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Water rides are immediately out since I don't want to ride them 1/2 the time. It's definitely waaaaaaaaaay better than HE (which is vastly overrated) or Transformers (good but not great). Hulk is also still too rought, and Krakatau is in a different category for me.
My top 5 is Spidey, Gringotts/FJ, Mummy, Kong. MIB is sixth. If it wasn't in abysmal shape it might top Kong, but the thing is falling apart.
Water rides are immediately out since I don't want to ride them 1/2 the time. It's definitely waaaaaaaaaay better than HE (which is vastly overrated) or Transformers (good but not great). Hulk is also still too rought, and Krakatau is in a different category for me.
Kong is also in my Top 5. FJ, Spidey, Mummy, Kong, Gringott's.
For me, as far as rides go, I like Transformers more than Gringott's, but Gringott's wins because of the facade/dragon, lobby, elevator, and load platform. And I love the HE, but not Top 5.
Like you, I rarely ride the water rides because...wet. And I rarely ride Hulk because it's still too rough.
My top 5 is Spidey, Gringotts/FJ, Mummy, Kong. MIB is sixth. If it wasn't in abysmal shape it might top Kong, but the thing is falling apart.
Water rides are immediately out since I don't want to ride them 1/2 the time. It's definitely waaaaaaaaaay better than HE (which is vastly overrated) or Transformers (good but not great). Hulk is also still too rought, and Krakatau is in a different category for me.
I'm not arguing your opinion Skip- I can't. If it's your top 5, it's your top 5.
I'm saying your viewpoint is almost assuredly in the minority. So @Tbad556 and his friends as well as @Nick not hailing Kong as a top 5 as a way to discredit their opinion of F&F- really only relates to you and others who would put Kong as their top 5. For everyone else, we can pretty much assume mediocrity. But for you- you might ride it and really enjoy it. But just because you enjoy it, for example- it won't change the general opinion of the UOR fans on this page.
Depending on where you sit maybe. I'm sure for plenty of others, it doesn't even make Top 10, which is a HUGE design flaw and reason #1 why we don't need a tram ride built in 2018 when the tram doesn't also need to visit Courthouse Square, Wisteria Line, and wind throughout soundstages.
I think this is going to be another case where the more you ride it, the more you begin to like it. I rode it yesterday morning and then again at 9:45 at night. The 9:45 ride was a lot better. Also more of the effects were working which added to it.
It’s also like Kong where it depends on where you sit. First ride I was in the third to last row of the first RV. Second ride I was in the second to last row of the second RV. There was definitely more movement on the second ride. Although I do feel like the sweet spot will be towards the front of the second RV.
I do have to say, the speed tunnel after being dispatched is probably the best part of the ride. It’s such a simple practical effect but it gets everyone on the ride every time. Really cool and really well executed.
At the end of the day however, I still think Kong is better. But this is slightly better than Fallon.
So because not everyone loves Kong like you that makes them not credible? Kong's queue and facade are great, but the ride, aside from the Kong AA, is fairly mediocre.
OK...
So first a quick explanation of virtual queue and how it's different than Fallon. For this ride, VQ is basically like getting a Fastpass for the ride as they will be running the Stand-by line during all hours of operation for this attraction and honestly VQ doesn't seem like it will save a ton of time (of course we'll see when they are using it with guests soon).
Queue is a lot like Test track in terms of theming. There's an outside garden, inside warehouse and then you've reached the point where they bring you in to Pre-show #1. This can be either a guy or a girl and the characters name is a Unisex "Pat". The two times I was in the preshow (only rode once - one time the ride broke down on me), they picked someone out from the center of the room and told them to dance, putting that person on the spot. I do not think this will last. Once everyone is in the room Mia Torretto comes on and introduces Tej on a screen. They start talking about a bunch of crap and then We move to Pre-Show room #2 - the War Room. Another actor is in this room playing the part of a technician I believe. We continue to see Tej and then he talks to Dom and Hobbs.
This moves us to load... the load is very much like it is for Kong, except there are two load areas and two separate lines you can enter (don't always follow the person in front of you). Once loaded, a bunch of lights start flashing around just to make sure you know it's a Party Bus. Hobbs comes on the screen to tell us what the "mission" is and then we pull up on the Part scene. It was pretty awkward and a lot longer than I thought it would be... a lot of just staring at that scene and not much going on. Then we pull into the 360 room and unless you are sitting in the middle of the bus, it couldn't be more obvious that you are in a room surrounded by screens. There were some effects that I wasn't expecting that tried to make it feel more "action-y", but all it did was make me more confused as I couldn't see what was going on on the screens.
Then as soon as the 360 scene abruptly ends, the ride is over and you pull into the station to get off. The End.
I would hardly call it an "incredible queue". It's a nice queue, but incredible is not a word that comes to mind. I imagine waiting in that queue and listening to club songs like "Turn Down For What" on a loop will get tiring after awhile.
I honestly didn't even notice a driver. And as I said in my last post, I do think that not having those glasses which darken your vision hurt the effectiveness of it because it makes the edges of the screen sooooo much more visible. Do I think 3D would've enhanced this ride or would've been worth it to have though? No.
Funny, yesterday I was disappointed that I missed out on TM previews, after leaving my job at Uni a few weeks ago. Reading these impressions... yeah, I'm okay with having missed it. Yeesh.
It's extremely simple. Tej is giving exposition of the story on the video monitors. But in your peripheral vision, there's lights moving on the walls to simulate that you're driving really fast to the party scene. In reality, you're just sitting there motionless. There are fans that are blowing on you to make you feel like you're driving really fast. It's something that you probably won't even notice at first, but towards the end of the scene, you'll probably think to yourself, "Damn, this is a really large building, how far are we going...? Oh wait, we're actually not moving." And then you start ACTUALLY moving into the large physical set. It's a great transition and there's no point where you feel like you're actually stopped.
I think the best comparison would be the it’s like the scene in Spider-Man where it feels like you’re going up, but instead you’re driving fast.
Brian started a F&F discussion & review thread yesterday. So, if people want to post their experiences without doing spoiler tags, they can do it on that new thread.
it isn't like the old Earthquake didn't have a speed tunnel also...can't remember if Disaster kept that effect (lights moving by fast and sound to simulate moving fast toward the next stop)
Anyone that's ridden, does the speed tunnel effect remind you at all of the old subway tunnel effect when the old ride was traveling to the finale scene on Earthquake/Disaster? Could this be a slight homage to the original attraction in the space? Thanks.
It could be taken as an homage. It wasn't what I thought of while on the ride, but now that I think about that part, it does sort of remind me of it. I'll say the Speed Tunnel was probably the best part of the actual ride. Not a hard feat, but it was interesting.
I hope they are not walking the RV's around like they did with Kong. Maybe it is the motion base? Getting the video/audio to sync without crashing? Can we expect the 40 chosen ones to enlighten us next week?
None of this is directed at you Alicia, I am still trying to win the lotto. :stun:
If things are going to go as have been speculated, I could definitely see my family only visiting Islands of Adventure and the new park once it opens. I really hate to say that because this used to be my favorite park. But they've replaced so many of the great classic attractions with inferior ones, I just don't have the love for this place anymore.:sadwave:
The studios park 's only saving grace is Diagon Alley, The Mummy, and Men and Black. the rest of the attractions are the same old simulator with a different film.
