In summary
A roarsome family-friendly immersive adventure that brings to life the blockbuster franchise, through impressive sets and animatronics.
When did we visit?
I visited with my husband and our two sons, Odhran, 9, and Reuben, 7, on an afternoon at the beginning of June. The experience is open seven days a week, and is currently running until 12th October.
Where is it located?
Jurassic World: The Experience is located at the recently opened NEON (a new immersive experience destination) at Battersea Power Station, Cringle St, Nine Elms, London, SW8 5BX. There are plenty of signs, so it's easy to find. Battersea Power Station has its own tube stop on the Northern Line, bringing it within 15 minutes of the West End and the City. But it's also a short 12min walk from Sloane Square, and a 20 minute walk from Victoria and Vauxhall. Battersea Power Station also has its own Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier and is a 15-minute journey from Embankment, 20 minutes from Blackfriars, 30 minutes from Putney and 40 minutes from Canary Wharf. It's also easily accessible by bus, train, car (parking at Battersea Power Station car parks or in the market car park across the road) and bike. Battersea Power Station is shopping centre, which offers plenty of food and drinks options, should you fancy a bite to eat after the experience, and it's a great place to shop, with stores to get the kids excited too, such as a LEGO Store, a whole shop dedicated to Peppa Pig, and a Transformers shop.
What does the experience involve?
You choose your time slot on booking and as you wait to enter, you can have your photo taken against a green screen. The images, which you can see at the end the experience, are fun shots against a backdrop with a T-Rex or a Velociraptor. A 6x8 photo print costs £16. You also get digital prints so you can download to instantly pop up on your social media, or you can pay £14 for a photo keyring and magnet. The print is great quality and I'm really happy with our framed memento.
The first part of the immersive experience involved a ferry ride to Isla Nublar (the fictional island featured in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies) before we then stepped through the iconic Jurassic World gates and gazed up at the towering Brachiosaurus. The animatronics were really life-like, their 'skin' seemed to glisten, and I really felt watched under the roaming eye of the Triceratops. The attention to detail was fantastic.
In the next area, there were more interactive elements and the chance to pet baby dinosaurs (arm puppets). Staff dressed as rangers helped to bring the experience to life. There were lots of fact files on the walls, but Odhran and Reuben eagerly charged ahead.
The next area was a laboratory, and we enjoyed the models of mosquitos encased in amber. There were baby dinosaurs in an incubator, and I heard a child ask a parent 'are they real?' Reuben, and most of the children, particularly enjoyed the chance to touch the squishy 'dino poo'. Then it was on to a room with the chance to brush away sand and uncover fossils.
At the beginning, when our adventure at Jurassic World: The Experience got underway, one of the first things Odhran said was 'something has to go wrong, or else this isn't like the movies', and the final room of the experience is where things go awry, and the most exciting part of the experience takes place. We come face to face with fan-favourite Blue, the Velociraptor, but ended up fleeing to escape a roaring giant T-Rex. There were strobe lights and loud noises, and a crying toddler, who found it all a bit too realistic. But Odhran and Reuben loved the thrill factor. So, it was disappointing to go from the sudden excitement to the doors swinging open to the gift shop and the experience coming to a somewhat abrupt end.
There was nice merchandise in the gift shop, but it was on the pricey side, as you might expect. Reuben spent £22 of his remaining birthday money on a t-shirt.
What to know before you go
There are a few things that are worth mentioning. Firstly you can't take buggies inside, but there is an area to park them along the entrance wall. Secondly, the experience is over two floors, so there are stairs to climb, but the is a lift for accessibility. Thirdly, you'll find toilets at the beginning so make sure the kids go, as there are no toilets inside the experience. Finally, it gets quite hot in there so wear light breathable clothes.
What age is it most suitable for?
Opening ahead of the highly anticipated film Jurassic World: Rebirth (hitting cinemas from 2 July), this experience sells itself as an adventure for dinosaur fanatics, big and small. But we found it a family-friendly experience mostly tailored to kids. Odhran went through a dinosaur obsessed stage when he was around five-years-old. If we'd visited then, this experience would have blown his mind. So if your kid is at this stage then it's a must-see. But the final room might be a bit frightening for some little ones so if you think your child's going to be scared, maybe prepare them before you enter by reminding them that it's all pretend and the dinosaurs aren't real.
How long will you spend there?
This will depend on how long you spend interacting with the different elements in this interactive experience. But we entered the gift shop after only about 30 minutes, and this included time spent waiting to enter different parts of the experience. So we found the experience to be too short.
How much does it cost?
General admission prices for Jurassic World: The Experience start at £19.95 for children (ages 3-15, children under 3 go free) and from £24.95 for adults. Family and group tickets are also available. But at peak weekend times you could pay £28.55 for a child's ticket and £35.95 for an adult's ticket.
Take a Break's verdict
The animatronics were the best we've seen, and little dinosaur fans will be in awe. There was fantastic attention to detail, and we loved the thrill of the final room, where we had to escape the roaring Velociraptor and T-Rex. But we felt that for the cost, the experience was too short. Reuben says, 'The animatronics were so realistic! And it was a bit scary but fun.' Odhran says, 'It was good fun but it wasn't long enough.'
My colleague Kate also visited the experience with her dinosaur-mad, five-year-old son, Charlie and his friend. Kate says, 'They couldn’t get enough of the majestic, life-like dinosaurs roaming in their enclosures, and spent the time sprinting from one prehistoric reptile to another! They especially loved seeing the newly hatched dinosaurs in the incubators; squeezing the (gross!) dinosaur poo in their hands and stroking the scaly skin of the baby dinosaur puppets, as well as quizzing the rangers about the different types of dinos! They were understandably frightened at the end when we got locked inside with the T-Rex and the ranger couldn’t get the code to work - but overall, they found it an exciting and thrilling experience. We would have loved it to have lasted a little bit longer.'
Overall, we'd rate Jurassic World: The Experience a 3 out of 5. Find out more here