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Universal Orlando Issues Update 9 Months After Closing ‘Jurassic Park’ Ride, Dinosaur Removal Confirmed

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Posted on by Jess Colopy Leave a comment
Guests on a Jurassic Park River Adventure raft approach the massive green-lit animatronic T. rex head inside the ride

Credit: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr

New aerial photos show that Universal Orlando Resort is making significant progress on the nearly year-long refurbishment of the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride at Universal Islands of Adventure. The attraction closed on January 5 and isn’t scheduled to reopen until November 20, 2026.

Jurassic Park River Adventure Ride Refurbishment

Guests ride Jurassic Park River Adventure
Credit: Universal

Since Jurassic Park River Adventure closed for refurbishment in January 2026, rumors have swirled about Universal Orlando Resort’s plans for the attraction. At first, some Universal Parks fans suggested that the Central Florida vacation destination was reimagining the water ride with a Jurassic World (2015) theme, following in the footsteps of Universal Studios Hollywood, which rethemed its version into Jurassic World: The Ride in 2019.

As renovations at Universal Islands of Adventure have progressed, Universal Orlando Resort has not commented on the Jurassic World rumors. Aerial photos taken throughout the summer appear to show that the Universal Studios theme park is simply refurbishing the existing Jurassic Park (1993) theming rather than reimagining the attraction.

Universal's Jurassic Park River Adventure sign at Universal Studios
Credit: Universal

As for the refurbishment’s long duration, the ride opened in 1999, and its technology, including audio-animatronics, requires regular maintenance to remain safe and operational. Water rides also experience more wear and tear than dry attractions, and some portions of Jurassic Park River Adventure are outside, increasing the odds of wear and tear.

Latest Photos of the Construction at Universal Islands of Adventure

Crew members on scaffolding restore themed rockwork amid lush landscaping at an immersive attraction under construction which happens to be the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal Orlando.
Credit: Emmanuel Detres, Inside the Magic

On Sunday, aerial photographer and X (formerly known as Twitter) user @bioreconstruct shared several images of construction on the outdoor portions of Jurassic Park River Adventure. One set of photos shows a partially disassembled dinosaur animatronic next to the drained ride path in Ultrasaur Lagoon:

3 aerial photos of refurbishment of Ultrasaur Lagoon in Jurassic Park River Adventure.

The next images showed the mostly dried-out Stegosaur Springs area:

3 aerial photos of the refurbishment of Stegosaur Springs in Jurassic Park River Adventure.

The user also shared a look at panels that spray water at guests right after the ride’s iconic 85-foot plunge:

Aerial photo of panels at the big drop of Jurassic Park River Adventure. The panels cause water to spray upward. A bigger whoosh of splashed water.

These photos show the now-dry Paddock Bay scene:

2 aerial photos of the refurbishment of the paddock in Jurassic Park River Adventure.

@bioreconstruct even captured the areas where guests load and unload the Jurassic Park-themed ride vehicles:

3 aerial photos of refurbishment in progress at the big splash and unload areas of Jurassic Park River Adventure. A boat is at the dock.

Finally, the X user also shared this video showing a complete look at the visible outdoor parts of Jurassic Park River Adventure:

Aerial video of the refurbishment of Jurassic Park River Adventure.

Have you ever been on Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal Islands of Adventure? Share your favorite memories with Inside the Magic in the comments! 

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Tagged:Jurassic Park

Jess Colopy

Jess Colopy is a Disney College Program alum and kid-at-heart. When she’s not furiously typing in a coffee shop, you can find her on the hunt for the newest Stitch pin.

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