The Incredible Hulk (updated) - Universal Islands of Adventure

After I got off The Incredible Hulk coaster in November of 2014, I immediately had to sit down. I felt like I had just been Little Mac in a bout with Mike Tyson in Punch-Out. I couldn't expect any different to be honest. The ride was 15 years old, had aggressive elements and was being run every single day. Less than a year later, the construction walls went up and, much to the initial horror of everyone, Universal started dismantling its star coaster. News spread quickly that the coaster was simply getting a facelift and new track job courtesy of its creator, Bolliger & Mabillard.

Eleven months later, August 2016. Kong had just officially opened a few weeks prior and Hulk has been test run a few weeks. Monday, August 1, Hulk has its first soft open. I get to the park Wednesday night after work to check it out. As of today, the Hulk is officially open to the public. Well, that didn't take long... I guess because it's just a refurb. Let's get to the queue and ride.

The Hulk has your now-standard locker system for Universal coasters, with one decently sized caveat: you use your ticket or pass to open your locker. That means you're carrying your pass (possibly your lanyard?) onto the Hulk... wait, didn't we create the locker system in order to avoid bringing on loose articles? Hoping Universal combines the two ideas eventually: using fingerprint only to open lockers. No typing on a keypad or asking what language I want. Into the queue!

I did single rider my first go-around. Pro tip: if the normal ride line starts inside the building and single rider is at the base of the stairs, do normal line. It moves extremely fast (my posted 40 minute wait time for normal line was less than 20). Ironically, waited around 25 minutes for single rider line. Nothing to see heading into loading station except three TVs that talk about how the patrons are going to be transformed into hulks via gamma rays. Not sure why, maybe story will be addressed in normal line. They put me in sixth row, middle left and up we go.

The launch tube has a changed interior and sound. It is lit with white radiation symbols as you launch out to the roar of a Hulk voice. Gone is the back and forth between Bruce Banner and and female assistant, and the well-timed 'No!' with the launch. That kind of disappointed me, but onto the ride. The track layout is the same, and the first half is as smooth as you can get on a sitting looper like this (see X-Flight in Great America for super smooth). Once you circle around the launch tube and into the back area corkscrew, you can start it feeling a little rough. The ride isn't aggressive enough at this point to really destroy you though and you're left with little pain as you pull into the station. It should be noted that the on-board soundtrack composed by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy is pretty solid. I couldn't hear it as much as I wanted over the people screaming obviously, but from what I can tell solid rock machinery type music with a real clever pause over the mid-course brake run. Anyway, I exit and head back in for my queue experience.

The 40 minute estimate bummed me out, but I was delighted to see how quick we were moving through the queue. I surmise this is due to the fact that the express line wasn't open yet. You have your old queue building, though it's been replaced by screens that show levels of hormones and other bodily functions. There is a massive electrical chamber, think a massive plasma globe, that's located halfway up the line. A couple of signs talking about gamma radiation, and that was about it. We're split into two lines (one will be used for express) and make our way to where we meet up with the single riders... wait, that was it? There was just one room people had to wait in? I couldn't even remotely gauge what the storyline was here, assuming they're adding some sort of soundtrack while you wait in line. Going to go with Hulk needs your help so you all need to get sprayed with gamma rays so you can get pissed off and help him out. I got put in third row middle left this time around. A little more rough this time around which confused me. Still a solid ride all around, with the launch, roll and cobra being one of my favorite beginnings to any ride anywhere. And sitting up this front, I kind of got to check out the nice new headlights on the trains.

So overall, the Hulk touch-up improvements help and my face is REALLY glad it rides a bit smoother. A practical question that many Universal fans are going to be asking: why did these improvements take 11 months? Wondering if it was an OSHA hazard to install the new track while also performing the site work since the ride goes over the queue? Oh well, probably never know, just be glad Islands' marquee coaster is back in business.