Skull Island: Reign of Kong - Reviews, Photos, and Videos

[SandiestPirate]

Here's my experience Friday, waiting for softs all day and then being one of the first in the door, immortalized on video:



Hopefully next time I'll be able to take it a little slow through the queue and get some still photos, cause we were just rushing through that line to ride.

Oh, and I like the extended queue btw. It's so cool to see the old bamboo work walls get a new life!

at 1:22ish I can be seen in the highlighter yellow shirt standing in the bushes on my phone trying to inform two nice people I met that the line was about to let people in! lol

Thanks for sharing Alicia! Glad you got to be one of the first on! Looked like you guys were sticking it out all day and I was so hoping it was worth it for you all. It paid off! *high five*

I think I saw you video taping and at one point waved at you but seem to have cut that haha

 

[Teebin]

Here's my experience Friday, waiting for softs all day and then being one of the first in the door, immortalized on video:

Great video, however, that goofball in front of you that thought he needed to slap each and everyone's hand drove me bonkers. I would have given him a slap, right in the kissah!

 

[Alicia]

Great video, however, that goofball in front of you that thought he needed to slap each and everyone's hand drove me bonkers. I would have given him a slap, right in the kissah!

Normally I would tend to agree with you on that, but he and his friends were saving my spot throughout the day so I could get video, soda refills, and food, so he's the bestest and can do no wrong! Plus, we were all a little delirious from the sun.

 

[Teebin]

Normally I would tend to agree with you on that, but he and his friends were saving my spot throughout the day so I could get video, soda refills, and food, so he's the bestest and can do no wrong! Plus, we were all a little delirious from the sun.

Ooooops!

 

[Mad Dog]

Normally I would tend to agree with you on that, but he and his friends were saving my spot throughout the day so I could get video, soda refills, and food, so he's the bestest and can do no wrong! Plus, we were all a little delirious from the sun.

Yeah, that guy had the Passion. I can never fault a theme park fan that shows his love for the park.

 

[boomerthom]

Things keep coming to mind...something else I forgot to mention in my review was how much of the queue I found enjoyable. In something like Gringotts, the queue doesn't really start until you get inside. In Skull Island, even before entering the temple, the outdoor queue is still treated to interactions with RVs, great theming, faux-1930s newscasts, and fun music that sets the time period. From what I saw, most of the outdoor queue (not counting overflow sections) is pretty well themed, and at the very least gets to see the RVs (radio/music comes in a bit later). It's a much more consistent queue experience than Gringotts, which goes from about a 1/10 to a 10/10 when you transition inside the bank.

 

[Alicia]

Things keep coming to mind...something else I forgot to mention in my review was how much of the queue I found enjoyable. In something like Gringotts, the queue doesn't really start until you get inside. In Skull Island, even before entering the temple, the outdoor queue is still treated to interactions with RVs, great theming, faux-1930s newscasts, and fun music that sets the time period. From what I saw, most of the outdoor queue (not counting overflow sections) is pretty well themed, and at the very least gets to see the RVs (radio/music comes in a bit later). It's a much more consistent queue experience than Gringotts, which goes from about a 1/10 to a 10/10 when you transition inside the bank.

And did you notice the radio news was from the National Broadcasting Company, as in NBC? Clever synergy going on there.

 

[SandiestPirate]

Things keep coming to mind...something else I forgot to mention in my review was how much of the queue I found enjoyable. In something like Gringotts, the queue doesn't really start until you get inside. In Skull Island, even before entering the temple, the outdoor queue is still treated to interactions with RVs, great theming, faux-1930s newscasts, and fun music that sets the time period. From what I saw, most of the outdoor queue (not counting overflow sections) is pretty well themed, and at the very least gets to see the RVs (radio/music comes in a bit later). It's a much more consistent queue experience than Gringotts, which goes from about a 1/10 to a 10/10 when you transition inside the bank.

Did you guys notice the "hair" they used to string all those bamboo poles together? The natives are savages!! SAVAGES!

 

[KongWatcher2016]

Here's my experience Friday, waiting for softs all day and then being one of the first in the door, immortalized on video:



Hopefully next time I'll be able to take it a little slow through the queue and get some still photos, cause we were just rushing through that line to ride.

Oh, and I like the extended queue btw. It's so cool to see the old bamboo work walls get a new life!

Great video, cool we were on the same truck for first ride, rode twice and had no issues other than no radio message about Kate that I heard in Jinx's truck but may have missed it.

 

[Alicia]

Great video, cool we were on the same truck for first ride, rode twice and had no issues other than no radio message about Kate that I heard in Jinx's truck but may have missed it.

I actually ended up waiting and rode in the 2nd truck. (My row looked too full and I didn't wanna squeeze my butt in and make it a tight fit for everyone.) Doc was my driver and he definitely asked Kate if she was okay at the end on way to unload. I wonder if some drivers just don't ask. (Maybe they don't care, lol.)

 

[Mad Dog]

I actually ended up waiting and rode in the 2nd truck. (My row looked too full and I didn't wanna squeeze my butt in and make it a tight fit for everyone.) Doc was my driver and he definitely asked Kate if she was okay at the end on way to unload. I wonder if some drivers just don't ask. (Maybe they don't care, lol.)

Some AA's just don't have concern for the rider's feelings.

 

[SandiestPirate]

I actually ended up waiting and rode in the 2nd truck. (My row looked too full and I didn't wanna squeeze my butt in and make it a tight fit for everyone.) Doc was my driver and he definitely asked Kate if she was okay at the end on way to unload. I wonder if some drivers just don't ask. (Maybe they don't care, lol.)

I had the native and I forget what she said but there was some mention of something. We were just all cheering too loud to hear it. LOL!

 

[OLSinFLA]

I think there's a number of things that make the 3D screen portion so effective. The motion base is one. The fact that its 60fps is another (Faster film rates make the mind think its 'more real'. Like the 48fps "Soaring" or "The Hobbit" movies). And curving the screen helps too (Cinerama was the first mainstream film system to use that trick)

 

[boomerthom]

I think there's a number of things that make the 3D screen portion so effective. The motion base is one. The fact that its 60fps is another (Faster film rates make the mind think its 'more real'. Like the 48fps "Soaring" or "The Hobbit" movies). And curving the screen helps too (Cinerama was the first mainstream film system to use that trick)

All of Universal's 3D ride films that I'm aware of animate at 60FPS. Agreed that it makes a huge difference.

 

[SandiestPirate]

Only 60FPS? what are they using an Xbox one.. come on!

Just kidding.

It is so crisp and fluid on that ride. :hail:

 

[UNIrd]

Being a Kongoisseur (growing up with Kongfrontation, and also having done USH classic and Kong 360), Skull Island: Reign of Kong is more than a worthy successor to the Kong attraction legacy. It could be my favorite interpretation yet.

I was lucky enough (unlucky?) to have to spend 1 hour and 45 minutes in queue waiting for my first ride, but it gave me so much time to take it all in: listening to the old-timey NBC broadcasts about the Eighth Wonder Expedition Co., the period music, etc and seeing all the details. You will miss this if the line is not long, but oh well. Revenge of the Mummy has been one of me and my friend's favorite attractions for 12 years since it opened. And I bet none of them could tell you who Reggie is.

Once you get into the temple, things take a dark turn with the witches room and the controversial boo holes. It's fun to see a non-HHN crowd getting unnerved at the possibility of being scared, but ultimately the queue was tamer than I expected. Creepy, yes. But full on scary? Not really. No disappointment here though. The queue for Kong is not where I expect to score full-on jump scares.

As for the ride, they continue to outdo themselves, especially in the realm of 3D. I could not believe the amount of depth they were able to achieve. Also the sync with the motion, the effects and the sound is incredible. It's an incredibly visceral experience. The vine swinging effect is my absolute favorite. I was on the left side of the car both times (don't cry for me. I absolutely loved it) and it felt like I was inches away from being snapped up by the TRex's jaws (absolutely loved the spit effect here).

King Kong (2005) is one of my favorite movies and they absolutely brought it to life. The vine swinging scene alone, I thought to myself, "Wow. I'm Naomi Watts right now." I could not have been more pleased with the ability of this ride to immerse and enthrall. Then when you get a glimpse of the AA (I say glimpse because again.. left side), it's one last completely awe-inspiring moment and a wonderful nod to the original attractions.

The ride isn't perfect. For us proclaiming how massive the building is from the time it was built to now, there's not much you can fit in there. It's essentially just 3-4 scenes and it does feel short, even if it really isn't. Also, Kate does get a bit video game looking at times, which seems to be a fault with Fast & Furious over in Hollywood too. There's something about this tech that they can't get the humans just right.

But overall, they've done Kong an immense amount of justice. He's back in Orlando where he belongs in an attraction that easily ranks as one of the best in the whole resort. Thanks to Universal's output the last few years, that list just keeps growing and growing.

 

[SandiestPirate]

Being a Kongoisseur (growing up with Kongfrontation, and also having done USH classic and Kong 360), Skull Island: Reign of Kong is more than a worthy successor to the Kong attraction legacy. It could be my favorite interpretation yet.

I was lucky enough (unlucky?) to have to spend 1 hour and 45 minutes in queue waiting for my first ride, but it gave me so much time to take it all in: listening to the old-timey NBC broadcasts about the Eighth Wonder Expedition Co., the period music, etc and seeing all the details. You will miss this if the line is not long, but oh well. Revenge of the Mummy has been one of me and my friend's favorite attractions for 12 years since it opened. And I bet none of them could tell you who Reggie is.

Once you get into the temple, things take a dark turn with the witches room and the controversial boo holes. It's fun to see a non-HHN crowd getting unnerved at the possibility of being scared, but ultimately the queue was tamer than I expected. Creepy, yes. But full on scary? Not really. No disappointment here though. The queue for Kong is not where I expect to score full-on jump scares.

As for the ride, they continue to outdo themselves, especially in the realm of 3D. I could not believe the amount of depth they were able to achieve. Also the sync with the motion, the effects and the sound is incredible. It's an incredibly visceral experience. The vine swinging effect is my absolute favorite. I was on the left side of the car both times (don't cry for me. I absolutely loved it) and it felt like I was inches away from being snapped up by the TRex's jaws (absolutely loved the spit effect here).

King Kong (2005) is one of my favorite movies and they absolutely brought it to life. The vine swinging scene alone, I thought to myself, "Wow. I'm Naomi Watts right now." I could not have been more pleased with the ability of this ride to immerse and enthrall. Then when you get a glimpse of the AA (I say glimpse because again.. left side), it's one last completely awe-inspiring moment and a wonderful nod to the original attractions.

The ride isn't perfect. For us proclaiming how massive the building is from the time it was built to now, there's not much you can fit in there. It's essentially just 3-4 scenes and it does feel short, even if it really isn't. Also, Kate does get a bit video game looking at times, which seems to be a fault with Fast & Furious over in Hollywood too. There's something about this tech that they can't get the humans just right.

But overall, they've done Kong an immense amount of justice. He's back in Orlando where he belongs in an attraction that easily ranks as one of the best in the whole resort. Thanks to Universal's output the last few years, that list just keeps growing and growing.

Great review. You are so on the money about the depth of the screen scenes. It is fantastically done.

 

[Mad Dog]

Being a Kongoisseur (growing up with Kongfrontation, and also having done USH classic and Kong 360), Skull Island: Reign of Kong is more than a worthy successor to the Kong attraction legacy. It could be my favorite interpretation yet.

I was lucky enough (unlucky?) to have to spend 1 hour and 45 minutes in queue waiting for my first ride, but it gave me so much time to take it all in: listening to the old-timey NBC broadcasts about the Eighth Wonder Expedition Co., the period music, etc and seeing all the details. You will miss this if the line is not long, but oh well. Revenge of the Mummy has been one of me and my friend's favorite attractions for 12 years since it opened. And I bet none of them could tell you who Reggie is.

Once you get into the temple, things take a dark turn with the witches room and the controversial boo holes. It's fun to see a non-HHN crowd getting unnerved at the possibility of being scared, but ultimately the queue was tamer than I expected. Creepy, yes. But full on scary? Not really. No disappointment here though. The queue for Kong is not where I expect to score full-on jump scares.

As for the ride, they continue to outdo themselves, especially in the realm of 3D. I could not believe the amount of depth they were able to achieve. Also the sync with the motion, the effects and the sound is incredible. It's an incredibly visceral experience. The vine swinging effect is my absolute favorite. I was on the left side of the car both times (don't cry for me. I absolutely loved it) and it felt like I was inches away from being snapped up by the TRex's jaws (absolutely loved the spit effect here).

King Kong (2005) is one of my favorite movies and they absolutely brought it to life. The vine swinging scene alone, I thought to myself, "Wow. I'm Naomi Watts right now." I could not have been more pleased with the ability of this ride to immerse and enthrall. Then when you get a glimpse of the AA (I say glimpse because again.. left side), it's one last completely awe-inspiring moment and a wonderful nod to the original attractions.

The ride isn't perfect. For us proclaiming how massive the building is from the time it was built to now, there's not much you can fit in there. It's essentially just 3-4 scenes and it does feel short, even if it really isn't. Also, Kate does get a bit video game looking at times, which seems to be a fault with Fast & Furious over in Hollywood too. There's something about this tech that they can't get the humans just right.

But overall, they've done Kong an immense amount of justice. He's back in Orlando where he belongs in an attraction that easily ranks as one of the best in the whole resort. Thanks to Universal's output the last few years, that list just keeps growing and growing.

Excellent well thought out review. Seems like the attraction is real good when it's firing on all cylinders.

 

[deathcab4cutie]

here is what i noticed.If you rode the original Kong ride then you like this ride but still admit the original was better.If you didn't ride the original then you either love it or completely hate it BC you know more screens

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Ride was well done, but it felt like it could've used another scene or two. Another AA would've been cool as well. Great addition to the resort and to IOA, but again I think the original 3-D attraction still reigns supreme. Long live Spidey. Love this ride though and can't wait for it to be operating fully so I can single rider my way on.