Raptor Meet and Greet Announced as Jurassic World Merchandise Lands in the Parks

As I’ve been reporting since it was just a small hole in the ground, a Velociraptor Meet & Greet is coming soon to the Jurassic Park area in Islands of Adventure, and it has been officially confirmed by Universal! Well, sort of. In the Annual Passholder newsletter there’s a short paragraph about the Jurassic World movie opening next month and to look for photo opportunities with a raptor in IOA. So, we should expect the area to open within the next few weeks, just in time for the film’s release! The previously filed permits did show that they had until the end of June to finish their work, but it sounds like they’ll be ready before that. Rumors have it opening as soon as Memorial Day later this month!

Short blurb in the Annual Passholder newsletter

While visiting the parks today I noticed the DinoStore gift shop in the Discovery Center has gotten lots of Jurassic World toys. You can also find some select Jurassic World candies in various gift shops throughout both parks. Check out the images below to see how construction is going and check out the merchandise pics as well!

Photo Update:

The new fences are looking fairly complete now, just working on landscaping the area

I noticed the lights are Jurassic World dark blue, (and not the original JP red/green/blue)

I noticed the indicator lights are Jurassic World dark blue, (and not the original JP red/green/blue)

Through the fence I could see a metal fence that looks like the raptor containment boxes

Danger, electrified fence!

There’s a wall at the base of the fence, about waist high or so, maybe to obscure puppetry

Looks like lots of new tropical plants are being added to the area

Landscaping work being done near the entrance/exit

Beautification work being done on queue markers

Toys toys toys! Jurassic World toys make it into the park! They’re only available at the DinoStore so far.

Mike and Ike candies with Mystery Favor Dino Eggs

Mike and Ike candies with Mystery Flavor Dino Eggs

Peeps Blue Raspberry flavored Dinosaur Eggs

Exclusive Jurassic World lollipops with free sticker!

That’s all for today’s visit to Jurassic Park!

That’s all for now! Be sure to check out the previous posts about the Raptor Meet and Greet to get all of the details.

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Alicia Stella

Alicia Stella has been covering new attractions since 2015, with her work cited by The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and more. She specializes in reporting on new attraction development, and always looks forward to upcoming changes to the Orlando theme parks. She is also co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando.