Tag Archives: soft opening

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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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00841.MTS.Still018More Secret Life of Pets merchandise is showing up in the parks. This time we're taking a look at the new stuff showing up at Islands of Adventure, including plush toys and collectors pins, in addition to the many shirts, cups, and mugs we saw over at USF last time. We also take a look at some minor construction going on in Camp Jurassic, and some minor additions to the Skull Island: Reign of Kong area. The roof over the park exit turnstiles is missing while work continues over there as well. Check out the video and image updates below and stay tuned for more updates.


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It's happening! At long last, Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal's Islands of Adventure has begun soft opening to the general public as of 6PM! I will be there tomorrow for my chance of reign, but for now here are a few reports from Twitter. UPDATE: Check out my full soft open report here!

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00719.MTS.Still0163333333Mako is currently in soft opening at SeaWorld Orlando and I got to ride it yesterday! It was incredible. The first drop and first turn are exhilarating and I won't lie, I was somewhat terrified for a few seconds. It's funny to me that a ride where you come up out of your seat so many times doesn't have shoulder restraints. I guess they want to really allow you to feel the air time. I rode a second time in the front row and it was even more incredible. After the first drop and turn it's a somewhat relaxing of a ride, even though I know we were traveling super fast because my ponytail was sticking straight out behind me the entire time! There's no loops or upside-down moments, so it's all about speed and air time. It's a fun ride and one I'll be riding every time I visit for sure. See the video for footage of the soft opening, my thoughts on the new coaster right after I rode it, check out some cool stuff in the gift shop and see all of the Shark's Reef area theming that is now complete. You can also see lots of images of the beautiful area theming below! And stay tuned for more theme park updates coming soon.


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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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kong01Universal 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.

kong02Skull 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!


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