We're a few steps closer to the grand re-opening of the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure later this Summer. The brand new entrance and plaza are ready. Most of the work walls are now down throughout the area. A new life-size Hulk statue holding a piece of coaster train between two ripped pieces of track beckons you to enter. And the new locker station is complete, with a new system that utilizes your park ticket to reserve your free locker rather than your fingerprint which can be faulty at times (especially in the hot summer months). Other changes since my last update include some new safety nets, lots of nighttime lighting has been installed on the track supports, the lagoon is filled with water again, and the queue building looks nearly complete on the outside. Trains are now cycling empty for testing, so no more water dummies as far as I could tell. Check out the video as well as lots of images below and stay tuned for more theme park updates!
Tag Archives: Ride
It’s Official: Secret Life of Pets Ride Coming to Universal Parks
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke told analysts at an investor conference last week that Universal is working on an attraction based on the upcoming film, "The Secret Life of Pets". While there have been rumors of a family friendly dark ride featuring the characters from this upcoming film coming to both Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando, this is the first time we have had any confirmation on the matter at all. Burke did not say which theme park or parks would feature the attraction, but if rumors prove true we could see this new attraction appear at both coast's parks before the end of the decade.
Burke did go on to say "We are doing -- we have started a Pets attraction even before the film comes out, which if the film doesn't do as well as I think, it will be painful. But I think it will do very well." The Secret Life of Pets comes to theaters July 8. It was produced by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures, the same folks that brought us Despicable Me and Minions. I believe that SLoP, as I am calling it, will do wonderfully at the theaters, and like Despicable Me, will feature characters we'll be seeing plastered on every product imaginable for years to come.
Check out my recent park updates featuring new merchandise for The Secret Life of Pets that has shown up in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. And stay tuned for the official announcement and more information about a SLoP ride (hopefully) coming soon!
Kongstruction Update: Reign of Kong Soft Opens with Full Queue Walk Through Video
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!
Universal Studios Florida Update: Jimmy Fallon Ride, Fast & Furious, Toothsome and Secret Life of Pets Merchandise
It's time to take a look around Universal Studios Florida and see how some of the big construction projects are doing and what's new in the park! As soon as I got there I noticed a lot of new merchandise added to the main studio store for the upcoming film The Secret Life of Pets. There have been rumors of this property getting its own ride in the parks if the film is a success, (and I have a feeling the film will do just fine). One of the mugs caught my attention as it's actually branded with 'Universal Studios' on it! Over at Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon lots of work continues at a breakneck pace as facades get built, roofing gets laid, walls go up, and lots of interior work gets done. It looks like another rounded (screen-like) wall on the inside is being constructed too. See images below for more details. Not much is happening at Fast & Furious Supercharged. They took down the potted plants in front of the work walls. That's about it. And finally in City Walk, Toothsome Chocolate Emporium (formerly 'Chocolate Factory') is coming together nicely with new brickwork on the front. See the video along with lots of images with more information about these projects below and stay tuned for more theme park updates!
Kongstruction Update: WALLS ARE DOWN at Skull Island: Reign of Kong
The construction walls are down at Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal's Islands of Adventure! The wait has been long, but soon we'll be able to get our first rides on this new immersive attraction. We should hopefully expect to see soft opens within the week. It really could be any day now (or any hour even). Plus the outdoor gift shop stand, Base Camp Provisions, is open and selling Kong merchandise. Check out the video and photos below to see how the area looks now with the work walls down and some of the items you can get at the new gift shop and food stand. Stay tuned for more information as it happens. This should hopefully be our last update video before softs start and we'll post as soon as they start letting guests on the ride!
First Photos from the Scary Queue of Skull Island: Reign of Kong
USA Today has written an article detailing Skull Island: Reign of Kong, opening soon at Universal's Islands of Adventure, and they have included some never-before-seen images from inside the incredibly themed, and apparently somewhat frightening, queue. It seems that rumors were correct and we will be seeing scareactors within the queue itself, straight up Halloween Horror Nights style! See a section of the write-up along with all the incredible photographs in high resolution below. Click on an image to see it full size and stay tuned for more Kong news as it happens!
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Incredible Hulk Coaster: Ride Testing and Construction Update – With Video
I braved the crowds on a very busy Memorial Day weekend to get some pictures and video of vehicle testing as well as construction progress for the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure. The brand new coaster trains look incredible in person and I cannot wait to hear the on-board music while riding. (Learn more about the new trains here.) The "roar" of the trains has been dampened a little to make for a quieter Hulk Coaster. I've been told this was to make the area a little more bearable for people trying to hear each other talking, but also help you to be able to hear the new on-board music for the ride. But trust me, it still roars out of the launch tunnel! It looks like there's still a lot of work to be done to the queue building before the Hulk Coaster can re-open later this summer. The queue building is being extended as well. Check out the video and all the images below for more details!
Universal Reveals Kong Himself in this First Glimpse of the Massive Animatronic from Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Universal Orlando has revealed the Kong animatronic in a new making of video and a few images. The Kong figure is three-stories tall, 18 feet wide at his shoulders and has a head larger than an automobile, according to Universal Orlando. The beast also has several "distinctive scars." Riders will come "face-to-face" with King Kong and get "so close they'll feel his breath sweep across their skin and his thunderous roar reverberate through every bone in their body". Reports say that the animatronic figure was designed by Creature Technology, the company behind the impressive full-size Kong puppet for the Kong stage show.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong should be opening soon at Islands of Adventure, but Universal has still not announced an official opening date, stating only that it will be opening Summer 2016. The media preview for Skull Island is scheduled for June 22-24. The ride may open around this time, with technical rehearsals in the days or weeks leading up to it. Technical rehearsals, or soft opens as it is also known, is a trial run where the ride may open for a few hours a day giving staff a chance to test the ride under real conditions. (Not all effects and features may be working during technical rehearsals.) Rumors say that there have been some unforeseen issues that are being worked out and that has pushed technical rehearsals back a bit. Stay tuned here for news of when you may get your chance to meet Kong face to face! See the video below for your first look at Kong in the flesh, plus more images and information. And see all Kong updates here!
Universal Studios Florida Construction Update: Jimmy Fallon Ride, Fast & Furious, and More
Twister and Disaster have long closed to make way for the new attractions Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon and Fast & Furious Supercharged at Universal Studios Florida. More New York facades are being added around the gutted soundstage building for the Jimmy Fallon ride. It'll be nice to have that big bland building blocked by more themed New York building facades. Also, there is what looks to be a big rounded section of steel inside the building. It could be for a big screen, especially if this does turn out to be a Soarin' type attraction as rumored. Lots of digging continues at the site of Fast and Furious, but not much else is happening there. And new picture spot props have been added to the Hello Kitty store. Check out the update video and lots of construction images below!
Incredible Hulk Coaster Refurbishment Update – Electrical Work and Queue Paint – With Video
It looks like lots of electrical work is underway at The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Island's of Adventure. Electrical boxes have been installed on nearly every footer on the front-half of the coaster and conduit with cables are attached leading up each of the track supports. I'm not sure yet what these cables will lead to, but my best guess would be for exterior lighting. Perhaps just blinking red lights for height markers, or maybe something more elaborate and interesting looking for a spectacular view of the coaster at night. We'll see as construction continues. It looks like the launch tunnel has been completely re-painted. the exterior of the queue building has been painted white and themed elements are being added now. Other small things like the outside brake elements on the track as well as the evacuation stairs on the braking station have been added. Check out the video and screenshots below and stay tuned for more continuous updates!