 BRANSON, MO
The spotlight will be shining bright on the amusement industry this Saturdayevening in an awards show hosted by Silver Dollar City, where the winners of Amusement Today’s 2018 Golden Ticket Awards are set to be announced. The Golden Ticket Awards are presented annually to honor the “Best of the Best” in the amusement industry and are calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today. The prestigious survey asks experienced amusement park voters around the country and world to rate the “bests” in 23 categories. Full results will be posted to GoldenTicketAwards.com and AmusementToday.com after the ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 8th. Follow Amusement Today on Facebook and Twitter (@AmusementToday) for award announcements as they happen! FULL STORY
0 Comments
 Over the past few years Nintendo and Universal Studios have been working on plans to launch Nintendo theme park attractions at numerous locations, starting with Universal Studios Japan. Construction began earlier this year in Tokyo, and the first park is set to open in 2020, with Orlando and Hollywood locations following. If the latest rumblings from the rumor mill are true, we now have a clearer idea of what we can expect at the Islands of Adventure Orlando.
According to Theme Park University's sources, the entire Lost Continent section of the park is going to be replaced with a massive Legend of Zelda area. They report that Universal Studios Florida was originally planned to receive all of the Nintendo attractions, but the scope of the partnership has increased, and Nintendo attractions will be spread out across Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and the yet-to-be-named new park down the road. They have also heard that a Mario Kart attraction will be coming to the future park. Of course, a project of this magnitude doesn't happen overnight, and Universal's plans shift as new parks are approved and old ones are torn down. Currently, Theme Park University believes the Zelda attraction is slated for 2021. At this time all of this information should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, as Nintendo and Universal have not commented on these specific details. FULL STORY  Universal Studios released the first images that show off its maze for Stranger Things as part of its annual Halloween Horror Nights event. Fans of the series will have access to some of the most iconic and scary moments of the series, with Universal taking them to the sleepy town of Hawkins and beyond.
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual event at Universal that converts the Universal Studios theme parks into something far more horrifying during the months of September and October. The special ticketed event features a series of haunted houses, mazes and live entertainment that live up to the spooky nature of the season. Some of horror's most famous characters have appeared at previous events, including Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface. The event has also dedicated haunted houses and "scare zones" to The Walking Dead, Halloween, The Purge and Alien. It's no wonder that the event has earned Universal Studios Florida the Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today for Best Halloween Event for the last 10 years straight. FULL STORY  WILLIAMSBURG, VA
Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA revealed exciting details about two new thrill attractions set to open in spring 2019. Busch Gardens will unveil a Screamin’ Swing ride called Finnegan’s Flyer™ and Water Country USA will debut Cutback Water Coaster™, Virginia’s first hybrid water coaster. FINNEGAN’S FLYERSoar up high and out over the cliffs of the Celtic coast on this extreme swing ride located in Busch Gardens Ireland village adjacent the Loch Ness Monster roller coaster. This breathtaking attraction features two pendulum-like arms, seating 32 riders that fly progressively higher with each swing. Finnegan’s Flyer will reach a staggering height of more than 80 feet with a speed of 45 mph. Riders can take in beautiful views of the park while being thrilled on this captivating attraction. The dueling arms sway back-and-forth, the ground plummeting into view with each swing. Only the bravest will prevail. CUTBACK WATER COASTERRace around tight turns on Virginia’s first hybrid water coaster and the only RocketBLAST® coaster on the East Coast. This revolutionary water propulsion ride will merge two unique technologies – a water jet propulsion system and exhilarating saucer feature. With the RocketBlast technology, Cutback will drive bigger boats, at higher speeds, and move riders up longer, steeper inclines. Thrill seekers will board a four-person raft, speed along an 850-foot slide, jet through tunnels and slide onto the wide-open space of massive saucer-shaped features. The steep angles of the saucers provide a drop-and-dive sensation as riders race along the edges. Cutback Water Coaster features the latest in turbine technology and takes water propulsion coasters to a whole new level with heart-stopping turns, lightning-fast drops and thrilling speeds. No kids required: Universal Orlando’s newest thrill rides are designed with grown-ups in mind9/5/2018  ORLANDO, FL
Get on any flight to Orlando, and you’ll see a handful of telltale signs that you’re headed to one of the top tourist hubs in the United States. First there’s the number of children on board, likely wearing tiny backpacks emblazoned with cartoon characters and clutching a prized stuffed toy. Remove your headphones and you might hear a business traveler mention a conference they’re extending for some downtime or an adult woman casually reference witchcraft. “I’ve been practicing spells,” the woman in the row ahead of me told her seatmate, adding that she was excited to buy her first wand to test them out. There was only one place she could be headed. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, located within Universal Orlando Resort, has attracted millions of visitors since it first opened in 2010. The Harry Potter land is now spread over Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, with sections inspired by Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Universal Orlando’s combined attendance has increased 70% in the last decade, from 11.6 million to 19.7 million annual visitors, according to figures from the Themed Entertainment Association. FULL STORY  The amusement park chain Cedar Park is set to announce sales of US$658.67m for the current quarter, according to a report by Zacks Investment Research.
Seven analysts working on the report have made sales estimates with the lowest coming in at US$646.50m and the highest being US$685.00m. The business posted sales of US$652.69m in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year-over-year growth rate of 0.9 per cent. The company is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Thursday, November 1. Zacks expects that Cedar Fair will report full-year sales of US$1.34bn for the current year, with estimates ranging from US$1.33bn to US$1.36bn. FULL STORY  Go for the rides, stay for the food. Just like the iconic Coney Island’s Cyclone coaster, Dollywood’s Christmas light display or brand-new Disney’s Pixar Pier, many signature eats have become park icons (Butterbeer, anyone?).
We’re making sure you won’t miss out on any of the best bites on your next theme park adventure. Whether the day calls for thrill rides or water slides, you’ll need to refuel. Here are the best snacks, meals and sweets (in no particular order) to power through long days traversing the parks—and working up a monstrous appetite. Dig in! FULL STORY  ORLANDO, FL
Spaceship Earth was closed Sunday at Epcot after a water leak.
FULL STORY  BUENA PARK, CA
Knott's Scary Farm kicked off its 46th season tonight with its annual reveal show in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre at Knott's Berry Farm. The two new mazes for 2018's installation of the world's first after-hours, hard-ticket theme park Halloween event will be: (Descriptions courtesy Knott's) Dark Entities — "Teleport beyond earth and into a realm where the darkness is absolute. In the depths of space, a lone station faces terror beyond all imagination. An extraterrestrial mutation has invaded the station, and it’s on the prowl for new hosts. The unearthly inhabitants’ force increases as it feeds on its unwilling victims. Escape the dark entities before its deathly force eliminates all living form aboard the station. There’s nowhere to escape when time is running out!" FULL STORY  No self-respecting remote outpost on the edge of the galaxy would call itself a smuggler’s planet without a cantina, and Black Spire Outpost is no exception. Today, I’m pleased to share more details for Oga’s Cantina, which will be serving pilots, bounty hunters, smugglers, locals and galactic travelers alike, when it opens in 2019.
Visitors come to this notorious local watering hole to unwind, conduct shady business, and maybe even encounter a friend...or a foe. Run by an intriguing alien proprietor, Oga Garra, the cantina adheres to a strict code of conduct that tries to keep its unruly patrons in check. But with a history of being a smugglers’ safe haven and a popular stopping point for those seeking to avoid the authorities, you can bet that the cantina has a story or two to tell. Oga’s Cantina is the kind of establishment that attracts some of the most interesting and disreputable characters in the galaxy. And you never know when a stormtrooper or a familiar face will show up. Patrons of the cantina come from across the galaxy to sample the famous concoctions created with exotic ingredients using “otherworldly” methods, served in unique vessels. With choices for kids and libations for adults, the cantina will make for a great stop! FULL STORY |
Archives
July 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
