It was only the second day that Skull Island: Reign of Kong had soft opened to the public when I got to ride this magnificent beast! What an incredible experience this has been, not just getting to be one of the first to ride this amazing new attraction, but also covering the story since it was just a pile of dirt and a rumor two years ago. So, Friday I decided to stick it out. As long as it took. To be one of the first to ride this baby! And after 7 and half hours in the hot sun, I got to do just that! It was totally worth it. You can see video from my experience at Friday's soft opening, plus a walk-through of the entire queue below. And there's lot of screenshots below as well with descriptions. Stay tuned for more Kong news as this thing goes from soft opening to grand opening in the coming weeks! And to those of you that have been following this project with me, thank you. I hope you stick around, as we have some amazing new things on the horizon for theme parks in Central Florida, as this time in history has become somewhat of a theme park Renaissance, and we're just getting started!
Soft openings, or technical rehearsals as it's called by Universal, allow team members to get used to operating the ride during a practice period. During this time some effects or features may not be running as problems are fixed throughout testing. Soft opens may only happen for a couple hours a day at first. They will last longer as we get closer to the official opening date until eventually it is open all day. There are no guarantees that the ride will be open during this time an official opening date has not yet been announced. Stay tuned for more news as it happens and subscribe to the feed to stay on top of announcements.
Photo Report
A very crowded entrance to the new rideAs the sign says, the only answer you get when asking team members when Kong will be opening is "Summer 2016"A view of the temple gates, ready to receive sacrificesThe "line" stretching out forever of anxious folks hoping for their chance to encounter KongLine stretching all the way down to Toon LagoonA separate section of line started leading into Jurassic Park. They were tacked onto the end of the line all the way out in Toon LagoonTrucks started cycling for the first time for the day after 7 hours of waitingSomeone was filming around the areaAround 4:45 they led the line around to the back entrance, straight to Kong's extended queueA look at the extended queue, nestled between Skull Island and Toon LagoonThe closest I've ever been to this side of the show buildingNice to see the old bamboo style work walls get a new life in the extended queueFans and misters in place for folks waiting in the Florida heatTechnical Rehearsals signageWalking around the outdoor queue, looks like this might be a temporary staging area for upcoming media event on the right, overlooking the outdoor portion of the ride?Themed water fountains in the queueAmazing how it feels like a secluded jungle even though I know there's hundreds of people on the other side of that wall. Loud bird and insect sounds drown out the park. Don't even hear the music over hereFirst time seeing the temple from this vantageEntering the first covered queue buildingOld-fashioned water pump themed elementsOld-fashioned radio on a desk, spouting news reports and old musicThe closest I've been to the temple gates so far!Technical workers riding the ride to spot any issues one last time before our chanceInside the dark indoor queue, first room has two creepy statues and an arch to enter the next room that looks like a faceAnimatronic woman in a room filled with skull and ape carvings filled with an impressively real looking fire musion effectA closer look at the "witch" animatronic, as she summons KongDead bodies in the next room of the indoor queueApproaching an animatronic worm creature in the final room of the queueCloser view of the incredibly realistic giant worm monsterBackside of worm creature"Live Animal" in box. Makes noise as you pass byDon't forget your "goggles"Load platfromChild swap to the right of loadHere comes our truck!Exiting the rideHigh fives for an incredible ride!So happy I got a chance to experience this new attraction so early on. It's been a wonderful two years covering the development, construction, and implementation of this awesome addition to an already wonderful park and resort!Until we meet again dear friend...
Be sure to check out our last Kong update with video and photos of the entire area with the walls down, and see all Kong updates here.
Subscribe to the feed so you never miss a new post! Stay tuned for more Kong news coming soon!
It was only the second day that Skull Island: Reign of Kong had soft opened to the public when I got to ride this magnificent beast! What an incredible experience this has been, not just getting to be one of the first to ride this amazing new attraction, but also covering the story since it was just a pile of dirt and a rumor two years ago. So, Friday I decided to stick it out. As long as it took. To be one of the first to ride this baby! And after 7 and half hours in the hot sun, I got to do just that! It was totally worth it. You can see video from my experience at Friday's soft opening, plus a walk-through of the entire queue below. And there's lot of screenshots below as well with descriptions. Stay tuned for more Kong news as this thing goes from soft opening to grand opening in the coming weeks! And to those of you that have been following this project with me, thank you. I hope you stick around, as we have some amazing new things on the horizon for theme parks in Central Florida, as this time in history has become somewhat of a theme park Renaissance, and we're just getting started!
Be sure to check out our last Kong update with video and photos of the entire area with the walls down, and see all Kong updates here.