Tag Archives: Queue

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Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon will officially open April 6, 2017, but if you're lucky you may get a chance to experience this new 3D simulator attraction during "soft openings," which are going on now! Soft opening, or "Technical Rehearsal" as Universal calls it, is like a practice run for the attraction. Some effects or elements may not be working, some things may change as they work the kinks out, and most importantly, there's no guarantee that the attraction will be open at all during this time and may close down at any given moment. Lately the ride has been operating in the afternoon each day, and over time that should move to be all day for most days. Check with the ride attendant out from in the morning to see if they know anything, and check back throughout the day for your chance to ride during a soft open.

This brand new attraction features a unique queue-less design, giving guests the chance to explore the Tonight Show museum, relax in the 30 Rock Lounge, and see some live entertainment while they wait. I was very impressed with the entire experience all around. If this were simply just the four minute ride I don't think I would've liked it as much as I did. This park needs more long experiences now that Twister, Beetlejuice, and Disaster have closed, and you can easily spend 30 minutes in this attraction just soaking in the queue areas and fun entertainment.

The ride will utilize a Virtual Line reservation system after it officially opens next month. This will allow you to reserve a time to come back, either through the Universal mobile app or one of the new kiosks near the ride entrance. You will still need to wait a short period once you enter, but that time is spent enjoying the museum and live entertainment, and should be considered part of the attraction overall. They've even included comfy chairs with mobile device charging stations, which is not too shabby a way to wait for a ride.

See the video for the latest construction update, full queue experience and live entertainment, and check out the photo report below for more information as well as more of my thoughts on the attraction! And stay tuned for more theme park news and updates coming soon.

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Hulk-Marquee-Reopening3-1170x731The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure has been completely refreshed and is now open for guests! We've witnessed the entire track being replaced piece by piece, the queue building get new paint, signage, and storyline, the whole area receiving beautiful nighttime lighting effects, and a gorgeous new entrance created with a realistic full-size Hulk statue standing tall. But now we finally get to see what the queue looks like inside, how the launch tunnel has improved, and what the on-board music sounds like on the ride! It's wonderful to see such a classic attraction like the Hulk receive some much-needed TLC. I love the new area music around the Hulk courtyard, (hear it in the video below just after a minute in.) It has a military feel, and is very cinematic, perfectly punctuating the new area theming as a secret military base and scientific lab. Check out the video for your area update plus the images below of the updated ride, queue, and grand opening ceremony. Stay tuned for more theme park updates coming soon!


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P1070744The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure has been completely rebuilt from the ground up and it's looking like it's just about ready to re-open! Spectacular lighting effects and new roar sound effects have been added since my last visit, as well as some smaller details throughout the area. Everything looks truly incredible at night and I cannot wait to ride it with the new launch effects, sounds, and music! As I was leaving last night they were taking down the construction walls, so hopefully that means a soft opening is not too far away. See today's video and photographs below and stay tuned for more Hulk updates coming soon!


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00866.MTS.Still063We'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!


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00838.MTS.Still006It 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!


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636004849317948807-002USA 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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00689.MTS.Still016I 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!


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Hulk-Full-Reveal-featured-image-900x563"A new story. A new ride vehicle. A new queue experience. A new entrance. The only things you’ll recognize when The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure re-opens in late summer are the world-famous twists and turns of the ride track." These are the things Universal is touting about the completely overhauled Hulk Coaster, which has been closed for refurbishment for nine months now. The newly updated ride will feature an incredible new entrance with a full-size statue of Hulk (no more 2D wooden cutout) and he'll be holding up a large section of track. The track pieces were salvaged from the original ride, which is a great piece of trivia for a nerd like me. The newly designed ride vehicles will feature on-board audio, as has been rumored, featuring a new musical score by Patrick Stump, front man of Fall Out Boy. There's going to be a new storyline and fully redesigned queue as well. See the video, concept art, and full description of all the great changes coming below and stay tuned for more construction updates coming soon!


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00485.MTS.Still028It 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!


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P1070284Now that every piece of track has been replaced for The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Island's of Adventure, all attention has shifted to redecorating the queue, launch tunnel, and surrounding area. The launch tunnel is almost entirely repainted now and more black accents are being added. Soon there won't be any purple left around the attraction. Scaffolding has been put up all around the queue building as work continues there. I assume work is being done inside the queue as well as in the launch tunnel as they upgrade the launch system. Hopefully the newly refreshed ride will roar back to life soon. The park just isn't the same without the sound of the Hulk trains in the background. Rumors have the Hulk Coaster re-opening by June 10th. Fingers crossed that it opens before the summer busy season kicks into high gear. Check out the video and photo update below!


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