So if you don't know, there is a tour that you can take of this ride. Just ask a team member at the entrance if anyone is available for a tour. Here are some of the fun facts we learned about the ride.
- The RVs are not self-driving like you may think. The system the RVs use is they measure the rotation of the wheels to determine which angle to turn each wheel. Since the ride path is fixed, they know exactly when to turn each wheel just based on how many times the wheels have rotated and at what part of the rotation the wheel is in.
- When the ride breaks down it is almost always because the RV is confused about where it is in the ride. Which causes a hard stop. Along the ride path there are sensors in the ground that sync up with the RV. If rotation of the wheels and position of the RV are not correct, the ride will hard stop
- There is a curled up rope in the single riders/extended outside queue next to a radio that is from Jaws
- That radio was supposed to be synced up with the ride vehicle's audio as they passed by the outdoor portion of the queue, but it never worked
- Most of the props in the final queue area with the worm are re-purposed from disaster after that closed down
- If you shine a light into one of the first boxes in the final queue room there is a statue of the empire state building (a reference to OG Kong)
- In the ride load area there are 3 giant guardians carved into the rockwork. The one in the middle has his arms crossed like a mummy. This is a reference to the mummy ride to reciprocate the gold Kong easter egg in the treasure room scene
- Sometimes the gates of the main facade don't work. If this happens they can tie down the doors to be permanently open so that the outdoor section can still operate
- As you enter the gates, the old Kong skull is called "princess" by the team members
- The motion of the RV is comprised of two parts. The first is the motion base on the ground. Each of the four wheel lock into their own motion base. There is also an airbag system in the RV underneath you that also adds motion to the vehicle
- In scene 2 when Kate is being pulled over the vehicle by the bat, look at the roof of the vehicle. There is a simulated shadow that syncs up perfectly with Kate "flying" over the vehicle. This shadow effect is also used in the 360 room and looks like branches
- The ride was down a lot during its first operation during the winter season. This was because the Kong animatronic was actually getting too cold and shutting off. They found this out because Kong would only work in the afternoon (when it was warm outside) and it would break down in the mornings and evenings (when it was cold outside). They now have heaters installed in that room, which has fixed the problem.
- If Kong does break down, the entire ride will go down since that is a crucial part of the ride experience
- Kong has 36 different motors just in his face alone
- For a while the doors of the RV would need to be held up by team members with poles. This is because one time one of doors fell only an inch or two and touched the top of a guest's head. They were not hurt, but this is what caused the pole holding to happen for awhile. They've seem to have fixed this for now
- If someone is standing up during the ride, they can play a prerecorded voice of your specific animatronic driver telling everyone to sit down. If they still don't sit down an actual team member can tap into audio system and yell at them
- Sometimes the animatronic drivers won't operate. This does not cause the ride to go down. Usually they have no idea why it broke and they just need to reset it
- Because of the frequency at which the ride breaks down, there is always a ride tech in the control booth
If those nerd facts aren't enough, you get to ride with the team member without waiting in line as part of the tour and it's completely free. We skipped a 75 minute wait.
I've wondered
why Kong is so much better than Supercharged. They are essentially the same ride, with a different overlay. After taking this tour, I know why. It's all in the details. And that's what makes any theme park ride amazing. The small details, that add so much. Details that you would never notice, but if they weren't there, you would feel something is missing.
