In a previous post I was visiting Universal’s Islands of Adventure and came across a new Dr. Seuss Medallion machine. That has replaced a pressed penny machine and I was hoping that wouldn’t become a trend. Well I’m sorry to say it’s happened once again. This time let’s head through the iconic arch welcoming us into Jurassic Park.

Once we pass through the large security gates we needed to head towards the waterfront where their newest attraction the Velocicoaster is located. Nearby is the two story Discovery Center which you can access either before or after riding the Coaster.

The top floor is a quick service restaurant, and the lower floor has some interactive exhibits but for now is primarily a gift shop.

There’s a large Raptor keeping an eye on guests entering and existing the store. The merchandise here has remaining the same since we first visited this area when Velocicoaster first opened and found some pressed pennies.

Over along the wall near the locker section is where that pressed penny machine was located and remained for a couple years. However that is no longer the situation. The penny machine has been removed and there is now another new souvenir medallion machine in its place.

The medallion designs in this set have some nice detail to them. I do find the text a bit hard to read on them, and have a difficult time figuring our the different dinosaurs. But overall I think these are another fun set of medallions for our collection.

The reverse side of all the coins is the same, and has the Jurassic World Logo including classic T-Rex skeleton. What confuses me about this is that here in the Florida park this area is Jurassic Park and has not been (so far) re-themed to Jurassic World like has in the California park. I know this is a small gripe but seems like a mixup by the coin designers, or maybe we are getting a re-theme here in the near future.

Now don’t get me wrong I do enjoy collecting the medallions. I do wish the prices were not as high but I don’t like the idea of these replacing pressed penny machine. If we can have both that would be great, however it if was up to me, for my own personal preference I would rather keep the penny machines than lose them for new medallions. I’m sure there is a higher profit margin on these coins and is why more are being released. That higher price point though I feel is getting close to where people aren’t going to want to pay it and by then it may be too late to get the penny machine back. I guess time will tell.

Keep on Collecting!

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