pianojohn

Just got back from the BIG announcement! BEC will be building 4 parks in Dubai with the first phase set to open in 2012. The entire project will be called Worlds of Discovery, and will consist of Sea World, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica. They are being constructed on one of the man made Palm islands. When the entire project is complete, it will resemble a giant killer whale. (See pics below!) There were not a lot of details about the parks and what attractions would be in each one, but it looks all very exciting. The official press release can be found here: WORLDS OF DISCOVERY PLANNED FOR NAKHEEL’S THE PALM JEBEL ALI IN DUBAI On to the pictures from today's event! This little otter did not want to stand still for his picture! Another furry friend LOVE this pic! Me and some more animals Polly was about to bite my nose off! Hmm..a relation to Yeti ball? Meet Armadillo ball! Just hanging around... On the way out, they had lots of animals for photo ops! This was was so cute! Desserts fit for an ACEr! Delicious! Free food? Sign me up! Thanks Shamu! Daytime fireworks The logos At the end, the three men came out for the finale. Worlds of Discovery Whale-Shaped Island in Dubai – (Feb. 28, 2008) – Worlds of Discovery - SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and Aquatica - will soon have a home on a whale-shaped island located on “the Crown” of The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai. The announcement was made today by Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Nakheel PJSC one of the world’s largest property developers. Crowning Whale of Dubai - (Feb. 28, 2008) - Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos., today announced an agreement with Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest property developers, to build the Worlds of Discovery – SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – on The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai. Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown,” which will resemble a giant killer whale. The resort! This pic was taken of the big screens. The next one is from the press packet. Mr. Marwan Al Qamzi More speeches. I didn't want to put the wrong name with the wrong picture. The four speakers were Jim Atchinson and joe Couceiro from BEC, Chris O'Donnell from Nakheel, and Marwan Al Qamzi, Managing Director of The Palm Jebel Ali. Nakheel is the property developer who is building the complex. They also included information about the company in the press packet. More speeches Several speakers from BEC were on hand. Shamu and friend came out to get our attention! That's right. Media. They had the huge BELIEVE screens up and running for the big annoucement. My escort Melissa who showed me to my seat in the Shamu stadium. Thanks! A couple of the local news stations were there too. Had to get a pic of the Shamu bug. Yeah for GPS! Almost there.... Hmm....I may need to get a new one soon with that mileage! Yup, that's my car. It's COLD here in Orlando, but I have my TPR shirt and I am ready to roll!

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Great TR! If you are still in Australia, be sure to pick up a box or two of TIM TAM, the BEST cookie anywhere! Loved them when I visted Aus back in 2000.

Actually, MILLIONAIRE ran for over 5 years from April 7, 2001 to August 19, 2006. In theme park show years, that is pretty impressive. If they can run IDOL for 3-5 years, that would be considered a success. And since Toy Story Mania will be right around the corner, this will definately help with crowds.

The BAT footage is great, but I miss how the BEAST used to go over a small lake/pond before the lift hill.

My FAVORITE!! (I tried to imbed it in the message but no luck!)

Looks awesome, and night rides (if there are no lights in the area) should be great!

Hear hear! Now if we could just get Tokyo's Pooh's Honey Hunt SOMEWHERE in the states! That ride is amazing! Fun TR!

I agree! Loved this coaster and its location but HATE the box like ugly trains. Some new Millenium Flyer cars would make this ride perfect!

Small world! I worked on the Grand Princess back in 1998!! Did you go up to the disco on the top level? Cool that it is floating above the sea, but other than the view, pretty lame! Fun meeting up with you guys at Busch and Universal. Here is my one pic of Elissa and KidTums! Ahhh....... Yup, me back in 1998 on the deck of the Grand Princess.

Good luck to them getting it to run!!

If you do pay for parking, keep the ticket and the hotel will reimburse you. They did that for our friends who stayed on site with us but had not checked in yet.

Universal does own it, and if they were smart, they would close it down and move the newer slides to that BIG plot of land next to Royal Pacific Resort and across from IOA. Connect it to the other parks via water or land, and you have three parks where guests could spend a majority of their time. Once Aquatica opens up just down the road from Wet and Wild, they will blow W&W out of the water, so to speak. Just my opinion.

Yep, more outlet shopping. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-dixie0908jan09,0,451819.story

The only logical thing they could do is one of the two scenarios: 1) Someone like Arabian Nights (Knights?) bought the building and is re-locating its show to a more prime location. I cannot think of any other show that would fit this venue. 2) A developer bought it, will tear it down, and build more shopping like the Prime Outlets right next door. Either way, it sucks for the entertainers who are out of work and especially those who moved to Orlando for this show. And it's not like the Dixie Stampede was losing money. They just got such a lucrative offer that they could not refuse. So I can't blame them from a business standpoint. If someone offered me say $1 million for my house, I would move out before the end of the day!!! For those who have never gone, here are some pics from when I saw the Christmas show in 2006. LATE January 2006. And they were still running the Christmas show! Nothing says Christmas like horses in formations! Wonder how much this backdrop will fetch on Ebay? The arena More crap to buy! One of the many high quality souvenirs available in the gift shop!

Just read about this story this evening. Quite a shock to those of us locals esp who work dinner shows. One of the local TV stations: http://www.wesh.com/news/14996319/detail.html And the Orlando Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-dixie010708,0,2754708.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

Better yet, they should have the restaurants at Epcot be like bars where no one under 21 (ok....I guess I will say 18) is allowed after 6pm. Aside from character dining and family style restaurants (Ohana's, Whispering Canyon), I prefer eating with adults who act like adults and kids can eat somwhere where they feel comfortable. The last time I ate at Alfredo's at Epcot, we had a screaming child right next to us. And of course, the parents were oblivous. I don't blame the kids. I blame the parents and their smug feeling of self importance that lets them think their kids can do whatever they want. And for those of you under 21, when you get older, you will understand. My two cents!

I love the shot of Steel Phantom's biggest drop UPSIDE DOWN! It occurs at 5:11 on the timer. It makes it look like an inverted coaster! Or possibly a B&M flyer. Thanks for posting!

You basically pick the end of your ride from a few different scenarios. I don't want to go into too much detail and ruin it for those who want to be surprised. It's pretty cool, but other than the TV screens, there is nothing else to look at on the way down from the top of Spaceship Earth. Now, I did ride it one of the very first days of previews, so it is possible that not everything was completed or working yet. There is a complete review of the ride at MiceAge and quite a few videos on YouTube. I really liked the 1st half. The audio animatronics look great, and the story line seems more compelling with Dame Judy Dench providing the spiel.

As some of you may know, I play piano for Disney across property. While I can usually be found at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Comedy Warehouse, or Adventurers Club, I also do special events and weddings. One of my favorite spaces to play is the VIP room at The Living Seas. It is located on the 2nd level of the complex, and they usually host dinners, receptions, and cocktail hours up there. I got to play 3 events there this week and finally remembered to bring my camera along! I also got a sneak peak on Spaceship Earth, so enjoy the pics! And if anyone is coming down to WDW this week, I am playing piano Monday through Friday at the Wilderness Lodge at 3pm. Come by and say hello! And one last shot from backstage! Overall, a thumbs up! The tv screens in the cars Almost there And paint job! I like the new logo Woo hoo! One more pic of me about to begin. There is also a small board meeting room that has a window that faces the tank. Between sets outside The hallway that leads into the big room The piano and viewing window The left side of the room Me at the keys The piano! It is a KAWAI acrylic one....looks pretty cool! This is a meeting room up there as well. This is the view from the back entrance of Living Seas. Cool, no?

I'm always amazed when parents try to defend the actions of their children and blame everyone but themselves. They raise them and they SHOULD be responsible for their actions at all times. Sorry...just my two cents when I deal with unruly kids all the time at the parks, and some parents are oblivious to it.

Ah,.....that's the Geauga Lake I remember! Thanks for the memories!

Thanks for the pics and report! I will give your regards to Candlelight for you this December!

Still wondering what to get that someone special on your Christmas list? Wonder no more! My cd's (well, the most recent 2) are now available for a mere $5 each! My music can best be described as new age acoustic piano. Why so cheap? Why not! Samples can be heard here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/dehaas2 http://cdbaby.com/cd/dehaas And thanks! The newest CD cover

I gotta agree with you Robb. When I went in 2003 during Christmas, the lines SUCKED and it wasn't even crowded! I guess I was lucky to get on Dodonpa in about 1.5 hours and Fujiyama in about 45 minutes. Of course, as soon as we got there, we were informed that they didn't take any credit cards. WHAT??? The only redeeming part of the whole day was when we got this awesome picture of us taken in front of Mt. Fuji. One of my favorite pics from one the worst parks in the world!