Reopening Dates Planned for Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando + First Cedar Fair Parks to Open

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Some major announcements came today with regard to parks reopening, the largest of which is Walt Disney World in Orlando starting to reopen on July 11th (pending final approval from Florida's Governor).  On that day both the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will open, and a few days later on July 15th both Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot will welcome back guests.

The property has paused new ticket sales and hotel reservations in order to focus on guests with existing tickets and hotel plans - this includes annual passholders.  Guests will need to utilize a reservation system in order to visit the parks to control crowding - the park's attendance will be limited as expected.

The parks will hold off on holding shows, parades and fireworks for now, since these events create crowd gathering situations.  Face masks for anyone aged 3 and up will be required across the entire resort, except for when people are eating or swimming, and touchless temperature checks will be used.

Walt Disney World is a gigantic property, and arguably the largest park (set of parks) reopening that this country will see.  To that end everyone has a lot of questions about the property's 'new normal' so be sure to check out this site for some additional details.

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SeaWorld Orlando has also detailed their plans to reopen their park, which they hope to do on June 11th.  The park would like to hold an employee appreciation/test day on June 10th as well.

The park appears be waiting for final approval from the Governor until they update their website with official plans, however several sites are covering information from their presentation today.  The park will require guests aged two and a half and older to wear a mask, and will also utilize temperature screenings.  Interestingly, they do still plan to have parades though all guest interaction will be removed from them.

The reopening plans include Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove - all properties will have strict social distancing markers in place to keep guests spaced out.  That is an especially big concern for animal exhibits, where visitors commonly gather.

Expect to see more from the park with regard to their full plan as soon as they receive final approval.

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It also looks as though we have our first set of Cedar Fair parks to open, the recently purchased Schlitterbahn New Braunfels and Schlitterbahn Galveston.

No specific dates have been set yet for these two water parks to reopen, but the parks did post this today:

"We are pleased that Governor Abbott’s reopening plans now include waterparks. The safety of our guests and associates has always been, and will always be, our top priority.  Schlitterbahn is preparing to reopen our properties mid-June with enhanced safety measures and operational changes throughout both of our parks. We miss you and cannot wait to welcome you back to the Hottest, Coolest Time in Texas."

Unless another Cedar Fair park makes an announcement soon, it seems that these parks opening in "mid-June" could be the first for the company.

Renovated Entrance Area + New "Play" Pavilion Headed to Epcot

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Epcot, one of Disney World's four theme parks, is already seeing a large amount of development that has been announced in the past year or so.  A Guardians of the Galaxy themed indoor roller coaster is currently being built, along with a brand new lagoon show on the horizon, the Ratatouille ride in the France pavilion, and a space themed restaurant for Future World.

But wait, there's more!  Additional changes for Epcot were revealed this week.  The park's entrance area will see the Leave A Legacy display moved to outside the park's gates and replaced with beautiful gardens and a "reimagined" fountain (see concept art up top).  The area will be much more open and feature plenty of green space, and honestly, seems like it is reverting back to how it was when the park first opened.

The park also plans more changes between Spaceship Earth and the Worlds Showcase promenade, but those will be detailed at a future time.

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Also announced this week was a brand new, not-yet-named, "play pavilion" that will be built in the long closed Wonders of Life pavilion.  The park describes the pavilion as a space that "will include first-of-their-kind experiences devoted to playful fun, inviting guests into an innovative, interactive city bursting with games and hands-on activities.  Guests at Epcot will interact with their favorite Disney characters in an energetic metropolis unlike anything ever seen before in the park."

That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but the concept art for the attraction, shown above, makes it look visually impressive at the least.

These two developments, along with all the others previously announced, will be displayed in a new Experience Center that will be within the park.  That is planned to open its doors later in 2019.

Disney Parks Give Details of New Rides + Attractions for Florida + California Properties

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This past weekend Disney Parks held a special D23 gathering in honor of Mickey Mouse's 90th birthday, and at the event a presentation about parks and resorts revealed plenty of new goodies.

First, up top is concept art for the “Wonderful World of Animation” Nighttime Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The new show will start in May, 2019 in celebration of the park's 30th anniversary.  The show will use projections as we've seen in other recent performances at the park to tell the story of 90 years of Disney animation.

During the presentation it was also revealed that Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a brand new ride for Disney's Hollywood Studios, is scheduled for a Fall, 2019 grand opening.

Covering a large part of Disney World in Florida, the opening date for the Skyliner gondola system was also revealed to be Fall of 2019.

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On the opposite coast, Mickey will also be the focus of the new Get Your Ears On — A Mickey and Minnie Celebration at Disneyland.  The special celebration will feature new entertainment, food and merchandise - with the focus being a new nighttime show called "Mickey's Mix Magic," concept art for this can be seen above.   The show will feature "all-new music, projections and lasers that set the scene for an epic dance party that takes over almost the entire park."  Additionally, Mickey's Soundsational Parade will return at the park in January, with an all-new Mickey themed lead float.

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Back in Florida, we got some details on the replacement for Illuminations, which will close in the second half of 2019.  Up first will be an in-between show, known as "Epcot Forever," which will feature classic Epcot music along with fireworks, projections, lasers and more.

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When "Epcot Forever" is done, a brand new replacement for Illuminations will open in 2020.  Not named yet, the show will feature "massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics and lasers."  Footage shown at the show make it clear that Disney animation will be included in the show, unlike with Illuminations.

Epcot also got an announcement of the full name of a previously announced new ride in the France area, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.  The France pavilion will also see a new Beauty and the Beast sign-along debut next year.  Finally, the Canada pavilion is currently updating the O Canada! footage with a new film.

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Last but not least, there was plenty of Star Wars news for fans.  The names of the two major attractions within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the new themed areas opened in both Florida and California in 2019, were announced to eager fans.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will put "guests in the middle of an epic battle between the Resistance and the First Order," and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will send guests "behind the controls of the most famous ship in the galaxy in one of three unique flight crew roles."

Plenty of other details and images on the new areas were spilled at the event, along with some new art and information on the Star Wars hotel planned for Disney World.  Check out more information here!

Epcot to Retire Illuminations: Reflections of Earth In Fall of 2019

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Well, at least everyone has plenty of time to get to the park to see the show one last time!  Walt Disney World has announced that Epcot's nighttime spectacular, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, will come to a close in the second half of 2019 - just about a year from now.

As part of the "transformation of Epcot," the park will debut a brand new "nighttime fireworks spectacular" shortly after the show closes for good.

Known as one of the premier fireworks shows in the amusement industry, Illuminations first opened at Epcot in 1999, and was then known as Illuminations 2000: Reflections of Earth.

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The show, which combines an original score, plenty of fireworks, projections, lasers, water fountains, a healthy amount of fire and more special effects was an immediate hit, and has stuck around for the past (almost) 20 years.

As one would expect, Wikipedia has a great write up on Illuminations.  The show's centerpiece on the lake is a giant globe that's covered in LED screens, playing footage that goes along with the show, and it also opens up like a flower during the show's climax to reveal a 40 foot tall flame torch.  The 'inferno barge' is also a fan favorite, delivering a ton of massive fireballs and explosions capable of reaching more than 50 feet in the air.  Illuminations regularly features special versions of the show for holidays, and these are known as some of the most elaborate productions Walt Disney World has ever put on.

Walt Disney World notes in the announcement that Epcot is undertaking a massive "transformation" with many new attractions already announced for the next few years.  These include a "Guardians of the Galaxy" roller coaster, the "Ratatouille" dark ride in the France Pavilion, and a new space themed restaurant adjacent to Mission: Space.

Disney Parks Share New Ride Developments at D23 Expo Japan

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Just like they did with the domestic D23 Expo, Disney Parks had a nice presentation filled with goodies at the Japanese version of the event, held this past weekend.

There were updates and some new details released on already known projects, and even a couple brand new ones revealed.  The official Disney Parks Blog has a recap of all the news.

Up top is some new concept art for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway that is opening at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019.  Riders will enter the world of a cartoon short and the ride's vehicles can be seen depicted in the above art for the first time.

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Another interesting update came for the Star Wars inspired hotel that we now know will be built adjacent to and "seamlessly connected" to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  New concept art, above, was also released.  It sounds like the level of theming for this new hotel experience doesn't currently exist on the planet, so this is one big development to keep an eye on.  More details are available in this story from Disney.

Elsewhere in Florida, Disney confirmed that the Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride going into Epcot will indeed be an enclosed roller coaster, and it will be one of the longest in the world when it opens.  The coaster will also have a "new innovative ride system" that the Imagineers are sure will impress visitors.

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One major new attraction, well technically a transformation of an existing one, was also revealed for Walt Disney Studios Paris.  The park's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, a clone of the original Florida version, will be totally rethemed to Iron Man and the Avengers.  Aside from the concept art above, no other details on the retheme, including an opening year, were released.

Be sure to check out the full Disney Parks Blog recap post to see what else was shared at the D23 Expo Japan!

Disney Parks Announce A Slew of New Rides, Attractions and Developments at D23 Expo

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Yesterday's Parks presentation at the D23 Expo in California turned out to feature a massive set of announcements about rides, attractions, hotels, experiences and more that are headed to the Disney parks in North America and beyond.  Let's dig in!

First up is the announcement of the full name of the Star Wars themed area being built at both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Named Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the land will open first at Disneyland in 2019 and then later that same year at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The lands will both feature two signature attractions that "put guests in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance."  While not all details have been released there are more from the Expo shared here.

Another part of the growing excitement for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was the gigantic model of the land that was on display at the Expo.  Thankfully for those of us far away and not at the Expo, Disney filmed this fantastic video of the area as if we were walking through it.  Certainly looks to take immersive to the next level.

Walt Disney World in Florida had a total of 4 new rides announced at the Expo.  Two of them are headed to Epcot.

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Located in a currently undeveloped backstage area behind the France pavilion will be Ratatouille, a ride inspired by the existing one at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.  The 4-D ride mixes huge physical sets with 3-D animated sequences that have riders shrunk down to the size of a mouse.  The journey takes passengers on a hair-raising trip through Gusteau's restaurant.  To check out a video of the existing ride in Paris, click here.

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Epcot's Future World will see Ellen and her Universe of Energy attraction close for good this August 13th, to be replaced by a brand new Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride.  Very little about the attraction (ride system, etc) was revealed, but the Guardians are definitely moving into Epcot.  The concept art released does not appear to give us any hints, either.

Both Ratatouille and the Guardians of the Galaxy ride should be ready to open in 2021 for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration.

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The Magic Kingdom will also have a new attraction in 2021 when TRON Lightcycle Power Run opens adjacent to Space Mountain.  The ride will go up in previously undeveloped land, and no attractions will close for it to be added.  The ride is expected to be a clone of the ride of the same name at Shanghai Disneyland, which has received rave reviews since it opened last year.

As its core the ride is a launched coaster from Vekoma who's lighting alone is a serious visual feast.  If you want to take a spin on the Shanghai version, click here.

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Disney's Hollywood Studios will be retiring the Great Movie Ride (operates until August 13th) in order to build Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, a unique dark ride that will be the first ride-through attraction to feature Mickey in Disney history.

Riders will join Mickey and Minnie as they enter one of the pair's famous cartoon shorts, becoming a part of the zany action.  The dark ride will not require 3-D glasses, and from a quick preview shared at the Expo looks to feature plenty of projection mapping special effects to create ever-changing environments.

The Imagineers working on the ride are promising that it will be a fitting replacement for the Great Movie Ride, and is one of the "boldest... most impossible" things they've ever made.

No official word on the ride's opening date, but it wasn't listed as for the 50th anniversary so perhaps it'll be sooner.

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The presentation also touched on various other additions, almost too much to list in one post.  There's a summary of all announcements here, which is a great place to start reading.

These other announcements include:

•  The grand opening of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios will take place in Summer 2018.

•  A brand new gondola system, named the Disney Skyliner, will connect several Florida resorts to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.

•  The Magic Kingdom will add a large new theater off Main Street U.S.A., based off of Kansas City's Willis Wood Theater.  No show was announced for the new facility.

•  A new restaurant will open soon adjacent to Mission: Space at Epcot.  It will be set in outer space as a highly themed experience.

•  Pixar Pier will replace Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure, adding new theming to the existing land, and both the Avengers and Spiderman will eventually call the park home.

EPCOT's Candlelight Processional

Each winter Epcot guests experience a remarkable transformation, Holiday Around the World changes the World Showcase yuletide celebration, with the centerpiece being the Candlelight  Processional at the American Garden Theatre.

With this wide angle shot, you can see just how many performers are required for this Walt Disney World classic. 

Joe Morton, Emmy winner of Scandal and The Good Wife fame, was the guest narrator for the night we attended, and his rich voice resounded through the air as he recounted the Christmas Story

Trumpeters move around the audience during the performance, lending a new definition to surround sound. Here they are on the side wings of the theater, which resemble stain glass church windows.

The music director has a 50 piece orchestra at his disposal, who start out with the Candlelight Overture, an instrumental medley of Christmas Music. The choir is assembled with processional music, composed of traditional Christmas Carols. In this photo, he is conducting the guests as they sing along with Silent Night.

Also under direction is a tremendous choir, led by the Voices of  Liberty singers. If you plan your day just right, you can catch a performance of the Voices of Liberty just prior to a showing of the American Experience. Check in with any of the cast members at the American Experience for details.The acoustics in the lobby area are a great way to indulge yourself in the Christmas Spirit and cool down if it is 84 degrees outside like it was during our visit.

Here are a few of the highlights of the Candlelight Processional performance that we attended. If you plan to go next year, we highly recommend a dining package to ensure a less stressful experience. These performances are so popular that people line up hours prior to the venue opening to make sure they get in. Although this isn't too bad, because then you get to hear the music twice. Our thanks to Mike at Walt Disney World, for helping us and giving us tips for a better experience.

Pandora - The World of Avatar, Star Wars Land + More News from Disney World

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Today Disney Parks made a series of announcements that gave fans a closer look at some of the larger developments currently underway at the Disney World resort.

First, it was announced that Pandora - The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom will open in the Summer of 2017.  Under construction for several years now, the land has made major progress with floating islands already in the sky above the park.

The above photo is of the just revealed entrance bridge to the themed area.  The Disney Park's Blog explains the story behind the look of the bridge, which fits in with the overall theme of the new land.

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Digging a bit deeper into Pandora - The World of Avatar, several new concept art images of food and retail buildings inside the land were released today.

Above is a look at the main dining location, Satu'l Canteen, which features Na'vi "art and cultural" items as decorations.  Other images show Windtraders, a large gift shop, and an outdoor drink location named Pongu Pongu.

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This concept art of the Star Wars themed land that is being built at Disney's Hollywood Studios was also released today, showing the land at night once the sun goes down.  It was also announced that a new "adventure" will be added to Star Tours - The Adventures Continue, to feature content from the upcoming Star Wars Episode VIII.

On a last note, it was also mentioned at a fan event today that Imagineering has been tasked with dreaming big for upcoming plans for Epcot - sounds good to me!

Frozen Ever After Debuts to Huge Crowds at Epcot

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This past week a brand new dark ride opened at Epcot in Disney World that's themed around the adventures of the popular Frozen movie, named Frozen Ever After.  It's been a while since an original dark ride like this opened at the park, and that and the still-strong popularity of Frozen created some wild wait times - up to 300 minutes - on opening day.

The ride is located in the Norway pavilion, and replaces the classic Maelstrom attraction.  Frozen Ever After uses the former attraction's ride system and much of its layout, with some minor changes to the queue and loading area that allowed for a couple additional scenes.  The ride takes guests from Arendelle up into the world of Frozen, including the willow woods and Elsa's ice palace.  The tone of the ride is upbeat and is not a retelling of the movie.  Instead, it's just a visit to the Frozen world where riders get to see their favorite characters via the use of animatronics that look similar to those that opened in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

The changes in the Norway pavilion also include a brand new dedicated meet and greet area for the Frozen characters, bringing many more square feet of space to the Norway themed area.

It hasn't taken long for many videos of Frozen Ever After to appear online, but one of the first I saw hit the web from Attractions Magazine is still one of the best - obviously this is a giant spoiler so only hit play if you want to experience the ride!

Attractions Magazine has also shared a neat video showing Frozen Ever After and Maelstrom at the same time.  It's pretty cool to see how so much has changed, but you can follow the ride paths just the same.

Disney Announcement Overload From 2015 D23 Expo - Star Wars, Toy Story Land, + More

Last weekend's Disney D23 Expo proved to be an explosion of massive announcements for Disney theme parks across the country, much to the delight of the thousands of adoring fans in attendance.  Not too shabby for us on the interwebs, either.  Almost too much to take in at once, new rides and attractions were unveiled that have been underway for years, and won't open to guests for many more years.

Arguably the biggest news of the Expo presentation on Disney Parks was the long awaited announcement of Star Wars themed lands for both Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.

These pieces of concept art that were released show that Disney is most certainly going all-in on the Star Wars lands, both of which will come in at 14 acres - very large expansions to the parks.  Disney is creating an all new, previously unvisited trading planet, where everything will be Star Wars authentic down to the shopkeepers.  Make sure to click these pieces of art to see larger versions with more details.

Each of the new Star Wars areas will have two major attractions, one of which will put riders inside the famous Millennium Falcon, and another that puts us in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.  The environments look as immersive as they come, meaning Disney plans to do these areas correctly and absolutely load them with details.  Unfortunately there was no mention of even a possible time frame for the lands to open, and rumors point to us waiting until around 2020 to step foot in them.

Disney's Hollywood Studios, currently a bit of 'the little park that could' will also see a massive addition named Toy Story Land.  It will be anchored by what appears to be a repositioned entrance to Toy Story Mania, which will be adding a third track for additional capacity.

Outside the ride will be an 11 acres expansion that shrinks visitors down to the size of toys where they will explore Andy's backyard.  The largest addition here will be a custom roller coaster that looks to have both a lift hill and a launch, with riders sitting in trains that are one giant slinky dog.

Also new to the land will be a pair of family spinner rides, themed to the little green aliens from the movies.  The area will be stuffed with over-sized props, food and retail locations and a purposely immersive theme that is said to be the future direction of the Studios parks.  No opening date was announced for this land.

Animal Kingdom was included in the announcements as well, though just with additional details given on previously announced attractions.  Here is some beautiful concept art for the park's new lagoon nighttime show, named Rivers of Light.  The show will feature "live music, floating lanterns, water screens and swirling animal imagery" that will combine to create a show unlike any other at a Disney park.

Animal Kingdom's famous Kilimanjaro Safaris will also be expanded to include to new animals - African wild dogs and hyenas.

Under construction for some time now, we finally have an official name for the new land at Animal Kingdom, Pandora: The World of AVATAR.  Other details, such as the name of the area's e-ticket ride, called AVATAR Flight of Passage, were also revealed.  Disney brought a giant model of the new area as well, showing off an incredibly details and dense land being created.

Also confirmed after being rumored for years, both Epcot and Disney California Adventure will premier Soarin' Around The World next year.  The new films for the super-popular Soarin' rides will feature some of the most famous sights around the world.

All concept art/photos are © Disney

Disney Gives Epcot Frozen Ride a Name + New Details

After announcing last fall that a new Frozen themed dark ride would be opening in Epcot's Norway Pavilion, Disney is finally ready to give some additional details of what fans can expect.  And this news is of interest not only to Disney park fans, but also the legions of Frozen fans as well.

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Named "Frozen Ever After," the new dark ride will still open in 2016 - no more specific date has been announced yet.  The attraction will be part of a renovated Norway Pavilion that will see new distinct architectural features added to the appearance of the area's structures.  Inside the "Royal Sommerhus" visitors will be treated to a host of Norwegian art and culture, and this is also where they can meet Anna and Elsa.

As for the ride itself, the journey will be trip though the kingdom of Arendelle where the Winter in Summer Celebration is taking place.  The first concept art for the ride can be seen above, which almost looks like the reverse-direction spot from the old ride.

Aside from the winter in summer celebration, riders will also visit Elsa's Ice Palace and the North Mountain among other spots made famous in the film.  Disney promises that their brand of storytelling and new technology will bring the Frozen characters - including the Snowgies from "Frozen Fever" - to life like never before.

Read more from Disney about the new Frozen Ever After attraction here.

Two Current Disney World Attractions Growing in Size in 2016

Walt Disney World has announced that two of its most popular attractions will be expanding to provide additional capacity - improving the the experience for visitors to both properties.

Since its debut in 2005 at Epcot's The Land pavilion, Soarin' has been one of the most popular attractions in the park.  The ride was lifted from Disney California Adventure, and while the film focuses on California landscapes, it still consistently pulls huge waits day in and day out at the Florida park.

The show building for Soarin' currently has two theaters located in a building adjacent to the main Land pavilion.  Seen above, Soarin' in the vertical rectangle near the top of the image.  The park has announced that to improve capacity a third theater will be built, to open by the end of 2016.  One would think that it would probably be built to the lower right of the current structure seen above.

Equally popular, Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios is going to see a similar expansion.  The ride is located in Pixar Place, a small area themed to the Pixar studios campus.  The current ride is located in the building seen above, on the right side.  While not officially confirmed by Disney, we are expecting to see additional ride track added in Soundstage One, which is the building on the above left.  A third track will help the long lines one this ride, which has a high repeat ride value that keeps riders coming back.

These announcements are quite interesting, especially because Disney is spending significant cash on existing ride upgrades that won't be marketable.  There are theories that the capacity is needed due to the new FastPass+ bookings, which are quickly filling these rides' daily capacities - leaving little room for day visitors.

Frozen Characters Taking Over Maelstrom at Epcot

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Announced via the Disney Parks Blog by Tom Staggs himself, Epcot will be receiving a new attraction based on the super-mega-popular film Frozen.  The attraction, which was announced to travel agents as opening in early 2016, will replace Maelstrom at the Norway Pavilion.

Virtually no details of the attraction, let alone concept art of any sort, were released with the news.  I would assume that the cause of the release was more to let everyone know that Maelstrom will close for good on October 5th, 2014 since that is only three-ish weeks away.  The story also mentions that a new "royal greeting area" for the Frozen crew will be a part of the project.

Maelstrom is a dark boat ride that tells of Norway's history using various scenes and animatronic figures.  It opened in 1988 and is one of only a few rides located within the various country themed Pavilions in World Showcase.

Hopefully as time goes by Disney will release some additional information on exactly what the ride will hold!

Check Out Test Track 2.0

Epcot has started to preview the all new Test Track, and that means tons of videos have started to pop up online.  If you are waiting to experience the ride in person, then obviously these are not something you want to check out.

But for those of you curious about Test Track 2.0, it's quite a departure from the original attraction.  The promise of taking riders into the elaborate computer systems that are used to model new vehicles has been fulfilled - the result is as anticipated a very dark Tron-like world where all the ride sets have been replaced by graphics, video, or in some cases darkness.  I'm going to wait to form a real opinion until I can try out the new ride, as I think the black-light atmosphere of the new ride really probably only works well in real life.

Here is a link to one of the many point-of-view videos out there.  Orlando Attractions Magazine did a really fantastic side-by-side comparison of the old ride and new version that's rather telling.  Make sure to check that one out!

Chevrolet Showing Off the New Test Track at Epcot

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With the reopening of Test Track at now less than a month away, set to take place on December 6th, the main sponsor of the attraction, Chevrolet, is showing off some interesting concept art for the ride.

When Test Track reopens at Epcot, it will give visitors a "deep look inside a professional design studio creating first-of-its-kind multi-sensory virtual experience in automotive design."  When work started 18 months ago designers desired to make a ride experience that is personal, future-focused and optimistic.  Those desires can definitely be felt in the artwork.

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Chevrolet designers worked closely with Disney Imagineering to reinvent the Test Track experience.  Guests will be able to learn about the automotive design process, and even create their own vehicle designs.

“The re-imagined Test Track portrays an optimistic view of the future, and reflects the deep collaboration between Disney and Chevrolet on both the design and the overall experience,” said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president, Walt Disney Imagineering. “It’s a thrilling attraction supported by rich exhibit displays and interactive elements that bring guests directly into the design process – with a few surprises thrown in.”

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After riders design their own vehicles the ride experience will actually test how their concept held up to the challenge of real life road elements.  Patron designs can be a car, truck or crossover, and will require them to balance capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power.  After the ride experience they will find out how their design scored, and be able to "race their vehicle over changing terrain and extreme conditions on a digital driving table, produce and share a TV commercial starring their custom vehicle and pose for action shots in front of their design."

For the full selection of images of the new Test Track, click through to Chevrolet's website.

Details of the Reimagined Test Track at EPCOT

Test Track, one of the most exciting attractions at Disney World's EPCOT theme park, has now been closed in order for the ride to undergo a serious reimagining.  The new version of the ride will be dramatically different than the previous ride experience, shifting the focus of the attraction from real life automotive testing to the digital design of vehicles.

The ride is slated for a Fall reopening, which puts one of the park's major rides out of commission for quite a while.  The wait will be worth it, as it sounds like quite an interactive adventures is planned for the Chevrolet sponsored ride.  Guests will be able to design their own car in the pre-show area, allowing them to choose different vehicle attributes in the name of customization.  Their design will then be stacked up against the ride's test track in order to see how their car performed.

Test Track's ride experience will still consist of both slow and high speed sections, as in its former life.  The inside of the building will be totally redone however in order to take riders inside a computer design program where vehicles are often tested in current day.  Above are some concept images of the new building interior, which are pulling many comments of similarities to the Tron film.

After the ride guests can revisit their car design and interact with it through various methods in the post show area, including having it in a commercial or having their photo taken with it.

To really understand the change that are coming to the ride I highly suggest watching these interviews with Imagineers who are working on the attraction.  Test Track was great in its former life, but it looks like its upgrade into the digital age is going to be just as thrilling.

Weekly Rewind 2.19.12

Canada's Wonderland has shared some photos taken from the top of Leviathan's lift.  Take notice of the fact that the Drop Tower, which is really tall, looks tiny.  

Fare thee well Jaws.  Universal Studios Orlando has wasted no time at all in turning the former Jaws attraction into dust.  Check out how sad the sharks look sitting amid rubble!

Micechat's latest In The Parks column has a great interview with the new General Manager of Knott's Berry Farm, Raffi Karprelyan.  Check it out to hear about his plans for the theme park, and the possibility of a new dark ride!

Although it's really a complete copy of the approach of Montu in regard to style of ride, color, and especially theming, I'm still pretty interested in Parc Asterix's Oz'Iris.  Airtimers has some new concept art showing off what the final product will look like.

Have you ever checked out Imagineering Disney?  If not, I'd recommend it for any Disney Park fan.  This recent post takes a hard look at the never built Rhine River Cruise at Epcot Center's Germany Pavilion.  Great stuff.

The amount of new photos being taken of Shambhala at PortAventura is amazing, but I'm not complaining.  The ride will be done before you know it, and be sure to pay attention to the one-of-a-kind turnaround.

Chance Rides recently delivered a brand new C.P. Huntington Locomotive, and refurbished two others, at the Toledo Zoo.  The trains are used on the park's Safari Railroad, and the refurbishments involved a complete disassembly and rebuild, new paint and brass trim.  Lookin' good!

Six Flags has released its 4th quarter earnings - a mix of both the good and bad.  Increased revenues and attendance, but a larger loss for the quarter than in 2010.  Here's some highlights.

Sounds like negotiations between Bluegrass Boardwalk and the Kentucky State Fair Board are going well, if this article is any indication.  Reports are now that the former Kentucky Kingdom could reopen in 2013.