Kong's Single Rider Line Is Reportedly Closed, and a Solo Rider Was Handed a Free Paper Express Pass Instead

Going solo at Skull Island: Reign of Kong? There is reportedly no single rider line anymore. What one reporter got instead was a receipt.

Team members at the Universal Islands of Adventure attraction told WDW News Today that the ride's single rider queue is closed indefinitely. Instead, the outlet's reporter was handed a printed Single Attraction Pass and sent through the Skull Island Express entrance without paying for Express.

The Single Attraction Pass WDW News Today was handed at Skull Island. The QR code and serial numbers have been blurred by Parks Magic. Photo: WDW News Today

What the pass actually says

The paper pass resembles a store receipt, and its QR code sits at the foot of the slip. Its fine print, visible in WDW News Today's photo, tells the holder to present it at the Universal Express entrance of a participating location. It is good for one guest and one use at one location, at select Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure locations.

Then come the exceptions. The pass lists three rides where it is not valid: Pteranodon Flyers, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Jurassic World VelociCoaster. It is not valid at Universal Epic Universe either, or for park admission. It is non-transferable, not for sale, must be surrendered when used, and cannot be replaced or reissued. The last line adds that additional restrictions may apply.

WDW News Today used its pass on Skull Island itself. But, as the outlet puts it, the pass "can technically be used on most rides in Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure," apart from those three exceptions. The pass in the photo is stamped as valid only on September 18, 2026, the day the ride reopened.

A LANE CLOSED sign blocks off a path that branches off the Skull Island queue. Photo: WDW News Today

The app has not caught up

If you check the Universal Orlando Resort app before you go, it may still tell you Skull Island has a single rider line. WDW News Today found the app still listing the option, and team members said the app was waiting on an update to reflect the change.

The ride's page in the Universal Orlando Resort app, still listing a single rider line. Screenshot: WDW News Today

Universal has sold something like this before

WDW News Today points out that the free pass resembles Universal Express Single Attraction Access, a paid option Universal offered for a limited time last year at Skull Island and Revenge of the Mummy. The pass WDW News Today was handed cost nothing.

As of September 19, Universal had not announced the change. Inside the Magic notes it is unclear whether the swap is permanent or how consistently the passes will be handed out, so treat this as how the ride was operating when WDW News Today visited, not as a published policy.

A strange week for Kong

The queue change lands right after a rocky stretch for the ride. Skull Island: Reign of Kong reopened on Friday, September 18, after roughly three weeks closed, and riders reported a black curtain where the giant King Kong animatronic should be. Universal has said the figure was damaged during "routine maintenance." We covered the reopening in Skull Island: Reign of Kong reopens without Kong.

If you are riding solo at Islands of Adventure: Do not head for the old single rider entrance just because the app shows one. Ask a team member at Skull Island how solo riders are being loaded, and check the fine print on any pass you are handed before you walk off to use it somewhere else.

Sources

• WDW News Today, Skull Island: Reign of Kong Single Rider Line Replaced by Free Express Ticket at Universal Islands of Adventure
• Inside the Magic, Universal Confirms Free Express Pass Distribution After Major Queue Overhaul

Image credits: All photos and the app screenshot by WDW News Today. QR code and serial numbers blurred by Parks Magic.