This past Saturday my wife and I decided to make a trip out to Islands and ride Kong.
I have to say I watched the YouTube video of the POV and yes it does look disappointing however, it is a completely different story when you actually ride it. This attraction really starts from the moment you enter the ride until the time you exit. In my personal opinion and from the reaction of others as well as my wife, this is really a solid ride that is very satisfying and leaves you wanting to hop right back on. I know there are full reviews on this already and this is my first post, but i just have so much to say.
The Outside Queue
Let’s start with the 2 hour wait in the make shift queue that started on the left side of Kong. There was nothing really to look at since this should only be a temporary setup however, hearing the loud booms and vibrations coming from within the building amplified our anticipation. Once we started approaching the wrap around where the vehicles drove by, all I can say is wow this facade is by far the best looking one at the resort. The combination of drums, fire, people cheering, and the large doors opening followed by a thunderous boom when they shut sets the tone of the ride even this far back in line. As we wrapped around the front of the attraction the rock work as well as the foliage really pulls you in feeling as if you are ready to set foot into the jungle. I thought it was a nice touch with the ambient animal noises as well as the old school narration in the background. As you zig zag through the line the vehicles pass by filled with cheering guests which the guest in the queue return the cheers. It’s a great little way that the ride interacts with the people in line building that anticipation even more.
In Inside Queue
We finally stepped inside and this is where everything went from calm to creepy. The first room had a few skulls lining the side walls with the front two walls having these ominous skeletons holding serpents on either side of them. You then pass under this triangular arch with pyramid spikes pointing towards you leading you to another room full of skulls lining each wall. If it’s one thing that you will see over and over again its skulls however, its needed to really set the creepy tone to the max. The next room (which is by far the best room of them all) is the witch room. This room is really an attraction in itself with the heavy tribal drum beats, Kong chants, the witch speaking in her native tongue, and the fire within the skulls faces growing bigger with everything amplifying more and more. This was seriously awesome!! After this room you snake through a hallway were the boo-holes are. To me these were fun with the natives jumping out scaring unsuspecting guests with one lady almost having a heart attack. There are a total of 4 and it definitely does catch a lot of people off guard. While it was great to have this feature here I don’t really see it adding much to the queue. Leaving this room leads to the next where you finally get to the AA slug which is really cool. I’m telling you UC has really upped their AA game with everything here looking better than that in the Gringotts line. We finally make it to the fork in the line. This is where i recommend based on other repots to head towards the right where it seats you from the middle to back rows. Looking at the ride vehicles you can definitely tell the the front two rows are extremely limited on what you get to see. I sat in row 9 all the way to the left which wasn’t too bad however, I personally would try to sit somewhere in the middle.
The Ride
Once the doors close and the the ride is clear to go you hear the vehicles engine kick in which is just a sound effect. You then make a left out of the station heading outside which I thought it was a nice touch by UC creative giving you another element of the ride. The path is leveled differently throughout the track giving you that sensation of being off road with the vehicles swaying back and forth lightly. As you navigate 3/4 of the way through the outside track you finally start hearing the chants of “Kong” while the doors begin to open. You see everyone within the vehicle get more and more excited as you enter into the temple. As soon as you come in you see the large ape skeleton on the left and the AA bats on the right. Then it becomes darker as you hear a loud thunderous boom signaling that the doors closed behind you. You then drive off to the next scene where we are introduced to Kate. There is no motion here and the screen appears on the left side of the vehicle. I was immediately awed by the quality of the 3D. People jumped as soon as the bats started flying towards our vehicle. We then move on to the next scene (the bug pit) which had a motion platform and it was really effective. The worm coming out from the water felt as if it was coming from under our truck. Water was sprayed on us simulating their guts as Kate saved us which I actually thought it was some sort of slime. The way they splatter us was unlike most rides with little sprits of water, they were large drops hitting us in the arms and such. Highly effective on this ride. We then move onto the 360 screen where unfortunately the motion platform was not working. Even so this scene was really awesome. It really does immerse you into the scene and there is a ton of action happening on both sides. If the motion platform was working this would have been the ultimate screen scene at the resort. Lastly we moved onto the Kong AA which silenced the entire vehicle (I believe everyone was in awe) which was absolutely the highlight of the entire attraction. His movement is absolutely fluid and the loud roar he gives out just sends chills down you back. There are moments when you feel like he is real especially with the movement of his face and how his eyes pierce right through you. Such a great way to end a great attraction. By the time we were pulling into the exit platform everyone was cheering and commenting on how amazing this ride was. It’s great to hear such positive feedback from the standard park guest and to think the ride wasn’t even fully working properly either.
What worked:
— I have to say the 3D here is the best anywhere.
— The queue is an attraction in itself. It really sets the bar high for future queues.
— Every AA I thought was great however, Kong was by far the greatest thing I’ve seen from Universal.
— A great mix of elements (outdoor portion, AA’s, screens, fire, wind, water, and motion simulation).
— Just the overall attention to detail. UC has really shown off with their last few attractions that they can really top Disney theming.
— You can definitely re ride this attraction and not get sick of it. There is so much going on that you need several rides to soak in everything.
What Didn’t:
— I sat on the far left of the vehicle and while not a bad seat I was able to see the top of the screens and even the base which took away from the illusion of driving fast in the 360 portion. It wasn’t bad though just something I noticed.
— There are definitely bad seats on this. While I took warning from previous posters and sat in the back, you can see that your view is limited towards the front rows.
— The story just didn't fully work.
My overall rating on this is a 7.5 out of 10 due to the motion platform not working. I know it will be higher once I ride it with everything functional. Definitely a solid and proper way to bring back Kong. Great job UC.