futureshock]

@Zachary is correct that is what SeaWorld is focusing on. They aren't trying to get people to visit them over Disney/Universal for their. Instead they want to convince people that should spend one day of their vacations at SWO. They have also been borrowing heavily from BGW in trying to cater to locals as well as convince people to come visit.

This is essentially how I approach any family trip to Orlando, the first half day (arriving in Orlando area) is spent at SeaWorld with dinner there and the last day of our trip (departure from Orlando area) is spent at SeaWorld with lunch there; then we have a single full-day at SeaWorld/Aquatica mixed in with our remaining six days in Orlando, because 6 days straight at even the four Disney parks is too repetitive.

Glad to hear that SeaWorld is also approaching the same plan I have been using for years and catering to the "mix in a day or two" idea for a Disney-focused trip or Universal-focused trip; to me the mere mathematics of being an all-parks (platinum season pass holder) justified the book-ended visits alone. If somehow an all-parks dining plan, similar to Cedar Fair's, was implemented by SeaWorld, then the value proposition only increases and pushes me closer an even split of days at SeaWorld vs days at Disney/Universal.

Lastly, the lodging value of the "at Seaworld" properties is becoming more and more of an economics no-brainer as compared to on-site Disney or Universal mid and top tier lodging. Universal's built in Express Pass when staying at upper-tier property is extremely nice, but the economics of the on-going arms race of pricing for said upper-tier property is making the attractiveness of SeaWorld properties even more appealing as we can literally justify making an annual trip by staying off Disney or off Universal property instead of saving up for the "on-site" experience every few years.

 

[Pantheon]

Apparently, on Sunday Velocicoaster ran a test with human riders.

 

[wombat96]

Panthewho?

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[Pretzel Kaiser]

I really hope they sell a model of that car.

 

[Dombot]

It looks like one of those futuristic concept cars companies show off at car shows and never sell to the public.

That is not an insult.

 

[VB06Hokie]

It looks like one of those futuristic concept cars companies show off at car shows and never sell to the public.

That is not an insult.

Introducing the 2025 Honda Civic

 

[cschnizer]

How many trains might be on the ride? This is the first Intamin blitz I've seen with six-car trains so I think they really have capacity in mind as with Hagrid's.

 

[AlpenChariot]

I'm thinking 4-5 trains minimum.

 

[DECoasteyGuy]

I'm thinking 4-5 trains minimum.

I think they actually ordered 6, but when you look at Hagrid and the fact that this is an intamin, running 4 or 5 seems far more likely

 

[Zachary]

It can’t be overstated how gorgeous this coaster is.

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[warfelg]

It's worth bearing repeating from the Pantheon thread:
Intamin builds some of the most visually stunning and aesthetically pleasing coasters there are.