While Universal Orlando resort has become the go-to destination for Harry Potter fans with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter—both the Hogsmeade section in Islands of Adventure and the wholly immersive Diagon Alley in Universal Studios—the creatives involved are continuing to expand their theme parks in interesting ways that aren’t Potter related. Last year they opened the thrilling Skull Island: Reign of Kong ride to swell reception at the Islands of Adventure theme park, and now Universal Studios’ New York section has gotten a major upgrade in the form of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Last week, I was invited to get an early peek at the ride along with a group of other journalists, and to witness the grand opening. Located in the New York section of Universal Studios, where Twister: Ride It Out used to be, Race Through New York is a “flying theater” ride that not only takes audiences on a race through the Big Apple with Fallon, but also brings Fallon’s Tonight Show studio to Orlando in a tremendously engaging and dynamic queue.

So having ridden the ride twice and gotten a close look at the attraction from the key creative folks involved in making it become a reality, below I’ve provided a rundown of what I learned.

Technically, There Is No Line

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Image via Universal Orlando

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is important for Universal Studios Florida in that it’s the first ride of theirs that’s using the new Virtual Line system. DisneyWorld goers will find this somewhat familiar, but to ride the new Fallon ride you simply check in on the Virtual Line app and reserve a time to ride the attraction. The Virtual Line will provide you with up to eight different times, so there’s plenty of choice available, and if you don’t want to download an app you can also reserve a slot at the Virtual Kiosks in front of the attraction.

If this is a success, one imagines Universal will start instituting the Virtual Line for other rides. Some of the more popular attractions can carry wait times of over 90 minutes, so being told exactly when you get to ride the ride is a huge help.

The Queue Is Almost as Exciting as the Ride

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Image via Universal Orlando

Universal is all about focusing on narrative in every aspect of its attractions, and that includes the queue. The line for Skull Island: Reign of Kong literally contracts and expands like a heartbeat, to increase the anticipation and terror for what lies ahead. And for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, guests get an up close and personal look at The Tonight Show.

It begins with the façade, which is a pretty excellent recreation of part of 30 Rock complete with the Tonight Show sign as well as logos for NBC and Comcast. Yes, this ride is a perfect encapsulation of synergy between NBC and Universal, and no doubt the profit potential wasn’t lost on the higher-ups, but at heart the ride is a love letter to The Tonight Show and New York.

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Image via Universal Orlando

As guests enter the building, they walk down a hallway lined with every NBC logo throughout the network’s history. This then opens up into a lobby that includes exhibits of sorts for every single Tonight Show host: Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Fallon—and yes, it’s weird to see Leno’s title card read “1992-2009, 2010-14”.

Each exhibit includes some memorabilia from that host’s show, a working TV in the style of television that was available during that host’s run, and a placard that has a bit of a rundown of that host’s place in Tonight Show history. Obviously the Conan/Leno ordeal is glossed over, but it was certainly nice to see O’Brien get his due—and there’s even a little Triumph the Insult Comic Dog prop!

The line is broken up into a few different stages before you get on the ride, but each stage is legitimately interesting/engaging so you don’t feel like you’re waiting in line. When you first enter the lobby, you’re given a card of a certain color. When the NBC logo in the room changes to that color, it’s your group’s turn to move to the next stage—but if you want to keep looking around, you also have the option of proceeding whenever you choose.

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Image via Universal Orlando

After the lobby, you head upstairs to the “Studio 6B Club”, which includes interactive games on tables fitted with replica guest couches from The Tonight Show, as well as a full stage area featuring live performances from The Ragtime Gals and Hashtag the Panda. The Ragtime Gals perform medleys of everything from pop songs to rap hits, all in the style of the running gag on The Tonight Show—and they’re good! The wall is also lined with TV screens showing clips from Fallon’s Tonight Show, so there’s always something to watch, look at, or interact with. Again, the idea is you’re not just standing around waiting to ride the ride, you’re doing something at all times.

The next stage is the pre-ride area, where you view the safety video. The video was recorded in Fallon’s Tonight Show studio, and this is where you learn that having The Roots as your Tonight Show band comes in handy—Tariq raps the safety instructions.

Everything about this ride is meant to be entertaining, and the queue area executes this perfectly. It’s a great balance between serving as a tribute to The Tonight Show’s legacy and promoting/celebrating Fallon’s iteration of the show, and it really does make the line feel like nothing of a line at all.

The Ride Is a Fun Romp Through the Big Apple (and Beyond)

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As for the ride itself, it’s set up like a giant Tonight Show audience as everyone sits down in a “flying theater” that seats up to 72 audience members. You’re facing a giant curved screen, and when the ride begins, the 3D video plays while the audience’s seats move as one big object to mimic racing Jimmy through New York as you see hot spots like the subway, the Statue of Liberty, and the moon (yes, the real moon). 4D effects like wind and water serve to further immerse the audience into the ride, and in this way it’s akin to the theme park’s massively popular Minion Mayhem attraction.

Indeed, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is more of a family attraction than some of the park’s more thrilling fare like Revenge of The Mummy or Skull Island. It’s fairly tame from a rider perspective, so if you’re looking for something that’s really gonna shake you, you’ll have to stick with some of the more thrill-based attractions.

But in keeping with the entire theme of the ride, Race Through New York is indeed entertaining. That’s really the theme of Fallon’s Tonight Show in general, and in that regard the ride certainly succeeds. It’s not scary and it’s not gonna make your heart rate jump, but Race Through New York is silly and fun, which makes it a welcome change of pace that only diversifies what Universal has to offer.

Closing Thoughts

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Image Via Universal

Universal Studios has worked to solidify itself as a thrill-ride-based theme park over the years, and it’s certainly succeeded in that regard. But Race Through New York is a fun addition to the ride ensemble, and will no doubt be a favorite of those who favor something a bit more tame than Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Moreover, for late night TV fans like myself, the ride’s focus on the Tonight Show’s legacy is a pleasant surprise, offering up a queue that’s as much of an appeal as the ride itself.

Looking ahead, Universal’s about to open it’s third major theme park, the water-based Volcano Bay, and one imagines it’s only a matter of time before they announce another Harry Potter expansion. But it’s nice to see Race Through New York revitalizing the New York section of the Universal Studios park a bit, and with Fast & Furious: Supercharged opening next year not too far away, Universal Studios is filling this area out rather nicely.

So whether you’re a Jimmy Fallon fan or not, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is an undoubtedly entertaining attraction when taken as a whole, and one well worth enjoying with the entire family.