Oh my word! Jurassic World at the Excel in London is amazing!! If your little ones love dinosaurs and are fans of the franchise they will love it! I took Mack, my youngest to visit the exhibition when we were in London recently and we had a ball.
Upon arrival at Jurassic World, we were taken by ‘ferry’ to Isla Nubla to watch the dinosaur handling team at work. We got to look around the hatchery, see the baby dinosaurs in their incubators and even get involved in examining dinosaur ‘poop’. In safe sterile lab conditions of course!
Visitors get to meet and pet baby herbivores at certain times during the visit and the really lucky ones will meet a baby Velociraptor. Obviously, there was no petting the raptor, that would be far too dangerous! But, with the help of two handlers, we were able to take part in the baby raptors training, teaching her to follow our hands and follow certain commands. They are definitely very intelligent and quick learners.
Speaking of raptors, there is a huge training pen where you can see a full-grown raptor being trained, that really is a sight to see, and just the right amount of scary. We were advised to keep well away from the fence, but there were some people who got right up there and nearly had their fingers nibbled – right off!
As we made our way through Jurassic World, we had the chance to pose for photos in one of the Gyroshperes, which was pretty cool, then we moved on to feeding time for the Indominus Rex. That was quite nerve wracking, but the security arrangements in this area were second to none – we were looking down into the paddock through the trees, so you felt reasonably safe.
The same cannot be said for the Tyrannosaurus Rex and her handler. When we were visiting, he let her get out of control, which resulted in a safety breach event and a very near miss for us spectators, at one point we were trapped in a corner, before being rescued into the safety of the gift shop! I plan to write a strongly worded complaint!
What should I know?
There is plenty of tension in this experience, and it can be quite dark in areas, but the noise levels weren’t too bad. I’ve seen films at the cinema that were far louder, Mack can be a bit sensitive to noise and he was ok, but he is twelve now. It might be a bit overwhelming for very young children, the route around is buggy friendly so it’s a judgement call. If you like a family memento, on the way in you get your photo taken on a green screen and choose from different backgrounds in the gift shop at the end, 2 for £15 or £10 each and it includes a digital copy.
Easy to get to?
Super easy, take the Elizabeth line or the DLR across to Customs House, Zone 3 and follow the footprints on the walkway!
Is VIP worth it?
Standard entry is £32/£21 Adult/Child, and £38.50/£30 for VIP. You get flexible entry which means you can go in at any time on your chosen day, and queue jump. So, if you have other commitments in the day and you’re not sure what time you can get there, it might be worth it to you. There is no denying that it’s super-cool to be able to walk to the head of the queue too. There is a standard entry family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) for £100.
Jurassic World Experience is at the excel until 15 January 2023, so hurry if you plan to visit!
Reviewed and written by Sally Bendall – @girlaboutleeds
