There are 5 different faces, voices, costumes etc. But if they fog up the windows any more, it might as well be Barney the Dinosaur driving.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong - General Discussion
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There are 5 different faces, voices, costumes etc. But if they fog up the windows any more, it might as well be Barney the Dinosaur driving.
- Feb 15, 2012
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But it's still fun to discuss all the little issues that come up. Fun fun fun if not hilarious.
Oh totally! But most of us know that today's issue can be days or weeks old with a plan of action already in place. We can go from leaky pneumatics to a fully functional attraction in days, but someone who hasn't dealt with construction or assembly might not understand this is all par for the corse.
Barney's going to be out of work soon so he can use the job.
- Jul 13, 2012
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- May 5, 2016
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I can see the fogged windows causing lots of fake trivia a few years on... "and some say Mike West is driving the truck in its B mode to this day"
- May 15, 2016
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Thats what I thought it was going to be like. I miss that about Jaws. Each actor brought their own flair to the ride and it made it way more personal. I am really disappointed to hear that its not like that
If I'm correct, the original plan way, way back (2013-ish) was to have live spielers. My guess is one of three:
1) Either the way they engineered the RV made it impossible for room that a TM could be placed in, sitting or otherwise or...
2) Universal figured that eventually they may have to slash the budget down the road, and this is an attraction that already has actors in the queue-line.
3) Mike West thought having an AA driver was a really cool concept.
I don't want to be cynical and say that they were too nervous to go the live actor route since that could drastically make the ride experience inconsistent... and I don't want to say that, like the trackless, they just did it because they can. What does baffle me generally is that Jaws was so insanely popular, I mean dear god check out TPR's videos from when it closed in 2012. Millions upon millions of views, and a lion's share of the reason for that is the skippers. They were sitting on a retro goldmine and actively chose not to go that route. Disappointing.
1) Either the way they engineered the RV made it impossible for room that a TM could be placed in, sitting or otherwise or...
2) Universal figured that eventually they may have to slash the budget down the road, and this is an attraction that already has actors in the queue-line.
3) Mike West thought having an AA driver was a really cool concept.
I don't want to be cynical and say that they were too nervous to go the live actor route since that could drastically make the ride experience inconsistent... and I don't want to say that, like the trackless, they just did it because they can. What does baffle me generally is that Jaws was so insanely popular, I mean dear god check out TPR's videos from when it closed in 2012. Millions upon millions of views, and a lion's share of the reason for that is the skippers. They were sitting on a retro goldmine and actively chose not to go that route. Disappointing.
It could be that the ride would toss live spielers around too much. I know that Kilimanjaro Safari drivers have commonly had back problems, and I think Reign of Kong would be throwing people around even more.
Call me crazy but I like the fact it has no speilers. Not only would it be a nightmare to have many actors learn 5 different scripts + wardrobe. But I always found the skippers to be insanely annoying and end up turning the ride and atmosphere into the "look at me" show. That and you're looking at the back of their head the entire time so there's no point. I'm definitely happy with the AAs, not only because they have cool tech but it's more AAs at universal!!! Win win
In that case, Studio Tour guides at USH should need chiropractors for life. Nowadays they have to endure three motion bases every single tour! One of which is a duplicate of Reign of Kong's 360 scene, which of course is the only portion of the ride to encounter simulated motion. They do sit during almost the entire tour in a space just behind the driver, so it could have been an option.
(not to mention the original Kongfrontation had the actor standing even during that small freefall, yikes!)
Lets not forget that going for the AA route makes for a more consistent great experience for guests. I know everyone is romantic about the Jaws days, but no one here can possibly say that the tour guides were 100% all the time.
I think two motion bases every 5-6 minutes is more time than three motion bases every 30-45 minutes.
They're not all at once. Probably about 10 or so min btween each.
My point is that this couldn't possibly be a reason.
My point is that this couldn't possibly be a reason.
I was a Jaws skipper awhile ago (and Jungle Cruise skipper briefly in my high school years). Trust me, I received bruises on my hip from banging into the rail on my side many a time during the fire scene when the boat gets tussled. Wanted to do a good show, and apparently being tossed around like a rag doll makes for good entertainment.
I also have done Kongfrontation a few times when they needed team members to fill in, and I would literally get bruises on my hands pretending to hit the button to stop the tram over and over. Again, wanted to put on a good show, at the cost of my limbs and hips.
For whatever reason, it seems Universal has moved completely away from spielers. No more Jaws, Kongfrontation, Disaster (spielers and entertainment). I think the fact that they get paid a little more has something to do with it, but more than likely, you save a lot of money by not having the position at all.
And of course consistency between shows has got to be a big part of it. I have had Kongfrontation and Jaws spielers that gave such a boring, dull, sad performance that it has ruined my entire visit, especially after waiting an hour to get on. If you're having a bad day, not feeling well (or just suck at your job) it can really put a damper on the show for everyone, especially if it's their first time riding.
I also have done Kongfrontation a few times when they needed team members to fill in, and I would literally get bruises on my hands pretending to hit the button to stop the tram over and over. Again, wanted to put on a good show, at the cost of my limbs and hips.
For whatever reason, it seems Universal has moved completely away from spielers. No more Jaws, Kongfrontation, Disaster (spielers and entertainment). I think the fact that they get paid a little more has something to do with it, but more than likely, you save a lot of money by not having the position at all.
And of course consistency between shows has got to be a big part of it. I have had Kongfrontation and Jaws spielers that gave such a boring, dull, sad performance that it has ruined my entire visit, especially after waiting an hour to get on. If you're having a bad day, not feeling well (or just suck at your job) it can really put a damper on the show for everyone, especially if it's their first time riding.
- Jun 6, 2016
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Turns out the real attraction is the adrenaline you get reading the ups and downs of the news about it's opening
First disneyland ride on jungle cruise hubby and son had a great captain. I was chillin' with a napping toddler. By the time we made it back to the park they had changed shifts. We had a boring lady captain. I swear she was reading a script word for monotone word.
Yeah inconsistant spielers can be a bummer
I agree with you on the inconsistency of the spielers. They can make or break the attraction. And perhaps that's the key reason. The first time I was at Poseidon's Fury I had a terrible spieler and subsequently thought the attraction sucked. I gave it another try the next year, had an excellent spieler, and thoroughly enjoyed the attraction. I now go once every vacation, and all the subsequent spielers have been pretty good. Universal has been adding so much entertainment throughout the resort, opposite of Disney's entertainment contraction, that I don't know if I would agree with the idea of spieler & entertainment as primarily a cost thing. They can do this high tech stuff better than they could in the 90's.
I still think the walls came down earlier than planned due to Colin
- May 15, 2016
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I think youre right. If it had turned into a hurricane they would have had loose walls flying all over their park.
