Diamondback_Is_King

Another Epic update!!! Staff member previews have begun, and Epic is looking more and more like a theme park with guests filled inside of it. Many staff members have said many positive things about Epic and are beyond impressed. I would assume passholder previews would start sometime in April. Here's a summary of every ride coming to Universal's Epic Universe: Edit: Sorry for the funky format! Constellation Carousel-A carousel featuring two spinning discs to create a fun-filled ride on constellation creatures. This attraction seems to be on schedule and everything looks to be in place. I personally love the location of this ride right on the pond, and the light package is amazing! Stardust Racers- The main roller coaster at Epic which contains two launches and a unique high-five element called the Celestial Spin. Testing had been going on for quite a while now, and has been seen filled with team members earlier this month. Not too long ago trim brakes were added to the first drop to slow down the transition from positive G's to negative G's. But, this has been causing some problems lately as the train was seen valleyed after the first drop. This could lead to some serious issues as if a ride does valley, then the ride is usually closed for the rest of the day. Stardust Racers does have two tracks, so the other one wouldn't be affected, but you always want capacity to be hit. I could see some problems with this in the future, but I have hope that Universal will find a way to improve the ride reliability. Other Mack Rides coasters like Voltron and Hyperia both experienced some valleying at first, but they figured it out and now it happens less. Also, the ride doesn't actually have a light package on the track, but instead has lights just on the train to make it look like "comets" are flying through the sky. Pretty cool actually! Hopefully we don't have a repeat of Rip Ride Rocket or Hagrid's in the near future. Front Entrance! Views of the Kronos Tower can be seen testing it's lighting package! They change between yellow, red, green, and blue. Plus, the colors change within all of Celestial Park. Fountains and other lighting effects have also been testing during what might be the end of night fireworks show. Fyre Drill- Epic's only water ride where you shoot targets with water jets and things interact. Nothing has really changed about this ride nor anything notable has happened to this ride. So, not gonna post any pictures here, as there's nothing special happening. Really looking forward to this ride during the hot summer! Dragon Racer's Rally- This flat ride flips riders upside down and all around as they ride on "dragons" and "race" other riders. There are two duplicate ride mechanisms right next to each other, so ride capacity will be higher. Additionally, there are grand stands for guests to watch the "race". What I think is the coolest part of this attraction is that it has A LOT of near-misses and close calls when it comes to flying next to the stands and the ground, as it gets really close to it. I've never been on one of these before, so I'm curious how it would feel to fly high in the air upside down. Hiccup's Wing Gliders- This roller coaster goes throughout the entire land with two launches and riders will go under bridges and around hillsides. Riders will also see an animatronic Toothless. This ride has finally begun testing with actual riders, and I presume that this attraction is available during team member previewing. This attraction has a low height requirement and is family oriented. This ride doesn't seem to be very unreliable and runs quite smoothly. Additionally, dragon drones have been spotted several times over the land. These come out periodically and fly over the heads of many guests and will be seen throughout the land. When you're there, be on the lookout for some dragons! Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry- This ride might be the most anticipated ride at Epic and is going to contain many complicated technological effects to mimic an elevator-style attraction. Much is unknown (as this attraction is indoors) but some photos of the actual attraction have arrived. Still, not much is known about this attraction. It's the mystery of Epic right now, and everyone wants to know about this ride. Team member previews have NOT included Battle at the Ministry, and only the show in the land is available for previews. Staff members who have worked on the ride are able to experience the attraction, but not anyone else. Rumor has it that the ride will have 10 vehicles running at once, and that the ride has been experiencing problems and they are only able to run 4 vehicles. This is a HUGE problem as this ride might just be the most popular attraction in the park. If it's only running 4 vehicles out of 10, then that's definitely not good. It's giving me flashbacks to when Hagrid's first opened (over 7 hour waits!). I'm sure the kinks are still being worked out, and I hope that the ride is all ready for opening day on May 22! This is the only attraction available in the land for previews. This is the Fantastic Beasts show. This is the ride vehicle. Very similar to Tower of Terror at MK This is an actual photo of the inside of the attraction after you go through the Floo Network to get to the Ministry of Magic. Team members are able to see the queue, but not ride the attraction. Yoshi's Adventure- This is an omnimover similar to the Haunted Mansion at MK where you go along with Yoshi and Toad to search for eggs. This attraction already exists at Hollywood, so there's not much to say about it. it's just an omnimover around the land. Mariokart: Bowser's Challenge- This ride has 2 groups of 4 people enter into Karts and go against Bowser's team to see who will win the cup. This ride also uses Augmented Reality glasses to display pictures like Bowser in a Kart and the shells you throw onto physical props on the ride. If you watch a video of the version at Hollywood, it probably won't make too much sense. I think it will be much more fun in person when you're so immersed in the theming! Plus, the queue is going to look amazing! Donkey Kong: Mine Cart Madness- This ride is an interesting one. There are two tracks: one is real one is fake. The fake one is the track that you "jump" over when the track "breaks" and the real track is horizontal on the other side where guests can't see it. There's lots of jungle theming around the ride and it has lots of cool effects like the "skidding across water" one. They even have speakers inside the cart to provide clanking sounds for when the cart lands back on the track to create an immersive experience. Curse of the Werewolf- This is a controlled spinning roller coaster that brings you close to some werewolves which may bear a curse. You fly along the track to avoid them and swing "out of control" along the way. Looks super fun, but also family oriented. Kinda reminds me of Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios; fun, but also family oriented. This is another team member preview attraction available and riders have been able to enjoy this ride. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment- Well, here we are. IMO, this is my favorite land because of the theming and I CANNOT WAIT to get on all of these rides in this land, and I'm so STOKED for this ride. This attraction takes riders on a journey through Frankenstein's manor and things go wrong. Then, you try to escape the monsters of the manor such as Dracula, Wolf Man, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. This ride system is very similar to Forbidden Journey at IOA, with a robotic arm moving the train of 4 seats along the ride. The trains are super similar except that it is way more open-air and the walls around you in your seat are gone to create a more immersive experience. There will be 14 animatronics in the ride and will also use screens to dis[play themes along the ride. One of these 14 animatronics will be a 9 foot tall Frankenstein figure that can walk and talk will be shown in the pre-show of the ride. I can't explain how excited I am for this ride!!! I knew long ago this would be my favorite from the moment they announced th land. And it wasn't because I love Universal monsters or anything, it's just how cool this ride was going to be and the technology it would contain. By far my favorite land already and I havemn't even been there yet. This ride is available for team member previews, and everyone is saying it blew their mind completely. I heard someone say that Monster's Unchained was like "if Rise of the Resistance and Forbidden Journey had a baby and was raised on monster movies" There have been so many positive reviews and people are saying this is their favorite ride in the park (remember Harry Potter and Stardust Racers aren't available to preview by team members from Universal). So freaking cool!!! In addition, there was a video released by Universal Creative going through an employee's day at work in Monster's Unchained where it showed some elements of the queue as well as some indoor shots next to the ride (nothing really special was shown and you couldn't really see much. It's worth checking out though!) <-Real Photo! Well, that's it for the update! Let me know if you guys are as excited about this as me!!! Big thanks to bioreconstruct on YT for all of the in-park images!!!

Was this said that they would be begin deconstruction this offseason? This is yet another sign that this might just be where the 2026 "'family thrill attraction" is going. I feel like we're getting closer to discovering something else that might hint to what's to come.

So we know we're getting a "family thrill attraction" coming in 2026, but where do you think it will go? Vortex, Skyflyer, Action Zone, or even Rivertown? I want to hear what you guys think. Personally, I think it will go in AZ, but that's just my guess.

Wouldn't mind this at all. Wouldn't be stoked, but I think it would be a worthy addition considering that it replaced EXtreme Skyflyer. It's an upgrade in my book. Can't seem to fit this into the "family thrill attraction" category, though. The question is, what theme would they choose?

The first pieces of RiverRacers are constructed! I haven't been by there lately, so I can't provide exterior pictures. But, KI released another update on the ride and it's all coming together! https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2025/january/soak-city-expansion-construction-updates Honestly, I kind of forgot about the interior lighting on the ride. What do you guys think about the water propulsion jets? They kind of seem different compared to other water coasters I've seen like Cheetah Chase, Wildebeest, and Krakatau. Here are pics from Cheetah Chase and Wilddebeest.

Guys, guys, guys. We are forgetting something: Drop Tower hardly ever needs it's whole queue, so why do we need a bigger queue? It would be cool if the bottom part of Drop Tower was enclosed as well as a retheme, but don't make it any bigger. Add a themed restaurant (I like you logos @BryanJay) and theme the whole land as a whole to this creepy Darkmoor-like area and make AZ a new type of area KI hasn't seen before. Not only does the spooky theme help contribute to the whole atmosphere, but it also is a two-for-one addition because of the Haunt. Just add some queues and stuff and you got yourself a whole land of scarezones!

Not sure if this still counts because it doesn't apply to KI, but somebody asked me the other day if Kingda Ka's implosion was on purpose. I said, "yeah, no it was definitely an accident" and I think they believed me. So then I had to tell him that "no, it was on purpose and roller coasters don't just fall down from the sky"

I can see this happening if it's not the 2026 "family thrill attraction". If it is, then I don't know if they would put a picnic area in there. A picnic area in that plot would look good, and if they put in lots of trees it would provide something Action Zone lacks: SHADE! We need more trees in AZ, this spot would be perfect! I 100% agree with you! I never rode Skyhawk the times I went to Cedar Point because it was down that month (at least I think. Or, nobody was riding it).

I'd take an RMC raptor! I know the raptors gets lots of hate, but I really enjoyed my ride on Stunt Pilot at Silverwood. Totally would like to see one at KI. Would it fit well with the park? Probably not. It would look more like a legacy Six Flags park. Would it be fun to have a raptor at my home park and get some sick ejector airtime in the back row? Yes, definitely yes! Side note: only Railblazer (2018) and Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster (2018) would count. I guess they're not technically clones, because they are mirrored, but in my book they count. Jersey Devil, Wonder Woman Flight of Courage, and Stunt Pilot came out in 2021, so not that far after the 2010's

What's that little square there in the middle? Does KI not own that little space?

Welcome to KIC @parkdinosaur!!! Hope to see you in the park!

Has/Is it possible to get 999999 as a score on Boo Blasters?

It's really cool during the Haunt to see all the fog and lights in effect on WindSeeker! I always love seeing people get scared and the distant chainsaw noises in the background!

"Back in my day, amusement parks used to announce closures before they actually closed, not after" "your crazy pops, why on Earth would they do that?"

if you find a new plant and start telling everyone you know if you start playing rock, paper, scissors on the drop of any ride if you act like your asleep on a ride if you pose for the picture every time you ride Finally, if you have done any of these things before (I may or may not have done these before )

From what I've seen (from Bioreconstruct and Theme Park Stop) the Team Member previews include the whole of Super Nintendo World and some rides on Stardust Racers. Some people are in Darkmoor, but not many. Mainly just Nintendo and Celestial Park.

Do you think they'll have people wear glasses like on Formula Rossa?

@BB1 I'm so excited to hear what you think of Epic! I still don't know how the Metro Floo is going to work, but I'm so hyped!

You just blew my mind @Rivertown Rider!!! A Screamin' Swing would fit so well with the "family thrill attraction" phrase. S&S labels the Screamin' Swing as a "moderate thrill level". To me, we just found a piece of the puzzle that makes the picture clearer than ever before. It all makes sense, that Screamin' Swing has KI written all over it. I'll bet lots that that'll be it. The question is, where will it go? Vortex? Action Zone? Son of Beast? Somewhere else? We'll just have to wait and see!

It doesn't really matter as long as everyone who wanted a ticket got one IMO, I think they actually did sell everything. But, I've not been around here as long as some other people so I stand waiting to be corrected

The GP doesn't really care too much about ride removals, as long as there are still rides. Picture this: A family from Oregon makes a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see the East Coast, and they happen to stay in New Jersey right across from Great Adventure. They have an extra day and don't have anything planned, so they decide to go as a family. They get in, and see all the amazing rides Great Adventure has to offer. They see El Toro, Nitro, Medusa, and Jersey Devil. They're so stoked that they get to ride these rides and the lines aren't that bad. They don't know any different or literally anything about Ka. If they do, not as much as us enthusiasts might think. The family has a great day. Here's what I'm getting at: The GP doesn't really care about one or two rides that are closed, because there are so many others. Enthusiasts, who want to get the tallest, fastest, and craziest coasters know and love Ka. But, the GP just thinks "oh it's closed? Well, I'll just get on this other ride that looks just as cool!" It stinks to loose such a great ride, but SIX made the smart financial decision to get rid of Ka and hopefully replace it with something just as great, but at a much cheaper cost. Let's not focus on the past, but look towards the future. We can hope for many great years ahead of fun filled days at amusement parks with friends and family. That's all I got.

Is this unusual?

Why would you ever hope for that? I'm hoping to get on TT2 because I haven't gotten on it and I've heard it's amazing. Be careful what you say, your wish may just be granted. And why would SIX add Rapterra or AlpenFury if they want Cedar Point to be king?

I rode Falcon's Fury once at Busch Gardens Tampa, and that was the most craziest Drop Tower ever! But that was like 325 feet tall or something. Zumanjaro is a lot taller than that, so I can't believe the feeling of that crazy drop!

Me as well. Never got to experience Ka, but I have no doubt that it was great. It's sad to see any roller coaster explode and break into a million pieces...especially this one. The implosion was satisfying as well as very very sad. Question: Is Six Flags not going to sell those track pieces? It seems like a no-brainier to sell those track pieces because so many people would buy them. They could make some good money off of that.