 Back in ancient times – say, the 1990s – if you wanted to see a blockbuster movie on opening day or be the first on your block with a hot new toy, you simply had to stand in line. In today's era of on-demand streaming, advance seat reservations and one-hour delivery, the idea of wasting time in a physical queue seems increasingly absurd. But last week, Universal Orlando demonstrated that people are still willing to trade hours of their life in exchange for magical thrills – at least as long as a certain Wizarding World is involved.
Unless you've been hiding inside the Chamber of Secrets, you've probably heard about the June 13 grand opening of Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the latest addition to Islands of Adventure's nine-year old Harry Potter-themed area. The new indoor/outdoor "story coaster," which replaced the Dragon Challenge inverted roller coasters, made national news last Thursday for the 600-minute-long line of fans that snaked all the way through Lost Continent and Seuss Landing to the park's entrance. FULL STORY
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 MYRTLE BEACH, SC
A developer is looking to rezone a portion of land off Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach to construct a possible amusement park attraction. CPC Oceanfront Delaware, LLC is proposing to rezone approximately two acres at 14th Avenue North between Ocean Boulevard and Chester Street to accommodate luxury single-family vacation rentals, a multi-level parking garage and an outdoor amusement area. Applicant Brian Macho, who went before the Planning Commission on Tuesday, told officials he couldn’t specify the type of amusement attraction under consideration due to a confidentiality agreement with the operator of the amusement company. He did explain the attraction wouldn’t be “tremendously high” but would have a “small amount of verticality.” FULL STORY  ORLANDO, FL
Walt Disney World announced just yesterday that select Annual Passholders will receive early access to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when it opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29, 2019. Before folks had a chance to upgrade their passes, a substantial price increase was rolled out overnight. FULL STORY
WEST MIFFLIN, PA
Looks like Kennywood has installed the final piece of track on the Steel Curtain. “Crews spent much of today working on completion, which largely consists of torquing (tightening) bolts on the ride and prepping the site and structure to begin test runs,” said Nick Paradise, the Director of Public Relations & Social Media. FULL STORY  Cedar Fair, L.P. (the “Company” or “Cedar Fair”) today announced that it, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries Magnum Management Corporation (“Magnum”), Canada’s Wonderland Company (“Cedar Canada”) and Millennium Operations LLC (“Millennium” and, together with Magnum and Cedar Canada, the “Co-Issuers”), intends to commence a private offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2029 (the “Notes”). Obligations under the Notes will be guaranteed by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries that guarantee its senior secured credit facilities (other than the Co-Issuers).
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for the proposed acquisition of Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort New Braunfels and Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston, the purchase of the land upon which California’s Great America amusement park is located, the payment of fees and expenses related to those transactions and the offering and for general corporate purposes and repayment of a portion of the Company’s senior secured revolving credit facility. Completion of the offering is subject to, among other things, pricing and market conditions. FULL STORY  BUENA PARK, CA
Montezooma’s Revenge will be granted landmark status this week when the 1978 Knott’s Berry Farm attraction is designated as a roller coaster of historic significance and joins a distinguished list of award-winning thrill rides that have stood the test of time. The 148-foot-tall looping ride will be honored with American Coaster Enthusiasts Landmark status on Thursday during an early morning celebration at the Buena Park theme park. FULL STORY  Hollywood Studios will see a major shift in its FastPass+ tiers this fall, but even more significant changes might be on the horizon for the WDW reservation system.
Currently, all guests at WDW theme parks have access to three FastPass+ attraction reservations ahead of their visit. On the day of, after those three are used or their time slot has passed, guests can then make more reservations, one at a time, throughout the day. The service is linked via RFID-equipped tickets or MagicBands. The My Disney Experience mobile app allows guests to change their reservations and make extra ones once their three are used. Access to the online ride reservation system opens 60 days ahead of their visit for those staying onsite or at select resorts and 30 days for those staying offsite. Numerous pilot programs have offered extra FastPasses or other FastPass-like reservations, typically for live shows, as part of upcharge offerings. Disney has also rolled out upcharge FastPass programs at other Disney resorts. Most Disney resorts still use paper FastPasses, known within the fan community as ‘Legacy FastPass,’ that don’t offer ahead-of-visit reservations. These systems require a guest to be within the park itself before they can make their ride reservations. Both Disneyland Paris and Disneyland in Anaheim, the only two other resorts that the Disney company wholly owns, have also begun offering paid FastPass options within the last few years. FULL STORY  olden Wheel Amusements has called it, “The most requested midway ride of all time!”
Ask any seasoned carnival midway enthusiast what their favorite ride is and many will cite the Chance Zipper. “The Zipper is arguably one of the most popular thrill rides in America for teenagers and thrill seekers,” states Talley Amusements, while Butler Amusements, Inc. feels it “...is a must for all adventure seekers.” FULL STORY  Comfortable shoes and good weather won’t matter so much for theme park visits in the future. With a major push from virtual reality, attractions are heading indoors. and parks are going vertical.
In July, Lionsgate Entertainment World, Asia’s first indoor movie theme park, opens in China and is spread across several different floors of a large kidney-shaped structure. FULL STORY  ANAHEIM, CA
Brace yourselves, superhero-lovers. A full-fledged Marvel land is officially in the works at Disneyland. Set to open in 2020, the park expansion is going to center on anything and everything Marvel-related. According to the LA Times, the city of Anaheim, CA, has already approved a few building permits for the new attraction, including one for a 2,071-square-foot merchandise outlet complete with three canopies. Although Disney has yet to comment on the new construction, it's been reported that the expansion will include an interactive Spider-Man ride that lets visitors take on evil villains. And Disneyland isn't the only park getting a giant Marvel installment. Marvel attractions are expected to open at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris in 2020, Epcot in Florida in 2021, and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2023. FULL STORY |
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