bucknuticus
Member
It is a millennium light, but man the bunny hops at the end get so much air time.
You also hit the park at a good time, big storm rolled through sunday and the park was closed all day today due to damage.
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Theme Parks & Roller Coasters |OT| The Happiest Place on GAF
- Thread starter Goldrusher
- Start date
It is a millennium light, but man the bunny hops at the end get so much air time.
You also hit the park at a good time, big storm rolled through sunday and the park was closed all day today due to damage.
SOME-MIST
Member
honestly, the underdog was maverick. it looks like such a poopy small coaster, but it's shocking how intense it is. I think it partly has to do with how close it is to the ground. the girlfriend nabbed an awesome pic of the track when the sun was setting too.
thank the heavens. a week or so before we were supposed to go there was a 40% chance of scattered showers which changed to 15%. we really lucked out that it only rained for 30 minutes basically shutting the park down for 45-60.
thank the heavens. a week or so before we were supposed to go there was a 40% chance of scattered showers which changed to 15%. we really lucked out that it only rained for 30 minutes basically shutting the park down for 45-60.
Leeroy3101
Banned
Maverick is in my top 3 or 4 out of the hundred and fifty plus coasters I've been on throughout the country; the "new" restraints make it that much better.
Goldrusher
Member
2017:
95 m (312 ft) face-down Intamin drop tower for Sweden's Gröna Lund
95 m (312 ft) face-down Intamin drop tower for Sweden's Gröna Lund
Disneyland's annual pass prices are high but at least they're somewhat consistent. Universal's pass types and prices are all over the damn place. The pass that I got was $139 and it was a full year, but their site says that they got rid of that and turned it into a season pass for the same price.
The Xtortionist
Member
Universal Hollywood, I assume? Potter seemed to throw their annual pass offerings into disarray.
That looks even more terrifying than Falcon's Fury. So that means I have to go on it. Ever since I rode Falcon's Fury I feel like any drop tower is a cakewalk lol. It was the only ride I was legitimately afraid to ride while I was in Florida.
Yeah. Mine's practically useless starting at the end of this week all the way to August. Blackout dates for months.
Leeroy3101
Banned
Thunderhead at Dollywood runs laps around any traditional wooden coaster I ever rode. Give it another 1000 feet, and it bumps above Voyage and El Toro for me.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
That's another intamin drop tower Frontier needs to add to Planet Coaster it seems lol
The Xtortionist
Member
Hearing reports that Skull Island at Universal Orlando has soft opened. Gonna try to head out on Saturday and catch a ride.
KeyBladerXIII
Member
Disappointed that the Kong ride reuses footage and much of the ride is staring at screens, Spiderman, Gringotts, and Transformers is enough. I think the
may be my favorite of the attraction.
Was she ever her own icon?
kong, witch, and worm animatronics
Was she ever her own icon?
The Xtortionist
Member
Skull Island POV
Kong AA looks so good omg
Also I think the 360 scene footage is a bit different from Hollywood. Same concept/premise but maybe new animation?
Kong AA looks so good omg
Also I think the 360 scene footage is a bit different from Hollywood. Same concept/premise but maybe new animation?
Nah, she was always paired with Jack. Eddie was almost his own at one point
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
Saw the video for the new King Kong ride....so sick.
Demoncarnotaur
Member
Looks fun, seems massively over-hyped though.
I'm still bitter that this came at the cost of a large Jurassic expansion.
The Xtortionist
Member
I'd put money on a gigantic Jurassic World land going in the third gate.
Yeah. It's a little disappointing that the ride is mostly a longer leadup to the footage from the studio tour, granted Orlando has a habit of doing that with a lot of their rides.
The Xtortionist
Member
By all accounts Kong is a good-to-great ride with an incredible queue. Prolly won't top Spidey for me at this point, though I'm not sure what can. Still super excited to catch a possible soft tomorrow.
The 360 animation uses the Hollywood film as a base, but seems to be significantly improved in some aspects (new creatures, animations, lighting, etc). Wish I'd experienced the USH version so I can eventually compare them.
The 360 animation uses the Hollywood film as a base, but seems to be significantly improved in some aspects (new creatures, animations, lighting, etc). Wish I'd experienced the USH version so I can eventually compare them.
The only alteration to that main fight scene that I noticed was the replacement of the tram car with the ride vehicle, the removal of the reason why the raptors chase you at the beginning (in the studio tour one it's because someone's phone goes off and they notice you) and the extension at the end that shows Kong leaving. The spiders and whatnot were all there in the USH one. I don't know if I can call the other scenes 360 animation because they really only have a screen on one side and they happen in different sections of the ride. That animatronic Kong was cool though.
KeyBladerXIII
Member
(Full spoilers for Kong ride...)
Can't help but feel very disappointed at the Kong ride now that I've seen it. The lead up in the queue is fantastic, with the witch and worm animatronics, and adding in the scare actors will make it even better. The drive up to the gates with the chanting is perfect, but then the rest falls apart, at least visually. A few bat animatronics and then two screens of not much happening except water sprays then the 360 footage? I'm sure it's better when you feel the vehicle rock but still..
I dunno, Kong AA is mind blowing, so I'm sure I'm in the minority.
I dunno, Kong AA is mind blowing, so I'm sure I'm in the minority.
aparisi2274
Member
You could've spoiler tagged this...
Having gone on the studio tour as many times as I have, it was a little disappointing. But if you've never been on the tour and this was your first exposure to that footage it would probably be pretty cool.
Here's the official announcement video for Chance in this years Halloween Horror Nights.
It took me a couple of watches but I finally realized
that her eye makeup was changing because one was the post-breakout clown makeup and the other was her in insane asylum clothing after it looks like she carved that eye pattern into her face.
The Xtortionist
Member
Getting ready to head to Universal. Hoping for Kong softs! Will post my thoughts if I get to ride it.
Watching the reign of kong pov makes me long to ride kongfrontation again. Glad I got to ride that one a time or two before Mummy.
Universal is starting to overuse the 3D screens a bit, this with Jimmy Fallon on the way. The ride feels a bit lacking, just needs one more set piece. The theming/queue and ride up to the gate was nice. Disappointed the animatronic isn't really used for more, especially considering the rumors about the kong animatronic possibly picking up the driver from the vehicle that were floating around.
Definitely excited to ride it in the near future, still haven't been to London/diagon alley too which devastates me. Will definitely try to make it in this year, especially once hulk reopens.
Universal is starting to overuse the 3D screens a bit, this with Jimmy Fallon on the way. The ride feels a bit lacking, just needs one more set piece. The theming/queue and ride up to the gate was nice. Disappointed the animatronic isn't really used for more, especially considering the rumors about the kong animatronic possibly picking up the driver from the vehicle that were floating around.
Definitely excited to ride it in the near future, still haven't been to London/diagon alley too which devastates me. Will definitely try to make it in this year, especially once hulk reopens.
The Xtortionist
Member
In line for Kong. They're using the super extended overflow queue and everything. Show building is even bigger up close, holy crap.
Gunstarheroes
Member
I'm excited to hear your review!
The Xtortionist
Member
Re-riding now; Kong AA wasn't working. First impressions besides that: pretty damn fun!
Andrew Korenchkin
Member
http://micechat.com/127109-star-wars-news-darkness-cookies-dirt/
Apparently the Star Wars land may have an interactive droid that roams the area.
Sounds great in theory, but you know there will be dick heads who mess with it and possibly vandalize it.
Apparently the Star Wars land may have an interactive droid that roams the area.
Sounds great in theory, but you know there will be dick heads who mess with it and possibly vandalize it.
peteykirch
Member
No one vandalized PUSH when he was roaming Tomorrowland.
The Xtortionist
Member
*Massive spoilers - Skull Island review incoming*
I was lucky enough to get two rides in today. We got in line around 4:00-4:10PM, which I believe was about 20 minutes after softs started. We entered in the overflow queue and even took a detour out through the single rider entrance and around a makeshift side queue they had set up. Overall I believe my wait was around 80-90 minutes. There were two delays while I was in line, but they were both resolved fairly quickly.
First off, the queue is fantastic. The outdoor portion gets some great views of ride vehicles passing by, which nearly always encouraged some interaction between riders and guests waiting in line. It was a great choice, as seeing the ride vehicles so early really builds anticipation and makes the wait a bit easier. Further along in the outdoor portion is some nice Skull Island theming and jolly music.
Moving inside, the atmosphere shifts to something more foreboding and intimidating. The first few rooms of the interior queue didn’t make much of an impression on me, but the witch room really steps it up. This room gets very loud, with booms and native chants, and the backdrop of fiery faces sets an unsettling tone. The witch AA itself is uncanny, and one of the most convincing AAs I’ve ever seen.
Much has been said about the scareactors – some I agree with, and some I don’t. Are they as traumatizing as what’s been suggested? Not really. But are they this awesome, necessary part of this particular queue experience? Not really, either. For the faint of heart, there are about three or four boo holes to watch out for…but they’re all on the right side on a particular section, so the truly skittish can simply face the left wall and tune them out. I personally got one scare, which was somewhat effective, I guess. The scareactor experience in Kong just doesn’t really seem consistent with what follows. For as aggressive as they are, they’re irrelevant to everything that comes after – it’s not like we get any satisfying “payback” for them harassing us earlier in the ride. Instead of going for quick (and ultimately) forgettable startles, I think I would have rather preferred a more atmospheric use of actors; maybe have an actor slowly and creepily emerge from a boo hole, look us over while sneering, and quietly retreat – basically just reinforcing the whole “hostile territory” element of Skull Island instead of setting up the natives as “villains” that are never properly dealt with. The whole native element felt undercooked in general, as outside of a few chants at the start of the ride they’re never heard from again.
But anyway, the station is filled with plenty of objects to look over, and the worm AA is much larger and more impressive in person than in any Youtube video. Not much else to say here, other than keep right at the fork to raise your chance of a seat near the back of the RV.
The flow of the queue was a bit inconsistent. I’m aware that this is likely a highly variable experience, but here’s how it went for me: the interior queue moved a bit slowly, before nearly going into overdrive at the witch room. Unfortunately, the Gringotts bank hall problem reared its head with many guests slowing up the line to take pictures of the witch AA. The queue continued moved fairly quickly until the load station, where it slowed down a bit. Assuming they were running three RVs today, a full five will devour guests. This is a people eating machine.
In my two rides I was in rows 8 and 11, on the far left side of each. Let me just say that I love the outdoor portion. Simply moving around in the RVs feels…awesome, for lack of a better word, and the extremely uneven ground in this section leads to an unpredictable and very enjoyable romp. As stated before, there’s some potential for fun interaction with guests waiting in line, and the scene is capped off by the dramatic opening of the massive gates and entrance into the show building. If we’re being honest here, I would never want to ride Skull Island without the outdoor portion being active. I also want to ride it after dark so, so badly.
The three screen scenes in the interior all follow a logical progression and ramp up accordingly: the first has one screen and no motion base, the second has one screen and a motion base, and the third has a screen on each side with a motion base. There’s a clear progression here, and I felt that, together with the outdoor scene, the creators mined just about everything they needed to with these ride mechanics. I can’t look at Kong like I can with Gringotts and say something like “That was fun, but they definitely missed the chance to do (insert thing here) with that ride system.” Kong feels like a complete ride experience from start to finish, satisfactorily exploring every element I can think of for these RVs.
Additionally, the screen scenes mostly address one of my main complaints with Gringotts, which is how its screen sections are such passive experiences compared to Universal’s other top dark rides – not so with Kong. Two of the three screens use motion bases to great effect (seriously, the simulation in the 360 scene was so much better than what I was expecting), and there are many water and wind effects. Yeah, they’re screens, but they’re not boring – there’s near-constant interaction.
Finally, the Kong AA. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s impressive. Its final roar elicited cheers from my truck on both rides. It’s a crowd pleaser, and therefore a winner. A fitting end to the ride, and an ending I particularly like, as it gives riders something they haven’t yet seen on the ride.
The story is underwhelming. The natives element doesn’t gel with the rest of the experience, and there no real set-up that I was privy to for why we’re doing what we’re doing. Now, this is a theme park ride, so that’s not such a big deal to me (though still an oversight). What does feel incredibly jarring is how Kate’s character is handled. After being grabbed by a giant pincer and dragged off in the bug pit scene, she isn’t heard from again. Yet, the ending of the ride suggests somewhat of a happy ending, even after she…got dragged off and massacred? As other users have noted, early softs included some dialogue at the end indicating that Kate survived (which is a bit cheap, but whatever), so it wasn’t as much of a downer, but it wasn’t present for my rides. It just seems like a huge blunder. There’s no reason why the second truck from the bat scene couldn’t have driven in near the end of the bug pit scene, picked up Kate, with the driver saying something like “Go on ahead, we’ll catch up”. Resume as normal until the end of the ride, where some radio chatter indicates the second truck made it out alright. The ending of the ride isn’t presented as this bittersweet or negative thing, so to have those elements in the story just feels off.
Overall, a fantastic attraction. Beyond a frozen Kong on my first ride (which gave me a re-ride, and worked on my second ride), everything seemed to be functioning as intended. I did notice one aspect of the 360 scene motion base, though – after the truck begins to accelerate near the start, the motion base felt like it kicked in maybe about a second late. I’m not sure if this is by design, as it happened in both rides, and the rest of the simulation in that scene definitely felt in sync. Just a small quirk, I guess.
As a complete experience, it’s up there with Indiana Jones Adventure, Gringotts, and Forbidden Journey as one of the best around. As purely a ride experience, it doesn’t quite hit the highs of a Spider-Man, but still stands as a solid addition to the resort that first-time guests will definitely want to hit, and repeat riders should be on the lookout for when waits aren’t too long. It doesn’t quite scratch the itch I’m looking for (I definitely want more motion along with my screens), though I suspect the vast majority of riders will be more than thrilled when it ends.
Questions/comments about anything I said or didn't say are welcome.
Complete experience (Queue+Ride) Rating: 9/10
Ride experience rating: 7/10
My rankings for Universal Orlando, to give some context for my opinions (subject to change, of course) -
Complete experience:
1. Gringotts
2. Skull Island
3. Forbidden Journey
4. Spider-Man
5. Mummy
Ride experience:
1. Spider-Man
2. Forbidden Journey
3. Gringotts
4. Mummy
5. Skull Island
Sit near the back.
I was lucky enough to get two rides in today. We got in line around 4:00-4:10PM, which I believe was about 20 minutes after softs started. We entered in the overflow queue and even took a detour out through the single rider entrance and around a makeshift side queue they had set up. Overall I believe my wait was around 80-90 minutes. There were two delays while I was in line, but they were both resolved fairly quickly.
First off, the queue is fantastic. The outdoor portion gets some great views of ride vehicles passing by, which nearly always encouraged some interaction between riders and guests waiting in line. It was a great choice, as seeing the ride vehicles so early really builds anticipation and makes the wait a bit easier. Further along in the outdoor portion is some nice Skull Island theming and jolly music.
Moving inside, the atmosphere shifts to something more foreboding and intimidating. The first few rooms of the interior queue didn’t make much of an impression on me, but the witch room really steps it up. This room gets very loud, with booms and native chants, and the backdrop of fiery faces sets an unsettling tone. The witch AA itself is uncanny, and one of the most convincing AAs I’ve ever seen.
Much has been said about the scareactors – some I agree with, and some I don’t. Are they as traumatizing as what’s been suggested? Not really. But are they this awesome, necessary part of this particular queue experience? Not really, either. For the faint of heart, there are about three or four boo holes to watch out for…but they’re all on the right side on a particular section, so the truly skittish can simply face the left wall and tune them out. I personally got one scare, which was somewhat effective, I guess. The scareactor experience in Kong just doesn’t really seem consistent with what follows. For as aggressive as they are, they’re irrelevant to everything that comes after – it’s not like we get any satisfying “payback” for them harassing us earlier in the ride. Instead of going for quick (and ultimately) forgettable startles, I think I would have rather preferred a more atmospheric use of actors; maybe have an actor slowly and creepily emerge from a boo hole, look us over while sneering, and quietly retreat – basically just reinforcing the whole “hostile territory” element of Skull Island instead of setting up the natives as “villains” that are never properly dealt with. The whole native element felt undercooked in general, as outside of a few chants at the start of the ride they’re never heard from again.
But anyway, the station is filled with plenty of objects to look over, and the worm AA is much larger and more impressive in person than in any Youtube video. Not much else to say here, other than keep right at the fork to raise your chance of a seat near the back of the RV.
The flow of the queue was a bit inconsistent. I’m aware that this is likely a highly variable experience, but here’s how it went for me: the interior queue moved a bit slowly, before nearly going into overdrive at the witch room. Unfortunately, the Gringotts bank hall problem reared its head with many guests slowing up the line to take pictures of the witch AA. The queue continued moved fairly quickly until the load station, where it slowed down a bit. Assuming they were running three RVs today, a full five will devour guests. This is a people eating machine.
In my two rides I was in rows 8 and 11, on the far left side of each. Let me just say that I love the outdoor portion. Simply moving around in the RVs feels…awesome, for lack of a better word, and the extremely uneven ground in this section leads to an unpredictable and very enjoyable romp. As stated before, there’s some potential for fun interaction with guests waiting in line, and the scene is capped off by the dramatic opening of the massive gates and entrance into the show building. If we’re being honest here, I would never want to ride Skull Island without the outdoor portion being active. I also want to ride it after dark so, so badly.
The three screen scenes in the interior all follow a logical progression and ramp up accordingly: the first has one screen and no motion base, the second has one screen and a motion base, and the third has a screen on each side with a motion base. There’s a clear progression here, and I felt that, together with the outdoor scene, the creators mined just about everything they needed to with these ride mechanics. I can’t look at Kong like I can with Gringotts and say something like “That was fun, but they definitely missed the chance to do (insert thing here) with that ride system.” Kong feels like a complete ride experience from start to finish, satisfactorily exploring every element I can think of for these RVs.
Additionally, the screen scenes mostly address one of my main complaints with Gringotts, which is how its screen sections are such passive experiences compared to Universal’s other top dark rides – not so with Kong. Two of the three screens use motion bases to great effect (seriously, the simulation in the 360 scene was so much better than what I was expecting), and there are many water and wind effects. Yeah, they’re screens, but they’re not boring – there’s near-constant interaction.
Finally, the Kong AA. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s impressive. Its final roar elicited cheers from my truck on both rides. It’s a crowd pleaser, and therefore a winner. A fitting end to the ride, and an ending I particularly like, as it gives riders something they haven’t yet seen on the ride.
The story is underwhelming. The natives element doesn’t gel with the rest of the experience, and there no real set-up that I was privy to for why we’re doing what we’re doing. Now, this is a theme park ride, so that’s not such a big deal to me (though still an oversight). What does feel incredibly jarring is how Kate’s character is handled. After being grabbed by a giant pincer and dragged off in the bug pit scene, she isn’t heard from again. Yet, the ending of the ride suggests somewhat of a happy ending, even after she…got dragged off and massacred? As other users have noted, early softs included some dialogue at the end indicating that Kate survived (which is a bit cheap, but whatever), so it wasn’t as much of a downer, but it wasn’t present for my rides. It just seems like a huge blunder. There’s no reason why the second truck from the bat scene couldn’t have driven in near the end of the bug pit scene, picked up Kate, with the driver saying something like “Go on ahead, we’ll catch up”. Resume as normal until the end of the ride, where some radio chatter indicates the second truck made it out alright. The ending of the ride isn’t presented as this bittersweet or negative thing, so to have those elements in the story just feels off.
Overall, a fantastic attraction. Beyond a frozen Kong on my first ride (which gave me a re-ride, and worked on my second ride), everything seemed to be functioning as intended. I did notice one aspect of the 360 scene motion base, though – after the truck begins to accelerate near the start, the motion base felt like it kicked in maybe about a second late. I’m not sure if this is by design, as it happened in both rides, and the rest of the simulation in that scene definitely felt in sync. Just a small quirk, I guess.
As a complete experience, it’s up there with Indiana Jones Adventure, Gringotts, and Forbidden Journey as one of the best around. As purely a ride experience, it doesn’t quite hit the highs of a Spider-Man, but still stands as a solid addition to the resort that first-time guests will definitely want to hit, and repeat riders should be on the lookout for when waits aren’t too long. It doesn’t quite scratch the itch I’m looking for (I definitely want more motion along with my screens), though I suspect the vast majority of riders will be more than thrilled when it ends.
Questions/comments about anything I said or didn't say are welcome.
Complete experience (Queue+Ride) Rating: 9/10
Ride experience rating: 7/10
My rankings for Universal Orlando, to give some context for my opinions (subject to change, of course) -
Complete experience:
1. Gringotts
2. Skull Island
3. Forbidden Journey
4. Spider-Man
5. Mummy
Ride experience:
1. Spider-Man
2. Forbidden Journey
3. Gringotts
4. Mummy
5. Skull Island
Sit near the back.
Jailer of Hope
Member
Can't wait to see the AA in person. Kong doesn't use express pass I'm guessing?
The Xtortionist
Member
No chance of express until it officially opens (these were softs). But as it stands, the two entrances are marked "attraction entrance" and "single rider", so who knows what their express plans are.
sf2fanatic
Member
So has any So Cal peeps ride the refurbish GhostRider at Knotts yet?? Kinda curious on how the ride it
When was it refurbished? I ride it for the first and only time 2 years ago.
Goldrusher
Member
Over the winter. It just re-opened this week.
New track everywhere, and new trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZoYOyd8tCE
Over the winter. It just re-opened this week.
New track everywhere, and new trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZoYOyd8tCE
I don't know if I'll end up going during the summer but I'll be there for Knott's Scary Farm for sure. I'll check it out then.
Zoso
It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.
Wildfire at Komarden posted a POV. It looks incredible. Possibly the best RMC yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzxCmM3s1XQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzxCmM3s1XQ
sf2fanatic
Member
Thank you for the link. Will check it out this summer. Especially when it's the 75 anniversary of Ghost Town.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Saw yesterday a theme park worldwide vlog of the park when they went last year. Ghost Rider was in refurbishment so they couldnt go in it, they said they would come back for the credit, but is good that was in refurbishment as they heard its was a pretty harsh ride.
Leeroy3101
Banned
Here's a shot from my trip last week.
Fury 325 is MUCH better. Intimidator 305 is too much.
Goldrusher
Member
Frozen Ever After onride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_mUNkPsWc
Looks really, really good.
edit: Apparently there's already a 5 hour queue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_mUNkPsWc
Looks really, really good.
edit: Apparently there's already a 5 hour queue.
genericsuperhero
Member
I'm still not happy about this, but damn if those animatronics are not impressive.
Look at all of that Norwegian culture!
Same. The effects are great but at the end of the day it's still Frozen and I'm still ironically fairly burnt out on Frozen.
Frozen Ever After onride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_mUNkPsWc
Looks really, really good.
edit: Apparently there's already a 5 hour queue.
All I wanted out of this was animatronics and they delivered there. So... okay.
Really has nothing to do with Norway but I've accepted the IP creep of Epcot at this point.
Jailer of Hope
Member
Flyover, respond if you're okay!Frozen Ever After onride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3_mUNkPsWc
Looks really, really good.
edit: Apparently there's already a 5 hour queue.
Are you still at WDW?
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