better_by_design

Great question - I'm assuming more (effective) track length means more boats on the course, means somewhat higher capacity? Another question - has the gift shop been Frozen-mogrified? Do the trolls look the same or did they get a makeover? Is there still Helly Hanson for sale?

If they were serious about this, it would be a great thing to build on a show building roof. But as someone earlier said, Animal Kingdom would be AMAZING for this.

Gap is definitely close in terms of "style" - Uniqlo sells basics - tees, jeans, shorts, shirts, etc etc. They do have some interesting design partnerships (including Disney, but also the MOMA in NYC) that have more interesting designs/prints than their normal stuff. Where they are HUGELY better than Gap (or pretty much any other mainline clothing retailer) is that they are obsessive about quality and the technical aspects of their products - they do a LOT of research and innovation around fabrics and manufacturing techniques that result in pretty affordable clothing that is extremely resistant to wear/washing, and also has high-performance (moisture wicking, warmth, lightness, etc depending on exactly which product) that is a lot closer to something you'd be buying from a sports or outdoor company at MUCH higher prices. I read once that close to 90% of people in Japan own at least 1 item from Uniqlo if that gives you a sense how good & popular they are there... their US expansion is slow but steady. I've had great experiences with their clothes, particularly things for our little guy. Oh, and their puffy winter coats are just absolutely great value/quality, especially for the price. For those of us who actually need those things... can't imagine many of them for sale at Disney Springs!

Thanks for the trip report! I'm always amazed at just how good this park looks - seemingly out of nowhere (I mean, Koln isn't nowhere, but it isn't Paris, Orlando, LA, etc) there's a park with theming and design as nice as at least Universal? Is there some history to the park and it's ownership that has led to this general awesomeness?

Wow, these guys are serious - -New, high-tech ride -Plus-ing their waterpark -Refreshing their 4D movie -Night time spectacular -Whole new resort 1 year after their first hotel? And what, I get to stay in a my own Lego beach house? Sign me the heck up!!!

Awesome! I'm going to be in Shanghai about two months too early... Still debating if/when to make a special trip to the new park... very curious how overwhelmed it will be the first seasons of opening!

Definitely a way to get more guest engagement and interest in the RFID pass than JUST FastPasses. I wonder if they're going to create stickers and such for WeChat and Line that tie to this via smartphones?

I was wondering how they were going to handle this potential problem. Yes, between the seat-specific QR codes and the wheel speed sensors, that answers my questions/concerns about how they were going to properly synchronize this. I'm impressed they didn't half-arse the whole deal. As said above, seeing is believing - I was skeptical, but now a LOT LESS skeptical now that more folks have actually tried it, and liked it. Appreciate the review!

Glad to see them investing in new ships... the "new" ships (Dream/Fantasy) will be 10 years old when the Gen 3 ships are launched! So, guesses on whether they keep the Gen 1 ships (Magic/Wonder) in the fleet once these newest ones are launched? They'll both be over 20 years old at the time, which is OLD in cruise ship terms... Disney may charge a LOT for their cruises, but it is a great product! Considering the innovations they have had with each new ship design, and how much the other leaders in the cruise industry have been innovating lately, I'm very curious to see what new and cool stuff they design into these ships!

I'm definitely waiting until the school season begins... but how long is the question? Is TPR going to run a China trip in the next year and include this? Or do we need to start planning an informal inspection... err... visit?

Raclette: The Swiss peoples' greatest contribution to world culture. Also: excited to see Europa Park doing well and continuing to expand. I like it when awesome stuff is supported by paying customers and can continue being ever MORE awesome!

How am I the first person disappointed that the VR system for Galactica doesn't include this:

Truly amazing! Thank you so much for writing this and posting all the gorgeous pictures! A trip to Antarctica has been something I've had a savings account going for a while... and though it will be a while longer, it will EVENTUALLY happen - thanks for reinforcing that it's going to be worth it!

SO MUCH THIS. I love all the Magic Kingdoms (to different degrees) but am very excited over the uniqueness of Shanghai out of the gate. With 5 of them already around the world, they almost needed to (ahem) "reimagine" the Magic Kingdom, and here's hoping they deliver on the promise of the concept art. Happy there's an opening date set and that things look well along in terms of progress... now I need to debate when to visit.

Love to have ownership and management that *GET IT* - as in, investing in maintenance and enhancements that improve the guest experience is completely worthwhile - especially when you're trying to build a sustainable, multi-generational business. I shudder to think what a major chain park would have done with the Legend or Voyage by now... aside from ignoring them, watching them become unrideable, and MAYBE turning them over to RMC a decade later. Great stuff from Holiday World.

Nice find! And nice station! For a station that's part of the regular metro system, this looks pretty great! It'll be interesting to see if they liven it up with lighting/projections... that main dome in particular could be very pretty. No doubt HKDL has the best train station of any Disney resort... but I'd say this one compares favorably with TDL!

Amazing example of the awesomeness that Mack gets from having their own park - just so cool to see tests like this on actual rides! Really excited to see what they can do with this on a dedicated project!

So much this! My experience on the shuttle loop coaster was similarly death defying - probably the most dangerous theme park ride I've ever been on! They also didn't bother restraining me (at all!) on the reversing log ride... but hey, it's just a water ride, right? Ack! www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1090361#p1090361

Haha, exactly! I've been bugging some friends who will be going out to open the park as part of the project team and for what its worth they said they are being told they'll have a more concrete date in the coming two weeks. Any updates? Apparently I'm not the only one staring at a calendar for next year, thinking about planning a visit to the new park... the recent announcement by American Airlines raising the number of miles needed means I definitely want to book by March.

This has to be a concern... "ride the movies" not "watch the movies whilst being shaken". I'm a little saddened by the ending of Twister and Disaster from a conceptual standpoint - hearkening back to "the good ol' days" when Universal used to show you how movies were made through physical sets and practical effects. Of course, today, that would be what, Skyping with folks over in Asia sitting around doing CGI? But think about the glories of turning back the clock to pre-Twister... with a Universal Orlando classic - the Ghostbusters Spooktacular! Actually, with the reboot coming out, that wouldn't be the worst idea ever...

I do! Totally this:

Ya, it looks really great, what if Epcot did that too? Because the hard-core Disney fans would probably, at first, riot; get used to the "defaced" Spaceship Earth; then complain when the decorations were removed. Nailed it. That bow is not only festive, but damn classy too. Epcot seriously needs to steal that... and then I can buy a replica ornament for mine own tree!

Thanks for the great TR... and of course your legendary photo captions. Always a must read! I need to go try out West Coast Manta... you've sold me on it.

Ha! That's awesome... I'm sure that sort of thing happens for actual VIP aircraft, and not the average WestJet 737... I have to say I'm pretty impressed with this - although it's also fair to say we're living in good time for themed airplane livery with this and the Star Wars planes in one year!

Some great pictures of Canadian airline WestJet's new "Frozen" 737. I'm pretty impressed with what they've done here - not only did they theme the aircraft interior (luggage bins and headrests) but even the outside paint job has a bit of a story to it, starting with winter in the back, and transitioning to summer in the front... much as how Canadian vacationers will be traveling from the frozen tundra to Southern California! http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/canadian-airline-westjet-debuts-frozen-themed-aircraft/story?id=34583313 I mean, it's no ANA Star Wars jet, or EVA's Hello Kitty service, but pretty cool!