Jurassic River Adventure: 85 Feet Splash Landing, Did It For the T-Rex

85 feet splash landing anybody? Say hello to the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando, Florida. It took a lot of mental prep., watching YouTube videos of the ride's POV experience, and a $16 expense of buying Universal splash coats (raincoats) to ride this one. Sherris and I did this for the T-Rex *hits fist on heart twice, peace sign*.
The wait time was about half an hour and our hearts were pounding as we waited, Jurassic Park theme song playing in the background and monitor screens showing glimpses of the ride's splash. Sane people, who do not wish to roam the Islands Of Adventure all day dripping wet and leaving a sloppy trail behind them, buy splash coats. We, as Hijab-wearing girls, thanked Universal mentally for including a hood in those coats because nobody like a wet headscarf!
Like all water splash rides, we were seated in a boat and a latch was tightened on our waists. This Japanese lady next to me was keen on pushing the latch away, clearly she didn't know we were destined to fall 85 feet below! The seats were soaking wet by the way and there was a lake at our feet inside the boat.
We started moving into the Dino world!
Jurassic Park gates opened (just like in the movie) to greet us ... I didn't have my camera out by then so the part's not in the video. The dinosaur safari was awesome and a narrator kept announcing the names of dinosaurs that welcomed us from all sides. Dinosaurs were everywhere, on hills, rock boulders in the water, some came up to squirt water on us from underwater.
Suddenly, sirens began sounding!


"Uh-Oh!" you can hear me say in the video, as we enter the No-Entry Zone!
Obviously, there had been a breach in Jurassic Park's security system and the dinosaurs were now loose to crunch and munch. Some poor human's shirt was being ripped by tiny dinosaurs (the human was nowhere, so I assume he was already lunch). A wooden cargo box hung above our heads and a dinosaur was shaking it violently, preferably he needed to get out.
The boat began to ascend up a steep slope while electric circuitry sparked and malfunctioned around us. A gentle but inclined-to-shock drop greeted us and we did scream a bit. We were saving the real screams for the 85 feet drop-of-doom!
I had lost my focus on the surroundings now. Recalling from the YouTube video, this was the very part of the ride by the end of which we'd see a T-Rex and fall 85 feet!
The enclave through which the boat sails was dark and the lighting was red. Sirens were sounding and circuits were sparking. Wild dinosaurs were attacking every once in a while!
And then!
There he was!
Tyrannosaurus Rex!!!
Just like out of the Jurassic memory from my childhood, he was mad and roaring! His teeth were numerous, he was angry, and we were lunch meat!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh!!!
That's what everyone screamed in unity as the boat suddenly and unpredictably fell 85 feet deep just from below the T-Rex while everybody was looking UP at him! UNEXPECTED!!! The slope is very steep! VERY!
My mother's labeled me a braveheart for recording the whole thing, one shot, and not stopping even while I splash-landed. Sony Cybershot, I love you for holding up despite being soaked!
I wonder if the lady (seated in front, in the video) ... if her iPhone is still functional. She was taking photos of the T-Rex when we fell and all she said when we recovered from the splash was:
"I wasn't expecting that!"
WATCH YOU TUBE, PEOPLE!!!