Dueling Dragons

Infobox Universal ride
name=Dueling Dragons
logo=Dueling_Dragons_logo.png

caption=The entrance to Dueling Dragons
park= Islands of Adventure
land= The Lost Continent
type= Steel
type2= Inverted
type3= Dueling
status= Open
opened= May 28, 1999
manufacturer= Bolliger & Mabillard
designer= Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
model= Inverted Coaster
track= Dueling
lift= Chain lift hill
name1= Fire
name2= Ice
height1= 127
height2= 127
drop1= 115
drop2= 115
length1= 3200
length2= 3200
speed1= 63
speed2= 63
inversions1= 5
inversions2= 5
duration1= 2:25
duration2= 2:25
angle1=
angle2=
acceleration1=
acceleration2=
gforce1=
gforce2=
capacity=
cost=
height_requirement= 54
rcdb_number= 558
maximum height_requirement= 72
rcdb_number= 558

"Dueling Dragons" is a pair of dueling roller coasters at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. The ride is the only dueling inverted roller coaster in the world. The ride is themed to two dragons, one side being "Fire" and the other "Ice". It features a layout in which the two trains share adjacent lift hills, but then traverse two completely unique courses. The ride features three "near misses" between the two trains, which bring riders' feet within several inches of riders on the other train. The ride was constructed by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland. The Fire Dragon reaches a top speed of 60 mph and the Ice Dragon reaches a top speed of 61 mph. At three points during the ride the "Dueling Dragons" coasters get within 18 inches of each other . Both dragons have a two minute and twenty-five second ride duration. Fire has 5 inversions, including two Immelmann's, a vertical loop, and two corkscrews. One Immelmann is special; it is a new type of loop. It's called Wrap-Raound Immelmann. [http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/IOA03.html] Ice has 5 inversions, including a zero-g roll, cobra roll, vertical loop, and corkscrew.

ummary

Queue

After walking through long, elaborately designed queues, riders come to a decision in the path they follow. At this intersection, riders will turn right to ride on the Ice Dragon and left for Fire Dragon. Merlin frequently taunts riders with some of the following lines.
* "Turn right for Ice and left for Fire! Now, pick the dragon you desire."
* "The left burns hot, the right turns cold, whichever you choose you best be bold."
* "Past this point of no return, your only choice is freeze or burn." (commonly misinterpreted as "freezer burn")
* "Turn left for Fire, turn right for Ice! I know not which is best advice."
* "Earthworms and rancid beer, why on earth are you still here?"
* "You do not listen to this old magician, and so you'll need a good mortician"
* "If you continue along this path, you will face the dragons wrath"

Ride

The ride attendants use several quotes when dispatching the trains:

* "Battle Bravely."
* "Onward to thy doom."
* "I bid thee farewell."
* "May the fates be with you."
* "May the dragons spare you."
* "Keep your hands inside the dragon."
* "Ice/Fire Dragon, you are clear for battle.
* "Fire's red, Ice is blue, I'd turn back if I were you."
* "To ride the dragon was your wish. Now you'll be his tasty dish."
* "Fire is hot, Ice is cold. You should have left when you were told."
* "Once beyond the castle gate, there is no turning back. It's far far too late."
* "Swords and Shields will not work, for you are headed where the dragons lurk."

When the trains are loaded, they are weighed as they are being dispatched in order to properly time the near-miss points. During the aerial "combat" between dragons - the suspended coasters - there are three times that guests will come within 18 inches of their opponent.

As the diagrams show, the "Ice" ride contains more vertical movement, loops, and movements of that nature, whereas the "Fire" ride focuses more on lateral motion and maintaining top speed.

Coaster design

Restraints

The restraints on the Fire Dragon trains are yellow, and the Ice Dragon trains' restraints are blue. However, the front row restraints on both sides are pink, as they represent the dragons' tongues. Every train has two seats (rows 3 & 6) designed to fit guests with "certain larger body dimensions."

Track

The Fire Dragon is the only Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster that does not include a Zero-g roll. Ice Dragon was the first Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster to not feature an inversion immediately following the first hill.

Noise level

The tracks are filled with sand to reduce noise, because of the proximity of the coaster to Dr. Phillips High School. Shortly after the park opened, huge walls behind the ride were put up after local residents complained about the screaming.

"Dueling Dragons" in popular culture

* "Dueling Dragons" is seen in the movie , but is known as the Double Dragon.

ee also

* "Hulk Coaster"
* Universal Orlando Resort
* Orlando, Florida

References

* "The Book : Dueling Dragons", Megan S. Holmes, March 10th, 2005
* "RollerCoasterDatabase", http://www.rcdb.com/id558.htm, 2006

External links

* [http://www.universalorlando.com/ioa_attr_dd.html Universal Orlando Resort – "Dueling Dragons"]