Raptor Encounter is a meet-and-greet attraction in the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure. The attraction allows guests to meet and get pictures with a raptor that approaches a gap between the electrified fence cables, allowing the raptor to interact with the guests.
In 2018, the attraction was updated to feature Blue from the Jurassic World films, in order to promote the then-upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
History[]
In 2012, the Triceratops Encounter attraction was closed permanently after briefly reopening in 2010 for seasonal operation in an attempt to control the crowds in the recently opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade. A skeleton of a Triceratops can be found near Raptor Encounter to commemorate its predecessor.
In May 2015, a new interactive experience with an animatronic dinosaur opened on the former location of Triceratops Encounter. The new attraction was Raptor Encounter, and featured a raptor trainer introducing guests to a Velociraptor that approached a small area of its exhibit with no fence cables, allowing guests to interact with the raptor. A park employee would keep watch to ensure the raptor doesn't harm the guest, while a second park employee would capture pictures and video for the guest.
In 2018, Raptor Encounter was updated to feature Blue, one of the Velociraptors trained by Owen Grady in Jurassic World as a promotion for the then-upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The new Blue figure also had much more detail on its skin than the previous raptor, further enhancing the meet-and-greet experience.
Experience[]
Like most meet-and-greets, Raptor Encounter occurs in timed intervals every once in a while. Guests are greeted by a raptor trainer, who tells them they are about to meet Owen Grady's raptor Blue, as well as giving safety information to not touch the raptor.
Once the trainer finishes their speech, A prerecorded voice begins to introduce Blue, but it only mentions her species, not her name. She approaches from a nearby paddock towards an area of the exhibit fence where there are no electrified cables to greet guests as the main theme from Jurassic Park can be heard playing in the background, and she begins to make various noises, and getting slightly riled up. The raptor trainer then moves in to calm Blue down, which she does.
At this time, guests are allowed to interact with Blue, one small group at a time, to get pictures and videos with her, provided by assistance from another park employee. Blue will occasionally snap and show signs of aggression, with the raptor trainer continuously making sure she stays calm. Blue will especially get aggressive if guests attempt to make direct physical contact with her
During the meet-and-greet, Blue will sniff survivors, rub her nose against them, and peek from behind their shoulder. The raptor trainer will give various information about Blue at this point, usually telling the guests that Blue is familiarizing herself with the guest's scent. After a brief moment of this, the raptor trainer will warn that Blue thinks the guest is a snack, and orders that they get away from Blue before she can attack. Blue then softly headbutts one of the guests while roaring as an indication that it is time for the next group's turn. Guests also have the option to purchase photos provided by the park, in addition to the ones taken with their own digital cameras and mobile devices.
Trivia[]
- Although the raptor trainer cautions to not physically touch Blue to keep her calm, this instruction is actually given to prevent any damage from being done to the animatronic parts of the suit. Blue will lash out to scare any guests that attempt to make physical contact with their hands, in hopes of making the guest back away.
- The scare actors of the annual Halloween Horror Nights event employ a similar tactic to discourage guests from approaching them, as they are not allowed to make physical contact with guests.
- The Velociraptor is controlled by a combined effort of an actor in a suit, and animatronic puppetry. The actor allows the raptor to walk up to the exhibit, and interact with the guests without any technical issues of being too far away when sniffing a guest.
- The puppetry is also used to react in time with the various sounds that Blue is making.
- Each sounds that the raptor makes is archive audio of the creature from all of the Jurassic Park movies.
- The host of the attraction is a raptor trainer, similar to Owen Grady, as both use similar methods of holding up their hands to grab the attention of the raptor and calm them down.
- A similar attraction with the same name exists at Universal Studios Hollywood. Unlike this version, the raptor is able to leave its pen and freely roam with the trainer ensuring she doesn't attack the guests.
- The trainer's actual use while the raptor freely roams is probably to ensure the actor inside the puppet suit can safely navigate the area they are in.