Reign of Kong Update: Additional Themed Lights and Props
We are getting very close. In just a few months, Islands of Adventure Guests will finally get to experience one of the most immersive and thrilling dark ride ever created. If all the details seen on the exterior of this attraction reflect the look of what's inside (and we are sure they do), it's going to be a very intense ride.
This afternoon we will stop by the Reign of Kong area to see what has changed since our last visit. We hope you'll enjoy this quick tour of this mysterious island.
This afternoon we will stop by the Reign of Kong area to see what has changed since our last visit. We hope you'll enjoy this quick tour of this mysterious island.
It appears that the exterior queue might be temporarily extended into backstage areas. Notice the fans:
The small food & beverage kiosk seems to be ready:
More themed lights have started to appear in other areas surrounding the attraction:
The foliage that has been planted in front of the queue area looks great:
The entrance portal continues to receive more additions:
The secondary kiosk near the ride's exit also looks ready:
A look behind the walls reveals the addition of some barrels and other props:
Let's now take a look from above:
Queue railings can now be clearly seen from Camp Jurassic:
The wait time sign:
We didn't spot anything new in the rest of this area:
And that is all for now. Before concluding, remember to like us on our official Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for live updates from the parks. If you would like to make a donation to OTPN, feel free to use the "DONATE" button found on the sidebar. Thank you for your support, and see you again soon.
Great pics! Thanks! 😃
ReplyDeleteI'm Ready Already
ReplyDeleteLet's get this Party Started.
When does this open?
(or even Soft Open?)
Soft openings in April??
ReplyDeleteRumors say they'll announce opening date March 30th or 31st, on that Face Off show.
ReplyDeleteLooking for a real answer here. Can anyone tell me the difference between Disney and Universal and why it appears Universal gets new construction done so much quicker than Disney? I'm a Disney guy, so I do understand the more attention to detail, but is that it - the details?
ReplyDeleteUniversal Studios does their noisy construction work during the daytime hours, whereas Disney does not so not to interfere with the customer experience. Nighttime construction is more time consuming as you only have a given amount of hours to do it. I would also think because of the overwhelming size difference between the two, Disney has a lot more going on- more hotels, parks, upkeep, etc., manpower probably gets divided the best it can. Does it take time, sure! But, when it's done, it looks amazing. Disney has been renovating many of their hotels (Universal only has four) and Disney Springs which included the demolition of Paradise Island. Besides, we know most of Universal rides are simulators whereas Disney has heavily themed inside and out. Yes, there is King Kong, but it's been a couple of years in its development too. Yes, two Harry Potter parks were created in a short period of time, but again, many of the buildings are for show- there are very few rides- only one in Diagon Alley if you don't include the train. I love both Disney and Universal, and I am willing to be patient for both to be finished- especially the way the Canadian dollar is going!
ReplyDeleteWill they be re-erecting the Jurassic Park arch/sign between this new Shull Island area and the existing Jurassic Park section or are the two lands just one?
ReplyDeleteKaren please feel free to stay in Canada or just go to Disney. And stop trolling
ReplyDeleteAnon- it's not the "Nighttime/Daytime" construction as Karen mentioned- far from it. Disney works during the daytime just as Universal does. I'm surprised where she got any of that information; honestly. All hotel work is done at Disney between 10am-5pm, and park construction is done all day as well- behind the walls. Walk over to Norway, peak through. Walk over to River of lights, peak through- you'll see workers working- and it's daytime.
ReplyDeleteThe second fallacy of Karen's comments is manpower being allocated differently. Almost every single project is contracted out to third parties- not done by the companies themselves outside of the engineering and designing. All construction- ALL OF IT- is done via third party. This, too, can be viewed via work permits submitted to the district.
The last fallacy is that "Universal is screen based whereas Disney does inside and out"- They both do inside and out. The inside of every shop at Diagon Alley is no different than a dark show scene on the little mermaid regarding detail. Dare I say Diagon Alley is more thorough with their theming? Inside, and out. Disney does it great, but by no means do they do it "better" than Universal- they both do it wonderfully.
So now that we've debunked everything Karen said- all based on public information that you can access online via the district's webpage, the truth as to why it appears Universal works faster than Disney is an answer that is three-fold.
1- Disney likes to announce things long before construction starts- usually at the beginning of development. Due to that- we see that Concept art changes immensely, budgets are changed, etc. Take Avatar, for example, it took 3 years for shovels to hit the dirt because they announced it the week they signed a deal with cameron. They literally had zero plans. Construction will take the same amount of time as say a Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade- but it will feel 3 years longer due to the announcement taking place WAY too soon. See: Star Wars- announced in 2015 but wont have shovels hitting dirt for another year or two years in WDW.
2- Universal IS faster than Disney when it comes to construction. Depending on the project, they fast track it- like Diagon Alley. That was an effort we havent seen construction-wise in 15-20 years. The fact that they can build something like Kong in the time it takes Disney to retheme an already existing ride in Maelstrom should be proof enough.
3- And this is the main reason. The unfortunately "business" side. If you stretch the 1 billion dollar project over 5 years, you can amortize it to 200 mil a year. Whereas if you build it in 3 years, its 333 to the budget line. Wall-Street. Budgets. Boring stuff.
Can't wait for Kong. Im glad to dispel bad info and gossip where I can too.
Wow Elizabeth! You are around.. Fantastically written.. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteAround = Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elisabeth. So sick of Disney fans throwing shade at Universal with B/S "facts". Yes she is "answering from afar" but she's wrong so that's not really helping.
ReplyDeleteThanks to anonymous for defending me about trolling. Even those of us from afar can find our sources too! By the way, I was talking about the Magic Kingdom, not the hotels.
ReplyDeleteAnytime Karen!
ReplyDeleteMy father did some work for Disney once. He said they're very difficult to work with and almost put the company he was working for out of business. I think that has something to do with why it takes them so long to build anything. They're overly picky, for things that don't matter, regardless of the consequences. And they seem to have a hard time making decisions. They've also made many poor decisions over the past couple decades, many that can be seen by the customer (attraction removals/changes/additions). I know it's been beaten to death but WDW/DLR aren't the magical places they once were.
ReplyDeleteYou can amortize a project cost over several years, even if you finish it in 3 vs. 5. The incentive in construction is to finish it sooner, because the fixed costs (equipment, materials) don't change, whereas the variable costs, like salaries, do go up over time.
ReplyDeleteI've heard something about Universal might be faster due to being non-union, but I don't know how accurate that is. Both Elizabeth and Karen make some good points.
My speculation is that Universal may just be doing it sooner to recoup the costs quicker, as I think their parent company, being larger, can absorb the expenses. Whereas Disney may be playing the long game and seeking to offset the costs with park revenue, so it doesn't impact their income statement as much.