{"id":136201,"date":"2026-01-29T12:22:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/136201\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T12:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:22:19","slug":"universal-orlando-preps-another-fast-furious-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/136201\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Orlando preps another Fast & Furious ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

Universal Orlando<\/a> made it official last week: A roller coaster named Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift<\/a> will open at Universal Studios Florida theme park sometime in 2027. Construction is visible from Universal CityWalk.<\/p>\n

The ride essentially replaces Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which was closed in August<\/a>, and its demolition began soon thereafter.<\/p>\n

Yes, the new coaster has the same name as a thrill ride set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood this year.<\/p>\n

No, it\u2019s not the same ride, Universal has confirmed.<\/p>\n

Yes, the Fast and Furious \u2013 Supercharged<\/a> attraction, a screen-centric motion simulator dark ride in Orlando, is going away in 2027.<\/p>\n

No, that hasn\u2019t sparked much outrage.<\/p>\n

Yes, this will have made two attractions in that spot with \u201cHollywood\u201d in the name, but neither of them in the Hollywood section of the park.<\/p>\n

History center spotlights animation process, Disney productions<\/a><\/p>\n

Soon after the announcement, the construction walls inside Universal Studios were altered to include a big, stylized car image that touts the 2027 opening. It\u2019s eye-catching but also a slight bummer as it might remind visitors of Rockit\u2019s (now removed) breakthrough curve, which was one of its charms.<\/p>\n

(Added to the construction wall last month were King Kong posters, which at first glance may look like movie posters. In reality, they\u2019re inspired by a segment of the 1933 \u201cKong\u201d movie, in which the Carl Denham character puts Kong \u2014 \u201ca vicious mindless beast\u201d \u2014 on display at the Alhambra theater. Old-school park fans will appreciate that these are mere steps away from the former site of the Kongfrontation ride.)<\/p>\n

\"Scenes“King Kong”-inspired posters pop up on the construction wall for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster at Universal Studios. (Dewayne Bevil\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

The Hollywood Drift announcement shared a few details about the Orlando ride. Notably, it will have a 170-foot vertical spike designed to send passengers over \u201cthe outskirts of Universal CityWalk.\u201d There\u2019s also mention of a maneuver that gives the \u201csensation of 360-degree drifting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details about the California version include a top speed of 72 mph, four inversions and 4,100 feet of rail. There\u2019s no sign of a vertical spike.<\/p>\n

Since we are in comparison mode, Jurassic World VelociCoaster<\/a> at Islands of Adventure goes 70 mph with a height of 155 feet and four inversions. Stardust Racers<\/a>, the coaster at Epic Universe, tops out at 62 mph with a height of 133 feet and one inversion on each of its two rails.<\/p>\n

Mako, the SeaWorld Orlando hypercoaster<\/a>, runs at 73 mph and rolls up to 200 feet off the ground. (Also, the scorpion tail maneuver of SeaWorld\u2019s Ice Breaker<\/a> tops out at 80 feet tall.)<\/p>\n

Hollywood Drift makes three coasters that are under construction or announced in Orlando-area theme parks. Galacticoaster is scheduled to open<\/a> at Legoland Florida<\/a> on Feb. 27. A \u201cMonsters, Inc.\u201d themed suspended coaster is planned for Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios, which is also retheming its Rock \u2018n Roller Coaster to incorporate Muppet characters this year. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is expected to reopen at Magic Kingdom this year after an extensive refurbishment.<\/p>\n

Epcot: Diving into 40 years of the Seas<\/a><\/p>\n

News and notes<\/p>\n

\u2022 The final day to ride Dinosaur<\/a> at Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom<\/a> is Sunday. The attraction will get an \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d-style makeover to fit into the Tropical Americas<\/a> theme taking over the Dinoland territory. More info: disneyworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 SeaWorld Orlando\u2019s<\/a> Seven Seas Food Festival begins Friday. The first musical act of the event is Flo Rida at 7 p.m. Saturday at the park\u2019s Bayside Stadium. Universal\u2019s Mardi Gras celebration begins Feb. 7. More info: seaworld.com\/orlando and universalorlando.com<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dezerland Park<\/a> again will host Orlando FamilyFest, an afternoon of indoor activities and vendors. Kids aged 12 and younger get in free. Adults can get in free with advance registration. More info: theexpopros.com\/orlando-familyfest<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 The second agouti baby in six months has been born inside the \u201cLife\u201d exhibit at Orlando Science Center<\/a>. The Brazilian mammals are part of the Species Survival Plan, a conservation effort accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums<\/a>. The agouti family can be seen at the Loch Haven Park museum. More info: OSC.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex<\/a> is offering viewing packages for the upcoming Artemis II launch, which will be no earlier than Feb. 6. Tickets are $99. The \u201cFeel the Heal\u201d level package that went for $250 has sold out. More info: kennedyspacecenter.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 For folks keeping score at home, the final seat count is in for the new Blue Man Group<\/a> theater at Icon Park<\/a>. The space will seat 604 people. The first shows are set for May 1. More info: blueman.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Universal Orlando made it official last week: A roller coaster named Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136202,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,2659,104,28,114,19041,266,5077,1335,139,141,140,2043,109,2411,106,1316,107,3434],"class_list":{"0":"post-136201","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-disney-world","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-florida","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-legoland","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-movies","16":"tag-orange-county","17":"tag-orlando","18":"tag-orlando-headlines","19":"tag-orlando-news","20":"tag-seaworld","21":"tag-social","22":"tag-theme-parks","23":"tag-things-to-do","24":"tag-tourism","25":"tag-travel","26":"tag-universal-orlando"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}