Version Numbers Exist in the Film Universe ? Stop Whining
I hate to say this, but when people are looking at the aspect of the changes between the Velociraptors and Pteranodons between the films they want to state they “evolved” because of an advertisement in the trailer mentioning evolution. Further, … Continue reading →
Jurassic Fandom: An Ethnographic Study
Internet fandom itself is a widely held presence on numerous Internet communities and message boards from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Stargate to various other science-fiction related series. The fact is, so little know about the Jurassic Park online fandom. … Continue reading →
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Islands
Of Adventure: Jurassic Park Island
Jurassic Park River Adventure Ride
Islands of Adventure Orlando, Florida
Opened: March 1999
Type: Water Ride (with a drop)
Ride Time: 6 Minutes 50 Seconds
Description
You enter
the "River Adventure" cue underneath a large, thatched roof.
Here, the cue wraps around a 3D representation of "Jurassic Island,"
the island you are currently on. This 3D model shows the island and
the rides located there–including rides cut from the final opening
of the park. Following that walk way through to the next, you are now
in another little thatch-roofed building. Televisions above have a video
of two reporters sitting in front of the Discover Center located here
at the park. They talk about the island and its history, speaking of
Hammond, the incident on Isla Nublar, and then the eventual change of
plan to create another park here in Orlando. Hammond is then seen inside
the Visitor Center from the film talking about the park and welcoming
you to it. This video has footage shot on the sound-stage in all the
different sets, genetics lab, Visitor Center rotunda, and the Control
room–all new footage. Then you go through another little area where
you have a video talking about all the different dinosaurs. It gives
an ominous warning: "Due to technical difficulties, the tour will
not include the carnivore enclosure. Thank you and enjoy your stay."
You see another video of a guy talking about the safety specs–don't
lean forward to avoid the splash, don't put your hands up... and be
warned "You will get wet! (boat splashes down behind him soaking
everyone in camera) And possibly soaked!" As you board the boat,
you can see the River Adventure Control room. They say enjoy the ride,
and you depart. You go up a hill and then splash down in a little river
surrounded by prehistoric trees with a small turn ahead.
The solo horn beginning the "Theme from Jurassic Park" plays: "Time.
The Ever Flowing River. Come with us now to a time before man, when
the river flowed through a new-born world, and giants walked the Earth--"
The boat turns, and you see the gates. They begin to open. "Welcome... to
Jurassic Park" You see a lagoon
surrounded by trees. There is a large rock to your right and to your
left, more rocks and some trees, but one isn't a tree! The mostly submerged
body of an Ultrasoar comes to life, lifting its long neck out of the
water, some food still stuck in its teeth, greeting you. "The Ultrasaurs
in this lagoon are among the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth.
Yet, dispite their awesome size, these gentle giants pose no threat
to us." The boat continues on through the lagoon towards an overhang
of rocks. Next to that, to your left is a little piece of earth with
the large, exposed roots and partial trunk of a tree, with two animals
moving in the shade. "Psittacoasaurs, with their curved, parrotlike
beaks are the most primitive of the horned dinosaurs, a group of herbivores that includes Protoceratops and the mighty, Triceratops."
You continue
underneath this rock overhang where there are little streams of water
rushing down like a waterfall off the rocks to your left. To your right,
there is a rock wall. You turn a corner, and sitting on a stoop above
the water is a baby stegosaurus. "Heavy armored dinosaurs can often
be found among the Geo-thermal formations of Stegosaurus Springs. Heavy
armored plating and spiked tails protect these herbivores from savage
predators of their native period." You begin to get closer and
the baby rocks back and fourth, wailing. Then suddenly from your right,
the head of the mother stegosaur roars into view. The boat turns left,
circling the mother stegosaur. She moves around, moving her tail back
and fourth, exposing her spikes, lifting it in and out of the water.
"Jurassic Park Scientists provide our herbivores with plenty of
vegetation from their native periods. Ensuring long healthy lives for
these magnificent creatures."
You look to your right where, among
tall bamboo shoots, there are tiny geysers that occasionally shoot
water high into the air, raining down on you. You pass those and again,
on your left, the face of a parasaur lifts out of the water, spraying
you with water from her nostrils. The boat has finished making a complete
U and continues on. To your right, a little area begins to bubble. Up
ahead, you can see where the tour continues down the river, turning
left. There is a sign that reads "Hadrosaur Cove." "Next
up on our tour is Hadrosaur Cove. Here in Hadrosaur Cove..."
Suddenly, from the bubbling water bursts a Parasaur. Startled by the boat, it inadvertently pushes the boat off course. You see the Sign "Hadrosaur Cove"
slowly fade from view as the boat turns left towards a wall where the
river leads through an open gate, sirens wailing loudly. "This
is Jurassic Park Animal Control. It looks like one of the Hadrosaurs
has knocked your boat off course. You are entering the Raptor Containment
area. Please, stay seated, we will grab your boat at the loading dock
ahead. Do not get out of the boat, I repeat, do not get out of the boat!"
In the bushes to your right you can hear little snorts as the leaves
shake and trees sway. You see ahead of you the raptor containment building
from JP and the electric fence dangles, having been ripped apart, shooting
off sparks. The boat turns left still, circling the building. To your
right you see a boat: CP 25. It has crashed onto the cement walkway surrounding
the river. It had been carrying a little cargo float where two compies now fight over a torn shirt. The name tag changes a lot so I enjoy looking
to see the name. I've seen many (men and women) names. Last time it
was "Jack." You hear over a radio from the boat "CP 25,
there’s a tour boat off course in the raptor containment area.
We've GOT to get those people out of there! Do you copy? CP 25! Grab
the boat before they get too far! Come back CP25!" the radio fizzles
into silence. You round a corner where you see the beginnings of the
warehouse. There is a metal arch that takes raptor containment boxes
over the river from the left to the right, putting them into the raptor
containment building.
A box is stuck in place, hanging over the river.
To your left are high walls with a gate from which the boxes connect and the raptors are extracted. To your right are two boxes and Timmy’s goggles, and sometimes guns next to a high wall where the raptors are caged. Looking at the crate, it begins to wobble and cry
out loudly. There is a sign on it: "Danger! Live Raptor! Stand
Clear!"
You go underneath the crate just as it drops, stopping just above your head, with a raptor scream ensuing. The boat enters the warehouse, and to your left is a little control
center where behind glass windows you can see some TV sets. Some aren't
working but one has the face of a man talking. "There's a boat
off course. We need to catch those people." Another voice enters
saying "Emergency, evacuate, catch that boat
at the top of the hill." And the boat begins to climb.
To your
left and right are crates and stacks of boxes. To your right are two
fans--I love to go in the afternoon because the sun starts to enter
through the fans, which spin in the wind, allowing the sun to catch
the light smoke in the building. Really cool effect. The boat climbs
up into a dark corridor. There are metal framed fences around you. To
your right you see the silhouette of a raptor run by. To the left, you
hear the cry of a raptor as it bursts out towards you, hitting the electrified
fence, snarling and roaring.
You continue to climb, you can hear your
heart beating, and you get to another control room where the glass is
broken. A raptor jumps out from the darkness onto the console and reaches
for you, snarling. There are roars, hisses, sirens all wailing. The
boat continues into darkness and then drops down about 10 feet into
another area... The siren ends... silence. You hear the familiar high
pitched squeal and the purr of a dilophosaur. To your right you hear
a roar and a crunch as three large gashes are ripped into the wall with a JP symbol in a circle printed on it. Through the hole you see woods. You continue forward and around a bend.
There are all kinds of tanks around you.
Then, dilophosaurs pop out from
the tanks, one form each side, shaking their frills and spitting at
you. The boat continues on to a large area where, there
are gas tanks around you. To your right there are two tanks, and to
your left, there are tons of pipes all crushed and bursting with water.
You continue on where ahead of you, you hear a pounding.
From the darkness
you see the head of a T. rex pops out, roaring. It walks out to the brink
and roars some more. The boat continues forward up to the rex. The rex
roars once more, lifting its head, then lowering its head. The boat draws
closer and closer. The rex rears its head back, and then reaches down
at the boat just as it plunged nearly 90 degrees straight down into a full on splash into the lagoon. There is a flash here; which is when they take your picture. If you look around you can see the railing around the pond where people sit, staring at you and recording you. Your boat comes around and returns to the exit, right behind the loading dock, where you get out. Often they have people dressed like Hammond
and Malcolm. There is sometimes one guy dressed like Alan Grant there before.
You
walk out and there is a wall of TV's in the building you enter (gift
shop) each showing different boats. If you find your picture appealing,
to your left is the desk you go to to buy it. If not, continue on into
the gift shop where they have all kinds of toys. They have DVDs of the
movies, dinosaur documentaries, and dinosaur candy (some with insects in
them). There are shirts, hats, jewelry. There are rocks, toys, and many
other things. You exit... "and this completes your tranquil journey
through the world of the dinosaurs."
