Universal Studios Islands of Adventure® Creates Roller Coasters of Tomorrow

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure®’s revolutionary roller coasters are designed to give riders a series of unprecedented thrills unlike any coaster experience anywhere – including near collisions, dramatic high-speed catapults and G-force flashes of speed through underground tunnels.

One coaster, Dueling Dragons, is the first dual coaster in the world deliberately designed and built so that its two coasters furiously speed towards each other. Its tracks intertwine in a knotted mass of metal that sends the riders barreling directly towards each other at nearly 60 mph – three times in less than two minutes. The coasters avoid impact at the last second by slamming their riders through a camelback, a double-helix and compound inversion.

Another coaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, catapults riders up a 150-foot tunnel at G-force speed -- with the same force as a U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter attack jet – and immediately spins them into a weightless zero-G, heartline roll, turning them upside down more than 110 feet above ground. Riders then dive at 60 mph before skimming the waves of the lagoon and then rising 109 feet and plunging into the water below.

As remarkable as the rides of these coasters are, so are the entire story-lines and themes Universal’s designers have built around each ride to emotionally engulf guests in legend and action-adventure.

"Our coasters are carved into some really great stories and have amazing state-of-the-art technology," said Mark Woodbury, vice president of design and creative development for Universal Studios Orlando. "These coasters have unique design elements that we believe will rank among the best rides in the world." Woodbury said that he and his development staff did extensive research to design the coasters.

"We’ve ridden practically every coaster that exists," he said. "And we know that these two coasters will set new standards, including quickness. We set out to redefine the roller coaster experience."

To enter Dueling Dragons, guests walk into a ruined castle. Merlin the Magician appears and urges them to turn back. They hear the tale of the Fire Dragon and the Ice Dragon and see the charred and frozen remains of their past victims.

They learn that the dragons hate each other – even more than they hate humans. And then guests climb aboard one of the two dragons as they prepare to do aerial combat.

Guests are allowed to select their dragon – and there is a special queue for those who want to ride at the front of each coaster. As each coaster is loaded, a computer calculates its weight and decides which of the two coasters should leave first and at what speed to ensure maximum thrills.

At The Incredible Hulk Coaster, guests enter through Dr. Bruce Banner’s lab. They find that he is conducting special gamma-ray accelerator tests. They climb inside their vehicle and something goes terribly wrong – so wrong that the metal coaster track glows green at night and is sure to be a visual icon recognized the world over.

Islands of Adventure® Roller Coaster Facts

Dueling Dragons:

Dueling Dragons are the world’s first inverted dual roller coasters.
Called the Fire Dragon and the Ice Dragon, each four-abreast inverted coaster follows a different path and provides a different ride experience. The cars race towards each other and experience several near misses by only 12 inches.
The Fire Dragon drops 105 feet from the top of a common 125-foot tall lift, reaching a speed of nearly 60 mph; and the Ice Dragon drops right 95 feet reaching a speed of 55 mph.
Each track includes several inversions, including a zero-G roll, a Cobra roll, two corkscrews and two vertical loops.
The ride lasts 2 minutes and 25 seconds.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster:

The Incredible Hulk is a four-abreast sit-down roller coaster.
Instead of a conventional life, the coasters are accelerated up an incline and exit a 150-foot tunnel at 40 mph. Immediately, riders experience a zero-G heartline inversion and are turned upside down 100 feet above the ground.
The longest drop occurs immediately after the zero-G roll and is 105-foot descent during which the coaster reaches 60 mph.
The track layout includes seven inversions and two subterranean trenches.
The ride lasts 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
A unique booster thrust system rockets riders upward 150 feet in three seconds.

The Flying Unicorn

This family-styled roller coaster sends guests soaring through the sky, courtesy of a magical flying unicorn.