Fast and Furious Supercharged: Time to ride with the family
In a star studded, action packed opening, it is time to ride with the family. Fast and Furious Supercharged is officially open at Universal Studios Orlando.
After months of anticipation, Fast and Furious Supercharged is officially open at Universal Studios Orlando. The newest attraction at the Orlando theme park is more than just a ride. With a fully immersive queue and interactive elements, this theme park attraction appeals to Fast and Furious movie fans as well as theme park aficionados. With fast cars, huge explosions and appearances by the movies’ stars, the official opening was an event to remember.
Universal Studios Orlando excels in bringing immersive fan experiences to the next level. The theme park understands that the experience isn’t just those precious moments on the ride itself. From the vacation planning to reminiscing about those vacation memories, the entire picture is considered during a Universal theme park ride creation.
The newest Universal Orlando theme park ride, Fast and Furious Supercharged, offers one of the best queues for a theme park ride. From the moment that you step into the garage, the guest feels transported into the Fast and Furious world. Each tiny detail, many that could be missed on a first visit, was carefully chosen for this experience. This queue is definitely worth a slow stroll, not a run through.
Fast and Furious Supercharged ride now open at Universal Studios Orlando, photo provided by Universal Orlando Resorts
For many Fast and Furious fans, the cars make the movie. From the old school muscle cars to the modernized, sleek imports, these cars are an extension of the movie characters. Dom wouldn’t be Dom without his muscle car.
As you enter the queue, the cars from the movie are sitting throughout the garage. These iconic vehicles are close enough for people to see all the details, yet definitely far enough away from prying hands. (The signs making guests aware of closed circuit monitoring are fair warning, do not jump the chain). Many fans are taking pictures with all the vehicles. Don’t miss the hood in the garage that says family forever.
Each new room builds on the ride’s storyline. Like all of Universal’s rides, this theme park ride has a clear story from start to finish. Guests are going to ride with the family on an adventure. Just like the movie plots, the ride queue builds anticipation for the explosive car chase.
Queue – Fast and Furious Supercharged, photo by Cristine Struble
An interesting fact about this Fast and Furious queue: Universal built Easter Eggs into the experience. Just like movies and video games have Easter Eggs, this ride queue has several Easter Eggs scattered throughout the immersive experience. Since it’s not fun to spoil the experience, I won’t give them all ways. But, I will give a clue to my favorite: all good things come in pink boxes.
One feature that Universal brought back was the live actors in the Fast and Furious experience. Two rooms have actors working alongside video clips from the movies’ stars. Each scene builds the anticipation to the ride itself.
Another new offering in the Fast and Furious queue is the integration of Universal app. As you walk the queue, you can unlock special Fast and Furious content within the app. One fun aspect is the app’s trivia game. High scores will be updated on the leaderboard screen located in the queue. Even the top 20 scores of all time will be featured on this list. Fans will become part of Fast and Furious history with this app.
The actual Fast and Furious ride offers some interesting ride technology. First, the ride vehicle is a trackless, autonomous vehicle. While riders are moving through the scenes, the party bus doesn’t jerk or jostle riders too much.
Also, the visuals are a technological advancement. Without the need of 3D glasses, the projections still offer 3D-like appearances. The opening party scene is a great example of these visuals. Riders on the right side of the party bus have a great view.
Blending the visuals and movement, the ride is intended to be enjoyed by all ages. Even with the explosions, bursts of smoke and car chase, the ride is a smart example of an age-inclusive endeavor. Most likely everyone in a family can find something to enjoy during the experience.
To best experience this ride, I would suggest trying to get a seat towards the back of the party bus. That seat offers good views of all the action on each side of the vehicle as well as the visuals straight ahead. If you do get seated on a side, you might want to ride Fast and Furious again so that you can experience all the action from both sides of the party bus.
The new Fast and Furious Supercharged ride will appeal to the movie franchise fans. It offers the fans the experience that they crave. It isn’t just the ride, it is the connection to the movie and its characters.
As Universal Orlando Resort continues its expansion, it seems likely that other new experiences are about fans. For example, the upcoming new Halloween Horror Nights: Stranger Things will immerse guests into the Upside Down. With other expansions planned, like a new Harry Potter-themed ride coming soon, it will be interesting to see how the creatives work into the fandom experience.
Next: Don't overlook this Universal Orlando experience
Fast and Furious Supercharged is open at Universal Studios Orlando. It offers a virtual line as well as stand-by lines. Universal Studios Orlando offers a variety of rides and experiences including Harry Potter Diagon Alley, Race through New York with Jimmy Fallon, The Simpsons Ride and the Despicable Me ride.