As a theme park lover, I always get excited when I meet a fellow parks nerd, particularly if they’ve been on some lesser known rides I'm thumbs up on, like “Good Gravy” at Holiday World or the unfortunately demolished but fondly remembered "Chaos" at the also defunct Opryland park. In short, I’ve ridden a lot of fun coasters over the years, but none has compared to Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure VelociCoaster.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way, because for the fourth year in a row The VelociCoaster has been named the best rollercoaster in the world by Theme Park Insider during their annual Awards ceremony. Intriguingly, the first year or its win it actually beat out another Universal Orlando Coaster: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure!
I originally attended the opening of the VelociCoaster in June of 2021. It was my first time in a theme park since Covid happened, and I could easily see how at the time it could have colored my perception of how great the new ride was. At that point I probably would have thought any new ride would have been as good as it gets.
However, I'm pleased to report that now the VelociCoaster has stood the test of time. Four years in, I can absolutely say it’s just as exciting to ride as it was the first time, and it’s even better when I get the chance to ride it at night and forget when the twists and turns are actually coming.
Four years in a row is a long time to hang onto an award. This may somewhat have to do with the closure of Cedar Park’s Top Thrill 2, which was supposed to formally open last summer, but closed after just a week. It only recently re-opened at the Ohio theme park on May 3rd, so I'm very interested to see if it will make any best coaster rankings in the coming year. (It has already recaptured the tallest coaster laud after Kingda Ka came down.)
Regardless, I can truly say from the bottom of my heart the Velociraptor-based ride deserves it. Even once Top Thrill 2 is expected to be back in action, I’m not sure it can compete with The VelociCoaster's epic mosasaurus barrel roll – with no shoulder harness to boot. It’s an extremely satisfying ride, one Theme Park Insider believes is “The best coaster” and it's not just the mag and I touting how great the ride is, either. At the time it opened, art director Gregory Hall told me it was "the best inversion" he's ever encountered. I'm still assuming this holds true today.
Why This Year The Laud Is Especially Impressive
It should be noted that I'm particularly impressed the ride has held onto the laud for yet another year, as Universal Orlando itself is already previewing its brand new theme park Epic Universe, and I'd assume there would be some fun competition coming. Epic Universe will have its own coasters opening, among other attractions. Stardust Racers is probably the biggest coaster in Celestial Park, and will feature dual launch coasters racing one another. Other rides with coaster mechanics include the more standard spinning Curse of the Werewolf coaster and family coaster Hiccup's Wing Gliders, as well as talk of the town ride Donkey Kong: Mine-Cart Madness.
Universal Orlando has been previewing the new rides in recent months, so it stands to reason there could have been some additional competition considered this year, but it's nice to see the Jurassic World-themed ride still standing with its Top Hat tall, waiting to give fans the rollback they've been dreaming of.
You can see our full rundown of all of Epic Universe’s rides, ranked or wait to experience them for yourself when the park opens on May 22.
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