Tidal Twister Rolls and Turns its Way Into SeaWorld San Diego

© SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego has opened its all new "coaster-type ride experience," Tidal Twister.  The innovative thrill ride was created for the park by Skyline Attractions, and is one of their Horizon models.  The ride is the first of its kind to feature dueling trains that move through a 290 foot long horizontal track, only one similar ride from Skyline has opened prior to this one. 

While on board Tidal Twister riders experience a section of air-time at the peak of the ride's layout, and then a heartline roll that completely inverts them.  Riders sit face to face on the trains and experience both forward and backward movements.

© SeaWorld San Diego

The ride reaches speeds of 30 miles per hour as it simulates the trains rolling along with the tide, and requires only a 48 inch height requirement making it family friendly.

"There is no other coaster experience in the world like Tidal Twister," said Marilyn Hannes, SeaWorld San Diego's park president. "The two trains duel one another and guests will see the excitement on the faces of the other riders. You'll almost feel like you can reach out and touch them. The tight turns, the inversion and the airtime hill will leave our guests wondering which way is up. If you don't understand and love the ocean, you can't protect it. That is why with new attractions like Tidal Twister in California, Turtle Reef in Texas and Infinity Falls in Florida, SeaWorld seeks to collaborate with conservation groups that are making a real impact."

Tidal Twister is located adjacent to the Aquaria touch pool and aquarium, where guest can learn the importance of protecting the ocean and its coral reefs.  A portion of all Tidal Twister merchandise sales will go to the Rising Tide Conservation, which aims to protect the ocean.

Zadra at Energylandia (New Custom RMC) Has Grown Quite Tall

© Testing Attractions via Instagram

Rocky Mountain Construction is hard at work in Poland on another one of their sure-to-be blockbuster rides, this one named Zadra and located at Energylandia.

The photo above is from Testing Attractions on Instagram, which features more photos of the ride under construction.  The photos show that Zadra is indeed using a lift structure that is similar to the one found on Goliath at Six Flags Great America.

While the video is a little older, FOMO Coaster has a neat drone view of the Zadra construction site.  The ride is quite large, RCDB lists the coaster as 200 feet tall, with 4,265 feet of track and a top speed of nearly 72 miles per hour.  You can see a couple other recent photos at this link.

Zadra was announced last November and at the time the park presented a video of the ride experience, which will include 3 inversions.  If you need a refresher, check out this link.  No word yet on if the ride is planned to open later in 2019 or if they are pushing for 2020, but it looks like another awesome RMC creation either way.

Annual Theme Index Shows 2018 Park and Attraction Attendance Results

© AECOM / TEA

The annual Theme Index / Museum Index was recently released, giving a look at the 2018 attendance of the global theme park and museum industries.  The report uses a mix of actual data along with estimates to publish the top lists.  This leads to some debate over the accuracy of the lists, but at the very least the report gives a nice look at the health of the industry overall and allows us to see which parts of the globe are growing, or shrinking, the most.

While you can dig through the report on your own, the general commentary reads that 2018 was another year of growth with the top 25 parks on the globe seeing an overall attendance increase of 3.3%.  In fact, each section of the globe that the report covers saw overall growth among its top parks in 2018.

According to the report the most attended park in the world remains the Magic Kingdom in Florida, which is approaching 21 million visitors per year by their estimates.  One of the largest increases on the global top 25 lists was Animal Kingdom, which increase 10% to 13.75 million visitors.

Looking at the top 20 parks in North America, two SeaWorld parks stand out as big winners in 2018.  SeaWorld Orlando is listed as growing 16% to just shy of 4.6 million guests, and SeaWorld San Diego increased more than 20% to hit 3.7 million visitors.

You can download this year's report, along with all prior years, via this link.

Dorney Park Memorial Day Weekend 2019 Update

© NewsPlusNotes

Despite some occasional ominous clouds (like those seen above), Dorney Park had a pretty great weather weekend for both celebrating Memorial Day and the opening of Wildwater Kingdom for the year.  Plenty of families came out to splash in the water park, and the opening also means that we're able to eat at Tidal Wave Cafe as well! (heavy consumer of mac and cheese bowls here)

© NewsPlusNotes

Walking under Talon toward the main entrance to Wildwater Kingdom you'll notice the area got a bit of a refresh.  The park has added the Boathouse, a small retail location along the pathway.  The Boathouse features sundries, water park related clothing, drinks and more.

© NewsPlusNotes

Also just at the entrance to the water park, a new set of restrooms has been built.  These are needed to meet demand on a busy day, and it's wonderful to see the park react to customer needs so quickly.  (there are large bathrooms/locker rooms literally around the corner, but they get very busy so the park went ahead and built more!)

© NewsPlusNotes

Over on Dorney Park's main midway the set up for Grand Carnivale continues.  New light poles have gone up, ready to hold a host of lights that will totally change the environment of the area while the festival takes place.  Again, I'm not technically oriented but I'm sure this is also for speakers as well, and possibly other goodies.

© NewsPlusNotes

Quite a few of these lighting poles have gone up, even these smaller versions that are up against the trees in the area.  The obviously permanent construction of these makes me think that the park will be able to use them for other special events during the season, and again in the future as well.

© NewsPlusNotes

The stage that is covering the former water fountain / planter looks pretty complete, aside from final decoration when Grand Carnivale is ready to begin.  Right now it's serving as a popular location for people to gather at and rest.

© NewsPlusNotes

I also noticed this new (?) electrical box on the side of White Water Landing, facing Planet Snoopy.  At least, I think it's new.  This would make sense as the parade part of Grand Carnivale will start at the Good Time Theater, move through Planet Snoopy, turn where this new electrical box is, then head down the main midway.

© NewsPlusNotes

Dorney Park continues to take advantage of its new Parkside Pavilion catering area by holding tons of special events throughout the year.  This weekend was the Memorial Day Cookout, which seemed very popular considering there was a big line just to buy tickets.

© NewsPlusNotes

On opening weekend I wasn't able to get much of a look at the area where Dinosaurs Alive was, so here's a photo showing that off.  The area looks quite untouched except for the fact that the dinosaurs are gone.  No excitement here!

© NewsPlusNotes

In the bright sunlight and from the right angle you can really tell that Steel Force's lift hill supports were given a fresh coat of paint.  The ride looks great!

© NewsPlusNotes

Also it turns out that the Solomon Center, formerly the Dinosaurs Alive retail location, can be rented for private events.  Anyone want to plan my birthday party here?  (I kid, park's not open for my birthday)

That's it for now, hopefully we all seen receive our first Pass Perk soon from our visits!

Cedar Fair Testing New "Pass Perks" Reward Program at Several Parks

© Cedar Fair

We've heard for some time now via Cedar Fair's earnings calls that they are planning to test a season pass reward program in 2019, with a full rollout scheduled for 2020.

Late this past week season pass holders to certain parks received e-mails detailing Pass Perks, the rewards program.

Mine came in the form of an e-mail from Dorney Park, but the Pass Perks details show that Pass Perks is also testing at Carowinds, Kings Island, Kings Dominion.

So what is Pass Perks exactly?  The company's website explains it very clearly:

Pass Perks is a loyalty program that rewards Season Passholders simply by visiting the park. Each time Season Passholders visit, they will earn Pass Perks that count toward rewards – which are always surprises – redeemable on future visits.

© Dorney Park

So unlike other rewards programs there is no point system or anything where you accumulate a balance then deplete it as you choose rewards.  With Pass Perks you simply visit the park and then will be e-mailed some sort of benefit after the fact.

There is no definitive list of rewards as it sounds like they'll be tailored to each park, and probably for each guest depending their purchasing history, but they include "free Bring-A-Friend tickets, sweet and savory treats, and discounts on merchandise and in-park experiences."  We will have to see them start to rollout after this weekend to get a better idea.

Although Cedar Fair does have a sign-in season passholder website for each park, the Pass Perks will be administered exclusively through e-mails, so make sure your e-mail is up to date if you're visiting one of these parks!

Australia's Sea World to Build New Wooden Roller Coaster for 2020

© Sea World

Sea World theme park, located on the Gold Coast in Australia, has announced a major expansion, costing $50 million, that will last over the next 18 months.

Sea World, which is a part of the Village Roadshow group of parks, will build The New Atlantis, a themed section that will contain three separate thrill rides when complete.  Featuring plenty of statues, water falls, fountains and hanging gardens, The New Atlantis will be an immersive addition to the park.

Opening in December of 2019 (which is the park's summer season) is Vortex, a large Top Spin type of attraction.  Located right on the edge of the park by the water, the ride will have plenty of fountains under it and feature multiple rotations, inversions, and forces up to 3.5gs.

Up next in April of 2020 is Trident, a 170 foot tall swing ride that is themed as a giant trident - giving it a fitting name indeed.

© Sea World

The third ride, and easily the most exciting is Leviathan, a brand new wooden roller coaster opening in December of 2020.  Concept art for the twisted ride can be seen above, and according to RCDB the ride will stand around 105 feet tall and be designed by The Gravity Group.  The coaster's layout appears to wrap around itself several times, and one news article about the expansion mentioned that one of the ride's cars will be turned around backward.

The park also released a video showing off the new rides, including some animated shots of Leviathan in action.  Check it out below.

Tokyo DisneySea Breaks Ground on Fantasy Springs Expansion + New Concept Art

© Tokyo DisneySea

The previously announced expansion for Tokyo DisneySea, a part of the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, had already shown off some beautiful concept art for the project but now we have more.  The art comes as the park has officially broken ground on the project, which will be the 8th themed port at the park.

Above is the entrance to the area, which is officially named Fantasy Springs.  It is being built along with a brand new super deluxe hotel at the park.

© Tokyo DisneySea

The Fantasy Springs name makes sense as the land is themed around some magical springs that bubble up and flow throughout the area.  This concept art shows an elaborate waterfall area that's probably going to be an attraction in its own right if it turns out this nice!

© Tokyo DisneySea

The area should open in either late 2022 or early 2023, and is being built to be just as amazing at night as it is during the day.  Take for instance this nighttime concept art of a glowing area complete with more waterfalls and amazing rockwork.

© Tokyo DisneySea

And here is the same view only during the day.  Disney found some amazing success with the nighttime transformation of Pandora at Animal Kingdom, and while I am not suggesting this will be quite on that scale it seems that they're making push in that direction from this concept art.

Fantasy Springs will be subdivided into sections themed around Tangled, Peter Pan, and Frozen.  You can see more daytime/nighttime concept art in this story from Laughing Place.

Luna Park Shares a Preview of Two Unique New Flat Rides Opening This Summer

© Luna Park Coney Island

At least two thrilling new attractions are set to debut this summer at Luna Park in Coney Island, New York.  The park has been teasing fans a bit as to what the rides will be, originally only saying they were brand new creations from Zamperla.

Now they've taken a step further and actually given us a look at the two new rides via their Facebook page:

This first one looks like a pretty wild family ride, which has a ton of kinetic appeal.  Riders look to be seated in cars that allow their feet to dangle below them, in pairs back to back.  There are two sets of seats each on four separate arms that all spin in a giant vertical circle, with the cars just barely missing one another as they spin.

Hard to describe, but the video does that pretty clearly.  The seats also look like they are able to rock back and forth, I'm not sure if the ride motion will allow for inversions at all.  Either way it looks like a pretty great flat ride that might give some awesome air-time once it is up and running.

The second new ride looks like an improved version of Zamperla's Air Race, only on this version the entire body of the ride moves up to a decent height above the ground.  As with the previous model the ride will spin while the cars also flip vertically in a circle, creating a disorienting experience, only now well above the ground.

This one is definitely for thrill seekers, as the Air Race rides have already proven to be some of the most unique ride experiences out there.

I'm looking forward to seeing these rides installed and opened at Luna Park - they have also shared photos of the rides being packed up to be shipped to the park so it should be soon!

Six Flags SkyScreamer Now Thrilling Riders at Six Flags Darien Lake

© Six Flags Darien Lake

Six Flags Darien Lake is celebrating their first season once-again branded as a Six Flags park and has just opened their brand new thrill ride, the Six Flags SkyScreamer.  Eager visitors to the park have had their first rides, which include a swirling view of the park below from 242 feet in the air.

Six Flags SkyScreamer is OFFICIALLY OPEN! Here are some highlights from its debut.

Make sure to come ride and experience the fun and thrills for yourself #SixFlags pic.twitter.com/Xm5ihdOFQw

— Six Flags Darien Lake (@SFDarienLake) May 18, 2019

Six Flags Darien Lake released this video that covers all the important details of the ride, including a look at what the view is like from the top of the ride.  The SkyScreamer rides are known for their relaxing trip and amazing views, at least if you're not terrified of heights - then it might not be so relaxing!

Guests on the Six Flags SkyScreamer swing around in a giant circle at 35 miles per hour in chairs extended from the carriage, giving an unparalleled sense of freedom.  The park is happy to point out that the ride's height of 242 feet makes it taller than both the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls.  And at night, as seen in the photo up top, the ride gives a wonderful light show that forever changes the park's skyline.

A New Adventure Unfolds as Calico River Rapids Opens at Knott's Berry Farm

© Knott's Berry Farm

The highly anticipated renovation of Knott's Berry Farm's Bigfoot Rapids into the all-new Calico River Rapids has opened to the public!  The attraction has been changed head to toe to create an all new storyline that links the ride to the other themed sections of the park.

Bigfoot Rapids opened in 1987, so the existing attraction had been a staple of the park's roster and already had some fans, but I have a feeling the dramatic retheming of the ride will see it garner long lines once again this summer.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Calico River Rapids features all new scenes along the ride path, including 20 or so animatronic people an wildlife creatures.  Above is a bear that just caught its dinner with a raft passing right by it.  The Calico River is said to have been a location that many settlers explored and eventually made their home, of course making peace with all the animals in the area as well.

As a special treat, the park's designers included an actual Bigfoot animatronic hiding in the ride's finale cave scene, a fitting nod to the ride's former name.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Calico River Rapids has so many detailed scenes (the above photo is just one small part of a much larger scene) that it appears that you'll need several rides to take it all in.  The park did a wonderful job with the ride and from videos it doesn't appear to totally soak riders, which is a great thing to me because it will make it even more repeatable that way.

Here is one video of the ride experience from SoCal Attractions 360, showing all the different scenes:

Sesame Street Birthday Party Parade to Entertain at SeaWorld San Antonio

© SeaWorld San Antonio

SeaWorld San Antonio is excited to bring the Sesame Street Birthday Parade to visitors starting May 18th, featuring the cast of Sesame Street in an interactive street production.

The "colorful, musical, show-stopping parade, which is part of Sesame Street’s year-long 50th anniversary celebration, will feature 10 larger-than-life themed floats including the iconic Mr. Hooper’s Store and Count’s Castle."

Characters including Elmo, Big Bird and plenty more will join 20 dancers who engage with guests along the route.  The 17 minute parade features "toe-tapping" good times and officially runs May 18th, May 25-26, June 1, June 8 and June 14 through August 11 - excluding Wednesdays.

© SeaWorld San Antonio

This new parade will feature colorful birthday themed decorations, sparkly cupcakes and a catchy new birthday song.  A part of the parade includes a "birthday stop" where everyone will be dancing and clapping along to the music.  Guests are invited to help their Sesame Street friends as they put on their birthday hats and blow out the candles on a giant cake.

The parade is a wonderful addition to SeaWorld San Antonio's Sesame Street Bay of Play themed area, which is celebrating it's 8th season at the theme park.

© SeaWorld San Antonio

“Sesame Street has had a long and popular presence in our park,” said Roland Garcia, SeaWorld San Antonio’s vice president of entertainment. “We’re delighted to expand our entertainment offerings for families and kids with this brand-new, engaging and endearing parade through the park. No doubt it will offer our guests some great opportunities for phenomenal photos.”

For those families with little ones, up to age 5, they can get them unlimited free admission to SeaWorld San Antonio all year long with a Preschool Card, only for Texas residents.  Parents can register their kids online before the end of this month on the park's website.

Heard On... Cedar Fair's 1st Quarter 2019 Earnings Call

© Cedar Fair

Last week was the earnings call for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company's first quarter 2019 results.  There wasn't a ton of super exciting news, but a lot of updates about the health of the company... which seems strong.  Here are some notes:

• During the 1st quarter revenues increased $12 million, based off of increases in per-capitas, attendance and out of park revenues.  However, there was an extra calendar week of park operations in 2019 versus 2018, so a lot of the increase probably comes from that.  The operating loss for the quarter increased to $85 million, up from a loss of $76 million last year, due to the extra operating days.  They also saw a bump in depreciation and amortization costs, to $14 million up from $8 million, due to a change in the "estimated useful life" of a long lived park asset.  Maybe that was Volcano at Kings Dominion?

• They also released results through the end of April, which puts this and last year more comparable due to Easter timing shift.  At that point revenues were up 2% or $2 million, primarily due to strong in park spending and out of park revenues.  Attendance was down around 20,000 visits over last year.

• Also through the end of April deferred revenues were up 12% or $20 million, which represent sales of season passes, dining plans, fast lane, etc.  Sales of passes and of all season food plans are both up over last year.

© Knott's Berry Farm

• Generally speaking it sounds like Knott's Berry Farm is continuing to do extremely well, having their strongest-ever start to the 2019 season with their Peanuts Celebration and Boysenberry events.  They are continually booking year over year revenue increases, and the same with their season pass program.  They said again that the park surpassed 6 million visitors last year (not clear if that's the park AND water park or just the theme park).

• The rewards program for season pass holders is still going to be in a test phase for 2019, through I'm not sure at which parks.  After testing and tweaking the program with what they learn this year, it will roll out to a larger audience in 2020.  The loyalty program aims to make lifelong relationships with customers, giving them benefits for visiting often and also to keep passes being renewed.

© Cedar Point

• No change to the company's long term goal of hitting $575 million in EBITDA by 2023.  They still plan to get there by "enhancing guest experience, expanding the season pass program, increasing market penetration through targeted marketing and pursuing developing land adjacent to the parks."

• The company has several additional revenue generators scheduled to debut later this year, including a new hotel at Carowinds, the opening of the giant indoor sports center adjacent to Cedar Point, and the first Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland.

© Cedar Fair

• The 2019 capital has a heavy mix of entertainment and experience in it, but also big roller coasters at Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland.  The Grand Carnivale and Monster Jam Thunder Alley events feel like they were created from a push right from the CEO's office. (they again say that the partnership with Monster Jam is the "first installment of a strategic collaboration between the companies)  They're also excited to generate the excitement felt at Knott's Ghost Town Alive at Cedar Point's Forbidden Frontier this year.

• The purchase of the land under California's Great America was a "once in a generation" opportunity so the company jumped on it.  They said the rezoning two years ago was the first step in a "more aggressive development program" and they are "actively deploying that strategy" and will announce more later in the year.  The big plans for the park had seemed to have stalled completely, but are they back on now?  It sounds like it is, now that they fully own it.  I still have to wonder if they played hard ball on the big expansions in order to get the ability to purchase the land.

Firebird Almost Ready to Soar at Six Flags America

© Six Flags America

Six Flags America's newly transformed roller coaster, Firebird, will be ready for all guests to soar on next weekend, starting May 17th.  The ride is actually open this weekend as a special preview for certain levels of Six Flags pass holders, but the general public can get their first flight in on the 17th.

© Six Flags America

Firebird is now a floorless roller coaster, after undergoing an extensive renovation during the winter months that removed the ride's stand-up trains and station set up.  The coaster was B&M's first back in 1990, a stand up roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America named Iron Wolf.  The coaster operated at that park until it was moved to Six Flags America for the 2012 season and named Apocalypse.

Now with brand new floorless trains, the coaster has been renamed Firebird and given a fancy new paint job.  The ride stands 100 feet tall, has a first drop of 90 feet, two inversions and a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

In anticipation of the grand Firebird opening, Six Flags America has released a point of view video of the ride experience - check it out below!

New Splash Water Parade to Entertain at Six Flags Over Texas in July

© Six Flags Over Texas

Six Flags Over Texas has announced an innovative special engagement experience to debut at the park this July - the Six Flags Splash Water Parade.

Billed as the first of its kind, the parade will be the "coolest even in all of North Texas," featuring larger than life parade floats, creatively themed decor, music and festive street entertainment.

The Six Flags Splash Water Parade will run at the park twice each day from July 13th through August 11th.  Performances will be at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

“As the world leader in thrills, Six Flags continues to raise the bar to deliver the most unique and innovative experiences in the industry,” said Six Flags Over Texas Park President Steve Martindale. “The introduction of a water parade is another example of our ongoing commitment to deliver world-class entertainment year after year. Our Members and Season Pass Holders will want to visit again and again to enjoy this cool, new event with family and friends.”

During the parade guests will see elaborately themed 13 foot tall floats, each carrying a themed related to the "dog days of summer."  Some of the memorable aspects of the event include:

• A traveling water tower that will make for a fun portable spray ground for younger guests to delight in
• Thousands of dazzling, colorful beads tossed from each float to the waving crowds
• Water trikes and street performers
• A rocking summer soundtrack that will inspire guests to move to the beat as the floats make their way through the park.

The new Six Flags Splash Water Parade, included with general park admission, sounds like a great way to cool down in the Texas summer sun, and is a fun take on a theme park daily parade.  I'm interested to see more of the event once it opens!

Volcano: The Blast Coaster Nearly Gone from Kings Dominion

© NewsPlusNotes

Sorry it has been a bit quiet around here lately, we've been away.  I noticed more and more sad photos of the destruction of Volcano: The Blast Coaster at Kings Dominion over the past couple weeks.  They're popping up all over the interwebs, photos and video of not only the coaster itself coming down, but also the entire mountain that the ride surrounded.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KDFans.com (@kdfanscom) on May 10, 2019 at 8:22am PDT

These photos were shared on Instagram today by KDFans and show the most recent views of what little is left of Volcano.  It is not much!  Basically all that remains is the steel support for the center of the volcano structure, which has the coaster's supports intertwined with it.  It's kind of neat to see how the mountain supports stayed separate from the coaster's, but I think we'd all rather go for a spin on Volcano than see the inside of the mountain like this.

YouTube user World of John has also been documenting the removal of the coaster via aerial footage.  The most recent video is embedded here, taken about a week ago.  There's a little bit more of the ride still standing at that point, but not much.

At this rate, the main structure of the ride will probably be completely gone in a week.

Cracked open the Easter egg today and discovered there might just be more insight for the @KingsDominionVA Volcano site. New “Expeditions on the Horizon” sign located near the ride. 📷 WC pic.twitter.com/B9mr8oMNf3

— CP Food Blog (@CPFoodBlog) April 21, 2019

As for the future of Volcano's site, the park has placed the above sign on the construction fence.  This photo, from CP Food Blog, promises us that there will be a new expedition on the horizon.  Exactly what that means remains a mystery, and the sign isn't really very telling.  I think there's probably no chance that any type of animal attraction will replace the coaster, though the general theme used here might be employed.

Dorney Park's 136th Opening Day: A Look at the Park as 2019 Season Starts

© NewsPlusNotes

Here we are at the opening weekend for Dorney Park's 136th operating season, what a feat to have something stay around for 136 years!  The 2019 season at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom will be marked by two large special events that will bring a new type of limited engagement entertainment to the park, and both events are surely not to be missed.

While visiting the park this weekend the push for the first of the new events, Grand Carnivale, is evident.  This sign is located at the flower bed that leads to Wildwater Kingdom, just inside the park's gates.

© NewsPlusNotes

This is sure to grab the attention of guests arriving at the park, and the sign even includes this awesome jester statue.  Grand Carnivale will start at 5:00 pm each evening, which is also about the time that guests start to pack up from Wildwater Kingdom and head into Dorney Park - this jester guy will help them remember what they're headed to!

© NewsPlusNotes

But seriously, the park is advertising the event very heavily inside the park, and technically outside as well.  These large billboards that are on the back of the Good Time Theater remind guests the benefits of a season pass, but also in a bold pink color remind them that Grand Carnivale will run from July 20th through August 11th.

© NewsPlusNotes

And while you're in the park it's hard not to see all the other advertisements for the event as well.  The above advertisements are just some of what I noticed while in the park.  And to be clear, I'm not complaining as Grand Carnivale is truly an unprecedented event for Dorney Park, and the more people know about it the better.

© NewsPlusNotes

While it doesn't start for another eleven or so weeks, the park is already making preparations for the festivities.  The Main Midway will be the focal point of the celebration, with the parade ending in this area and then the street party starting using some of the parade floats, plus a whole lot more.  In order to support various stages, food stands, colorful lighting, new music, and all that jazz, the park has beefed up their electrical capabilities here.  You'll notice (in red above) many new boxes in the area, where all that fun can be plugged in.  I'm sure the set up also allows for other technological hook ups, but I'm not well versed in that so I just think of them as big outlets.

© NewsPlusNotes

Lastly, visitors will notice that the former water-fountain-turned-into-a-flower-bed has been covered up right now.  While this is still very much a work in progress and not a finished product, this will be a stage for Grand Carnivale, to feature some of the event's carnival and other general entertainment.

Is it July 20th yet?  I'm rather excited to see the event in person - we will be sure to give more updates as the event draws closer.

© NewsPlusNotes

Moving on to other changes and random things we noticed - Rita's Italian Ice has moved into the Main Midway, replacing sweetFrog which had frozen yogurt.  Rita's remains very popular at the park, and this location joins at several other existing ones in both Dorney Park and in Wildwater Kingdom.

© NewsPlusNotes

Is it ever too early to think about Halloween Haunt?  Perhaps, since it is only opening weekend.  Still, the 2019 Haunt will start on September 14th and run all the way through November 3rd, so mark your calendars!  I haven't heard any rumblings about changes for this year, but the simple fact that Monster Jam Thunder Alley will be on the lower midway means that those giant pirate ships must sail to somewhere new.

© NewsPlusNotes

Dorney Park has continued to make new signs for photo spots, this adorable sign is located in the planter just outside the lower entrance to Planet Snoopy.   This will look really great once all the flowers have some time to grow in.

© NewsPlusNotes

This spring the park is featuring a variety of local artists at Center Stage.  This sign out front shows the lineup through the start of next month.  The park is also opening two new shows in Planet Snoopy and has brought back the live entertainment in Wildwater Kingdom as well.

© NewsPlusNotes

Dorney Park noted earlier in the year on their social media that Steel Force's lift hill was getting some love in the form of an all new paint job.  Granted it's not super easy to tell since the supports are gray, but you can catch a good look at it when the sun shines.  Nice to see the ride get a refresher for its 23rd operating season, hopefully we will see other improvements in the future!

© NewsPlusNotes

No surprise here, Dinosaurs Alive has gone extinct.  Since the attraction was tucked in the very back of the park, it's not easy to get photo of the site now, but it's really just a lot of trees with no dinosaurs now anyway.  The path that led to the attraction is still open as it feeds to a set of restrooms back there.

© NewsPlusNotes

The former DinoStore, which was at the entrance/exit to Dinosaurs Alive is now the Solomon Center.  Named after the founder of the park, it is not an area open to the public, instead it is used for training and other employee related activities.

© NewsPlusNotes

The Monster was not ready to be fully awake from its winter slumber this weekend, but it looks like its well on its way to twirling riders once again soon.

© NewsPlusNotes

The Stinger Field is still... a field.  That's some good looking grass, though!  Kidding aside, this area is quiet for now but this fall will be home to the track that the trucks will follow when giving rides during Monster Jam Thunder Alley.

© NewsPlusNotes

The park has been featuring their history in the large Good Time Gifts store over the past few seasons, and that trend continues in 2019.  This is one of the displays that is up in the area, featuring a small recreation of the famous Alfundo sign that used to greet visitors, plus some cool old images of the park.

© NewsPlusNotes

While on the subject of the park's history, they are also celebrating The Whip's 100th operating season at the park.  To do so, they created this fantastic sign at the entrance to the attraction, detailing much of its history.

© NewsPlusNotes

Some potions of the sign, like these above, give history of The Whip at Dorney Park, which opened in 1920.  The ride was built by the W. F. Mangles Company and is one of many Whip rides that opened during the time period.  Not too many of the originals still exist, so it's amazing to see Dorney Park's reach 100 seasons.

© NewsPlusNotes

The sign also includes photos of The Whip though the many decades that it has been in operation.  The building surrounding the ride has changed over time, as is evident in these photos, but the thrills it gives families are timeless.

Stay tuned for more Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom updates as the season progresses, especially as we get closer to the start of this year's big special events!