"Good day. This message was activated through the use of a keycard in the Serenissima base of Her Majesty The Queen's Secret Service," says the man, M (Ralph Fiennes). "As part of our security protocol, every person in this lift will be asked to do a facial image recognition test to ensure that this message will not fall into the wrong hands. Now, face the camera sliding out of the panel to the left of this monitor and hold your position." The elevator lights turn up as a wooden panel on the left of the mirror slides open and a camera pops out. The screen in the mirror also switches scenes, now showing a visual of the guests in the elevator. A female computer voice announces, "Scan in progress. Hold your positions." As the scan progresses, various guests are given clearance by the computer as visualized by a green box around their faces on the screen, identifying them as "Officer" or "Asset". Some are marked orange, signifying their non-identification within the MI6's computer system. Thankfully, no one is marked red, which marks a guest as an identified enemy. "Scan is complete. No identified threats," says the computer voice. The camera then tucks itself in and the panel slides close.

The screen changes back to M. "Well, it seems that we have some unidentified civilians on board. I am presuming you are relatives with those have been verified. To those who are civilians, allow me to introduce myself," says M. "I am M, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service or the MI6. I am speaking to you from the head office of the MI6 here in London."

"As many of you have picked up by now, you are inside the Serenissima base of the MI6 here in Venice. Everyone in this lift is now under the protection of the MI6 and its officers," says M. The screen slightly shifts to reveal accompanying visuals for the mission. He continues, "Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to assist 007 in his current operation against the Spectre organization. Several of their agents have been spotted here in Venice conducting smuggling operations. You must assist 007 to discreetly infiltrate their headquarters and take them down. The keyword here is 'discreetly', but with 007, it appears it is not in his personal dictionary."

"The Spectre base is located in a 'trap street' of sorts, tucked away from the eyes of the public. Our birdwatchers or intelligence and the local Q division have programmed the coordinates in your boats, now waiting for you in the harbor underneath this building. Q will be remotely operating your boat to ensure a smooth operation. As smooth as an operation can be with 007...," mutters M. Q (Ben Whishaw) then appears and says, "Affirmative. As mentioned, the boats are already programmed to proceed to Spectre's base, but I will still keep track of the operation in case anything awry happens." "Thank you, Q. You may proceed to your station," says M. "Now, the elevators should now reach the basement level of this building and should lead you out to the harbor. Other MI6 agents are waiting for you there to assist you. Good luck." The screen goes black, and the elevator lights turn up.

The elevator doors are opened, allowing guests to file out of the elevator and into a dimly-lit underground vaulted colonnade. Compared to the elegant stylings of the upper floors of the hotel, this section is more rustic-looking with its exposed brickwork and dirt-stained surroundings that is reminiscent of the Venetian Arsenal. Several puddles of water (either leaking through the ceiling or the walls) can also be seen taped off to prevent access. Completing the picture are several work lights that provide ample light but not brighten up the space.

A musty smell fills the corridor as guests wind their way through the various unoccupied stations of MI6 agents. Keen-eyed guests will discover different aspects of the current operation plans on these stations, either on the computer screens, taped to a wall or a bulletin board, etc. A large map of Venice that details the route to Spectre's secret base is also seen mounted on a board.

Eventually, guests will find themselves on the equally dimly-lit boarding station at the indoor harbor. Waiting by the dock are three modern and sleek-looking "jet" boats that can carry 20 passengers (2 elevator groups) each. Theming-wise, the boats will be painted in brown, beige, and black colors (similar to the Glastron GT150 boat used in 1973's Live and Let Die) and will have a high-tech dashboard in front with 2 navigation screens.

The boats will be placed on a track and will use a pre-programmed jet propulsion pump system that will allow them to speed up and slow down depending on the show scene they will enter. The boats themselves will likewise feature a synchronized onboard audio track.

In addition, the boats will be fitted with the following features for the safety of the guests and Universal's team members:

• Lap bars to enclose the guests in

• Pouches for guests to put loose items in (hats, glasses, etc.)

Eventually, the boat takes a turn down a darker canal, following the waters into a seemingly abandoned, crumbling palazzo. The boats then pass through a cracked open doorway and find themselves within the SPECTRE base. Weapons caches marked with the SPECTRE symbol sit about with maps of the city pinned to walls, while henchmen, unaware of the guests' presence, discussing their mission. "Boss is gonna be pleased with this new cache," says a goon. His partner replies, "Would've been better if Bond didn't get to the first half..." "Eh, it's better than nothing!"Unfortunately, a spotlight comes up on the boat as the guests are discovered, a squad leader calling attention to us. "Boys, we have company!" shouts the squad leader. "Wait, that woman is MI6! Shoot them down!" A crew of henchmen fire off an initial volley of gunshots. The voice of M comes in through the speaker, saying "Q, what are you doing? Get them out of there, now!" Before the henchmen can fire another round, James Bond (Daniel Craig) arrives through a hatch in the ceiling. "Quick! There's another exit if you continue down the water. I'll fend them off! Go!" Q replies back, "Copy that, Mr. Bond!" The boat speeds up and heads down the waterway. Guests will pass by another indoor harbor and spot several henchmen boarding another boat. "Don't let them get away, you fools! After them!" yells the squad leader.

Out in the canals again, Q comes in on the speaker saying "I'm navigating the best way to get you to the Grand Canal. The ride will be bumpy, so hold on tight!" The boat now "moves" at maximum speed (when in reality it merely speeds up a bit) as signified by the speed control knob moving by itself to the highest gear. The boat also slightly tilts up as the jet propulsion shifts gears accordingly. As the guests twist and turn down the Venetian canals, they can see chaos in the streets. Through the use of layered screens (as used in The Fast and the Furious scene in the tram tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, albeit redesigned to convey a more convincing depth of illusion), crowds of panicking tourists can be seen running up and down the streets as SPECTRE henchmen chase the boat down and opening fire. Bullets can be felt hitting the water through the usage of pressurized air and water activating near the boat path. Meanwhile, Bond is also fighting his own enemies as he is seen leaping through the rooftops being chased. Eventually, we see the wide opening of the Grand Canal, the exit just in sight. Unfortunately, another SPECTRE boat arrives and cuts us off. Q panics, "Drats! We have to go off-course!" The boat moves away from the opening, goes into another dim waterway, and "crashes" through another abandoned building. M comes back, "Q, status report. Where are they?"

As the boat considerably slows down, Q replies back: "It appears it is another SPECTRE hideout, sir." By Jove, another secret base?" exclaims M in surprise, "We better intensify our birdwatching around here if we ought to wipe them out!" Compared to the first SPECTRE hideout, this one is clearly the explosives cache as numerous stacked crates stamped with names of common everyday items (fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.) filled to the brim with various explosives. As guests turn around the corner, Bond can be seen crashing through the door, still pursued by the SPECTRE goons and the squad leader from the first hideout. Bond then begins to take them on in combat. "007, I see an emergency flare gun hanging by the door," says Q. "I can see that, but I'm a bit busy here!" yells Bond. M comes in, "007, if you value your life and these people onboard, run to the flare gun and shoot it on my count." Bond then grabs the gun and opens fire, triggering an explosion among the explosives caches. The explosion also sends the boat speeding out of there and almost seeming to “skip” along the water’s surface.

As the boat slows down, Q comes back in and sighs in relief, "Boat is returning to Serenissima. Thank God for that." The MI6 base comes into view, and along its outdoor gondelier dock is an Audio-Animatronic of James Bond, sitting in its ruined suit. He wryly remarks, "Well, that wasn't bad. Was it?" With that, the boat arrives at the unloading station as M congratulates the guests for a successful mission against SPECTRE, saying "Great show, you lot!" Q replies, "It wasn't exactly discreet, sir..." "Well, let's hope 007 doesn't pull another stunt like that, shall we?" ponders M. "We wouldn't want another international incident involving us, him, and whatever country he ends up being in." As the boats settle into the dock, we hear another voice saying "Italy on the phone for you, M." To which he replies with a sigh, "And so it begins."

The guests are then unloaded out of the boat and into Q's Workshop, the gift shop exit of the attraction.