Last Rites: Universal Studios Jaws Ride in Orlando

Goodbye old friend!

 
Beginning  January 2, 2012, it will be safe to go back into the water again, at least on the East coast.

Unfortunately, Universal Studios announced yesterday that the park would be shutting down its longest running and one of its most popular attractions, the Jaws ride. That also includes the surrounding Amity portion of the park in order to make room for a new attraction, rumored to be either something for the Transformers films or an expansion of the Harry Potter ride at Islands of Adventures.

Sans a few technical malfunctions which mandated ride re-designs and a funky lawsuit over someone falling into the water during its early inception, the Jaws ride at the Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida has been a staple of the theme park since it opened for business in 1990. Based on the iconic 1975 summer blockbuster from Steven Spielberg and arguably one of the greatest films of all-time, the boat ride involved a face-to-face confrontation with the mechanical great white in the fictional town of Amity. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you how much of a Jaws fan I am and how much I dig this ride. I used to live in Orlando and must have gotten on the Jaws ride at least 30 - 40 times during my 8 years residing there. So it is with a heavy heart that I offer Last Rites to my favorite theme park ride, especially at night during Halloween Horror Nights during October. It is a good thing that Universal will still be keeping the tram one open in California.  I just wish I could have ridden it one more time (yes I know...that's what she said).

If you have any Jaws ride stories or experiences, please leave your eulogy in the Comments below.

In the meantime, we can always virtually face the shark again via YouTube...