I was able to spend some time at Universal Orlando Resort a little over a month ago. At the time, the rollercoaster track for the Universal Studios Florida’s newest attraction, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, was just peeking over the walls when I wandered around CityWalk, giving hints at the skyline to come. Meanwhile, we’d been reporting riders already test-riding the version that was going up at Universal Studios Hollywood. It seemed the two coasters were very far apart in the Spring of 2026. That feels less true now.
I haven’t been back to the Florida parks in the last few weeks, but thanks to the beauty of social media, we now know the track is in incredible shape already. Just four days ago, reports indicated the first spike was up. It’s 170 feet and anyone walking around CityWalk can spot it just behind the famous rotating Universal Globe.
As you can see from the ThrillGeek video, the blueish track on the Florida version pops nicely with the globe in the foreground compared to the darker track in California.
Meanwhile, a second frequent parkgoer, Kirk, actually went into Universal Studios Florida and took a look at the Ghostbusters facade that’s been a topic of conversation over the last several weeks. If you aren’t constantly theme park sleuthing, the gist is that Universal was reworking the Ghostbusters building that Rip Ride Rockit used to physically go through. When the walls went up, the park started work on the facade and there was a rumor for a while the ride might be ghostbusters themed.
At this point, we know the ride is going to be the Orlando version of Hollywood Drift, and an enterprising parkgoer noted that walls have been put up in the building, meaning the new coaster won’t whip through it like the old one did. This was basically known, but it’s nice to see it confirmed, and it's especially nice to see how far along the load station has come in just a few weeks -- with a roof and everything!
So, Why Is This All So Important?
It’s very clear the coaster in Florida is coming together fast and furiously. While I wouldn’t expect anything less, initial projections from its sister theme park had the Universal Studios Hollywood coaster opening in summer 2026, and here we are in mid-2026 and it is not open yet. (This is despite a fake opening date rumor the park itself started.)
Meanwhile, Universal Orlando tore down Rip Ride Rockit, shut down Fast & Furious: Supercharged and got to work on the new coaster really quickly. Guesstimates allegedly have the Florida version of the coaster opening in 2027, but it’s coming together so quickly, I’m starting to wonder if there won’t be too much of a gap between the Hollywood and Florida versions. As a frequent parkgoer who lives much closer to the Florida parks, that would make me so, so happy.
It's also all coming together in the month Vin Diesel finally shared Fast & Furious 11 had begun filming. As it's the final film in the franchise, all of this happening around the same time is just fun timing.
This is all to say, a new coaster is good news no matter when it opens. A new coaster based on my personal favorite Fast & Furious movie is even better. A new coaster based on a favorite property with the theme park company that houses some of the world’s best tracks takes the cake. I can’t wait for these new rides to open, whenever we get the official dates.
