Skull Island: Reign of Kong - General Discussion

[Jake S]

Counterpoint: they are both quite good attractions.

yeah, I actually think the Kong ride is quite fun. it has an awesome queue and a fun/foreboding vibe that really fits the film it's based on. it really builds off the hollywood tram tour segment and, in my opinion, manages to create a solid attraction.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Counterpoint: they are both quite good attractions.

I like the outside (when it actually works), and of course Kong at the end, but that's really it. Cat just needs a good refurb.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

Yeah, Kong is a pretty fun ride, so I don't understand why it gets so much hate. Even with space constraints, Universal managed to create an enjoyable attraction. The queue is phenomenal and I rarely see it praised.

 

[Blue]

Forbidden Journey and Spiderman take up about the same amount of space, so there was opportunity for something even better there. It's not terrible, but definitely a notch below the other E-tickets at the park imo.

 

[JungleSkip]

Counterpoint: they are both quite good attractions.

Let this be the day we agree on something

 

[ibanezjp]

So I did a post in larger Facebook Universal group to basically get a poll and most responses said it was April or before when it worked last. Seems to have even down for April and all of May and then at least 3 different people said it went outside in June, but anyone that went recently in July or early August said it hasn’t gone outside. So it seems they may have fixed it for a bit in June then went down again. So it’s mostly been not going outside since April. Pretty concerning like others have mentioned since JPRA’s Ultrasaur has been missing for months with no word or rumors of what’s happening. I would trade 3 years, hell even 5 years of no new rides if they just put that time and money into fixing all the existing rides and getting them back to day 1 operating status.
Stuff like JPRA, Cat in the Hat, E.T., FJ & Simpsons screen brightness, Men in Black blasters, Mummy working consistently, etc.

 

[Brian G.]

So I did a post in larger Facebook Universal group to basically get a poll and most responses said it was April or before when it worked last. Seems to have even down for April and all of May and then at least 3 different people said it went outside in June, but anyone that went recently in July or early August said it hasn’t gone outside. So it seems they may have fixed it for a bit in June then went down again. So it’s mostly been not going outside since April. Pretty concerning like others have mentioned since JPRA’s Ultrasaur has been missing for months with no word or rumors of what’s happening. I would trade 3 years, hell even 5 years of no new rides if they just put that time and money into fixing all the existing rides and getting them back to day 1 operating status.
Stuff like JPRA, Cat in the Hat, E.T., FJ & Simpsons screen brightness, Men in Black blasters, Mummy working consistently, etc.

It’s also very possible that they’re just skipping the outside because of how brutally hot it’s been (and the typical Orlando afternoon storms)

 

[Tbad556]

FWIW, @OrlandoAmusmnt has been tweeting about it for several months now and mentioned "Apparently the truck tires are having trouble navigating the outdoor terrain" and that maintenance crews have been working on it. Not sure how reliable that is, but worth throwing out there.

 

[Brian G.]

FWIW, @OrlandoAmusmnt has been tweeting about it for several months now and mentioned "Apparently the truck tires are having trouble navigating the outdoor terrain" and that maintenance crews have been working on it. Not sure how reliable that is, but worth throwing out there.

Interesting as that was an initial hiccup during construction…

 

[belloq87]

I hope they come up with a solution.

 

[SpatulaShack]

Things breaking and needing repairs is totally fine and normal for theme park attractions but I feel like lately it's taking 6 months to a year (or more) for simple things to be repaired. The entire outdoor portion and lead-up to the door opening is kind of a big deal and on par with the Ultrasaurus being down in terms of impact on the ride. Any time I rode Kong during a thunderstorm it reaffirmed how important it is.

Ever since Revenge of the Mummy went down for it's "brain transplant" and then was in inexplicably in technical rehearsal for a year after reopening things have been taking WAY too long to repair. Mind you, the Mummy after all those months of downtime and technical rehearsal still has a featured animatronic that looks way worse than it did even in 2016.

I know people keep saying "Epic Universe" as an excuse for all of this stuff but that doesn't track for me when it comes to general upkeep like this. Everything just seems incredibly inefficient the last year or so. It took a team 5 months to redo the concrete in front of The Simpsons ride. That same work was done in 1/6th the time many times in the past. What changed?

 

[sonoma15]

Things breaking and needing repairs is totally fine and normal for theme park attractions but I feel like lately it's taking 6 months to a year (or more) for simple things to be repaired. The entire outdoor portion and lead-up to the door opening is kind of a big deal and on par with the Ultrasaurus being down in terms of impact on the ride. Any time I rode Kong during a thunderstorm it reaffirmed how important it is.

Ever since Revenge of the Mummy went down for it's "brain transplant" and then was in inexplicably in technical rehearsal for a year after reopening things have been taking WAY too long to repair. Mind you, the Mummy after all those months of downtime and technical rehearsal still has a featured animatronic that looks way worse than it did even in 2016.

I know people keep saying "Epic Universe" as an excuse for all of this stuff but that doesn't track for me when it comes to general upkeep like this. Everything just seems incredibly inefficient the last year or so. It took a team 5 months to redo the concrete in front of The Simpsons ride. That same work was done in 1/6th the time many times in the past. What changed?

Imhotep definitely does not look worse than it did in 2016. When it works...

 

[Clive]

Things breaking and needing repairs is totally fine and normal for theme park attractions but I feel like lately it's taking 6 months to a year (or more) for simple things to be repaired. The entire outdoor portion and lead-up to the door opening is kind of a big deal and on par with the Ultrasaurus being down in terms of impact on the ride. Any time I rode Kong during a thunderstorm it reaffirmed how important it is.

Ever since Revenge of the Mummy went down for it's "brain transplant" and then was in inexplicably in technical rehearsal for a year after reopening things have been taking WAY too long to repair. Mind you, the Mummy after all those months of downtime and technical rehearsal still has a featured animatronic that looks way worse than it did even in 2016.

I know people keep saying "Epic Universe" as an excuse for all of this stuff but that doesn't track for me when it comes to general upkeep like this. Everything just seems incredibly inefficient the last year or so. It took a team 5 months to redo the concrete in front of The Simpsons ride. That same work was done in 1/6th the time many times in the past. What changed?

COVID. The parks lost a lot of institutional knowledge, and ride systems/figures/effects were left to sit for months, which they are not built or designed to do.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Things breaking and needing repairs is totally fine and normal for theme park attractions but I feel like lately it's taking 6 months to a year (or more) for simple things to be repaired. The entire outdoor portion and lead-up to the door opening is kind of a big deal and on par with the Ultrasaurus being down in terms of impact on the ride. Any time I rode Kong during a thunderstorm it reaffirmed how important it is.

Ever since Revenge of the Mummy went down for it's "brain transplant" and then was in inexplicably in technical rehearsal for a year after reopening things have been taking WAY too long to repair. Mind you, the Mummy after all those months of downtime and technical rehearsal still has a featured animatronic that looks way worse than it did even in 2016.

I know people keep saying "Epic Universe" as an excuse for all of this stuff but that doesn't track for me when it comes to general upkeep like this. Everything just seems incredibly inefficient the last year or so. It took a team 5 months to redo the concrete in front of The Simpsons ride. That same work was done in 1/6th the time many times in the past. What changed?

Thanks Shanghai Epic Universe.

 

[belloq87]

COVID. The parks lost a lot of institutional knowledge, and ride systems/figures/effects were left to sit for months, which they are not built or designed to do.

I'm sure we're all sympathetic to that up to a point, but unless we think that letting the company throw up its hands is acceptable (and I don't), then they need to do what is required (read: spend the money necessary) to rectify this stuff.

Bad/compromised show cannot be allowed to become commonplace or indefinite.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Just wanted to throw my hat in here - we didn't go outside on Kong in September of last year.

 

[Brian G.]

not saying anything said here is wrong, but there’s a lot beyond just throwing money at fixing it.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

not saying anything said here is wrong, but there’s a lot beyond just throwing money at fixing it.

Probably just a lack of interest from management. Maintenance was a problem even before staffing/supply chain issues caused from Covid.

 

[Brian G.]

Probably just a lack of interest from management. Maintenance was a problem even before staffing/supply chain issues caused from Covid.

Cmon now… it’s not that extreme either.

 

[Mad Dog]

Kong is one of my fav attractions at Universal, when the outside portion is working. BUT, when it's only indoor, it's a much lower level ride. The outdoor section is essential to setting up the entire ride and it creates excellent ambiance.