The walls around the food stand have been moved back and “The Mess Tent” is now open and serving guests. It’s now just a matter of weeks, or maybe even days, before all the walls come down around Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. I think the most exciting thing I saw today wasn’t even something you can see… It was the beautiful original score for Skull Island now being pumped into the area. (You can listen to a sample here, or in the video below.) See the video as well as images below to get a better look at The Mess Tent, some more little touches that have been added, and listen to the new area music.
Opening date? The media preview for Skull Island, along with the new Sapphire Falls hotel, is scheduled for June 22-24. I’m assuming the grand opening will be around this time. Usually soft opens happen in the weeks leading up to a new attraction’s grand opening. Soft openings, or technical rehearsals as it’s called by Universal, allow team members to get used to operating the ride during a practice period. During this time some effects may not be running as problems are fixed throughout testing. Soft opens may only happen for a couple hours a day at first. They will last longer as we get closer to the official opening date until eventually it is open all day. Check back here and I will be posting when soft opens have started. It could begin any time from now until the end of June. Stay tuned!
Construction Update
New rock wall facing walkway with built-in bench and hidden speaker playing new area music
View of new snack bar from the new bench
View of the new snack bar from the front
The Mess Tent sign
Front of The Mess Tent
Menu board left
Menu board right
Piecemeal design with crates, sandbags, and more
Design “made of” crates, sandbags, and luggage trunks
Lettuce crate
Gorgeous temple from the walkway
New sensors in the center of the outdoor track area
New LED spotlight added, and on, with mountain range in background
Closer view of spotlight
Ride entrance with wait time sign, warnings, height restriction, and two paths: one for main entrance and the other most likely for Express in the future
Attraction sign, looking incredible
Ride exit path, with stroller parking sign and gift shop cart
The view from Camp Jurassic tower
Looks like the skull inside the ride building has been painted to be more realistic
Scary skulls on spears in the center of the ride path
Landscapers were working this morning, planting more foliage
New (temporary) weather vane near ride path
Something added on top of queue, maybe more sensors?
View from Toon Lagoon side. Building disappears behind the foliage
Big yellow cartoony gate has been replaced with a more appropriate bamboo gate
Structure and 2D backdrop blends in perfectly with real foliage
The view from Jurassic Park
The mountain range fits in well behind the Jurassic Park skyline, matching the area’s style nicely
That’s all for this Kongstruction update. Check out the last Kong update with vehicle testing here. See all the Kong updates and subscribe to the feed for more continual updates!
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