NewsPlusNotes

Legoland Florida Details Waterpark Expansion

2012-01-28T16:52:00.000-05:00

Just recently announced to have a Summer 2012 opening, the water park at Legoland Florida will help change the theme park into a destination, by offering guests the ability to explore two different parks. While an exact opening date has not been released yet, the park is starting to show off some of the work they have planned.

It appears as though all the attractions that were a part of Cypress Gardens' water park will remain, but all will receive a LEGO theme. Guests will enter the water park from near the Flying School junior coaster, and fine an assortment of activities awaiting them.

The LEGO wave pool will offer tame waves for families, as will the Build-A-Raft River, where guests can apply LEGO pieces to their tube to make it all their own. The Joker Soaker will be a rethemed water play structure, and a DUPLO themed kiddie area will be added, complete with shade cover.

The parks' two slide towers, now known as Twin Chasers and Splash Out will also remain, but repainted and refurbished as well. The park's General Manager is quick to point out that there is plenty of room for expansion, as well.

GCI's 18th Ride is a Beauty

2012-01-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since we've checked in on the progress of Wodan, Europa Park's fantastic looking new Great Coasters wooden ride. The ride recently had it's last major bents put into place, marking the end of the large vertical construction phase.

Seen above, and in other photos shared by GCI, The ride's turn that interacts with the park's Blue Fire coaster is looking pretty neat. I like how it crosses over then under the ride in a matter of seconds, only to dive down into a trench right after.

You can also see how far along the station structure is, as well as some of the ride's theming elements more than well under way. Wodan is going to be one beautiful ride when it opens, no doubt about it.

Hawaiian Falls Roanoke Announces Even More Expansion

2012-01-27T15:35:00.000-05:00

Hawaiian Falls Roanoke is proud to be debuting the world's first Double BowlsEye water slide in 2012, a $1.55 million attraction that is sure to make headlines when it opens.

Part of an overall investment of $7.8 million in the Hawaiian Falls chain of parks for the 2012 season, the new ride is without a doubt going to be a thriller.

The ride will launch two separate two-person rafts simultaneously in opposite directions from a 60 foot tall starting point. Both rafts plummet down a twisting enclosed slide, complete with a light show inside the tubes.

The rafts then plunge back into daylight as they enter a giant bowl and race each other around, exiting into their own unique porthole and down to the finish line. This new slide tower comes in addition to a previously announced addition to the same park, Cyclone Fury. That tower complex will feature four separate slides, and cost an estimated $1.6 million.

The Double BowlsEye slide will be provided by SplashTacular, creator of of 1,000 water park attractions in their colorful history.

Verbolten Track Complete!

2012-01-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Busch Gardens Williamsburg recently reached the end of the line in constructing Verbolten's 2,835 feet of track when the final piece was lifted into place. Fortunately for us the park has released a series of new press images of the coaster, containing some really amazing shots!

As is tradition, the final piece of the ride that was lifted into place was adorned with flags and an evergreen tree, for good luck. It appears as though the final piece of track was located near the ride's station area.

While the crane was still on site the park took advantage and snapped some photos from high in the sky. This gives us a great look at how Verbolten fits into the park's landscape. Here we see the section of the ride immediately after the second launch, which heads up to the final drop.

Before that second launch is the "event building," which the park has still not released any full details on. The ride launches up into it, and you can spy some additional structures that have gone up on the building's entrance and exit. The second launch follows the building's exit, in the bottom of the photo.

As for the final drop, check out this intimidating look at it! The coaster will pass through a thematic element and then drop directly toward the water below, just as the Big Bad Wolf did.

This gives a great idea of the beautiful view passengers will have for a few seconds before the train plunges down. The base of the drop goes directly into a tight series of turns which lead back up to the ride's brakes and station.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg also released some footage of the ride along with an interview with Larry Giles, the park's VP of Design and Engineering. Check it out to hear more about Verbolten's trains, as well as some unique shots inside the event building!

Wet'n Wild Orlando Heads to the Beach

2012-01-26T19:31:00.000-05:00

Another part of yesterday's big Universal Orlando announcement was the addition of a gigantic new kid's play area to Wet'n Wild Orlando. The new area will be perfect for both kids and kids at heart, using a beach theme to create tons of watery fun.

The structure will resemble a giant sandcastle, set among lush tropical landscaping. Covering an acre of land, the new play area will be the largest of its kind in Florida and actually span over two separate pools of water.

Once guests enter the area and step onto the play structure they'll find over 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls, and cannons along with 17 different slides. The slides will range in size so there is something for everyone.

The new area - which I'm expecting will receive a proper name later - will replace the current kids' area near the front of the park when it opens this Summer.

Universal Orlando's "Year To Be Here"

2012-01-25T19:42:00.000-05:00

Universal Orlando made some exciting announcements today about a slew of additions to the resort's original theme park, Universal Studios Florida, as well as a vastly improved ride experience at Islands of Adventure. Tagged as the "year to be here," the resort will be celebrating with new shows, rides, and entertainment.

Technically just outside the theme park's boundaries, the Blue Man Group show will undergo a complete overhaul creating a spectacle with new music, show environment, and technology. The new show will open in February and will carry and overall theme of exploring the world's obsession with technology.

Inside Universal Studios Florida guests will be treated to Universal's Superstar Parade starting this Spring.

The parade will feature some of today's most recognizable characters from film and television, including the gang from Despicable Me, Hop, Dora & Diego, and SpongeBob SquarePants. The parade will have interactive elements along with hundreds of performers.

Rounding out the additions is a new ride attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. The 3-D ride takes passengers on an adventure with the film's stars, including Gru, Margo, Edith and Agnes - and of course the minions. At the end of the journey, which will feature the voices of the film's original cast, guests will take part in a "minion-inspired" dance party.

Another exciting addition to the park will see the central lagoon transformed into a nighttime water show titled Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories. The show will be narrated by Morgan Freeman and take guests on a tour through some of Universal's most emotional and iconic films using "waterfall screens" in the lagoon. Coupled with colorful fountains and pyrotechnics the experience will be a wonderful way to end the day at the park.

As if the ride wasn't already fantastic, the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure will reopen in March with all-new 4k digital high-definition animation. Making the 3-D scenes crystal clear, the addition will make and already superb ride even better. Additional upgrades to the ride's sets, new 3-D glasses, and updated lighting will round out the experience.

Elsewhere in the resort the Hollywood Drive-In Golf course will open, allowing families to take part in highly themed mini-golf courses in CityWalk. A new retail store featuring all the SpongeBob merchandise you can ever want will also open in Universal Studios Florida this year.

Sounds like they really meant it when they said 2012 was the year to be here!

Scott And Carol Present A Look At Legoland Florida - Part 1

2012-01-25T06:01:00.003-05:00

Having visited the Cypress Gardens Adventure Park on the last day of operation back in 2009, we were very interested in seeing the new look of this classic Florida attraction. The bright new look begins before you come close to the gate.

My oldest memory was standing around being bored looking at the southern belles in the heat and wishing I had an umbrella to block the sun. This is just one of the sculptures that pays homage to the past.

Everybody loves dinosaurs, and these Lego brick ones proved to be no exception. Seeking out the shade beneath the trees, these colorful beasts amused young and young at heart. A permanent cheery wave greets the guests.

Here is a rare NPN photo of Carol, who thankfully did not have camera envy of this character. That is a whimsical part of Legoland, the sense of humor the artists express in the various sculptures. Notice the girl with the Lego sets, this is just outside a store featuring many of the more popular combinations.

Another popular sculpture, almost half the children passing by had to be restrained by their adults from trying this pose. Listening to the litany of imaginative excuses for why the children "couldn't try this right now" made more than one adult passerby struggle to keep a straight face.

Heading into Lego Kingdoms, impressive dragons, knights, damsels, and other characters abound. Easily the most immersively themed section, it offers shade and a castle that is fit for a Dragon.

Roaring down the track with all his might, the reworked Okeechobee Rampage is a fine Dragon to haunt this castle. With another train and a short "dark ride" section of track added, the characters are only visible when riding the coaster. Luckily for grandparents everywhere, it is a mild family coaster enjoyable for all ages, as long they are 40" tall.

Lost Kingdom Adventure, a Sally interactive dark ride, takes guests for spin through the Egyptian countryside, where they blast away with laser blasters in search of ancient treasures from extinct empires. A highly repeatable ride, it was a cool change on a very warm November afternoon.

Intrepid Lego explorers help in the treasure hunt, complete with animation and humorous stunts. A highly repeatable experience, don't let the line tempt you to skip this ride, because it moves very quickly.

The Coastersaurus, formerly the Triple Hurricane, is themed with dinosaurs, and some of them are animated. A peppy junior wooden roller coaster, the various sculptures enhance the experience and the overriding concern coming back into the station appeared to be young voices asking "Can we ride it again?" Many of the Lego dinosaurs are life-sized and incredibly detailed. The only artistic license granted was in the colors of this thunder lizard.

This full-scale Ford Explorer is made of over 380,000 Lego brick and took over 2,500 hours to create. It sits out front of the Ford Driving School where kids 6 through 13 learn rules of the road and can actually receive their official Legoland driver's license. Hopefully, this incredibly popular attraction will reinforce the message of don't text and drive.

This view of the Coastersaurus is courtesy of the Island in the Sky, which gently raises guests 150 feet skyward and allows marvelous photo opportunities. Especially popular during the ski show, it allows for a panoramic of both Legoland park and Lake Eloise.

The Safari Trek takes you an a ride through the wilds of Africa, complete with some animated creatures that have a surprise for you. Luckily adults without children can enjoy this ride, and marvel at the skill of the Lego artists. Their patience to build all of these models is amazing.

If traveling by boat is more closely aligned with your party's interest, the Boating School allows little captains at least 34" tall a chance to try the helm of electrically powered boats. Here is where we saw the best example of the culture of Legoland. As might be expected, some riders struggled mightily to get back to the dock. The ride attendants quickly got them pointed in the right direction and cheerfully encouraged the drivers, even when the staff had to put on waders and push. An exemplary example of great customer service.

So that is Part 1 of our Legoland visit. A fun filled park with lots of opportunity to burn off energy of the age 2 (36" most rides) to 12 set, and some hidden humor for the adults to also enjoy. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming to News Plus Notes on your computer.

Pandemonium Site All Cleared Out for SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight

2012-01-24T11:20:00.003-05:00

Rain finally made it to California this winter and seems to have washed away one of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's coasters.

The park posted a picture on their Facebook of an empty Pandemonium site. The ride, its station and part of its queue have been completely disassembled. The site should soon be getting prepped for the new SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight roller coaster, which is scheduled to open this spring.

The park will be reassembling Pandemonium's old station for use as SUPERMAN's station, though it will now be enclosed. I guess third time is the charm as the park will also be reusing Zonga's old station to act as the queue for the ride just like Pandemonium had done.

Goliath Rising at Six Flags New England

2012-01-24T07:07:00.000-05:00

Winter may have set in over New England, but that hasn't stopped Goliath from reaching to the sky at Six Flags New England.

In a new batch of photos shared by the park all the progress that has been made on the giant new coaster is shown. A significant part one of the ride's two massive towers has been built. Considering that the ride will stand just under 200 feet tall, things are only going to go up from this point.

It also appears as though the park is definitely reusing the structure from the splash ride that previously called the area home, you can see it sitting next to the ride above. Perhaps it'll be used for queue space, a nice way to provide shade for guests waiting for their turn on Goliath.

New Looping Wooden Roller Coasters?!

2012-01-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

The New Texas Giant almost goes upside down!

An interesting article ran in the Spokane Journal of Business yesterday about Rocky Mountain Construction Group, which is building a brand new $1 million shop where it is going to move its roller coaster track fabrication operation.

The new building will allow Rocky Mountain to start to be able to build their own coaster trains, something they need for future projects according to the company's President, Fred Grubb. Citing that the company's coaster track can twist and turn in such extreme ways, the new rides that Rocky Mountain is building will need custom designed cars. The "revolutionary" new trains have been under development for months, going through design and engineering.

Perhaps you're asking why the title of this article mentions looping wooden coasters. Well, that's because Mr. Grubb mentions just that in the story - paired together, the company's new track and cars will allow wooden coaster with loops to be built.

But that's not all the news he has to share, he also drops the bomb that both Silver Dollar City and Six Flags Fiesta Texas are lined up to receive their products in 2013, with a combined contract value of $12 million.

Naturally we would consider the Rattler as a candidate for a makeover similar to the Texas Giant, but the project for Silver Dollar City sounds like a new ride from the ground up. Very exciting news indeed.

Sounds like Rocky Mountain will need all of the 18,000 square feet that it's adding with its new building, Mr. Grubb also points out right now they are building as many ride as they can fabricate - a sure sign of high demand. The company is responsible for the makeover of the Texas Giant, which debuted to rave reviews this past year.

The article is available online here, but you'll have to pony up the $1.50 I did in order to read it.

Weekly Rewind 1.22.12

2012-01-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

Kings Dominion placed the first piece of WindSeeker this past week, marking the start of vertical construction. Carowinds looks to be just about ready to start building, with ride pieces now on site at the park.

The newly announced Dollywood water and snow park for Nashville will be nice, but isn't expected to have the impact that Opryland once did. Man, people really miss that park!

First rider auctions are a great way for parks to get press and a charity to get some cash - Canada's Wonderland has stepped up to give away the first Leviathan seats to those who bid funds to go to Sick Kids. Check out the auction here.

Check out the size of the new Abyss slide, designed by WhiteWater West, that's going into Malaysia's Sunway Lagoon water park. That's massive!

Legoland Florida is already planning a bunch of special events for the entire year, and getting the word out now. Everything from a special girls' weekend to a new 4th of July celebration is included.

Darien Lake recently debuted a new logo, but they also just received a new General Manager, Bob Montgomery. Bob comes from a successful run at Wild Adventures Theme Park, where he made a slew of improvements. Congrats!

Morey's Piers has released another concept image of the new Wipe Out slide going into Ocean Oasis water park. A great time of year to dream of Summer, indeed!

While construction of Manta roars along at Sea World San Diego, the park has put the coaster's train on display to generate some interest. Even though we've seen it before it's still beautiful!

Things has seemed troubled for Indiana Beach this past year, but the current owner is trying to make it clear the park will reopen and that plenty of new changes will be made.

Cedar Fair Is Looking Fun-Forward

2012-01-21T20:01:00.000-05:00

Cedar Fair's recent investor presentation, aptly titled Fun Forward has given us our first really good look at where new CEO Matt Ouimet is planning on taking the company. Personally, I like what he had to say. There's a lot that came up during the presentation, so let's get started!

• Mr. Ouimet started by pointing out that no one has really found a way to digitally replicate a ride on a 420 foot roller coaster, a fair point indeed. A funny thought, but very telling about the industry - while there's lots of other entertainment options around it's hard to compare them to the physical thrill parks provide. It is pretty one of a kind.

• They're currently using a technique we saw last year to "test" out new concepts, then rolling them out across the parks. Dinosaurs Alive!, Fast Lane, and even to a degree WindSeeker are examples.

• Both Franklin and Woodstock characters will be joining the parks next year. Makes sense, if you already pay the licensing fees, why not! California's Great America, now that the park is being retained, will see some expansion soon due to that unexpected change.

• Mr. Ouimet is, frankly, a lot more revealing than Mr. Kinzel was. Take for example the graphs above of the revenue/EBITDA mix for the company broken down by park. Sure, there's no numbers on it but it's still a lot more specific (and telling) then we've seen in years.

• Gone seem to be the days of the parks being broken into Western, Northern and Southern groups. Now they're grouped by attendance: 3 million and over include Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm, Canada's Wonderland, and Kings Island, 1.5 million and up are Carowinds, Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, and California's Great America, followed by Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair which do around one million per year, and Michigan's Adventure which does less.

• The remaining Wildwater Kingdom park at the former Geauga Lake land is a "nice little market" but Mr. Ouimet does not see them making any big expansion plans there. Modest investment, however, makes sense.

• New marketing will be debuting this year, as they have hired a new company. Below is an example of what is being called 'emotion over promotion,' making hints at the entire family unit and how time together could be spent at a park. A new slogan will be used, Thrills Connect. There are two other example adds that follow further down.

• One goal of Mr. Ouimet's is to extend the length of stay for guests at the park. Obviously more time spent is probably more money spent, and getting people to stay past dinner and into the night certainly makes sense. In the experience of park operators this is done with "lights and fireworks," giving guests a reason to hang around. In that light, pun intended, a new experiment will debut this season.

• And that experiment is Luminosity - Ignite The Night, and it will open this Summer at Cedar Point. Described as an 'over the top nighttime spectacular' it will appeal to everyone from kids to grandparents. It can be reprogrammed, no specifics on what aspect of the show, but changed so that it is fresh, and will require the updating of park light and sound systems, something needed anyway. Sounds like a bit of a pet project for Mr. Ouimet, and if successful he wants to shift it to other parks.

• Food. They're going to start to address the quality of the food they are serving, hopefully bringing the quality up to match the price. For example, all major burger locations in the parks will use fresh, never frozen, burgers this year.

• Pointing out that several parks are at a "critical mass" with regard to rides, Mr. Ouimet is not afraid of "exiting underutilized capacity," which to me sounds like removing under-performing, older rides to avoid growing costs.

• Fast Lane will come to all parks this year. After only half a season at Kings Island it made almost $1 million. Cedar Fair went with that style to avoid sharing revenues with a third party provider and also so that it is not disruptive to guests who do not or cannot pay for it.

• Across the chain there will be a total of 25 different brand new live entertainment offerings. I'll be interested to see if any of them are different from the type of shows presented in previous years.

• Last year's focus on growing season pass sales was a success. The chain views pass holders as "goodwill ambassadors" that influence other attendance, such as group bookings and picnics.

• Cedar Fair owns excess land at several of its properties, but do not expect hotels to be built anytime soon. Mr. Ouimet looks to these open spaces to be filled with items that generate additional ticket sales, such as the sports triathlon at Cedar Point, and firefighter competitions - basically special events. Luxury campgrounds were also mentioned, since they increase the length of stay overall.

• Efforts to expand marketing partnerships are still being pursued, but at a slower pace than industry counterparts. They want to make sure partnerships do not dilute the guest experience, which makes me think of Six Flags' tendency to wrap coaster train in ads and cover midways with advertisements.

• While paying for season passes already has options of breaking it down over several months, Mr. Ouimet envisions it becoming like a "cable bill" where a part is paid each month over the whole year, making it like a subscription. This moves having to pay for a pass out of the user's mind, potentially increasing their tendency to spend while at the parks.

Accesso, but they will also try to "train" consumers to know that the best ticket price is available on the park's website. This cuts out the reliance on selling discounted tickets through other outlets, grocery stores and the like.

• The plan is for about 9% of revenues to go to new capital each year, and 9% to go to on-going maintenance. They did about a billion in revenues this year, so that's about $90 million on new rides. Expanding water parks add much value for less cost than a big ride, so they are favored. The hotels the park does own will see improvements in coming years, something that Mr. Ouimet feels is quite necessary.

• Cedar Fair is working with ride manufacturers to create attractions with new innovations that control costs. Each park will still have a 5 year plan designed to bring things to the park that attract repeat visits to check out what's new.

All in all I'm excited to follow the changes coming to the parks under the new management, there's a lot of smart moves being made right now that will play out over the next few seasons. The slides from the Fun Forward presentation are available from Cedar Fair at this link.

Premier Rides' Latest Thrill

2012-01-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

Premier Rides, known for their selection of coasters and thrill rides, has announced that they have been contracted to build the world's tallest indoor coaster at the Great Mall of China. The "super launch coaster integrates many exciting and unique elements, including Premier's advanced magnetic drive technologies."

While no other details are being release at this point, the coaster itself will be manufactured in the United States and shipped to China. The Great Mall of China is a 76 acre project that incorporates commercial venues, an indoor theme park, water park, and other forms of entertainment along side of retail and dining locations.

It is a little tough for me to be 100% on this, but I believe that Mindbender at Galaxyland Amusement Park is currently the tallest indoor coaster, at 145 feet. That means that the new Premier ride would be taller than that, quite a good size!

Heros In A Half Shell Joining Nickelodeon Universe in 2012

2012-01-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

It's been hinted that another Gerstlauer Sky Fly would open next year, and that it just may be in the United States. Turns out that rumor was quite true, as Nickelodeon Universe has just announced that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock will open at the indoor theme park this year.

The ride will lift passengers, 12 at a time, up to 70 feet in the air reaching a speed of 25 miler per hour. The movement of the seats will be controlled by the riders, making the choice of a tame or extreme ride theirs alone.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock is scheduled to open in March at Nickelodeon Universe.

Legoland California's 2012 Expansion Plans

2012-01-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

Concept art of Pirate Reef

The success that Legoland California has seen in recent years could easily be the envy of most theme parks, with year after year of record attendance. The park has kept up with the crowds by adding new attractions each year, and 2012 will be no different.

The park will expand their already popular Pirate Shores area with a new shoot-the-chutes attraction, named Pirate Reef. Since the park is aimed at kids, the ride will be a bit smaller than average, coming in at 25 feet tall. It will feature 20 seat boats that will plunge down a drop, creating a splash that will interact with two 40 foot long Lego pirate ships that are connected by a wooden bridge.

Plans for the expansion area

The ships that the boat passes under will contain interactive features that allow guests to blast riders with even more water, as if the big splash wasn't enough! Pirate Reef will be accessible from both the water and theme park, due to it's proximity to both. And interesting video about the creation of the ride was released today as part of the announcement, filled with concept art and other goodies:

The already popular addition of Star Wars to the park's Miniland will also increase next year, when the display is greatly expanded. New characters from the legendary films will be created and existing scenes given a new layer of details. The adjacent SeaLife Aquarium will also feature a new exhibit titled Claws, which will in include Spider Crabs among other claw-bearing creatures.

La Ronde's Ultimate Flight in 2012

2012-01-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

The last instillation of Six Flags' Star Flyer additions for 2012 has been announced, and it's headed to Canada's La Ronde. The ride will be named "Vol Ultime," translating into Ultimate Flight in English.

I have to wonder if there was some late in the game ride switching going on at Six Flags this year, since Vol Ultime will be the smaller 15 story version of the ride, unlike the larger ones going into Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

If you remember, Great Adventure's SkyScreamer was first announced to be 15 stories, then later the park unveiled that it had been "upgraded" to well over 200 feet in height.

Regardless of the ride's height, Vol Ultime will still provide some amazing views of the area around La Ronde as riders swing in a 90 circle at almost 40 miles per hour.

Dollywood and Gaylord Announce New Family Entertainment Park For Nashville

2012-01-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

In a bit of a surprise announcement, both Dollywood and Gaylord Entertainment have announced that they've paired up, 50/50, to bring a brand new combination water and snow park to Nashville. The park will be situated on 114 acres of land adjacent to the Gaylord Opryland Resort, and just a stone's throw away from the location of the former Opryland Theme Park.

The development will take place in several phases, the first of which will consist of the water and snow park, and will cost and estimated $50 million. The complex, which does not have an official name yet, will break ground in late 2012 or early 2013, and has a planned opening of 2014.

Once the water and snow parks are open there will still be 35 additional acres left for other attractions. No plans are being revealed, but suitable operators of attractions are being looked into. It does not sound from the press release like plans for a theme park to set up shop are in the works, but you never can know for sure.

If you zoom into the site plans, you can get a feel for what the water park will offer - and it looks like a full day's worth of fun. There are plenty of slides, two adjacent wave pools, a play structure, lazy river, and more. In the expansion area more water park additions can be seen, one outline looks quite a bit like a large Tornado slide.

The snow area will provide families good times during the winter months. While exact details on this feature were not released, it appears as though there are several areas that look to be created for tubing activities - always a great time!

PortAventura Names Its B&M Mega Coaster

2012-01-18T20:38:00.000-05:00

PortAventura has given an official name to it's new 250 foot tall Bolliger and Mabillard mega coaster, Shambhala. Themed as a trip among the infamous Himalaya mountains, the word Shambhala refers to a geographic location used in Buddhist teachings.

The ride will have heavily themed station and queue areas, and from some photos of a model of the ride that just surfaced Shambhala will also have a tunnel at the base of the first drop, and a splash down feature in the middle of the ride. Additionally, the ride's turnaround element looks like a departure from Bolliger and Mabillard's standard designs; a large helix that rises to the mid-point, then falls back in a swooping drop.

2012 is really shaping up to be one of the most exciting new coaster years in some time!

New Cedar Fair Websites Debut

2012-01-17T16:54:00.002-05:00

After announcing some months ago that they were pairing up with Accesso in order to update websites and online ticketing, Cedar Fair has made good on their promise. Today several of the chain's parks debuted new websites, including Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm and Canada's Wonderland.

The sites have been given a slick new appearance, but it seems that a lot of the content offered on the new sites is the same as on the previous ones. For instance, Kings Island has always had a very detailed website, and it continues to be in its new form - full of pictures, fun facts, a blog, etc.

The opposite is also true, Knott's Berry Farm's website was always very light on details, photos, and other media, and continues to be - something I've long found odd as they are competing in the rather crowded Southern California market.

On both the changes that Accesso brought to the table are clear, the online ticketing portion of the sites is quite different and now more modern.

The plan is for all the parks to have new websites by the time they open for the 2012 season.

A New Future for Kentucky Kingdom?

2012-01-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

Could there finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for the shuttered Kentucky Kingdom amusement park? And could that light be the family behind the very successful Holiday World theme park?

Perhaps. Yesterday news broke that the family who owns Holiday World, the Kochs, was in a "fact-finding" phase of looking at the park in order to see if operating a lease on the property made sense. The park has made it crystal clear that they are simply looking into it, and it sounds like in no way should anyone assume that the Holiday World operators will be taking over Kentucky Kingdom.

Still, this is a bright spot in a dark two years worth of history for the park since Six Flags pulled out and abandoned the property. The Koch family is nothing if not determined when it comes to their theme park, and that combined with their operation knowledge could potentially spell a bright future for Kentucky Kingdom.

Plus, geographically it would make sense. The park's are only about 100 driving miles (60 or so direct) from one another, so there are obvious benefits from that, too.

Something to keep an eye on, for sure.

Disney Dreams! At Disneyland Paris

2012-01-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

I must admit that when news first broke that Disneyland Paris was celebrating their 20th anniversary with a new nighttime show that uses the park's Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty's Castle) I sorta passed right on by the news piece.

This video, however, has suddenly peaked my attention:

As you can see, some bright creative minds are working on the Disney Dreams! show. Steve Davidson is known for his fantastic productions, which include the recent World of Color, DisneySea's Fantasmic! and most all of the highly acclaimed fireworks shows seen at the parks. Solid footing if there ever were any for Disney Dreams!

The show will use the park's castle as a projection surface that is being pinpointed down to the the pixel. This will allow designers to transform the castle into a giant screen, able to become whatever they like in order to tell the story.

Also, and seen in the screen grab on the left, the moat around the castle will be heavily modified as well. Fountains, reminiscent of those in World of Color, along with two giant water screens will be installed. Fire cannons will also be used, along with lasers and other effect. This will allow for even more impressive features to wow audiences as the show celebrates famous Disney characters and films.

Plus, you know the fireworks will be beautiful - that's pretty much a given. The show sounds a bit like the result of Fantasmic! and World of Color having a baby.

I guess I shouldn't have judged this book by its cover, there's a lot more to it than I had thought. Can't wait to see some videos once the show debuts!

New Drool-Worthy Leviathan Photos

2012-01-16T06:04:00.005-05:00

Well Canada's Wonderland, thanks for making it easy to shrug off any potential oncoming case of the Mondays with the above photo! It's hard to feel down where something like that is staring you in the face!

I know, I know, we've seen 300+ foot tall rides before. There's just something about Leviathan's structure that gets me when photographed from an angle such as this. And take notice of the small piece of hill on the far right - that's only the ride's third large hill - it really gives a sense of just how much acreage this ride covers!

The park has been taking their time finishing the ride's Hammerhead turnaround, which is only half complete in these new photos. From there only one more speed hill, a medium sized airtime hill, and a diving turn are needed to complete the circuit.

The Voyage Gets Some TLC at Holiday World

2012-01-15T18:33:00.000-05:00

Often calling someone or something "high maintenance" is a negative, but perhaps in the case of Holiday World's Voyage it's a positive attribute. In this situation the massive wooden coaster does indeed require quite a bit of upkeep, but that also gives the park the ability to take a look at the larger picture and make changes to keep the ride as fun - and intense- as ever.

Such is the case with this off-season, where the Voyage is getting some major work done, including the rebuilding of the first two drop pull-outs, and totally rebuilding a section of the ride's turnaround. It's pretty neat of Holiday World to share a video like this, which lets all of the park's 'super fans' be in the know on the ride's changes.

Plus, there's even a nice update on the progress of using Timberliners on the coaster! Sounds like a one-of-a-kind solution was needed for the trains, and there is now a chance they could run in 2012.

Weekly Rewind 1.14.12

2012-01-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

With no confirmation that it is, it looks like Galveston Please Pier has posted a photo of some StarFlyer pieces on their Facebook! That's a perfect ride for a pier setting.

I love aerial photos, no secret, so WDW Magic's continuing series of Fantasyland expansion photos are right up my alley. The new section at the Magic Kingdom is really coming a long, now with footers for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train going in.

Another new attraction for Hong Kong Disneyland? Disney and More, via their Star Tours blog, is saying it's a go, to open just after the previously announced expansions debut. Must be buffing up the offerings for Shanghai Disney

This totally a fan created preview of Alton Tower's planed coaster for 2013, and it looks amazing. When reviewing the plans I didn't realize the cars had the possibility to interact like that. I hope they do!

Holy moly, Thorpe Park's Swarm is already testing! Check out these new photos of a train making its way around the course. Coasters are growing up faster and faster these days!

So Europa Park has been taking some gorgeous photos of their new coaster, Wodan. And with plenty of sites covering the progress, it's never hard to get an update. Official photos can be found here, along with some GCI shots here. The station fly-by, which is banked, looks amazing.

A lot of people were very excited about the launch of a new section of Disney California Adventure's website devoted to Cars Land, but it all seemed like stuff we've already seen. Just me perhaps?

Look Ma, we got new logos! Both The Great Escape and Darien Lake swapped out their old logos and replaced them with fresh designs last week. The Great Escape's looks very fitting for the woodsy property, and Darien Lake is a total reversal of the thrill-oriented logo the park was using.

It does not have much content quite yet, but Universal Studios Hollywood has launched a new website to help promote Transformers The Ride: 3D, which is set to open in May. I'd be on the watch for more content as the ride's opening draws closer.

Say Bye ElecTRONica, and Hello to the Mad T Party

2012-01-13T08:06:00.000-05:00

Concept Art above and below © Disney

When Glow Fest debuted at Disney California Adventure many fans weren't, well, a fan of it yet, however, it grew on the public and ended up being called a smash hit. Soon Disney debuted ElecTRONica as a replacement, which had equally or higher reviews, livening up a section of California Adventure many nights with dancing, music, a classic arcade, and generally festive times.

Now the time has come for a replacement, and it seems that the party atmosphere at the park isn't nearly ready to go away. Plans have been laid for the Mad T Party to open at the park this Summer, where "a live band, unique entertainment, fun-filled games and plenty of dancing all await guests seeking an escape into a bright and vivid alternate reality."

Based on the characters from Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland in the 2010 film, the theme will be decidedly warped, using "re-imagined" versions of the story in new ways. Included will be a live band, dance space, specialty themed beverages and retail, and plenty of other vibrant fun.

If nothing else, these 'parties' offer some spectacular visuals, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the Mad T Party turns out.

Busch Gardens Tampa Opens New Animal Care Center

2012-01-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

Busch Gardens Tampa is already well known for their loving dedication to the substantial animal population found on the park's grounds, but with the opening of their new Animal Care Center, that dedication is deeper than ever.

The state-of-the-art center first and foremost serves the animals that call Busch Gardens home, but also serves as a new park attraction for guests. Visitors to the facility are treated to both unparalleled access to the medical care taking place each day and an educational experience that is one of a kind.

Busch Gardens Senior Veterinarian Dr. Pete Black consults with Dr. Cathy Lynch-Buckhorn, Associate Vice President for Women’s Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine, while performing an ultrasound on a white-cheeked gibbon at the Animal Care Center.

According to the park's release, "the major guest components of the new facility include a nutrition center, treatment rooms, a clinical lab and an interactive diagnostic activity. The treatment center will allow guests to watch as Busch Gardens’ skilled vets do preventative checkups, treatments and surgeries on animals. Guests will be able to see into the rooms through glass walls, and audio capabilities will allow guests to talk to vets working behind the glass."

The new Animal Care Center also has recovery and holding rooms for patients, along with vet offices. The nearly 16,000 square foot facility replaced the rhino exhibit in the Nairobi section of Busch Gardens Tampa.

Six Flags Projects Moving Right Along

2012-01-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

This has to be one of the worst times of the year, so cold and Spring seems so far away! Happily, this also doubles as the time when we get to watch many park projects rise toward the sky, beckoning us to come try them out when nice weather returns.

Such is true at Six Flags New England. Goliath, the park's massive Inverted Boomerang coaster, has reached a milestone with the first supports in place. Seen above, bright blue supports are now sticking out of the muddy construction site.

More photos of the recent progress have been shared by the park as well.

If there were any lingering questions on exactly what colors the track for Six Flags America's Apocalypse were going to be, this should put those to rest. The track rails and ties will be a nice orange color, with a cool gray spine. Set atop what I think will be very dark, if not black, supports, this will be one poppin' paint job.

This photo, along with a few new ones that have been shared, show that the park is making substantial progress on the ride. From the look of it, the footer pouring process is nearing the end, and we all know that means vertical construction isn't far off!

Ride the Swarm in Style

2012-01-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

The Swarm Developer's Diary has shared some photos of the recently arrived trains for Thrope Park's new Wing Coaster - and how cool are they!

The trains have some alien creature type theming to them, along with some fancy and eerie red lights. There's plenty of other photos to check out, all of which are impressive. And speaking of, the station for the ride, which is a dilapidated church, is looking equally nice.

The train design for the Bolliger and Mabillard Wing Coasters seem to nicely lend themselves to different theming. Gardaland's Raptor also has unique creatures on it, and Dollywood's Wild Eagle will have, well, eagles on them adding to their design.

Pandemonium Heads Out

2012-01-11T11:53:00.006-05:00

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has not wasted anytime sending it's spinning coaster, Pandemonium, on it's way out. The park posted a picture to Facebook of the ride already missing a significant portion of track.

The Gerstlauer spinning coaster is rumored to be on it's way to Six Flags Mexico, but that has not yet been confirmed by Six Flags management. The spot currently occupied by the coaster will be home to the new Premier launched coaster SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight, which is set to open this spring.

Some may note a bit of irony that Pandemonium is headed to Mexico, as the ride that occupied the spot before, Zonga, was also sent to a park in Mexico after it was removed.

Holiday World Making Mammoth Progress

2012-01-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

The time has come for Holiday World to start putting the pieces of their new record breaking water coaster, Mammoth, together. And a mammoth project it is!

Judging from some photos the park has shared of the start of this process, you can really gauge just how huge the slide pieces really are. Mammoth will utilize boats that carry six people in their own seats, so a rather large slide is needed.

For those of you who want to check in on the construction of Mammoth, remember to stop by the park's live construction cam. It looks like they've made much progress again today!

When the ride opens this year it will take the title of the world's longest water coaster from the previous owner, which is Holiday World's own Wildebeest.

Aerial Antics: Dixie Landin' and Blue Bayou Waterpark

2012-01-10T11:40:00.000-05:00

Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dixie Landin' and Blue Bayou Waterpark offers guests both amusement and water rides on the same property. It would seem as though the water rides are a bigger draw, but perhaps that has to do with the weather in the area!

Guests are greeted by the red and black Voodoo, a giant family bowl slide. The water park likes to build the "world's largest" versions of all its rides, and when Voodoo debuted this was no exception to that rule.

Another pair of huge slides can be seen here. On the left is a Tornado style ride, named Azuka at the park. To the right is a huge set of mat racer slides, aptly named the racers. Blue Bayou has plenty of other slides, as well as a lazy river and wave pool. Next year the park will see the addition of new AquaLoop slides, sure to be in some way the "world's largest" I'm sure!

Over on the Dixie Landin' side of things there are a bunch of different rides and attractions for visitors to explore. Above is the Splinter, a classic log flume that features two different drops. It is flanked by several flat rides, including the Flyin' Tigers, Zydeco Express, and the Gumbo Yo-Yo.

The park has some bigger rides, too. On the left is the Ragin' Cajun (the park sure likes to end words with an n'), a Boomerang that was originally located in the United Kingdom. The park's Hot Shot, an S&S creation, was moved from Miracle Strip amusement park when it closed. The Xtreme, a Maurer Sohne spinning car coaster that came via the Netherlands, can also be seen.

The backside of the park contains another midway filled with additional rides. Here we see the park's Ferris wheel, and a Rainbow ride - which are becoming increasingly rare these days. The coaster seen here is the Galaxy, which was previously located at two different Louisiana parks: Pontchartrain Beach and Fun Fair Park.

To see Bing's aerial of Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin', click here.

A Sweet Stadium Deal for California's Great America

2012-01-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

Now that Cedar Fair will be keeping California's Great America as part of their portfolio, eyes have turned to the deal that the company reached for the use of the park's adjacent parking lot. With the plan approved it has become public record, which means that we can take a look at just what Cedar Fair got in return for cancelling their lawsuit against the stadium plan.

In the official document - which can be downloaded directly via this link - it looks as though Cedar Fair actually got a decent deal out of the agreement.

For starters, when the company's lease for the property the park sits on (Cedar Fair does not own the ground) expires in 2039 they can extended with a relatively small percentage increase for the rent. This chain could continue all the way up to 2074, each time increasing at what will probably be well below what the market on its own would dictate.

Currently the city gets extra rent from the park when its gross revenues pass $56 million, though that has not happened since 2006. Now, starting in 2020 the threshold for the extra rent will increase by 15%, then again in 2030, then every five years after. However, Cedar Fair must invest at least $10 million in new capital in the park in the five years preceding the threshold increase to get the bump.

This is basically incentive for Cedar Fair to expand the park. By adding new rides and attractions in these set periods the park effectively can make more money - and avoid paying any of it to the city through percentage rent.

Cedar Fair also some strict rules in place for when events can take place at the stadium. Days when the park is closed, and ones in the evenings are fair game - but not on holidays. There cannot be a game scheduled on a Saturday in August. The company also has "sole discretion" on approving events on Saturday or Sunday in June, July or August, and all important Summer and Fall holidays.

This helps the company protect itself on days that are usually busy, in fact I'm a bit surprised they got as much say in the matter as they did. Throw on top of that a $12.5 million cash payment ($3.5 million when the lease is signed, and $8.5 million when the stadium opens) and it seems Cedar Fair generally got their way.

So now the big question - will California's Great America finally see some new rides and attractions as a result of this? One can hope!

Slide Tower Addition to Funtown Splashtown Almost Complete

2012-01-09T09:08:00.002-05:00

Wasting no time this off-season, Maine's Funtown Splashtown USA has been working hard on their new 6 lane slide tower. A major addition for the park, the new tower is going to make quite a visual impact on visitors when they arrive!

Four of the slides are mat racers, which start out with a turn before plummeting down. The other two use capsule launches - one has a double horizontal "flatline" loop and the other is a long straight drop down.

The park's expansion doesn't stop there, they're also busy building both a new restaurant and candy store, moving their Beer Garden, and adding new picnic groves!

Time to Take the Wood Coaster Poll

2012-01-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

It is that time again, the ballots are out for the Best Wood Coaster Poll. New this year is a nice drag and drop style of ballot for those who were either confused or intimidated by the usual method. It's about as simple as can be, so check that out.

Last year the #1 spot was a tie - T-Express at South Korea's Everland and...

El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure. What will #1 be this year?

Also - bear in mind that a poll like this is more and more accurate when more and more people complete ballots - so in my opinion everyone should take the time to give their input!

Weekly Rewind 1.7.12

2012-01-07T14:32:00.000-05:00

Test Track at Epcot will be slightly reimagined while it is closed for a good part of the year. General Motors has renewed their sponsorship, and it sounds like major changes to the queue and post show area will take place during the renovations.

After being offered for sale by Adrenaline Family Entertainment, Alabama Adventure has been sold to a company created by former owners of the park. An expansion oriented toward families is already being planned for the water park, which is a major draw for the property.

Cedar Fair had a busy week, announcing record attendance (23.4 million) and also a new board member, Tom Klein. Congratulations to the chain on their record year!

Care to take a spin on a swing ride located in the middle of a nuclear cooling tower? Well, it is important to know that the nuclear plant never went online, so Wunderland Kalkar is perfectly safe. They have plenty of rides, restaurants, and other activities on site. Wild!

One More Disney Day is both the name of a new marketing promotion and what you get on February 29th at Disney Parks. On both coasts parks will stay open 24 hours in celebration of the leap year.

Reading is fundamental. If it wasn't you would be on this website, now would you? That's why Six Flags Great Adventure encourages teachers to take part in their Read to Succeed program - where readers can earn a free ticket!

Dollywood's Wild Eagle is going to make yet another impression on guests when they arrive at the entrance, greeted by a metal Eagle sculpture with a 48 foot wingspan! For a video on the art piece, and some recent station shots, visit the Wild Eagle website.

Looks like the massive footer for WindSeeker at Carowinds is just about done - that means vertical construction can start soon! Kings Dominon is a bit further behind, but still making nice progress.

Vertical construction, finally! X-Flight at Six Flags Great America has started to go up. Unlike most Bolliger and Mabillard rides, this one isn't being built station first, rather supports for the end of the first drop and middle of the ride are in place.

A Western View - A New Year at Disneyland

2012-01-06T18:54:00.011-05:00

It’s been a while since we’ve had A Western View update and for that I apologize. I, unfortunately, haven’t been to a theme park in much too long. I decided I needed to start 2012 out on the right track though, and made the trek down to Disneyland!

We had to of course deal with the terrible Southern California weather. It was a frigid 82 degrees and sunny. But honestly, I’m not sure you could ask for better weather. But at Disney, the snow doesn’t melt in any weather! You can see the giant countdown clocks were still up from the night before.

“Hey Mickey, why is the Christmas tree still up?"

On Main Street, the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Café was still behind walls. They weren’t kidding when they said “Opening Soon” either. I’m told the Café has since been opened and is quite nice.

Because of the crowds, we snuck away to the Disneyland Hotel to get lunch at the new Tangaroa Terrace. The burger was fantastic; unfortunately they went and ruined it with sweet potato fries (yuck!).

The new E-Ticket Pool is now open and was pretty crowded considering it was a January afternoon.

The new Monorail Slides were also back open. They had recently been closed for a rusting issue but that seems to have been worked out.

We didn’t want to think about the crowds at Disneyland so we headed for the generally quieter Disney California Adventure. But apparently no one got the memo that DCA is the less popular park and it’s work wall lined paths were jammed as well.

We checked out MuppetVision 3D to see if the awesome new Muppet movie had any effect on it’s popularity… it didn’t, and we walked right on.

Construction on Buena Vista Street was non-existant seeing as it was a holiday, but they sure have moved right along on the project since I was last there. Above you see the new Elias & Co. store façade going up.

Across the street, hard to see but the building’s replacing the spot that the California Zephyr once occupied are even father along and currently being skinned.

But the big change since my last visit is the Carthay Circle Theater. This building is absolutely gorgeous! It’s even more impressive in person than in photos and is helping DCA look really beautiful.

To the left of the tower there will be a new bar location for guests to relax at and have a drink.

Over on the right of the tower, there will be another bar but this will be home to the ultra exclusive Club 33 location within DCA. This is the first time that Disney has made a new Club 33 location within an American park (if memory serves me right, there is a Club 33 at Tokyo Disneyland).

I took this as a reminder that DCA does have some original features from when they first built the park that are truly beautiful. The park gets a bad rap for being ugly and made on the cheap but when you look past the excessive nit-picking you will see it wasn’t all that bad to begin with.

Moving to Cars Land. Man, oh man has this thing come along! Unfortunately they’ve done a great job at blocking just about every spot to take picture from other than that evil Ferris Wheel that I refuse to ride.

Here you see the sign for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.

A peek through reveals the tractors that guests will ride behind.

Later this spring the old Tortilla Factory will reopen as a Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory and Soda Fountain. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life, this addition of a SF landmark company makes me very happy.

Smile all you want Mickey, that thing behind you is pure evil!

The Little Mermaid was a walk-on the entire trip, but don’t let the Negative Nancys in the Disney community fool you; this ride is awesome and very popular. It has an amazing throughput and thus never seems to back up into the queue for more than a 5 min wait.

I’ll leave you with a parting shot of Paradise Pier. This was the first trip to Disneyland in 2 years where I didn’t watch World of Color, but I made up my mind to watch fireworks and Fantasmic! this time around. Up until this trip I hadn’t seen the new Dragon.

The following day was even more crowded so we gave up around noon and headed north to Universal Studios Hollywood. Unfortunately my camera never saw any action because I was too busy enjoying the park. I will, however, be heading back in a few months for the opening of Transformers so stay tuned for that!

Alton Tower Planning 2013 Coaster

2012-01-05T19:37:00.000-05:00

Alton Towers has submitted planning documents that are part of their request to build a new coaster in 2013 - a very twisted coaster indeed.

The documents share that the ride will be made by the same manufacturer as Saw at Thorpe Park, which is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter. The ride will be about the same height at the park's Oblivion ride, but uses some excavation to create some below grade sections of the ride.

The ride's layout appears to contain 8 inversions, though it can get a bit confusing to follow the track. The ride will have an interlocking Batwing and Cobra Roll, creating a unique visual for spectators. The other inversions appear to be combinations of dive loops and Immelmans.

This profile shot exemplifies how twisted the ride is! The lifts are a bit of a mystery to me, as it seem there is one traditional lift and one vertical lift at different points in the ride. I can't be totally sure, though, as the drawings do not full explain the higher sections.

If the ride is approved construction would start in September of this year. The ride will replace the building that housed the former Black Hole indoor coaster, which closed some years ago. The site has recently been used for Halloween mazes, so it is ripe for redevelopment.

The coaster also will have theming elements, but no details surfaced in the planning documents. Somehow in the middle of the twisted track some large structures are set to go up for the track to dive through.

Looks pretty cool, right?

1994 MGM Grand Adventures Souvenir Map

2012-01-05T09:31:00.002-05:00

When it rains it pours, and after our recent interview with Rick Bastrup on designing several of MGM Grand Adventures' rides I got my hands on another gem - a 1994 souvenir map from the park.

The whole gang was ready to welcome visitors to the park! I've cut the large image into four parts so that some detail comes though when you click on the images for larger versions. This section is quite dominated by the Grand Canyon Rapids attraction, showing off the various thematic elements that the boats passed by.

In the upper right corner we have Over the Edge, the park's log flume. Moving clockwise we enter the Salem Waterfront, which featured the Haunted Mine dark ride. Crossing a bridge across the lagoon guests entered New Orleans Street to the Magic Screen Theatre and the Cotton Blossom riverboat restaurant. Tubleweed Gulch is in the lower left, containing the theater for "You're In The Movies" and a special events area.

French Street starts us off in this piece, an extremely small themed area basically consisting only of the Parisian Taxis bumper car rides. The Backlot River Tour, technically a part of the Asian Village area, took up a lot of real estate in the upper right corner. The Lightning Bolt indoor coaster's building can be see bottom right, and Deep Earth Exploration, still listed as "Coming in 1994" in toward the bottom left.

The final piece of the map is the entrance area, where guests entered the park from the hotel. The Casablanca Plaza served as a greeting, with typical park entrance amenities. The park's 'main street' of sorts was the New York Street, complete with a bustling city street. Another small area of the park, one without an real attraction, Olde England Street, can be see on the upper left.

A Peek at Shanghai Disney

2012-01-04T17:51:00.003-05:00

Image from Theme Park Concepts

Thanks to S.W. Wilson and his design blog Theme Park Concepts, we now have some educated speculation about the new attractions in store for Shanghai Disney. Wilson has analyzed and "layered" together five officially-released images from Disney, including a property map, a fly-around video of the park's castle, and a computer model from the D23 Disney enthusiast group.

Wilson highlights some of the following attractions for the new park:

2 hotels, including a luxury and value resort
a circular-raft river ride akin to Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom
an all-new Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, with an adjacent stunt show
a jazzed-up Storybook Land Canal Boats
Tron-themed launched Vekoma motorbike coaster in Tomorrowland

In the interest of respecting intellectual property, we urge you to check out his blog for a more in-depth analysis of the park's potential new layout and attractions. His impressive research can be found here.

January 2012 NPN Poll

2012-01-04T15:26:00.001-05:00

Probably one of my favorite polls we do here at NPN is each year's "most anticipated" new coaster. I've just set up this year's version, but with so many coasters debuting in '12 we're focusing only on North America.

That leaves us with with about 11 big new, or "new" (moved), rides that will open in 2012. Which is your most anticipated?

Vote over on the left!

An Amusing First Day on the Job

2012-01-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

The day has arrived - today marks the last day that Richard Kinzel is the CEO of Cedar Fair. Starting tomorrow, Matt Ouimet will officially start his job as the Chief Executive Officer of the company, though he's technically been working for six months now.

Do you think he's nervous? I doubt it, since he's already had quite an extensive history in the amusement park field, having come to Cedar Fair with a background from Disney Parks and Resorts.

And just what will that experience produce while he's leading Cedar Fair? It would appear as though Mr. Ouimet's changes should be felt quite soon, and he plans to embrace technology through a makeover of park websites, to help with planning and the in-park experience. He also seems keen on focusing on the family part of the amusement park visitor equation, though that's not a new idea by any stretch of the imagination.

Still, how far his plans of attracting families will go could be interesting to watch. Could dark rides make a return at Cedar Fair parks? Would Mr. Ouimet rather spend an extra million on theming rather than more coaster track? Burning questions, I know, and I'm exciting to watch things play out.

But as for his first day at work, we wish him good luck!

NPN December 2011 Poll Results

2012-01-03T21:19:00.001-05:00

Last month's poll focused on finding out what was everyone's favorite "simulator on tracks" style ride, at least how I call it. Disney has coined the ride system an Enhanced Motion Vehicle, though the system has been used by both Universal and Busch Entertainment.

The winner of this one was a landslide - The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure took 43% of the total votes. The ride quickly ascended to the dark ride fans hall of fame after it initially opened, and will now feature newly created digital projections sure to make riders' experiences even more thrilling.

Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure came in second place with 23% of the vote, followed by the Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg with 19%. Indiana Jones was the first really big use of the ride system, and a ride that remains immensely popular 15 years after its debut.

Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom, a clone of Indiana Jones with a different theme, ranked 4th with 9% of the vote. Transformers, which hasn't actually opened yet at Universal Studios Hollywood, came in an understandably last place.

Alton Towers 2012: Dare You Enter?

2012-01-02T19:55:00.000-05:00

Alton Towers, located in the United Kingdom, has a deep love for both teasing their new attractions to fans and also of creating some of the most dramatic marketing for them that the industry has ever seen.

A perfect example is the park's 2012 ride, currently called Nemesis Sub-Terra. The ride will be located two stories underground, and continue on with the elaborate theme that was created for the park's famous Bolliger and Mabillard inverted coaster, Nemesis, which opened in 1994. Aside from that, the rest is still shrouded in mystery.

Most information on the ride is currently contained on the park's website in the form of a comic book style video, along with a press release that declares that Jack Osbourne as the park's Director of Fear.

According to the Funland Blog the ride will be mini-drop towers that are partially located underground in order to fit in with the park's super strict height limits. The promises to release more on the ride, which is set to open March 24th, in the coming weeks. For now, your guess is as good as mine!

Leaked Plans for Potter's New Land?

2012-01-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

It seems so. A story published on Theme Park Insider has blown the lid off the proposed plans for a second Harry Potter themed land at the Universal Orlando Resort, this time at Universal Studios Florida.

According to the story, the new area will, as was rumored, be themed to Diagon Alley, which is located in London but only accessible to those with the magic touch who know how to find it.

The "muggles" visiting the park will of course gain entry to the area, which is known for containing the Leaky Cauldron, a busy pub, Ollivander's Wand Shop (though this was already built in the existing Islands of Adventure land), and most importantly Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

The last item is important because it would appear as though a roller coaster styled trip through the subterranean caverns and chambers of the bank will be the new area's main attraction. Those who have seen the films or read the books know that the method of transport for customers wishing to visit their vault is very much a coaster style train, making a perfect fit for the ride.

Also mentioned is the train ride between the Studios park and Islands of Adventure, connecting the two Potter themed lands.

Naturally there's no confirmation that the leaked plans are true, but it all seems to fit pretty perfectly into place, in my opinion.

Also of note, the attraction being retired for this rumored land, Jaws, will take its final voyage tomorrow!

NPN's Look Back At 2011

2011-12-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

Another year bites the dust... can you believe it? I almost can't, but with such an exciting 2012 ahead of us I'm willing to plunge ahead full speed! Before we get there, let's stop on this last day of the year and look back at the year ending.

An awful lot happened in 2011, as is true of each year. Instead of trying to recap the whole year I'm going to select a handful of stories from each month from NPN's archives, and editor's choice of sorts. Get in your time machine and let's get going!

History has always been an integral park of NewsPlusNotes' focus, and directly along those lines comes January's article. Part of Scott & Carol's Blast From The Past series, this story took a look back at the rise and fall of the Idora Park Wildcat. Designed by Herbert Schmeck and built by PTC, the ride is now only a memory - but one we can relive through this story.

After many rumors and whispers, February brought the arrival of Invertigo trains from California's Great America to Dorney Park. This went hand in hand with rumors regarding the fate of CGA, which seem to have been resolved as I write this.

Now firmly one of my favorite parks around after finally visiting this year, Dollywood opened their new attraction Barnstormer in March, and Scott & Carol were there to check it out. The ride ended up being a nice prelude to next year's mega-attraction, Wild Eagle.

One of my favorite months, April, always marks the start of many parks' seasons and also the final test and adjust phase of many new rides. Such was true with the Wooden Warrior, Quassy's medium size wooden coaster. The ride proved to be a hit for the park, and who doesn't love a Gravity Group ride?

Not only did NewsPlusNotes hit a million unique visitors in the month of May, but a lot of parks also opened new rides! NPN was there for several of them, including Great Adventure's Green Lantern, Discovery Kingdom's SkyScreamer, Busch Gardens Tampa's Cheetah Hunt, and Wild Adventures' Buzzsaw Falls. Busy month!

Sunny June was a good month for taking to the skies at Cedar Fair parks. Both Cedar Point, Canada's Wonderland, and Kings Island opened their new WindSeeker family thrill rides this month, though Knott's Berry Farm had to wait a while longer.

July isn't a month that most think of Halloween, but the spooky Raven was on Scott & Carol's mind when they featured Holiday World's famous coaster in their Blast series. The column featured a great look at the design of the ride all the way to opening! Plus, visits from NPN to both Coney Island and to see the Zippin Pippin were on the schedule.

Even though the Summer wasn't over, it has become a tradition for parks to start announcing new rides in August. This year was no different. Mammoth, Skyrush, Leviathan, and Stinger were just a few of the announcements we saw. And did I mention I finally got to check Dollywood off my bucket list this year?

With Summer slowly starting to fade, the rash of park announcements continued into September. One of the most exciting was Wild Eagle, but Six Flags also made one heck of a massive set of announcements as well. I took a long look at Six Flags Over Georgia, and the industry also said goodbye to legend Ron Toomer, who passed away at the age of 81.

Halloween has fully infiltrated the amusement industry, forever changing what the month of October holds for fans. This past year we were able to visit several haunts, at each of which we had a good scare or two.

The wind picks up and things get a bit chilly in November, but it's also a big construction month. New rides seem to pop up earlier and earlier each year, as seen with both Stinger and Wild Eagle. IAAPA is also held this month, where the industry elite meet and more importantly, buy!

Ho, ho, ho, December seems like it just happened, perhaps because it did! Still, our stories continued on through the cold, such as our interview with Rick Bastrup. Universal parks made big announcements on both coasts, with the retirement of Jaws in Florida, and a certain Mr. Potter heading West in a few years time.

I'd like to thank all our readers for sticking with us in 2011, and we hope you have a fun and safe New Year's! 2012 is shaping up to be a remarkable year - we'll see you there!

Legoland Florida's Successful Holiday Season

2011-12-30T19:17:00.000-05:00

Congratulations are in order to Legoland Florida for surviving their first fully packed holiday season in Central Florida - or at least for surviving it so far. The park has, like so many other Orlando area parks, had to close their gate this week (or come just shy) to visitors due to capacity.

Naturally it sounds like there were a few growing pains for Legoland Florida when the crowds descended, but overall the park handled the masses and now has the experience under their belt.

The crowds at Legoland Florida - and other parks again this time of year - continue to bode well for our favorite industry. It's nice, at least for this writer, to see the parks filled to the brim and relevant as ever to the public.

For Legoland Florida this is especially true - some had concerns that the park's location would make them a hard sell to the already bustling Orlando market. Still, people have responded to the new park - both area visitors and locals - and in this case they came in droves.

With the addition of a water park this summer, Legoland will be able to even better handle the crowds of visitors to the park. If the park continues to be popular I'd bet on even further expansion to add capacity to the park. It'll be interesting to watch the park grow!

Verbolten's Drop Toward the Rhine River

2011-12-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

Left Image © Swiftman via BGWFans.com

An exciting part of Verbolten's construction has been completed as Busch Gardens Williamsburg has finished the ride's final drop. The coaster will plummet down an 88 foot drop straight toward the park's Rhine River, using the same footers (although quite beefed up) as the Big Bad Wolf.

In fact, the nerd in me has been waiting for quite some time to see the completed drop in order to do a comparison shot! Thankfully for us BGWFans has posted some excellent recent photos of the ride, which allowed me to make the comparison above.

Verbolten's theming elements for the drop have yet to be put in place, but you can see the footers for them in the photo. It looks like the turns after the drop will be pretty quick, and feature the same fast directional changes that the Wolf did. Looks good!

Hover On Down to Luigi's Flying Tires

2011-12-29T14:54:00.000-05:00

When Cars Land at Disney California Adventure opens next Summer guests will be able to take a spin on the brand new Luigi's Flying Tires attraction.

One of three rides in the brand new section, the Flying Tires are really a reincarnation of the Flying Saucers that opened at sister park Disneyland in 1961, though constant problems with the ride forced a short life at the park, only five years.

Decades later another ride with cars that hover on air, much like a gigantic air-hockey table, will open again at the Disneyland Resort.

In the video above you can see John Lasseter take a test spin on the attraction, and boy those cars can move! It appears as though a lot of fun will be had when the attraction opens.

Based on the character Luigi from the movie Cars, guests will first wind their way through the Casa Della Tires shop before boarding. As illustrated in the art, Luigi himself will water over the riders, along with his trusted assistant Guido nearby.

Cars Land has a planned Summer opening, and will be one of the year's largest new attractions in North America.

Gerstlauer Sky Fly Debuting at Two Parks in 2012

2011-12-29T10:56:00.000-05:00

Gerstlauer's latest amusement ride is an interactive one - allowing riders to roll and twist high above the ground in their own independently controlled car. The attraction is named Sky Fly, and it's a more stationary version of the Sky Roller ride the company has already created.

The Sky Fly allows twelve riders per cycle to control the movements of their car - including full inversions - as the arm is lifted to 72 feet in the air. Two of the rides will open next year at European parks, Legoland Germany and France's Nigloland.

This is the model of the Sky Fly that will be debuting at both parks. The Nigloland version seemed to be themed to airplanes, while the specific theming at Legoland has only been hinted at in some concept art the park released:

The Ninjago theme, combined with Legoland's usually thorough theming on even the simplest attractions should make for a nice ride. While the rides are quite low on hourly capacity, they make a thrilling and unique attraction for smaller parks.

And we may not have to wait too long to try one out in North America. If rumors are true, then Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America just may be building one right now.

Making Coaster Dreams a Reality

2011-12-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

I think it is quite commonplace for fans of our industry to have at times created an extensive collection of scribbles and sketches of rides we've dreamed up. Some of us, however, are talented enough to take those scribbles a step further and create a real design for a ride - and a really good one at that!

Take for instance project "Soar," designed by Travis Rothbloom, an engineer and aspiring coaster designer:

Looks like fun, right? Travis is a fan of Great Coasters International, as many of you might have guessed after studying that layout. His design utilizes many of GCI's common design elements, wrapped together in a way that is uniquely his own.

The project was created near the end of Travis' education in engineering, making the design contain more real components than any doodle I've ever dreamed of.

The amount of work that has gone into the project is remarkable, and a very thorough report on project Soar, as it is named, is available on Travis' website. It makes for a very interesting read, almost an intro to basic coaster design but on a level that most can understand. (sans the spreadsheets and charts for me!)

With any luck one day we will be able to take a spin on one of Mr. Rothbloom's creations, but as for now I have to thank him for sharing his dream with us.

Cliff's Expanding in 2012

2011-12-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

Cliff's Amusement Park is a New Mexico family tradition, and one that's going to be bigger and wetter than ever next season. The family owned and operated park has some major construction currently going on, needed in order to greatly expand the park's water area next year.

The work site is so big that two rides have had to be moved, and one permanently retired. Both the park's Sea Dragon and Cliff Hanger (free fall ride) are being moved to new homes inside the park. Another ride, the Rock-o-Plane will be retired.

The park's existing Water Monkeys' Adventure, a small water play area, has also been dismantled. All this work is for the park's new Cliff's Water Adventure area, though full details have not been disclosed yet.

Some hints are being made pretty clear, though, such as the above photo of a giant monkey themed tipping bucket, which was recently delivered to the park. In other shared photos, pieces of what looks like it might be a much larger version of a water fortress have arrived, complete with large slide pieces and other monkey theme elements.

It sounds like Cliff's is getting ready to make a full announcement, we'll be sure to check up on that when the do!

Jamaican Me Wanna Ride!

2011-12-27T12:02:00.014-05:00

It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to update with NPN. I've been performing onboard Norwegian Cruise Lines for the past couple months, traveling all around the Caribbean. Tough life, I know.

Our ship (the Norwegian Pearl) would dock weekly in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, home to the popular Dunn's River Falls. The town is also home to Mystic Mountain, an exciting mountain-top entertainment complex accessible only by chair-lift. At the peak, guests can tackle zip-lines, a giant waterslide, and a summer bobsled that could certainly be considered a thrilling roller coaster experience. Needless to say, I had to check it out!

Photo By Theo Wischhusen

The ride up the mountain provides a stunning view of the Caribbean Sea, as well as some close encounters with gorgeous giant spiders in the canopy of trees surrounding the lift.

Video Courtesy of Theo Wischhusen

Check out the on-ride video of the bobsled!

Your NPN contributor pictured above, ready to ride!

Photo Courtesy of Park's Website

The park's waterslide is surprisingly long and fast, and arguably has one of the most impressive views from the top. It's easy to spend an entire day at Mystic Mountain, and I would strongly suggest making this attraction a top priority. Many Caribbean-bound cruise lines dock in or nearby Ocho Rios. Check out the park's website here.

Dick Kinzel Reflects on 40 Years of Cedar Fair

2011-12-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

The time has just about come for Richard Kinzel's time at Cedar Fair to come to an end. His career spans almost 40 years with the company, seeing it grow from a two park operation to the large amusement park operator it currently is.

The Toledo Blade has run a nice piece on the outgoing leader, looking back at his entire career. There's some interesting tidbits in the story as well, such as the fact that several companies at one time or another looked to purchase Cedar Fair including Taft Broadcasting (Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland), Marriott (both Great Americas), and even Anheuser-Busch. Imagine the "what-ifs" if those sales had gone though!

This is definitely a must read for any fan of the company. Head over to the Toledo Blade and check it out.

Taking A Spin On the Polar X-plorer

2011-12-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

Legoland Billund will be premiering a new coaster next year, aptly named the Polar X-plorer. The Zierer family ride will feature a dropping track section, as well as some nice theming and even a trip past some live penguins!

The park has loaded (albeit a tad rough) a new point of view movie to their Facebook account, which shows off the layout of the ride. For a family attraction you'll hear no complaints from me, the ride looks like solid fun.

The climax will be when the train enters the snowy mountain, only to skid on some ice and break through, falling abruptly downward. No worries, though, as the train stops smoothly, takes a few turns, and then guests can wave hello to the penguins as they meander by.

Check out the movie at this link.

Aerial Antics: California Parks Updated

2011-12-24T14:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Best wishes to you and yours from all of us here at NPN!

For a long time Bing was the only option for great bird's eye view images of parks, but now Google is moving in with their new 45 degree images. One of the first parts of the country to have the images added (there are more now, but we'll explore those later) was the West coast.

While we've seen most of these parks in previous Aerial Antics' columns before, the new images do show some recent California parks updates.

Six Flags Magic Mountain's crisp imagery contains shots of recent attractions like the one above, of Apocalypse. The Green Lantern, however, is not added yet.

Invertigo at California's Great America may be Inverti-gone at this point (and suddenly practically in my backyard!) but you can still check it out in its original location.

Work was well underway at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on their new Ghost Castle building when these photos were taken. The work seen above eventually turned into a huge hole, then eventually a two story dark ride!

Paint was just starting to be applied on the face of the massive rock work under construction at Disney California Adventure for Cars Land. It's pretty neat to zoom around and see all different projects underway at the same time!

Lots of nice California sunshine lets us see plenty of details at Knott's Berry Farm, such as one of their recent coaster additions, Sierra Sidewinder. No WindSeeker in these images, though.

The last time we checked out Legoland California's new Pirate themed area from the air it was still under construction, but in newer photos we see the section fully open. The water park they just opened didn't quite make the cut yet, though!

We'll be back on Monday, until then have a happy and safe holiday!

The Green Lantern Opens at Movie World

2011-12-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

The coaster with the steepest drop on the Southern hemisphere has officially opened at Warner Brothers Movie World on Australia's Gold Coast. The new coaster, named the Green Lantern, features a 120 degree first drop, which is well beyond vertical. Only one coaster in the world features a steeper drop, Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland, which features a 121 degree plunge.

The coaster is the 4th instillation of S&S Worldwide's El Loco model. A significant change to the ride was made with the debut of new cars, which Scott & Carol featured a photo of in NPN's recent IAAPA coverage.

The cars now have only lap restraints, which should improve the ride experience tremendously. The Green Lantern's cars also feature on-board audio, as we've seen with several other comic book themed rides around the world.

Indoor Parks Get Twisted, Too

2011-12-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we saw a great example of an outdoor water park expanding for next year with Mt. Olympus' news, but that doesn't mean that things have become stagnant for indoor parks.

The 11 year old Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells just opened a brand new slide tower as a part of an expansion of their offerings. The indoor water park resort is one of two under the Kalahari name, with the other being located in Sandusky, Ohio.

The new tower, which actually features two different attractions, is named Tufani Falls. It contain a pair of slides named the Sahara Sidewinders and another named the Screaming Hyena.

The Sahara Sidewinders are a pair of dueling water slides that perform a horizontal loop as they plummet to the ground below. The slides start at 60 feet in the air, which actually required Kalahari to go above the existing roof of the park!

The Screaming Hyena is a vertical plunge slide, aimed at thrill seeking visitors. The 65 foot plunge sends riders down at 25 miler per hour to the splash out at the bottom.

The hotel's lobby also received a brand new floor mural during the renovation, and a new kid play area was added to the water park. For more photos of the new attractions, click here.

The Lost City of Atlantis Coming to Mt. Olympus

2011-12-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

Continuing the trend of water park expansions we're seeing across the country, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park has announced a gigantic new play structure as next year's addition.

The $4 million addition will be known as the Lost City of Atlantis, and will stand an impressive six stories tall and feature seven different attached water slides.

Provided by WhiteWater West, the structure will be a Giant RainFortress, more on the scale of Hersheypark's East Coast Waterworks than previous smaller versions. The Lost City of Atlantis, in addition to the slides, will also have a massive tipping bucket along with a geyser that shoots water over 120 feet in the air.

Plenty of family friendly slides will also be a part of the Lost City. There will be several smaller kiddie slides, but also a large family raft ride. Thrill seekers can take a spin in the champagne bowl slide, or the whole gang can drop down into the family Boomerango.

The new development will cover 3 acres at the park when complete.

Original Dorney Park Hercules Drawing/Plans

2011-12-20T17:11:00.001-05:00

Here is an early Holiday present for everyone, especially those fond of rides that are currently resting in pieces. This is a copy of the plans that were used back in July of 1988 when Dorney Park was attempting to gain approval of their massive new wooden roller coaster, eventually named Hercules.

Along with the layout of the coaster this serves as a nice snapshot at the park at the time. Click the larger version to see all the other rides named on there - Miniature Golf, the Spectacular, Iceberg, Penny Arcade, Merry-Go-Round, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and more are listed. Several other rides are in locations that that have since changed.

The layout of Hercules is placed over the park as it was at the time, you can see that the station area for the coaster sat pretty directly over one of the racetrack's turns. The coaster may not have stood the test of time, but it's hard to argue that it didn't help propel Dorney Park to a 'next level' in its development.

For more on Hercules, check out two different stories that NPN has run on the ride over the years.

Watch Out For That... Plane?

2011-12-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

This is what you get for not paying attention to a ride's construction - sometimes even after the track is complete some big surprises remain! In this case that big surprise comes in the form of a massive faux plane that's been added to Thrope Park's new Swarm coaster.

If you look closely at the track as it dives under the wing you can see how close of a fit that's going to be. Keep in mind that the trains on Bolliger and Mabillard Wing coasters are huge, making that close call even closer.

More photos of this impressive set piece can be seen here.

Punch Buggy Orange!

2011-12-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

...no punch-backs! Visitors to Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Christmas Town were able to get a treat on their mobile devices in the form of a QR code that links to a brand new Verbolten movie.

This time around the construction of the ride is not being shown off, though it seems that the ride has progressed much in recent weeks. Instead this movie focuses on the theme and story of the ride.

The movie features some new concept art of the ride's queue area, which will have a bit of a cluttered feel if the above art holds true. There's also a look at some of the cool props being fabricated for the ride.

You can check out the video at this link.

Weekly Rewind 12.17.11

2011-12-17T17:35:00.000-05:00

The new Miracle Strip amusement park has announced a new ride addition, the Sea Dragon. The ride will be part of other expansions in 2012, I love to see this little park growing!

We can put the rumors of Mirabilandia's new DiVertical ride having a coaster section to bed - indeed it will. Supports are now up for the start of a hill after the big drop.

Going, going, gone. Same week as Kennywood announced a new ride, the Pitt Fall removal was just about completed. Check out some recent photos.

The construction of Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland continues on, with the park recently completing both the ride's first huge turn, as well as plenty of track on the ride's out run.

I do believe that Europa Park's new GCI wooden coaster, recently named Wodan Timbur Coaster, feels like it's been the fastest I've seen in a while! Almost all of the ride's twists and turns are up.

Six Flags and candy-maker Mars is a match made in heaven, or at least the companies think so. Mars' sponsorship has been renewed for another three years, and will be expanded at all parks.

While putting up a 301 foot thrill ride is a challenge, so is building the massive footings for such a structure. Carowinds looks to have just completed exactly that, based on these new photos.

No more thorn in Cedar Fair's side? Q Investments has announced that they will shed up to a third of their shares of the company. So long as the unit price stays up, of course.

This article details some of the real challenges going into choosing a project for the site of the former Six Flags New Orleans theme park. Sounds like a park could reopen there, but I'm not holding my breath.

Hawaiian Falls Announces Additions at Four Parks

2011-12-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

Even after a 2011 that saw plenty of expansion, including the addition of some unique torpedo tube slides, the four Hawaiian Falls water parks in Texas will be greatly expanding again in 2012.

Each park will receive new attractions that fit the demand of that specific park, ranging from wild thrill rides to children's play areas. These expansions were announced even as the chain is working on opening a 5th Hawaiian Falls park next year, a $10 million park located in Waco.

The parks put together a nice graphic for each park, so let's check out what is being added.

The Roanoke park will spend almost $2 million on a new slide tower named Cyclone Fury. It will contain four slides, including two speed slides next to each other, a family raft ride, and one of Whitewater's "constrictor" slides, which have the tightest turns in the industry.

The constrictor type slide is a new design, and will be one of only a handful in the country.

Mansfield will feature a selection of rides for the whole family as part of their $3 million in additions. A Boomerango slide will be added, along with the Cliffhanger, which has a 40 foot drop. Splashwater Harbor will be a 10,000 square foot children's play area.

The park located in Garland will see the retrofit of two existing attractions into new experiences. The Abyss will be a totally dark slide that will feature lights, sounds and projects to enhance the experience. The park's children's area will be expanded and turned into Keiki Kingdom, a play area aimed at kids.

Finally the park located in The Colony will add the new Whirlwind, a unique double bowl slide that we recently saw announced for Fun Spot's expansion in Orlando. Two slides funnel into the same bowl creating a crazy racing experience.

Details on all the parks can be found on their official websites. This chain certainly is keeping water park manufacturers happy these days!

Kennywood Announces Black Widow for 2012

2011-12-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

I'll be the first to tell you, spiders are not my cup of tea - but I make an exception for new rides named after them! Kennywood has finally announced Pitt Fall's replacement, the venomous Black Widow.

The towering ride is a Zamperla Giant Discovery, a huge ride that both spins and swings guests in a dizzying pendulum motion. A total of 40 riders can experience Black Widow at once, sitting in outward facing seats with their legs dangling on a giant ring at the base of the ride.

At the start of the ride the ring slowly starts spinning in a counterclockwise direction as the pendulum starts to swing. At full swing the ride will be more than 120 degrees from the center point, and reach an amazing height of 146 feet.

The base of the ride stands 90 feet tall, so you can imagine how far up the ride will swing to reach 146 feet! As if the height statistics weren't impressive enough, the ride also reaches a maximum speed of 68 miles per hour as it swings - faster than all the park's coasters aside from Phantom's Revenge!

To see a preview of the Black Widow, check out this video of similar Zamperla Giant Discovery rides:

Flat rides don't get much bigger than this, that's for sure. I have a feeling that Black Widow will quickly become one of the park's most popular attractions when it opens at Kennywood next season.

Taking Skyrush to New Heights

2011-12-15T09:01:00.000-05:00

Lift hill construction of new rides is always fun, and in this case a little multicolored. The supports for the second half of the lift on Hersheypark's new coaster, Skyrush, are going up quick. Seen above, the lift hill supports are blue but feature some yellow cross ties, which will give them an interesting look when complete.

The track that can be seen will be the bottom of the first drop, which after the plummet curves to the right, where most of Skyrush's layout will take place.

And here's a great example of what I mean! The park recent added a webcam to the ride's official webpage, which shows of the forest of supports that are standing, along with the base of the first drop in place.

A worker at the site has been posting some neat videos from the site onto YouTube as well, but I have to wonder if they'll be removed at some point. Check them out while they're live!

NPN Exclusive: An Interview with R&R Creative's Rick Bastrup

2011-12-14T05:26:00.001-05:00

MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park may have closed for good a decade ago, but that doesn't mean that we here at NPN can't continue our quest for more information, photos, and stories of this lost park. While we've collected much thus far (and if you've missed that, start here) there's always more to the story to be told, right?

In that light I'm quite please to share this interview with you all. Rick Bastrup is one of the the partners that make up R&R Creative Amusement Designs, Inc., along with Richard Ferrin. The company has a 30 year long history of designing themed attractions, and has created so many that I'm willing to bet that most readers have experienced one without knowing it.

R&R Creative's tie to MGM Grand Adventures is strong. The company created both the Backlot River Tour and Grand Canyon Rapids attractions, as well playing a major role in the final version of Deep Earth Exploration. Mr. Bastrup was kind enough to answer some of my questions on the park, and share some rare photographs of the attractions.

NPN: Can you tell me a little history of yourself and R&R Creative?

Rick: We have been in business for over 30 years and have designed over 100 projects from dark rides to water parks to family entertainment centers. Please look up our website at RandRDesign.com to see an extensive review of our major projects.

Original concept art for the helicopter attack scene of the Backlot River Tour. © R&R Creative

NPN: How did R&R Creative become involved with MGM Grand Adventures?

Rick: We were hired by Duell Corporation who designed all the original Six Flags Parks and was the master designer firm for the park.

NPN: Interesting, I had no idea that Duell Corp. was the master designer. They've played quite a role in the Theme Park Industry.

Concept art for the park.

Rick: Yes, we were fortunate to have been involved with the Duell Corporation for many years designing specialty theme attractions at several parks including projects in South Korea and China. Even though the Duell Corporation closed shop a number of years ago, we still work on projects with one of Duell's legendary owners and designers, Mr. Ira West. We are working on a theme park project in India with Ira now.

NPN: As part of the MGM Grand resort’s overall Wizard of Oz theme, did R&R complete any other theming or story work for the hotel?

Rick: We wrote all the scripts for the interior characters and worked with Sally Corp. to produce all the interior Casino characters such as the Wicked Witch.

A construction shot of the Temple of Gloom, from the Backlot River Tour. © R&R Creative

NPN: For the projects R&R worked on, did your company propose the original themes for park attractions, or were they directed as part of the overall layout and theme of the park?

Rick: They had a rough idea of the themes, a western river ride and a boat ride about the movies, we took it from there.

NPN: Were there any alternative themes discussed for any of the rides?

Rick: The boat ride was originally to be "Apocalypse Now." We worked with Francis Ford Coppola for awhile on this but he did not come to an arrangement with the Hotel and so we made it a multiple movie theme with a helicopter battle at the end in a movie called "Jungle Storm" (made up)

The helicopter effect under construction at AVG. © R&R Creative

Here is the effect installed in the show scene. © R&R Creative

NPN: Deep Earth Exploration was to some regard a ride ahead of its time. How was R&R involved in the ride?

Rick: It was originally designed and built by another company and MGM was unhappy with the results. R & R came in and completely redesigned the queue line, boarding station and scenes including all the show lighting.

NPN: I’ve read that a company named AVG designed the sets for the ride, was this before R&R became involved?

Rick: Yes

Designers from R&R working on the sets of Deep Earth Exploration - notice how high the sets are in order to be on eye level with riders inside the simulator vehicles. © R&R Creative

NPN: Deep Earth Exploration is another lost ride that's hard to find a narrative of, can you tell us about it?

Rick: Deep Earth was a moving simulator with a film inside of the ship going down into the earth. The simulator moved on a track then stopped in three scenes where the side windows opened and the scene matched what was seen on the screen. There was the crystal cavern room, ice room and volcanic room. The volcanic room had large tentacles of an underground creature that came up alongside the windows.

NPN: What changes were R&R able to make to the attraction after you came on board?

Rick: The scenes were originally well lit like a stage show with many dozens of lights. Unfortunately, when the windows opened on the darkened interior of the ship, the light was so intense it looked like a Close Encounters scene and blinded the riders.

I took the lighting down to about 10% of what it was and it worked with the attraction. We also rebuilt all the scenes.

NPN: For the rides R&R created for the park, were the animatronic characters created in-house, or by another provider?

Rick: The "Grand Canyon Rapids" animation and effects were created by Garner Holt Productions (one of their big first jobs). The "Backlot River Tour" animations were built by Sally Corporation with the exception of the helicopter battle which was built by AVG. Everything from the concepts, scripts, sets, characters, audio and show were designed and art directed by R & R.

NPN: The Backlot River Tour was a highly unique ride that explored the “magic” that goes into filming movies. Any recollections of how R&R arrived at the separate movie sequences/themes used?

Rick: We worked on making up movies which would have different types of settings and adventures.

NPN: Do you recall what company provided the hardware (boats, ride system) for the attraction?

Rick: It was Intamin from Switzerland. Those boats were actually bought from Universal Studios in Florida where they were originally used in the Jaws Ride. We had originally written the scripts and designed the music for the Jaws ride years before!

NPN: I did not know that R&R was involved in the original version of the Jaws attraction! That news is especially relevant with the recently announced retirement of Jaws.

Some of the special effects used in the River Tour were pretty elaborate, were there any challenges you recall in getting things up and running from a design standpoint?

Rick: The helicopter was one of the largest props ever used in a theme park. It was built from a real UH1 Bell Huey helicopter, 43 feet long and it came up on a hydraulic ram which raised it 19 feet from the bottom of the pit.

NPN: The helicopter was indeed an impressive effect. The Temple of Gloom portion of the ride is pretty tough to document, many people have wondered: What took place in there?

Rick: There was a volcanic eruption with exploding volcanic geysers and moving columns.

NPN: Was the River Tour always designed to be a boat ride? Were any alternative modes of transportation considered?

Rick: Always a boat ride.

NPN: The design process of an attraction like this always interests our readers. Is it difficult to take a ride like this from ‘blue sky’ to opening day?

Rick: It is extremely complicated to design of all the sets, characters, effects, audio and lighting all having to work together. We have maybe a hundred sheets of plans for each ride.

NPN: I'd love to dig through those plans! Moving on to R&R's other large ride at MGM Grand Adventures, Grand Canyon Rapids. It had great theming, including a flooded town, canyons, lost cavern, and the blasting tunnel. Can you walk readers through the ride’s themed sections?

Rick: It has many times been called the greatest themed river ride of all times. It began through a wilderness area with animated wolves and bears then went into a flooded Western town with effects and animated characters in the windows.

The rafts then went into a bank where a bank robbery was in progress with the marshal shooting it out with 2 bandits (the marshal was a 7' character sculpted to look like me). The rapids then flowed past a large waterbarrel with water pouring into the river which turned off as the raft approached.

The boats then floated through the 20 foot walls of the Grand Canyon and into a huge cave with waterfalls, colored lighting and stalagtites.

Coming out of the cave, a miner with a plunger box yelled at riders to turn back as the rapids entered a long mine. Hearing "Fire in the Hole!" the riders saw large piles of dynamite which had burning fuses. The dynamite blew up with a large explosion which blew the boat out the back of the mine and past the pumping machinery of the waterworks.

NPN: The simulated explosion that ended the attraction was a blast - literally. How did R&R come up with that finale?

Rick: A combination of audio, fiber optic fuses, strobe lights, fog blasts and a major league sound system were used to simulate the blast.

NPN: Would you describe the theme of the ride as a cohesive story, or rather a collection of independent scenes?

Rick: I wrote it as various scenes showing adventures in the Old West, not really a story. The queue line wove through the waterworks and had 73 speakers playing movie music like "The Magnificent Seven" and "Big Jake," one of the best parts of the ride. I am a Western buff so this ride was especially fun to create.

NPN: As time passed the Backlot River Tour was lost, but Grand Canyon Rapids survived at the park. Was R&R called back for any repair/updating work, or for any other reason?

Rick: There was some talk of adding to the rides, but unfortunately it never came to pass.

NPN: As we well know MGM Grand Adventures met an unfortunate fate, do you think the park could have survived long-term?

Rick: There was always a conflict with the owners about supporting the park once it was open. Had they made it easier to get to, added attractions and promoted it, I think it would have been a great attraction for Las Vegas and still thriving today.

NPN: To your knowledge was any of the theming/props/characters from either rides salvaged before their removal?

Rick: I heard that my Marshal character was on ebay somewhere, but didn't find it. I think the boats are still for sale somewhere and maybe we can design them into a third attraction!

NPN: I'd love to see that happen! Thanks so much for taking the time to fill us in on some of the finer details of the attractions at MGM Grand Adventures. Fans of the park will love everything you've shared!

As Rick mentioned, you can see just some of the exhaustive list of rides and attractions, lands, and even parks that R&R Creative has designed at their website. Another special thank you to Mr. Bastrup for sharing with NPN!

Please note that all images used in this story are copyright R&R Creative Amusement Designs, Inc. and may not be reproduced without their permission.

A Wintry Look At Dorney Park's Stinger

2011-12-13T12:23:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a month since the major construction of Dorney Park's new coaster, Stinger, has been completed. Let's drop in an see what the park has been up to.

Naturally this view hasn't changed much, since we last saw this view with the ride already complete. As you can see a crane is still being used on site for work related to the lifts.

Down on ground level, however, the station has made much progress. The steel that went up (which was brand new as the ride had no covered station in California) has been painted to match the support color, and the roof is about halfway done.

The entry area for the ride is quite far along as well. Here we can see that the shade cover structures for the queue are already installed, and plenty of new concrete for the walkways, etc, is complete.

Back up in the air workers are still making progress and completing the details of the dual set of lifts the ride has.

I won't pretend to know what most of the stuff up there is exactly for, other than the general purpose of hauling the train to the top. Still, this is a nice close shot of the lift hill "guts," normally located at the base of a ride's lift hill, but up top for Stinger.

A New World's Tallest Water Ride?

2011-12-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

Maybe. Well, maybe not. It's not totally clear exactly what Italy's Mirabilandia is building, but one thing is for sure - it's huge. In recent photos taken of the park's new ride, named DiVertical, it has become clear that Holiday World's Pilgrims Plunge is getting a bigger brother.

The Italian version of the ride may not focus on soaking guests though, if you listen to the rumors. That's where things get complicated - from the photos the ride is clearly an Intamin "Hyper Splash," rumored to be over 170 feet tall, but what happens after that long drop is the real mystery.

Instead of a traditional splash down finale to DiVertical, it's currently rumored that the ride will feature coaster style track, though that's not apparent from any construction photos. The theme of the ride was just made more clear with the following video:

Speed boat racing, indeed. This also lends a bit of weight to the this-isn't-just-a-splashdown-ride theory... if speed boat racing is the theme then the speed of the boats over the water, not plowing through the water, would be emphasized.

Truth be told I don't know! But it'll certainly stand out at the park, those are some bright colors!

Scott & Carol Present Christmas at Sea World Orlando

2011-12-12T05:25:00.002-05:00

The Christmas Celebration at Sea World offers familiar classics and new offerings for 2011. Shamu Christmas-Miracles features a Christmas Carol sing-a-long and the most popular ocean going mammal in the word, Shamu. The “baby” we brought you pictures of is now following mom through some basic maneuvers and on her way to becoming a star in her own right.

The characters of Sesame Street teach Abby Cadabby what Christmas means to them, and create a snowfall just for her, and the audience. A percussion street band performs their version of seasonal classics and periodic snowfalls occur in the marketplace.

The “O Wondrous Night—The Greatest Story Never Told” is new this year and it features the story of the holiest of nights from a new perspective, that of several animals who affected the events that evening. The show starts with over a dozen gospel choir singers who do everything during the show. They sing, operate puppets, fly like angels, rearrange the scenery, and handle an amazing menagerie of live animals for the epic finale.

The main characters are the donkey, dove, and sheep, who give their perspective on who had the greatest impact of that night. It’s not historically accurate because this is the “untold” version of the story. The donkey carried Mary, the sheep kept her warm, and the dove made sure that the empty room at the inn was not available, by stealing the key.

With some modern day references, “Best Middle Eastern Hotel” and the term “Epic fail,” the show has its light moments leading to the final scene. The wise men lead real camels down the aisles, a llama, sheep, and goat take their places in the stable, and doves fly over the crowd. A human angel is suspended and the crowd goes crazy. Setting a new standard for Christmas pageants, the packed Nautilus Theater offers a rewarding experience for everyone who can get a seat.

The Christmas Market offers some unique decorations, tasty snacks, and a great viewing spot for the Seas of Trees. Over 100 trees are connected by more than nine miles of fiber optic cable which controls over five tons of environmentally friendly LEDs. There are nearly 2,000 individual lights on each tree, and they change colors as choreographed by the music. If you time your meandering correctly, you can be in the middle of the “forest” on the bridge at show time. Sea World has graciously provided some videos of what it took to create this attraction.

Of course Arctic Explorer has been changed over to Polar Express for the season. From the full-size locomotive out front to the bursts of fog in the queue the transformation is complete. The inside of the cars is completely redone and when you arrive, a beautiful Christmas tree awaits. Visit with Santa or just watch the Beluga whales or Polar bear, there are lots of things for everyone at the “North Pole.” If you don’t believe you are there, try melting a hand print into the snowdrift. The tingling as your hand comes back to life will make you shiver.

If you stay for the final performance of Wonderland on Ice, you will have a great view of the Holiday Reflections, Fireworks and Fountains show. Utilizing all the bay has to offer, it’s a wonderful way to gain one more memory of Sea World to savor as you leave. All things considered, it is truly a Christmas Celebration for the whole family.

Happy Holidays to all!

Sally Corp. Promotes Rich Hill

2011-12-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

Sally Corporation, known for the creation of many theme park and educational interactive dark rides, animatronics, and exhibits, has announced the promotion of one of their employees.

"Rich Hill, who joined Sally Corporation twelve years ago as an artist, and four years ago became a member of the company's award-winning design, team, has been promoted to the position of senior designer," the company writes in a press release.

Mr. Hill graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and soon joined as a sculptor and animatronics specialist at a small company. From here he branched out on his own, creating his own studio.

Eventually he started with Sally Corp and has since served as a lead designer of several of the company's projects. "He brings knowledge, imagination, and dedication to every project, and has become an invaluable part of our team" says Sally CEO John Wood.

Many congratulations to Mr. Hill, and we can't wait to see what ride he comes up with next!

Pitt Fall Coming Down

2011-12-10T16:51:00.000-05:00

Although we knew it was going to happen, it's still a bit sad to see Pitt Fall at Kennywood coming down. The park has started the process of dismantling the 251 foot tall ride, which should take place rather quickly.

I happened across the original press release for the ride from when it was announced, and thought it might serve nicely on NPN for posterity.

In a news article about the removal of the ride, some new facts have come to light. First, there are three perspective buys for the ride lined up - I had thought that someone had already committed to buying the ride. Second, it sounds like the park will be announcing Pitt Fall's replacement as early as next week!

Aerial Views of Fantasyland Progress

2011-12-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

Construction updates are pretty great - but aerial construction updates are really great. The massive Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom park in Florida is well underway, with the first section set to open sometime in earlier 2012.

The new Storybook Circus area to open first will feature the 'dueling Dumbos' seen above in concept art, and one of the spinning rides is now in place - WDWMagic has the photos to prove it. The Great Goofini coaster has received a bright new paint job, and additional new theming elements are going into place. A new train station, and some massively renovated circus tents also dot the new section.

But outside of that, there's really a lot of progress on the land's other new attractions. An entire new mountain range has been created for the Beauty and the Beast dining and retail experience, and the Little Mermaid's attraction building is turning into a seaside paradise. Plus, foundations are now going in for the Seven Dwarf's Mine Train coaster.

Photos of this progress can be seen in one of Orlando Attractions' latest updates. I have to say that this expansion really is massive and will transform the Magic Kingdom forever.

Six Flags America: Apocalypse & Park News

2011-12-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Six Flags America has an exciting season planned for 2012, which will see the opening of a new stand-up roller coaster, Apocalypse.

In preparation of that season, the park has also announced that they have a new Park President, Rick Howarth. Mr. Howarth will replace John Winkler, who was moved to Six Flags New England to serve as Park President.

"A native of Largo, Maryland, Howarth began his career in the theme park industry in 1992 as a finance intern at Wild World (later Adventure World before being rebranded as Six Flags America in 1999) while studying at the University of Maryland in College Park. Howarth has held finance positions at Wild World, Adventure World, Six Flags America, various former Six Flags parks throughout Europe, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, and the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas."

In other news, Six Flags America has been sharing some recent construction photos of Apocalypse, the park's new 2,900 foot long, 55 mile per hour stand-up coaster.

Plenty of ground work is underway on the new ride, and pieces of the ride have arrived at the park and are being worked on. Among the photos shared is one of the ride's trains being worked on, and the above photo of track sitting on site. This is not the track's final colors, however, as it will eventually transform into a blazing orange and gray color scheme.

I look forward to seeing more of Apocalypse being built during this winter, and best wishes to the park's new leader!

Check Out Goliath's New 'Ride'

2011-12-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

Since news broke that Goliath at Six Flags New England (née Deja Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain) was going to receive a new train by Premier Rides, fans have wondered exactly how that will turn out.

Thankfully, the park has felt like sharing!

The new train will not feature staggered seats - with the two outside seats set slightly back - which in turn should help capacity a bit due to faster loading times. It'll also allow the park to shrink the size of the loading area as well, though that's not too exciting from the guest perspective I suppose.

The real test will be seeing how the train handles the ride - and even more importantly how comfortable the experience is for riders.

Many other views of the new design can be seen at this link.

Hair Raiser - A Ride With A View

2011-12-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

China's Ocean Park has just opened a new Bolliger and Mabillard floorless coaster, named Hair Raiser - and talk about a unique setting for a ride! Located on the edge of one of the many cliffs the park is set on, the ride is also half built directly into the mountain.

This peculiar location made for a unique layout, including several inversions and an air-time hill in the middle of the course. For a better understanding of how the ride sits at the park, check out this photo - it really gives some nice perspective.

Fun Spot's New GCI Wooden Coaster

2011-12-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

One question has been answered about Fun Spot's new wooden coaster, it will be designed by Great Coasters International.

The Coaster Crew's In The Loop show recently had on a representative from Fun Spot, who just announced plans to expand their Orlando location from 5 acres to 15 for 2013. News recently came out detailing the entire water park that will also be built as part of the expansion, and when all is said and done the location will be rechristened Fun Spot America.

One thing that wasn't available previously was any details on both a wooden and steel coaster being built. According to In The Loop, the wooden ride will be GCI designed, and stand under 100 feet tall - but that's not unusual of the company's ride portfolio. The ride will be L-shaped and run along a road that borders the expansion property. GCI is known for their twisted wooden coasters, so it will be interesting to see their take on a medium sized out-n-back ride.

Soon to be home to new rides, and a water park!

The steel coaster doesn't sound set in stone quite yet, but is promised to be family friendly though much smaller than the wooden ride. The area will also see the debut of many other rides, mainly refurbished classic ones that have become proven fan favorites.

Fun Spot America's new wooden coaster will only be the third in the state of Florida, even though it's known as a theme park mecca, so the ride will be a welcome addition to the area's thrill arsenal.

California's Great America: Unsold Afterall

2011-12-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

The sale of California's Great America to JMA Ventures was expected to close this month, however, Cedar Fair has announced that JMA has pulled out of the deal and they will retain ownership of the park.

Interestingly, the press release names the park as both an "exceptional" and "valuable" property, something that the general consensus agreed was not how Cedar Fair viewed it in the past. It was mentioned during 2011 earning reports that California's Great America did particularly well recently. The company never releases individual park attendance and earning figures, but it appears as though the tides have changed for the property.

Plus, it's quite important to remember that at this point Matt Ouimet is probably making much of the decisions, with Kinzel's official retirement less than a month away. Perhaps Mr. Ouimet sees potential in the park that previous leaders did not.

Part of the announcement was also that Cedar Fair has reached "a long-term agreement with the San Francisco 49ers related to the construction of the stadium and parking for NFL and other stadium-related events for the life of the new stadium." Exactly details on this agreement were not released, but I'd be quite interested to see them.

From quotes in the release by Mr. Ouimet, the future of the park actually seems bright. The company will "build the park's customer base through new marketing initiatives and capital investments," the latter of which is something that he park has sorely gone without for a while.

Hopefully if this is really a done deal, and Cedar Fair now feels that they really want to make a go of it, and invest and grow the park, things could actually work out. Perhaps.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Heading West

2011-12-06T15:12:00.002-05:00

Today Universal Parks made two large announcements, both having to do with the theme park version of Harry Potter's world. First, a Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be built at Universal Studios Hollywood, and second, the existing land at the Universal Orlando resort will be expanded.

If you're looking for more details, however, sadly none are available. The announcement was huge... but detailed also nothing about either expansion.

Heading to the official press release, this is about as detailed as we get:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be as impressive as what has been created in Orlando – and is expected to transform tourism in Los Angeles for decades to come. It will be a fully immersive environment for the entire family that brings the stories of Harry Potter to life and is faithful to the visual landscape of the films, including a majestic Hogwarts castle to serve as the centerpiece of the themed environment. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be created with the same commitment to authenticity and the same level of talent and resources as its Orlando counterpart.

What's not clear is when the area will open, if it really is an area or just one attraction, where it will go in the park, etc. Even less is available on Orlando's Wizarding World, with Universal only saying that "specific details of its expansion will be released over time." This leaves us wondering again on the time-table, if it's an expansion to the existing land or perhaps even a new section built on Jaws' former home.

I'm all for parks leaving some secrecy to their announcements, but perhaps even a shred of detail could have come along with this one to tide us over?

Edit: The AP story is giving a couple new bits of information - quoting the LA County Supervisor as saying that the Gibson Amphitheater is indeed being removed, and that USH's area could open in 2014.

Beech Bend Park Expanding Again in 2012

2011-12-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

It's always a delight when a smaller park finds success and is able to plan expansions, and quite happily for Kentucky's Beech Bend Park this is true. The park has come off some larger expansions in past years, starting with the addition of the Kentucky Rumbler in 2006, and then a significant water park addition spread over 2010-2011.

Appearing uninterested in resting on their laurels, the park has just announced the addition of a 140 foot tall drop tower - still unnamed for now. The ride will feature a 12 passenger car that will drop riders at a stated 60 miles per hour.

From a photo posted by the park, the ride looks like it will be similar to XScream at Waldameer Park, created by ARM Rides. These provide quite an intense experience - no need for a 300 foot tall tower here, these babies pack a punch.

Beech Bend is accepting name suggestions right now for the new tower, and the winner will get some free tickets to the park next season.

Also new next year is a show called "Wild Bill Hiccup's Wild West Show," a family friendly slap-stick comedy show. The water park will also see the debut of the Tiki Grill and another hydration station - did we mention that the park offers free soft drinks? Sounds like a great year is on deck!

'Tis The Season For Kennywood Holiday Lights

2011-12-05T05:13:00.000-05:00

Kennywood is trying something new this holiday season, for the first time in the park's 114 seasons of operation the park will be open to guests during December.

Kennywood Holiday Lights is a celebration that features one million lights, plus plenty of other festive garb decorating the park's buildings, walkways, and rides. There's plenty of holiday food, fun - and of course Santa!

An extra special treat is that a handful of the park's ride's are open to guests, including the Kangaroo, Carousel, Paratrooper, Train (renamed Gingerbread Express for the event), and many rides in Kiddieland. Probably the biggest draw for the event is the light show which takes place each half our over the park's center lagoon.

Kennywood Connection posted that video which gives just a taste of the light show - which actually alternates every performance to keep things fresh. This news story points out that a trip to Hersheypark's holiday event spurred the decision to move forward with Holiday Lights - and I think the park and guests are pretty happy they did!

Kennywood Holiday Lights will run again this coming weekend, and also the 16-18th.

NPN November 2011 Poll Results / X-Flight Update

2011-12-04T02:03:00.001-05:00

I had to wonder which of Six Flags new attractions for 2012 was our readers favorite, so I asked just that for our November poll. Turns out it wasn't even a close race...

Six Flags Great America's new X-Flight, a Bolliger and Mabillard Wing Coaster came in at number one with a commanding 56% of the total vote. The ride will be one of only two in North America when it opens in 2012.

The massive free fall known as Lex Luthor's Drop of Doom at Magic Mountain ended up in second, with around 14%, followed by Superman: Ultimate Flight at Discovery Kingdom in third with 13%. Both rides will be giving some unique experiences with the open at their respective parks next year.

Six Flags New England's transplanted Goliath ended the vote in 4th place, while Great Adventure's group of new and renovated rides ended in 5th. The remaining attractions final results can be seen above.

While on the subject of X-Flight, the park has been sharing some great photos of the construction work lately. Above is an aerial view of the work site, showing off that many footers are now underway. All remnants of the former attractions that filled this space appear to have been removed.

Lots of track for the ride has also been arriving, like this twisty piece here. Check out all the photos the park is sharing at this link.

Oh, and our new poll is up for December, check it out on the left!

Quassy Spinning Into 2012

2011-12-03T16:50:00.000-05:00

There will be a new way for guests to get their spin on in 2012 at Quassy Amusement Park. To celebrate the park's 104th operating season a brand new tea cup ride will arrive at the park from Italian manufacturer Zamperla.

The park had a fantastic season in 2011 with the debut of the Wooden Warrior coaster, leading in part to the expansion that will be seen next year.

The new tea cup ride will feature six four-seater cups that will spin at eight revolutions per minute. Guests will have the ability to spin the cups on their own, adding an extra thrill to the attraction. When completed the park expects their ride to look very similar to this version:

The cups on the ride will feature similar bright paint jobs, adding much personality to the attraction. The center will have a lighted center piece to add extra theming.

The official name of the ride will be chosen through a "Name The Ride" contest, to start soon. Watch the park's website for more details on the contest.

Jaws Headed For Peaceful Retirement

2011-12-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

Universal Studios Florida will no longer have a need for a bigger boat after January 2nd, 2012 when the park retires the classic Jaws attraction. The ride has been a staple of the movie themed park since its opening in 1990, but the park has announced via Facebook that the ride will be removed for an "exciting, new experience" that is being planned.

What will replace the attraction in the coming years is a complete mystery, for now at least. Speculation is running rampant about replacements, which could be quite large due to the fact that Jaws used up a large chunk of real estate in the park.

Jaws actually underwent a large refurbishment not too long after Universal Studios opened. The ride had a significant amount of mechanical problems that led to an extended closure and retooling. While the gist of the ride remains the same, several scenes were changed or replaced. For those of you familiar with the ride now, check out this video of the original and see if you can spot the differences - one hint, look for the bloody explosion!

While many fans of the attraction are quite disappointed, it's exciting to see what the park has planned for the future. I took a spin on the ride this past summer and have to agree that it was showing its age - what was intended to be a thrilling attraction (see original promo art above) had become more humorous than anything else.

Die hard fans can still head to Universal Studios Japan to experience Jaws - they have a nearly identical version of the ride there.

Scott And Carol Present - The Orange County History Center's The Serious Art of Make Believe

2011-12-01T18:23:00.015-05:00

The Orange County Regional History Center is offering visitors an opportunity to peek behind the curtain of the attraction design business, as practiced by Universal Orlando.

For over two decades visitors to the Universal Resort have been wowed with the products of the Art and Design Department. Here, presented as a long storyboard, is a detailed explanation of the planning process, using over 200 of the original drawings and including some interactive elements as well. Universal Orlando has several major events annually including Halloween Horror Nights, the Grinchmas, and Mardi Gras.

One of the major pieces on exhibit is the “Terra Queens Bike,” used in the 2005 Halloween Horror Nights celebration. Long noted as one of, if not the premier scare-a-thon for the Halloween season, HHN is annually redesigned so Universal has generously supplied the original sketches, watercolors, partially completed photos, and the final result prop as it appeared during the event. They have included some scale models of scenes from several previous HHNs.

Also appearing during the storyboard is the design steps for the “Ice Slide,” which has appeared during the Grinchmas. There are models of complete attractions, stages, and even the development of the signs for stores and shows. Some of the progress drawings for costumes are shared, and even a brief explanation of how some props are modified to be reused for different events.

There are drawings of the floats for the Macy’s Holiday Parade, and even some models. An explanation of how they create a specific book for each item, including paint and fabric swatches, and there is a samples of the designer’s notes concerning the look of each specific piece.

Across the aisle from the story board is the “Warehouse.” Actual artifacts on loan from the Art and Design warehouse are stacked floor to ceiling. Many of these items will be familiar to regular park guests and looking at the illusion of lightweight stones and other relics is sure to spark a memory of past visits to the theme parks. This representation gives visitors and appreciation for all the behind the scenes work done for their enjoyment.

The “Art and Design Director’s office” allows children of all ages to work as a member of the creative team following along with the instruction video presented by Kim Gromoll. If you are not familiar with his name, you have to remember “Jack,” of HHN fame. Jack was the brainchild of Kim.

For the visitors who rarely venture outside Seuss Landing, there are designs to trace and line art to color. For the more experienced, a brief lesson in how to sketch is given, and Kim invites visitors to draw something of their own design. The bulletin board includes actual sketches and doodles done by designers, and is presented in a three-dimensional haphazard format.

For anyone in Florida during early December, on Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the museum will present a chance to meet twelve of the creative personalities of the Art and Design Team from Universal Orlando Resort. It includes a reception and dinner, followed by a panel discussion and concludes with a question and answer session. There is an extra charge for this event. You can call (407) 836-7010 for the details.

The following Sunday, December 11, 2011 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, an informal opportunity to meet some of the creative artists will be available. Imagine being able to ask questions about some of the specific items on display from the original designers! This event is included in the museum admission.

The exhibit offers a unique look at how the atmosphere we all enjoy is created and it is open from now through April 29, 2012.

Merry Grinchmas from Scott & Carol!

A Wizarding World in California?

2011-12-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

Our little corner of the interwebs is buzzing with the recent news that Universal Studios Hollywood is rumored to soon announce their own version of the mega-successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Speculation started after the Wall Street Journal broke the story, leading to several other outlets to report on the news that the expansion could open as soon as 2015.

Reports are that an official announcement on the project could come as early as next week, but that's not being confirmed by the park at this point. No one knows for sure yet exactly what attractions will be built in this version, but it's assumed that if anything Hogsmeade Village and the Forbidden Journey ride are a must.

Probably one of the biggest questions that everyone is asking is where in Universal Hollywood will the area be built? The park exists on some pretty hilly terrain, with the upper and lower lots separate by some massive stairs and escalators.

The upper lot is pretty stacked as is, and the lower lot is just as crowded - with the live movie studio taking up Universal's other land. Still, as we know if there is a will (and loads of cash) there is a way, and I'm quite sure designers will make it come together.

I'm not one of those designers, but if I were I'd be looking at an area of the park that's directly to the right after the main entrance, on the upper lot. The Waterworld Stunt Area is located here, adjacent to the rather massive Gibson Amphitheater. Add in some more space from a kids' play area, and the Shrek 4-D attraction, and a there's actually a decent area available up there.

Granted, several attractions need to bite to dust for this to work, along with a huge amphitheater - but major changes to the park were hinted at some time ago when the Studio released a new master plan, which even goes as far as specifically stating they were considering replacing the Gibson with a smaller venue.

I'm honestly pretty excited to see what they come up with, and what Potter themes will be used. I greatly enjoyed the Islands of Adventure version, but have to wonder how neat it would be for Universal Hollywood to include different Potterverse areas and attractions than Florida, as a compliment to that park instead of a recreation.

Either way it looks like we won't have to wait long to find out!

SkyRush Making Strides at Hersheypark

2011-11-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since we've checked in on the progress of SkyRush at Hersheypark, and in that time quite a bit of the project has been completed. Take for instance the fact that both supports and track are now in place!

The park has been working in some tricky conditions while building SkyRush - mainly due to the fact that they are working directly in the middle of a creek bed. Even with these challenges the park has managed to complete almost all of the footer work in the main section of the ride, which will take place over the creek.

Even more exciting though is the addition of track in one small area, and supports in several. I admit I wasn't sold on the ride's colors at first, but seeing it come together has me sold! For lack of better words, SkyRush will add a lot of personality to the Comet Hollow section of Hersheypark.

For photos of the most recent work, head over to Keystone Thrills.

The Speed Zone Opening At Coney Island

2011-11-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

If plunging 110 feet toward the ground at 60 miles per hour in a beautiful seaside setting sounds like fun to you, then you'll want to check out Coney Island next summer. In addition to the already existing - and thrilling - Luna Park and the Scream Zone, Summer 2012 will see the opening of the Speed Zone.

Shown as Parcel C in the above map of the area, Speed Zone will be the third and final area to be developed by the CAI, the amusement park managing arm of Zamperla rides. The main attraction of area will be go-karts, making the speed in the park's name quite literal. A longtime staple of Coney Island, go-kart have been missing from the area for several years.

The other attraction in Speed Zone that will gather much attention is a new 110 foot tall SkyCoaster, a thrilling ride that combines sky diving and bungee jumping, already popular at a slew of parks around the globe. From the look of the area's layout, riders will be potentially swinging out directly over the boardwalk - that'll make for quite a spectator sport of its own!

Legoland Florida Announces Water Park

2011-11-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

Only six weeks have gone by since Legoland Florida opened to the public, and the park already has expansion on their mind. The property has formally announced the addition of the Legoland Water Park, to be opened next to the theme park in Summer 2012.

The park will feature many attractions, including water park staples such as a lazy river, tube and body slides, and an interactive play structure.

“We’re very excited to share plans for this amazing new attraction,” said Legoland Florida General Manager Adrian Jones. “True to our mission, the water park attraction has been designed for families with children ages 2 to 12 and will add hours of water play to an already full day and move Legoland Florida into a multi-day experience for vacationers."

Attractions at the park will include the Lego Wave Pool, with waves sized for families, the Twin Chasers, an intertwining pair of tube slides stretching 375 feet, and Splash Out, the tallest slides at the park which offer three different ways down the 60 foot tower into a pool below.

The Joker Soaker features a 300 gallon bucket that tips its contents onto the crowd below, in addition to tons of water gags and other play structures. A unique feature is the Build-A-Raft River, where families can design their own Lego vessel then set sail around the 1,000 foot course.

For little ones, the Duplo Splash Safari will feature small slides and large interactive Duplo creatures. Much like at Legoland California, the water park will be an add-on to a day's regular admission ticket when the park opens.

A New Era For Jazzland?

2011-11-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

You can refer to it as Jazzland or Six Flags New Orleans, but the story remains the same - this has been one troubled theme park. First opened in 2000 under the moniker Jazzland, the property struggled along for two seasons, after which Six Flags came in and took over the park's lease.

From there a few years of moderate expansion followed, but still without the return that Six Flags was looking for. 2005 saw the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which shuttered the park for good.

Several plans to revive the park have surfaced since, one plan even went as far as announcing that it would reopen with Nickelodeon theming - but nothing has panned out. Just recently it was reported that different uses for the park were being considered, and that eight proposals had been submitted. The uses for the land ranged from theme park all the way to energy production, but one group that submitted a plan has now launched a website.

Enter The Paidia Company, and their plan to resurrect the park. First and foremost, their plan calls for the much-needed-but-never-built water park to go in next to the theme park:

I know it's just a plan - but there's some cool looking slides in the mix. I see a set of dual water coasters, aqua loops, bowl slides, two wave pools, a large lazy river, family raft rides, extended mat racer, and more.

As for the them park, plenty of changes would occur as well. The park's headlining coaster, MegaZeph, would be refurbished by the Gravity Group, including new trains with audio. A large new river rapids ride would be constructed in a newly themed Sportsman's Paradise area, and The Beach section would feature a drop tower ride disguised as a famous lighthouse.

One of the tamest, but most intriguing attractions would be the Sea of Love, a recreated Tunnel of Love ride - something we haven't seen built in ages. The Jester coaster will remain, and a new junior model will be added to interact with the river rapids.

1 - Theme Park 2 - Water Park 3 - Film Backlot

There's plenty of details available of Paidia's website for their plan, if you look around. Their plan also includes using extra land for a film studio backlot, and interesting choice.

About half of the eight proposals being considered involve a theme park, so there's plenty of other options out there. Plus, there's no talk of where funding for this (and the other) proposals is coming from, which would make anyone nervous.

Even if the park never opens again as anything at all, it's pretty fun to see what others have cooked up in their dreams.

Much Progress on Europa Park's New GCI

2011-11-28T04:41:00.000-05:00

Not that it is much of a surprise to me, but the new Great Coasters International ride going up at Europa Park is looking fantastic. In the most recent batch of photos, like the one above, there are so many details to pick out from the work that has been finished it is almost overwhelming!

For instance, take a look at the track in the lower right of the photo, which is actually banked outward - probably the track leading to the lift. For an even more recent update, I just bumped into this video:

As you can see the lift hill is just about completed at this point! The track that is up so far is already pretty twisted, and while we've seen great photos of the model of the coaster, this unofficial POV video of the ride paints quite a pretty picture:

Weekly Rewind 11.26.11

2011-11-26T17:26:00.000-05:00

WhiteWater was bestowed IAAPA's Image Award, given out for the most outstanding presence at the trade show. The company's booth focused on Innovation, something the manufacturer is quite proud of with new slides like the Family Python, transparent flumes, AquaCourse, and the AquaPlay Giant RainFortress.

Speaking of the 2011 IAAPA show, this year has been deemed a success with over 25,800 registered attendees, up 3 percent from last year. The event also raised $81,000 for Give Kids the World through various special events.

Curious to see the color scheme of PortAventura's new Bolliger and Mabillard mega coaster? Check them out at this link - the ride will feature dual color track, and some nice contrasting supports. This is going to look great!

Fans of Waldameer Park's pair of classic dark rides will love this new DVD, just released by Laff In The Dark. The DVD takes a guided tour of both of the rides, a preview of the film is above. Check out more about the title here.

It took this update from Westcoaster for me to finally be able to understand how the layout of SeaWorld San Diego's new Manta coaster will fit in the park. If you go and take a look, you'll also see that a big station for the coaster has been set in place as well.

The ever excellent Amusing the Zillion has an exclusive look at what's new on the Coney Island boardwalk in 2012 - including Zamperla's new Speed Zone development. Check out the details on what's coming.

With track now complete, the Swarm at Thorpe Park is starting to have its elaborate theming put in place. The ride's Developer Diary is following this for us quite nicely, showing off some recent clearance tests.

There are eight companies that have submitted proposals for what to do with the former Six Flags New Orleans site. The plans range from a theme park, water park, movie backlot, and even to a power station.

The future of Lo-Q and Six Flags is bright - the contract for the skip-the-line access program to stay at the theme parks has been extended for another six years. Also, the use of the bots in water park, which started this past year, will quickly be rolled out to additional parks.

More On Fun Spot's New Water Park

2011-11-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

One of the major manufacturers involved in Fun Spot's new water park has released some additional details about the development, which makes the new area sound even more exciting than before. Splashtacular, a company that creates some unique slides and attractions, will provide most of the rides that will go in the new area.

According to Splashtacular, "our best work comes from collaboration with specialists who are the best in the industry, which is the reason Water Technology, Inc., the premier design group in the water park industry, was selected by John Arie to create a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art, signature water park, that satisfies their financial and demographic objectives."

A more detailed layout of the park (seen at the top of this story) that was released reveals some of the unique slides going in - in fact none of them will be duplicated in the park's market. Directly above we see a Double BowlsEye, which features two separate tube slides that empty into the same bowl.

Another attraction slated to be built is the 360Rush. This towering slide consists of two different body slides that release riders simultaneously. Each rider plummets downward and then into a large bowl where they "chase" each other as they spin. Both riders eventually come to a stop in a shallow center pool.

The racing theme continues with SplashRally, a four lane slide that puts passengers in a race to the finish line. There will also be a large water play structure, lazy river and more when Fun Spot's water park opens.

These attractions should prove unique to their market, and draw some attention for the park. Add to this the new pair of roller coasters and other rides, and the future certainly looks bright for Fun Spot!