I was truly hoping this was going to be a next gen high tech version of Kongfrontation but in the Skull Island setting. Instead we got a screen ride transfer from a tour and a giant ape head that we see for a minute. So upsetting.
I personally say that the ride would have been better if there were a lot more animatronics and large physical set pieces and not just some typical screen-based attraction. I feel like Universal chose the wrong type of ride system, since a slow-moving Omnimover dark ride would have been an excellent choice to continue the darker theme found in the queue. I'd keep the Kong animatronic, though.
I agree, I’m tired of screen based rides in simulators, this is why Disney is better because they do way less screens and more physical sets in animatronics, which is something universal should really consider doing because again I’m really tired of screen based rides and I would love for them to do morephysical sets in the animatronics and have a good story for their rides
If you never went to universal Hollywood, this was not a typical screen based attraction. It's actually different than most at the time. Most screens are in front of you, not to both sides. I was pleasantly surprised when i rode it the first time. I still love it.
I just got back from universal and I swore there were scare actors in the queue and I was literally looking it up and i found your video! Great video!!
I used to work there and I can tell you that the scareactors, the outside section and the 3D are never coming back. The outside part might have some hope though but we’ll see.
I’m glad complaining people can completely ruin a ride for everyone else (the 3D part). I think if I was prone to motion sickness I might find a different vacation destination than a coaster filled theme park.
Hmmm.. I didn't know they took out the 3D portion, it was great. They did the same for HP and I didn't get a chance to see that one before they switched it. They should have made it like the Mission Space at Disney where you can choose to get the full ride or a toned down version.
It's actually insane how different the vibes are in the queue vs the ride proper. Such a let-down of a "ride." Great vid tho 👍 also, for a future vid, you could talk about Back to the Future/Simpsons
I really want to go on this ride not because of the ride itself but the King Kong animatronic looks awesome and I’ll wait in line just to see that animatronic
Personally, i would have given the ride the same mechanism as journey to the centre of the earth at disney sea, and had a fast section somewhere in the ride.
I am surprised that so many people shit on F&F (rightfully so) but not kong which is the SAME THING except there is a neat Kong head at the end... I feel like that is a big issue with Universal, they copy paste rides that are basically at the next door park. Like Spider Man and Transformers.
Overall good video man! I'm with you on the over-reliance on screens and recent cuts of 3D and the outdoor section, but I'm a bit confused by your laziness critique. 95% of the guests visiting Orlando have never been to Hollywood and probably never will. It's why they've duplicated Springfield, Hogsmead, Super Nintendo World, etc. I actually really liked the idea of fully fleshing out the story and environment from what was a well received footnote from another attraction, but no doubt there are aspects of it that missed the mark.
I like the ride as a break on a hot day. But since its a walkon it feels like you have to walk ages to finally get to the tram from the entrance. They really thought this would have lines for days.
I've been visiting UO for over 10 years now, and at the beginning, I actually really liked Kong. The scare actors, the whole vibe of the queue, were quite terrifying. Plus, the outside portion and effects were very good. It did go to my top 3 dark rides at UO. Unfortunately, it looks like the resort cut costs on this ride. I still ride it every time I go there, but it's not as good as it once was
Problem is these bus rides are very uncomfortable and I don't feel like I can actually see much of anything. Even on the side I'm sitting in. I never feel like I'm actually "immersed" in the experiece.
I actually really enjoy Reign of Kong. What went wrong is the removal of the scare actor in the queue and removal of 3D. I love the part that starts outside too., I love the animatronic drivers and each of their individual stories. However, this attraction never should have been added to IOA but should have gone into Studios as Studios is based on movies and IOA is based on literature.
I hope one day the initial concepts and plans they had for this attraction come out. I always felt like they ran out of budget and cut some things. Kate being saved off screen always made me think maybe there was at least one more show piece that was probably cut.
I absolutely agree that they set up the ride to be awesome but the experience after the queue is very lackluster. The facade and thematic elements are top notch. Very dark and foreboding, and a completely different vibe from most rock, work seen in theme parks. The action pack screen experience beyond the gates, begins a long descent from where you started in terms of the quality of the attraction. I don’t know that the animatronic at the end is all that incredible, or if it just stands out after the digital experience. That’s not to say it’s not an amazing animatronic, but I wonder if its reception is elevated by contrast.
My frustration came from the ride breaking down They gave us a comp pass. We came back a few hours later and it broke down again Considering that day was our only day there it sucked to not get on it
The loss of being able to see expedition trucks entering the gate anymore (It always seems to run in B mode now. Also never seen a live actor scare on this ride. And they removed the three D, so it’s much worse now.
I’ve always wanted to be on one of these rides and have the cast member pretend that we are in peril and be scared which they used to do on the kongfrontation ride I would pretend that they are so realistic instead of over actors and I would say to the people next to me “oh my God should we call 911 “ and start panicking like that. Just once I think it would be funny.
the real problem i feel is that stuff that is used during the tram tour can be swapped in swapped out no real problems except for coming up with a new route for the trams, but even though it seems popular in that setting dosent mean its going to work as a extended ride, especially considering the the space limitations that islands of adventures/universal orlando has
Skull Island could be good if it had a better ride and the Kong Animatronic should actually be outside the ride and part of the Park's Setting and theming.
1) the outdoor portion and goggles made the whole ride worth the 30-45 min wait; now i only ride if it's a walk on and my feet hurt 2) don't rush rides and then let them fall to mediocrity 😑 it's unbecoming 3)rip this thing out along with river adventure and give us the Jurassic Worlds upgrade already. We deserve the jeep rally attraction for our loyalty at this point.
Or they could do the giant hamster ball thing like from the movie where they’re sitting in the giant ball and they’re rolling around Jurassic Park that would be cool
I think I read somewhere they cut the 3D effect off because “some guests got motion sick” and that also applied to Fast and Furious and Harry Potter Forbidden Journey. While Journey is still great, both rides would have only benefited from the effect. I feel sorry for the sick people but 2D scenes on flat screens are not immersive or convincing in a ride that’s otherwise filled with visual depth.
Yeah, I bet it takes a lot away from the ride. If the 3D bothered them so much you can easily take them off or close your eyes, they helped wreck it for the majority. Not sure I'd wanna ride it again when it's missing one of the best parts.
I almost typed it before you said it but It just depends on the wait times for me If I ride it. I would rather wait an hour for Hagrids then wait an Hour for this ride.
I’m so glad universal is moving away from screen based attractions, those rides did so much damage to their parks and it really hurt their reputation for a while.
I'm glad they got rid of the glasses personally. I will say that being in row one is the worst because you can't see the action as well specially in the middle.
Well for me being a former universal studios worker I love Reign Kong I have to say it was the best ride universal came up with and the scare actors made it good too. But at the same time conscious day but they need to get rid of fast and furious because when I open we thought it was just going to be like Kong now that was a depressor
Universal has so much wasted space on both sides of the park. It's past time for them to do something with all that space between Blu-Man and Thst Coke store. that Animal Stadium. The MIB, the Simpsons and that Coke store should go and make room for a New Robust Land. ThenSpace between Minions and HP is basically Empty. On Islands they need to do something with Lost Continent already
Very true like with Jurassic Park it feels like an actual island instead of just a single ride. In fact they did have plans to have a Jurassic Park ride where they put kong
@@mandalorefett3589 I heard about that too. They had so many ideas for Jurassic Park rides, I know one idea was the Jeep ride where you sit in the Jeep and go through the entire park and you encounter the dinosaurs which would’ve been awesome
@@MoiveGuy24 yep that's the exact ride that was supposed to be where kong is which you can easily see in kongs design minus the screens of course probably
I thought it was a good ride when i rode it and a good upgrade of the Tram version. Much better than what they did with the Orlando version of Supercharged. *HOWEVER*, removing the 3D glasses and the outdoor section absolutely makes the ride way worse and not worth riding my opinion.
I wonder why they ditched the out door portion, it was short but a good build up. Wonder if it was having issues because of weather and whatnot. I bet this ride is sad now without the glasses.
Why does this ride get so much hate? It's not their best but it's at least as good as if not better than the original and the original scared me as a kid. Yeah, there are a lot of screens but the animatronic at the end is probably the best one I've ever seen.
I think it’s one of the worst rides at Universal next to fast and furious I say those two are the worst rides. Skull Island is just a terrible ride, I think they should just knock it all down and build a brand new ride and base it off a more recent movie, King Kong‘s not really popular anymore and I feel like it hasn’t been for years and there’s no more King Kong movies for that matter, it’s not a popular franchise but again I think they should just get rid of it and replace it with something completely new and something with no screens because that’s just borderline lazy and I don’t wanna sit in a simulator and watch a movie screen, but the only good thing about that ride is the King Kong animatronic at the end that’s about itbut for me I’m just tired of rides with screens. I want to see more animatronics and physical sets. Also the Que line for Kong is is is cool but when the queue line is better looking than the ride, then that’s the problem it’s like universal cares less about the right experience and more about the Q line
@@that_one_nerd117 true but nobody usually talking about it and I don’t hear anybody talking about it on the radio and I don’t see many trailers for it
@@batshtcrazy5293 man they’re kinda played out, plus I don’t hear people talking about it or I don’t hear anything on the radio about it. I don’t see any movie trailers on TV for it so I think it’s just kind of a phase. Harry Potter has a way bigger following and it’s way more popular.
This is why they either need to get rid of Simpsons, Jimmy Fallon, AND Fast and Furious as soon as possible. All 3 of these rides are screen assaults, as I call them. They give you practical set design for the queue, yet when you board it’s no better than a planetarium.
I was truly hoping this was going to be a next gen high tech version of Kongfrontation but in the Skull Island setting. Instead we got a screen ride transfer from a tour and a giant ape head that we see for a minute. So upsetting.
Yes I agree, ski really hit the nail on this one
I personally say that the ride would have been better if there were a lot more animatronics and large physical set pieces and not just some typical screen-based attraction. I feel like Universal chose the wrong type of ride system, since a slow-moving Omnimover dark ride would have been an excellent choice to continue the darker theme found in the queue. I'd keep the Kong animatronic, though.
I agree, I’m tired of screen based rides in simulators, this is why Disney is better because they do way less screens and more physical sets in animatronics, which is something universal should really consider doing because again I’m really tired of screen based rides and I would love for them to do morephysical sets in the animatronics and have a good story for their rides
@@MoiveGuy24 I am at least looking forward to Epic Universe, as there appears to be some more physical set-heavy rides in the park.
@@MGEnterprises2 me to! I’m excited!
If you never went to universal Hollywood, this was not a typical screen based attraction. It's actually different than most at the time. Most screens are in front of you, not to both sides. I was pleasantly surprised when i rode it the first time. I still love it.
I just got back from universal and I swore there were scare actors in the queue and I was literally looking it up and i found your video! Great video!!
I used to work there and I can tell you that the scareactors, the outside section and the 3D are never coming back. The outside part might have some hope though but we’ll see.
Why did they stop the outside portion, doesn’t the Jeep start going outside first anyway?
I’m glad complaining people can completely ruin a ride for everyone else (the 3D part). I think if I was prone to motion sickness I might find a different vacation destination than a coaster filled theme park.
Hmmm.. I didn't know they took out the 3D portion, it was great. They did the same for HP and I didn't get a chance to see that one before they switched it. They should have made it like the Mission Space at Disney where you can choose to get the full ride or a toned down version.
What happened to the outside portion? Why has it been gone for so long? Is the track layout messed up? Thank you in advance!
Man, universal ruined one of my favorite rides.
They should really redo the ride. Make them smaller trucks so it feels more personal
Low Capacity, they like to maximize capacity
It's actually insane how different the vibes are in the queue vs the ride proper. Such a let-down of a "ride." Great vid tho 👍
also, for a future vid, you could talk about Back to the Future/Simpsons
I really want to go on this ride not because of the ride itself but the King Kong animatronic looks awesome and I’ll wait in line just to see that animatronic
Personally, i would have given the ride the same mechanism as journey to the centre of the earth at disney sea, and had a fast section somewhere in the ride.
The original Kongfrontation was way better,I was in line for over an hour two months ago and while in line it broke down
I am surprised that so many people shit on F&F (rightfully so) but not kong which is the SAME THING except there is a neat Kong head at the end...
I feel like that is a big issue with Universal, they copy paste rides that are basically at the next door park. Like Spider Man and Transformers.
Overall good video man! I'm with you on the over-reliance on screens and recent cuts of 3D and the outdoor section, but I'm a bit confused by your laziness critique. 95% of the guests visiting Orlando have never been to Hollywood and probably never will. It's why they've duplicated Springfield, Hogsmead, Super Nintendo World, etc. I actually really liked the idea of fully fleshing out the story and environment from what was a well received footnote from another attraction, but no doubt there are aspects of it that missed the mark.
I like the ride as a break on a hot day. But since its a walkon it feels like you have to walk ages to finally get to the tram from the entrance. They really thought this would have lines for days.
They should cover the useless outdoor section so they can use it. It looks like it adds maybe 3 minutes to th ride length.
I've been visiting UO for over 10 years now, and at the beginning, I actually really liked Kong. The scare actors, the whole vibe of the queue, were quite terrifying. Plus, the outside portion and effects were very good. It did go to my top 3 dark rides at UO. Unfortunately, it looks like the resort cut costs on this ride. I still ride it every time I go there, but it's not as good as it once was
Problem is these bus rides are very uncomfortable and I don't feel like I can actually see much of anything. Even on the side I'm sitting in. I never feel like I'm actually "immersed" in the experiece.
I actually really enjoy Reign of Kong. What went wrong is the removal of the scare actor in the queue and removal of 3D. I love the part that starts outside too., I love the animatronic drivers and each of their individual stories. However, this attraction never should have been added to IOA but should have gone into Studios as Studios is based on movies and IOA is based on literature.
That IOA entrance soundtrack is nostalgic.
I don’t like how Universal is more invested in Harry Potter than Jurassic Park/World.
I hope one day the initial concepts and plans they had for this attraction come out. I always felt like they ran out of budget and cut some things. Kate being saved off screen always made me think maybe there was at least one more show piece that was probably cut.
I absolutely agree that they set up the ride to be awesome but the experience after the queue is very lackluster. The facade and thematic elements are top notch. Very dark and foreboding, and a completely different vibe from most rock, work seen in theme parks. The action pack screen experience beyond the gates, begins a long descent from where you started in terms of the quality of the attraction. I don’t know that the animatronic at the end is all that incredible, or if it just stands out after the digital experience. That’s not to say it’s not an amazing animatronic, but I wonder if its reception is elevated by contrast.
My frustration came from the ride breaking down
They gave us a comp pass. We came back a few hours later and it broke down again
Considering that day was our only day there it sucked to not get on it
It was so much better in 3D
When will Universal make another Kong ride? Or maybe Godzilla? Or both? Something to fit with the Monsterverse
I like Kong! What you talking about willis
The loss of being able to see expedition trucks entering the gate anymore (It always seems to run in B mode now. Also never seen a live actor scare on this ride. And they removed the three D, so it’s much worse now.
I’ve always wanted to be on one of these rides and have the cast member pretend that we are in peril and be scared which they used to do on the kongfrontation ride I would pretend that they are so realistic instead of over actors and I would say to the people next to me “oh my God should we call 911 “ and start panicking like that. Just once I think it would be funny.
the real problem i feel is that stuff that is used during the tram tour can be swapped in swapped out no real problems except for coming up with a new route for the trams, but even though it seems popular in that setting dosent mean its going to work as a extended ride, especially considering the the space limitations that islands of adventures/universal orlando has
Skull Island could be good if it had a better ride and the Kong Animatronic should actually be outside the ride and part of the Park's Setting and theming.
I've ridden this ride 3 times over the course of a few years and I've never gone through the outdoor part.
The cadence of your speech and just the way you say things is eerily similar to bright sun films.
They took away the 3D effect which was a HUGE mistake!
I love the Kong ride. As far as non-rollercaoster theme parks rides go there aren't too many rides better than that.
1) the outdoor portion and goggles made the whole ride worth the 30-45 min wait; now i only ride if it's a walk on and my feet hurt
2) don't rush rides and then let them fall to mediocrity 😑 it's unbecoming
3)rip this thing out along with river adventure and give us the Jurassic Worlds upgrade already. We deserve the jeep rally attraction for our loyalty at this point.
Or they could do the giant hamster ball thing like from the movie where they’re sitting in the giant ball and they’re rolling around Jurassic Park that would be cool
I think I read somewhere they cut the 3D effect off because “some guests got motion sick” and that also applied to Fast and Furious and Harry Potter Forbidden Journey. While Journey is still great, both rides would have only benefited from the effect. I feel sorry for the sick people but 2D scenes on flat screens are not immersive or convincing in a ride that’s otherwise filled with visual depth.
Yeah, I bet it takes a lot away from the ride. If the 3D bothered them so much you can easily take them off or close your eyes, they helped wreck it for the majority. Not sure I'd wanna ride it again when it's missing one of the best parts.
I almost typed it before you said it but It just depends on the wait times for me If I ride it. I would rather wait an hour for Hagrids then wait an Hour for this ride.
Sooo sad it wasnt an updated kongfrontation. I pray they redo this ride soon. Dont just scrap it totally
I’m so glad universal is moving away from screen based attractions, those rides did so much damage to their parks and it really hurt their reputation for a while.
Idu. Surely you have to go outside to start the ride? So how does it not go outside now?
I'm glad they got rid of the glasses personally. I will say that being in row one is the worst because you can't see the action as well specially in the middle.
Well for me being a former universal studios worker I love Reign Kong I have to say it was the best ride universal came up with and the scare actors made it good too. But at the same time conscious day but they need to get rid of fast and furious because when I open we thought it was just going to be like Kong now that was a depressor
It could’ve been a cool family coaster
Universal has so much wasted space on both sides of the park. It's past time for them to do something with all that space between Blu-Man and Thst Coke store. that Animal Stadium. The MIB, the Simpsons and that Coke store should go and make room for a New Robust Land. ThenSpace between Minions and HP is basically Empty. On Islands they need to do something with Lost Continent already
Skull Island is listed as an Island but it's not even a land. Just one ride that feels wedged in.
Very true like with Jurassic Park it feels like an actual island instead of just a single ride. In fact they did have plans to have a Jurassic Park ride where they put kong
@@mandalorefett3589 I heard about that too. They had so many ideas for Jurassic Park rides, I know one idea was the Jeep ride where you sit in the Jeep and go through the entire park and you encounter the dinosaurs which would’ve been awesome
That space was originally ment for a Jurassic Park ride that never materialized
@@MoiveGuy24 yep that's the exact ride that was supposed to be where kong is which you can easily see in kongs design minus the screens of course probably
This ride is perfectly fine as part of the tram tour. Thats it.
I still don’t understand why they took the 3d effect away.
because it sucked.
Its not that its bad, it just could have been so much more. Instead its sorta a 1 and done.
Should of just used it for the Jurassic park jeep ride expansion.
I thought it was a good ride when i rode it and a good upgrade of the Tram version. Much better than what they did with the Orlando version of Supercharged. *HOWEVER*, removing the 3D glasses and the outdoor section absolutely makes the ride way worse and not worth riding my opinion.
I wonder why they ditched the out door portion, it was short but a good build up. Wonder if it was having issues because of weather and whatnot. I bet this ride is sad now without the glasses.
I like the Kong ride. I'll be seeing it in 2d in a couple weeks
I would love to go to town on that monkey
Universal as park has way too many screen ride and almost all of them suck. The only exception is Gringots
this is the most disappointing ride in ioa in my opinion and honestly i skip this ride most times i go now depending on the wait time
I loooove the queue
Am i the only person who thinks this ride should be updated & based on The Monsterverse Kong?
I'm not really sure what that would add to the experience, to be honest.
Why does this ride get so much hate? It's not their best but it's at least as good as if not better than the original and the original scared me as a kid. Yeah, there are a lot of screens but the animatronic at the end is probably the best one I've ever seen.
I think it’s one of the worst rides at Universal next to fast and furious I say those two are the worst rides. Skull Island is just a terrible ride, I think they should just knock it all down and build a brand new ride and base it off a more recent movie, King Kong‘s not really popular anymore and I feel like it hasn’t been for years and there’s no more King Kong movies for that matter, it’s not a popular franchise but again I think they should just get rid of it and replace it with something completely new and something with no screens because that’s just borderline lazy and I don’t wanna sit in a simulator and watch a movie screen, but the only good thing about that ride is the King Kong animatronic at the end that’s about itbut for me I’m just tired of rides with screens. I want to see more animatronics and physical sets. Also the Que line for Kong is is is cool but when the queue line is better looking than the ride, then that’s the problem it’s like universal cares less about the right experience and more about the Q line
A Kong adjacent movie just came out this year
Are you nuts?! The Godzilla/Kong movies are crazy popular. And kids love Kong. I just think everyone enjoys hating on it.
@@that_one_nerd117 true but nobody usually talking about it and I don’t hear anybody talking about it on the radio and I don’t see many trailers for it
@@batshtcrazy5293 man they’re kinda played out, plus I don’t hear people talking about it or I don’t hear anything on the radio about it. I don’t see any movie trailers on TV for it so I think it’s just kind of a phase. Harry Potter has a way bigger following and it’s way more popular.
This is why they either need to get rid of Simpsons, Jimmy Fallon, AND Fast and Furious as soon as possible. All 3 of these rides are screen assaults, as I call them. They give you practical set design for the queue, yet when you board it’s no better than a planetarium.
Yup. It’s just like the 2005 movie. It sucks.
That movie is amazing how dare you