All aboard the party bus for Universal Orlando's Fast & Furious ride

Universal Orlando is inviting fans to board the hype train for its big 2018 addition — Fast & Furious - Supercharged

Based on Universal's highest-grossing film franchise (yup — look it up), the new ride brings the grand finale of Universal Studios Hollywood's Studio Tour to Florida as a stand-alone attraction. Whenever Universal brings a scene from the tram tour to Florida, it requires some restaging and plussing in order to make that encounter work as a complete attraction experience, and Universal revealed today more of the detail on how they will do that for this franchise.

First, Universal has to get you onto a ride vehicle. In this case, instead of the tour trams, you will be boarding tram-like party buses, arranged for you by Ludacris' Tej Parker character, who does not appear in the California original. Instead of hiding from Owen Shaw in Roman's garage, as your tram does in Hollywood, Dom has invited you to a post-race party... which you will get to on those buses. But after that point, just as in Hollywood, it all goes terribly wrong, the villainous Shaw has found us, and the chase is on.

The Florida installation will include new walk-through pre-show scenes inspired by the films, including Tej's War Room and the Family Room. The heart of the ride will remain the 360-3D chase through city streets, similar to the ride experience on Skull Island: Reign of Kong, which was another plussed-up Hollywood transplant. After the ride, visitors can take photos with show cars from the latest Fast & Furious movie in a post-ride exhibit, located next to the ubiquitous gift shop.

Fast & Furious - Supercharged will join this year's new Universal Studios Florida attraction, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, in using the resort's Virtual Line system. That requires you to reserve a entry time using Universal Orlando's official app or at kiosks next to the ride's entrance. Once inside, you will be pulsed in groups through the pre-show scenes then onto to the buses, much like visitors are through the downstairs "Tonight Show" museum and upstairs green room before reaching the show theater on Fallon.

By my count, Fast & Furious is the fifth Studio Tour encounter from Universal Studios Hollywood to be developed as a stand-alone ride at Universal Orlando, including two iterations of Kong:

Earthquake: The Big One

Kongfrontation

Jaws

Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Fast & Furious - Supercharged

Fast & Furious is being built on the site of the former Disaster ride, which was a reboot of the original Earthquake attraction at Universal Studios Florida. The Kongfrontation building became Revenge of the Mummy, and the Jaws ride went away to clear space for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley.

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