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Skull Island: Reign of Kong - General Discussion

Forgive me as I'm sure this has been asked before - By using Express Pass for Kong do you miss out on all of the good stuff in the queue? We'll be there in June from StL.
 
... By using Express Pass for Kong do you miss out on all of the good stuff in the queue? ...
Yes, there is nothing in EP queue, (as far as I remember), though early on you can see across to Witch in Standby queue. FYI forum members helpfully recommended asking for rows 8-10 ie further back in vehicle. I believe EP queue automatically enters the back half of vehicle, though if you choose
standby you could always ask the CM/TM. We loved the ride - enjoy!
 
Yes, there is nothing in EP queue, (as far as I remember), though early on you can see across to Witch in Standby queue. FYI forum members helpfully recommended asking for rows 8-10 ie further back in vehicle. I believe EP queue automatically enters the back half of vehicle, though if you choose
standby you could always ask the CM/TM. We loved the ride - enjoy!
good tip, thanks!
 
The most memorable & entertaining part of the Stand By queue is the Witch room. The Express line passes right next to it and is only separated by a railing. Since I am completely enthralled by the Witch AA (one of the best queue scenes anywhere), and the entire couple minute scene of sound, light & fire effects that accompany it, I almost always stop at the railing and watch the entire show. The viewing area is just as good as the Stand By area, as you're only about 10 yards away from the Witch AA.
 
Yeah the witch scene is my favorite in any queue so far. When the lights flicker and the Kong chant starts happening, fantastic.
Yes, those chants of Kong, Kong, Kong completely immerse me in the attraction.....By the way, during my first few days this trip, before we moved from Sapphire to Portofino & Express passes, we did standby with short lines so they didn't do the two split lines for boarding. We got stuck on row 1 and row 2. I can now see why anyone riding this only once that was assigned those seats would give a lackluster review. You actually can't see or experience about half of the effects. The only plus is you can see the AA driver, which is actually a better quality AA than I expected. So, if you are one of those people that have only been on this ride once or twice and got stuck in the first three or four rows, I would strongly suggest you ride again and request a middle or back row. The difference in ride experience is "substantial'. I've now rode Kong over three dozen times, and it holds up really well to repeat rides. Having the outside portion open though, is crucial to the ride's enjoyment, as I've said before.
 
Yes, those chants of Kong, Kong, Kong completely immerse me in the attraction.....By the way, during my first few days this trip, before we moved from Sapphire to Portofino & Express passes, we did standby with short lines so they didn't do the two split lines for boarding. We got stuck on row 1 and row 2. I can now see why anyone riding this only once that was assigned those seats would give a lackluster review. You actually can't see or experience about half of the effects. The only plus is you can see the AA driver, which is actually a better quality AA than I expected. So, if you are one of those people that have only been on this ride once or twice and got stuck in the first three or four rows, I would strongly suggest you ride again and request a middle or back row. The difference in ride experience is "substantial'. I've now rode Kong over three dozen times, and it holds up really well to repeat rides. Having the outside portion open though, is crucial to the ride's enjoyment, as I've said before.

Sounds like solid advice! I haven't ridding a lot but I've never been closer than around the eighth row.

We did rope drop when we didn't have Express, but one day, I guess less cars were running and the line was too long one of the two days.

A later trip w/ Express had us load at the back. Anyway, I would say any first time rider should request a further back seat as it would be worth waiting another ride vehicle load cycle to see the attraction the correct way the first ride...
 
Sounds like solid advice! I haven't ridding a lot but I've never been closer than around the eighth row.

We did rope drop when we didn't have Express, but one day, I guess less cars were running and the line was too long one of the two days.

A later trip w/ Express had us load at the back. Anyway, I would say any first time rider should request a further back seat as it would be worth waiting another ride vehicle load cycle to see the attraction the correct way the first ride...
Definitely. I've rode it Express more than two dozen times. We were always seated middle or back, never front. Makes a world of difference, especially with the effects and sight lines. Stand By isn't bad when it's crowded since you can go right in the split off line and chances are you'll be middle to back. But when Stand By is slower, there's only one stand by load, so there's a chance you get seated front rows. When there's the two stand by loading lines the best advice is never go left, as we've all said before. Just bringing it up again for new Forum readers. Almost all rides have different seating viewing & experiences of the ride. But on Kong it's much more crucial than most rides. Middle to back is excellent. Front seating is problematical.
 
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I did a couple of rounds on Kong yesterday as it was a walk on so I asked if I could be in the 9th row. I got it both times by myself so I could start out in the middle and slide to the right after the 3D tunnel. First time I could see all of the Kong AA. I wonder if the people putting it down for little movement have ever seen all of it? Seems 20+ feet and every bit is moving.

I had Doc the first time and the native girl the second. I do think Doc was better and it seemed to me the big guy moved differently from my next ride. Can't be sure but maybe there are different profiles for different drivers. Doc didn't do the "be quiet" line and it seemed Kong moved more before the roar.
 
I did a couple of rounds on Kong yesterday as it was a walk on so I asked if I could be in the 9th row. I got it both times by myself so I could start out in the middle and slide to the right after the 3D tunnel. First time I could see all of the Kong AA. I wonder if the people putting it down for little movement have ever seen all of it? Seems 20+ feet and every bit is moving.

I had Doc the first time and the native girl the second. I do think Doc was better and it seemed to me the big guy moved differently from my next ride. Can't be sure but maybe there are different profiles for different drivers. Doc didn't do the "be quiet" line and it seemed Kong moved more before the roar.
Yes, seating is really crucial and I suspect neutral or bad reviews mostly come from those in the darn front rows. This past vacation we finally got the drivers we never had before. The only driver I don't care for is the Texas cowboy. All the others are darn good. Never thought of the Kong movement theory. You may be on to something, but I've never picked up on it myself. I think views of Kong are pretty decent in all the middle to back rows, no matter what side you're on. Of course, those on the right side get the best views of Kong plus rest of the ride also. Front rows are tough to see anything. Even with Kong you've kind of gone past him while the others in the truck are enjoying the experience.
 
I do think Doc was better and it seemed to me the big guy moved differently from my next ride. Can't be sure but maybe there are different profiles for different drivers. Doc didn't do the "be quiet" line and it seemed Kong moved more before the roar.

I can assure you, as cool as that would be, he doesn't move differently for each driver.
 
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